April Extra Blog: Huntington Library

Today the ACE Pasadena Team went to the Huntington Library in order to view the process of construction. There we met Nathan and Lia who works for the construction firm called Matt Construction. Nathan was the construction manager of the new construction site at the Huntington Library, and Lia is the project engineer of the site. We were given a guided tour of the in process construction site, the first place we saw was the lecture hall.

( Inside the Banquet Hall Nathan was explaining all the internal workings of the project had how the engineers, plumbing, structural supports have to logically flow with one another in order to create a functional space that fits within a tightly framed area.)

Nathan had explained to use that it is important to have your structure durable but in some necessary areas your building also needs to be flexible. In addition we also learn from Nathan about a plan grid program app that allows you to do 3-D modeling of architectural and engineer drawings. Nathan also explained that the major problem faced in a construction site is the lack of communication between the architect, owner, engineer, and construction manager.

(I thought this piece of the design ties very well into the principles of organic architecture. Since the structure has a circular form instead of a geometric shape. In addition to the idea of incorporating nature into the design by having plants that are incorporated into the structure.)

One of the most interesting features that I found interesting within the site was the garden dome structure. This particular structure will be dedicated into incorporating natural foliage into the design, and its function is to sell plants. The structure will have a sun roof over the top of the awning and will be open to the outdoors.

(Secrete Tunnel...Shhh!)

In addition we also saw an underground tunnel that leads from the Huntington Library to the basement under the lecture hall. The purpose of this piece is to provide storage for rare books that the Huntington hold value in. How this tunnel is made is by using shot cret concrete which instead it has a more solidified consistency than regular concrete. How this concrete works is the construction crew only has to build one side of the frame instead of all four frame to create the definite shape, and then the concrete is shot onto the frame and then textured. One thing I learned was that usually when you see purple piping on a site its most likely reclaimed water that is being treated and processed.

(Another fact I learned was the building code for covering duct vents when not installed, because it creates health hazards for the users when overexposed to dust and the outdoor air.)

Next we also were told about the sewage drains and how they can separate cooking grease from the kitchen from water that is going to be treated. Later that treated water will then be used to irrigate any of Huntington's foliage, to promote sustainability.

Later I found an idea that related to my Answer 1 which was the idea of pre-serving the pre-existing site. What the construction crew did was relocate some of the plants to a different location in planter to protect from construction hazards. As well as relocated the soil that holds nutrients for vegetation and stored it in order to keep it from contamination of construction materials and chemicals.

Lastly we were told how much of the building waste is being recycle which is about seventy-five percent. An interesting method of recycling was taking the reclaimed concrete of a demolished building breaking it down into grains and it will be mixed later on to establish a new framework or foundation of a upcoming design.

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?

Febuary Extra Blog

(At my Mentor Kent's work getting ready for the Spotlight Event)

 



(This is the room where we signed in and got our name tags before we all met in the dinning hall for the event.)

 

(This photo was taken in the dinning room when our guest speaker The President of MetroLink was giving his speech.) 

 

This ACE event was very exciting, fun, and important occasion for ACE since it was a fundraising event, in which sponsors could see the progress of the program. This year the Pasadena Team (hint: our team) had been chosen to  represent the ACE program; our team’s lead mentor Kent Kaewwaen had to pick students that best represented ACE through their personal experience, and well-rounded view on the program’s purpose. Kent had chosen: Angelina, Antonio, and I, each one of had to focus of speech on certain events, projects, or activities that we learned from ACE. This event was very honoring and exciting for me since I was able to see how my mentor Kent had grown from also being in the ACE program during high school to becoming an accredited Structural Engineer and an ACE mentor for other students. Mainly I focused my speech on projects and how I have witnessed my peers, mentors, and I grow and learn from each other’s viewpoints, ideas, questions, and knowledge over the year. This event had also shown me the importance of networking, since this event is also to provide engineer, architecture, and contracting firms a wider range of contacts. One of the many highlights of the night was getting an opportunity to intern at the company called MetroLink by the President. As well as being able to talk to the President about how he started from a bus driver of MetroLink to becoming the President of the Los Angeles County MetroLink. Overall I had learned the importance of networking and thankful for the opportunity to represent the ACE program.

