Skate Break: Spring Break Thoughts

By Ryan Northcutt

Over spring break I had the opportunity to take a trip to Dallas and Fort Worth. While I was visiting I took the time to visit some of the pieces of architecture that are in the area, as well as see Thorn Crown Chapel on the drive down. Many of these visits I did weren’t directly related to my thesis project, but I made some parallel connections in order to make the trip worthwhile and education for my purpose. My main concern was to understand gallery space, as Dallas and Fort Worth are both full of museums designed by big named architects. I did not have time to see them all, but by far my favorite and most educational were the Tadao Ando museum and the Louis Kahn museum. Each of these both unique in many ways responds to a need to display art. The one key factor that was seen in both museums was the need for light. Natural light, which is great for any reason, was a guiding factor in the designs of the museums, which in my case is also important, giving the fact that I will have a gallery space and work space in my program. The beautiful part of each of these museums is the feeling of serenity. Each building, designed to an a appropriate scale and proportion allows the mind to feel secure but bright and enlightened. Probably the most fascinating feature was the design solution to bringing in natural light to the exhibit space without having any indirect light. The beauty of the details and the solution as a whole are in perfect proportion which leads to a wonderful form and aesthetic. I am a fan of Louis Kahn in general. I have had the opportunity to visit the Salk Institute and just like the Kimbell I felt positive feelings when in the space. The attention to detail and understanding of material and light is astounding and almost overwhelming in a positive sense. Of course I do have to wonder what a regular joe would think about architecture, and especially these fine examples. For me to actually explain my thoughts is difficult for I am not good with words, but any one person who has had the pleasure surely understands the beauty of such deep architecture. Just so I am not rambling on, I want to display some pictures I took and talk a bit about them.

This picture is of the Modern Museum of Art by Tadao Ando. I took this picture actually in September of 2013, but this is a great example of daylighting design. Beyond the far glass wall is a large pond that helps cool the site as a whole and reflects light into the building. Great experience overall.

These next two pictures are of the Salk Institute (top) and the Kimbell Art Museum (Bottom) by Louis Kahn. Just looking at the pictures there is a sense of proportion and scale that is almost perfect, even exterior lighting considerations are amazing. And finally below is the interior of the Kimbell, you can see light coming in through the top of the ceiling, and how much light is coming in. Yet again, amazing.

My Digitally Fabricated World

By Don Olsen

Issue 13- Continuous Liquid 3D Printing

Welcome back everyone. This week I have something pretty exciting that was shared with me and so I will pass it on to all of you. A new 3D printing option is being developed to replace the current extruded plastic method. A group of scientists from the University of North Carolina have developed a continuous liquid 3D printing interface. What this means is that unlike conventional 3D printing methods, which use a heated extruder and platform to slowly add heated plastic layer by layer, this new method will use a platform and pool of molten material and "pull" the printed object out of the liquid material. This new method of printing utilizes a projector under the pool of liquid that will rapidly project section cuts in ultra violet light of the object. This process rapidly solidifies the plastic as the upside down platform raises the object out of the pool of material. Interestingly enough this process was inspired by the Terminator movie series, where the terminator reforms from a pool of molten metal. There are a number of benefits to this new printing method as well. By utilizing molten plastic there is little to no wasted materials in the printing process. Since there is less need for bracing or rafts used to stabilize current conventional prints more plastic is saved and can be used to create more prints. Having worked with conventional 3D printers a huge benefit is less moving parts. This could mean greater life spans for these machines and less issues. Beyond the platform everything else on the entire machine is stationary as you can see in figure 2. This is a huge benefit as most conventional 3D printers have a series of motors, plastic pulling systems, moving platforms, and other moving parts making them easily prone to having a multitude of issues. The last benefit is probably the most significant, time. Continuous liquid 3D printing is able to accomplish what takes hours in conventional printing in just minutes. The reason for its extreme efficiency is the method it uses to solidify the plastic. Conventional printers add one layer of plastic at a time where continuous liquid printers print and entire layer in one section flash from the projector. Though these printers are still very much in the testing phase they are an obvious step in the right direction. Please check out the video linked below. This is very much so a piece of sci-fi fiction becoming a reality. Till next time keep fabricating. 

You tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3TgmvV2ElQ

photo credit: Vox Media

Thesis Update #4 – Or is it?

By Nicholas S. Ouellette

Hello everyone once again for this new update on my graduate architecture work. Unfortunately, this week I will not be updating you all on the progress of my thesis because with other projects I have been working on for other classes I have not made much progress to tell you about from what I showed two weeks ago. So, I thought I would give you another update on the Graduate Assistantship work I have been doing. Last time I talked about the work for my GA position it was on the first building I worked on, the Swiss Sound Box designed by Peter Zumthor. I am currently working on finishing up the diagrams and drawings for a new project I have been working on since the end of winter break, the Peninsula House designed by Sean Godsell.

