JOHN HEJDUK

John Hejduk was an architect, artist and educator and spent most of his life in New York City. Hejduk was noted for his use of attractive and often difficult to construct objects and shapes, also for a profound interest in the fundamental issue of shape, organization, representation and reciprocity.
His early work and curriculum grew from a set of exercises exploring cubes, grids, and frames, through an examination of square grids placed within diagonal containers set against an occasional curving wall, towards a series of experiments with flat planes and curved masses in various combinations and colours. The built work of Hejduk began to appear in the 1980's and continue beyond his death.

THERE IS NO END TO DESIGN

I've thought about form, space, shapes and why I've done what I've done. When I put a window in the wall I ask myself why. All I no is that there is no end to the design phase, you can keep designing forever and you wont get sick of it!

MODELLING INTO A REALISTIC STATE

From the sketch up process to the 3d animation and now to real scale building form you can see the realistic view that the building has. The building has a square plate of 20m x 40m which is a large plate and floor plan to work from but I thought it was important to design with the space and openness that the client would like. Seeing how the different forms are combined and fixed is important and making it so ever real. I tried to keep the design and look of the building as simple as possible with some different views, looks which would have a large impact with the inside use of the building.

CHANGING THE DESIGN

So I took the design and played with it, did some more sketches and came up with a bit more of a jazz design for the simple box like design. With this dewsign I tried to keep the concept but change some of the form to give the building a different dimension. some shape like features came from Hejduk and the seesaw picture and trying to add those demensions to the building. This building allows a far greater amount of light into it, which would be more comfortable for the people within. Also the front of the building/house has a radical change, with the slope in design referring to also the seesaw aspect. Through my design phase and sketching I have always had two things in mind, light and open space for the person or people living with in and trying to keep within the box format within as what had been asked for. The textures used were cherry wood panels, and brick for the core structure were most of the objects, comforts are held.

3D ANIMATION

From putting pen to paper I then came up with these computer images. The main key idea was trying to design a house with the use of light and large windows to allow light to have a better effect on the inside space, or space within. The design of the house is a plit tow level design, the tower is located up at the top level were unit 7 is. As you can see the tower is small in shape as you can not see it. Bottom area has an open plan for the fire and living areas as well as basics like toilet and shower etc. Trying to keep with the box, square format i tried to incoporate windows that come out from the building as well as inwards to try and give the building a different dimension. I tried to see myself walking through the house and what it would be like with the size windows and cladding features. The building is designed with a wood tratment, due to the fact that he is a judge and his relationship with wood.

THE START OF THE EQUUS

My client, Lorenzo Salvatore had a very basic and simple design brief. He stated that he liked things to be kept simple and easy, he liked box shapes and box formation, nothing to fancy, he also liked large windows for views, a swimming pool, open space areas for his fire that he likes to sit around and read.
The sketches that you can see are the start of my design process thinking about what sorts of squares and box like shapes I could use to design his house with, keeping in mind that he likes it simple. I also was trying to design something that wasnt just a box but with a bit more design to it.

The key thought and principal I was thinking while designing this house was the box formation and trying to keep all the required objects, sink, toilet bathroom, living etc all based around the centre of the core in a box formation.

HEJDUK Chararter

JUDGES MALE/FEMALE

The judges chair for one male and one female are attached to a 12'' x 12" central shaft made of metal and wood. facing in the opposite direction is a pole with iron spikes for climbing. At the top of the pole is a 2' x 12' horizontal woodern plank. the plank is connected to an inverted 180 degree metal support. A female and a male (naked) climb up the pole and place themselves on the seesaw plank opposite ends. The woman and man's weights are exactly the same. When they are fixed in place the Judges begin their deliberations and eventually come to a decision. The contestants must keep the horizontal plank in perfect balance.

THE JUDGE

Lorenzo Salvatore is a 47 year old judge who is desperate to meet a lady. For the most part of his life he has been single. His former wife died in a terrible car accident 19 years ago. Ever since that day Lorenzo has struggled to get over the ordeal. For years he blamed himself for the accident, since he was the one that was driving. over and over in his head he would see the same scene that took his wifes life. The part that he forgot to see was the drunk driver that ran a red light and hit the side his wife was sitting on killing her instantly.

His life wasnt meant to be like this, they had planned on having children and moving to the country to raise them, buy some property and have animals and enjoy life. Instead Lorenzo found himself lost, hoping for some ray of light from above, some guidence and most of all his lover.

Time past by and Lorenzo found himself doing the samething each and everyday, eating the samethings, travellinf the same way to work, not socializing with other just the other judges that he worked with at the Florence District Courts in the main street of Florence. He became compolsive with everything. Everything had to be in its particular spot, nothing out of place, nothing dirty, or dust, he hated dust. He would clean the house several times a week in the feeling that it was dirty. He hated any othe shapes except for squares, he lived in a box formation with the way that things we set up within his house. He hated the darkness, he loved the light, big glass windows to admire the view from. He hated the cold and always had his fire going with him sitting by reading books. The one thing that got his mind off of his wife was the pool, he loved to swim and be fit, I guess that was because it reminded him of her and her passion for water.

Lorenzo is such a kind heart guy, who just wants to spend the rest of his life with sombody. He knows that he has strange habbits but he knows that deep down inside theres a lady for him and one that will love to help him come to his deliberation while seesawing away.