'Parallel Habitats' 1:5 Junction Techincal Detail model

<p dir="ltr">My atelier asks the question of how we can “reimagine inclusive spaces for humans and non-humans to thrive”. In short, my response to this question is a building that floats above the ground and lets light through onto vegetation below; a human space above, and a non-human space below. The building is a co-living scheme for post-graduate students; using shared spaces to reduce the overall footprint of the building. This project ran for the whole year; starting at large scales focusing on the concept and massing of the building, and then slowly zooming in and resolving our building at increasing detail. The models I have made reflect this increasing resolution; they slowly zoom in on the scheme and between them the intention is that they clarify the entire building. The 1:200 model clarifies how the entire scheme fits together and its overall spatial quality. The 1:20 model provides much more clarity: it explains the different materials; how the different spaces relate to each other. The 1:5 detail model provides further material clarity but also explanation of how the components of the building connect to each other. I did a series of test casts of the base with different materials and techniques, and I chose this option because it looks the most like a ‘slice of the ground’. The majority of my building is made of timber so I’ve been able to closely model these components. The steel walkways and joints were made using multiple materials to achieve different effects at different scales: 3d printed steel joints at 1:20; laser cut MDF stairs at 1:20; and hand cut acrylic at 1:5. As well as using the models to communicate my final design, I also embraced the process of making them to resolve my design and test different ideas. I started making the models when there were still many questions to be answered about the building, which were answered through the process of making and hands-on problem solving. I made the three models simultaneously, resolving a detail at one scale and then applying what it had taught me to the other models. </p>