The Triangle Collective

We, The Triangle Collective, is a group of 3 students studying Architecture at the University of Auckland who are participating in the annual Auckland Architecture Weekend 2010 competition- SKYRISE city.

The event will be held on 16th October 2010 in Sheds 1+2 on 135 Halsey Street, Auckland CBD.

The competition brief is to design a 8m tall skyrise with a 2m x 2m square footprint at the bottom.

Our Design 4 group brief is Recasting, where we have to recast an everyday material and put it into an environment that we will not normally associate the material to.

The blog is to note down important sessions, crits and experiments throughout our design process from the beginning to the night of the event.

Hope you enjoy the project as much as we do.

Thanks for your support,
Cameron, Kassidy and Kelvin @ The Triangle Collective

Thursday, August 26, 2010

10.08.2010 Jury Presentation

We are called The Triangle collective




"As a group, we were interested in capturing and enveloping light into a form that would be both a memorable and an intensifying experience for each individual that enters it.

Our initial concepts for the skyrise involved light and tension, this has led us to choose “intensity” as our focus word. We have used stocking material to create a shell of skin that encapsulates our light by drawing on the intensity of its stretching capabilities, using triangles to push the boundaries of its elasticity to maximum levels.

The intensity of light has been a constant concept through the development of our ideas. When the stocking material is stretched and distorted at different heights, it plays on the intensity of the halogen lights. Halogen lights tease the opacity from inside and out. The Sky Rise event is going to be held at night, giving us the advantage as the darkness of the night will enhance the intensity of our halogen lights. The atmosphere our sky rise creates would be even more astounding if coupled by the greatest contrast possible in the level of darkness and light. We propose once a person is standing right beneath our structure, the motor will slowly expand our shell till it engulfs the individual in darkness. This is where and when the person is able to interact with our skyrise. We know they will touch the structure out of curiosity and so by exercising that we decided to fabricate motion and touch sensors in the interior. It becomes an interactive environment where the individual slowly lights up the structure with their own movement.

For the assemblage, we will be using a crane to hang our skyrise so that it is uplifted in order for the compression and expansion process. This would be acheived by using motorised pulleys that pull at the joints so the structure will stack upwards in a breathing manner.

The three drawings included each convey an important aspect to our project. First image is of the atmosphere we want to achieve. The intensity of light and darkness is expressed through the black and white drawing coupled with the interactive relationship between the people and the sky rise. Sections of the structure gives attention to detail and also demonstrates how it compresses and expands in a ‘breathing manner’. The irregularity of the triangle sizes and orientaions are also illustrated throughout these diagrams, forming a twisted form. The last drawing serves to explain the devices that are needed to realise this project: the crane, shell structure, halogen lights and a motorised pulley.

To conclude, we think there is great potential for further development to our skyrise and we hope you will be with us towards our success. Thankyou for listening to our proposal. "

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Streeeeeeetch.




This new 1:1 model we have made experiments with our focus on intensity. It plays with the intensity of stretching a material to its maximum capacity, we plan on using it as a structure which somehow engulfs the occupants, also entrapping a form of "intense" halogen lighting.

Back to the drawing board.




The ridged outcome of our 1:1 Detail model has led us to return to our original thoughts and ideas....to step away from the spaceship.
We began considering our initial concepts and explored the brief in more detail. Collectively we thought of nailing down our design to one key word, intensity. Using stocking material and halogen tubes we went back to the craft-knife.

Workshop 1:1 Detail Model




What a learning experience the last few weeks have been! The workshop is one of the greatest places in the school!
We spent two days straight making or 1:1 model for our presentation. Using Timber, glue, nails and tinfoil, we created a middle section of our skyrise.....

Friday, August 6, 2010

06.08.2010 Group Presentation

After 2 days of commitment to the workshop, we finally managed to finish our 1:1 detail on time! well done guys! The finished product became a 2.1 m tall prism- like structure with and exo-skeleton covered by tinfoil inside. A fluorescent tube is hung in the centre, illuminating very brightly creating this intense light that we are striving for. Cut the explanation here are the photos.














Wednesday, August 4, 2010

03.08.2010 Group Presentation

After all the experimentation, we summed up our project with 2 words- REFLECTIONS and INTENSITY. We developed further by eliminating options that were either not practical or not possible given the limitations- timeframe, construction and costs. We ended up with the materials tinfoil and cans as they gave the most extraordianary effects and atmosphere.

For this presentation, we had to make a model at 1:20 or 1:10 scale within the actual footprint (2.5m x 2.5m x 10m). Our first attempt with the cans didnt work as well and we had to think of another idea that could test out the intensity of light through gaps. Our finished model was structured from white fairy lights and V cans (thanks to those who drank V for us). The lights were threaded through the V cans so that the inside of the V can is illuminated brightly. Also there were holes poked on the surface so that light comes out as lines.


The lights turned out very ethereal and heavenly.

Yay! another one done. Now for Friday model of 1:1 detail

Sunday, August 1, 2010

30.07.2010 Group Presentation

Our second group presentation- a walk-in installation that shows and present our current ideas and experiments. Though the display was not as successful compared to the photos (due to the excess of light in studio; we needed a darker space), we still had a lot of fun with shining the laser on to tinfoil, mirrors, ice and glass creating these supernatural effects and refections.












Well done guys! keep going ~


Next stage, Tuesday!