unit 4 sample student a level project

G r o w t h a n d E v o l u t I on

Growth

noun

1. The process of increasing size.

2 Something that has grown or is growing.

Evolution

noun

1 The process by which different kinds of living organism are believed to have

developed from earlier forms during the history of the earth.

2. The gradual development of something.

Hasnain Darr

Brief and Specification

Brief

Villa’s are luxurious and modern homes which are desirable in everyway. Today the term “villa” is often

applied to vocational rental properties. My aim is to design a versatile home suitable for a family or a

couple. An inside-outside feel, incorporating the use glass and wood.

Specification

The villa must have a modern and appealing design

The villa will be designed and constructed around a single standing tree.

The structure should be accessed easily

The villa must be environmentally friendly. It must conserve energy to reduce the carbon footprint emitted.

Purpose – initially I wanted to create a large home which would be a general living area, for families and

holiday homes etc., but Instead I am going to create a villa/holiday home in a forest.

Materials – I am going to create a villa/holiday home out of various materials, but mainly wood and glass.

I want the building to be eco friendly.

Design – I want to create a living space in the forest with the addition of an actual building to live in. for

example a luxury tree house

My chosen location is Epping Forest as it is a large space

and bursting with potential. Epping Forest is an area

of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the

border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is

a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London

Corporation.

It covers 2,476 hectares and contains areas of

woodland, grassland, heath, rivers, bogs and ponds and is

a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Stretching

between Forest Gate in the south and Epping in the north,

Epping Forest is approximately 19 kilometres (12 mi) long

in the north-south direction, but no more than 4 kilometres

(2.5 mi) from east to west at its widest point, and in most

places considerably narrower

Location

Primary photos of Epping Forest

Xu Bing– Travelling To The Wonderland

I visited The Victoria and Albert Museum and The Science Museum in London to look for ideas on the set

theme, growth and evolution. I wanted to look at existing objects and spaces with a similar nature. Whilst

visiting The V&A I came across Chinese artist Xu Bing’s Travelling To The Wonderland. The detail of the

piece is really nice, I liked the small ornaments and objects scattered around giving the space life and

character. To me the space almost looks like cities or small islands separated by a large obstacle.

These are some of the interesting

shapes I found when I visited The

Science museum. I want to

experiment using these sort of

shapes and designs.

Block Models

My partner and I were set a task to create a building in the allocated space on a

map. The allocated space acted as a plot of land for us to build on. We created

small models using wooden blocks.

Research

After visiting the V&A, I looked at existing structures which looked similar. I liked the way the small building sat on the rocks. I then looked online for existing villas which are also based on rocks. I looked at this villa its floor plan to get an idea of the use of space. I really liked the way the building hanged over the edge of the rocks. I think the way the building was designed and constructed around the existing natural surrounding is really clever. I want to do something similar. I could create a tree house around existing trees.

I really like the land scape of a forest. The massive, over hanging trees. Nothing compares to it. I wanted to recreate a similar structure. A shelter where trees over hang. I took existing pieces of nature and experimented with them, changing forms and sizes. I created a small shelter/structure which portrays feeling of colossal space. I drew from these small models and created small shelters. The formation of the shelters give it a natural look.

Laser cut model

I wanted to create a tree house and decided to laser cut this model. I decided to look at rectangular shapes, and how this would work. I drew from one of the pictures and added a forest background to get an idea of it in its environment. I really the like long windows, as this allows a lot of light to enter the building. I left the fourth wall out to enable an idea of space and floors. I wanted to show off the interior space.

I used card to create some models. I then chose one model to develop. I created a few drawing illustrating how it would be used as a home/ living space. I wanted to create the villa with glass walls as this appealing and eco friendly. I then added a forest background to simulate a forest environment.

This is one model I developed, I wanted to see how it would work as a living space

Tham & Videgard Arckitekter: Tree hotel, Harads Singular Form

Treehotel offers a unique hotel experience: treerooms with contemporary design in the middle of

unspoiled nature. Here you can forget about the time constraints of everyday life, enjoy the

serenity, and rejuvenate in a sophisticated yet familiar environment.

