what we have for next quarter!
bench is in (YES!) acrylic petals are cut, kitchenette is installed! hexes 19,20, and 22 have yet to be assembled and hung, as well as the trunk. petals for the trunk have to be coated with adhesive and the veneer has to be manually applied. upholstery for the rest of the slounge is left, and 6 panels for the display wall have to be glued in place.
good to know everyone is home now! everyone have an amazing break =)
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the beast has come alive
for all of you who can’t be here – here is what we’ve all been waiting for. proceed to drool..
wish everyone was still here! we miss you – it’s too quiet/clean in studio lol
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photos uploaded
UPDATE: THEY WEREN’T ALL POSTED (the poly party mostly) ADDRESSING THAT, HOPEFULLY WILL BE UP BY TONIGHT
UPDATE/EDIT: ALL PHOTOS UPLOADED TO CAED SERVER (file name: stephen’s cabrinha 351 photos)
all of my (stephen’s) photos have been uploaded to dropbox. There are photos of just about everyone’s work and every project since the first four groups formed. Unfortunately, I didn’t set my photo numbering to continous, so they’re all interspersed and you’ll have to start from the beginning of my pages to see them all.
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sexy update for you mark
yes blurry but still sexy.
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“Toss me…don’t tell the Elf.”
Chapter 5
While the individual studies and design iterations provided much inspiration for what would eventually become the final design, it lacked a certain cohesiveness, a desired direction. Sensing this indiscrepancy, a group of students sat down together and brainstormed on what they wanted the room to be. The conclusion was a class-wide praised vision statement titled Immersive Environment that set the tone for the following designs. The statement required that the room not only be a student lounge, providing an escape from studio, a serene sanctuary, but also to be functional as a student gallery, a coffee stop and a meeting space. Accordingly, the students designed to not only fit the program, but also to add to the space, to make it truly our own, to allow the occupant to float away, fully immersed.
Group Six, a combination of Groups 2 and 4 and one of the two final design submittal teams, was heavily invested in this immersive environment and designing to its criteria. Though the two groups condensed roughly halfway into the quarter, the design actually found its origin in the first week of individual work, providing a curious tale of the fruition of a single idea. That idea originated from discussion on what became a keyword in the project: scale.
The conversation of this room addresses the issue of scale in three distinctly separate yet interrelated ways. On the literal level, we interpreted the scale to be the most basic of tools in an architect’s proverbial toolbox and allowed this to become the inspiration for the focal element of the room. By using something that is so commonplace in architecture and exploring how the shape can be abstracted, we see a new beauty in simple forms and feel excited and fueled by what appears the common, the routine, or the ordinary.
With a slight play on words, we consider scale relative to size and how that shift also plays a major role. Starting with a cross section of a tool that barely reaches one inch wide and finishing with stretched triangles up to four feet long has yielded a dynamic, yet structured ceiling system that encourages a shift in focus. Due to the nature of the studio and the project given, the focus had been shifted in scale once before, so it only seemed fitting to change accordingly. Since the vision of the space speaks to the senses and serves as a lounge area, the upward focus on the ceiling imbeds itself in the design of the furniture as reclining, immersive, relaxing spaces.
The upward focus relates to our vision statement and provides the third interpretation of scale. We find our larger scale, triangular petals in the ceiling element, another location where digital fabrication is integral. Our explorations with digital modeling quickly taught us that the simplest shape in 3D modeling is a triangle, as it is capable of breaking up any sort of shape imagined. This creates an interesting correlation between analog and digital forms of design: the simplicity and importance of a triangle, of a scale. It was this correlation that allowed Groups 2 and 4 to collaborate designs, as the scale abstracted and transfigured into the triangulated ceiling surface. The significance of this in the room is the contrast it provides to the sleek, simple walls, though they differ in material from black chalkboard to a maple veneer. These darker colors, coupled with the warmth of the partnering lighting and wood, help distinguish and contrast the F-Stop from the rest of the architecture building.
However, the F-Stop is not purely aesthetic, it is fully functional. The lounge space has a concealed pull-out seat, nicknamed the “peninsula,” to partition the room. The peninsula allows for a comfortable, intimate meeting area for friends, study groups and most importantly, the AIAS board. The sleek, subtle, yet powerful display wall allows for storage and hidden display pedestals that can be arranged and placed with the user’s intent in mind. Lighting from above compliments this display space and accentuates the gallery. Lastly, the kitchenette serves as a coffee stop and storage space, while also paying homage to the past uses of the F-Stop as a student run coffee bar. Through the addition of the bar counter, the kitchenette incorporates itself into the rest of the room’s total experience. With each element of the room serving a dual purpose, we see not only a combination of aesthetics, but the practicality of the space and its ability to shift according to its occupant’s needs.
The F-Stop exists as an immersive environment and provides an escape to students seeking a well-deserved break. Whether that escape is an informative club meeting, a comfortable seat, an inspiring gallery or a quick cup of coffee, the users forget their worries, grow calm and relax as they move further into the space and slowly sink in.
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Tags: Craft, Culture, interactive, machine
Chapter 5- second draft
5.1 Representation
Through weeks of exhausting design and redesign, a vision was seen. Such a spectacular event had occurred; twenty- one people came to an agreement on what was found to be a beautiful, sleek architectural program. Twenty-one different concepts merged together into one final design, executed by many. A mutual effort such as this is a true testament to the fact that any architectural process is progress and not predetermine by any one idea. This collaboration of thoughts and ideas into one final project has taught all involved about the design and digital fabrication process.
