        Ullah, Zaki : Assignments10.10.7Architecture Program Lecture: Summary Ellen Dunham presented architecture in the light of being a well rounded art form, asking us what the distinction is between excellent and ordinary architecutre. She then gave examples showing the difference between excellent and ordinary, and highlighting well-rounded works as more than just buildings, but collective environments. The remainder of the lecture explained how Georgia Tech's program related to the collective way of thinking and the built environment. She used Vitruvius as an example of beauty, firmness, and commodity. Clear and Concise Definitions: Vitruvius' architecture displays beauty, firmness, and commodity. Beauty is the comination of balance, proportion, symmetry, and other formal elements to create a pleasant aesthetic. Firmness is the presence and feasibility of a building. Commodity is the utility of a building, also known as the functional aspect. A great building will address the purpose it was built properly from this utilitarian perspective. Speculation: How can the discipline instruct and encourage its desciples to think from a multi-disciplinary perspective in order to create not only a structure, but an environment and culture surrounding that structure, and how can this educational balance be maintained while still pushing the cutting edge of design? Building Construction Lecutre: Summary: Roozbeh Kangari's lecture showed the vertical relationships between the designer, owner, and builder, among others. It was similar to the construction lecture we received earlier. As such, it was difficult to follow and he could have stood to focus more on the actual program at GT and what it can do for students than re-hash parts of a previous lecture. A major term from this lecture was holistic, seeing the entire picture is important from business perspective. Defintiions: Holistic thinking is viewing an entire project as integrated parts. In BC, putting these parts together is important, as the constructionist's role is to understand the different aspects of the building process, otherwise he cannot do his job efficiently or properly. He has to understand design, budget, operation, and construction. As a result, the understanding that a building and its construction are not simply related is key. The complex and 3d relationship is important to understand. Part of holistic thinking is understanding what happens to a building once it is no longer useful. Decommissioning the building is what this is referred to. The formal definition of this is removing the building from operational status. This is done in many ways and is not the same as re-defining a building's function and often involves destruction of the building. Finally, a building's life cycle is a critical influence on its design and understanding how it will be used. This is a key element of sustainable building which is an important part of great architecture that has been greatly ignored. The life cycle is influential on materials, users, the process, and the environment surrounding the building. It cannot be underestimated, and it's value is high. Speculation: How can we teach students and disciples of the importance of understanding a built environment as a holistic process where construction is an equally important as the other elements? How can we work together with designers and owners to maximize the efficiency of construction and understanding of the environment that we're building in order to provide consumers with maximum utility? Industrial Design: Summary Abir Mullick explained industrial design as a form of design encompassing products at the scale of a human being as opposed to structures. Ideally a well designed product increases value and encompasses all elements of a product's life cycle. He proceeded to discuss the prestige of the program but did not really give many hard facts, numbers, or examples of the fruits of the design program, as it may not have been necessary. A key term is ISDA. IDSA is the industrial design society of america. It is a key organization of industrial designers that are responsible for upholding design values and fostering the advancement and quality of industrial design in America. Humanization of Technology is a term that focuses on adapting technology to the human form and for human use and consumption. By emphasizing design surrounding ergonomics, sensory use, and aesthetics, empowerment of the human spirit can be achieved by great design while also utilizing technology to create value and utility. Human based environments are environments on a smaller scale than those of the built environment discussed in the architecture lecture. Understanding smaller scale environments is critical for industrial designers. Control of emotional, aesthetic, functional, and technological influences can vastly increase the value of the human experience when done properly. Questions: How can the relatively recent field of Industrial Design pull from aged disciplines such as building construction and architecture in order to push the envelope of technology and enhancement of the human experience? What can be learned from these disciplines and what can the uniquely advanced evolutionary perspective of the industrial designer contribute to those disciplines? How can the practicing industrial designer command control of the built environment at a small scale level of design? How can his viewpoint and specialized understanding contribute to that of the architect and constructor? How can his design influence and complement their designs to maximize the key elements of the built environment discussed in the Architecture lecture? Library 101 Assignment ProQuest Ed Anderson (2007, October 4). Submit data soon or else, city told ; Late audit holds up millions for recovery. Times - Picayune,p. 01. