Annual? Daily
Concept Architectural Design. 2024.
This is a course project in my sophomore year at the University of California, Davis, Landscape Architecture program. A conceptual design project with a given site on campus. Course Num: LDA 070, instructor: Cory Parker.
Design requirement:
This project synthesizes site analysis, and programming to create a comprehensive, concept-driven landscape design. Students will analyze site conditions and integrate characteristics of a provided sculpture to inform their conceptual approach, using Hart Hall courtyard as the project site. The project requires developing a program that accommodates key functional spaces, such as outdoor seating, circulation, and access while maintaining a focus on conceptual design.
The given conditions:
Annual Ring by Nancy Holt
The sculpture I was assigned to was Annual Ring.
The Annual Ring is designed to have a shadow cast that matches the circle in the center of the Summer Solstice. A ceremony and poetry reading is held each year.
Annual Ring in Saginaw Valley State University (Photo & Description credits goes to Saginaw Valley State University )
This steel landmark that looks like an over-sized bird cage, located near a pond by the Ryder Center, is officially named the Annual Ring. On the Summer Solstice (between June 20-23 each year), when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, the sunlight shines through the opening on the top of the structure, and the shadow cast matches the ring on the ground of the structure.
Hart Hall is a building on UCD Campus, a red roof top, an L shape structure created a court yard in the middle.
Site Location
Basic surrounding analysis:
People are able to access the site from 3 different directions. The site seats beside the heart of UCD Campus - Memorial Union, hence the traffic around the square is constantly high.
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On-Site Photos
Current site problem:
This is a zoomed-in shot of angle 5, since I spend a lot of time on-site during the project, it’s not hard to find out what students really need.
They needed somewhere in the shade but enjoyed the outdoor environment at the same time. There are benches along the wall in this photo, but students still choose to sit on the ground, it shows that they really wanted to be outdoors, close to open space.
Notice how they sat facing the same direction? Yes, they needed the shade very much.
Hence, providing the space between outdoor and indoor became a goal in my proposal.
The original sculpture, Annual Ring by Nancy Holt, was designed so that each year in June, the sun would align perfectly with the circular opening at the top, casting a flawless circle of light on the ground below.
My project, Aunal? Daily., builds upon this concept by introducing three sculptures that are tilted and varied in size.
Each sculpture’s circular opening is oriented to a different point in the sky, corresponding to distinct positions along the sun’s daily path. As the sun moves across the sky, these rings capture and project a perfect circle of light at three separate times of the day. Notably, one of the sculptures is suspended, allowing people to stand beneath it and experience the interplay of light and form directly.
In essence, while Annual Ring represents a dialogue between time and natural patterns, my project reinterprets and expands this conversation. By transforming and duplicating the original concept, Aunal? Daily. maintains the thematic essence of temporal and spatial interaction established in Holt’s work.
Proposed design concept
Proposed design：Physical Model
Proposed design： Hand-draw Sections
The top one is a north-south cut, watching the sculpture. The bottom one is an east-west cut, watching the sculpture.
As you can see in the bottom section, close to the Hart Hall building on the left, I have trees providing shade and seats installed on the deck, so that students can sit under the tree and enjoy the outdoor environment without exposing themselves to the sun.
Proposed design： Hand-draw Perspective
It is an angel similar to Shot 5 in the On-site Photos
Proposed design： Essential Digital Model
Since digital modeling was not part of this assignment, I only modeled the very essential part of the project———the Hart Hall, the 3 Annual Rings, and the deck holding them.
