        Byrd, Grayson : AssignmentsAssignment 10.28Lecture 1: Architecture I believe that one of the most interesting concepts in this lecture had to do with a quote form Winston Churchill. He said, “We shape our buildings, and then they shape us.” This was inspiring to me because it actually makes a lot of sense. We create the world around us, which in turn, affects what we become. A few examples that go hand and hand with this that the speaker gave were: shaping social access power, defining public versus private activities and spaces and giving expression to the hierarchy of cultural values and aspirations by re-presenting the world. A couple of the terms that I had not known the definition to before this lecture includes: the solo practitioner, the corporate team leader and nested hierarchies.The Solo Practitioner is one, who works and designs on their own, The Corporate team leader is one who leads a firm with management skills and Nested Hierarchies refers to the way taxonomic groups fit neatly and completely inside other taxonomic groups. One of the many professional and disciplinary issues that I believe Architecture deals with is innovating for the future while preserving the past. In this lecture, the speaker made it clear that it’s a challenge to discern right from wrong in design decision-making because of the many outside influences on architecture. One must consider all of these influences in order to produce good architecture. Lecture 2: Building Construction This most interesting construct in this lecture was the positive side to AEC integration. The speaker told of there being up to and 8% reduction in costs for facility creation and renovation (that’s a whole lot of dough when dealing with multimillion dollar projects). There’s also up to 14% reduction in project schedules, repair cost savings ranging from 5-15%, and significant collateral benefits to homeland security by providing an industry focal point for improving capital facility resilience to external threats. Overall, this argument has convinced me that AEC integration is one of the best things to ever happen to this industry and will continue to benefit clients and employers alike. A few of the terms that I did not understand before this lecture include: Regulatory Agencies, Decommissioning and Stakeholders. Regulatory Agencies are local and national government regulators, Decommissioning is a general term for a formal process to remove something from operational status and stakeholders are a party who affects or can be affected by the company’s actions. One of that many professional and disciplinary issues that I believe BC deals with is keeping fully integrated and highly automated project processes coupled with radically advanced technologies across all phases and functions of the project/facility lifecycle. This can understandably be hard for technology and the project/facility relationship is something ever changing. To adjust to these variables efficiently is to be a good BC manager. Lecture 3: Industrial Design In this lecture, I found that the most interesting concept dealt with defining “design”. The speaker spoke of design as both a noun and a verb. It’s a verb in the sense of developing a plan for a new object, and a noun in that it’s the final plan and the proposal. However, the most intriguing thing said about the word “design” was that it not only considers the aesthetics of a product, but its function and other properties as well. The speaker defined design as “a creative activity whose aim is to establish the multi-faceted qualities of objects, processes, services and their systems in whole life-cycles.” Therefore, design is the central factor of innovative humanization of technologies and the crucial factor of cultural and economic exchange. A few of the terms I found in this lecture that I did not understand it’s meaning include the applied arts, humanization of technologies and empowerment. Applied Arts refers to the application of design and aesthetics to objects of function and everyday use, Humanization of Technologies means that a technology must increasingly respond intuitively to people’s individual needs and Empowerment means to increase the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities. This lecture taught me that the primary questions of an industrial designer are “What is needed, How can we make it attractive, Does it do what we intended it to do, Does it make life easier and How can we improve it?” I believe that, in today’s industrial design profession, these questions are constantly asked and are the root of every design process. Without referring back to these questions, it becomes easy to lose track of products intentions to begin with. Works Cited Allweil, Yael. "Shrinking Cities: Like a Slow-Motion Katrina." (2007). Galileo. 11 Oct. 2007. "Bush Clinton Katrina Fund At Work in the Gulf Coast." Bush Clinton Katrina Fund. Fall 2007. 11 Oct. 2007 "Coastal Change Hazards: Hurricanes and Extreme Storms." USGS. 09 Oct. 2007. Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies. 11 Oct. 2007 Colin, Martin. "After the Flood: the US Pavilion At the 2006 Venice Biennale Addressed the Rebuilding of New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina." (2007). Galileo. 11 Oct. 2007. Duany, Andres M. "Restoring the Real New Orleans: How Do We Save the Crescent City? Re-Create the Unique Building Culture That Spawned It." (2007). Galileo. 11 Oct. 2007. Dunbar, Joseph B., and Louis D. Britsch, III. "Geology of the New Orleans Area and the Canal Levee Failures." Embankments, Dams, and Slopes (GSP 161) (2007). Avery Index. Georgia Institute of Technology. 