Project 2 Final Model

1.Building detail- Organic Shape

2.Formal Devices- Grid lines

Project2 Final Drawing

1.Building detail- Organic Shape

The spatial character of Villa Mairea seems to have pantheistic and metaphorical overtones. Aalto's flowing space is associated with the limitless space of nature, which is turned into specific localities only though human experience.  The fire place on the ground floor seems like the heart of the building, it built with beautiful organic shape.. Since the building is sit on the ridge, different contours depicts organic shapes. The irregular rhythms of nature connect the interior detailing of the building to the exterior site of the building, it create a strong continuity form one space to the next.

Inspirations:
Da Vinci "Baby in the Womb" -The beauty of how the organic lines of the baby fit into the womb, as a part of it.

2.Formal Devices- Grid lines

• If we looking at the grid lines on this plan, Aalto had move away from perfect square as a result of avoiding symmetry and squares. In Aalto's word " The goal was to avoid artificial architectural rhythm in the building without giving up pure 'form', as long as it could be obtained in harmony with the structure or with increased use of materials and surface treatments that inherently pleasing to the sense."(The proportion of the windows in Villa Mairea reveals the width is slightly larger than the height)

• The plan of Villa Mairea is divided into halves, thirds and quarters, thought as usual the thickness of walls allow different interpretations of exactly where the grid lines fall. Even the curve of the swimming pool can be interpreted as following the discipline of the grid. With the idea of dividing the building into different small spaces and make every space independent, the plan has become a puzzle, furthermore I was seeking for the different representation of architectural pattern on the elevation. I have scaled the size of the floor plan to fit into the elevations, and use yellow colour to highlight the spare spaces.

Inspirations:
Parc Villette Bernard Tschumi Architects- The strategy involves ignoring built precedents so as o begin from a neutral mathematical configuration that could become the points of departure for future transformations. The result of pulling out each part of the building has entirely disregarded  the context of the city, instead seeking richness in its own combination.

3.Materials

There are 3 fireplaces in the building, the fireplaces are placed both interior and exterior. Aalto seems to have considered making a double fire place that would face the interior spaces as well as the courtyard terrace, the semicircular path of flow between the interior and exterior fire place intends to indicate neutral space serving to link interior and exterior , creating a in between space serving to link interior and exterior. With Aalto's idea of  "Blurring Boundaries",the fireplace is built with same materials like irregular stones, masonry, bricks etc.The exterior fireplace has been placed on the courtyard side, not in the centre of the square, and it also enclosed by an L-shaped wall, in this way it becomes the core element of the space, and human activities and other uses and positions in the space occur in relation to it.

• The sequence of floor materials from the slate surfaces of the entrances and terraces, through tile surfaces to with beech floor indicate the change from outdoors to indoors, from public to private.

Project 2 draft model

Project 2 Interim