Precedent Study - Continued

As this project continued, we split off from our groups and began to create individual iterations of our work. I remained inspired by the Villa Tugendhat, but my process led me to a design that was only tangentially inspired by our original work.

The previous project provides context for both the process and the inspiration. Below are the Analytical Diagrams we created to express different concepts found in the Villa Tugendhat.

And from these diagrams, we created a Parti Model of the Villa Tugendhat.

This model was the source of my inspiration for the continuation of this Precedent Study.

Now that this work has been reviewed, the inspiration for these next steps in the process is clear.

To begin, we defined the separate functions found in the Villa and used them to ideate based on the idea of a 'museum of emotions'. What does a sleeping space make you feel? How does the function of a living space translate through form? These types of questions guided my process as I began. The sketches below show how I combined functional space and form.

After this, the next step in the creative process was to translate these ideas into a series of Axonometric Drawings so that the form could be fully realized within the set of functional spaces, which are colored for distinction.

Throughout this process I focused on finding new ways I could work to shift the way circulation, space, form, and function interacted within the parameters of Public, Private, and Semi-Private spaces. Taking inspiration from both the original Villa Tugendhat as well as our first Parti, I explored different ways to conceptualize these new relationships along both the horizontal-vertical axis as well as above or below ground.

These preliminary designs were then clarified and exploded to fully visualize how the Public, Private, and Semi-Private spaces related to each other in relation to form and function.

By continuing in this fashion, my final model was designed with mindful consideration given to how I could take the Villa Tugendhat precedent and create something uniquely my own from it. Form, function, and the 'museum of emotions' were all fully explored through these iterations.

After selecting the 3rd Scheme, I began to translate this idea into my own Parti Model, taking 2D shape into 3D form.

Throughout this process, the transition from the original precedent into my own design relied on my personal understanding of how Public, Private, and Semi-Private spaces related to the functional spaces defined for us, such as Sleeping, Grooming, Cooking, Eating, Living, Creating, or Being. Very early in the design process I decided that these functions would simply be subcategories of the Public, Private, and Semi-Private spaces in the model. By applying the concept of a 'museum of emotions' to both the circulation and hierarchy found within the form, I was inspired into creating the Private (Sleeping, Grooming, and Cooking) form underground, accessed only by familiarity or invitation. On the other hand, the circulation the model implies allows for the windows and the balcony to accommodate the Public (Living, Being, Eating), emphasizing the relationship between the interior and exterior of both the house and our lives. The final portion, the Semi-Private, is just off the Public space and contains the Creating function. By ordering these functions in such a way, the horizontal and vertical axes reflect the original form of the Villa Tugendhat in a totally new way.

March 8, 2026

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