Experimenting with umbrellas

Experimenting with umbrellas

I used cardboard and tin foil in order to create a model of a potential structure that would form the roof. The model I made does not really represent the scale that the umbrellas would have to be to for the roof structure however it does give me an idea of what it could potentially look like. I also like the idea of the base looking like a sandcastle and this could hold some sort of food and beverages such as an ice cream stand or fish and chip stand.

Research: Umbrella buildings

Umbrella building structures

I took these pictures of the umbrellas hanging down near borough market. It provided a great feature for the people sitting in the bar and also a great shelter from the sun while they were eating. 

I went on to do some research in to existing umbrella structures.

After doing more research into using the umbrella shape for my building I think it would be a great feature that relates to my indoor beach and will provide an eye catching feature from both inside and outside of the building. Next I think I will try to attempt to make a model of the idea so I can visual see what this feature might look like.

Standsted Airport

Stansted Airport

Once I started looking in to the umbrella design idea, I came across a fairly similar design feature at Stansted airport where the roof and structure of the building is made up of separate supports which hold information stations with metal structures coming from them to  form the roof. 

I could use a similar concept for my building with umbrella like structures expanding from the base.

Floor Plan Ideas

Floor Plan Ideas

I used an aerial shot of my location to do some initial floor plans for the inside of my beach.

Above are several possible floor plans for the ground floor of my indoor beach. I believe that the shape of the water in the first design is the best as it mimics the curved/bay shape that you would find at a real beach and also provided a substantial amount of space for other features of the design such as shops, arcades and activities.

The first three layouts show an area of outside pool. Im not sure whether I would like to incorporate any outside space yet but here are some possible options.

Looking at the different layouts for the mezzanine level, I think I prefer the first as it provides an interesting curved feature to the building which mirrors the sea placement that I liked in the first floor plans.

I would like to go on to using these initial design ideas to look further in to the floor plans of my indoor beach in more depth and eventually adding more detail.

Building Design Ideas (Tracing)

Building Design Ideas - Tracings

I used the models that I created to trace over in order to come up with some more initial ideas for the design of my building. Most of these ideas are very wacky and unusual which is what I would like to bring to the area but maybe not so 'in your face'.

I would therefore like to just use components of the designs such as the curved beach ball shapes.

I really like this idea of the umbrellas forming the structure of the building. It would create an interesting feature for the overall building alone with making it really unusual and different.

This design uses the idea of sandcastles to form the main feature of the building. Im not sure how practical this design would be as the shape would not lend itself to the shape of the land sand a lot of space would be wasted in the different sections.

This design is supposed to show the joining of the sandcastle design along with the use of the geodesic  design to create a curved roof. I do not like this design as a whole but I think the use of the geodesic style would be a good design feature to add to my building.

The beach ball design is really wacky and I like the way you would get a different perspective and design depending on where you are standing in comparison to the building.

Looking at all the designs I think the one I like the most is the idea of the umbrellas forming the structure of the roof. I think this would provide an eye catching shape to the building from the outside but also from the inside. I would like to pursue this design further by doing some research in to existing buildings with similar features.

Research: Secondary (John Christo and Jeanne Claude)

John Christo and Jeanna Claude - The Umbrellas

The Umbrellas, free standing dynamic modules, reflected the availability of the land in each valley, creating an invitational inner space, as houses without walls, or temporary settlements and related to the short term life of the work of art.

In the precious and limited space of Japan, the umbrellas were positioned intimately, close together and sometimes following the geometry of the rice fields. In the luxuriant vegetation enriched by water year round, the umbrellas were blue. In the California vastness of uncultivated grazing land, the configuration of the umbrellas was whimsical and spreading in every direction. The brown hills are covered by blond grass. In that dry landscape, the umbrellas were yellow.

Although the artists concept of the umbrellas is not something that I need to consider for my project, the design and the idea of umbrellas and parasols are a feature I could use within my project of the indoor beach. They could also be considered later on within my project as a way of expanding my own concept in to the town by scattering them in around to entice people in to the beach.

Experimenting with Building Design 2

Experimenting with Building Design 2

During the first week back at college we were given the opportunity to use various materials to create models of our initial designs and just to experiment by creating models.

I decided to design a fish and chip shop that could be part of the interior of my beach along with a big umbrella/parasol. The design of the shop is not really to my taste and I would like to find another way  encorporate some retail space in to my building. The parasol however, I do like and find the shape interesting to work with as it provided a natural cover. I would like to explore this further as a roof design idea. 

To further my creative week, I gathered some of my own materials so that I could continue to make experimental model which will hopefully give me more inspiration and new ideas. In order to make my models as unusual and wacky as possible I gathered materials from a variety of places including the pound store!

I think being able to experiment with materials to create models has been a really good way to start getting new ideas for building design for the indoor beach I am wanting to create. I would like to take this further by using tracing paper to draw over the top of these pictures to produce even more initial ideas.