Good as new

The Pteranodon has been saved! Pteranodonnie's head may have fallen off one night about a week ago, but he didn't injure anyone. He was honestly very structurally stable, but even with all of our calculations we weren't able to predict the effect gravity would have on the glue we used to attach the head. Looking back now, we probably should've tied the head to the body in the first place, but it happened and now it is fixed. I'm glad he was able to stay high and flying even with all of the annoying negative comments from neighboring studios about him possibly killing someone. I mean, that's a little dramatic if you ask me. I think Luke and I are both glad that he is back to his full glory.

I CAN say I attended the lecture tonight, but I CAN'T say that I paid attention. I was slightly more immersed in my systems homework that had the entire class stumped. Once we figured it out as a group, I was able to finish my homework and pay attention to the last 20 minutes of the lecture. Those were probably the most valuable minutes to the lecture anyway. All I really gathered from the entire thing was something about symmetry, until the end when he talked about context. As architects, we have a job to make our buildings fit into their context or surroundings. There are times when standing out works, but in order to be successful, your work should work within its context. As people, we all have that internal instinct to doubt ourselves. This doubt rears its ugly head when it comes to design decisions. But, in order to use this doubt to our advantage, we have to use it to force ourselves to make a decision that will improve the building and the context it is made for. 

Today was LIKE presentation day

One of the boards I created. Yay for InDesign.

Nothing brings about the nervous jitters more than the first presentation of the semester. Granted, it wasn't a super formal presentation, but I could still feel the nervous butterflies that always come around when I have to speak in front of people. I know I should probably get over this since one day I'll have to talk in front of people all of the time, but until then I'll just stick with being nervous. I think Amber and I did okay, but of course we used the word "like" more than necessary which James had to conveniently point out along with my excessive hand motions. Obviously my presentation style needs some work. I think our boards looked really good so that was a plus. I was a little worried that I spoke too fast, but a case study similar to seven other groups can only last for so long. I'm glad that we got the presentations out of the way and can move on to the major problem at hand in creating the expansion of Ringer Library. 

WhataWednesday

Today was probably the most productive in studio day I've had since school started. I actually worked for three hours without taking a break. Which, by the way, was very difficult considering I've got some major allergy issues going on. I got my Revit floor plans done and now need to work on my boards. I'm not worried about finishing because I always get my work done. That is just the type of person I am. I think I'm making the partis we have to do more complicated than they need to be, but the perfectionist inside of me needs to know all of the specific instructions before I can start. I'm just anxious to present because I kind of want to get this part over with and move on to designing. 

All I know is that I am very thankful for the nice lady named Holly at Goddard Library who was able to get me clear and readable floor plans. Without her help I would have been in a major pickle that would have had bad results for me.

 

A bad case of no space

Today we got to finally go on our site visit to see the "wonderful" design that is Larry J. Ringer Library. I almost missed the initial turn into the building's parking lot meaning there were way too many trees blocking the large letters with the name of the building on the building. Once I worked my way inside, it was clear to see that this library was on the fairly small side of the scale and needed some work. I feel like it definitely has some potential, but there are many obvious instances where the current design situation is not working. The librarian that showed us around made it clear that more space is needed, which is why we were given this project. It seemed that based on the site plan, there is really only one way to extend out from the current building, but I guess the parti drawings James wants us to do will really show the potential ways for expansion. I don't feel like I've been struck with this amazing idea yet, so I'm still waiting for the design that changes the game. 

Probably the most interesting feature in the library.

It was nice to take a break from the same old everyday routine of being in studio and instead going to the Village Cafe after the site visit. It was the first time I got to experience a little bit of downtown Bryan and now I really want to go back to see what other surprises await. 

Another week down

To say that class was slightly distracted today is a major understatement. We started out strong, but after sitting in that little discussion "room" for a few hours our attention spans were fading fast. Although we were distracted, James did all of the work we needed done so that we can advance in our case studies. [Thanks again for extending the due date] I'm glad I still get to do the library I had originally planned on because hopefully the requested floor plans come in before next Friday. My fingers are still crossed on that one working out.

On a totally unrelated note, my boyfriend has had his new puppy for a few days now and he is finally getting comfortable around his roommates and any visitors. His playful side is slowly starting to show, but I wish the puppy biting faze would hurry up and end. Those tiny sharp teeth are killer. He is part border collie and part German shepherd and most importantly he is ADORABLE. See picture below for proof. 

Diesel Wayne Srnensky

 

Master Builder no more

Should the architect be a master builder? On first instinct, one would say yes because having the "master" title would make one think that means they are specialized in the field of architecture and know and understand every step it takes to create a building. But as of today, the role of master builder has fragmented and has created divided fields that work as separate entities. This separation is not necessarily a bad thing because it has obviously worked over time, but should we as architects be okay with knowing that other people think we only know how to design? Wouldn’t we rather be known as the architect who was heavily involved in the building process even after we turned the design plans over to the construction or engineering team?

