:: intent
by
the time the eames house [los angeles, pacific palisades 1949] was constructed
it was considered to be state-of-the-arts using new design ideas, new materials
and techniques.
the eames house was an unconventional package of standard, off-the-peg components
which,
when assembled, made up an art-work as unique as a Duchamp ready-made.
retrosnake adapts the principles of the existing eames house and updates the
design by using similar state-of-the-arts materials and latest techniques
of construction.
:: observations
the design, choice of material and use of the eames house satifies neither
the users desire for privacy nor the visitors desire to experience the entire
building.
the interior as well as the exterior surface of the eames house are discontinuous,
therefore a third interstitial volume will be added underground to introduce
a better circulatory flow.
because of their directionality the ribstructures of the floor and roofsurface
are more effective in a vertical position, a rotation of the builing along
the 'x'-axis has no to a minor impact on the overall structural system. within
such a constellation the steelframe becomes obsolete, all loads can be distributed
by the nondirectional continuous magnesium grid.
:: wallsystem
the revisited walls of the eames [retrosnake] house are highly performative. made out of injection molded magnesium the opaque parts of the structural system perform both as a rigid structural grid and as a soft skin, capable of accommodating the techno cushins. the structural hybrid, similar to the skin of a rattlesnake, is highly effective in horizontal and vertical directions. the variation in scale proposes that the same system of self similar elements provides the opportunities for different functions. the nature of the envelope of the retrosnake house allows for cushins to colonize both sides of the walls and the roof, a second retroshield provides the nesseccary pockets for storage, drainage, semi indoor/outdoor space, etc. this shield renders the definition of inside and outside obsolete.
:: roofsystem
while the wall system of the revisited eames [retrosnake] house operates on various smaller scales, the two roofstrips perform on a structural level the pockets are as well capable of accommodating the techno cushins but the function of these cushins is limited to skylights, windows and the panelization of the floor and the patio.
