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Environment matters, and so when I draw creatures from a fictional world I like to give them interesting places to be drawn in. I finally put this apartment design onto paper in some coherent form so I can use it as a simple reference later on.
The concept is that multiple apartments jut out from a sloping structure (natural or artificial) but, even though their curved ceilings are entirely transparent, the occupants of one apartment couldn't see the occupants of another (for privacy's sake). To accomplish this, ledges extend out all around at the bottom of the window line with enough plants to obstruct a roughly horizontal view. By also staggering the elevation of adjacent units, the interior is further hidden.
The inside of this apartment itself is meant to have very soft, biological curves. The planted horizon and ever-visible sky hopefully give the interior a very natural feel.
Pen and pencil on 9x12" Bristol board.
The concept is that multiple apartments jut out from a sloping structure (natural or artificial) but, even though their curved ceilings are entirely transparent, the occupants of one apartment couldn't see the occupants of another (for privacy's sake). To accomplish this, ledges extend out all around at the bottom of the window line with enough plants to obstruct a roughly horizontal view. By also staggering the elevation of adjacent units, the interior is further hidden.
The inside of this apartment itself is meant to have very soft, biological curves. The planted horizon and ever-visible sky hopefully give the interior a very natural feel.
Pen and pencil on 9x12" Bristol board.
Category Artwork (Traditional) / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 763 x 1000px
File Size 172.5 kB
I like it overall.
The plants are a fun touch and it seems like it would be nice and roomy.
About the only thing that gives me pause from an engineering perspective is the transparent ceiling. As presented here I get the impression it's supposed to be a single piece which if it was made out of, say, polycarbonate it would be $$$freaki$hly$$$expen$ive$$$. We're talking probably on the order of about 1/4 of the total construction cost sunk into that architectural feature alone, which should it ever somehow break or be damaged by fire or what-have-you it would have to be replaced...as a single piece.
The plants are a fun touch and it seems like it would be nice and roomy.
About the only thing that gives me pause from an engineering perspective is the transparent ceiling. As presented here I get the impression it's supposed to be a single piece which if it was made out of, say, polycarbonate it would be $$$freaki$hly$$$expen$ive$$$. We're talking probably on the order of about 1/4 of the total construction cost sunk into that architectural feature alone, which should it ever somehow break or be damaged by fire or what-have-you it would have to be replaced...as a single piece.
Thanks :) The ceiling is something I've left kind of vague here; it could easily be made of several pieces that fit on a frame, reducing the cost of covering such an area. The material is... more complex than I feel confident to describe :P The tint is electronically adjustable so sunlight can be kept out at any time of day.
Segmenting it would seem to be the way to go.
As far as making it self tinting that's totally believable as even potentially a very near-term innovation. It's essentially an LCD screen sans the back light. Making it curved might be a bit of a trick but should be totally doable.
Perusing the internet for further information actually shows that things are a bit further along than that:
http://phys.org/news/2012-01-samsun.....lcd-panel.html
So yeah, if made of segments the upper ceiling segments would probably be relatively simple, limited to blocking a varying percentage of light until black, while the vertical or at least close to vertical ones along the walls could be full blown displays. Especially ritzy dwellings might have display panels all around, it could project the appearance of being underwater with fish swimming around or anything else one might want.
Of course, being that it needs back lighting to be visible the display function would only really work during the day.
Speculating further if LED's could be made in thin sheets and as transparent as the screen technology then a layer of them would not only make the screen visible at night but could also function as the lighting for the dwelling. Oh hey, how about that, we're at least part way there:
http://www.grote.com/LightForm/SEMAshow.html
To speculate further still one of the neat traits of LED's is they can be switched on and off extremely quickly and their output level can be modulated very precisely and quickly. So these same 'window' panels could also form the backbone of a home wireless network:
http://www.ted.com/talks/harald_haa.....ight_bulb.html
...
So the ceiling material you didn't feel confident enough to describe...might actually be right around the corner and possibly capable of much more than just screening out sunlight.
I don't know when the future decided to show up unannounced but god damn is it awesome.
