The Home of
Shadows

The presentation balances rich, layered renderings with well-organized line drawings and simple diagrams which effectively communicate design intent: in this case the actions of sunlight and the potential variations between light and shadow. All the drawings exhibit a strong sense of hierarchy as well as a particularly effective materiality, which is never simple to achieve. The project would benefit from three items: 1) a more compact and impactful use of text to simply describe main ideas; 2) annotation on all imagery to communicate key spaces, materials, basic dimensional considerations, and other design elements; and an enlarged sectional or material detail to hint at the constructability of the project and to provoke an enhanced architectural dialogue. 

The project employs a series of simple plans and axonometrics overlaid on renderings. A single full-span image is effective at describing the project form, materiality and context, while three supporting diagrams provide insight into the varying sequences of daylight within the building over the course of a calendar day. The project would benefit from an expanded use of text to more poetically tell the story that is hinted at in imagery - the current use of text is rather dry and uninspired. The presentation would also be augmented with additional annotation to describe basic architectural principles such as an organizational or dimensional grid, as well as textual notes to describe the function of the spaces depicted in each of the images.

The single-sheet submission is sophisticated in its simple, logical layout. Advanced imagery is balanced with effective hand sketches which highlight the project’s fundamental concepts. The project would be considered more complete with the inclusion of basic site or contextual information to enhance the reader’s understanding of the building’s connection to nature. In terms of annotation, simple material callouts to clarify the design intent of the building’s envelope and structure would also enhance the submission’s viability as a realisable architectural project.

The project is unique in the quality and techniques used to produce its drawings. Consisting completely of line drawings it stands out from typical project submissions in its advanced use of densities and fills to create variation and, consequently, provide hierarchy and balance to the sheet. Given its intent, it would be useful to include an image depicting a ‘dark zone’ within the project to provide a more complete understanding of the range of its spatial experiences. Additional information as to the material connections / joints and material makeup would yield more insight into the possibilities and limitations of the envelope, and likely provide the author with a better set of tools by which to develop the project further.