This project began with reading a portion of Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. Reading about the different cities inspired a catalog of images to be created and grouped together to form narratives; these collages became known as ideograms. The final model was learning how to develop a less conceptual, habitable space by physically incorporating stairs, considering thresholds, and scale with more tectonic building methods.
The first ideogram is about the idea of everything having multiple meanings and hidden faces. Invisible Cities inspired my idea of cities being a reflection of what is put into them. Nothing is truly as it seems because there is always depth beyond the surface level.
The second ideogram involves the idea of working to have choices in life. The overarching cycle of consumerism brings up the question of wanting to get new things or wanting to discard old things.
The final ideogram encapsulates the physical labor of "climbing" the ranks within the workplace. The mood of this collage almost has a dystopian tone to it. The musical rhythms are fast-paced and staccato to keep things moving along. While you are able to escape this culture, it is difficult to because most people need to work to survive.
The ideograms were transformed into conceptual sketch models that were put together to form a composite sketch model. Programmatic thinking was introduced to get a better sense of the spaces. My concepts from the individual ideograms informed my overall concept of hustle culture. Certain moments within the model were then selected to be enlarged to better envision habitation.
The lower portion of the model is a porous labyrinth of different pathways. There are many opportunities for circulation that conceptually correlate to the many directions you can choose when deciding on a career. A drastic L-shape is formed to emphasize the speed of time and pressure one feels when working towards their degree. Verticality is emphasized with fewer directional choices in a more compressed space.
The program of the final model is an educational study space that also includes discussion spaces.
A central atrium space is the main circulatory space with most of the stairways converging there. The more private space are divided into modularized spaces for small discussion groups.
Conceptually, the repetition evident throughout the model correlates to the rhythm hustle culture requires. Incorporating tectonic building language contributed to both the structural and conceptual identity of the project. Mesh was added as a conceptual containment and control the culture has on society. Only one stairway leads to the open top, representative of escaping. Different sized spaces and lighting conditions are found along the itinerary through the model to represent the different stages and moods one experiences through their career.
Rhino 3D was used to recreate the final model digitally. Photoshop and Illustrator iterations helped develop additional layers to better convey the narrative and habitation of the space. The drawing is an isometric section cut through the rear corridors and stairs.