The Peninsula House is a vacation home located in Melbourne, Australia. It is constructed partially in a sand dune and uses the natural topography to help shape the structure. The house has a number of different rooms such as a two story living space, a bedroom, library, office, kitchen, interior courtyard, and a private verandah with a fireplace. Unlike most homes that have an indoor hallway that connects the rooms of the house, the Peninsula House has an exterior aisle composed of concrete pads and stairs that run from the carport at the north south end to the living space and verandah in the north. This exterior aisle is covered by a wood cladding system of local wood that after it is seasoned is almost impossible to cut with conventional tools.

Aside from the wood cladding, the house is composed of steel ‘portals’ that create the overall skeleton of the structure while the walls are of wood construction. There is also a plethora of glass on both the north end of the house as well as the entire ceiling just above the portal frames. This allows for a large amount of sunlight to enter the house and keep it warm at all times of the day. The house is the wrapped in the wood cladding system that runs the entire length of the structure that can be opened in certain areas to allow for air to circulate as well as open or close pathways into the house. You can see in the image below of the north end of the house where the cladding system and glass are very visible as well as the exterior aisle that runs the entire length of the structure.

The diagrams and drawings for this house are similar to the ones used for the Swiss Sound Box however there are a few differences because of the different nature of it [one being a house and the other being a pavilion]. There is still an anatomy drawing as well as basic plan and section drawings of the house and surrounding area. The details of this house though are very specific to a number of important aspects of it such as the cladding and operable walls. The first image below is a small section of the cladding system showing how the wood slatted members attach to the steel portal frames and the second image shows the anatomy of the house [still a work in progress]. In the anatomy drawing you can see how the house is arranged in the side of the sand dune as well as the main aisle/stairway that runs down the length of the house. The other components of the diagram show the steel portal frames as well the implementation of glass in the house.

                                               

Once the diagrams are completed for the Peninsula House, my focus will shift to just one single diagram as the end of the semester approaches and I have more work to do for my thesis as more deadlines are upon myself. The next building a Center for Contemporary Art called Punta della Dogana located in Venice, Italy. For this project I will only have to make the anatomy drawing for so it should not be that taxing and if there is another low point in my thesis work I will show it to you all to see. As for the rest of my work, my thesis will be dived into more deeply in the next couple weeks as I am starting to come up with a finalized master-plan for the entire site as well as how the buildings will be laid out in both plan and section. In two weeks I should be able to give another update with a lot of information as to how it is going and what I will be working on in the future for it. I also have an extra surprise to add to my next blog entry, it is something I have been working on for another class and I am eager to show it to you all. So if you are interesting in finding out what it is and also what the progress on my apartment complex in Seattle is, stick around and come back in two weeks!

Peninsula House Image Reference: http://www.seangodsell.com/peninsula-house

Mid Semester Wrap-Up

By Drew Baldwin

Spring break just ended. I didn’t go anywhere fun, but I did get to go home and relax. I worked for a few days once I got home, but soon realized I just needed to take a break from all the school work and actually have my spring break be a break. I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all need a break from time to time. But now, getting back into the swing of things is the main focus of the week with it being so nice as well the fact that we’re now halfway through the semester. It’s a little scary to think that is the case and there’s still so much to do on my thesis on top of all the other work I need to get done.

Luckily, I seem to be moving along pretty well with my concept for my thesis. After my last review, one of the main ideas that the reviewers made clear is that it hadn’t seemed like I had done much research or even overall design work. That was partially the case as there were certain buildings that needed more in depth research to really understand the overall condition of my site and without that, it was hindering my proceedings with my design. So after my review, the first thing I did for the next day and a half was only research. I wanted to make sure I had a full understanding of the history surrounding my site and the two large hotel buildings in it. After doing so, I then proceeded to begin reworking my whole design as my first attempt was a vague interpretation of the general idea I wanted to achieve and in the review that was made very clear.

At this point in the semester, I am currently working towards a final overall site design with the incorporation of urban gardens and green spaces as well as mixed use residential apartment buildings to accompany the new Red Wings Stadium in Detroit. I have addressed the given issues presented in my site with the two hotels as well as dealing with the massive stadium next door and instead of ignoring them, trying to incorporate them into my design to benefit the residents of the area. 

Spring Break is over

By Meghan Shanahan

We are back in school after what felt like the shortest spring break. Yes it was a weeklong but I felt so much shorter then that. I had a great time though, I threw a bachelorette party for my cousin that was so much fun. We got a hotel in the River North neighborhood in Chicago and we played a whole bunch of games and then went out to the bars in the area. Even though it was a lot of work to put all of it together, especially while trying to keep up with school work, I really enjoyed doing it and also happy that it everyone really enjoyed the night.

