Mock up...

The idea is, form the outside of the building, you would only see concrete. 

Each office space within the building will be divided by walls made from bamboo. The whole idea of the bamboo being spaced apart is to allow some sort of privacy, but to totally block people out. This emphasizes the idea that within a place of gathering, the best way to make progress is to "communicate."

The feeling that you get on the inside of the building will be different to that on the outside. This move brought to mind a statement by Philip Jodidio in the book "Tadao Ando's complete works (1975-2010), which was that "volumes and open glazed surfaces of the apartments give them a dignity and beauty that might not be expected at first glance from the outside" (p.112). In this case however, I was using "materials" rather than volumes and open glazed surfaces.

From the inside, you would only see bits of the concrete wall through the spaces between the bamboos.

Getting started on the final model:

Tuesday 13/09/11 - After talking to Padma and Dermit yesterday, I was given the impression that they understood my idea. So I decided to make a start. On Tuesday morning I came into the work shop to get help on making my mould for my concrete. The concrete I had at home was the fast-set concrete. I knew I was taking a big risk by not practicising with it during the break. The problem was I didn't have any concrete to play around with, and (budget wise) I wasn't able to buy more concrete if things didn't work out. So yesterday, I decided to mix the concrete into the mould and hope for the best!

When I got to the workshop however, there was another problem. They weren't selling and pieces of wood. They did have some offcuts to make the mould for my concrete, but the wood needed for the other parts of the model. SO! I had to go to bunnings warehouse. I had no idea where that was - but thank goodness for google maps!!! After finding the closes Bunnings warehouse to uni, I googled the bus timetables and off I went.

I was back by midday. Another problem. By then the workshop was busy. People were queing up to get things cut. So all up, it took 3 hours to get a mould that was 250mm wide, 120mm deep, and 240mm long done. After 3pm I went home and got started on the concrete. Jim from the workshop said I could mix it at the workshop, but I didn't have transport to carry the bag of concrete there. So I decided to do it at home. I followed all (well...not all) of the tips Jim from the wood workshop had given me. First, I lubricated the inside of the mould with cooking oil. Second, I got out the chicken wire to cut out a piece to use inside the mould which would reinforce the concrete block. PROBLEM. I didn't have anything to cut the wire with. So I decided to make the block without any reinforcing. BIG MISTAKE. When I took the mould off this morning, the block had little cracks in them - cracks, which Jim said, wouldn't have been so messy if I had used chicken wire as instructed. So! as an alternative (and considering the little time I had left), I decided to settle with making the wall out of wood - the challenge now was getting it look like concrete.

Thinking about the connections:

(Front view)

(Front View - How the bamboo pieces will be tied to the piece of timber running parallel to the concrete wall)

(Side view - showing that there will be a 30mm gap between the concrete and bamboo wall)

Results:

PROBLEMS:-No chicken wire reinforcing so concrete crumbled.

-Because the mould was quite tight, I didn't properly get the concrete to settle at the bottom of it. So the bottom is very week and uneven.



Plan B:

Make the wall out of wood, layer with plaster strips, then paint it grey to make it look like concrete.

(see model photos)