The title of master builder is outdated. An architect as a singular person may not know everything about every field that relates to architecture, but we are always conscious about the other factors such as materials, structure, and construction. The increasing complexity of building designs have required more than one great mind to ensure structural stability and provide reason for materials through material science. Sure, an architect could calculate the structural loads, but having someone who is even better at calculating than you are check your work will ensure that the building won’t fail. 

“Refabricating Architecture” says that by getting rid of the title of master builder, we are relinquishing the title of architect as well to be simply known as designers. This theory is flawed because becoming a licensed architect takes years of schooling and an intensive exam. Through school, we take multiple classes that touch base on materials, construction methods, and structures. This doesn’t prove that we are skilled in all of those fields, but knowing we have a background in that information assures that every design decision made is thought out and has real world possibility. 

Brunelleschi is highly regarded as one of the greatest master builders. He combined the fields of architecture, building, product engineering, and materials science to create a new typology of building.  But what if Brunelleschi hadn’t understood the math? Or maybe he picked the wrong materials for the geographical location and climate. The building he so wonderfully created on his own would fail. Luckily, he understood the concepts of structure and materials and construction, but today, it is so rare to have a single individual intelligent enough to understand all aspects of creating a building. That is why Brunelleschi is so highly praised for his ground breaking work.

One person doesn’t need to embody every aspect of a master builder; rather we should push to bring all of the parts together to create a “master team”. As architects, we need to take back the title of architect to put behind us the days of being called designers. In order to do that, the architect has to make the decisions. If you want a design to work a certain way, prove it will and make sure the construction team follows through with your design. There is such a thing as having control while letting others carry out your foreseen actions. By moving toward the idea of a master team, each field can continue to specialize while also learning to better communicate and come together as one to make a design come to life. 

Lets just say this is the start of a beautiful "master team"

Moving On

We have officially moved on to the next project and I am fairly excited for it. I love to read so the fact that we are doing a library kind of feels like a perfect fit. This first part of the project that includes research doesn't excite me as much, but I love getting to see how so many different architects approach the same problem and come up with completely different design solutions. I took on the task of finding a library from 1960-1995 while Amber search for 1995 and beyond. We unintentionally found buildings for each others categories, but I'm just happy we found some that fit the criteria. The building I'm focusing on is the Goddard Library at Clark University. It was originally built in the 1960s and was recently renovated. They kept the structure and modified the materials used and it is so cool to see the merge of old and new with both material and design. I'm hoping Amber and I will find some inspiration through this research and obviously come up with an awesome design of our own later on. 

Original Design:

 

 

http://www.kccmny.com/wp-content/uploads/webVanderwarkerimg_0058-620x395.jpg

 

 

Renovation:

http://chronicle.com/img/photos/biz/11128a.jpg

 

Pteranodonnie/ Midnight Rider

It has been a fast paced first two weeks of school and here I present all of the work that was completed in that time frame. Our Pteranodon ended up being just as large as we had calculated and he was pretty much the most awesome project ever. Luke and I had no idea how to go about adding paint highlights, but I think we did an okay job and were both super happy with the final product. I'm pretty excited to hang him up and see if we get told to take it down or not. I want to see everyone's reaction when they see this massive creature suspended over them during studio. We had fully intended to name him, but couldn't decide on one, but I think his name is Pteranodonnie, while his nickname is Midnight Rider. Even though Luke and I had both done a project similar to this our Freshman year, I feel like creating a dinosaur presented way more challenges. I liked the fact that every animal, even if it seemed easy to recreate, ended up having its own set of problems that we all had to try to solve. Being able to physically create something makes any project exciting. If anything were to change for next time, I think that being able to model the dinosaur in a computer program would be really cool. Being able to see it in 3D and figure out how the parts fit before even testing it out would add a new, and very helpful, element to this project. We haven't talked about selling him yet, but my apartment is a no go unless my roommate and I never want to use our living room. So I guess until we get forced to remove him, Pteranondonnie gets to live in the stressful environment that is studio.

Paint the Pteranodon blue!

 

Today was a busy work day that consisted of me somehow getting covered in paint. We took the newly cut pieces of our large model and assembled them at the beginning of class to make sure everything fit and to check on how much the wings would sag. Once it was fully assembled, we were amazed at how stable it was even with the gigantic wings. They didn't seem to be flexing that much, but with so much movement on the ground, we did end up fracturing our main body piece. I said a few not so acceptable words and had a minor freak out. But Luke took it down to the wood shop to add a screw and hopefully it will now withstand the stress of the pieces. Thankfully that seemed to be the only mistake we encountered. We spent the rest of the afternoon painting each of the 23 pieces with a dark blue base coat to allow us to put the painting details on tomorrow. I'm pleased with the color and I'm pretty excited to see what it all looks like after we add the last bit of paint. Friday should be an interesting day in being able to see everyone's pieces put together and brought to life with color.