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from National Newspapers (27) database. (Document ID: 1353326201). Robin Durie, Katrina Wyatt. (2007). New communities, new relations: The impact of community organization on health outcomes. Social Science & Medicine, 65(9), 1928. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1361802311). Richard Fausset (2007, September 18). NEW ORLEANS : TWO YEARS LATER; ALL THAT REMAINS; As the city's elderly return after Katrina, many find little but rubble and a life of squalor :[HOME EDITION]. Los Angeles Times,p. A.9. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Los Angeles Times database. (Document ID: 1337268861). Beth Gallaspy (23 September). Many are about to pass another Rita anniversary in "temporary" housing. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Dateline database. (Document ID: 1340156551). Henry A Giroux (2006). Reading Hurricane Katrina: Race, Class, and the Biopolitics of Disposability. College Literature, 33(3), 171-VIII. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1126071731). Anne Rochell Konigsmark (2006, October 24). Crooked builders hit storm victims :[FINAL Edition]. USA TODAY,p. A.3. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from National Newspapers (27) database. (Document ID: 1150476781). Louisiana Recovery Authority lobbies for presidential debate in New Orleans. (2007, October). New Orleans CityBusiness. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Dateline database. (Document ID: 1352204021). Carolyn J Lukensmeyer (2007). Large-Scale Citizen Engagement and the Rebuilding of New Orleans: A Case Study. National Civic Review, 96(3), 3. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1354017481). Jacqueline L. Salmon - Washington Post Staff Writer (2006, June 9). FEMA, Red Cross Ties Still Seen as Frayed; GAO Report Says Tense Post-Katrina Relations Persist Between Agency, Charity :[FINAL Edition]. The Washington Post,p. A.05. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from National Newspapers (27) database. (Document ID: 1052724361). Steve Weinberg, Special to The Denver Post (2007, May 27). Katrina under a scope Reporters scrutinize waste, fraud, abuse by emergency agencies :[Final Edition]. Review of. Denver Post,p. F.12. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from National Newspapers (27) database. (Document ID: 1278844751). Lexis-Nexus Julie Bourbon (2007, October 11). Health industry gets back on its feet; VA facility decision bolsters optimism. Times-Picayune, p. MONEY; Pg. 4. Amy Fagan (2007, May 7). Katrina puts Tulane in battle; Women's school submerged, lawsuit says. THE WASHINGTON TIMES, p. PAGE ONE; A01. Kan Herman (August 2006). Make New Orleans better than it was, city leaders urge: Anniversary of Katrina brings calls to tackle poverty and racism. The National Post (Canada). A9. Rick Jervis (2007, August 13). Residents return to New Orleans; 66% are back, but basic services still lag. USA TODAY, p. NEWS; Pg. 3A. Wesley Johnson (2007, August 29). NEW ORLEANS - OUTLOOK STILL STORMY AFTER KATRINA. Press Association Newsfile, p. HOME NEWS. Kate Stevens (2007, October 11). Tourism rebound still has a way to go; Pre-Katrina vibrancy could be years off. Times-Picayune, p. MONEY; Pg. 5. Stephanie Strom (2006, December 5). Bill Would Restructure Red Cross. The New York Times, p. Section A; Column 1; National Desk; Pg. 25. Carol Vogel (2005, November 1). France Extends a Cultural Hand To Arts Projects in New Orleans. The New York Times, p. Section E; Column 3; The Arts/Cultural Desk; Pg. 2. EBSCOhost Anna Holtzman (2006 Mar). Why are so many displaced residents of New Orleans being left out of the rebuilding process? Architecture, v.95, n.3, p.72, illustrations. http://web.ebscohost.com Karrie Jacobs (2007 Feb). Drop in the bucket: the number of housing initiatives currently under way in New Orleans is impressive, but without active federal involvement they fall well short of the urgent need. Metropolis, v.26, n.6, p.50,52, illustrations, photographs. http://web.ebscohost.com Shawn Kennedy, James Murdock (2006, June). Remaking New Orleans, without losing its past. Architectural Record, v.195, n.6, p.85-88,226. http://web.ebscohost.com Sam Lubell (2007 June). Louisiana recovery continues to hit snags. Architectural record, v.195, n.6, p.42. http://web.ebscohost.com Sam Lubell (2006 November). Lowe's makes Katrina Cottages available for purchase. Architectural record, v.194, n.11, p.30, photographs. http://web.ebscohost.com Alex Wilson (2006 Jan). An ecological vision for rebuilding New Orleans: planning for a cleaner, greener Crescent City. Landscape architecture, v.96, n.1, p.64,66,68-69, aerial photographs. http://web.ebscohost.com JSTOR Adrian Burton (2007 Aug). Health Disparities. Crisis Not over for Hurricane Victims (in Environews; Forum) Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 114, No. 8, pp. A462. http://www.jstor.org Adrian Woods Clyde (Dec 2005). Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?: Katrina, Trap Economies, and the Rebirth of the Blues American Quarterly. Pg. 1005-1018. http://www.jstor.org Tim Lougheed (2006 Jan). Raising the Bar for Levees. Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 114, No. 1., pp. A44-A47. http://www.jstor.org John Manuel (Jan 2006). In Katrina's Wake (in Environews; Focus) Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 114, No. 1, pp. A32-A39. http://www.jstor.org David A. Schwartz; William J. Martin II (2006 Oct). HEALing in New Orleans Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 114, No. 10. (Oct., 2006), pp. A570. http://www.jstor.org Gina M. Solomon; Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski; Miriam Rotkin-Ellman; S. Katharine Hammond (2006 Sep). Airborne Mold and Endotoxin Concentrations in New Orleans, Louisiana, after Flooding, October through November 2005 Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 114, No. 9. pp. 1381-1386. http://www.jstor.org Tanya Tillett, (2006 Jan). Beyond the Bench: COEPs Contribute to Hurricane Relief Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 114, No. 1. pp. A30-A31. http://www.jstor.org Architecture, Design, and Culture Craig Zimring’s lecture supposedly covered how architecture, design, culture, and behavior relate to each other. It was a little disorganized and unclear in the sense that he did not have a clear mission statement for his lecture. He demonstrated his key points by showing examples of exercise and health and how they are affected by design via a PowerPoint presentation. He mainly lectured on behavior and how building design relates to it, and did not cover much at all regarding culture and design. Some key terms from his lecture were evidence based design, space syntax, voluntary use predictors, and environmental factors. Activity programmed, inducing, and friendly areas were worth noting. More information regarding popular culture and its relation to behavior would have been a nice addition to the lecture. Space syntax, as defined by Wikipedia, “encompasses a set of theories and techniques for the analysis of spatial configurations.” It was originally developed to help architects understand the cultural and behavioral effects of their designs. As it relates to this lecture, the idea is that an area can be broken into spaces that relate to each other. The relation of these spaces affects how the spaces are used. By relating them in different ways, the designer can manipulate the behavior of those using the building. During the lecture, one of the most important examples of space syntax was that of the hospital room. The relationship of space between patient, family, and caregiver was critical in manipulating the behavior of room users, and in turn, the quality of care and efficiency in the room. This is also referring to the built environment and its influence on physical activity. This includes incentives and safety, but more importantly, availability and access. Space syntax is a valuable tool any time you are designing spaces that interact with each other. Voluntary use predictors are another important concept with regards to architecture and behavior. These are adjustable elements of a design that affect the voluntary use of something. With respect to the lecture, this is in reference to how designed features affect use of other features of a structure. The specific example we were given was that of stairs. The voluntary use predictors for stairs were things like safety, comfort, aesthetic, availability, convenience, and legibility. Clearly if stairs are located in an area where it is difficult to go around them, more people will use the stairs. Less people will complain about using stairs (and therefore more people will use them) if the stairs are decorated nicely, are well lit, and have railings (aesthetic and safety). By manipulating these predictors, a designer can control how much exercise building occupants get via stair usage. Of course, these predictors relate to many things, from carpooling to housing choices. Clearly controlling these predictors is one of the most valuable tools in a designer’s arsenal. Evidence based design is another critical term from the lecture. While not limited to the healthcare industry, it is important with regards to healthcare. Evidence based design seems to be design based on research and project evaluations. Ideally based on conclusive evidence and hard numbers and facts, it is ideally a way to quantify the importance of design to a client. In the medical industry, an industry that is generally conservative and can be resistant to innovation, facts and numbers matter. Because results are needed before concepts are accepted, design must be paired with research and project evaluations. For example, studies show that placing a rail between the bed and bathroom in a hospital room reduces the number of patients that fall. On average, each time a patient fall costs a hospital about $20k. A design that puts a rail in the proper location to reduce the risk of patient falls is clearly something a hospital cannot do without. Evidence based design is clearly applicable to many types of design outside of the healthcare industry. 1. How can we communicate to students the importance of design on behavior and teach them to create work that will be used efficiently? 2. How can we conduct research from a design perspective in order to gain a greater understanding of design and its applications? 3. How can we learn from research in order to become more effective designers? How can we communicate the benefits of effective design to our clients? 