5.2 Contrasting Ceiling Wraps
A shimming sparkle of reflected light catches one’s eye, as a once dreary cave space below the studios entices one to venture down. A beautiful aluminum ribbon draws one into the space as a diffused light glows above the heads of all; a sleek, industrial material, which is typically perceived as harsh is now enticing to the eyes and senses. One is drawn into the space and asked to interact with the materials; from every viewing point there is another perspective and effect of light to experience.
Derived from numerous ideas compiled together and molded into the final scheme, the expanding pattern was a progressive design that became an amazing architectural element. Starting with ideas relating to wrapping, screens, and slits in paper to create patters, the expanding paper evolved rapidly through the compilation of ideas and concepts.
Wrapping the room in a suspended panel ribbon had simple origins as a plywood strip meant to emphasize certain areas of the room. Seen as both a solid wrap and one with voids, it was a base point to many subsequent ideas. The wrap was also seen as not completely touching the ceiling, but rather being suspended; both this and the voids contributed to the idea of diffused lighting that would provide an atmospheric mood while helping to conceal the fixtures.
Relating to this lighting idea, screens to hide fixtures and provide particular lighting were explored. A diffused, sensual light was desired; through actual light tests with screens that were solid, opaque, translucent, slotted, partial, and colored, there was much more insight into what kind of material and approach should be taken to determine proper lighting for the mood. The experiments provided much insight into how light can diffuse and provide a new type of feeling to a space.
Concurrent with these studies, there was much exploration into how paper could expand and the types of patterns it could create simply by making a few slits in a repetitive manner. These slits showed the pliable nature of materials and how we can explore more than just cutting materials to size; we can experiment with their properties and how they react to different types of cutting methods. After paper was explored, we moved on to chipboard and cardboard.
After exploration of all these ideas in different forms, there was an ultimate compilation into one vision; the room would be wrapped in a ribbon of plywood veneer, cut into the expanding pattern, providing much opportunity for diffused lighting that would be screened. Seeing how the plywood veneer would react to cutting and form the wrapping, more material ideas arose; the idea of exploring aluminum as a wrapping material began to be tested.
The aluminum exploration came about with a revision of the pattern and a rethinking about scale and the possibilities of creating such a pattern in metal. Through a full scale pattern mockup in cardboard that progressed into a full scale mockup of the pattern in aluminum, the idea of an expanding metal pattern was realized and determined to be possible. By adding lights behind the prototype and inventing a structural system to hold up the pattern, it became apparent that this would be a viable option for the ceiling of this architectural space.
CLOUD CEILING
Through an apparent fifty-fifty split among the class as well as a nearly fifty-fifty vote at an AIAS meeting, it became apparent that choosing the ceiling would have to be based on much more than aesthetics and design. Much consideration would have to come into the picture pertaining to fiscal, time, and material availability.
At one point, the aluminum expanding pattern ceiling was appearing that it would take up more than fifty percent of the budget just for material costs alone. The cloud ceiling at this point was looking much more feasible, yet it had its own set of concerns pertaining to the system of joints. After some good “schmoozing” on the phone with certain companies, the price of the aluminum came down. At the same time, a proper joint system came about within the cloud group. It appeared that both the cloud and the expanding pattern were now on equal playing grounds again. This brought about more conflict and confusion as to which pattern to choose.
After more experimentation in each group on material cutting, time, and costs, it became apparent that the nature of aluminum as a material that easily melts would start to work against the expanding pattern group. It brought about the fact that the metal would either take eighteen hours a day straight for ten days of constant milling on the CNC with diligent attention and constant oiling to be executed, which, as far as time frames went, was not possible, or we would have to get it water-jetted, which financially was completely out of the question. Ultimately, due to financial constraints, the cloud was chosen: a beautiful choice with its own set of worries and constraints, but with a knowledge that it would be financially feasible to make and also possible to make in reference to time.
Although there was dissension about the decision, the class came to the final realization and agreement that this was the best option and that a beautiful, architectural space that is very intriguing and enticing was on its way to being created.
Let me know if anyone wants to change stuff, if I repeated words, or if I left anything out etc.
Thanks:-)
~Kristen
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f/stop icon sign
I had a similar concept on a very preliminary 1″ scale model. As I tried to place lettering or a logo or any graphic on the shape, nothing really worked well. Therefore, if names or logos change, the iconic shape of the architects scale may prove even more timeless. The edges could be glowing, by internal lights reflecting the interior green color. A PDF file showing construction details is linked. fStopIconSign
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Tags: lighting, plywood, Sign
Upper ceiling plate sanding
All of the plates for the ceiling joints are now cut and ready to be sanded. Unlike the joints, the plates are completely concealed and therefore perfectly smooth sanded edges are not necessary or even desired. The plates foremost purpose is to stabilize the joints, therefore the sides of the plates should be mildly sanded as to bond through glue more thoroughly, but they should not be completely raw from the CNC. The interior corners should also be squared, this should take seconds as they have all been drilled out with a 1/8th bit. Once the joints are finished, their sides, which contact the joints, should be mildly sanded as well.
Then, the labeling on the the plates should be sanded with 400 grit sandpapers to remove frayed veneer. After the plates are sanded they should be placed in one their corresponding box in studio, which are designated by hex numbers 3-24.
Steps:
1. Mildly sand edges (220 grit)
2. Square drilled out corners (file or bear saw)
3. Sand labeling (400 grit)
3. Place in corresponding boxes (numbered 3-24)
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1-800-SANDERS!
We have recently cut large quantaties of ceiling pieces, therefore we need everyone to come together and help with the ceiling starting tomorrow and continuing 24/7. There will be plenty of work for everyone and even more to come as more pieces get cut throughout the week.
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design_buildculture 