Nadeem Dahduli: Week 1 Castle

Concept:
I grew up in the art world and was always fascinated in the future of architecture and how minimalism creates sleek designs. My main inspiration for the design of this castle was the Asgardian palace from the Thor movies. I took an interest in the shape of shards in buildings and creating an architecture that curves up, leading your eye to the center. I took this concept and applied it to my design.
I was also inspired by Ottoman architecture, by the hands of Mimir Sinan. The Ottoman designs of Sinan included the use of many domes and pillars. Since the domes did not match the concept of shards I went with the idea of adding pillars outside the building instead of directly attached to it, signifying protection and ,of course, aesthetic pleasure.

Techniques:
It took me quite some time to figure out how to create dynamic shapes as closed polysurfaces, but I then discovered the Boolean split tool which allowed me to intersect two objects and cut them from each other, leaving me with the large curved walls that surround the center of the castle. I emphasized the use of polar arrays through the curves structures and pillars in the center; as well as the green and the cylinders. To gain as much precision as possible, I consistently switched between view ports even while making selection and moving objects.

Materials:

The materials I chose for this project were based on a mixture of materials between the palace of Asgard and the mosques in Turkey. The palace consisting of gold and glass, and the mosques being made of stone and marble. After experimenting with different materials and colors, I decided to make the foundation marble, and the towers and main tower gold. As for the side structures, I went with a dark red first to add to the luxury of the gold. I then made the bold decision to add an emerald green in the mix in order to compliment the red. The green also does a nice job at providing as an accent color to the structure, technique I see in modern architecture often. For the lighting I intensified the shadows a little more in order to bring out the detail in the metal and the glass, as well as increasing the light intensity to show the shimmer of the metal and glass a little more.