11 Oct. 2007. Fitzgerald, Duncan, Mark Kulp, Zoe Hughes, Ioannis Georgiou, Michael Miner, Shea Penland, and Nick Howes. "Impacts of Rising Sea Level to Backbarrier Wetlands, Tidal Inlets, and Barrier Islands: Barataria Coast, Louisiana." Coastal Sediments (2007). Avery Index. Georgia Institute of Technology. 11 Oct. 2007. Germany, Kent B. "New Orleans After the Promises : Poverty, Citizenship, and the Search for the Great Society." (2007). Galileo. 11 Oct. 2007. Hurricane Information: Louisiana.Gov. State of Louisiana. 11 Oct. 2007 "Hurricane Katrina Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)." 28 Oct. 2005. U.S. Department of Commerce. 11 Oct. 2007 "Hurricane Katrina Imagery." Google Earth. 28 Sept. 2005. Google. 11 Oct. 2007 "Hurrican Katrina: One Year Later." About: 2005 Hurricane Katrina. About, Inc. 11 Oct. 2007 Kennedy, Shawn, and James Murdock. "Remaking New Orleans, Without Losing Its Past." (2007). Galileo. 11 Oct. 2007. Louisiana Recovery Authority. 10 Oct. 2007. Louisiana Recovery Authority. 11 Oct. 2007 Lubell, Sam. "Louisiana Recovery Continues to Hit Snags." (2007). EBSCO. 11 Oct. 2007. McKee, Bradford. "New Orleans Recovery Plan Released." (2007). EBSCO. 11 Oct. 2007. Page, Max. "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities [New Orleans]." (2005). EBSCO. 11 Oct. 2007. "Rebuilding the Golf Coast." The Online Newshour. 02 Oct. 2007. MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. 11 Oct. 2007 Renner, Michael. "Beyond Disasters : Creating Opportunities for Peace." (2007). Galileo. 11 Oct. 2007. Rosan, Richard M., and Marilyn Taylor. "Rebuilding New Orleans and the Gulf Coast: a Look Ahead." (2005). EBSCO. 11 Oct. 2007. Spence, Patric R., Kenneth A. Lachlan, and Jennifer M. Burke. "ADJUSTING TO UNCERTAINTY: COPING STRATEGIES AMONG THE DISPLACED AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA." (2007). Galileo. 11 Oct. 2007. "State Emergencies." Louisiana State Police. Louisiana State Police. 11 Oct. 2007 "There is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster : Race, Class, and Hurricane Katrina." (2006). Galileo. 11 Oct. 2007. United States. An Act Making Emergency Supplemental Appropriations to Meet Immediate Needs Arising From the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina, for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2005, and for Other Purposes. 2005. 2005. United States. An Act to Extend Medicare Cost-Sharing for Qualifying Individuals Through September 2007, to Extend Transitional Medical Assistance and the Program for Abstinence Education Through December 2005, to Provide Unemployment Relief for States and Individuals A. 2005. 2005. United States. An Act to Provide Relief for the Victims of Hurricane Katrina. 2006. 2006. Wilson, Alex. "An Ecological Vision for Rebuilding New Orleans: Planning for a Cleaner, Greener Crescent City." (2006). EBSCO. 11 Oct. 2007. Winer, Harley S. "Re-Engineering the Mississippi River as a Sediment Delivery System." Coastal Sediments (2007). Avery Index. Georgia Institute of Technology. 11 Oct. 2007. Woods, William T. "Agency Management of Contractors Responding to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita [Electronic Resource]." (2006). Galileo. 11 Oct. 2007. Zell, Jennifer. "Visions of Green: What Role Will Parks and Open Space Play in a Rebuilt New Orleans?" (2007). Galileo. 11 Oct. 2007. Assignment 09.30 Part One: The speaker in the first lecture introduced interesting concepts such as solving problems like the obesity epidemic, depression, and even healing faster. He told how these problems can be somewhat solved through little effort from a designer. For example, by making a stairway easily accessed, pleasant and attractive, you give many walkers the daily dos of exercise needed for a healthy lifestyle. Also, by making a hospital room more comfortable and appealing, you decrease a patient’s time spent there. In the second lecture, the speaker basically challenges the question “What is all involved in replacing a well-established, land-marked commodity with something new and improved?” The speaker also argues that this development is going from agriculturally based to “agri-business” based. This lecture was structured to show what were back then turning into what it is now. At the very beginning of the lecture, we watched a long video on how the old steel mill was torn down. This gave a glimpse of how the entire deconstruction phase of building takes place. A couple of important thoughts that this speaker introduced included the idea that neoclassical architecture marks the arrival of the 21st century and that there is something very unique and personal to the concept of “making from scratch.” This lecture was pretty hard to follow and understand, but I feel like I did grasp some of the many points in his lecture. This lecture was on Palladio, one of the most influential architects in history, and his many works. The author of this speech structured his lecture by first telling the history of Palladio and then slow incorporating his complex teachings with his work. He showed many slides that, at first, seemed really simple. However, after telling of Palladio’s main method to design, with such “tight and perfect” plans, complex arrangements and unique proportions, it’s easy to understand how his works are appreciated. Part Two: In the first lecture, I found the concept of linking depression and cancer to physical activity very interesting. The speaker introduced the idea that not only can a designer help in the obesity epidemic, but also it goes much further than that. With the proof that physical activity can help in teen depression and risk of cancer, the job of the designer becomes more key and essential in problem solving. As if an architect is going beyond the realm of designing buildings and stairs to now solving major issues within society. Also, the