BENV1010 Week 2

BENV1010 Week 2 Studio

We had our second visit to our group site on UNSW this week. 
We captured examples of the design elements and principles used in our site.
All photos by Author (2020).

Lines and direction (of lines) - Repetition of vertical and horizontal lines across the outside of the building breaks up the mass concrete texture and creates vectors which draws onlookers eyes across and up the building.  

Shape - The use of long rectangular shapes elongates the building both vertically and horizontally. Most obvious shapes along the outside of the building are the jutting horizontal concrete balconies and the vertical timber pillars. 

Texture - The majority of the building is smooth concrete, however this is broken up by the leafy texture of the ferns and solid timber planks which along with their colour pop against the monochrome of the building. The grates covering the windows (for privacy) also play a part in breaking up the smooth exterior.

Colour -  The bright orange stripes amongst the greys of the concrete are a stand out feature and bring brightness to the utilitarian modern concrete structure.

Proximity - the double door access to the building is situated ideally next to the lifts inside.

Alignment - The connecting vertical and horizontal lines of the steel and the connection of the concrete pavers link together in an aesthetic grid. 

Repetition/pattern - The repetition of small shrubs and timber beams along the concrete walls of the building add a natural element to the mass grey of the structure.

Contrast - The bright green of the ferns and shrubs is a pleasing pop of colour amongst the variety of greys of the concrete walls of the building, the retaining walls and concrete pathways.

Space and Balance - The open green space is nicely situated next to the concrete building, providing balance to the site as the majority of this space is built.

In our group we also worked together to find examples of specific Built Environment features. Some of the features I located were:

Retaining Wall - Situated along the side of the building for the plant beds of shrubs and ferns.

Safety Element - The stairs up to the double door entrance includes lines along the stair edges for visibility while climbing the stairs, a hand rail for the full length of the stairs and tactile stamps to prevent slippage.

Pedestrian Desire Line - Pedestrians through this walk way have been using the slop of the grass rather than the two timber stairs provided to access the green space

Cantilever - A prominent structural element of the building, also provides shade in late afternoon sun.

Lighting - Light's feature on the two framing pillars of the main entrance.

Colour swatches were also obtained from the site using Adobe Capture. Below are two examples of colour swatches I selected using photographs taken at the site.

Swatch 1 - Fern bed against concrete wall

Swatch 2 - Foyer entrance with orange feature 

Infographic for Data Set

In our groups we selected the data sets for which to make our infographics from. 

I selected the 'Weather' data set. This particular data set appealed to me as I am currently also studying Landscape Analysis - in particular the effect that weather and climate have on Sydney's specific regions and the microclimates of the sites we investigate. 

Three words I have selected to describe my data set were:

1. Atmosphere
2. Season
3. Temperature

Below are images which I have collected regarding each of these words to help with colour inspiration for my infographic and the swatches I have taken from each. 

Atmosphere
Image by Side Perkins (2018) - https://www.sciencenews.org/article/18-miles-book-about-earth-atmosphere-climate-weather

Swatches using Adobe Capture:

Season
Image by Shelli Jensen (2016) - https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/four-seasons-row-lime-trees-102937733

Swatches using Adobe Capture:

Temperature

Image by Meilun (2020) - https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/meteorology-thermometer-temperature-celsius-vector-16882018) 

Swatches using Adobe Capture:

Weather at UNSW Infographic
The data set I worked with contained temperature taken on 25th Feb 2020 at UNSW across the morning, afternoon and evening.

To highlight the cooler temperatures of the morning I used the colour blue taken from my 'atmosphere' image swatches and red from my 'temperature' image swatch was used to highlight the warmer temperatures of the afternoon-evening. 

I also added in the average temperature across the day in a green swatch from the 'seasons' image as an extra feature to highlight the mean temperature of 23.75 degrees celsius.