The Nature Disconnect/Interior Shed Project – Reflective (10)

Reflective

The Nature Disconnect – a title that reminds us of how we are no longer a part of nature in our everyday lives. We go outside, but do we ever really feel like we are “in nature”?

 

The aim for this project was to design a small building in the context of Tentsmuir – The Room with Two Views. I was to consider its impact on the environment and planned to incorporate this into my designs. As an interior designer and someone who recycles, I took this upon myself to make sure my design was minimal as to ensure that I would use the smallest amount of material possible. I feel I was successful in this task as my final model’s four plain walls are wooden, which can be sourced locally or be made from repurposed materials.

 

The Room is all about view: The River Tay, the wider landscape beyond; and the forest directly behind. Connecting people to nature, giving them a snapshot of both the seaside and forestry and allowing them to reflect on their lives and the landscape before them. The shelter, resembling a portal, allows you to absorb the scenery from whichever side you look out from. Its minimalism doesn’t intend to distract you from your surroundings and the small threshold provides a place to sit and escape from the rain. Being partially enclosed in the trees, also helps the user from being disturbed by the wind. The lightweight wooden frame helps this structure to be easily transported or repositioned after a new substructure is created for it, and its large viewpoints make you feel like you’re still outdoors.

 

Many different artists have influenced my work throughout this project. Two that really stood out were Alexander Brodsky, and Ekkehard Altenburger. Brodsky’s work, specifically his “Ice Bar,” showed that the simplest of ideas can be thought invoking and innovative. The pavilion was constructed near Moscow in 2003 and was made from ice cubes formed by pouring water onto a metal mesh which was encased in a wooden structural frame. It was then lit from the interior, which created a diffuse, ambient glow. The way his work involved nature was through his use of materials, helped me open my mind and consider resources I wouldn’t have typically thought of. I investigated a similar concept using water in my designs; however, Scotland’s temperatures are not cold enough for water to remain frozen.

The Mirror House by Altenburger – is a small uninhabitable structure in Tiree, Scotland. It is a small mirrored structure on that appears to float and absorb the surrounding landscape. This allows it to stay subtly in context with its environment, which is something I found very important in my designs. The site-specific installation created unclear boundaries between where the landscape ended and the artist’s piece began, leaving viewers with a visually stunning uncertainty between reality and intervention. The German sculptor finds great inspiration in architecture and the environment. He uses heavy materials like steel and stone in his pieces and he says:

“seeks to explore and encapsulate the physical balance of the built environment as well as the sculptural volumes of these physical materials.”

His work made use of the different surrounding views in Tiree, which is why I found his artwork eye-catching as this is what I made the most important aspect of my design.

 

Overall, this brief has helped solidify my desire to do interior design. It’s allowed me to explore the field a lot more than most of the projects this year. It has provided a variety of challenges, including different materials, how I would look to getting the materials to a more remote site. Researching the different aspects of this brief has also made me realise how much materials have an impact on the environment, therefore I made sure to include that I would use recycled wood in the construction process. I feel my project was effective in helping people appreciate the natural beauty at Tentsmuir with the structures framed perspectives. I experimented my idea using models to make sure it was what I wanted to capture by making “viewpoint” models by sticking printed images onto scale models to create little peepholes. My site model was also effective in the same sense as it showed people it’s closeness to the sea and the forest and the relationship they both share.

Viewpoint models

Site model