4. How can evidence based design help us improve systems in a cost effective manner, and how can we use design to increase profitability through efficiency and behavior? Photography Photographer Ruth Dusseault’s lecture was a summary of her work documenting the destruction and history of the Atlantic Steel Mill and construction of Atlantic Station. The lecture consisted of a very long video of the destruction of Atlantic Steel and the reading of an essay alongside photographs of the construction of Atlantic Station. Some important terms from this lecture were utopian constructs, substructure, and modernism. The concept of a utopian construct is that it is an environment designed from the ground up without regards to existing limitations. An example of such a construct would be Walt Disney world along with its monorail. Another example of such a construct would be Corbusier’s Radiant City. His theory was to demolish the entire city of Paris and then construct his city, which he designed down to the closets in the buildings (example from lecture). This is applicable to large developments like the Atlantic Station development, where a large multi-use development is created from the ground up. The theory is also similar to that of amusement parks, and even traditional neighborhood developments. The kind of thought that goes into such a development can be a very thorough and innovative. Substructure, as defined as dictionary.com, is a structure forming the foundation of a building or other construction. In relation to Dusseault’s lecture, this is very important, as it refers to the incredible parking deck foundation underneath Atlantic Station. It is a 40-acre foundation system that doubles as a gargantuan parking deck. Modernism, according to Wikipedia, is defined as “a series of reforming cultural movements in art and architecture, music, literature and the applied arts which emerged in the three decades before 1914.” This definition does not relate to the definition from the lecture, which is described as the practice of sweeping away the existing world and building something perceived to be better. I think this was a poorly executed and confusing use of the word. I believe that the application here was the suggestion that creating new things instead of preserving historical things is some kind of new or modern theory. Either way, I felt that the term was used incorrectly. 1. How can we communicate the importance and change of design theories in our world to students through historic examples? 2. How can we learn about the changes in history and culture by monitoring the destruction and creation of developments? 3. How can we maintain the original intention of a design by learning about the changes of design over the construction process and how to keep these changes true to the design’s original theory and intent? 4. How do we use history and culture in order to create or capture the atmosphere of an environment and keep it marketable? Palladio Sonit Bafna’s lecture was a very interesting lecture regarding a famous architect, Palladio. He knew that Palladio was very renowned and had seen his work, but did not understand the importance. He told us about his quest to understand the importance of Palladio and why his work was so influential. This was done via PowerPoint presentation that started with the history and culture surrounding Palladio’s time, moved to the specific requirements and environment Palladio worked in, and ended with an in-depth analysis of Palladio’s work. He concluded with his findings and a convincing argument of why Palladio was such an influential architect. His accent made things difficult to understand. I thought that the lecture was well structured. Important concepts were invention of a type, musical theory, and coordinated elevations. He did not do a good job of introducing new terms and definitions to us in the traditional sense. Invention of a type can be said to be the creation of a new type of anything. In this particular lecture, we are referring to the invention of a new style of architecture by Palladio. In his effort to make houses the grand villas that his clients wanted, he chose to pull architectural cues from temples and buildings. This was something that was against the school of thought at the time, and many people were highly critical of the idea. It ultimately created a new and highly favored style of architecture that Palladio is famous for. The idea of coordinated elevations is a simple concept that was unheard of before Palladio’s use. An elevation is defined by dictionary.com as a drawing or design that represents an object or structure as being projected geometrically on a vertical plane parallel to one of its sides. It would seem to make sense that while designing a floor plan of a building, you would have the elevation to go along with it. This was not the case until Palladio started doing it. Due to the importance of doing so in relation to his methodology, he began to coordinate floor plans and elevations together. This was partially done to communicate the deeper meanings of his designs to those who understood them. Without these elevations, we might not understand the use of geometry and shapes that Palladio used in his work. Musical Theory is another very important term from the lecture. The term is in reference to a theory of the ancient greeks regarding numeric ratios in music. They found that playing strings of certain integer ratios together resulted in harmonic chords. Much of musical instrumentation comes from these ancient discoveries. Effectively by applying math to music, beautiful harmony was achieved. The application of this theory in Palladio work is similar. He believed that when using rooms of certain sizes and length to width to height ratios, that a harmonic peace could be achieved. In addition, he began to stack rooms with certain ratios together in order to obtain different ratios. His experimentation with this theory got to the point where he was using the numbers and theory as an art form. With application to Bafna’s lecture, this is one of the things that demonstrated Palladio’s genius and marks him as a great architect. 