Monday, February 5, 2007

Studio-Signature Element Final Detail

Below is my proposed typical detail for the transition between interior and exterior at the roof gardens.... I took an approach where the glazing slopes out and over the garden..... intermittently, I see the opportunity for seating built into the curtainwall "floating" out over the garden... this creates a condition where the garden is beneath the sitter... also, I have placed electronic signage/monitors up in the corner, well over the garden.... a person standing in the room watching the monitor as it floats out over the garden becomes engaged with space that exists out in the interim between the inside and outside....a place where the interior and exterior overlap each other and start to blend.... while continuing to be fully separated.... I also plan to hold the guardrail out from the edge approximately 3 inches to allow the plant life to grow over each level and hang down below..... this fully frames the view with plant life........


7 comments:

rbutera said...

I really like the idea of being outside and inside at the saem time while in the store.

I would like to see this detail as the condition where the Apple products (Green Apple) are displayed rather than seating that would be occasionally used.

Good stuff.

Unknown said...

Pete,

I also like where this detail is going. You have a lot of good elements...the roof garden, the glazing, the idea of the garden being inside and outside, and a place for people to sit to experience the inside/outside tension you are creating.

That said, there are a few things you might want to consider:

1. Does the seating really need to be a part of the window? It will be a technical challenge to create the seating arrangement you are showing. Assuming you overcome the technical challenges, the joints in the glass will have the effect of distorting light passing through them, heightening our awareness of the membrane between inside and outside. You have said that you are trying to supress the division between inside and outside, so you would be working at cross purposes. Isn't it enough to have the seating near the window rather than in the window?

2. Another challege that your idea must face is whether it will work well for the display of computer equipment. Just about every product that Apple sells has a monitor or screen on it. If the lighting levels are very bright at the window, it may be difficult to see the displays on the products, especially if they are positioned between the window and the observer. Think about what it's like to use a computer that is placed in front of an outside window... the bright light from the window makes the display hard to read. Steve Job's beautiful flat panel displays will look washed out and unappetizing if the window is particularly bright. You will also have visibility troubles with the displays you are positioning above and below the window.

Think about the important elements of your design: (a) Inside, (b) Outside, and (c) a place for people to experience the interface you have created. Strip away the extras by removing one item at a time until you hit the point where taking something away causes the idea to fall apart, and that will lead you to the essence of what you are attempting. I would propose that you have several extra elements in the design that could be deleted to the betterment of your idea.

Matt

Carli Sekella said...

Hi Pete -

Can the green come inside? Maybe the window slopes as you show it, but the bottom mullion is buried somehow and the vegetation grows and hides it, so under your window seat there is green?

And, I agree with Paul - some seats should be product display.

rbutera said...

Paul huh? Thanks Carli! hehehe... just kiddin' :)

Thomas said...

Peter:
Wonderfully presented. It adds a lot of punch to your design!
T.

Ellie said...

This is really well done. Very clever. Not sure if you noticed or not during the office visit, but the windows in our building are quite old, single pane units that have a center pivot such that they open by rotating. Anyway, there is obviously no seal (metal frame to metal frame) so the IVY that is covering the building, particularly in the summer when it is flourishing, finds its way through the gap and grows inside the building.

Ellie said...

And yes. The achieves the appropriate level of detail for the assignment.