Sansusī Forest
Food Court

The submission is effective in its simplicity and uses a collaged layout to combine renderings, text and diagrams. The introductory image, paired with text, clearly and immediately communicates design intent as well as the small-scale and intimate nature of the project. Its use of light intelligently highlights the design elements amidst the backdrop of the forest, and puts emphasis on the colors used on the following sheets. The text is short and easy to digest, and makes use of bold words to call out main ideas and materials to readers. Its diagrams clearly communicate the flexibility and workings of the project – how individuals might construct and deconstruct the sheds for festival use. The sections would benefit from increased hierarchy of line weights – while the orange-colored mesh helps to differentiate the façade from the ‘cut’ components, a more clear delineation of the sectional elements would aid the readability of both the overall and detail sections. 

The submission cleverly balances renderings with sophisticated hand drawings to present a project that is textured and complex at the detail level while simple to understand at a macro level. The presentation makes use of a gray background which is effective for emphasizing the black and white line drawings. Its use of a limited number of large and clear drawings is well done and easy to read. The project would benefit from an increased font size – the text is difficult to read digitally. The drawings and renderings would be strengthened with additional annotation to call out design ideas, materials, project components, dimensions and systems. In terms of detailing, a larger-scale drawing would aid a reader in understanding how the modular frames are built – it is currently unclear how the elements might be tied together, and the structure would likely require additional material thicknesses and support elements to be fully constructible. 

The submission offers a unique graphic language that communicates design experience and is very effective at engaging a reviewer. Its complex drawings combine lines with textures that clearly highlight the architecture within the natural setting of the forest. The project would benefit, however, from further differentiation of line weights and variation in color: the use of grays makes the drawings read as homogenous, and it is difficult to extract the details, visually speaking. When multiple line weights are used, such as in the enlarged section on the final sheet, they do not help in communicating the design – are the electrical wires more important graphically than the ground and frame? In terms of structure, the project is likely in need of additional cross-bracing to make it a feasible long-term construction for the harsh climatic conditions of the Latvian forest. 

The project adequately balances colored imagery with black and white ling drawings to present the project at multiple scales. Its introductory page is especially effective with its use of a rendered image overlaid with white-lines diagrams. The submission includes diagrammatic details while also presenting several rendered images which clearly express the larger-scale design intent for the project within the forest. Though details are included, the project does not sufficiently explain how it might be constructed – for example, how the roofing membrane is affixed and how dimensional requirements of timber are dealt with. The project would likely require significantly more material to be physically robust enough, and this might be detrimental to the project’s overall effect of being lightweight. 

The project is among the more graphically strong projects received in this competition. It begins with an effective full-spread rendering that is overlaid with simple diagrams and short, easy-to-read texts that make use of select highlighted words for clarity and dynamic color variation. Its site plan is especially strong in presenting the project’s elements organically distributed across the green site. It is overlaid with annotation that adds visual complexity and informative details while not reducing readability. The project includes clear drawings that are well annotated and dimensioned to describe constructability and materiality. It would benefit from reduced text on the third sheet which appears tight and overwhelming with respect to the other sheets presented.