Project 2

Vermeer's Girl reading an Letter at an Open Window

The project was inspired by the narrative in behind the painting of a young woman longing for her lover, and Vermeer’s prevalent use of drapery as a room partition which is common in many of his paintings.
My narrative in the end was: A young woman is hidden away in a tower from her lover as she weaves long lengths of drapery in order for her lost lover to find.

The tower is located on the top of the cold rocky mountains of Norway and is set in the 17th Century.

I incorporated the notions of very confined closed, tight spaces and focused on the architectonics behind the effects of different lighting effects, by creating both calm ambient lighting and contrasting shadow defined spaces.

The central void which runs through the tower acts as a filter for the unique distortions of light to permeate through each level.

The drapes flow through all the openings of the tower, windows are no longer used as a means for observing, but rather are used for transfer and communication. This narrow three storey tower utilises a very unique means of navigation. Initially the drapes act as a means of guidance towards the tower, as one first receives an end of the drape and follows it, long before the tower comes into sight.

At the end of each flight of stairs in the intermediate landings of each level if a small window opening on the corner of the wall. The stairs are designed to cover a full rotation of the rectilinear walls. As you navigate through each intermediate flight of stairs, a bigger window appears, allowing more light in, making the journey up the winding tower all the more intriguing and a greater play of shadows and contrasts of lighting is utilised.

Upon entrance to the tower, these drapes symbolically become part of a maze inside. The architectonics behind light is interplayed into the navigation of the building. As the drapery fills through the central void and into the circulatory paths, covering all windows, one can imagine the focus that would be played on minute glimpses of light, particularly on the lower ground levels. Light is valued as the important navigation tool that guilds the traveller through the drapes at each level.At the end of each flight of stairs in the intermediate landings of each level if a small window opening on the corner of the wall. The stairs are designed to cover a full rotation of the rectilinear walls. As you navigate through each intermediate flight of stairs, a bigger window appears, allowing more light in, making the journey up the winding tower all the more intriguing and a greater play of shadows and contrasts of lighting is utilised.

As one moves up to a different level, the stairs begin to move inwards towards the diminishing sized central void, and away from the windows. This creates a raised awareness of the interior environment rather than the outside, enabling the traveller to focus on their internal emotions rather than be disturbed by external issues.

Lastly from the sets of stairs, one finally reaches the waffle concrete slab. This level not only acts to fliter light, it also acts to filter out unwanted guests, as the visitor is left only to stand on the edge of the stairs, reiterating the level of privacy that is enforced by Vermeer’s drapery partitions.
The only means of going up the private weaving room, is via the glass platform that is occupied. Hence she is able to focus solely on her weaving in the tower, in which it hopefully will help her leave the tower in the near future.

The unobstructed large openings on the top level allows her to see outside of the tower, and see hope for the future. The circular opening on the roof of the tower relieves the shadowing of the room like smoother round shadows. Lightening the mood of the bold edges of the tower walls.

AXONOMETRIC DIAGRAM

SECTION

PLANS

Ground Floor and 1st Floor Plan

2nd and 3rd Floor Plans