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Architecture Honors Project

Spatial Logistics

The changes since my last visit were everything but subtle however one thing stayed the same, no other climate baked the skin while simultaneously being so humid as to clog the pores. The excitement of revisiting my childhood home filled me with a surprising sense of trepidation. Regardless, I trudged on leaving mainland Houston. To enter the Island of Galveston one must cross the Harbor over the causeway bridge, and as the mainland fades in the distance the expanse of the island starts to emerge.

Approaching the island nearly every inch of the coastline is packed with residential housing. Each property is allotted thin parcels of valuable coast with the majority of  plots extending into the island like fingers on a hand. The eastern heart of the island, the historic part of the city, derivates into right angles with a traditional metropolitan grid style. Each square block is congested with ten to fifteen homes however unlike my childhood memories the prarie and bungalow styled homes seem to be defeated by the island. Moss-covered roofs sag while crunchy, sunbaked lawns create a brown wasteland. Rust-bitten cars, attacked by the high salinity of the air, congregate near trees searching for protection from the beady sun. Breaking through the residential neighborhoods, reveals the tarnished crown jewel of the island- The Gulf of Mexico. What once felt like a tropical paradise hosting summers of fun now looks like a drab silt and oil polluted slurry.

The seawall stands tall against the expanse of the gulf protecting the island from the onslaught of berating waves. Dotted with beachfront hotels and convention centers, the seawall stretches from the east to the west side of the island. Housed on this beachfront boulevard are countless shops and kiosks selling souvenirs, bikes, buggies, and boogie boards. As the seawall extends past the island’s commercial center, beachfront shops turn to grocery stores, the kiosks to gas stations and parcels go from being hotels and spas to quaint shelters and island homes. Even further to the west, as land elevation drops to sea level, the earth turns to swampland. Civilization ceases to exist as one comes to the realization that nearly every commercially attractive piece of land on the island has been sucked of its utilization leaving only empty “nature reserves” filled with mosquito ridden bogs.

The mainland side of the island houses the industrial port and shipping terminals. Towering through the smog stands large decommissioned oil riggers as well as dockyard and container cranes. Large inlet docks are cut like rectangular gaps in the side of the island serving as terminals for the large cruise ships and cargo ships based off the island. Swimming like schools of fish, hundreds of small charter and tug boats weave in and out of the port all cramming themselves in private docks like cars parked at a mall. Adding to the constant activity, just behind the port sits the sole railway of the island. Forced into such a small area, the train tracks are compacted into tight lines. As the tracks fade towards the mainland I too make my departure from the island. Reflecting on my childhood, I realize that the magic of Galveston has disappeared. What once was a picturesque tropical island town has actualized to a quaint under performing tourist site.  

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The Green Grass of Foreign Lives (Final Design Project)

Despina is described as an important trading city that connects a fictional desert and ocean. In the passage, the city is described from the point of view of a desert traveler and a sailor. Both desperately worn by their arduous travels fantasize the city as a haven from the monotony of their geographic location, To further emphasize, the sailor envisions the city as a camel bearing plentiful produce and wine ready to take him to an oasis.On the other hand, ready to escape the dry climate, the desert traveler sees the city as a ship ready to whisk him away to foreign trading posts and distant adventures.

Photo 1: This is my perception of the view of the desert traveler coming upon the city. He fights through the rugged terrain until through the dust  the city of Despina abruptly arises, almost as a mirage until he realizes the end of his journey. 

Photo 2: This is the point of view of the sailor as he arrives to Despina. To the sailor, the city appears as a Mediterranean port which houses countless exciting foreign wares and goods.Like the previous photo the town retains tall towers and spires in the distance. 

Photo 3 and 4: This is the physical representation of the point of view of the desert traveler. As he comes upon the gates of Despina he longs to visit the busy port located along the coast of the city. However, much like the desert traveler there too exists sailors waiting at the ports longing the warm equatorial climate, and the freedom associated with open land.

