Closing Up Shop... For Now

      Well, here we are. Finals are done. Things have started to wind down around the college, or at least they have for those fortunate enough to have early reviews scheduled. Critiques went well, both personally and for the class as a whole. I really was quite proud of our group and our project. I like to think that studio projects are never really finished, and that they just go in to a state of hibernation until you look at them when you're making your portfolio and you ask yourself "just what was I doing?' and then decide that they are awful, but I'm not going to worry about that right now. I feel extremely good about the body of work that we produced this semester. In fact, I would say more so this semester than any other before it.

     
      I won't say that every thing went off without a hitch this semester, or on Wednesday afternoon, for that matter, but all things considered, it was a great Fall. I think I valued and enjoyed almost every thing I did, with the exception of the cardboard couch swing. Shudders. Of course I enjoyed some endeavors more than others, but I was able to appreciate and learn from the vast majority of them. I view that as the biggest success of the semester.

     
      Here is where I spent most of the days. In this building, in this room, under that Dinosaur. It is a pretty awesome assembly. Sorry, Steve, but this guy is cooler than you. Good thing I wasn't there when its head slipped off. Greg:1 - Gravity:0

      Thank you to everybody who has read these posts through the months. I hope you've enjoyed reading them as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Thanks to you all, I have now achieved world domination!

    
      I seriously doubt the validity of these statistics, but I'm just going to run with them. Perhaps the next iteration of my Resume should include "International Blogging Phenomenon".

      This may be the last post here for quite some time, but I've enjoyed having this page as an outlet for my thoughts. I hope to keep this up in some capacity, but this would appear to be the finale for this page in particular.  À la prochaine.

Post-Turkey Day Ruminations

      I was thinking that I'd like to write a blog post this evening. I then proceeded to open up Blogger, saw that I hadn't posted anything in several weeks, and then proceeded to feel guilty and ashamed. My apologies. The days really fly by this time of year. They have a tendency to do that, between the holidays and impending final presentations. I'd like to take a little time to bring everybody up to speed on what's been going on in studio.

      Final presentations are just around the corner. About 36 hours from now, I think. At this point, our studio project really is all over but the crying winning. Seriously, though. This time of year is often reserved for despair and last ditch efforts to save your ass, and then more despair as you realize your ass is beyond saving, and so on. I'm very happy to say that I've not fallen victim to that cycle. It's easy to spend a whole semester digging your way in to that grave, if you're not careful. As I've mentioned before, I really do like the way our project turned out, and we've put in the work up to this point so that I'm not running around like a chicken with my head cut off here in the final productive hours of the semester. That's not to say there's no more work to be done between now and Wednesday afternoon, but my head is securely intact. I'll give a report later this week on how things formally wrapped themselves up.


     

Preliminary Boards

      Here is an update on the redesign project for Ringer Library. Most of our recent effort has been concentrated on board layout, graphic design, and how to most effectively present available information. Rather than add in lots of undersized images to this post, I've provided a link to a Google Drive folder with a PDF of our boards in it. I know it is ideal to have images within the post, but Blogger has it's limitations, and things were really not working out when I tried to get a nice layout on here. Take a gander. I think they're quite nice.

Thinking Beyond The Next Pig

      Not too long ago, I wrote a post about a novel by Douglas Adams, "The Long Dark Tea-
Time Of The Soul". If you've read it, you may recall that I promised that I would eventually elaborate on a certain topic within that post. Well, the time has come at last for me to do just that. Here's a little refresher to get things started.

      The scene takes place in Valhalla. The gods have gathered and are feasting as they await Thor's arrival. Thor has called Odin for a public confrontation of some sorts, which is evidently a regular occurrence in the alternate dimension that these gods inhabit. Roasted pig is a main attraction at these events. Dirk Gently is conversing with a guest at the feast when the following line is delivered. 
  
      "It's no secret that the gods have fallen on hard times," said the old man grimly. "That's clear for all to see, even for the ones who only care about the pigs, which is most of 'em. And when you feel you're not needed any more it can be hard to think beyond the next pig, even if you used to have the whole world there with you."

      I felt like that was the best part of the whole book. It sums up the entire reason for Thor issuing a challenge to Odin and consequently explains the conflict around which the book is centered. It also brings forth a very good topic for discussion.

