2020

Matrix of Compositional Artefacts: An Exploration of Compositional Predispositions

Daniel Yip

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Intro Image
Compositional Matrix

Every architect creates unique designs which help them form their individual identity as a designer.

Among architects lies a common pursuit of creating great architecture. However, across different architects, practices and designers exist distinct design processes and aesthetic preferences. Such preferences, including materiality, tectonics and other compositional layouts, can be instrumental in decision making. This thesis investigates the influences of compositional preferences and how they inform the spatial design process.

The author’s predisposition acts as a vehicle for generating the spatial design process. Through autonomous model making and reflection, it identifies a potential disposition, dissolving the box composition.

This composition creates a condition that forces us to occupy space in a homogenous way with the same spatial experience. The dominant use of the box composition and tectonic has created a fixed perception of a house, a static object and spatial arrangement within a default form. This method leads to a lack of spatial opportunities and isolates the occupants from the rest of the site. However, it remains a universal application throughout our different settings and conditions, even affecting our patterns of development, often conflated with our unique landscape.

The approach taken in this research was through the autonomous model making of planar tectonics, exploring different spatial and compositional opportunities. It suggests new ideas of habitation, object making and spatial articulation. By cataloguing the production of work into a compositional taxonomy, this method aims to create a dialogue of decisions and potential development.  

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Compositional exploration
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Dissolving the box composition with planar tectonics
Artefacts Photo
Compositional artefacts
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Catalogue of compositional artefacts | Establishing the relationships between the different artefacts
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Compositional matrix created from the artefacts
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Brass Gyrosphere - A device to explore compositional arrangements

This research develops discussions of composition in architecture. It presents a method for others to follow, helping them to understand their compositional predispositions. It encourages a deeper awareness of sensibilities, and by articulating them, success may be repeated even if with different outcomes.