March 2016 – remy dunne

housing render w model 2

I designed this ‘Disaster Relief Shelter’ as part of my portfolio application for UNSW. It is intended to be a modular, low-cost form of housing packaged and constructed in a manner similar to Ikea furniture, affording occupants a basic standard of living better than the current tent housing that is used, which is vulnerable to the elements and is not intended for the long term habitation it is generally tasked with.

arango_mar-brisas-1-23

This is the Arango-Marbrisa House by John Lautner in Acapulco. I think it is a stunning piece of architecture that uses concrete in a beautiful way to act almost as a bridge between the land it is on, and the sea and sky it embraces. I like how the roof appears to hover above the entire building, and the way it takes on an appearance almost like it is some sort of modern fortress. Before taking an interest in architecture I did not find concrete very attractive, but this building was instrumental in changing my opinion as I feel Lautner really uses it in beautiful and interesting ways.

I took this photo in northern Colombia last year during an exchange semester there. The region (La Guajira) is the northernmost point of South America, and consists of a barren desert (comparable to those of North Africa), surrounded by stunning blue water from one edge of the horizon to the other. It is an extremely isolated and poor, yet culturally rich region, and I had a very fun time exploring it.