speaker redefined the term “physical activity” for me. I used to believe that physical activity meant running or participating in sports, but I now realize it to be much simpler than that. Physical activity means 30 means of moderately intense activity most days of the week to stay healthy. To think that that problem can be solved for most people with strategically placed stairways puts an entirely new outlook on an architect. Finally, I was surprised to find out how much physical activity actually occurs in or around a building. Walking, biking, stair climbing, occupational/household activities and running are all physical activities that take place near a building. By putting that into perspective, one can easily see how a building can directly influence a participant’s health. After the second lecture, I thought it would be interesting to look up what it meant to be modern, for the speaker referred to “modernity” a few times in her lecture. Most resources say that it’s a word that only describes something according to the context it’s in. Something can be considered modern, but be made in an entirely different era. I believe that the word is used to describe a breakthrough, rather than an age. Agriculture turning to business was another topic in this lecture that I found to be very interesting. Is our agriculturally based society turning to business? After a little research, I found that the tearing down of agricultural industries is becoming more and more popular, but mainly due to inefficient progress. It still remains to be the leading industry in the US. Finally, I felt that Neoclassical Architecture in this lecture seemed a little out of place. After some research, I understand Neoclassical Architecture to be derived from the architecture of classical Greece, but I feel as if this speaker used it in this presentation to basically say “Architecture that references our past marks the arrival of the future.” In the third lecture, I felt it interesting that the speaker calling Palladio’s plans as “tight and perfect” seemed more of an opinion. However, after listening and reviewing Palladio’s work, I understand it to be more of a description of organization and effort vs. being the perfect plan to any home. Palladio’s work is noticeably perfect in the sense that it’s proportions and composition fit perfectly within the home and satisfy every need. Also, the speaker redefined the meaning of illustration to me. To begin with, I understood an illustration to be a drawing of any sort. However, after looking up the word and relating it back to the author’s context, I see it as being a tool. Illustrating, in this lecture, means to convey points and create a better understanding of what something is. It’s a language and a tool that should be used to better present something. Finally, composition played a large role in this speaker’s presentation. The actual definition of composition is the way in which something is made in terms of its different parts. I believe this speaker wished to describe the method in which Palladio’s work is made up. By telling of its overall composition, one can easily come to recognize his design reasoning. Part Three: A few questions that I derived from lecture one according to the four categories include: Should teaching how to integrate design with solving certain health issues in society be a number one concern in schools today? Why haven’t hospital buildings already been designed to best influence the patient, why are there changes that need to be made to begin with? In what ways can we push for more calorie burn within people without tampering with a stairways appeal to people? The questions that I came up with from lecture two dealing with the four categories are: Should students and teachers be more concerned with embracing the past, or looking toward the future? Do most all built environments relate back to what was once there before? How do architects and designers use their knowledge of history within their project without being too “hung up on the past” to move forward? Is it possible to incorporate the tearing down, analyzing, planning, and building into one system of organization or production? Lecture three makes me ask these questions according to the four categories: When is it necessary to incorporate Palladio’s teachings within the academic realm? Is it necessary? Where would we be without it? Will Palladio’s work always influence those who wish to use drawings as an efficient tool? Is it possible for an architect to design such a “tight/perfect” plan without similar proportions that Palladio used? Would you argue that the displaying of information through illustrations is perhaps the most important step in producing good architecture? Assignment 09/16 Part 1: In the first lecture, the speaker focused on a multi-disciplinary approach on solving disability issues. He started out by defining what assistive technology and universal design appeal is and then introduced the statistics of disability in the U.S. Some of the interesting topics covered in this lecture included: what makes up the center for assistive technology and environmental access, as well as, the design challenges incorporated with the creation of a wheel chair cushion. In the second lecture, the speaker illustrated construction clearly and told on the importance of AEC integration. He began by simply defining construction and naming all of the industry’s sectors. However, one of his main points asked if construction should even be considered an industry. He also named ten specific characteristics on building construction and why it’s so important to integrate. Some of the most interesting parts of the lecture included: what percentage of construction actually deals with each industry