      One major theme component that I omitted from my previous writing on this book was the idea of relinquishing what's truly important for the pursuit of vain and material things. Odin has done just this, and that's why Thor has issued the challenge. Odin has entered a contract with man to relinquish his godly powers in order to have comfort in the mortal and material world. He would rather have a clean room and fresh linens than all the power in the world. Sounds ridiculous? It's Douglas Adams, remember? Odin truly lost sight of what's important in life. He chased material things. He chased the next pig.

      Here's where I believe this passage and this book most tie in to each other. I have written many posts on other readings and discourses that relate to the idea above. I'm going to leave out a links to them all, lest this post start to look like the Star Wars intro with hyperlinks scrolling through space, but I assure you, they're there. Some relevant topics include mass customization in architecture, the idea of an architect as a master builder, and the future of architecture as a whole.

      A fair amount of my writings from earlier this semester would suggest that the architect's sphere of influence is shrinking, much like that of the Norse Gods. Architects really did used to have the whole world there with them. That's not to say that they're not important now, but I feel like that they have filled bigger shoes in years past. Architects enjoyed elevated social status because of their occupation, and their works often defined entire time periods, movements, and groups of people. Unfortunately, this tends not to be the case today.

      This dwindling influence can be attributed to a few things. Architects really cannot help the fact that advances in technology have made it borderline impossible to be a master builder in the sense that Brunelleschi was. The expansion of automated and prefabricated design have not been kind to the demand for architects, either. It would appear that the cards have been stacked against the architect, and it is my fear that the stack is only growing taller. However, we must not despair, and for the love of everything that is holy, we must not chase the next pig.

      It can be easy to take the low road, especially when you feel like what you're doing really isn't all that important. I understand that everybody needs to work. I get it. The bills don't take care of themselves. Neither does my homework. Sometimes it can be a struggle just to get through the day, but when things seem to be falling apart around us, we have to take the extra step and challenge ourselves. I hope I'm not getting overly dramatic here, but I feel like this important for not only architecture as a profession, but also life as a whole. We all must take the time to find what we think is important and has value, because it is in doing that that we find happiness and purpose.

      Thanks for reading, and here's to hoping that your raison d'être isn't bed sheets.

Why Steve Can't Have Nice Things

      Perhaps you recall this lovely creature, Steve the Styracosaurus. Well, Steve has fallen on hard times, and he's not to blame.

    
      For starters, just two weekends after Steve was placed in his natural habitat in the bushes outside of Langford B, we recorded some horrendous amount of rain in a very short span of time. That was the same rainstorm that forced the athletic program to buy hundreds of thousands of dollars of new turf for Kyle Field. Too bad they couldn't have spent that money on an enclosure for Steve.
     
      The trouble did not stop there. Steve had his leg inadvertently broken by somebody who tripped in to him while trying to take a picture. I guess that is the downside of being such a handsome dinosaur. We think this was the blow that did him in, but we decided to stick an arrow in his neck, just to put him out of his misery. A sad situation, but we must not grieve too much. Steve's spirit lives on in our hearts, just as the spirit of his Dino brethren live on in fuel tanks everywhere. What is dead may never die.

Embracing The Suck

      If it sounds dirty, it's probably because it is dirty. We spent a little time in class today practicing sketches. I tend not to sketch a whole lot because I'm not very good at sketching, and I'm not very good at sketching because I tend not to sketch a whole lot. It's a vicious cycle, but today that cycle was broken. I embraced my sucky sketching abilities for about a half hour, and I had a good time doing it. Using the floor plan below, I created the following perspective. If my sketches are as bad as I believe they are, then it would be helpful if I told you that this is supposed to be looking at the sharp corner on the left side of the plan.

      Things got a little icky over there on the left side of the sharp corner in question, but on the whole, I liked it. I can't seem to find an image of what the actual project looks like, but I'm sure it's nothing close to what's above. We'll just call this an artist's interpretation. Just kidding. Be looking for less sucky sketches sometime in the near future.

Thinking Like An Architect

      Peyton Manning on fourth quarter comebacks: "You hear about how many fourth quarter comebacks that a guy has and I think it means a guy screwed up in the first three quarters."

      Football and Architecture do not have too much in common. You may be wondering why I am trying to draw connections between the two, and why I would choose such a clumsy quotation to draw said connections with. Let me explain. Peyton Manning is no wordsmith by any stretch of the imagination, but he raises a valid point. Fourth quarter comebacks are exciting, but they suggest by their very nature that somewhere along the way, somebody did not do their job. It's great to be able to get yourself out of a pinch, but it's better to avoid getting yourself in one all together.

