Underground Treasure Design - Sketchup

To Finish off my Sketch Up designs i worked out how to add my structure model and my platform model together into one sketch up. i thought this might be tricky but it was easy as importing one onto the other. My platform fitted perfectly as they were both to the right scale. 1:500 and looked exactly right.

Another big selection to look at but from some great angles and it gives the perfect interpretation of how the platforms will look if this design was on every platform. 

There is plenty of room for views to see the cave as well as creating a new atmosphere in every platform people walk into with some amazing sculptures to look at. 

i think it looks great together and really incorporates the idea of a contemporary modern design contrasting against the natural forms of the cave with a geometric theme but keeping the colours involved to relate to the cave itself. 

I'm really pleased with this sketch up model and the whole design in itself, and one day hope to build on this project I have created and make bigger and better ones. As of course I'm still only learning in my first year at College. Uni bound to learn more!

Richard Deacon

I was recommended to look at this Artist/Sculptor because of his use of natural forms which I was originally looking into for my cave design. I actually became really interested in his work and found some of his work beautifully crafted.



I particularly liked these types of designs as they reminded me of the ropes that used to be made in the cave I'm creating a structure in.





I particularly like these designs as they remind me of an exhibition design picture i found during my research into exhibition design. This was called the Double Infinity Exhibition that i have already mentioned on my Blog in exhibition Design inspiration.

His work is so incredibly crafted and even if you don't appreciate any meaning behind his work you have to be in awe at the craftsmanship and hard work that has gone into creating sculptures like these. 

i love how they link to natural forms and abstract shapes you find in insignificant places around the world. the pure size of the sculptures also gives them the wow factor as they are larger than you making you take them in for a little while longer.

Mainly using wood he makes you focus again on just the shape in which he has created and makes you wonder why he made it like it is. i would love to see his work in the flesh. 

Richard Deacon is another great contender for exhibiting in my cave exhibition as his work looks into natural forms and the use of curves and abstract shapes links to modern design. i think people would love to see his work too, mainly placed on the floor of the platforms.

Who could i use in my Exhibitions?

Now in my sketch up I have used some sculptures from the 3D warehouse as finding proper sculptures I want in my design is a little difficult but One detail I thought I should look into was Who on earth would I actually have in my exhibition exhibiting there sculptures. now as my project first started with the ideas of natural forms and trace elements. I thought this would be an appropriate theme for my sculptures, this then relates to my project statement of intent and the cave itself (being a natural form an all) However I also have created a structure completely to do with Geometric design so could I somehow bring in some Geometric Type of sculptures to relate to this. Can I put the two themes together some how?

Could I use different platforms to display different themes of sculptures and from different artists/sculptors?

Richard Sweeney



Richard Sweeney's work immediately makes me think of shape. I thought he would be a great sculptor to put in my exhibit as his work links natural forms and geometric shapes together in my opinion, not focusing at all on colour but solely on the shape which I love. His shapes are quite abnormal and futuristic and relates to my idea of a modern and contemporary feel. his work can be hung from the ceiling by thin wires or on the floor or on plinths so it would work well on my exhibition platforms.

Ana Holck



Ana holck is a sculptor born in 1977 in Rio de Janeiro. i first looked at her work during my trace elements project with my design visualisation project. some of her work reminds me of honeycomb (above left) which ive researched into earlier on my blog. i think this relates perfectly to the idea of trace elements and the use of angles and straight lines incorporated into shapes remind me of geometric structures so it would work well in my exhibition and cave design. her work can be hung from the ceiling and on the floor which would work well in my exhibition area too.

Virginia King 



I have also looked at Virginia King before in this project already to create a structure design as well to create a floating staircase. Her link to natural forms is why I chose her and the use of circles and spheres remind me of buck minster fullers work and the geodesic domes
She uses only one material usually such as steel which shows off the shapes not anything else which i have grown fond of in all sculptures i see nowadays. my structure now only has one material so i think this relates well to each other.
Her Designs can be hung, on plinths or put on the floor so they are perfect for my exhibition platforms.


My exhibition spaces cannot hold wall paintings or sculptors as there are no walls! this is why i needed standing and hanging ones as i can hang them from cable ropes just like my platforms ideally.
Always trying to relate my design to the sculptures and to the cave.

Sketch up designs for my exhibition space

So after creating all my orthographic drawings and the model , it was time to learn how to use sketch up and create a computer animated model so audiences can see the space more clearly and from different angles including walking through the exhibition themselves

Sketch up is a great tool for this, allowing you to move through your model you've created and see it as if you were really there. A must in the design and Architecture world.

I've included a plan design and elevation design from the front as well to show exactly what they look like as well as trying to make them fit with my drawings I drew to start with.