sector and naming some of the barriers to integration. The third lecture dealt with Geographical Information Systems and how they can be used in urban planning. The speaker organized this lecture by first defining research in a broad sense, then narrowing it down to GIS and it’s definition. After describing GIS, he went on to list: other converging technologies, ways in which our environment is emerging, and how they all can be used to give data and relate it back to an image. Some of the most interesting points in this lecture included the many different techniques to display information and doing it in a way that’s easy to interpret and understand. Part Two: After the first lecture, there were a few terms that I have come to realize the true meaning to. I understood “disability” as just some unfortunate condition that one may be in, but now I understand it as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual. I also thought “assistive technology” only meant technology that helped those in need rather than looking at it as any item that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities. I’ve also come to learn that a “barrier-free education” means education without any restrictions on the possibilities that one may achieve, no matter a disability. In the second lecture, there were many words that I have never heard before. For example, “lean construction” and “turnkey” were not in my vocabulary. After the lecture, I now understand lean construction to be a way to design production systems to minimize waste of materials, time, and effort in order to generate the maximum possible amount of value and “turnkey” to be the bundling of materials and labor by sub-contractors. Also, before this lecture, I would have believed “life cycle costing” to be how much it cost for the average human to meet normal living conditions. Now I understand “life cycle costing” to be the cost of any system or product over its entire lifespan, including: planning, production, operation, maintenance, and even disposal. In the last lecture, a few of the words that I didn’t exactly know the definition to were: “location-based services”, “GIS”, and even “research”. Before this lecture, I would have thought a “location-based service” would be any service available to someone locally and that “GIS” had to do something with computers. Now I realize that “location-based services” are services developed and distributed by wireless carriers and their partners, which provide information specific to a location and that “GIS” is a system for capturing, storing, analyzing and managing data and associated attributes, which are spatially referenced to the earth. Finally, I thought that “research” was just something someone may do for school or a job that educates him/her on a certain subject. Now, I realize that “research” simply means to create new knowledge. Part Three: A few questions that I came up with concerning the first lecture include: What are the latest solutions to creating a barrier free education? What does it mean to include myriad approaches in disability research? What are the challenges in creating something with universal design appeal while only creating it for a specific disabled clientele? Is there a more common and personal link between designer and client when looking to satisfy a certain percentage of the population? The second lecture left me with questions such as: Why does society provide such a large barrier to AEC integration? Why is construction referred to so commonly as an industry when it clearly should be described as a sector of economy? Should schools begin teaching AEC as a whole and integrating them from the beginning? What are exactly the negative consequences to integrating all of AEC and does it compromise the goals of designers? Some of the interesting questions that came up during the third lecture were: How do you include GIS info and analysis in design? How is technology changing how we plan and construct the built environment? I also would like to know what have been the latest groundbreaking discoveries within GIS and is GIS just as key in all three areas of architecture, industrial design, and building construction? Assignment 09/09 Part 1: Lecture 1 Summary: In this lecture, the author focuses on classical architecture and how it’s integrated into modern times. The speakers organized their lecture by reviewing the many issues dealing with classical architecture including: how to preserve it, how to maintain it and treat it, and even reasons why it is already intrinsically green. Some of the interesting questions that came up during this lecture were: is classical architecture only for the wealthy and is it there a way to make classical architecture even more green without disrupting the elegance and beauty it’s known for? Lecture 2 Summary: In this lecture, the speaker focuses on the solar decathlon. The speaker told of the upcoming competition and the solutions that he and his team had come up within the competition requirements. The challenge was to build the ultimate green house with a limited amount of space and budget. Some of the interesting requirements were that it would need to be able to be mass produced and attractive to the general public. Lecture 3 Summary: In this lecture, the speaker focuses on digital design and manufacturing and how each work together to compliment each other. The speaker described how the traditional 20th century design process is linear and how the emergent design process of the 21st century is iterative (including a feedback loop). I found it very interesting that it was mentioned how fabrication always alters conception. As if, the building of an idea will ultimately always change and manipulate according to fabrication