Updated Drawings

Updated Drawings (2/1/07):
I have slightly revised my plan and sections. The vertical circulation now runs along the perimeter of the floor plates, allowing the consumer the oppertunity to experience the atrium/courtyard element throughout there travel. Also, to gain entry into the cubes, they must travel through the thick wall, creating a conflicting experience of being in an enclosed space.

Plan:




Section:




Section/Elevation:




Progress (01/31/07):
Plan and section with a perspective of the feature element. Feature element includes a "thick" wall with thresholds punched through it so that the consumer/user is able to navigate around it using stairs (still working on that item) to get to the programmatic elements that are cantilevered off the wall. I am currently thinking that the wall would be composed of either concrete (i.e. similar to Tadao Ando style castings) or a type of steel (cor-ten). The idea would be to have a material that contrasts the floating glass boxes.

Plan:


Section:


Perspective Rendered:



Perspective Line Drawing:

Sketches

Sketches of sections and plan: detailed drawings to follow

Theory: Interest

Interest in environment:
-through design (materiality, technology....)
-interest is a result from reading and viewing pics of traditional and modern japanese architecture/architects
-focus for japanese architects is interaction and relationship with the natural environment (exemplified by work of tadao ando).
-man and natural world is continuous, and design and construction are one (ando)
-ando's philosophy: reconnect man to man - man to nature and architecture serves as the intermediary (seen with his use of light, shadow, materiality, and "placement" of buildings within nature).

What can I do?
-research different ways of learning about environment (seminars, classes, leed....)
-focus on self improvement through education, then work on community
(need to have an knowledge and understanding before any true contributions can be made)

Examples of leaders in the Community:
-Blaine Brownell, NBBJ Seattle
+currently a Fulbright scholar studying in Japan
+looking at sustainable materials
+published book "Transmaterial" all about eco-friendly materials
+has a blog journal showcasing materials (link on sidebar of blog)
+educating whole world on his research (his community)
-diller scofdio +renfro
+new typology: agriculture + architecture = agritecture
-for me
+educating in smaller community, build a strong base, then expand outward, they in turn are able to help inform others

Types of Projects:
-housing
-multi-use projects
-retail

Inform Others:
-building relationships with clients
-education through me and others (once knowledge is obtained)
-continual mentorship process for me and others, keep learning

Comments:
rick:
-is this attitude present in your office
-if this is not present, would you look for employment at a firm that embodies these practices
-any local columbus firms active leaders
-develop library of research materials similar to brownell's blog, only keep in your office as you learn, others can also. this could develop relationships with others that are interested also
-as you gain responsibility in career, implement the green ideals that you learn about
-word of caution or self examination, be sure if this is something you are passionate about. green is popular and the latest "buzz" word. others may view you with skepticism if passion and belief is not obvious
tim:
-call blaine brownell, ask him how we can influence the community and environment, through school, projects or speaking events
-become example to be followed (lead by example)
-URS and NBBJ both have resources for help
carli:
-frank lloyd wright, cheesy, but he integrated land into his buildings better then anyone else
-ds+r is a good example, also dutch housing on water that can rise and fall with the tide - actually most dutch architects are fairly good examples of this:
+Boreno Sporenburg
+Pueblo Housing

Diller Scofido + Renfro ICA Museum

The ICA Museum which was designed by Diller Scofido + Renfro was recently opened and we were able to take a visit to check it out. The museum itself is very interesting with the surfaces folding and creating a continous plane on the outside, however this wrapping surface didnt really show in the interior (in the spaces I did see). Also something that was very unfortunate was the overall detailing of the project. There were many areas where there seemed to be a lack of thought in the design, such as sprinkler risers being visible around corners, the structure creating a shadow on the "skrim" in the upper galleries, moisture/condensation issues throughout and a computer lab in the coolest space of all ???? Overall though, it is a very interesting building, just hope it doesnt turn into another Wexner Center.... On the brightside, Renfro is one freaking hilarious speaker.
As for the art galleries, they had some cool exhibits, my personal favorite was an installation done by James Turrell (exploiting optical illusions).

on a side bar for chris and kyle:

Studio: Pinup of Final Work

A quick recap of the comments:

Crit Comments:
-Project resembles the notion of a computer as a metaphor
-Center Space as both orientation and gathering space
-courtyard
-Shapes within the courtyard, do they need to be cubes?
-Explore how to code the spaces and define what they are
-Look at Copley Square, how is the public space here different then the others
Peer Comments:
-How does the roof begin to address the sky
-Are many cubes better then a few - does this become too chaotic
-Address the ground level

Areas to explore this week:
-The comment that was most interesting and the one that I would like to explore is the issue of the project being a metaphor for a computer, and how does this effect the spaces inside, does this strengthen the case for center being voided and having objects placed in the center.

-Also, exploring how this public space becomes different then the others?
-Are cubes really necessary, or can they be open spaces within the void and simplifiying the space-less chaos help strengthen the ideas?
-How does the roof and sky meet?
-How does this relate to Copley Square, shift the floor plates to create a view to the square, make the plates all different in plan?

Studio: Study Model

The focus of study was to begin to insert programmatic elements into the perspectives we began with and create a study model. The idea that I began with was using abstract cubes to help create spaces within the store that could focus on consumers being able to interact with the specific components/applications in an Apple store. By beginning with this idea, and expanding it into a three dimensional model, several items began to appear. That there was a sense of the public infiltrating into the store, creating a very public space on the bottom floor, which in turn refocused individuals to the upper floors, where there is a complex network of spaces filling a void.

Studio: Coloring/Texturing Perspectives

This assignment was focused on creating initial ideas of color and materiality for our perspectives. The studies for me were more of a diagrammatic and abstract exercise, trying to create ideas of how the different "zones" might relate to the sales area and how one might begin to create a path and ideas of circulation throughout the space.