I love these images and as this is the first time I have used Sketch up properly I am really proud of my results. It means you can walk through my design and feel what I was really trying to achieve with it. 

The geometric type poles with lights really do make a great effect separating the platform from the cave but still having enough room to see the whole cave when you want to. 

it looks back at one of my first initial ideas and creating a maze type structure so you only could focus on one bit of the cave at the one time. 

Seeing the materials and all the colours come to life is really special to see, seeing my design come to life is really quite exciting and I cant wait to do it again. I've always wanted to create something and put silhouettes into it. (geek)

Sketch up isnt that tricky to use when you get used to it, some bits are very fiddly and need your patience but well worth the work when your done!

Orthographic Projections of Platform Space

 These are the orthographic projections of my Platform Space, including 3rd angle drawings elevations and projections. This has helped me create some visuals for my exhibition design as it was quite hard to just look at my design from plan view.

£rd angle projections are a great way of seeing your design from different views and connects all the views together with exact measurements. A definite for a design sketchbook.

I created some better drawings of the projections to go in my folder, more neat versions get better marks. i love how clean these drawings look, making it easier for audiences to see where things are exactly to the right point.

I also did some rendered drawings to show audiences what the visuals would be for the platform space with the right materials, including glass, lights and the cave colours i chose for the lights. The brown squares represent sculptures that would be placed in those areas for the exhibition. 

I learned you dont have to render the whole drawing as this can look like colouring in so just doing a little bit just shows the audience subtly what it would look like in colour. 

And there was light!

I wanted to look into some lighting research to see what other people used in exhibitions and in architecture to create an effect to make the audiences get a real sense of atmosphere. Can the lighting create its own effect?



i was looking into exhibition examples and came across this from the frame website that I love so much. this is a clothes exhibition with the theme of a dark forest in Finland, with the dark backgrounds and only the clothes being lit up makes you focus completely on the exhibition and nothing else making the fashion the main attraction. it leads you straight where you need to be. Can i do that with my designs?



This i also found on the Frame Website (i really do swear by it). this exhibition i chose because the lighting has been put into the structure itself which relates to my first idea of putting lighting into the glass platforms themselves. the lights lead you straight to where the exhibitions are and light up the artwork inside. it shows how light can lead you in certain directions without you realising it.
I like the vibrant colours that are used in this exhibition as it goes with the artwork on display. Can i find colours that go with the cave and still light up the exhibition space?



there is different kind of lighting i could use in my cave design and so i looked around for lights that could be placed into a structure without any problems. Neon lights and LED strips seem to be the best at this job. These lights can also be used on the floor in bedded into the glass platforms. this would guide people along the floor to certain sculptures helping with the circulation of people and provide a great atmospheric look in the cave. Different colours could help with the atmosphere as well. Could this be too expensive though?

Material inspiration

I wanted the material of my Structure to completely contrast against the material that is in the cave right now and create a contemporary style to lift out of the cave itself. This means the cave will also stand out from the structure inside it as well. There are two materials I have looked into including stainless steel and Glass that have both been used extensively in the use of architecture in these modern days.  I chose a few examples to demonstrate my ideas and support them.

The Louvre Paris

This Triangular Building is an icon now in the world, this supports the idea that glass can be used to create geometric shapes including triangles.This building goes underground with the pyramid being the opening, a dramatic entrance for the audience to love. Also with the old buildings of the French History surrounding it , this building brings Culture and modern design together just like i want to do in my cave. The effect of lighting on the glass also creates a dramatic effect which would be great to use in my cave as well. 

The Grand National Theatre of China 

this building looks so impressive and supports my idea that glass can be curved to fit into a shape, it can be bended and still look sleek with lots of different panels of glass which is what will be placed on my glass curved ramps. The colourless glass makes the architecture look so contemporary  and modern like its from out of space. a look i would like to achieve. With half the building being a different material as well it proves glass can be incorporated with other materials and still fit together well. 

Frank Gehry's Disney Concert Hall

I've looked at this building before and just loved the Shape that it is made out of. The sweeping curves and interlocking faces give it a great dynamic and audiences don't know where to look first. it supports the idea that steel can be shaped to create whatever curves you want which could come in handy with my cave design. this concert hall looks very modern with not much detail focusing solely on the shape which is also a look I would like to go for. 

In the end I have decided to go with the Material Glass as it will be see through for everyone to still be able to see the cave whereas steel doesn't have this skill.  Glass lets alot of light into the building saving on lighting inside and a very modern material with a life long span which is important in a location such as inside a cave, no damage will change the glass. The strength of glass these days is phenomenal and is used to this kind of structure.