VISION 33—OFF THE GRID
You don’t end up with such a result with the simple
click of a button.
We originally struggled to come up with the final built form,
during the early days we played with a complex extruded
form through our fairly fine 3D technical software programs.
I recall saying to David Moyle: "This is going to be a monster
to build. I don't know how you're going to actually build it."
He said, "Don't worry. You design it, and we'll build it."
How quickly did the idea come about?
At one stage, it was very much a confused origami type
structure. Personally I think it was a little too over the top.
It metamorphosed into what you see today essentially,
which is a simplified form, nevertheless with a number of
challenging construction issues.
It's a kaleidoscopic result with plenty of geometry
in the glass. Were you concerned the result might all
end up a confusing patchwork?
At one stage we were pushing the boundaries too far. It
wasn't hitting the mark because we were trying too hard.
There were too many materials, different shapes and angles
and it lost its effect. Your eye didn't sit comfortably with it.
What were some of the practical construction realities?
Working up so many angles and handling the difficulty of so
much complicated form-work. Then there is the complexity
of the detailing. Much of the glass, while large, is very simply
rebated into the concrete form-work. What should be easy
is made harder by the fact that concrete is so unforgiving.
Anyone who works with concrete will know how difficult
it is to achieve that precision of sharp edges and
exposed aggregate.
What about the glazing fabricators and window-makers?
David Moyle of BCM investigated and invested a significant
effort to see what was possible with glass. Mostly suppliers
said , “No, not interested. It's too hard.” He ended up at
Viridian, Sydney, who could meet his needs and deliver
glass to his demanding specifications. It was an absolute
challenge to get the glass to its maximum spans to fit
the style and design we came up with. I‘m glad he
got the answers.
How did you arrive at a fit whereby the glass appears
millimetre perfect?
We began with the idea of templates to be sent to the
glazing fabricator. David decided to interactively survey
the facades and provide a digital format with accurate
dimensions for each ‘window’ surveyed on site and in situ
once the concrete was formed. Once the key elevations
were surveyed, the precise specifications were sent
to the glaziers.
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