ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO VI

ASSIGNMENT NO. 02: DESIGNING CULTURAL CENTRE WITH THE PRINCIPLE

OF EXPLOITATION IN DESIGN

Batch: 2018
Instructors : Ar. Hira Ovais, Ar. Bushra.D.Talpur & Ar. Furqan Javed Arain
Email: hira.ovais07@gmail.com, bushra.d.talpur@gmail.com, furqanpetarian1@gmail.com
Project Duration: 07-08 weeks (Major Project)
Prepared by: Ar. Hira Ovais
Keywords of the project: Exploitation addition subtraction form relation uniqueness
treatments and materials identity solids and voids

INTRODUCTION:

According to the curriculum provided by the university, the students of 6th semester (3rd year) need
to get familiar with complex architectural terms and their usage in building design. However, scale in
this regard is very essential for the better understanding of any project. For this purpose, the scale of
the mentioned project is bigger than the previous one with the considerations of the complexities in
terms function and its context.

The term ‘exploitation’ means “a playful arrangement or juxtaposition of planar surfaces while
maintaining the identity of the form”. Different considerations such as addition or subtraction,
changing position or direction, flip or bending, solid or voids and angles or straighten the form
selected will be taken.

In regard to this, cultural centre would be the selected function which can be explored according to
the above mentioned term in many ways. The function is pliable and workable according to the
given task. However the main tasks which would be well-thought-out in cultural centre are:

 Continuity of public spaces

 Gradual sequence of private spaces
 Base and envelope of the building
 Connection to the environment and context
 Form generation towards exploitation

Municipal Auditorium of Lucena, Cordoba, Spain

Relating cultural centres with exploitation generates flexibility which would further lead to future
expansion of the centre according to the increase in needs.

NOTE: However, before starting your design, it is essential to mark all the cultural centres in the context of
Pakistan and then in Karachi, their function and scale.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT:

During the project design, the students will be involved in the following
1. Capable to generate a concept and communicate it through relative research
2. Understanding towards precedent study and analyze through its stated factors
3. Examine the site and produce site analysis by observing the social and cultural context
4. Generate design development strategies step by step as stated in the brief.
5. Understanding of technical drawings and its representation on the medium.
6. Ability to visualize third dimensional of the design for better understanding of the context as
a whole.
7. Distinct understanding of building envelope, color, material and fabrication.

METHODOLOGY:

The course is based on studio work with one theory class in which lectures` related to the project
and designs are given. Each student came up with different concept and having discussions with the
instructors to evaluate the quality of work. These open discussion helps the students to re-evaluate
their ideas which help them learning research methods. These methods will be later applied on the
site, precedence study, design development and later on the final presentation.

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT

A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that
promotes culture and arts. It incorporates a theater hall, multi-purpose halls, restaurants or
café, library, youth club, and a cultural school. The task is to combine various cultural functions
as compact and efficient as possible and to create spaces that facilitate synergies, multi-use and
attractive meeting places. It should be inviting and inspiring.

The development of cultural facilities to meet these needs will be undertaken by the public and,
increasingly by the private sector. It is recommended that such development conforms to key
planning guidelines including these in the following areas:

Locational Guidelines

 accessibility in terms of the proximity to urban areas, residential areas, tourist attractions,
hotels, retail facilities, schools and other community facilities, etc.;
 principles of facilities agglomeration;
  environmental considerations in terms of the sensitivity to polluting uses and the potential
impacts on other sensitive users;

Traffic and Transport Guidelines

 accessibility to public transport facilities;

 provision of loading/unloading facilities;
 provision of parking facilities;

General Design Guidelines

 external design guidelines;

 internal design guidelines;
 provision of specialized facilities;
 special needs of the disabled and the elderly;

Guidelines on Provision of Service Facilities

 facilities for rehearsals, practices, workshops etc.;

 facilities for storage and set/prop building etc.;

Guidelines on Provision of Ancillary Facilities

 theatres, multi-purpose halls etc.;

 restaurants, eateries etc.;
 retail and entertainment facilities etc.
 WuliEpoch Cultural Centre, Beijing, China

TOP CONSIDERATIONS WHILE DESIGNING CULTURAL CENTRE

The following consideration must be taken while designing cultural centre.

 Context / External / Internal- The building should be in harmony with its physical
setting, taking full advantage of the site’s features including orientation (ventilation,
 illumination, etc) and views. This will impact on the relation between exterior and interior
and the building’s response to climatic factors on both levels.
 Public / Private- A division is needed between public spaces and workspace for staff and
their guests where all equipment, machinery, systems and data can be kept safe. The
workspace should be mainly open-plan, with enclosed offices limited to senior staff.
Provisions to receive supplies and suppliers with minimum disruption to both public and
private spaces are required. A separate goods and delivery entrance is essential and must
include a drive-in facility
 Accessibility / Experience- The building is to be visually and physically inviting and
accessible, including for individuals with special needs. It needs to exude a friendly ambiance
that offers a stimulant to social life and interaction. The Foundation sees its staff as its most
important asset. Therefore, a comfortable, safe work environment that is conducive to
productivity is essential
 Sustainability / Energy Efficiency- The new building needs to offer an example of
sustainable building practice through its construction techniques, building materials (with a
preference for the locally available), passive systems (ventilation, lighting, etc) and low
maintenance requirements. It needs to have the lowest possible environmental impact and
running costs.
 Expandability / Flexibility- The building’s footprint must consider and allow for
additional construction on the site in the future.