      The same can be said for architects and their work. Architects create things, and it is our hope that these things we create do not create problems. These problems can manifest themselves in a number of ways, from the mildly obnoxious to the massively problematic. Afternoon glare, okay, but a leaking ceiling? Nope. Thinking like an architect means that you know how to deal with these problems, and you deal with them by making sure they never happen. A good architect is like a master chess player. (I really like that, should've gone with that instead of Peyton Manning). As a chess player contemplates a move, they are thinking several turns on down the line.

      The same can be said for design. The architect must think of all the ramifications of their design choices. Good architects are aware of more than just the immediately visible effects that their choices may have. They should know trouble before it arises, and they sure as hell don't want anything to do with fourth quarter comebacks.

Mid Term Reviews

      Mid-terms were on Wednesday. We had two reviewers come in and critique our work done to this point in design. Their comments were insightful, and I think they will prove very helpful moving forward.

     

      You may recall this image from an earlier post. The parti illustrates two main axis of pedestrian circulation through the site and building. Our form and parti are generated along the continuation of existing elements from the library. A main idea of this concept is currently lost in plan. The circulation under the barrel vault is broken by the new entrance created. The area where the curved wall terminates in the new wing is also an issue. It doesn't agree with its counterpart in the existing building, and could be adjusted to make the form more in line with our concept.

      Reviews were good, and I look forward to continuing this project.

Little Things And Not So Little Things

      “If walls could talk,” is the old expression. News flash - they do. Some walls are boring, and do not have much to say. Some walls speak volumes by nature of unthinkable blandness.  Some walls walls say just enough to get you interested. It’s true. Everything single object has some sort of intrinsic meaning and message. Materials cost money. Some of them are quite expensive. The true value of a material, however, is not found on the price tag in Home Depot. It is found in the message that material sends. 

      When humans first began to build, they did so for simple reasons, and their buildings were made quite simply. People need shelter, so they made their shelter with what they had. Examples of this can be seen throughout history. Native Americans in the Southwest had Adobe houses. Pioneers across the great plains had sod roofs. At the time, people were just building what they needed with what they had at hand. As time passed, however, these materials began to take on meaning by virtue of their context and their very existence. Adobe bricks conjure images of the desert, with its empty spaces and beating sun. The modern equivalent of the sod roof is, perhaps, the green roof. In addition to the environmental incentive of a green roof, we also have the cultural context of the prairie and its sweeping plains. There are so many subtexts within a building. Every piece of it contributes a unique element to the whole. Every piece has a story of its own.

       Today we are able to process information and draw connections faster than ever. The context of materials grows more and more complex as we continue to use them in different capacities. The dialogue between materials is one that has been built up over centuries of design and millennia of construction. This leaves designers with a difficult challenge to face. The bar has been both raised and lowered simultaneously. We have the ability to create with more freedom in all aspects, but the information age is very good at pointing out our mistakes.

       Let’s take a look at an example. Here we find a symbolic contradiction of forms, no matter how we look at it. Notice the bell towers on the first image, with their curved cornices and tightly grouped columns. See the similarities with the lantern of the second building? As one may have recognized, the building on the left is St Paul’s Cathedral in London. It was designed by Christopher Wren for many good reasons. One of them was to be the headquarters for the Protestant Church in England. This church on the right is Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza. It happens to be designed by Francesco Borromini, who happened to be a principal architect for the Roman Catholic Church in the Counter-Reformation. This shared form was practically trademarked by Borromini. Sant’Ivo was consecrated fifteen years before construction on Saint Paul’s began. Do you see the problem here? St Paul’s is a beautiful church and a monumental achievement by Christopher Wren, but you can’t help but cringe at the unfortunate connection between his design and Borromini’s. This is the kind of thing that an architect would like to avoid doing. 

    I don’t think my work as a student and aspiring architect will place me in any context with the potential for disaster on as grand of a scale as described above any time soon, but it is always good to stay prepared. Knowing is half the battle, I suppose. Every little piece does matter, and if we’re not careful, they can matter a whole lot more than we would have ever liked them to. Every building has a story, and these stories are told by the materials we make them with. They all contribute a sentence or two, if you would. It is up to the designer to make sure that once these sentences are put together, they actually make sense. If we fail to do this, we may end up creating a building that costs a lot of money, but has no real value. 

The Long Dark Tea-Time Of The Soul

      I spent a fair amount of time reading this book. That's not to suggest that I did not like it. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I'll be damned if I don't make at least one solid blog post out of it.

