A DESIGN JOURNAL: 2007

Monday, December 10, 2007

Leaves of Nine/Pictures Combined

Four our final exam in our Design Visualization class, we were asked to complete a two part drawing project. The first part of the exam consisted of each student receiving a small, approx. 1" by 1" square with an image on it; and each of us were required to draw this image on a 12" and 12" sheet of paper. Here is the Result.
The second portion of our exam was to take a leaf, and by using the various techniques we have learned over the course of this semester, produce nine drawings on a 17 1/2" square piece of paper. I have turned this project in already, however, I will borrow it soon, and have it posted shortly.

Sustainable Design ( Original Green)

Carl Stein was designing buildings to be energy efficient and "green" well before a locution had been designated for it. In 1981 he coauthored the Handbook of Energy Use for Building Construction for the U.S. Department of Energy. He approaches sustainable design by understanding how a building uses energy. For example: the primary expense for an office building is the lighting. So, if you can find a way to use natural sunlight to light the interior then you have cut down on the most excessive energy cost for the company. This is how we need to gear our thinking when we approach sustainability. We should not just focus on the symptoms, but look for a cure in a figurative way.
Metropolis October 2004, pg 36

Sustainable Design (Take Responsibility for the Future)

Hydrotech's philosophy is that the future is not just about building and developing but on taking responsibility for the future. It is about limiting the impact of the building process. The following is an excerpt from their website exhibiting the benefits of their green roofs.

System cools microclimate, thereby mitigating the Urban Heat Island Effect, ultimately helping lower urban infrastructure maintenance costs.
Garden Roof retains as much as 90% of storm water, allowing for smaller detention tanks, and decreasing stormwater run-off to manageable levels.

If you'd like to find out approximately how much water your garden roof will retain, please contact Hydrotech for our latest Stormwater Retention Calculator.

The system’s benefits don’t stop there. They extend back to the manufacturing of the components themselves – lowering the total environmental impact by using post-consumer recycled content:

Our environmental grade rubberized asphalt roofing/waterproofing, MM6125®EV, contains a minimum of 25% post-consumer recycled content – and offers the same time-tested effectiveness as the standard MM6125.
Gardendrain™ and Floradrain®, the system's water retention/drainage components, contains 100% post-consumer recycled polyethylene.
Moisture Mat, which provides additional water retention, is also made of post consumer recycled content - non-rotting polypropylene fibers, to be exact.
www. hydrotechusa.com

Sustainable Design (Saint Gobain)

Saint Gobain is a company that is contributing to sustainable design by helping builders build energy efficient homes. They accomplish this by providing construction materials to build homes for the future. Some of their contributions include: eco friendly piping, low-emissivity glass, self cleaning glass, energy saving insulation, sanitation system, fuel cells, solar reflecting glass, solar panels, and they are improving their designs everyday.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Sustainable Design (Special Report)

One of the largest obstacles concerning green design has been finding a technology that compete with the low cost of fossil fuel. John O' Donnell thinks he has overcome this obstacle. This is not accomplished by using wind power, or clean coal smoke, but with mirrors. John uses miles and miles of mirrors to focus the rays of the sun onto pipes containing water which in turn run very large steam turbines. This would mean that there would be no emissions to cause global warming. Again, the question everyone is asking is not will it work, but how much will it cost? Ausra, the company currently producing this technology, claims that their simpler technology already brings the price down to the magical 10 cents per kwh. As a result, companies are competing to build new power plants using this technology. This is very exciting news for companies all over the world as well as the everyday American concerned about the environment, renewable resources, and emissions.
Business Week Oct. 15, 2007 pg 68-76

Sustainable Design (A Business Case For Green)

Compelling stories are no longer enough as green building becomes mainstream, especially in the financial industry. People want to know exactly what are the financial benefits, are they consistent, and on what are they based? They are no longer satisfied with people telling them the benefits are there. They want to see the statistics and the numbers, showing them the advantages of green buildings. The green building alliance is making the effort to obtain this data, by preforming the research and collaborating with architects and other partners to share data on individual buildings.
Green Source Jul. 2007 pg. 24

Sustainable Design (Go With The Flow)

For almost all of the worlds history, humans and animals have relied on the natural flow of the environments that surround them. They lived and planted near rivers and lakes, people would orientate their homes based upon the position of the sun, and often rely on the winds to aid in the cooling process of the home. In the 20th century this pattern was lost, because there seemed to be an unlimited amount of cheap resources. As a result architects and designers left the idea of basing their designs off of the environment and building wherever they pleased. Now, these designers and architects are having to apply new techniques which involve sustainable buildings as well as urban planning. This building is an example of how architects are again taking into consideration the natural flow of the environment and applying this concept to the construction of the building.
Green Source Jul. 2007 pg. 50

Sustainable Design (Solarfin)

Solarfin is a product that aids in a buildings transformation to become more sustainable. Solarfin consists of horizontal or vertical panels that attach to a buildings exterior, and follow the path of the sun. In doing so these panels optimize daylight, curtail heat gain, and subdue the the fixed systems that can not control the amount of sun and or shade that enters the building.
Green Source Jul. 2007 pg 44

Sustainable Design (New Asian City Sustainability)

