LEARNING PORTFOLIO

MIDTERM FALL 2013

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NARRATIVE

I wanted my design to represent my life. I made four big hexagon that metaphorically represent my family, my friends, my country, and, for the last one my present day. From these hexagons start and end small pieces of wood that represent events that happened in my life and, are in relation with either my friends, family or country. All pieces of wood ended in the same area in the last hexagon that makes what I am now. Surrounding these big hexagon, other small hexagons represent other smaller entities like school, teachers… I realized that my design could be placed on different position, up and down. This could lead to another narrative, like a shell that protect me against life’s aggressions.

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First iterations

Strengths: I put a lot of thought into making my design. I think my iteration represented my thought and my intention. To make a metaphor of me

Weaknesses: After finishing with making my iteration, I keep the same design for the first weeks. After several thought I figured out that my narrative was too general and my design not enough strong and precise

Challenges: Make a stronger and specific narrative that would lead to a better design

Discoveries: I found out more of what my iteration could signify for others. The design process is not only about construction and materials, a design is more about a reflection and a metaphorical stories.

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Next iteration: Kit of Parts and Elevation

Strengths: I was able to draw a Kit of Parts from the first iteration that respond to my narrative

Weaknesses: I had difficulties to find out dynamic kit of parts from my first design

Challenges: The bigger challenge was to integrate all the parameters from the beginning a the semester to be able to create a efficient design and kit of parts

Discoveries: I found very interesting the relation between old and new kit of parts, in order to create a new design from the original one

Kit of Parts: Elevation

Kit of Parts: Scale and links

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Review of Narrative

Weaknesses: My first narrative was a little too vague for being efficient in my design process so I decided to improve and focus it.

Narrative:

I wanted to create a design to be a metaphor of my own life. After several thought I decided to focus my narrative on one specific event that really had an impact in my life. This event take place two years ago when I was in middle Africa, in Democratic Republic of the Congo for humanitarian mission. This mission was to help children at school, rebuild houses and facilities. My design intention was to show how that event, with his positives and negatives consequences on my life. Indeed, in that time period, Congo was in civil war, I saw terrible think that occur during a war and all the consequences; fear, destruction, and death. In an other hand I saw a lot of good emotions and feelings with all this children. Hope and friendship were very important for them and also for me. With all those opposite emotions, I wanted to create a design that express those feelings

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Strengths: With a new narrative more precise, I was able to modified my thought and made a new design that express my feeling during a specific period of my life

Weaknesses I had trouble to express my thoughts from the original kit of parts

Challenges Create a more effective visual effect, and create more space

Discoveries I found out that the use of different materials and colors may help me to focus my design

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Iterations 4

Strengths I understood more the needed of a strong narrative for my design

Weaknesses Structural integrity with the materials

Challenges Use different materials to make my design more interesting and that can better define space

Discoveries I found that the new kit of parts helped me a lot in my design response to my narrative and that the different colors on my design can lead to a stronger impact

Iteration 5

Strengths I found figured out how to use different and varied materials to emphasize my narrative

Weaknesses Time management was my bigger issue for this iteration

Challenges Work with a very short time and a big pressure

Discoveries A found out how to manage my time and I learned to work faster with the same requirements without qualities sacrifices

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Iteration 6 & 7 and new kit of parts

Strengths I was able to find an interesting part on my design and make it bigger to define more space

Weaknesses I understood the meaning of the assignment but a I was unable to make it interesting

Challenges Add and subtract parts on my last design to make it bigger with more details and interesting in spatial definition

Discoveries I found that make my design bigger would make it more interesting for the spatial definition and also for my narrative. My design is much more in accordance with my narrative.

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Iteration 8

Strengths I figured out how make my design more efficient in space definition

Weaknesses I had issues concerning the material and how use it in a good way, how to cut and glue it clearly

Challenges Add more details and complex forms to improve my design

Discoveries I found very interesting the fact that make a part of my previous design bigger. I understood the meaning and importance of space

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Iteration 9 & 10

Strengths Based on the last design, I was able to create a new kit of parts

Weaknesses Same in iteration 8

Challengers Create a new design with this new kit of parts

Discoveries Sketches are important to understand how to make a design and have a more specific idea

LEARNING PORTFOLIO

“DESIGN TO RESEMBLE NATURE”

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WINERY CHEVAL BLANC 2006-2011 Saint-Émilion, France 13

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PROGRAM Cuvier with 52 vats, wine cellars, tasting room, workshops, packaging room, offices.

No line here is superfluous: everything contributes to perfecting the winemaking process, and it shows: the geometry of the curved surfaces and their muted white molded concrete, the unique atmosphere that derives from the natural light descending earthwards inside the vat house, between the contours of the great concrete vats.

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Chateau Cheval Blanc

Offices entry

“Between the inside and outside, the winery is a place of transmutation and human interaction with nature”

Portzamparc

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Inspired by the landscape, he wanted to create a winery that would open up the view onto the beauty of this environment shaped by man. The winery seems to float on a hill in the heart of these centuries-old vineyards

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CHATEAU CHEVAL BLANC (CASTLE WHITE HORSE)

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Design by the Pritzker Prize winning architect, Christian de Portzamparc, the elegant structure, which sweeps across the vineyard, houses the wine production facilities like it was as natural as the vines themselves. . The Chateau Cheval Blanc, which is French for “Castle White Horse”, dates back to the 1830s and is situated in the ancient and picturesque town of Saint-Émilion, a UNESCO world heritage site. Working within these parameters, Portzamparc, and the winery’s owners, Baron Albert Frere and Bernard Arnault, wanted to create a sculpture that blended into the landscape. The designer describes his building as a “winery under the hill”, as it is a structure that is roofed by landscaping which descends into the estate. Maintaining the high-quality wine the Chateau Cheval Blanc has become world-renowned for, functionality, as well as blending into the landscape, was at the heart of the new wineries design. To facilitate natural ventilation to help the wine breath, the winery’s walls are made from mashrabiya. Other natural materials were chosen to construct the unique winery building, and as a consequence, is one of the few wineries in the world to have a High Environment Quality certification

Link between old castle and modern designed structure

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WINERY CHEVAL BLANC INTERIOR DESIGN

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Chateaux Cheval Blanc

Interior design

There are 52 concrete vats with 9 different sizes corresponding to 47 plots. The walls of the barrel cellar use mashrabiya to facilitate natural ventilation 21

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Wind

To facilitate natural ventilation to help the wine breath, the winery’s walls are made from mashrabiya. Other natural materials were chosen to construct the unique winery building, and as a consequence, is one of the few wineries in the world to have a High Environment Quality certification

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Satellite view

France map

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LEARNING PORTFOLIO

CLASSMATES “DESIGN TO RESEMBLE NATURE” PRESENTATIONS

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Design Purpose

- Make connection between physical site feature emphasize contrasts - Make everything human scale - Bring outside/ inside - Maximize use of natural light - Time passing sensation -Saving energy and take advantage of natural resources

Building examples

- Using natural environment like hills and rivers to create efficient design - Create frame and cover to make big windows more human scale - Design canopy to take advantages of natural light - Small windows making frame outside and reflection of the sun on the floor - Eco-construction and patio with trees inside - Organique interior with stair and variation; make chaos like what nature make

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LEARNING PORTFOLIO

End

Valentin pillet