Teotitlán del Valle Cultural Center, Oaxaca, Mexico

The emphasis is on exploitation of form with future expansion according to the needs of the users.
The following requirements should be the part of design.

REQUIREMENTS:

General management:

 Executive Director
 Director of Finance
 Director of Communication & Resource Development
 Administrative Officer
 Administrative Assistant/Reception/Filing
 Accounting Office (2 work stations)
 Training Room/Meeting Room - Staff Common Area
 Technical Support Coordinator & Webmaster (2 work stations)
 Editor/Communication Coordinator & Fundraising Coordinator (2 work stations)
 Multimedia Coordinator
 Multimedia Unit (4 work stations)
 Consultant (2 work stations)
 Meeting Room - Staff Common Area
 Administrative Assistant/Receptionist/Filing
 Computer Lab (15 work stations)
 Arts & Literature Unit Head & Coordinator (3 work stations)
 Audio-Visual Unit Head & Coordinator (3 work stations)

Public and common facilities

 Multi-purpose Hall; non-fixed seating - Accessible by Staff & Public **
 Gallery - Accessible by Staff & Public **
 Library - Accessible by Staff & Public **
 Book Café - Accessible by Staff & Public
 Kitchenette - Staff Common Area
 Storage and Workshop space for Audio-visual equipment ***
 Basement Underground Parking for 800 cars
 Washrooms*
*facility wherever needed
** Areas include provisions for storage
*** Needs to be readily accessible by truck to load/unload heavy equipment

SITE

The site is adjacent to Moin Khan Academy and the Place i.e. Neuplex Cinema whereas on the other
side is th Karachi beach. The site is opposite to Masjid-e- Sakina in DHA phase 8, zone –B,
Karachi. The site area is approximately consists of 12 acres of land.
 250’-0”
N
570’-0”

STAGES OF DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

 Concept and development of mood boards

 Site analysis
 Precedent study
 Development
 Presentation/ Submission

PART ONE: Week 01-02: CONCEPT AND DEVELOPMENT OF MOOD BOARDS

 Students are required to generate a conceptual bubble diagram for the design and generate at
least THREE conceptual models in order to achieve their final result
 A sheet containing all the initial sketches by using different medium is essential to show
development of their design

A concept is an idea, a theory or notion, but in architecture we could

also describe a concept as ‘an approach’ to the design.

There are several areas the designer may focus on at the early stages of
design that will begin to inform the concept and direction. These areas
may be drawn upon throughout the project, weaved into one another,
as the project develops. The approaches can be categorized as:
 Functional
 Material
 Contextual
 Conceptual
 Formal
 Collaborative
 Philosophical

PART TWO: Week 02-03- SITE ANALYSIS:

The general categories of data we will be looking at as we carry out our architectural site analysis are:
 Location – where the site is situated
 Neighbourhood context – the immediate
surroundings of the site including data on
zoning and buildings and other impacts on
our project.
 Zoning and size – dimensional
considerations such as boundaries,
easements, height restrictions, site area,
access along with any further plans.
 Legal information – ownership,
restrictions or covenants, council related
information, future urban development
plans.
 Natural physical features – actual
features of the site such as trees, rocks,
topography, rivers, ponds, drainage patterns.
 Man-made features – existing buildings, walls, surrounding vernacular, setbacks, materials,
landscaping, scale.
 Circulation – Vehicle and pedestrian movements in, through and around the site. Consider the
timing of these movements, and duration of heavier patterns. Future traffic and road developments
should also be considered.
 Utilities – Any electricity, gas, water, sewer and telephone services that are situated in or near the
site, along with distances, depths and materials.
 Climate – all climatic information such as rainfall, snowfall, wind directions, temperatures, sun path,
all considered during the different times of the year.
 Sensory – this addresses the visual, audible and tactile aspects of the site, such as views, noise, and
so on. These again should be considered in time frames and a positive or negative factor can be
attributed to the condition.
 Human and cultural – the cultural, psychological, behavioural and sociological aspects of the
surrounding neighbourhood. Activities and patterns, density, population ethnic patterns,
employment, income, values and so on.

Deliverables: Photographs of site with a detailed site model and drawings indicating the above
mentioned requirements.

PART THREE: week 03-04- PRECEDENCE STUDY:

You are required to pick two precedence studies one in the local context within your city and an
international case study.

