109_Jasper Gregory: Vanishing Indexicality

Jasper Gregory

I am from Houston, Texas and I am a second year architecture student at Texas A&M University. Instagram - @jaznicc

Vanishing Indexicality

Task of Project:

The task of this project was to choose an original floor plan of a house, index it via diagrams, then transgress the diagrams into a 3D model.  The requirements also consisted of choosing a dress from the designer Issey Miyake, produce drawings and then create a 3D digital model.

Then the task was to combine the dress object with the 3D model to produce a building for the designer Issey Miyake.  The site given was in The Galleria area of Houston, Texas.

Statement/Concept:

My project is about the expansion of a system via the implied vanishing lines.  From indexing these lines, I constructed a scaffolding becoming the basis for the construction of the new figures that were created.

The Diagram:  I began by choosing the Creek Vean House by Norman Foster and Richard Rogers.  When indexing the floor plan, I discovered a combination of vanishing points and projecting lines.  Utilizing the new projection system in combination with the original orthogonal system I released the new figure.  This figure contains different types of objects in a series of different positions (shifted, flipped, rotated) which I represented with poché and line weights. 

The Model:  The model is a 3D version of the diagram with the projecting lines and pochés occupying different layers or planes in space.  I used the notion of the ground and skin to further emphasize these readings.  The poché reappears as index in the ground by using negative space in different levels.  The skin redefines the potential volume within the vanishing lines. 

The Dress:  The Issey Miyake dress I chose contained moments of creasing and intricate surface condition/logic.  I lifted the line work created from the surface tension within the dress.  Through expansion and molding of the lines I was able to resolve the object. 

The Combination:  The final drawings and renderings are the combination of the model and the dress.  The warped surfaces mimic the articulation of the corrugated fabrics and become reminiscent of Miyake’s designs.

The original 3D model consisted of planar surfaces which did not produce any enclosure.  My new strategy was to produce enclosure by expressing the section drawing into intermingling layers.  The layers are separated for public and private use.  Underground volumes penetrate the surface becoming part of the ground condition, allowing the public to interact.  Skylights on the protruding volumes allow natural light to flood the underground.  The above ground layer pierces below ground to provide access and circulation.  Negative volumes penetrate the ground acting as light wells and creating below ground private courtyards.

The above ground tensegrity-like object is a pavilion/event space.  Open to the public, this space can be used for various events such as fashion shows, social gatherings, and concerts.

The private underground volumes contain the facility program. The auditorium, exhibition areas, showrooms and the café can be utilized for private events or in conjunction with the public layer for large festivals and entertainment.

My project addresses the lack of public space in the Houston Galleria area.   It allows full usage both above and below ground by activating space in various ways.