Sunday, July 26, 2009

MTC/MRC, Theatre and Recital Center, Melbourne, Australia


A fun and very performative design for the new Theatre and Recital halls designed by architect Ashton Raggatt McDougall. This falls into the category of interpretive design.

The architect used two different design profiles to develop the thesis for his design. The Theatre space was designed with the idea of the foam packaging that safely carries our large items when we buy electronics, appliances or other items.
By using this very broad brushed terminology the architect was able to free himself up to develop a design that could fit the overall space requirements of the theatre and not be mired in strange hirearchies (which gives me an idea for a future blog on different types of architecture) or other design philosophies.


The second design tool he used for the recital hall was using some expressions and elements that he pulled from artist Al Held, an american modern artist. The artist used strong geometric figures and two-dimensional patterns that distort a viewers perception of three-dimensional space.

The real design by the architect comes down to how he chooses to organize the circulation in and around the building, as well as how he proportions each space to organize the "feeling" of and the interaction between all the parts; building and people.


My goal is to help you, the reader, to better understand how some of these ideas come about and the magic and dedication a designer must have to his design to either succeed or fail in the execution. At first glance the entire building seems a hapahazard mess, and certain elements are less controlled then others, but when you start to ask "what was he/she thinking and what does it mean" then you can begin to organize all the parts into a very systematic and organized matrix of which to start exploring this new world of architecture (not to sound too dogmatic).

If you wish to read more the original article is posted
here.

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