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Understanding the True Architecture of the Pentagon Memorial

As a civil engineer throughout this course I have had a hard time understanding and interpreting the more artistic sides of architecture. However, after Ms. Beckman’s lecture I truly got a sense of what practical architecture is and how it greatly parallels civil engineering. Ms. Beckman was the finalist out of 1200 people to be accepted as the design for the pentagon memorial. Her design she stated was to be one that catered to the family members of those who had passed away during the attack. From an engineering perspective only cost, efficiency, and structural rigidity are of the main priority, and I think that is why it took a great architect like Ms. Beckman to design the memorial. First, the ground on which the park sits was not ideal to bear the load of visitors and the metalworks of the memorial. In addition, the design of the benches in the park were far from being structurally ideal-truly and engineering nightmare.  

However, looking from a more emotional perspective the park was above exceptional in capturing the impact of such an attack. Ms. Beckman had three requirements for her park and that was to have running water, a place to be seated, and shade to protect visitors. The first two requirements were accomplished by her unique bench design. Each bench in the park is made up of a shiny plane looking metal that is seemingly floating on a bed of water. Each bench represented one of the lives that was lost during the attack and all the benches were oriented along the same axis with which the plane collided with the building. In addition to this the benches were arranged by age with the youngest victims placed on the southerly side of the project and proportionately distanced by years to older victims.

As stated earlier this lecture was quite pivotal as it finally clicked as to how architecture tells a story. Everything from the placement of the benches the species of tree planted in the park and even the use of gravel in the park all served to tell the story of the 9/11 attack, and the people who were affected.

Sources: all pictures taken from Ms.Beckman’s presentation

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The Successes of Net Zero Design

(Guest Blog 2)

As sustainability and general environmentalism become more mainstream I find that James Rose’s Net Zero Design Projects are quite apt in their attempt to highlight the ability of smart structures. The main aspect of the design that I thought was most useful was the concept of passive heating and cooling. This refers to the process of designing a structure that works with the nearby surrounding environment to minimize excessive energy usage for a buildings heating and cooling. As with the design for the living light structure I found their simple approach to heating and cooling their structure was quite impressive. During the winter air enters into wall units where it is heated up by the sun and then enters the living space. For cooling in the summer air from beneath the room decking can enter the living space. In addition to this however, the whole efficiency of the living space is spear headed by state of the art software that seemingly runs the house. For instance, during the day interior lights are dimmed or turned off if exterior light sensors detect brightness of the sun.

While the living light structure truly excelled at what it was good at there were many problems in its showcase that I find hard to integrate into modern home construction at a commercial scale. For instance, I feel that passive heating and cooling is not as viable in a regular sized suburban home as it was for the mobile home. Despite, this setback I feel that the decade of net zero design that Mr.Rose reflected on in his presentation has started to make an impact in the home-improvement market. Products like the Nest Home system and Ecobee have cropped up which serve  to help minimize energy loss by learning user behaviors to automatically adjust home temperatures.

Overall, I really enjoyed Mr. Rose’s presentation regarding the living light project as well as net zero design in general. While we have come far in more environmentally friendly building design I feel like we still have far more to learn.

Sources: All slides taken from Mr.Rose’s presentation

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The Binary Library

On Monday April 24 I also visited the presenation regarding the binary library. This project was slated to be built in the interior space found at the EVOLVE Building at 901 Mountcastle St close to the University of Tennessee Campus. The goal of the project was to provide an engaging and fun technology library for underprivileged children living In the Fort Sanders area. Specifically one objective for the library was to provide coding courses for children to bring them closer to today’s fast paced technological revolution as well as provide skills for children to pursue a computer science degree.

I think the student did an amazing job in her attempt to build a functional space that served to excite children in pursuing a technological occupation. The space was designed to adopt a kind of CNN war room feel with several monitors that provided a livestream of the activity of the library. The main architectural design element that was adopted in this project was a modular ceramic tile wall. The student went into great length describing how curved tiles would be fitted on a specially designed metal mounting wall and could easily be interchanged for whatever purpose. I liked how the durability of the ceramic too would provide for some separation between rooms and would also serve to provide protection from the constant stimulus of technology that the library seemed to have. In addition to the tile wall another important architectural element of the project was a room with a huge amphitheater styled seating area. Harking back to the tiles mentioned previously this room was used to again provide an area away from all the technology the seating area rises up to the ceiling and the whole room consists of acoustical felt squares that serve to dampen all the excessive noise found in the computer labs.