It is definitely Monday

Home Depot strikes again to take my money one piece of plywood at a time.

I'm not sure I have ever had a Monday quite this bad. It didn't start out bad, but quickly escalated to Monday extremes. We went to Home Depot an hour before class started in order to get out to the Ranch by 2:00 pm. Lauren was the only one we knew with a truck so she hauled all four pieces of wood (for her group and ours) to the Ranch. About half way down University Lauren calls Luke to let us know about the "situation". THE WOOD FELL OUT. I'm not sure anything worse could've happened. It literally fell out of the bed of the truck in the middle of an intersection. Luckily by the time we turned around to go retrieve it from the street someone had already gotten it moved to the curb. Whoever did it deserves a giant hug because I don't think I have ever been so happy to see pieces of wood. Once we figured out that Lauren had straps in the car we strapped those bad boys in and safely got to the Ranch. I'm just really glad that the person driving behind Lauren didn't get hit when the wood fell out. I am still so baffled that it even happened. I mean what are the odds? But we got the wood transported so we are just one step closer to being able to cut tomorrow. Fingers crossed that goes well.

STRAPS SAVE LIVES!

If bigger is better, then massive should be great, right?

So, I go into class today thinking I'm prepared because Luke and I got our laser cutter model done and assembled like we were assigned to do. Everyone goes about discussing their models and everything is fine and dandy until we start seriously talking about the final scale models. That is when we hit the realization that our Pteranodon is going to be HUGE. With a few quick calculations we figured out that our overall wingspan will be close to 14 feet. 14 FEET! I'm pretty sure my eyes were as wide as they could go because that is just massive. In perspective it is almost 3 of me. And to top it all off we are hanging this thing from the ceiling. [Insert skyrocketing stress levels here.] I only felt a little better about the whole thing after talking to Haliburton and getting reassured that this hopefully won't be a major fail. There are going to have to be quite a few areas where we will have to create tension in the wings to prevent them from sagging, but I'm pretty excited to see this thing when finished. The color scheme is still up in the air, but while on a quick trip to Hobby Lobby I looked at the paint available and think that we kind of have a general idea in the direction we want to go. This next week is going to be a hectic one for sure.

Paint on paint on paint.

The new Type A

Architecture surrounds us in everyday life and creates the spaces we function in. There are the types of buildings that take your breath away, and then there are the ones that make you doubt the abilities of every architect in the world. Although all architects know structure can only enhance the beauty of a building, those who don’t speak architecture rely solely on appearance to judge a building’s success. The problem is, both the appearance and the interior workings of a building should be considered. There should be a required process that links design with all of the inner workings of a system to create a whole entity that functions seamlessly while getting more for less. 

The mass production vision that consumed Le Corbusier’s thoughts and designs could never reach its full potential because of the way the problem was addressed. Mass production then was a kit of parts that made every building blend into the next allowing no individuality to have the client identify the building as their own. The idea was there, but lacked a detailed thought process because getting less for less was obviously not what people preferred. This type of architecture with a lower case a doesn’t allow for change and the only thing that is certain in this life is change. By not conforming to the transforming desires of the people, mass production and fabrication fell behind.  Conformity does not translate into the customizable designs people were searching and yearning for. 

Hence, the arrival of architecture with a capital A. This type of architecture stands on its own because it is unique and shows design talent. Architecture with a capital A requires a certain level of skill and design capabilities that create an individual design to withstand the change of time. These architects think with a process mentality and takes in what the client wants to achieve to in turn create a design that functions from all angles. This means that the design becomes cohesive with all of its working interior parts and becomes more than just a building or space. It transforms into a living work of art that functions because the people that are within it are functioning and going about their daily activities in a comfortable way. The design works.

 Architecture requires an in depth thought process about how the space will function once it is completed and serves its purpose. By creating a pre-fabricated mold for all architecture to fit within, the limitations become so consuming that nothing architectural can be accomplished. The changes and advances seen in architecture today are on the verge of being architecture with a capital A because designers now are willing to push the limits on design standards set before them. Buildings are beginning to have their own identity and are becoming stand out pieces of art. This striking transformation in the way that architects are viewing architecture can only have a positive influence on the generations to come. By continuously expanding on design knowledge and letting creativity take charge, architecture can escape its uniform mass production former self and emerge as the top field of innovation. 

 

http://www.designboom.com/cms/images/-Z80/mtc2.jpg

Melbourne Theater Company houses plays and recitals so the 

loud and expressive architectural design matches its expected 

function therefore enhancing the beauty of the structure.

                        http://www.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/NEW-THEATRE-CMYK-FA.jpg