Week 11 - Design Development

So after my sketches last week, I've made a rough model to better show how the canopy might work:

So this shows the core of the building and the connected root system, the bottom will look pretty much like this, but the will be a connective membrane thingy connecting the roots at the top of the structure. The flooring will be worked in around the pillars and the facade will be mostly glass to allow people to look out through the canopy of the building. In terms of materials used to create the pillar system, I'm thinking either a cast-form material so that the shapes appear to be part of one big piece and all flow together, or some kind of timber paneling, fitted together so that the pillars will have some texture to them and a natural colouring. Both options provide a lot of flexibility in design and can be built around stronger concrete or steel pillars for the structural members, it'll just end up coming down to which material will best suit the "feel" of the building. At the moment I'm thinking the timber will work well with a more natural look, but it will involve designing a joining system to put the panels together.
Here is an example image of what a cast-form material would look like (obviously the structural form will be different, but would have this effect, potentially providing more webbing options than the timber alternative - it also look quite clean/modern and might be a more technical (?) looking structure)

And here is an example image of what a timber canopy might look like. I like the way the pillar is made of all different pieces of timber, it makes a really nice texture which can be enhanced with lighting. Also, from an internal view, it can create really interesting patterns (would be good because you'll be able to see through the canopy from inside the building). Of course the form would be different from this example, but its a good way to look at the technique - also I feel it relates to the "growing architecture" aspect a lot more than the cast-form canopy would because you really are creating the form through all these smaller pieces, it reminds me of the cells of a plant and how they make up the whole thing.