Overall, I really liked the design of this project however much like the reviewers I found it quite sad that, while the student spent a lot of time developing the modular tile wall, the only room in which the tile wall was utilized was the bathroom. This was due to the fact that the tile would end up echoing all the computer noise which would result in a room that just amplified any noise.

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Youth Mental Health Outreach

On Monday April 24 I visited the presentation of the YMHO. the main purpose of the project was to provide a psychiatric counseling center to youth that come from underprivileged low income areas. In addition to this the site was to serve an additional purpose as an academic research space for the University of Tennessee’s Department of Psychology. Presumably both university professors as well as graduate students could visit the space in an attempt to give back to inner city Knoxville adolescents in either one-on-one or group meetings as well as open walk in clinics.

I felt that the students main concept behind her design was to develop a highly functional space that would also offer some diversity to traditional office spaces that traditionally serve as therapy clinics. One of her most developed designs was an intricate partition wall that mimicked the design of a butterfly scales. Additionally however the design consisted of many partitions so that rooms could be adapted to accommodate bigger groups as well as individual appointments. Finally, the project implemented larger partitions known as dividers. These basically served as a more robust partition that was either lowered into place or could be slid into place and that could create more office space or again to house smaller appointments.

Overall, I felt that this design was lacking something. While addmitedly being unfamiliar to the architecture process listening to the presentation of the project it felt like nothing new was being presented by the student. I mean we have all heard of room partitions before. Finally, I found it interesting to note how quickly the reviewers were able to put themselves in the space as well as immediately understand the students decision making behind the project and find faults in it. Most notably, how they immediately realized how so many partitions would be counted to the student’s objective and would be closing up the space instead of opening it up which served as psychologically opening up the mind of the patients instead of making them feel claustrophobic.

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Squeezed Dry

Yves-Behar's studio partnered with startup Juicero to design a high end keurig style fruit and vegetable juicer. The juicer emphasizes simplicity and ease by utilizing proprietary preprocessed fruit and vegetable saches. Each sache must be purchased individually and and once used can be recycled meaning no washing of the device components. Once inserted the device compresses the saches at a specific pressure to give the contents of the sache a "cold press", and the whole process takes roughly two minutes.

Similar to many of the initial reactions to the device I find that it is outrageous and useless especially at its price of $400. The device boasts a clean aluminum industrual design, but only serves as a countertop art piece. Saches contain qr codes that the juicer scans. When saches have expired the juicer automatically rejects them from being processed. In addition, saches can only be bought from juicero's website, and only customers of the juicero are permitted to the juice sache store. On top of this, while trying to integrate wifi capabilities the juicero relies on it, so much so that without wifi connectivity the juicer will not operate.

Ultimately, juicero has fallen extremely flat. After its uninspiring release the device only became viral after harsh social media criticism brought it to popularity. In addition, after several news organizations were able to get their hands on the device it was revealed that the vegetable saches only contained juice that oculd be squeezed by hand. I think that the release of this device is influential in describing the rise of planned obsolesence and the limitations put onto consumer products. Ultimately the technology market will be heading this way whether it is i phones and smartphones, or in this case a juicer.

https://www.dezeen.com/2017/04/20/yves-behar-juicero-juicer-reputation-shredded-social-media-design-technology-news/

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       A Bond Made 11:208-278

The action of this passage reminds me of the great power of a male’s ego. So entrenched Lemminkainen is in his search for the most beautiful lady that he has a lack of regard for anything outside his mission. The music of this section is especially dynamic with long symphonic runs that plunge into sections of aggressive flutters mimicking the aggression and furry of Lemminkainen’s. Ultimately as Lemminkainen achieves his mission, obtaining Kyllikki the music resolves into a slow nothingness. Much of this reminds me of the scenes in Disney movies where the Beast in Beauty and the Beast ,for example, has captured Belle and wrapped up in his fury he has forgotten basic politeness until he calms himself with guidance from his castle staff.

  A Bond Broken 12:65-135

Again Lemminkainen’s action are guided by his ego. The anger inside him is grows larger and larger in his head only stoked by his logical ineptness. Again this is reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast when the townspeople attempt to find and kill the Beast. So ready they are to find evil in the Beast and kill him that they forgot why they are angry. The music of this section I feel reiterates my opinion. Instead of the same symphonic regalia of the first passage that accompanies scenes of war and action, the music of this section highlights the fear and anguish of Lemminkainen’s mother.

