March Extra Blog

For this meeting the Pasadena team met at Marshall high school, in order to work on our annual design project. Our set goal was to redue the model and for both an architectural and engineering structural model. For this meeting we worked on the structural models of the building and established the columns that hold the loads of the building weight on each floor level. One thing that I found very interesting was the concept of making a ceiling thicker in width can eliminate the need for columns, which is what we implicated within the lobby of the theater. For every floor we had to indicate support columns every twenty feet throughout the building in order to hold the building's weight loads. For the roof plan we had to put decks on the roof to support the metal shingles that run along the roof top. The reason why we put decks to hold up the shingles is because if the shingles spand over twenty feet the load of the shingles will eventually start to concave inward; so the decks help to keep the load from the shingles from concaving inward.  I thought that it was a great experience to learn how to construct the structural model in the engineer perspective; since the job of an architect is to be educated in all fields that contribute to the construction of a building.

Blog 18: Third Answer

Essential Question:
     What is the best way for an architect to incorporate natural surroundings in a building design?

Answer #3: In order to include nature into a design, an architect needs to help sustain its natural surroundings first through a process known as green design.

• Green design is a design concept that shifts its purpose to establishing buildings through the process of environmentally responsible, resource-efficient, and a sustainable methodology in order to benefit the health of the environment as well as the users. This answer is not involve a direct implication of nature into the design, but rather offers an approach to sustain the natural environment around its environment through different methods of design.
• Utilizing local sources of Energy: this is a concept that varies from region to region but based on your site location, as an architect you can research local/norm weather patterns in order to obtain a general idea of what of which renewable energy is most suitable for the design's location. Example: This concept can be applied to a building located in a sub-desert terrain where the solar energy is most viable. To further this idea a region that is predominately sunny can have more daylight verses electrical lighting, through the design of open-set windows and doors. Building Example: 30 The Bond, Sydney
• Regional Materials: when designing a green building architects need to consider a selection of materials that will best benefit the health of the user as well as the surrounding environment. In order to accomplish this task as the architect he or she must educate themselves in the local resource materials available around the site location. The reasoning why local materials are preferred is when you consider the cost factor of how much energy did it take to assemble/ship your product. Example: when choosing a product you don't want a product that is made/assembled in China, since the energy required to ship that product to the United States defeats the purpose of being resource-efficient. In Southern California, timber is a local natural resource which can be utilized in the frame work of building design.
• Reduction of Waste: this concept is mainly based off the materials chosen in the building design. The way this concept is applicable to sustaining the environment is through the use of recycled building materials. This in turn encourages companies to produce products that are contrived from recycled resources. In turn relieving the strain on much needed landfills. Examples: Reuse Centers located throughout each county, using refurbished materials such as scrap metal for the outer structure of a building design.
• Resource:
• Henderson, Holley. "Becoming a Green Building Professional." John Wiley and Sons Inc., Canada 2012. Print.
• Conclusion: Green design is not a direct implication of incorporating nature into a building design, but rather an idea that involves sustaining nature in local areas to overall benefit the environment.

Blog 17: Fourth Interview Questions

1. What are some of the various ways in which an architect can incorporate nature?

2. How can an architect best educate themselves on designing an atrium, that preserves the pre-existing site using the design philosophy of nature's envelope?

3. How does green design benefit nature?

4. How can an architect best learn from nature, in order to establish a more innovative design?

5. In what ways can an architect take the steps necessary to create a biomimic design?

6. Are there any other examples of biomorphic architects other than Frank Lloyd Wright or Antoni Gaudi?

7. How can an architect best establish a biomorphic design, through their observations of nature?

8. How much background does an architect need in biology in order to establish a biomimic design?

9. When designing a green roof what does an architect need to keep in mind?

10. What are the various ways in which an architect can incorporate foliage into the interior of the design?

11. How can an architect best preserve the form and structure of a hill or incline when incorporating a building?

12. How can an architect compare the form and statue of a tree to the foundation and structure of a building?

13. How can an architect best design a building that maximizes the most efficient use of shape and hierarchy through the overall  structural form and individual elements?

14. In what ways can an architect learn to use their local natural resources to integrate into their design?

15. In terms of green materials, how extensive can an architect design a green building?

16. How can architects best learn from pre-established green designs?

17. How can a building complement its site or environment?

18. In what various ways can an architect incorporate native foliage into an already established site, for example like a gas station?

19. In terms of design inspired by natural form, how can an architect know his or her limitations on the design in order to create a practical and functional design?

20. Are there any methods of incorporating nature into a design other than green design, biomimicry, biomorphic design, and preserving the pre-established site?