     As I mentioned, I really liked this book. It was "delightfully weird", to steal a thought from The Boston Sunday Herald's thoughts on this work. I thought that the zaniness and absurdity were great. In my opinion, it is hard to overdose on either of these things. The scene where Dirk steals the mechanic's tow truck in order to provide the man with an incentive to repair the detective's old Jaguar was one of my favorites. I also quite liked the image of an aggravated eagle instantaneously transforming into a fighter jet and exploding through the front door of house. Events like this, as preposterous as they may seem, are commonplace throughout the story.

      Once the reader has adjusted their mind to be more in line with the world Douglas Adams has created, the story is rather easy to follow. On a surface level, this book is about a family feud. Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, gets frustrated with an airline employee, so he does what any Thunder God would do. He forces the check in desk to spontaneously combust and turns the aforementioned employee into a Coke machine. This is all bad behavior, especially for a God. Thor's father Odin decides that Thor must be disciplined, and so he arranges for Thor to be glued to the floor. As one can imagine, Thor's pride is severely injured when he wakes to find that he not only passed out on the floor, but was also physically attached to it. Queue the feuding.

      The story was both fun and funny, but I do not think that that was what this book is really about. Recall how I mentioned that the family feud occurs on the surface level. Here's what I took away from Mr Adams' tale.

      Everything really is connected. Okay, so I don't think that a butterfly beating it's wings in Asia will effect the course of a hurricane in the Atlantic, but the idea of fundamental interconnectedness is more real than most people give it credit for. In fact, I would venture to say that it is much more real than most people give it credit for, as I do not think that most people give any credit to this idea at all. Here's an example. Humans are creatures of habit. The habits that I am forming in University, despite an apparent lack of empirical evidence, may very well have a dramatic effect on my future successes and failures. Here's to hoping that these blog posts are a good habit.

      "Think beyond the next pig." Of all the ideas in this book, this passage resonated most with me. The scene takes place in Valhalla. The gods have gathered and are feasting as they await Thor's arrival. Thor has called Odin for a public confrontation of some sorts, which is evidently a regular occurrence in the alternate dimension that these gods inhabit. Roasted pig is a main attraction at these events. 

      "It's no secret that the gods have fallen on hard times," said the old man grimly. "That's clear for all to see, even for the ones who only care about the pigs, which is most of 'em. And when you feel you're not needed any more it can be hard to think beyond the next pig, even if you used to have the whole world there with you."

      Hot damn, that is a good passage! In fact, it is so good, I'm going to just go ahead and say it. I will, at a later time, write an entire blog post about this scene and particular passage, and it will kick ass. Mark my words. There is just so much in this topic that is begging to be written about, especially as it relates towards our previous reading and writing assignments, architecture, and life as a whole. I can barely contain myself from writing about it now, but it's getting late, and more importantly, my laptop battery is getting low, and I seemed to have misplaced my charger (Langford Architecture Center, Geren Auditorium, balcony level, middle row, one seat from the left). Perhaps this is just a sign that I was meant to expand upon this idea later. Losing my laptop charger may prove to be an advantageous twist of fate, rather than a temporary inconvenience. Everything is connected.

      How and Why. Forget Who, What, Where and When. They aren't as important as How or Why. These are questions that Dirk Bently asks again and again, both of himself and the world around him. I don't think it is a coincidence that these seem to be every design studio professor's favorite questions. I think that they are the most important questions in the realm of architecture, and possibly the world as well. How and Why? They lie at the true center of knowledge and understanding, and we must continue to ask them.

Aesthetics of Destruction

      Just a warning up front; I had a hard time following this lecture, so don't be surprised if you find me rambling. Brazilian artist Lais Myrrha came to the COA lecture series this Monday evening. She showed us one of her recent works, which was a memorial to the Tragedy of Gameleira (Brazil, 1971), and the lives that were lost there. From what I understand, Myrrha's work served to honor the dead, but also to find a sort of beauty within the destruction and chaos of a collapsed building.

     David Byrne said it best. Things fall apart, it's scientific. It should be understood that the job of an architect, on a very fundamental level, is to counteract the entropy of the universe. I, for one, prefer buildings that fall into the standing category. I do not see much use in a building that has collapsed, except to serve as an example of what not to do on a construction site. I do not think that they floor plan for the next project I work on will come from a bunch of sticks I dropped across the ground, either. However, if architects are supposed to counteract the second law of thermodynamics, then maybe we should concentrate on taking those piles of sticks and turning them in to something useful.

      Thanks for reading. Until Wednesday.

