All nighter galore.

Progress on the model so far..

In light of not sleeping the , my one cut wonder didn't work out so well...still missing some minor pieces. guess i will have to improvise!

The all nighter essentials....

and last but not least...... our last all-nighter together of undergrad here in the lab. we all look so grown up tired haha

One cut wonder

As the title reads i am attempting a one cut wonder. (i.e. one laser cut shot to cut the whole sectional model due to it being FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY FUN FUN FUN FUN! NOT!) I've followed Michael's approach and cut a section from my rhino model, now I just have to figure out each surface's material for the laser cut bed. *Sigh
(yes this project deserves a giant sigh)

But on the bright side the lab now has a new temporary HVAC system! Yay no more germ infested hot air!

P4B progress!

Its 5am and the lab is still 50 degrees and rising (no joke)
if it weren't for the fan blowing in my direction every five seconds I probably would've passed out by now.
It also means that its super crunch time for the entire department of architectural science so make sure you grab your lab comps! (3rd yrs have a deadline thurs and monday)

so far after many failed attempts at designing proper spaces for my building i've begun modeling the building in 3rd starting from the atrium.
its been really helpful to model the circulation spaces and be able to visualize everything in 3D.




As Michael also pointed out below, it will also be extremely helpful for when i need to laser cut my model this week! eeks!
There are still a million things to figure out, such as my facade, structure, component. And these are all pretty much crucial things...so its time to get ready for a crazy week.
For those that need coffee to get us through the week... because we all drink an average of 1 starbucks drink per day (don't even try to deny it)...





May the force be with you.


Stay Tuned.

Pool Structure

As I proceed further with the project i've run into a couple problems with my design,

1) since excavating in the desert is uncommon i've proposed to have my pool space above ground, creating further problems with circulation, accessibility etc.
2) the average depth for diving is 9m but what i didn't take into consideration was the high heights that the diving towers may also have, creating huge spans for the pool spaces

thus there is still much to be resolved especially for the structure of my building,
i've looked at a couple precedents which may also help everyone else think about the structure of their buildings and the different ways in which it could be dealt with

Hughes Condon Marler Architects




Zaha Hadid - 2012 London Olympics Aquatics Centre

Colours of studio!

Thought i'd post something bright..fun and happy before the weekend of doom arrives...

As you can see, we've really made the studio space into our home. It gets progressively messier each day..









LAMP TIME!

Cirque Progress Post

It has been awhile since I last posted...maybe because I decided to drop out of school to join the circus (kidding!). However the experiences from today’s field trip did really give me a good sense of what the training area entails and how certain spaces are utilized. We’re so used to watching shows like Cirque du Soleil as audiences from the theatre performance setting that it is often difficult to imagine what goes on behind the scenes and what the acrobatic training space is really like. So my design is based off of the values that Cirque du Soleil carries within its program. Based on my research, Cirque du Soleil is heavily involved in water management within their buildings and also chooses to use water in many of their individual shows and programs. The founder of Cirque, Guy Laliberté, also started a foundation called the One Drop foundation which aims to provide access to clean water for countries all over the world. Through the success of Cirque du Monde, performers use circus, visual and multimedia arts along with folklore, popular theatre, music and dance to encourage change in communities. In addition to raising awareness of water-related issues by entertaining and educating, ONE DROP works side by side with local partners to improve living conditions of disadvantaged communities through access and responsible use of natural resources, especially water.

As a result of this, I envisioned my building design to have a very fluid form, replicating the movements of water. There are obviously many programmatic issues that need to be revised as well as further design changes. I’ve based the programming of my building from what I perceived to be most important in Cirque values: Change, Creativity, and Community. Thus, most community spaces such as the cafe, the lobby, outdoor area etc, are in a central/atrium like space that connects the other spaces where change and creativity happen.
Here are some following sketches so far...


For my component design I wanted to design my envelope to replicate a water movement but at the same time allow it to be utilized for certain functions such as shading or ventilation. With these ideas in mind, I wanted to implement windows as part as a large glazing system that would pivot in a perpendicular direction to the facade of the building. The pivoting windows would be rippled glass of some sort and would create subtle shadows of moving water within the interior spaces during the day. During the night, the rippled glass would create blurred impressions from the human movements inside the training space which would give the effect of movements in water. Due to the fact that these windows would pivot and therefore are operable, it allows for ventilation which would pass through the training space and exit from operable windows in the roof.




The trouble i’m having is designing the component with a facade system that would give the appropriate effect i’m looking for, yet at the same time I don’t want the facade to be entirely saturated with these rippled glass windows. Still lots to figure out...time is running out =(.

Trampoline Tricks

Hey Guys,
So following the introduction of project 4, I found a video that some of you might find interesting.
It's a video of someone doing trampoline tricks at this venue in Richmond Hill called Skyriders Trampolining. They used to take us here in elementary school for field trips when I was even more little than I am now...
It was a terrifying experience on these trampolines because there's no controlling how high or how far out you're able to jump so our trip to the Circus in the near future will be interesting...



It really gives you a sense of the type of scale and height required for these facilities! Of course following Adryanne's video post, some of the other specific Cirque du Soleil performances require heights that reach much higher for activities aside from just trampolining.

UNLV Charette Follow-Through: Desert Condition Example

Unlike other programs that only learn about architecture and design within a single climate zone, Ryerson and UNLV were able to leverage the charette as a platform to learn about the regional differences in construction practice, sustainable design strategies, and biomimetic approaches. 

It should be emphasized that all the work presented from the charette was done in large groups of seven students with relatively little familiarity with the design challenge.  Aside from the logistics and organizational behaviour issues that precipitate entropy and prolonged design decision making, the extremely limited time constraints created an interesting challenge for the students.  Fortunately the students were able to develop a good starting point for their designs during the charette.  The subsequent resolution executed by individual students at Ryerson kept the same rigor as they were only given 40 hours to reassess their design responses to the critical feedback from the charette at UNLV.

Once again, this is a sample of the material from the initial charette concept except in an arid condition:

Samples of Razmig's Design:

Samples of Marcella's Design:

Samples of Jessica's Design:

More Vegas!

So it's been a longggg week in Vegas and by long I mean I think I'm actually looking forward to going home?
Sitting on the not so spectacular side of McCarran airport waiting for my delayed red-eye flight back to Toronto gives perfect opportunity to update with a few more photos..


Can't go anywhere in Vegas without your sunglasses.


We learned very quick that the streets are filled with eavesdroppers. Our suspicious friend Bryan here : "Did you say Tao?"


Happily taking the ride up to the Venetian Shops...


Only to take them down on the other side again. How very necessary.


Vegas isn't just for adults but for children too! Too bad all the characters are distorted.


Jeff again at the Springs Preserve showing us the trap door in the wall..revealing Straw Bale underneath!

Cactus Skeletons


One of the many many buffets we ate, and also one of the best at Bellagio. (where we also saw Mike Tyson...not even kidding)


REALLY??

Penn and Teller!

Christmas Ornaments on Fremont Street

La Familia