issues. Also, the speaker told of how rules and regulations should always be embedded into design. Part 2: A couple of important terms and ideas included in the first lecture are “green” and the difference between classical and traditional architecture. To be “green” means to be environmentally friendly, resourceful, and efficient. The main difference between classical and traditional architecture is that classical architecture refers to the way things were built centuries ago and traditional architecture refers to past building methods pertaining to the specific area in which one is. Some important terms in the second lecture include “off the grid” and “Duo Gard”. Duo Gard is a company that works with a polycarbonate glazing technology with a contemporary appearance to maximize interior lighting without the use of electricity. “Off the grid” is a term used to describe an ecological construction method that is set apart from the regular water and electrical lines provided by power plants. A few key terms that were in the third lecture are “iterative” and “master builder”. Iterative means using repeated routines in a loop as part of a computer program and master builder is a term used to describe an especially accomplished builder that is talented in all the forms of building from beginning to end. Part 3: After listening to the first lecture, I believe a few good questions would be: Why does classical architecture work so well at being green, Does being a classical design architect ever restrict good design ideas and possibilities, and What exactly defines the difference between classical and traditional architecture? After listening to the second lecture, I believe a few good questions would be: Why would one not wish to completely showcase all green aspects of a green home, being that is what sets it apart from all others, Does collaboration prepare for the team-based world, and At what point do we teach/learn to integrate green aspects into our building designs and concepts without disrupting the beginnings and basics of design? After the third lecture, I would like to know: How do new tools and techniques affect that design and production of our built environment, Is the idea of that master builder reemerging in the 21st century due to this strong link between design and manufacturing, and Does the introduction of digital design to students excuse not having the traditional abilities of drafting and the more “hands on” approach Assignment 08.29 Installment 1 Description: This installment is made of individually pieced together wooden slats. Each numbered to insure correct placement. It's bolted together with a rod connection pattern within. There is an overall affect of flowing caused by the many pieces that make it up and it's structurally very sound. It's relationship to viewer changes from floor to floor. On the first floor, an inviting relationship, as well as, more of a direct interaction with the viewer. Direction of slats produce more stable structure to sit on the first floor. On the second floor, the language seems to be that of a work of art, rather than something to directly interact with. Perfect height and curve to visually interpret connections and movement. It surrounds the viewer as one passes under it. On the third floor, the interaction becomes more of a tell all. Close up, one can see how it's anchored and why it's stable. The many pieces that bring this installation together read as a whole. One of the main phenomenal qualities this installation has is that, by reading as one, the wood seems to bend and flow unnaturally, beyond the capabilities of one piece. Speculation: I believe that the main question in designing this installation was, "in what way can we join all three levels of the atrium illustrating a sense of rhythm and harmony using a material that seems to go beyond it's natural abilities? Also, how can we relate each floor to this structure uniquely while maintaining a common unity throughout?" I believe that curiosity and the wanting to investigate the link between viewer and the floor one's on is what motivated this piece. Installment 2 Description: This installment is made of thin layers of plastic bolted together by a sort of "lip and fold" connection. Prefabricated molds may have been used in which the plastic was poured into and then dried to form. It's shape begins small and compacted and then gradually peels back from it's form and breaks apart to systematically entangle itself. There is a similar contrast in scale as that of the first installment in that it's evolving from something short and small to intricate and huge. One experiences one side as being small and able to interact and possibly sit on and the other as watching it consume the space above. It's position on the site, relative to the building, is very close and attached, as if not to break the threshold created by the bordering concrete. Light seems to use most of it's phenomenal qualities in this piece. There is evidence of refraction, reflection, and even dilution within this installment. As the pieces begin to peel back and intertwine, it's affect on light becomes more and more intense. As if it begins to reveal more on light as it leaves the viewer. Speculation: I believe that the main goal in designing this installment was trying to reveal all of the wonders of light to the viewer. As if, at the beginning of the piece, they wanted to illustrate how something ordinary and relatively boring to light can transform and bloom into something extraordinary. If I were to name this installment, I would call it "light bloom" because it takes something simple and gradually turns it into an intricate, beautiful array of light. Link to this Page
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