Architectural Drawing- Session 3

Riva San Vitale House- Mario Botta
Lake Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland.

The "tower", virtually defined by four corner piers and carved with geometric cuts through which the light penetrates, is organized along the vertical axis in a succession of different architectural situations and rhythms. The spatial interpenetration between interior and exterior thus gives shape to what is referred to as the "filter zone".

- www.botta.ch -

For my project i set out to explore this notion of the "filter zone" throughout the house and thus form a direct contrast between the solid and void spaces. I went about this through the observation of the axonometric drawings and then linking these to the plans and section to communicate the void spaces, and the elevations to explore the 'spatial interpenetration' into the building. Using a direct contrast between black (void)and white (solid), i also became aware of the positive spaces throughout the building by which these voids where cut out.



In terms of my presentation, the verticality of the building is highlighted by the two defining black strips which further represented the idea of positive and negative space. Just like the white space in between two black rectangles is a space in itself, the contrasting black and white further represents a contrast between the habitable and non-habitable spaces of the building. I kept the presentation simple both in terms of drawing and layout, but remained very precise, linear and structured. It seemed the less i did with the drawings, the more effective i could illustrate all the contrasting aspects that the building offers in terms of its overall design strategy.



The two point perspective exercise helped me to understand how we can use such a strategy to place buildings into foreign landscapes and get a real feel for how they would be perceived according to their new context. I think that this was the most valuable exercise for me and is a strategy i will use throughout my course. I was able to explore my drafting technique further by using a number of different leads and rendering techniques and also the importance of scale in terms of people and surrounding context as a whole in relation to the building.



The plan, section, and elevation exercise was quite a difficult exercise for me but i found it valuable when i realised how such a close observational skill was required to achieve the task successfully. Such observation of dimensions and form of the object required delicate line work to produce an accurate representation considering the free-hand nature of the task.



The shadow casting exercise help me to understand the importance of shadows in elevation to create a sense of depth and spatiality. Learning the art of doing this is a skill i will use throughout my course in my drawing after realising and appreciating what a difference it makes to my overall drawing.