As far as making it self tinting that's totally believable as even potentially a very near-term innovation. It's essentially an LCD screen sans the back light. Making it curved might be a bit of a trick but should be totally doable.
Perusing the internet for further information actually shows that things are a bit further along than that:
http://phys.org/news/2012-01-samsun.....lcd-panel.html
So yeah, if made of segments the upper ceiling segments would probably be relatively simple, limited to blocking a varying percentage of light until black, while the vertical or at least close to vertical ones along the walls could be full blown displays. Especially ritzy dwellings might have display panels all around, it could project the appearance of being underwater with fish swimming around or anything else one might want.
Of course, being that it needs back lighting to be visible the display function would only really work during the day.
Speculating further if LED's could be made in thin sheets and as transparent as the screen technology then a layer of them would not only make the screen visible at night but could also function as the lighting for the dwelling. Oh hey, how about that, we're at least part way there:
http://www.grote.com/LightForm/SEMAshow.html
To speculate further still one of the neat traits of LED's is they can be switched on and off extremely quickly and their output level can be modulated very precisely and quickly. So these same 'window' panels could also form the backbone of a home wireless network:
http://www.ted.com/talks/harald_haa.....ight_bulb.html
...
So the ceiling material you didn't feel confident enough to describe...might actually be right around the corner and possibly capable of much more than just screening out sunlight.
I don't know when the future decided to show up unannounced but god damn is it awesome.
Considering all that, I would add another three more points to discussion.
One, by applying principles of lightfield imaging coupled with a head tracking mechanism, it is possible to display stereoscopic "3D" image that appears to stretch past the screen in a way that perfectly mimics the effects of a window, without the need of any glasses, restricted viewpoints or limits on the number of possible viewers. Given that the view, past the flowers immediately surrounding the place, isn't going to be very interesting, I would argue that using generated landscapes in place of a real one might actually be preferred.
Second, if this pad is to be attached to any kind of high rise, tending for the plants is going to be extremely labour intensive. Even most hardy plants would require some maintenance, from trimming to pruning, and all that would have to be performed in a very complex and dangerous environment.
Third, if you scrap the ring of plants around the pad, this design becomes a very appealing one for "exotic" environments, where individually secure, compartmentalized living quarters would be a preferred solution. As an example, imagine a city on the surface of the moon: while a large dome might provide shielding from various various junk that keeps hitting Moon's surface, sealed apartments with full life support that share no walls with each other might reduce damage (and casualties) to absolute minimum should anything actually punch through the defence.
One, by applying principles of lightfield imaging coupled with a head tracking mechanism, it is possible to display stereoscopic "3D" image that appears to stretch past the screen in a way that perfectly mimics the effects of a window, without the need of any glasses, restricted viewpoints or limits on the number of possible viewers. Given that the view, past the flowers immediately surrounding the place, isn't going to be very interesting, I would argue that using generated landscapes in place of a real one might actually be preferred.
Second, if this pad is to be attached to any kind of high rise, tending for the plants is going to be extremely labour intensive. Even most hardy plants would require some maintenance, from trimming to pruning, and all that would have to be performed in a very complex and dangerous environment.
Third, if you scrap the ring of plants around the pad, this design becomes a very appealing one for "exotic" environments, where individually secure, compartmentalized living quarters would be a preferred solution. As an example, imagine a city on the surface of the moon: while a large dome might provide shielding from various various junk that keeps hitting Moon's surface, sealed apartments with full life support that share no walls with each other might reduce damage (and casualties) to absolute minimum should anything actually punch through the defence.
Good point on the 3D, that makes the whole system only that much more appealing.
As far as the plants go it might be more practical if it wasn't a ring around the entire perimeter but instead restricted to key areas with open space adjacent to them on the inside. Then there's not as much to maintain and it shouldn't be more difficult than popping open a window to get access. Even better if the plants are in pots that can be slid inside for periodic tending.