The Big Reveal

The goal for redesigning the Ringer Library, in the broadest sense, is to reconfigure existing spaces and to add additional space to the library that will allow it to better serve the demands placed upon it by the community. These leaves lots of room for interpretation. However, the audit within the RFQ offers some redesign “suggestions”, some of which are more rigid than others. Long term costs should be considered, staff input must be followed, and noise levels must be reduced. All spaces could use improvements in some way, but our team decided to use most of our resources, both literal and figurative, towards the staff and support spaces, the children’s and teen spaces, and the common areas and furnishings.

   

We created this form for additional space for a few reasons. We wanted to use existing elements of the library in our new space. We thought that the barrel vault (red) was one of the best elements of the current building. It continues to cut through the space and create a main circulation along the long axis of the building. The existing curve on the south wall lent itself to being extended to define a boundary for the new space. It continues to create interest along this face of the building. We wanted to expand in this direction because we feel that this area of the site has more intrinsic value with its proximity to the street and neighboring school. Mirroring the rectilinear portion of the library across the short axis in blue creates an opportunity for a new main entrance to the building. We feel this will provide opportunities for outdoor space on both sides of the building, create a better connection with the adjacent road, and the community as a whole. The new entrance will be more visible, accessible, and inviting than the previous one. It is our hope that this will ultimately increase library patronage.

The staff space needs to be redesigned for a number of reasons. Our class’ case studies showed that most community libraries have a larger percentage of space dedicated towards staff area than Ringer Library does. During our visit to the library, employees lamented their current space quite heavily. Although this was something that one might expect during a tour for a proposed redesign, the staff workroom really does have lots of room for improvement. We would accomplish by incorporating several adjacent “dead” spaces into the staff workroom, and reworking the current space that exists. There are two meeting rooms next to the staff room. They appear to be seldom used. We would like to make these areas usable staff work space. There is also a courtyard outside the staff space, to use the term generously. The courtyard isn’t a usable space as it stands. We would convert the courtyard into a conditioned interior space for more staff work area. This would increase the square footage of the staff area by at least 300 square feet, or 25% of its previous size. Creating a better staff space should allow employees to work more efficiently. This follows staff input, and would effectively reduce long term operational costs by allowing staff to do more in less time.

    Both the children’s and teen spaces would be relocated to a new wing of the library. This would be the space that our group has added on the eastern side of the building. Staff members made it clear that children comprise a large portion of library patrons. Ringer Library plays host to a number of events and camps for children throughout the year. Current children’s spaces cannot adequately meet the needs posed by these events. We would like to move the children’s space to the new wing of the library. This is a more sequestered space, and could easily be divided by a partition or curtain wall if desired. Doing this should greatly reduce noise levels throughout the common areas of the library. The current reference desk in the children’s space would also be moved to the new wing of the library, adjacent to the new entrance. This would allow librarians to monitor the doorway and the children’s space without requiring an additional staff member to be assigned to a new area.

    The common area would now have open space along the north wall where the children’s area used to be. These areas could now contain meeting rooms, stacks, and seating space. The furnishing throughout the commons would be replaced. Today, there are too many large tables in the library. During our visit to the library, every one of these tables was occupied by a single person. Providing more individual seating in the commons will allow for the same number of people to be seated in a smaller area, effectively creating more spaces for stacks and meeting areas.

Let's Get Down To Business...

      Did you think that I would say "to defeat the Huns"? Nope. No Disney references here. I am referencing the fact that my two previous posts, while being interesting and thought provoking, have had nothing to do (directly) with renovations for Larry J Ringer Library in College Station. Here's where my brain has been, when it hasn't been pondering flowers made of animal organs or the future of architecture.

       I will spare the details, since I imagine I will be pouring over them in length in posts to come. I am excited for what this scheme for renovation may hold. I think it has a lot of opportunity to add value to the building on a variety of levels. Please, don't go away.

Writing Assignment 3 - Mass Unemployment I Mean Customization

    I find the idea of mass customization within the realm of architecture to be exciting, but also somewhat of a threat towards my future employability. However, I have not come here to be selfish and myopic, even though this post may devolve into nothing but the above. I will do my best to avoid this, so let’s get to it.

    “Refabricating Architeture” uses its final two chapters to make projections about the future of architecture in design. They construct a future from hypothesis in which Boeing now makes prefabricated modules for building construction. These modules are constructed very similarly to how the book described the assembly process for cars, ships, and planes in previous chapters. To make a poor analogy, the kitchen is now to the house as the dashboard has been to the car. We choose our kitchen module to be assembled off site, and then it is “installed” at the place of final assembly, or in this case, our property. This is “Refabricating Architecture’s” take on the future of mass customization and architecture.

