The seminar aims to generate a new approach to the construction of landscaping through the creation of an architectural language that goes beyond the replica of natural environments through the lens of 3rd nature theory. A 3rd Nature aesthetic for a 3rd LA Architecture. Planned like a city, Disneyland's brand of urbanism finds itself in its artificial city and architecture. Fantastical rides that mimic nature. Drawing from Disney's long-standing tradition of bringing magic through animation, the projects capitalize on the idea of pixels for artificial creation.
Project Team: Ruoyang Chen, Yeawon Min, Qi Long, Chinmayi Suri
Original matterhorn
Disneyland Matterhorn bobsleds
Pixelated representation of the Matterhorn
Material study
Pixel study
Case study: If the original Matterhorn was the first nature, the Matterhorn bobsled ride (a completely artificial, yet near-perfect replication of the original) is the second nature, then this new mountain is something that is perceived to look like and be made artificially.
The palette is created by mixing in completely natural materials coffee in varying proportions, as a nod to the existing natural artifice.
Mixing various proportions of baked and used coffee grounds into a cement mixture to create sample bricks, allowed an exploration of both color gradients and material properties (strength, texture, moisture absorption).
Coffee pixel building block
Pixel stacking
Pixel stacking
Coffee pixel building block
Sectional view
Perspective
Interior
The project is constructed using hexagon bricks of various sizes and colors, with each brick representing a pixel. A hexagon was chosen for its ability to stack in multiple directions and sides. Multiple scales of this unit offer more variation in the façade.
Coffee Mountain is conceived to be a completely experiential setting where users interact with it by adding bricks of various sizes. The mountain is meant to expand through user interaction. The natural material exploration and obvious artificial aesthetic allow Coffee Mountain to fit in the fantastical realm of Disneyland as a spectacle and another landscape in the overall urbanism.