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The place beyond the bent pines - designing through exploration, making and discovery: an alternative design methodology through an exploration in timber for an imagining of its use

This dissertation demonstrates an experiment in an alternative design methodology, beginning with structural and material exploration rather than conventional design processes where detailing plays less of a role in the design process. The dissertation project is driven by informants discovered thro...

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Main Author: De Klerk, Charlotte
Other Authors: Noero, Jo
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics 2014
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access_status_str Open Access
author De Klerk, Charlotte
author2 Noero, Jo
author_browse De Klerk, Charlotte
Noero, Jo
author_facet Noero, Jo
De Klerk, Charlotte
author_sort De Klerk, Charlotte
collection Thesis
description This dissertation demonstrates an experiment in an alternative design methodology, beginning with structural and material exploration rather than conventional design processes where detailing plays less of a role in the design process. The dissertation project is driven by informants discovered through technical research in timber construction through tactile experimentation and the 'act of making'. Timber remains the material of choice for the length of the dissertation. Timber's particular inherent properties, capabilities and hindrances therefore form the parameters for creative design potential. The dissertation thus aims to demonstrate the importance of understanding materials and tests whether an alternative design process can lead to a more tectonically expressive form. The dissertation focuses on the use of standardised building components to demonstrate the way in which a timber compilation of standard components can be used to create an extremely varied building form. Additionally, it emphasises the use of localised technologies in order to show that craft still has a place within the context of contemporary South Africa where high unemployment rates and unskilled labour is experienced. The dissertation further demonstrates the way in which a designed structural timber system, designed purely through informants learnt through the 'act of making', can be applied in a contextualised setting with an appropriate site and programme in accordance with the structure's spatial potential. The final design aims to form perceptual structure through its tectonic expression in perceiving it as meaningful. Ultimately, the project strives towards depicting an architectural tectonic story where the building is contextualised, Hout Bay, South Africa, and seeks to express a narrative in which one can construe one's own tale as to the mystery of its making.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/7510
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:43:58.223Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2014
publishDateRange 2014
publishDateSort 2014
publisher School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics
publisherStr School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics
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source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/7510 The place beyond the bent pines - designing through exploration, making and discovery: an alternative design methodology through an exploration in timber for an imagining of its use De Klerk, Charlotte Noero, Jo Coetzer, Nic De Jager, Rob Carter, Francis This dissertation demonstrates an experiment in an alternative design methodology, beginning with structural and material exploration rather than conventional design processes where detailing plays less of a role in the design process. The dissertation project is driven by informants discovered through technical research in timber construction through tactile experimentation and the 'act of making'. Timber remains the material of choice for the length of the dissertation. Timber's particular inherent properties, capabilities and hindrances therefore form the parameters for creative design potential. The dissertation thus aims to demonstrate the importance of understanding materials and tests whether an alternative design process can lead to a more tectonically expressive form. The dissertation focuses on the use of standardised building components to demonstrate the way in which a timber compilation of standard components can be used to create an extremely varied building form. Additionally, it emphasises the use of localised technologies in order to show that craft still has a place within the context of contemporary South Africa where high unemployment rates and unskilled labour is experienced. The dissertation further demonstrates the way in which a designed structural timber system, designed purely through informants learnt through the 'act of making', can be applied in a contextualised setting with an appropriate site and programme in accordance with the structure's spatial potential. The final design aims to form perceptual structure through its tectonic expression in perceiving it as meaningful. Ultimately, the project strives towards depicting an architectural tectonic story where the building is contextualised, Hout Bay, South Africa, and seeks to express a narrative in which one can construe one's own tale as to the mystery of its making. 2014-09-17T12:15:38Z 2014-09-17T12:15:38Z 2013 Master Thesis Masters MArch (Prof) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7510 eng application/pdf School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town
spellingShingle De Klerk, Charlotte
The place beyond the bent pines - designing through exploration, making and discovery: an alternative design methodology through an exploration in timber for an imagining of its use
thesis_degree_str Master's
title The place beyond the bent pines - designing through exploration, making and discovery: an alternative design methodology through an exploration in timber for an imagining of its use
title_full The place beyond the bent pines - designing through exploration, making and discovery: an alternative design methodology through an exploration in timber for an imagining of its use
title_fullStr The place beyond the bent pines - designing through exploration, making and discovery: an alternative design methodology through an exploration in timber for an imagining of its use
title_full_unstemmed The place beyond the bent pines - designing through exploration, making and discovery: an alternative design methodology through an exploration in timber for an imagining of its use
title_short The place beyond the bent pines - designing through exploration, making and discovery: an alternative design methodology through an exploration in timber for an imagining of its use
title_sort place beyond the bent pines designing through exploration making and discovery an alternative design methodology through an exploration in timber for an imagining of its use
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7510
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