Model & Scale.

OMA — Two Libraries, Jussieu, France (1992)

My final design (By R. Wilson, 2017)

Through researching my chosen architectural group, OMA, I have developed an understanding of the ways in which they demonstrated and create space within their designs through particular strategies, including the use of slabs, columns and spatial loops. I have been able to recognise, that by utilising these 3 concepts, OMA is able to create a distinct sense of openness and connectivity within their areas they are designing. One main focus for Two Libraries was to illustrate an open environment where users can interact with one another and also with the other levels of the building, eliminating the feelings of separation and restriction. By doing this OMA is able to portray freedom and community in both a physical and metaphorical sense.

Through the manipulation of slabs, OMA defies the traditional layout of a library, which is commonly represented as, one floor stacked on top of another. This manipulation, as I have demonstrated in Figure 1, encourages the user/s to approach the space a little differently - to interact with and to inhabit the space. By creating a single trajectory throughout the whole design, each level is interconnected, therefore enabling the building to be viewed as a whole space rather than many separate spaces, enhancing that communal feel. Not only does the change in design alter the emotive aspects of the viewer, it also alters the physical aspect, the ways in which the user proceeds to utilise this space.

Libraries, more or less believed to be a quiet place, usually closed, dark and dull are not exactly the epitome of an inviting space, yet OMA has radicalised this perception as a way to make the Library more comfortable and enjoyable and also enables the user/s to utilise the space in various ways.

Each of these three concepts (slabs, columns and spatial loops), have their own twist throughout the designs produced my OMA; the slabs are constructed in ways that opened up each level to join with the next; the columns, are plenty and narrow, set up in a grid formation traveling upwards throughout the whole structure; and the spatial loops, created through the manipulation of these slabs, interconnecting each floor. All 3 concepts are demonstrated with the right mediums and techniques in order to cohere with one another and therefore represent their desired outcome successfully.

Columns are positioned at regular intervals, in a grid type formation, and travel from the base of each building the entire way through to the top. Each column passes through each floor whether it is a structural need or does not offer any support to that level, yet it is still existent. OMA use relatively thin columns but many of them eluding a feel of lightness to the buildings, their aim, to make the planes as if they were floating, yet still offer a substantial amount of structural support to the building.

With my designs, I recognise that the columns had to appear transparent to some degree, again working with the other concepts to enable those feelings of freedom, which meant using quite narrow objects for this. For me, wooden skewers worked effectively. For the base and overhead planes I chose cardboard, a material that had enough structure, yet still enough flexibility to bend and move in order to represent the spatial loops and also easy enough to pierce the skewers through at regular intervals.

My third & fourth iterations (By R. Wilson, 2017)

Through producing several iterations, I was able to experiment with materials, sizing and tools to discover the effective and ineffective ways of model making. I started off with paper as a base and overhead plane, until realising that paper was too thin and would tear too easily. It also did not act as a sturdy structure, especially when columns were inserted- the paper collapsed. I tried using thick cardboard, which, contrasting to the paper, was too thick, proving to be a challenging material to manipulate and pierce. So I opted for a happy medium, an average thickness cardboard that was a lot more flexible but still enough structure to keep in shape when several columns were inserted.

As shown in my first iterations, I began making the planes before the column structure to begin with, then gradually began to find ways to assist in my processes, referring back to OMA’s model where I could. I noticed that the columns seemed to be placed in even and regular positions, so I attempted this and from there I traced where each level sat onto grid to be able to correspond the column holes to where there would connect on the grid.

The voids created through manipulation of slabs (By R.Wilson, 2017)

When cutting out the levels in order to match up with the above and/or lower levels, I had to keep in mind that I had to display the voids that are created when the slabs are manipulated upward or downward. In my earlier models, this was not evident but as I progressed I was able to illustrate this by making angled cuts to manipulate and then cutting out sections between areas that had to stay, such as a pathway.

By working through the iteration process I developed an exciting understanding of the ways OMA creates and transforms space to redesign familiar areas, through utilising slabs, columns and spatial loops to challenge and encourage the users actions in an unfamiliar way.

OMA’s work:

From left to right: Two Libraries wood model (OMA, 1992); Plan View of Two Libraries (OMA, 1992); Model making (OMA, 1992)

Reference List.

Rem Koolhaas, OMA, 1992, http://oma.eu/projects/jussieu-two-libraries

designenaction.gatech.edu, unknown year, https://au.pinterest.com/pin/454793262341381301/ pic

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