umm... England?

Right so George Quan is demanding I update this blog.. so here you go... Basically my summer was spent largely on the phone, in court rooms and in other countries so I dont have much to speak of when it comes to drawing... I do however have a ton of photos from various excursions in the UK presently... But first drawing I apologize for the poor quality I do not have a scanner and couldn't make it to the uni to scan in the lab today.. but I'll try to get in there some time this week..

I had a 6 hour layover in Boston on my way to Manchester and the terminal I was in had a gorgeous view of the Harbor so I tried sketching it...



This was just a quick perspective thing I was showing the year one students at a pub during a trip to the Cheshire Plain



Last week we went out to Rivington Pike and these are just some quick sketches as we were climbing the hill and I was falling behind so their quality is... not really very good but it was really just to get an idea.



Now since I've been here we've explored the Cheshire plain and Rivington Pike, the Pike being the actual site of our current project



This image comes from the Cheshire plain, its abit foggy, as expected but way off in the distance is Manchester more specifically you can just barely make out Beetham Tower Manchester's tallest building.

The view on our Asecent up Rivington Pike. Still rainy and misty as you can see...

This is a tower at the top of the Pike, the pike is on the end of the Pennine Moors which divides the Eastern and Western parts of England. At one point the very hill was used as a stage of a beacon warning system to alert the English to an invasion by the Scots.. Just as a quick note, the view is allegedly second to none in England and on a clear day you can see Blackpool Tower and Liverpool Easily.. However the weather conspired against us and we could see only mist and more mist.. in fact at the top it was almost like being in the midst of a smoke screen as you could see absolutely nothing beyond the top of the hill.. Not really relevant but pretty funny... I've got a book to make for tuesday so I suppose I'll update again once thats finished..

The Storehouse: a hipster haven

Our final project of Second year was to design a series of open loft homes using a univeristy owned warehouse. The homes had to fit in a footprint within 900 square feet and should feature sustainable ideas and materials. My design took to a very contemporary approach, with a loft I thought the best solution would be then to have very few walls sepearating spaces but I still wanted to give some kind of separation, so materials and textures were chosen to mark these changes. The floors were largely concrete with certain areas given bamboo flooring to mark out those spaces, this was noticable in the kitchen and in the loft if self. On the cieling drop cielings are used to show these changes in space with a large drop over the kitchen while 3 smaller arched cieling fixtures mark the transition into the living space. To mark leaving the public areas of the home the stairs use a series of 1x3" boards layered with each one alternating between a natural stain and a black paint.


These stairs created a nice statement in the space they inhabited and gave good transition from the concrete metal and brick public spaces to the wood private space.


Upstairs in the loft their are two main sections the sleeping space and an outcrop which in this case has been designed as a home office. The outcrop was designed to seperate the occupant physically but still give them a connection as they can view all around them down into the public space or up in the loft space. It is both isolated and yet integrated with what is around it. the floors up here are made with bamboo flooring in two stains spice and natural.



In order to keep the occupants from falling their is a railing going around the perimeter of the loft. The design of this sticks with the contemporary feel I was trying to establish and is very industrial, not to mention recyclable thanks to its aluminium construction.

Celestial: A place to bathe

With spas and health clubs becoming increasing staples of contemporary society in addition to the growing universal design fundamentals it was only a matter of time until both ideas combined. This design is for a bathing space that can be used by both the able bodied and those who may be bound to wheelchairs. The space itself is divided, one being a more private pool with extra attention from attendants. This is designed for those who may need extra help, are embarrassed or simply seek a little privacy.

The larger pool located, opposite a partition wall is intended for 5 or 6 and also features accessibility to those in wheel chairs. However sitting in a pool in a wheel chair is hardly therapeutic and this space encourages one to leave the chair, to float or simply soak in the water.




Looking up towards the ceiling reveals a series of elevation changes marked with blue undersides, this form is an abstracted idea of water falling and encourages thought with its simplistic pattern.


Light is prevalent in this space with large windows allowing views to the outside but also allowing in much needed light which gives extra character to the space from the shadows cast.


The perspectives from the water may seem limited but they actually direct the view upwards either out the windows or towards the ceilings extrusions.




Attendants will be present at the bath to assist those in need of assistance but will also leave those seeking independence to do so at the guests discretion. With a single entry into the baths via the ramps it eliminates the implied segregation of those who are in wheel chairs and those who are not in addition the fact that the user leaves the wheelchair they may be bound to also removes that segregation.

Below are various drawings including the plan view, ceiling plan, wall section and elevation.

A Place to dine

My most recent studio project was to create a place to dine in addition to the table present in the space. My table balances itself delicately on one leg. The room itself is very inspired by the bauhaus movements and the international style which I felt related to the tables design.

Design Manifesto

Design to me as always been about creating something sculptural that attracts the people to it in some way and encourages thought. Much of my design also incorporates a playful use of light. My design attempts to evoke an emotion through its features, these emotions vary depending greatly on what aspect the design is observed. By using light I want to use it to create different effects, which can be reflected upon and are never quite the same. This way the design is constantly changing and constantly creating new emotions for people to experience. Through repetition I create a sense of uniformity but by adding minor differences to each they each gain individuality to better reflect the diversity of the world in which we inhabit. Whether or not my design succeeds is left to the individual but as of now this is what I pursue when I design.

-Kevin Lahti 28/01/2009

Inspiration:
Tadao Ando: Architect
Creates monumental buildings and sculpts the spaces within them and also uses light to emphasize areas. Few erroneous details, all things serve a purpose either aesthetically or structurally, no one element may be removed and have the same emotion left.

Jonathan Ive: designer of the ipod
Elegant sculpture that maintains function in all aspects, nothing erroneous. A uniform device that is individualized by the user. Not well known but product is used everywhere and is one of the most recognizable items in the world.