The architecture blog of Roanna Manlutac

Aside from trying to find the appropriate documents for the Hopetoun (no thanks to the Heritage office at the Department of Planning), this week has been about documenting my process towards formulating a response for my site. The following have been investigations primarily into the amalgamation of electronics and unconventional materials.

#1
This is the initial resin cast where I accidentally modeled a reverse of the site. Photos of which were taken once the models under went the lengthy process of sanding and polishing. Click the image below for a QVTR.

The model in the QVTR is under-laid with the Surry Hills site plan.

#2
The second resin model imagined on site, either on or off with the first engulfing the site with a transparent second storey and a pinned/column, ground-floor structure. The second begins to look at the periphery as a digital screen.

#3
This was the initial ballistics gel test, attempting to resonate recorded sounds from the Hopetoun in a model in similar vain to animating sound here, which I think will evolve to also become a digital model.

The direction towards this material were its density (being squeezy) and opacity properties. It was hoped the gel would vibrate more fluidly than on record but perhaps it was ratios in this recipe and the curing time that made it a little more rigid than expected. Mind you, the texture is very surreal.

#4
From the same batch of ballistics gel used previously, I added an LED and some fiberglass fibers for “effect” but ended up burning the area in the gel where the LED’s pins were.

Corresponding to all these experiments there have been a few images I’ve managed to dig up from the City of Sydney’s website. The first three dating back to the 1930′s and the colour images taken a decade ago.