Clarence Song
This is a gesture, entirely whimsical, seeking refuge in both a past
and a future. It has no place today except as whim, or less: whimsy.
In this isometric, we can see the intersection of five forms, beginning with an elliptical extrusion. A rectangular volume carves out both an entrance and a vertical shaft. A sphere grounds the masses, which float, cantilevered, stiff and parallel to the ground plane but always on the verge of tipping. A disc serves as a mezzanine and an awning. And finally, an irregular truncated pyramid form carves at an unexpected angle through the ceiling, providing a warming and obscured light to the upper half.
In this isometric, we can see the intersection of five forms, beginning with an elliptical extrusion. A rectangular volume carves out both an entrance and a vertical shaft. A sphere grounds the masses, which float, cantilevered, stiff and parallel to the ground plane but always on the verge of tipping. A disc serves as a mezzanine and an awning. And finally, an irregular truncated pyramid form carves at an unexpected angle through the ceiling, providing a warming and obscured light to the upper half.
Elevations capture the “apple cart” in profile, an archaic suggestion that still finds expression in a futurist manner. The finished design brings the floor of the structure level to the ground, partially burying the sphere.
The front elevation captures the essential openness of the structure,
not just forming a large entrance, but one implied by the obstacle of the
sphere, and protected by the awning.
These rapid section sketches speak to the geometry and right angles of the form’s rigid interior, in contrast to its elliptical outer wall; the protrusion of the sphere, as seat, step, and marker, is a reminder of what lies outside.
The section reveals the simple character of the interior, its
two distinct levels, and the almost unreachable plateau of the upper one.