The Eye House = ART FOR THE PUBLIC REALM
+ EXPERIMENTAL FORM OF LIVING
+ VIDEODANCE SITE SPECIFIC ARTWORK
The Eye House is an art project taking into account many aspects : local London East context, global communication and media, spatial and experimental concept, sustainability, combining ideas and resources coming from different horizons in order to produce a rich and contrasted project with many outputs.
> Uplifting the public realm
The Eye House appears from outside as a big CRYSTAL contrasting with its earthy coloured and textured mineral urban environment, both mutually enhanced and energised .The ascending movement of the eye window extended outside by a brise-soleil symbolises uplifting spirits,
A LINK BETWEEN SKY AND EARTH and can unconsciously be connected to the wavy upward movement of the Olympic flame, as 2012 approaches.
> Sustainable art form
To enhance poorly designed public spaces, the built environment should be art itself.The Eye House is a self maintained piece of art; being inhabited provides security and maintenance, and generates life and activity all over year.
The office on the ground floor will be used for architecture practice and music video-dance editing. Meanwhile the experimental living space above will be also the setting for a music video-dance artwork, and then available for yoga sessions.
My intention is to work closely with art organisations, sponsor/s, council, and local trusts.
> Potential legacy
The Eye House is an experimental compact living cell, which may change the way we think about compact domestic architecture. As all its functions are integrated in the folding floor, when everything is enclosed there is no other object left than the house itself.An in depth Music Video-dance artwork will communicate this project to a wide audience, as well as continuing to explore themes I am working on : representation of lateral gravity with video, using the fact the floor and walls are in the same continuous surface in the Eye House. It will also connect contemporary dance to the music industry.
The Eye House is open to everybody during architecture, art and design events.
The Eye House will be associated with the Olympics context, as one of the rare new structure built outside the Olympic park, but directly inside the community.
The Eye House encourages urban regeneration, other cross disciplinary projects in the same quarter to happen, and brings new visitors. The architecture practice could be involved in local urban regeneration.
> Construction process
This project has been conceived keeping in mind cost effectiveness and building ease. Apart from the brise-soleil and stairs made in workshop, it is built out of standard products : straight structural elements for the main skeleton and flat panels curved on site to shape the curvy sections in the inside. The model demonstrates this simplicity. A quickly dried assembled structure provides minimal disturbance.> Low carbon lifestyle
Combining different functions (sleeping, dining, cooking, storage) in a single space in constant transformation means a huge economy of space, materials (no partition walls), and energy (a single heating system).Superimposing this ultra-compact yet spacious living cell, to a working studio on the ground floor means economy in transport and energy.
Other energy saving systems in this project includes natural flood lighting in the working studio.
The south facing glazing creates a greenhouse effect in winter. The air is being regulated using the air from the living cell, the working space on the ground floor, and outside. The "wave shape" brise soleil blocks the sun rays in the summer, whilst in winter the rays go through the glass, as the angle of the sun rays is lower.
© 2009 Thierry Bidet