    The Demon’s Elk 13:101-172

As Lemminkainen sets out on his hunt he enters the loneliness of the Lapland’s wildlife. He tirelessly skies hunting after the Demon’s Elk. Capturing it finally but in its rage it escapes and leaves Lemminkainen with broken skis and blunt weapons. The calmness of the music of the passage confuses me. I feel that the passage regarding the hunt should be filled with excitement, but this passage is quite slow almost reflecting Lemminkainen’s success and maybe his realization of his ego and arrogance.

1.       Elk,Horse, Swan 14: 397-460

Just as I thought Lemminkainen had just realized the uselessness of his effort in finding a second wife this section proves to me his fatal flaw in reason. Lemminkainen continues his journey and captures the Demon’s Elk. However his journey does not stop here and as he must find and kill a  swan to appease Louhi and marry her daughter. His renewed vigor is marked by the action and intensity of the music in this section. Unfortunately just as the music comes to an abrupt halt so does Lemminkainen’s life as he is killed by the blind man of Northland. In many ways Lemminkainen reminds me of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. Always right and so egocentric he is essentially blinded by his demeanor.

Sources:

http://www.audienceseverywhere.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/belle-beast-angry.jpg

http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/gaston.jpg

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/poohadventures/images/b/b6/Gaston's_Death.png/revision/latest?cb=20130706031432

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The Growth of Tiny Living

Slowly as we enter the second decade of the 21st century the trend of tiny or small living is finally on the rise. More popular in the eastern hemisphere the whole concept emphasizes on the idea of minimal living spaces to accomodate larger number of people on a drastically smaller ecological and economical footprint. With Tokyo known for its futuristic pod style hotel rooms Chinese architect Zhang Ke has introduced an upscale approach in the ancient Beijing neighborhood of Hutong.

I think the success of this project is very important regarding the future of smaller living. Ke created a 30 sqaure meter living unit however he also was able to reinvigorate an older, dying neighborhood showing its living potential. He did an impeccable job in assimilating a newer strucutre to a historically old area. The mismatch of the living units is meant to match the same disproportion naturally found in hutong. In addition, the concrete that made up the walls of the structure were dyed with a Chinese ink and left unfinished to correspond to the rough design of the city.

   https://www.dezeen.com/2017/04/03/zhang-ke-zaostandardarchitecture-micro-hostel-tiny-concrete-rooms-beijing-hutong/

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The Size of Particles

As I ride down the valley I can feel the increasingly feel the impact of the smallest pebbles on the soles of my feet gripping the board. As the long road lines flicker past me and I am humbled by the scale of the world surrounding me. Much like the pebbles of the road I am a pebble in comparison to the mountains around me. The finitude of my size is humbling as I feel a particle racing down the road as the rocky hillside turns into lush green pastures. As I race past the waterfall I first hear the mist of the aerated spray before I feel the airy particles tickle my face. The long winding roads seamlessly slither unending until the small village reappears as a glinting speck in the distance. As I reach the village the my spatial significance seems to increase as I am surrounding by small buildings and their proportional amenities.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT_Wuzag6VU

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Let There Be Light

kea has taken a leap into more tech savvy furniture by developing its first smart home lighting system. While this is still quite a budding market ikea has taken no originality to their approach. With devices like the nest thermostat and smoke detector system to the Phillips hue comprehensive wireless lighting system Ikea has not brought much to the game. I think however Ikea's Tradfri line will however be very successful if they choose to further develop.

Despite being late to the market with their release of the light system Ikea has brought some features that other more expensive systems lack. First, for many people who want to simply update their home lighting Ikea has a very easy plug 'n play system. With a simple remote and two of their bulbs users can easily renovate with a remote controlled light switch. However with this being the basic configuration Ikea allows upgrades like motion sensors, as well as a fully app controlled remote lighting hub.

