Blog 10: Senior Project, The Holiday

1. What did you do over the break involving your senior project?

• Over the winter break I spent much of my time researching and finding sources to add to my WB. For one of the additional sources I found was a book called 101 things I learned in Architecture School. Another thing I was worked on was calculating the square footage for our new project "building a Movie Theater" and figuring out different floor plans.

2. What was the most important thing you learned from what you did and why?

• The most important thing I learned from doing research on one source was the fact that if you want to be recognized for your designs you have to forget about what you want the building to look like and instead ask yourself what does the building prefer to look like? By considering the concerns and needs of your client, and the nature of your site, you can ultimately achieve a recognition. This is important piece of advice or experience can help you in the long run of your professional career field by achieving good recognition you can in the end expand your cliental through referrals.
• On the other hand by learning how to use the scale system for design plans I was able to uniquely design a structure that is fit to our mentorship project required square footage. This skill is important to learn since it helps you to realistically visualize how big a room needs to be in order to be practical and comfortable for the user.

3. If you were going to do a ten question interview on questions related to answers of your EQ, who would you talk to and why?
I would talk to my mentor Rachel Adams who is a graduate architect from Georgia Tech. Rachel has design experience in a number of recognized projects such as Valley Regional High School for the Los Angeles school institute. Rachel Adams design philosophy is to establish quality architecture that is respectable to the nature as well as environment and is highly concerned with her cliental needs.

December Extra Blog

On this particular meeting we went to the kpff consulting engineers firm. This firm was where some of our structural engineer mentors worked. The interesting fact about this particular building was that it was the part of Pasadena’s chamber of commerce. What I found to be most intriguing was the fact that when the building was being renovated, kpff decided to keep some of the building's history in it by preserving some existing features.

 

 

During the ACE meeting, the Pasadena Team had taken a tour of the building and gotten to see our mentors workspace. After we went over to the kpff conference room there we were introduced to a short diagram.  

The diagram was informal displaying a basic image of what a typical structure is made of various components. First concrete is set as a foundations and steel beams are set in place vertically and perpendicular steel columns are established to support the slab between the secondary beam.

 



Our mentors also explained the various viewpoints in order of importance when constructing a building. For example a structural engineers' order of importance is safety is the number one priority when designing a building then serviceability (being designed in a practical and user friendly manner, and respectable purpose,) build ability (designing a building that is easy to construct and not problematic,) appearance (aesthetics.) An architects main concern is focused on appearance the atmosphere of the building and how the design creates fluidity. For a contractor his focus is on the build ability of the design and how practical it is to build. The owner or client is concerned with the value of their design, being that they want to get the most worth out of their money.

 

 

 The main topic we spoke of during our meeting was scale and the purpose of how its used to create designs in an optimal amount of space. What I learned from this meeting was that since buildings in actual size cannot be drawn onto paper we conserve space by using scale drawings. Based on what scale you chose: 1/8, 1/16, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 3/8, 3/4, 1 1/2, 3 inch. you have to calculate the total area of the square footage of a room and the width and length in order to make the design practical for the user.



November Extra Blog

On Thursday the 26th of November the Pasadena Team went on a field trip to a local engineer firm, known as TTG (TMAD, TAYLOR, GAINS.) As a group we were introduced to two specialists in their field a Mechanical Engineer and an Electrical Engineer. You could tell that both the engineers when they talked about their past education and job experience were passionate about their career and loved what they were doing. The Mechanical Engineer had majored as an Aerospace Engineer, but became licensed to engineer and design buildings. This was because the Mechanical Engineer found it rewarding to have a finished product and in aerospace engineering many project designs never make it to space and there is a slim chance of seeing a finished product. On the other hand the Electrical Engineer had lived in India and his family had all majored as Anesthesiologists and he went for his dreams to become an Electrical Engineer and not follow in the same footsteps as his family. After the Electrical Engineer moved to the United States and got his license in California; and he loves working at his job and all the positive rewards you get as an engineer. Both the engineers when introducing there company spoke of how there office is becoming more sustainable with new renewable energy, and wanted to show us how they are contributing to renewable energy by having us fill out a the sustainability scavenger hunt paper on labeled renewable energy items throughout our guided tour. After meeting with the two engineers we went on our guided tour of the building. One of the most interesting features about the building was the way it was designed in angle to promote community and communication from all the engineers' office spaces and the head corporate offices. At one our stops on the guided tour we met a civil engineer and he had showed us how he designs air filtration systems and plumbing systems using computer drafting programs in both 2-D and 3-D. The Civil Engineer had also explained that based on the number of maximum occupancy of the building influences the designing of the air and plumbing systems in order to meet the needs of the users properly. What I took out from this ACE Mentorship meeting was the fact that being passionate about your career can influence your work efforts and becoming an engineer is tough path but once you are there you are using problem based skills to solve certain circumstances to work alongside your colleagues and to make the project function as a whole.

Blog 9: EQ

1. "I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ."

2. Tell us if it meets the rule of 3 criteria. Tell why it does or why it doesn't.

My Working EQ: "What is the best way for an architect to incorporate the natural surroundings in a building design?"

In response to the rule of 3 criteria: When carefully analyzing my EQ, I found that my EQ did fit the rule of 3 criteria, and below I have supported my response to each of the 3 criteria.