1. How can we demonstrate the difference between mediocre architecture and great architecture to our students by example, and how do we instill a passion for design that maintains lasting culture instead of one that creates trendy things for a quick buck? 2. What can we learn from Polladio’s example and how can we integrate information from other disciplines to create new ideas and theories in our own discipline? 3. How do we create more than just a building and apply theories from other fields into our own design. How can we use these theories to design buildings that will maintain culture and character for a long time to come? How can we learn from past examples to become great designers? 4. How can we take advantage of well thought out design and sell or market it in such a way that the extra expenses involved in a good design are feasible? CATEA The CATEA lecture was an informative session to educate us about assistive technology and the opportunities the CATEA can offer to us in the design program. His powerpoint presentation consisted of an explanation of what AT and environmental access are, why they are needed, and some projects in CATEA that reflect the goals of the center. Some of the important terms in the lecture were assistive technology, environmental access, rehabilitation engineering, and universal design philosophy. After looking up the meaning of assistive technology, and referencing the lecture, I have found it can mean a variety of things. Essentially it refers to technology that helps improve function. It sounded like the lecturer felt it should also be defined as technology that is rendered useless in the absence of a disability. I think that ideally AT would have function even in the absence of disability, but function would improve greatly in the presence of a disability. If it were useless in the absence of disability, it would not be very good universal design. Assistive technology is important to consider in any kind of design. Not only from the standpoint of creating it, but also from the standpoint of knowing your design may be modified with assistive technology and leaving room for such modification. Rehabilitation engineering is a type of engineering in which the products are engineered in a way to accommodate disabled persons and provide enabling solutions for them. It is essentially the application of engineering to achieve assistive technology and environmental access as mentioned in the lecture. Rehabilitation engineering is important to consider when designing. During the lecture, I thought that universal design meant designing AT that is usable by everyone. One major thing that I learned after researching and thinking about universal design is that it can apply to all design. If we design things from a universal design aspect while designing them, not only does it make our designs more marketable and feasible from a financial standpoint, but it reduces waste, creates standards, and helps make those who need AT to feel more integrated with society at large. The concept of universal design is applicable to all types of design and even engineering. 1. How can we use assistive technology to maximize the efficiency of the classroom to help students with disabilities? 2. How can we enrich our knowledge of the working world by sharing the viewpoint of rehabilitation engineers? 3. How can we design products that not only integrate AT, but appeal to the mainstream consumer? 4. How can we design a product in such ways that the marginal cost of creating assistive technology does not hurt feasibility and increases profitability? Construction The construction professor’s lecture educated us about construction and about the direction the construction industry is taking as we move into the future. This was done via a powerpoint presentation that educated us about the role of the construction industry, the history of construction, and the importance of integration and the direction the construction industry is taking. Some important terms from his lecture were integration, lean construction, collaboration, lifecycle costing, value engineering, 3XPT, and extended enterprise. Lean construction is a philosophy that tries to maximize the efficiency of the building process. Essentially it is the effort of maximizing value by streamlining the design and construction processes. There is a lot of potential waste that occurs during the construction due to the nature of the process. Much of this waste can be eliminated by focusing on making the process efficient. Lean construction is a very versatile concept and did not originate in construction. Accordingly, it applies to many fields, including design, and greatly increases the value of a project and potential success of a project. It really is a critical element in the evolving design atmosphere and cannot be ignored. It can be achieved in many ways, not only by number crunching, but by design, and collaboration as well. Integration with regards to the topic at hand seems to be referring to the design process and tailoring a process that is custom and diverse in nature into a more solid and unified process. Integration is the process of seamlessly collaborating different groups of a project into a fluid organization. It is difficult for many of the reasons described, especially considering the nature of construction. If it can be done well, the applications are broad. Construction combines many diverse teams from varying disciplines and backgrounds. Excellent integration requires superb communication and understanding. If a system can be developed to assist this communication and understanding, it could have many applications. Life cycle costing is calculating the costs and maybe benefits of a product over its lifespan. This is important from a product development standpoint because it is important to know if a project will be profitable. It also helps to allocate resources and keep the design process lean and costs down. Other important aspects of life style costing are repairs, warranty, downtime, etc. Life cycle costing is a critical element of design and manufacturing, as many elements that are calculated can destroy a project if they are ignored. It also has widespread application across many disciplines including business, engineering, and even marketing. 