    The “future” in which the authors make this projection has now become our past. The book is not terribly dated at all, but we know now that their hypothesis has not been proved entirely correct. I do feel it has been, in some regards, and this where I will digress into self pity and fear for my future job prospects.

    As stated above, mass customization has found its way into construction at a fair scale. I do not know what exactly this scale may be, but I have a decent idea. I can see entire homes rolling down the highway on flatbeds when I travel. I do not think that most of these structures were designed by architects, and I don’t think that the bathrooms inside have beautiful hand picked and custom cut granite countertops. I would imagine that their interiors are comprised mostly of these prefabricated modules that “Refabricating Architecture” speaks to. Perhaps the entire building is a prefab module. Having noted all that, I think it would be foolish to rule out the possibility of these modules being present in buildings we spend our every day in. I imagine that this trend will continue to grow. That leads me to a question.

    Where does this leave the architect? If somebody can flip through the pages of a bathroom magazine (not the kind on top of the toilet tank) and pick out a vanity, and choose the mirror, and the color of the marble, and the cabinets, and be told how much space it takes up, and the ideal counter height for a sink, then they will probably be able to do this for lots of other things in their home. Would they even need an architect anymore? Would architects just become glorified interior designers? Anyways, enough fretting. I’m sure you’ve had enough.

    It is my hope that mass customization in architecture will be the type seen in Chapter Six of “Refabricating Architecture”, and that architects will always be around to put compose our spaces. I believe that mass customization in architecture will trend towards the more technical and functional aspects of building. I think that this leaves more area for creating high performance buildings, instead of buildings that are just easier to design. This is where we can change relation of Quality and Scope being equal to Cost and Time, to QxS is greater than CxT. That was not a very eloquent ending, but I hope we get the point.

Parafictional Doubt

      Please don't be alarmed by this title. I promise, I had no idea what parafictional doubt meant until just an hour ago. This was the subject of a lecture I attended this evening by Michael Young of Young & Ayata Architecture. I will attempt to convey the message of his lecture in far fewer words, and and in a much less elegant fashion.

      Mr. Young described parafiction as the "what if" in life. Parafiction is supposed to evoke a response in the viewer. It gets the viewer to take a stance on the content, and make them think about all the possible implications this content suggests on its context. Young & Aryata's content is of course architecture. They believe that architecture should conform to this parafiction. The firm wants the idiosyncrasies and intricacies of their work to force viewers to appreciate the context in a new light.

      I am conflicted with this idea of architecture. I think that Mr Young's ideas and designs are very gutsy, to be frank. This is by no means saying that I do not like them on either a functional or aesthetic scale. I think that most architecture adds value to its surroundings by being respectful of them. If one is to break the mold and make architecture as Young and Aryata do, they must create a building that has beauty and grandeur and utility in its own right. Otherwise, it will not fit in with its surroundings and not provide usefulness in function or beauty in form.

      Edit: Here is a link to Young & Aryata's web page. I hope that viewing their work will help to shed light on what I tried to explain above. http://www.young-ayata.com/

Making Boards

      Most of my studio time today was spent with a focus on our preliminary presentations on Friday. I started using Google Sheets to compile data from research of Ringer Library and our case studies of Evans and Utena Libraries into graphical forms that would be suitable for boards. I had not used Google Sheets as a tool for this kind of work before, and I have been pleased with the results so far. They are not incredibly customizable, but they offer enough options to effectively present our data. Here is sample of one type of graph Sheets can generate.

      This is just a sampling of something we may use for Friday afternoon, and is by no means a "final" product, but the results thus far are encouraging. I am looking forward to further developing these graphics and boards.

Ringer Public Library

      Apologies for my tardiness. I got a little sidetracked this evening, but here is the latest, nonetheless.

      Studio visited the Ringer Library today to take a tour of the site we will be designing additions for. I read the RFQ from the city this morning, and the lady who guided us around the building voiced her opinions that, unsurprisingly, were inline with the redesign goals listed in the RFQ. This was good, because we now have first hand info to support the claims in the RFQ and better insight as to what employees would want out of a renovated library.

      The chief complaints were poor acoustics and seating arrangements for patrons in the main library space, and cramped, inefficient work space for employees. There were of course many other issues raised, but these appear to be design problems that will be high on the "to do" list. The visit was helpful, and I'm sure our group and our class will come up with some great work.