• Providing a framework for studies:

                  My current essential question allows me to access a wide-range of research, offering many open-ended questions. Within my EQ, my question states "what is the best way" this choice of words presents to any viewer that my question can be answered in more than one way. The reason why my EQ can be answered in multiple ways is that you can find many "best ways...to incorporate" nature into a building design; in which all answers can equally be considered "the best way." For example one of my current answers to my Essential Question is through the use of observation many architects can learn the forms of nature's structure and incorporate their observations into a project design. Another possible answer to my EQ is by literally incorporating nature into your design by designing a building that is engineered to mold around pre-existing land marks to purposely not harm the pre-existing cite.

• Taking a stance:

                 Overall my EQ offers an extensive outlook of research, which include facts, historic and modern examples, as well as methods of how to incorporate nature into your design. Keeping in mind that our EQ must argue or support our point can be represented with the word choice of arguing "what is the best way...to incorporate" nature into a building design. This phrase allows me to explore and support my EQ by defending my research supported response answers by finding the "best ways."

• Formatting:

                The wording within my EQ is grammatically correct as well as it uses appropriate language to offer an open-ended response. My EQ uses specific phrases in order to get a specific point across particularly pertaining to  the "best way."

2.
a.  What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?

• This question does not meet the rule of 3 criteria since it can only be answered through a factual based standpoint tying to the stance criteria to argue a point.  

b.  What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?

• This question does not follow the criteria, because its formatting is not specific to defining the EQ. For example "What is most important" instead of address the EQ in that format the EQ could have been worded like "What is the most important factor" (this way specific addresses a factor when securing a conviction.)

c.  What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?

• This question does not follow the criteria, because its formatting is not specific to defining the EQ. For example "What is most important" instead of address the EQ in that format the EQ could have been worded like "What is the most important factor" (this way specific addresses a factor when creating a hairstyle.)

d.  How can an Anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?

• This question does follow the three rule criteria since it offers an elaborate study of different ways an Anesthesiologist can best treat chronic pain. In addition, this question takes a stances that can argue a variety of different standpoints on how to best treat chronic pain. Lastly the formatting on this quest does fit the criteria since it is very specific and clear on its point on "How...Anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?"

3. Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project.

How can an architect sufficiently incorporate nature into a building design?

October Extra Blog

For my Independent Component I had met up with the Design and Construction Committee of Habitat for Humanity, on October 9th. During our meet we discussed the present progress of previous Habitat builds in addition to the upcoming housing programs in process. After the meeting I was given the chance to view certain design layouts. I found it very interesting in analyzing from the floor plan to the roof plan, and getting to see all the components that make up the structure of a house. What I would take from this meeting, is to learn how the layout of a build is logically placed.   

Blog 8: Research & Working EQ

1.  What is your working EQ?
-What is the best way for an architect to incorporate the natural surroundings in a building design?

2.  What is a possible answer to your working EQ?

- By using observation and analytical skills, architects can best understand and define their natural surroundings in a project design, allowing them to incorporate surrounding natural elements into their design.

3.What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?

-New Organic Architecture: The Breaking Wave by Pearson, David

 

 

4.  Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

-Currently I am volunteering at a program called ACE Mentorship. For the past two meetings our class had been focusing on collaborative work efforts as a team, by designing and constructing towers and bridges. This concept ties into the realistic aspects of how both architects and engineers work as a team to have a resulting product that is both structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing. My mentorship activities relate back to my EQ by covering the notion of how a building must have fluidity in all its external and internal components. In the theory organic architecture states that a building's materials must come together as one and no such material should be distinguished from on another; as well as the idea of using limited materials in organic architecture to express natural forms. Within my mentorship, building and designing a structure with restricted materials exposed us to the idea of "limited materials" used in organic architecture; in addition to the idea of fluidity throughout a building we as a group had to brainstorm how to utilize our assigned materials in order to create a structure where all its components tie in together without having any one of them that is useless or stands out.
 

Blog 7: Independent 1 Component Approval

1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

Recently I have been working/volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, (non-profit organization that provides housing for low-income families) the Pomona Valley H.F.H. Volunteer Coordinator Morgan Sternquist, explained to me that Habitat has a Design and Construction Committee. The Design & Construction Committee meets the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 3p.m. Our committee consists of volunteers, board members, artists, and licensed engineers as well as architects. During the meetings we as a committee will be discussing current and future activities happening on each different construction site. Currently, this month Habitat will be constructing the Green Design build in the city of Walnut, we as a committee will be discussing the Walnut design and also consider the city requirements. By joining this committee I expose myself to design project ideas, experience how to construct an idea, and tie my achieved knowledge in design into my essential question.

2.   Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

In order to prove I have completed my thirty hours I will continuously take photos to keep up dated on my progress. I will also take notes during each meeting, of important notations that apply to Habitat job sites or any details associated with my essential question. In addition, I would also like to use art work as evidence to show progress in my design theory and also create designs of my own by using the designs I am exposed to during our committee meetings.

3. And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.
On my own time, I will take several visits to pre-existing sites and take a sketch book in order to allow myself to analyze different architectural designs, and how to incorporate natural surroundings with in a design. I will specifically focus my attention on the design factor in my research, as well as asking key questions from professionals in the field how I could research my topic in a deeper depth.