I think Ikea could truly win this market if they choose to fully invest in a smart home atmosphere. With many different companies providing their own smart home solutions, users are left with having to download multiple apps to control their homes. If Ikea creates many home integrated devices such as door knobs, garage door openers, thermostats, etc housed all in one app could convince many customers to integrate their system.  

Source:https://www.dezeen.com/2017/03/29/ikea-smart-home-products-tradfri-lighting-series-design-technology/

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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty_des.seq1.

From Rocks to Sea For me the architecture of this scene alone very much parallels the theme of this movie. In the beginning we see that much how Walter feels at home he is alone and feels as a single identity residing in a vast expanse. The architecture and the framing of these scenes emphasize that. Mitty is placed as a single dot amongst vast slabs of rocky hills and structures. In addition the architecture of the scenes try to explan the emotions of MItty. He feels nothing at home and this is mimiced by the scenery of infinite rocks and almost no vegetation with regards to mossy patches. Next the architecture of this scene continually points down. The whole scene has Mitty plunging down a seemingly endless road that leads down to the only civilization. I find it interesting how the closer he gets to the city the more vegetation and water sources pop up. As Mitty reaches his half way point the frame is almost completely occupied by a waterfall and we see Mitty ride past a small herd of sheep. It is at this point that Mitty can be seen expressing joy as his metaphorical trip from lonliness and desolation in the mountains leads to life and happiness found in the village. Finally the ride ends abruptly in the village. The frame leading to his stop is full of trees and grass, and his the final frame is filled with a house and a river in the background furthering the idea of the descent from barren land to plentiful fields.

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Communal Caravans

I find that this article regarding communal cars marks a significant trend in the younger generation regarding vehicular travel. First, there is a strong interest for a more upscale and convenient public transportation system. Second, the need or desire for individually owned cars is decreasing. As noted by the American Public Transportation Association the millennial generation's transportation methods cannot simply be described with the recent popularity of services like Uber and Lyft. In essence, with a very modern and technology focused lifestyle the millennial generation prefers a multimodal transportation system, and this can be seen with the constant launch of services and concept companies like IDEO's communal cars.

IDEO's concept car is set to work like a revamped neighborhood carpool service. Much like traditional ride services the car is booked with a mobile device and customers are notified of its arrival. However, with this new innovation there are several marked differences. First, the car adopts a pod like environment for travelers much like an airplane. I find the interesting approach to this service in that it works like public transport however there is almost no human interaction with the service's company. This can prove both good and bad. Many times lack of human interaction speeds up processes, however as with vehicular travel, human interaction is a major component. Ultimately, I find that while the development of this technology is quite promising, however there needs to be a greater proportion of self driving cars already on roads for this service to prosper. With the confusion and unpredictability of human driving ability in today's commuter world I find that this car could prove too much of a liability.

Source: https://www.dezeen.com/2017/03/11/ideo-envisions-future-ride-sharing-concept-communal-car-design-transport-technology/

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A Pounce in the Right Direction

Former army logistics officer Nigel Gifford has created the Pouncer Drone to help supply humanitarian aid to inaccessible and remote locations of the earth. Designed in three sizes to carry 20, 50, and 100 kilograms respectively the drone is meant to be a form a "supplementary aid delivery system".  

While I am in no way against humanitarian aid I feel that there are several problems regarding the drone's specific delivery system. The drone is unconventional in the sense that it is not exactly a drone, but a glider. Requiring a catapult or other launching system from planes and helicopters the plane is quite resource exhaustive for only being able to deliver 100 kgs. I feel that the same aid can be achieved by simply air dropping aid packages like in world war two. Adding to the problems of its gliding design the pouncer has no remote or autonomous control. Once it is launched the magnitude and direction of its kinematic travel cannot be manipulated. Once it leaves its launching system the pouncer cannot be guided to its destination and is left to whatever nature has to offer.

Despite the many criticisms, there are some good things that are associated with the porject. First the glider is being designed with biodegradability and upcycling in mind. Currently the wings are made out of plywood that is meant to be used as a fire source with final plans for it to be made from edible food components. In addition to this, the main selling point of the device is its extremely low production cost as well as delivery time as a first response vehicle.