      We wrapped up the afternoon at Village Cafe in Bryan. Good conversation was held and good food was eaten as we discussed where we are moving for later in the week with this project. I have a feeling I will be back at both Ringer Library and Village Cafe in the near future.

Writing Assignment 2: Should Architects Be Master Builders?

      The Master Builder is a dying breed, if not already dead. Buildings are exponentially more complex today than they ever have been. The advent of systems, combined with rapid growth in material availability, has lent to this complexity very much. Architects, like all people who deliver a service, should always try to deliver as high quality of a product as possible. However, we should not risk flying too close to the sun. Perhaps we can truly be masters of a certain style or type of building, with much practice, but asking somebody to truly grasp and control all the possible elements of building today is simply too much.

      Filippo Brunelleschi is the quintessential master builder. To create his iconic dome in Florence, he didn't just tweak existing construction methods; he created his own. He used methods that were revolutionary, and still impressive today. Even with modern construction capabilities, we are not sure if we could replicate a masonry dome of the same size as Brunelleschi's if we had to at this time. That is not only incredibly amazing, but also somewhat embarrassing.

      However, the reading from "Refabricating Architecture" even states that "the Renaissance afforded Filippo Brunelleschi the opportunity to be a master builder due to the relative simplicity of building technologies at the time." Given this, the dome still took sixteen years to be completed. Can you imagine if you told a client that their steeple would take sixteen years to build, much less the whole church? I do not wish to undermine Brunelleschi's achievement. I just want to point out that the times have changed.

      Furthermore, I believe that if we truly had master builders, they may undermine some of the potential gains in building quality and construction time that the readings refer to. "Refabricating Architecture" repeatedly speaks about the assembly process for ships, planes and automobiles. For the most part, they are assembled in blocks by separate facilities, and then pieced together more quickly for final assembly. I do not think that there is anybody who works for General Motors that knows how every part for the dashboard and the drive train of a Sierra truck goes together by heart. That is a good thing. What matters is that there are people who can reliably and efficiently assemble these pieces, and that we as consumers can trust them to do so. If we wish for the construction process to reach the same levels of efficiency and quality of other elaborate machines, then perhaps it is best if we leave the master builder out of the equation. 

      This is not to say that the architect should be some pawn who lies at the mercy of an original equipment manufacturer. People say that you either know a lot about a little, or a little about a lot. I say why not both? Architects must be masters of the spatial aspects of building. Somebody must be there to mold our ideas and materials into useful spaces. Architects can also know about the details that the reading speaks to. The fabrication of materials, means and methods for construction, research for new materials, the list goes on. Building is controlled chaos, now more than ever. It takes many people working together to run the proverbial show. One person cannot hope to be a master of every process that design and construction involves, but they can at least know enough, and try enough, to make a difference.

Library Case Studies

      Studio has shifted gears this Monday. We are beginning our next project, which consists of making additions to the Bryan Public Library. To start this, we are making some case studies of existing libraries. Each group will chose two libraries, one made between 1960 - 1995, and one after '95. This division was created on the basis of how the arrival of the internet changed library use and design drastically. Our class will follow some common guidelines for our case studies, which will allow us to easily compare and contrast our findings, and further our understanding of what makes a library function well.

I decided on a public Library in Utena, Lithuania. It provides an interesting study for a number of reasons. Libraries in Lithuania are much more central to daily life than they are in other parts of the world. They serve as meeting and social areas. This library, designed in 2008 by 4PLIUS Architects, houses an exhibition hall and a conference center, as well as amenities one would typically find in a library.

Photo by R. Urbakavicius

Di-gantic Success

      We were both very pleased with how the Dino turned out. The assembly went well. We only had one scare where we switched up two similar parts, but we caught ourselves shortly thereafter and no real damage was done to the final product. The paint looks good, in our opinion. It even gives him a little camouflage in the foliage, and the highlighting with the maroon and white was a nice touch. Some people have walked by on the path without noticing him, but I guess that isn't a surprise seeing has how every other person has their head buried in their cell phone. Seeing all the creatures scattered about Langford was a nice way to wrap up the week. They all look great. Check out Steve the Styracosaurus, in his (sort of) natural habitat, below.

Dino Update Pt 3

      The CNC run was a success. I picked up the pieces today from the ranch, and they were assembled with almost no hiccups whatsoever. We spent some time in the spray paint booth this afternoon putting on the first coats before we do final assembly. This made the painting process a little easier. We are going to add one more shade of green, and then some maroon and white highlights, just to satisfy Aggie obligations. The paint is looking very good so far, in my opinion. I like the style. Here is the dino in his jumbled glory.