 Structure
 Circulation to use
 Unit to whole
 Additive and subtractive
 Hierarchy
  Symmetry and balance
 Repetitive to unique
 Geometry
 Massing
 Natural light
 Plan to section relation

PART FOUR: Week 04-05- DEVELOPMENT

Bubble diagrams

 Students are required to generate a conceptual bubble

diagram for the design and generate at least TWO
bubble diagrams in order to finalize it
 All mediums can be used to express the graphics of
the bubble diagrams

Development
 Interpret requirements
When we look at how to create spaces and accommodate
humans in those spaces we can consider some universal
concepts relating to how people interact with their
environments.
 Insider vs outsider
 Individual vs community
 Invitation vs rejection
 Openness vs enclosure
 Integration vs segregation
 Combination vs dispersion
With these factors in mind we can start to develop a plan of
requirements, extract from the data we have collected the
necessary functions these spaces will be fulfilling.

 Spatial Relationships
How can spaces be related to one another?

 Space within a space

 Interlocking spaces
 Spaces linked by a common space
 Adjacent spaces
  Organizing the space
You can consider varying forms of spatial organization, some of which are more naturally
suited to particular uses than others:
 Centralized organization
 Linear organization
 Radial organization
 Clustered organization
 Grid organization

Consider some of the following as you plan out your spaces:

 How does the building envelope invites and effect the surroundings?
 How will the contents of the centre will be arranged w.r.t the theme of
exploitation while retaining the identity of the form?
 What are the correlation of the spaces and how they are interconnected?
 What is the flow of the circulation?
 Are the spaces comfortable for the users?

Changsha Meixihu Cultural Centre, Changsha- China

 Gather and present RESEARCH AND TECHNICAL DATA where needed for your
development. Some examples of exploitation in forms are as under:

Form development diagram of C. F. Møller’s Competition Winning design for

VIA University College in Denmark
Form development diagram of Endless Cycling, Chile

Persian Factory, Iran

Long Island Cinema, Manhattan Randers Museum of Art, Denmark

Scunthorpe Pavilion
The students are required to work on Cultural centre w.r.t exploitation in form and translate it
according to their concept. For this they have to develop:

 Conceptual framework of design

 Schematics of the concept with three conceptual model exploring different materials
 Graphical representation of the concept (color, material, finishing, etc)
 Mood boards for material selection, color theme etc
 Site analysis (graphical representation)
 Plans, elevation (04), sections(02), 3d perspective view
 Site model and building model to be submitted along with all conceptual studies
 Use some appropriate rendering techniques to enhance your presentation where
appropriate.

PART FIVE: WEEK 05-06- PRESENTATION PREPARATION

The submission requirements consist of the following:

 all the work should be presented on ANY sheet and compiled as one A1 sheet separately for
plans, elevations and sections
 rendering with colors is essential
 the scale of site model 1/16

Scaled Drawings of cultural centre on a scale of 1/8” = 1’-00”

1. plan,
2. elevations 04 (exterior)
3. Sections
4. And a detailed model on scale.

Grading. Students are expected to attend the online studios and show their work in each class. Work will
be assessed on the basis of the presentation of project work in regular online presentations, juries
  The final semester grade is the average of the following:
The project carries 150 Marks
 Site Analysis 20%
 Precedence 10%
 Design Research = 25%
 Design Development and Presentation Production = 60%
 Final presentation = 35%

Note: Your participation in discussions, group assignments, lectures and other in-class
activities is required, and it is a part of each project grade.

SCHEDULE OF THE DESIGN PROJECT

WEEK:1 Site Analysis - - Day:03 working on site and

9th and research analysis of its surroundings
September
2020
WEEK:2 Concept Day:1 Submission of Site Day 02: working Day 03: finalization of
14th to 16th Development analysis concept development concept
September
2020
WEEK:3 Precedence Day :01 Submission of Day:02 workings on Day:03
study conceptual workings precedence study presentation/Pinup
21st to 23rd
September
2020

WEEK 4 Design Day:01 Research/reading Day 02: Discussion Day:03 Plan Developments
Development with the instructor
28th to 30th
September
2020

WEEK5 Design Day:01 Discussions Day 02: elevation and Day:03 Discussions
Development sections development
05th to 07th
October
2020

WEEK 6 Presentation Day:01workings on final Day 02: Workings on Day 03: workings on final
12th to 14th Preparatory sheets Final sheets sheets
October Sheets
2020
WEEK 7 Final Day 01: Presentation day Day 02: Presentation Day 03: Presentation day
Presentation day
19th to 21st
October
2020

Reference Sites:

https://www.archdaily.com/search/projects/categories/cultural-center?page=3

https://www.culturepartnership.eu/upload/editor/2017/design-handbook.pdf

https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr04-05/english/hc/sub_com/hs02/papers/hs020316cb1-wkcd97-scan-e.pdf