Axonometric Drawing from Framed Garden, Spring 2022
ARCH 102 Introduction to Design
This study carrel designed to be built in Levine Hall on the University of Pennsylvania's campus takes the idea of a 'Framed Garden' and interprets it through two opposing study spaces, which connote stepped terraces and hidden grottos found in European garden-building traditions.
Shadows and grottos feature prominently in the carrel; the 'grottos' on both sides are situated away from the only window in the carrel, creating cast shadows and a mysterious, darkened space where people can read, study, or simply have a conversation in contemplative silence.
The next major influence in the carrel was framing. The windows in the carrel frame both people studying as well as the outside world, and depending on the point of reference, one can see students studying, the interior of Levine, people milling about the quad in front of Levine, as well as natural features like the sky. Just as the windowpanes in my photo essay rearrange nearby forms both organic and manmade, the carrel uses windows and orthogonal frames to facilitate an interplay between people, nature, and architecture; or in other words, a metaphorical garden.
Not only is there framing happening within the space of the carrel itself, but there’s also a framing relationship between the carrel and the rest of Levine Hall. The carrel responds to the golden section used to create the rectangular windows on Levine’s façade, in that the construction lines used to create the carrel came directly from the contours of the windows.
The carrel’s smooth planes are additionally contrasted by Levine Hall’s predominantly gray, glass, iron, and brick building elements. Levine frames the carrel, and in turn, the carrel frames Levine. In this way, the carrel facilitates the closing off of a space removed from the harsh materiality of its surroundings; just what a garden is meant to do.
Fig 1. Exploded axonometric drawing showing the interior of the study carrel
Fig 2. Visual Narrative relating the form of the study carrel's components to Renaissance Nolli maps and European garden-building traditions
And above all, there’s the influence of garden-building traditions in the carrel. Using shapes and forms from the carrel design, two studies were created as a part of a Visual Narrative. The first study references the visual vocabulary of European mapmaking traditions and connotes maps created by Italian architect Giambattista Nolli, as a way to relate the carrel to other garden spaces. The map depicts an aerial view of a small, walled garden with benches and grottos, as well as a walkway running through it.
And the second study creates an imaginary, garden-like structure using individual components from the carrel in order to further establish this connection. The structure uses elements like stepped platforms, raised terraces, and lowered walls which are also present in the carrel, much in the same way that gardens in the European tradition do.
These features in the carrel additionally take influence from garden follies, decorative yet impractical buildings or ruins built within European gardens.
© 2024 Victor Li