1. How can we educate our students about the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and explain that the future will demand vertical integration and an understanding of other disciplines? 2. What can we take from our own and other disciplines about vertical integration and the evolution of industry in order to predict where the construction industry is headed? 3. How can we overcome barriers of integration to make our work more efficient and understand construction’s role in our own industries? 4. What impact will the evolution of the construction industry have on funding in design and the built environment? How will it affect the way resources are allocated as the evolution continues, and what will the builder’s role become? GIS – Geographic Information Systems The Geographic Information Systems speaker chose to educate us about the GIS research facility on campus and what it can do. This was done by a powerpoint presentation that defined GIS and gave us examples of what GIS research can do and of GIS applications. Some key terms and concepts included were attribute information, modeling, land suitability analyses, and regression models. Attribute information is generally a broad term that encompasses any type of information that can be stored as an attribute of an item. In this specific case, the attribute information is an attribute of a geographical location. This can range from soil density to business type. This is an important definition because much of GIS is based on mapping attributes to locations. It may also refer to attribute changes over time, especially when considering projections and analyses. Modeling in reference to the GIS not the typical type of modeling we think of as fashion designers or even as designers. In this scenario, a model is a construct that represents a system of related variables. A model is an insanely important item in research, and provides a framework for a potentially theoretical scenario. They are critical in the process of application of theory to reality. Modeling is important in any type of research and can be a very handy tool even from the perspective of a designer. It is important to understand the potential future of an item during the design process. Modeling crosses almost all research fields now. Land suitability analysis is a process for evaluating the suitability of land for specific types of development. It is a GIS based process that uses all the attribute information and pairs it with geographical data in order to determine the suitability of the land in question. This is a magnificent tool that really can see application in many other aspects of life, and is not restricted to land analysis. It can be used to determine suitability of many things that have variable attribute information associated with them. 1. How can we use GIS to develop educational institutes in areas that will utilize educational facilities properly and efficiently? 2. What can GIS research teach us about the use and history of our creations? How can we use this information to understand how our creations are viewed by society and what we can do to ensure things are seen the way we want them to be? 3. When designing and building items, especially buildings, what kind of information can GIS research tell us about how they will be used? What kind of efficiency can we create using these types of information and how can we tailor our designs to suit the needs of the disciplines that are using them by understanding those disciplines through GIS? 4. How can we use GIS and suitability studies and models to estimate the feasibility of projects? How will this technology change the way funding is allocated and how can we as designers learn to use this technology to maximize the potential of our designs? Classical Architecture Masters 8.29.7 The first lecture regarded the 1 year MS in Classical Architecture. After a brief introduction of the program, the seven speakers discussed their backgrounds and experience in architecture as well as with classical architecture. This presentation was done via Microsoft PowerPoint. The speakers took turns telling the audience about themselves and presented pictures, diagrams and discussed their past projects, work histories, and educational experience. Some important terms from this lecture were urbanism and proportions. By urbanism, the speakers were referring to the movement of “New Urbanism.” This is a movement towards creating solutions to the environmental problems created by globalization via creating sustainable communities. This is done by using modern technology to improve sustainability as well as by creating new infrastructures to complement the movement and minimize waste and pollution. Proportions is a concept from the philosophy of classical architecture. This concept is that proportions are a critical part of design and only by maintaining proper proportions and geometry can architecture be beautiful. Many of these proportions are those found in nature as well as those considered to be “perfect” like that of the golden ratio. How can we use our knowledge of modern design psychology and learn