Over the next couple days I was able to do work on a research paper for my history class, I am writing my research paper on Teotihuacan, Mexico. Teotihuacan is a Mesoamerican complex that was built and used by the Aztec people. It had a residential area called Avenue of the dead, but then linked to two pyramids, the pyramid of the moon and the pyramid of the sun. They Pyramids were used for many purposes but there main use was for religious reasons, such as human sacrifice. The Aztec people would choose a human scarifies, and then they would take the chosen person up to the top of the pyramid and this is where they would perform the sacrifice. I find this architecture wonder so interesting, but also when about seven years ago I was able to climb the pyramid of the sun. Looking back and learn about this architecture wonder that I was able to go and see and experience just means so much more.

Another interesting thing I did over break was my site visit. I went to visit Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. Maywood is a suburb of Chicago just about a thirty minutes drive from my house on the south side of Chicago to the hospital. When I was there I was able to walk around the hospitals first story, learning more about the location of certain departments in the hospital. Though I was unable to go to other floors, and I was also unable to retrieve a map of the interior of the hospital, I was able to see directories that were generally located by the elevators of the hospital. So though I did not receive a direct map, I was able to get a lot of information about the existing hospital. I also was able to take pictures of my site location, which will greatly help me figure out a connection between my new emergency department the existing hospital.

Though my break seemed to be short I really enjoyed it, I realized how much I miss being at home and how happy I am to be so close to finishing my masters degree and moving on and forward with my life.  But till then its back to the grind with my thesis and enjoying my last five months in Carbondale, plus I have my two cats here till the beginning of May. 

Post-Spring Break

By Nick Bossman

Spring break just ended and now it is back to the good ole studio life. During my spring break, I traveled to Naples, Florida once more. I had traveled there this last winter break as well. The last time I went to Florida, I got to tour Marlins Park in Miami which was a wonderful starting point in my ballpark design. This visit, I got the opportunity to attend a spring training game for the Boston Red Sox.

            The Boston Red Sox play in a park called JetBlue Park. This stadium, as well as the three stadia I used for my case studies (Marlins Park, Petco Park, and Busch Stadium), was designed by Populous. The park is located in Fort Meyers, Florida. The design of the ballpark was modeled as much off of Fenway Park as possible. The park included a replica of the green monster, which is the famous left field wall at Fenway Park that is closer to home plate that resulted in a higher wall. It also strived to replicate the street atmosphere that Fenway is famous for as well. It has one street that pedestrians walk on in front of the park which is full of street vendors and included tents dedicated to certain eateries and also includes live music. Although I have never been to Fenway, I would imagine it is similar to what I experienced but at a greater scale. The design also included a canopy, which provides the seats with shade that was designed to resemble the cypress tree domes that surrounds the park. When I looked at the canopy, before I knew what it was designed after, I knew it was representing something but it was not obvious to me what it was.

            One other thing that I noticed as I went to the game is that the amount of people that attended just a regular spring training game was incredible. I would say the amount of people is equal, if not greater than, the amount of people at a Chicago White Sox game during the regular season. I know that the fan base of the Red Sox is much bigger than the Red Sox, but it was surprising to see the amount of people. Most of the people were even from Massachusetts.

            Although the ballpark that I am designing for my thesis project is a Major League stadium, it was helpful to see this stadium and get an idea of the scale that these stadia are at. Aside from getting extremely sunburnt, I enjoyed the atmosphere it created.

Oops.. I’m Building on a Floodplain

By Brittney Mount

Last week I finally took a trip down to my project’s site located in Lebanon, Tennessee for my first site visit. This is shockingly one of the first actual site visits I have done for a project. It was quite informative to say the least. In my preliminary presentation, a major concern of my site being located in a floodplain was brought to my attention. It turns out most of my selected site is located in a 100 year floodplain. What does this mean exactly? That it was definitely not the best selection of a site, however, I have chosen to take this on as another design challenge that will provide my project with even more interesting solutions and added dynamic. This discovery has definitely led to a setback on the pace I was moving, due to it’s sensitivity in design. The major issue being that the first floor cannot be lower than one foot above the floodplain. In order to move forward, I have been researching possible design solutions to accommodate the required codes for building in a floodplain. I have listed below three possible solutions to the issues along with diagrams. 

Land Fill 

The land fill method is easily the most basic straightforward solution to my problem, literally just adding enough land to the entire site to place it one foot above the floodplain. However, it is also easily the most boring. The site only drops three feet from it’s highest point to the creek bank.

Crawl Space Structure 

A second solution would be to place structure to create the necessary build up of the topography. In this tactic the water would just overflow underneath the building, a kind of crawlspace if you would. 

Parking Podium 

As the first floor elevation cannot be on the floodplain, the parking spaces can be, therefore placing a parking structure beneath the program would not only remove the first floor issue, but also the massive square footage that is required by the parking lot already. The trick to this tactic would be to not display an urban feel with a parking structure, and create an open, friendly entrance not only from the approach of the building but from within. 

As I study these concepts I believe I will use a mixture of a few of these solutions within my design.