The problem with small dome habitats like this on the moon is that while meteoroids are a design concern protection against radiation such as solar flares and cosmic rays is the bigger problem. Simply put, you need mass between you and the incoming radiation. The easiest way of doing this is placing the habitat under a couple meters of regolith, in which case transparent domes become pointless and the utility of segmenting off living quarters is less stringent because the layer of regolith also protects against the small meteoroids you'd have to worry about on a regular basis.
As far as the plants go it might be more practical if it wasn't a ring around the entire perimeter but instead restricted to key areas with open space adjacent to them on the inside. Then there's not as much to maintain and it shouldn't be more difficult than popping open a window to get access. Even better if the plants are in pots that can be slid inside for periodic tending.
The problem with small dome habitats like this on the moon is that while meteoroids are a design concern protection against radiation such as solar flares and cosmic rays is the bigger problem. Simply put, you need mass between you and the incoming radiation. The easiest way of doing this is placing the habitat under a couple meters of regolith, in which case transparent domes become pointless and the utility of segmenting off living quarters is less stringent because the layer of regolith also protects against the small meteoroids you'd have to worry about on a regular basis.
Ah, this is lovely. The recessed dining spot is a lovely touch, and the oblong shape helps maximize the amount of space in the structure. The transparent ceiling is a nice idea, but I'd make it electrochromic (think transition lenses) so as to switch it off for whatever reason. Sunlight may cause a few problems, though that can be fixed with interior shading, but privacy is something I would still want to have (think 'ghetto birds' or drones). Lol, I can sort of imagine a large cluster of these buildings arrange so as to create a sort of panopticon.
Very cool. I can see you've got a knack for designing things. I do have some questions. I noticed that there's no provisions for cooking food. Is it designed for a species that wouldn't need to cook their food, or is this a more advanced world where our technology would be obsolete? Also, I noticed you specified that the toilet was in the shower. I've never seen a design like that. I'd love to hear how you came up with it.
For an apartment of this size in it's intended setting, I imagine a microwave, toaster, or hotplate being the only common cooking appliances. So it's not great for someone who likes to do a lot of cooking :P
The toilet in the shower seemed like a good space-saver, plus it gives you a seat if you need one. This arrangement exists in the real world, but it's pretty rare. I just like the idea of having a larger, more open shower :)
The toilet in the shower seemed like a good space-saver, plus it gives you a seat if you need one. This arrangement exists in the real world, but it's pretty rare. I just like the idea of having a larger, more open shower :)
Had to have a go at making this in Blender. Hope you don't mind a little fanart.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9367904/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9367904/
Gorgeous design!
If you don't mind, I have two points to make, though: One, there seems to be very little storage space in this place. Unfortunately, in an all-curves design like this, storage has to be designed in, because standard boxy furniture is just not going to work.
Second, it appears that the only way to get to the top of the cupboard (number four) is to step over the sink.
If you don't mind, I have two points to make, though: One, there seems to be very little storage space in this place. Unfortunately, in an all-curves design like this, storage has to be designed in, because standard boxy furniture is just not going to work.
Second, it appears that the only way to get to the top of the cupboard (number four) is to step over the sink.
Thanks :) Yeah, there's not much extra room. I was thinking about adding concealed storage space underneath floor panels, but when it comes to furniture it's going to have to be rounded in some way to find the room nicely. I imagine some circular or oval tables in the open living area.
Since this is a hi-tech apartment, I'm going to say the cupboard has shelves that can move up and down for easy access. :)
Since this is a hi-tech apartment, I'm going to say the cupboard has shelves that can move up and down for easy access. :)
While the underfloor storage would definitely fulfil the role of an "attic", I don't think that it would work for most daily items, like clothing. For that (and other general storage), I would extend that bookshelf (#9) up to the entrance door and put a coat hanger, a shoe cabinet and an umbrella stand in that alcove on the opposite side of the door. With shelves 35-45 cm deep and sliding doors this would provide plenty of storage area without reducing the living space much.
Even though this would give that area a bit of a corridor-like appearance, the presence of cabinets would put an obvious utility to the area, avoiding the appearance of "wasted space".
Even though this would give that area a bit of a corridor-like appearance, the presence of cabinets would put an obvious utility to the area, avoiding the appearance of "wasted space".
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