(Students chosen to represent ACE: Angelina and Antonio)

Blog 16: Advisory Meeting 2

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

Answer #2: The best way for an architect to incorporate natural surroundings into a building design is by observing natural surroundings in your environment and taking your observations to apply to a building design through its form or structure, this process is widely known as Biomorphic Architect. Through your observations you can also take from what you learned in nature and apply it to make more efficient solutions to design problems, or known as Biomimicry.

Support 1: Biomimicry is the study in which innovation is inspired by nature. The purpose of Biomimicry is to solve man-made problems in a sustainable manner through the study of nature's processes and patterns. We can look at the structure of a pine cone can used as a model for low-energy temperature and moisture control system on the outer structure of the building; in the pine the process of a self regulated temperature is maintained through the use of opening and closing based the pine cone's sense of moisture content in its environment.

Support 2: The idea of how biomorphic architecture incorporates nature into its design is through form and structure. In this instance an architect would analyze nature and observe the structural form of a plant and by using columns that branch out like a tree, this concept can be seen in Sagrada Família church by the organic architect: Antoni Gaudí.

Support 3: These two philosophies are not the literal aspect of incorporating nature into your design but rather the forms, pattern, structures, and processes of nature and how it can serve the purpose of being aesthetically pleasing or serve as a design solution.

Source: Pawlyn, Michael. Biomimicry in Architecture. RIBA Publishing, 2011. Print.

Concluding Sentence: The best way to incorporate nature is through the design philosophy of Biomimicry and Biomorphic Architecture.

Blog 15: Component 2 Approval

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

• For my thirty hours I still plan to use the Design and Construction Committee for my Independent Component hours. Although I do need to find other resources that will allow me to further my topic more in depth.
• To further my research I happened to ask one of the Architects on the Design and Construction Committee for Habitat if he would recommend me to any eco-architecture programs. He had referred me to look on the AIA website (American Institute of Architects,) which will help me find a list of programs involved with sustainable designs.
• In addition I would also like to visit certain organic designs and take a tour. My mentor Rachel had referred me to a building called the Audubon Center (is an off the grid site meaning they recycle their own water, produce their own energy, etc.) On this trips I will document certain organic details in each design that protein to my senior topic.
• In addition I would like to apply my research on organic architecture by designing buildings that incorporate nature into their design on the drafting program called sketch-up.

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

• For my 30 hour evidence I will continuously take pictures of occurring activities with Habitat for Humanity Design and Construction Committee. As well as take notes of events that occurred during meetings; in addition to collecting any documents that show proof of any particular committee meeting. Including screen-shots or pictures of sketch-up designs of my own applied organic architecture from research.

3. And explain how or what you will be doing will help you explore your topic more in depth.

• Working hands on in a program that is an eco-friendly architecture firm would be a great hands on experience for me; since one of my answers for incorporating nature into a design is by establishing a sustainable building.
• For the Design and Construction Committee I did get a chance to introduce myself to the leading Architect, Tom working on Pomona Valley Habitat's first Eco-Design. On the next meeting I will get to see first hand the design solutions for the green build, and discuss with him on how he went about finalizing his design solutions.
• By visualizing real organic designs, it will help me establish a full design perspective on detailed organic features, rather than simply look up designs through a computer screen. On these trips I will sketch up certain building elements that help me to analysis minute details. I will document what elements make this design organic and what elements do not fall under organic.
• By using the drafting program Sketch-up it will allow me to take my applied knowledge from my research and establish a model answer to my senior project. My three answers for incorporating nature into a design is by preserving the pre-existing site, observing and learning from nature, and eco-architecture. For each of these answers I will produce a design that fits specifically under each answer.