Thomas Hansel

12 Keightley drive, se92HF | 07578000463 | thomashansel95@gmail.com

15/10/16

Design Research Project – Design Proposal



Are Stadiums the new Cathedrals?

Function and Form

Enhancing the iconic skyline of London

1- Project Background, Recommendations and Objectives

2- Project Schedule & Development Process

3- Personal Background and Capabilities

4- Proposed Project summary.

Section 1.0    PROJECT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES.

Section 1.1 –    Project Background

The construction of buildings has been a vital part of human civilisation for thousands of years. For just as long, cities in the Western world constructed cathedrals to bring pride and status to their communities as well as providing a space to worship and think. At the dawn of the 3rd millennium, humans started to build stadiums. 

An in-depth study in to modern day stadia and the similarities they share with cathedrals will take place. A cutting edge 3D model of a stadium will explain this thoroughly through the use of animation, video and sound. Some key points that will be studied. 

Architectural Similarities between stadia and cathedrals. 

In Depth study of historic architecture and infrastructure eg: Colosseum, Roman water systems. 

Case Study – Cathedral vs Stadium – Minnesota/ Barcelona

Challenges of adapting cathedrals and stadiums vs building a new one

Pick one aspect eg: Acoustics, roof, plumbing etc – Discuss the challenges and overcoming them 

FMP – Digital Model and Animation of Stadium being built – Interactive model showing different aspects and information of structure. 

Section 1.0    PROJECT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES 

Section 1.2 –    PROJECT GOALS

Goal 1-

 To create a cutting edge interactive 3D animation of a stadium that allows the viewer to learn about the construction and capabilities of the structure whilst actively interacting with the model. 

Create a project that is both fun and interesting to use, that conveys a message effectively. 

A visually beautiful model that catches viewer’s eyes and keeps them entertained whilst also acting as a learning tool.

Goal 2-

 To research heavily into both stadium and cathedral architecture and compare the 2 over a number of different topics. 

Highlight the cultural, environmental, social and economic similarities between stadia and cathedrals.

Case Studies – Minnesota/ Barcelona

Futuristic Concepts and ideas. 

The effects that either a stadium or cathedral has on an area will be heavily looked in to and discussed.

SECTION 2.0         PROJECT SCHEDULE AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Section 2.1           PROJECT SCHEDULE

 Phase 1 – FMP Management 

Rough schedule of model construction

Sketches and rough drafts of individual pieces that will be animated to construct the model – visits to stadiums vital.

Research in to large scale 3D architectural models and how they are managed- Organisation, time management, modeling approaches.

Research in to interactivity

Maya/ 3DS Max comparisons – trials.

Keep in consideration the dissertation and the writing that links directly to the model. 

Begin creation of 3D model.

Phase 2 – Strategy and Research 

Basic secondary research – 

Floor Plan research – basic sketches and experimentation

Minnesota/ Barcelona Case Studies

Individual features of stadiums – roof, acoustics, walls, plumbing etc..

Historic Roman architecture section- Research, sketches and descriptions.

Similarities of structures and challenges faced in construction


Specific Part – Roofs/ Ceilings. The iconic properties of roofs, of both cathedrals and stadia and how they add to an areas skyline and in turn help to create atmosphere in said area. For example, Wembley Arch is now an iconic image of London town. 

Phase 3 – Creative Exploration and Design Development

Primary Research – Wembley Stadium/ Liberty Stadium visits and sketches

Primary Research – Gloucester Cathedral – (19/12/16) – sketches

City Planning – Where to build. 

Draft Copy of Dissertation

Phase 1 – FMP Management. 

The FMP ( Final Major Project) is the core to this project and is a product that fuses all the elements that have been worked on together. It shows a smooth workflow and organisation that culminates into a clean, final project. In order for this project to be successful, the worker must possess good 3D modeling skills as well as research technique and a good understanding on the topic of the project, in this case, architecture and construction of large scale infrastructure. Both primary and secondary research will be used in the form of literature, interviewing and case study sketches and models. 

  Once the basic research and preparation has taken place, preliminary construction of the 3D model can start. Programmes used will include Maya, 3Ds Max, ZBrush and Photoshop as well as various video editing programmes and animation softwares. 

Phase 2 – Strategy and Research. 

Once the model has started to be made, the preliminary research for the dissertation writing can begin. The dissertation must link to the FMP and show a good understanding of the project as well as the topics displayed in the FMP. Research into all the topics in section 1.1 must be clear and precise and also continue to link to the FMP. The reader must not become lost in the writing and most importantly, the dissertation should not take away from the FMP and should be designed to accompany it. Therefore the research that is conducted before the dissertation can begin to be written, must be very strong and include enough information to write a dissertation from. A rough structure for the dissertation should be created to help in phase 3. 

Phase 3 – Create exploration and design development. 

Once the research for the dissertation has been completed the writing can begin. The dissertation must stick to the structure that was made in phase 2. Drafts should be completed and constantly checked and verified to avoid going off topic and moving away from a dissertation style piece of writing. 

SECTION 3 – 

Personal Background and Capabilities. 

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/preview?locale=en_US&trk=prof-0-sb-preview-primary-button





SECTION 4 


Summary


In conclusion, this project aims to create a product that can act as a learning tool as well as information centre and piece of art. The FMP is a large scale 3D model of a Stadium that initially is animated whist construction takes place. Once the animation has finished, the user will have the ability to interact with the model. The main topic of this project is architectural similarities and effect and therefore the user will have the ability to click on certain parts of the model and learn more about them. For example, the user may choose to click on the roof, as the user clicks on the roof of the stadium model, the camera will move to centre in on the particular part and provide the user with information on the object as well as access to photo albums and other links. 


The main learning objective of this project is to teach the users about the architectural brilliance of stadium construction and show the separate parts and features in all their glory.


As for the writing part of this project, a dissertation style piece of writing will follow and support the model and give the user an basic understanding on stadium and cathedral architecture and discuss the social, economical, environmental and cultural effects that stadiums and cathedrals have on the areas that they are situated. And discuss in detail how stadiums could be considered the modern day cathedral and how they have a massive effect on the area that they are in.