My focus was set on The Mirrorcube, as I found it the most appealing. Taking something man-

made and artificial and applying it to nature, a risky decision which has worked very well.

The Mirrorcube

The Mirrorcube is an exciting hide-out among the trees, camouflaged by mirrored walls that reflect their surroundings. The dimensions are 4x4x4 metres. The base consists of an

aluminum frame around the tree trunk and the walls are covered with reflective glass.

To prevent birds from flying into the mirrored walls, they have been clad with infrared film. The colour is invisible to humans, but visible to the birds.

The interior is made from plywood with a birch surface. The six windows provide a stunning panoramic view. The Mirrorcube offers excellent accommodation for two people with a

double bed, bathroom, lounge, and rooftop terrace. A 12-meter-long bridge leads up to the treeroom.

Britta’s Pensionat is open for Treehotel’s guests, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner in an authentic 1930-1950’s setting. There’s a restaurant, bar, sauna and relaxation area, TV,

and internet. When you arrive at Treehotel, you first check at Britta’s pensionat; then it’s a short stroll through the breathtaking nature to your treeroom.

Suspended structures

I looked at suspended structures and came across these colourful shapes. I created these models in a similar style. I wanted to look at how a home or living space could work as a suspended structure

I made these models using card and chose the one I liked the most. I wanted to see what the model would look like as a tree house. I used the tree trunk as a foundation for the tree house. I want to build around the existing wilderness instead of tearing it all down to build some.

I looked at floor plans and side elevations of buildings. I wanted to see how different shapes and sizes would work as a structure.

Here I looked at tree trunks and the cross section of a tree trunk. I really liked the formation of this particular tree trunk as it is very irregular. I also wanted to see how it would work as a base for a tree house, which led me to draw on top of this image.

I want to add a wooden staircase to access my building. I really like the simplicity of a spiral staircase. I think this would go really well with my building as I can use the existing tree as a base for my spiral staircase.

Floor plan I used Archicad to create a floor plan for my Tree House. I wanted to show the different rooms and facilities available. There is a spiral staircase which connects the ground floor to the first floor. I made the spiral staircase the centre point as it is easier to use an existing tree as a foundation. I demonstrated the use of space by adding a general living spaces such as a bedroom/kitchen/living room. I incorporated the use of surrounding trees as a foundation/structural support. My main aim was to build around the surrounding environment rather than breaking down the existing trees. I think this has been well executed.

East elevation

North elevation South elevation

West elevation

This is the interior of my tree house. It offers a spacious, open plan living facility. Included in the tree house is a kitchen along with a dining area, living room, one bathroom, a bedroom along with an en suite. The living area is easily lit up with lots of natural light coming through the window. As you are off the ground, privacy isn’t an issue. The spiral staircase offers a small entrance/exit in the middle of the tree house. The staircase is guarded from three sides to prevent any slips and falls down the stairs. There is a main tree trunk running through the middle of the tree house for support, which also plays a unique feature.

Final Model

This is my final model of my tree house. One of my aims was to use the existing environment and build around it rather than tear down the existing forest. My tree house is suspended amongst the trees using the surroundings as a base. The tree house is accessible using a spiral staircase which connects the ground floor to the main floor of the tree house. The tree house offers a small living area/villa in Epping Forest. If I were to create more tree houses, they would vary in size and length as the structure of the surrounding trees aren’t the same. Other tree houses may have a smaller base as the distance between the trees is different.

Evaluation I started this project with an unclear view on my project. I wanted to create a villa in the forest, a living space for a small family. If I could change anything, I would change the layout of the interior. I liked the model and the way it looks but some parts could be improved. I could also change the way the tree house is connected to other trees. I think as a living area it works very well. It offers a spacious and aesthetically pleasing place to live.