Dino Update Pt. 2

      It's late, but it's still Monday, so we're good. Today Caitlin and I went out to the Fab Lab at Riverside Campus to get our CAD file ready to roll for the CNC tomorrow afternoon. Chris said it was looking good. We had to clean up a few technical things for a smooth cutting process, but all in all, there were no setbacks at this point. I just emailed Chris what should be the final CAD file, if everything goes to plan. You can see it below. Apologies for the low res screen capture. We are going to cut our pieces on two 4'x8'x23/32" plywood boards. Hopefully my next post will be about a successful CNC run and getting ready to spray paint!

Dino Updates

     
      The Styracosaurus is coming along nicely. Our model was surprisingly sturdy, even after having scaled it up in size. It looks like our group got lucky in selecting this model. It appears to present less stability issues than other variations when they are enlarged. I guess that means we better make it extra sturdy, then! I hope I hope didn't just jinx us.

      This weekend we will gather materials and think about how to best assemble the beast. We have also started putting thought in to the paint finish. The smallest version has a matte green with smatterings of a few blues and browns in it. I think it looks nice, and we may go with something similar for the final rendition.

 

With a capital A

      The following paragraphs are a discussion about chapters 4 and 5 from Kieran and Timberlake's "Refabricating Architecture". Chapter 4 was about how most of industry has moved towards off site modular pre assembly, but how the building industry has lagged behind. Chapter 5 speaks of Architecture, with a noted capital A. The authors refer to Architecture as delivering more for less, but I think it can be interpreted as something different.

      Most everything in the built world has architecture, in a sense. A pair of skis have architecture, and so does a computer processor. Skis can be made to float or to carve, and computer processors are made every day to run machines more powerfully and effectively. Buildings of course, have architecture. They are made to house people, move people, help people learn. They are made to do what we need them to. Even though some buildings may not serve these needs very well, they are built nonetheless. No building was ever built and deemed a success if it does not serve its purpose well, but great buildings do more than just provide an amenity. The difference between architecture and Architecture, in my opinion, is that architecture is built by us, but Architecture builds us.
   
      A work is just architecture when it was never made to be more than what its form dictates. Less impressive buildings are results of designing to fit needs alone. They satisfy a program and building code, but nothing more. When I think of a storage facility, I think of creepy hallways and lots of reflective glare. Given that storage facilities do not lend themselves to being architectural landmarks, it is still impressive to think that I have never seen one that is at least not ugly. They are no more than tools that take the form of available space. They are not designed to do anything more than fulfill a need. It is a given that needs must be met, but it is unfortunate that so many buildings in our world today have fallen victim to the issue of merely satisfying them. 

      "Refabricating Architecture" spoke of refining and streamlining the the design and construction process. It defines Architecture as providing more for less. Sure, we can improve assembly methods, reduce costs and reduce building times, but these things are almost a given in a competitive building marketplace. Truly great pieces of Architecture end up molding and shaping their inhabitants in more ways than we know. They become more than just containers for people and things. They create atmosphere and elicit emotions. A great church inspires awe and humility. A great hospital provides hope and comfort. A great place of learning provides drive and inspiration. Designers give more forethought to our work. We must think more holistically about our buildings, as well as the implications of good and bad design alike. Good Architecture is as much a part of our world and culture as literature and art is. We must strive to make our built environment as much as it can be, because ultimately, it will make us more.

"We shape our buildings, thereafter they shape us" - Winston Churchill

Images from:

dgselfstorage.com

fallingwater.org

First Day of Class

      Today our class received our first project of the semester, the beginnings of which can be seen above. This is a small model of a dinosaur skeleton that our project group will be eventually replicating at a much higher scale and quality.
      Working with this small model gave us a little insight as to what challenges may be presented while recreating this piece. For instance, some of the existing joints between the parts have not been cut very evenly, which caused some of the skeleton to line up imperfectly. One of the pieces for the skull is too wide to fit between two adjacent pieces, so that will have to be redrawn in CAD before we make the next iterations of this dinosaur.Some of the pieces also could stand to have their joining positions moved around a little bit, for the sake of sturdiness. Notice how I'm holding the model where the rear legs should be.
      Anyways, we will continue to tweak the model as necessary, and it should yield a pretty nice final result. The dinosaur will be much larger, having been milled out of at least one 4x8 sheet of plywood, and will be painted. With racing stripes. Maybe.