key principles and elements from existing classical architecture and about what made it so successful? How can we implement environmentally friendly and new urbanism into classical design/architecture by using modern technology, and how can we use this application to build classically in a modern environment? How can we preserve the elements and beauty of classical architecture while teaching it in conjunction with modern design principles? Solar Decathalon 8.31.7 The second lecture was about the Solar Decathalon project. The lecturer, Chris, focused on the Solar Decathalon concept, project, and competition. He did this by presenting the concept definition, reviewing the existing ongoing project, and summarizing the last year’s competition and how the concept and project relate to the competition. Some important terms from this lecture were photovoltaics, digital design, construction, and the advanced wood products laboratory. One important term, photovoltaics, is a solar power technology created to convert solar radiation into electricity. Another term, AWPL (advanced wood products laboratory), is a laboratory at GaTech that utilizes computer aided designing and manufacturing to drive machining and manufacturing equipment. How were other disciplines able to be integrated into this project, and what strengths and weaknesses did they carry? What disciplines may be useful for bringing this kind of project into mainstream architecture? How much does the project house cost, and how far are we from being able to integrate this technology into building for daily life? How can you get students involved in participating in this kind of design, and how important is it for their future as we make the move into more eco-friendly design? Digital Design and Manufacturing 9.5.7 Tristan talked about the concept and process of Digital Design and Manufacturing in this lecture. This was done via a presentation of previous projects conducted in the COA that are applications of digital design and manufacturing. Some important terms from this lecture were algorithm and 5-axis router. Algorithms are finite lists of pre-defined instructions for accomplishing a task and then terminating. In this case, the algorithm is probably a formula based on variation offered by digital design by which a unique form can be created using an automated process. 5-axis routers are routers that are able to mill and operate on 5 axes and are much more versatile than 3 axis routers. What impact is digital design going to have on the design process and to what degree will new design technology affect the way the design process is viewed? How can we apply digital design and manufacturing towards the customization of products using the technologies available to the common consumer? How can we integrate digital design and manufacturing processes into the curriculum of designers in a way to create more skilled and powerful designers? Polycarbonate Description Regarding the material and fabrication qualities of the outdoor installation, it is made of a polycarbonate plastic. Polycarbonate is a type of plastic that is resilient, durable, and has excellent optical clarity. The installation is made of many flat layers of polycarbonate that weave their way around a pillar and into the air. It appears to be made of almost completely polycarbonate, with metal screws and bolts connecting the polycarbonate sheets. Most connections consist of screws that puncture folded polycarbonate to create the installation’s form. Some screws are nuts and bolts, while others seem to expand once inserted to secure a connection. The installation appears to be precisely organized, with brail-like markings on all of the sheets possibly being the only trace of the fabrication and construction process. Its formal qualities are very clear and distinct (no pun intended) as it twists and turns into the air. It is located on the south side of the western architecture building on Georgia Tech campus. It is located outside of the building under the cover of the building itself. The form of the installation appears to begin at a bench-like point consisting of many layers of polycarbonate. Many of these sheets extend west, creating a relatively solid and clear base that wraps around a pillar and then bursts into a cascade of sheets curving towards the sky. The cascade is seemingly systematic and ends in a flat wide tip. The width and height of the installation reach almost 10 times its starting width and height. Mid-way through its journey, the installation has a very wide diameter, and standing inside of it is rewarded with a feeling of being surrounded in waves of crystal clear plastic. It can be seen as a stream or a pony-tail made of wide and wavy clear strands. As dusk approaches, the glare of the installation goes away and it becomes almost crystal clear, flaunting its optical properties. Most phenomenological qualities of the polycarbonate installation are side more with observation than and environmental interaction. Visually, it breaks up the vertical and horizontal lines of the building with its organic shape. The polycarbonate is dirty from the weather, and traps moisture in many places. There is mold growing around the bolts and in areas where water has trouble escaping. These are not easily visible when viewing from afar, but I imagine during pollen season that the installation’s appearance changes completely. Touching or shaking it provides an undulating rippling effect. Due to its optical properties, it does not trap heat very well, but I imagine the UV rays from the sun will eventually cause it to yellow. Polycarbonate Speculation Originally, I thought that the installation