Finally, in today’s rapid popularity of drone usage I think it is very exciting that the technology is being applied outside of weekend recreation and military application. While the drone is an extremely promising humanitarian aid device. From an engineering perspective there is still many kinks I find that need to be ironed out.

https://www.dezeen.com/2017/02/23/edible-pouncer-drone-delivers-aid-victims-natural-disasters-conflict-technology-design/

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An Impressive Solution

Much like any student at the beginning of the fall semester after packing as many of my belongings into my car and arriving  in Knoxville I begin the frustrating ritual of setting up my new apartment. While loading boxes of clothes, kitchenware, linens, and cumbersome pieces of furniture up the several flights of stairs, I wonder, as I always do this time of year, "how could I make this process easier". Finally, Ikea has found a way! In an attempt to alleviate customer complaints of furniture assembly processes Ikea has finally developed a method for assembling furniture without the use of metal fillings, allen keys, or any other tools. utilizing a new wedge dowel fitting, Ikea has now created a new Lisabo line where furniture can simply be fitted together.

While the creation in it of itself is quite revolutionary as an engineer I cannot help think about the far reaching industrial and logistic benefits it too has on the industry. Without needing those dreaded allen keys, all the easily lost metal parts, and the useless instruction pamphlets Ikea will drastically be lessening there environmental foot print as well as cost. I think this innovation marks an interesting change in the globalization of the world. Now, as companies are increasing multinational people are moving at an increasing rate. It is especially impressive how Ikea is tailoring their furniture to meet the needs of the changing demographic.

https://www.dezeen.com/2017/03/06/ikea-introduce-furniture-snaps-together-minutes-without-requiring-tools/?li_source=base&li_medium=bottom_block_1

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Small Town Jackson

Growing up on the corner of Magnolia and Central in the mid 1980's life in Jackson was very polarizing. As the world around us was rapidly changing with racial reforms and general progressiveness following President Jimmy Carter's term it felt as if Jackson was a neglected child left to fester. However, I was one of the lucky ones. Momma always taught me that the only way to get anywhere is hard work, and I listened unlike Damian my older brother. I took her words to heart study hard in high school focused on my education and got out of there and got accepted to college in Stanford. That was thirty years ago, and I had never went back until the summer of 2010.

Driving back through the same childhood streets was a surreal experience. Jackson was always a pushed aside town. It was shocking to see the new elementary schools, shopping strips, and overall development. However, what was so shocking was the new library where my summers were spent hiding in books escaping the reality that surrounded me. I stopped immediately at the parking lot with all other thoughts and responsibilties escaping me. The industrial design was starkly contrasting to the quaint structure that was called a library during my childhood. Taking a moment to look around I decided to enter from the back. The gigantic curtian wall the greeted me gave a modern industrial look to the building adding to the sleek concrete walls. Inside I was greeted by large concrete pillars and thinly angled hallways. The perpendicularity of the bookshelves and walls gave the whole library floor an office feel. While the industrial look the the main library was very impressive and showed the clear development of the town it was saddening to see the loss of the homey library I grew up to. I feel the library marks the transition of the town from one of a southern cast down township to a developing urban center.

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Zumthor: “ People often say ‘a lot of work went into this’ .... Are the effort and skill put into them really inherent in the parts of the things we make?”

To me it seems as if Zumthor is querying whether an audience of a piece of work truly understand how much effort was put into said piece. Personally, I do not think so. Take for instance Star Wars pictured above. With exception to those working with movie props, no viewer of the movie truly understood the amount of work it took to develop the practical effects needed. However, instead I believe that when executed perfectly true hard work is manifested as seamless and simple. In the case of Star Wars, the effects were so perfectly created and filmed that, for the time, watching the intergalactic battles appeared as if it were occuring in front of the audience. 

Growing up in South Texas on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, it was a common occurrence for my family to visit Kemah Boardwalk. As an aspiring Civil Engineer, it is easy to now look at the park and understand the practical design and architectural layout. However, as a kid, everything seemed so packed as if the park was trying to put as many rides, booths, vending stands, and even an aquarium all in one spot. Driving up to the boardwalk we would always pass a recreational harbor with what felt like hundreds of small boats all docked. Walking through the immense boardwalk attractions, you would almost forget you are standing just tens of feet from the Gulf until a salty breeze hits your face. I will have the place forever sealed in my memory