was a design exercise and did not really understand much about its existence. After doing research, I think that the motivating issues were less design related and more about education about manufacturing, procedure, and technology. Apparently Nader Tehrani, a person interested in fabrication and research, directed students through a year of designing, fabricating, and building these installations. It appears as though it was an exercise in learning about the customization capacities offered by digital manufacturing. The teams were employed to produce a structure that ties several structural typologies together in order to form a new type of single system. It feels like the understanding of higher technology regarding digital manufacturing drives the main questions explored in these installations. Questions regarding mass customization and effective transport and construction were most probably the focus, based on observation of construction technique. To me, the installation looks like a crystal hairpiece or twisting crystal vines. It also is like flowing water, cascading down from the second level of the building in the sense that it is clear, but it flows chaotically. This installation must live a life of relative isolation, and must experience bouts of fame in between long spans of loneliness. An example of this fame would be during this week. I presume the architecture building was chosen as a location due to the inquisitive nature of the students in this area regarding design. Maybe the manufacturing guys felt sorry for us since their building is so new, but I doubt it. Plywood Description The second installation is a 3 story high bench in the West Architecture building. It is seemingly made of compressed wood. Plywood is inexpensive engineered wood made by pressing layers of veneer together. It is relatively inexpensive and has a weakness to humidity. The bench appears to have been made by cutting many custom pieces of plywood and binding them together with various nuts, bolts, and washers. These metal connections are almost the only thing holding the structure together. The multiple segments of plywood are either connected with glue or with brackets. There are a few traces of the fabrication process, but not many. Each of the 80 panels on the bench are numbered and the bolts, glue, and brackets are all visible. The formal qualities of the installation are quite different from the first installation. On one hand, it also consists of many flat pieces constructed into a larger object, but the volume in this installation is mostly in height. The plywood pieces are evenly spaced out for most of the height of the installation. It is three stories high and flows along the different levels of the building, much like a waterfall flows across extensions that block its path. It is also located in the Architecture building on Georgia Tech campus, but it is inside the building on the first floor, extending all the way to the ceiling of the third floor. It is wide enough to seat several people, and the base of the structure has additional wood to make the seating area solid. Unlike a traditional bench, the striations in the bench are vertical, not horizontal. It is all effectively one piece and is contoured to be comfortable. The phenomenological qualities of the bench were much more interactive in this installation. Personally I find the bench to be much more aesthetically pleasing as well, with its warm indoor tones. It does a very good job of playing with the light in the building. During the day it lets light through when facing it, and as you move to the side the light passing through is reduced. At night it has varying shades of lighting thanks to the different areas of the building, and from above it looks like a fireplace is crackling at the bottom. It is very flexible when moved, and other than the base, does not have a solid foundation. During dusk or various times of the day, striations of light can be seen cascading along its striated surface both vertically and horizontally. It is a practical bench and can act as a practical meeting place for students, as well as a place to rest when studying. It looks like the wood is not protected against stains, as the seating surface is very dirty due to the CFY studio involving charcoal today. It is hard to tell if it was designed to be cleaned easily or not. The seat of the bench is not very smooth due to it being the rough edge of the plywood, but it does provide excellent grip. Plywood Speculation I believe that many of the same motivating factors went into designing this installation as the last. Much of the design of this seems to be centered on similar manufacturing principles, but the approach in this design seems to be that of a more practically and useful installation. While the polycarbonate installation must have been designed via the same digital imaging and design processes, the bench was more likely to have actually been fabricated and bent in the woodworking lab as well. Seeing as that it was installed earlier than the polycarbonate installation, it is likely that this earlier process was focused more on the actual manufacturing process than experimenting with new materials. I think the research questions regarding this item were less about expansion and volume, but more about vertical space and connecting the different levels of the building. This installation invokes much more gravity inspired images, such as waterfalls, lava flow, and rainfall. This installation’s secret life feels like it is very knowledgeable and privy to many secret conversations on many different levels. Link to this Page
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