To have sustainable buildings here is the U.S is a great way to set the example for the rest of the world concerning the idea of being good stewards with the resources we use on a daily basis. However, it is more beneficial for designers to be considering, the construction of sustainable buildings in countries that are more polluted than the U.S. Asia is a great location to practice this new idea toward world wide sustainable prevention. Gurgaon, India is the location spoken of in this article for the sole reason that a lot of construction is about to occur in the high tech sector of this city. Other cities that may also be included in this movement are Dongtan, a satellite city to Shanghai, and Singapore. Some design firms are designing entire neighborhoods and even planning to build entire cities to funnel off some of the population from the overpopulated cities. They are taking sustainable design and turning it into sustainable urban development.
Architectural Record Dec. 2007 pg 32

websites (oskaarchitects)

Olson, Sunberg, Kundig, Allen Architects website, is dynamic, interactive, clear in content, and beautifully designed. Each time one loads their website an new picture is displayed in the background. The opening page is simple, and very clear to allow the viewer easy navigation. As you search through the projects there is plenty of information accessible to the viewer and it is displayed in such a way so as not to overwhelm the one navigating through the projects.
www.oskaarchitects.com

websites (Morphosis)

INTERACTIVE is not a sufficient enough adjective for this website. I must say that this website is quite confusing to navigate upon the initial use. However, once one is familiar with the layout, the process of discovery is like a child uncovering the joys of a jungle gym. There are so many different ways to search for projects, architects, dates, buildings, and so on that the website keeps one intrigued for quite some time. I want to note, that even though this site is overwhelming with a touch of confusion at first, it accomplishes its goal very well, and that is to make an impact on the viewer. Go ahead and discover it for yourself.
www.morphosis.net

websites (U.S. Green Council Building)

USGBC has placed all of their links by which one may navigate their web page at the top. This is very effecting since it immediately draws the eye to that section of the page. However, they could have had a more effective use of color by suing color on the links, or on the leaves of three to the left of the links. By adding this accent of color, one would have also warmed up the entire page and made it more inviting and welcoming. Furthermore, the color would have been very apropos, considering this is an environmental web site. Gray just does not remind me of planting trees and saving the rain forest.
www.usgbc.org

Websites (ASID)

www.asid.org

websites (IIDA)

This website does not impress me by any means. It is simple yet distracting from the points of interaction and the places of navigation. Do I look at the top or along the side. What are the flags along the bottom and why is 3/4 of the entire page blank? I think you understand the effect I am going for.
www.iida.org

Websites (Hermes)

www.hermes.com

websites (RTKL)

www.rtkl.com

websites (Callison)

Here is a website that leaves one with a sense of ease and comfort. The stress is removed from their website, unlike IIDA, or Metamorphosis. This site is aesthetically pleasing, and it achieves this by using complimentary colors as well as clean lines and good proportions. I can not tell you enough how important it is to be able to easily flow through a website, and find information fairly easily. Communicating well is one of the most important aspects of life, and business in the world in which we live. Communicating well, can make or break anyone or any business. This web site communicates well.
www.callison.com

Websites (LG Electronics)

www.lge.com

websites (speck design)

www.speckdesign.com

Websites (William McDonough)

I am very disappointed with Mr. McDonough's website. As I critique the home page I must say that I am not sure where he is trying to take me and what he wants me to learn from his site. Do I want to learn more about him, or the cradle to cradle community (whatever that is)? My other options are his partners and the co-founder and principal. I need to be told what he wants me to view. Here I am lost, and I am not compelled to make a selection from any of the choices. Where are his projects, and published works?
Now, once one does come to the place where he or she makes a decision,; the website becomes exactly what it needs to be. In conclusion, the home page need some work done to it.

www.mcdonough.com

websites (renzo piano)

Slightly too simplistic is the adjective I would use to describe this web page. The icons for the projects are little too difficult to see and the font is small enough that I do not want to attempt to read it. However, there are some features that I do enjoy. I enjoy being able to choose a project by a location on the map, and I enjoy the projects that are scrolling across the bottom when the "all projects" option is chosen. Over all I would say that it needs some personality and improvement.
www.rpbw.r.ui-pro.com

Websites ( urban archaeology)

www.urbanarchaeology.com

Designers ( Howeler + Yoon)

These two architects are well respected as one can deduct simply by visiting the website. However, I am overly impressed by J. Meejin Yoon's accomplishments and diverse expertise. Not only is she a well versed practicing architect, but she also simultaneously works as a professor, artist, and periodically as a book and dress designer. As a result she a has developed two professional firms from which she professional practices architecture and design. Furthermore, she strategically weaves her multiplicity of skills together to produce a dynamic form of architecture and design. I admire the variety of skills she has and aspire to accomplish the same. I am minoring in fashion, so that I too may have a surfeit of information and places to draw information from.
www.hyarchitecture.com

Designers ( Jim Olson)

I love how he focuses dwellings and how they interact with and inhabit the landscape in which they are located. One of his goals, stated in the website, when starting his firm, was that buildings can serve as a bridge between nature, culture, and people, and that inspiring surroundings have a positive effect on people lives. I could not agree more, as I too firmly believe that our surroundings have a great impact on how we as individuals develop. There have been many studies on children, who grow up in poor environments, who are said to have a far less chance of succeeding in life than one who is surrounded by opportunities to succeed. As each architect or designer joined the firm, he or she each brought a new dimension to the original ideas that Jim had established.
www.oskaarchitects.com

Designers (Rick Sunberg)

Rick Sunberg joined the OSKA firm in 1975 helped bring a focus to urban settings. I think Rick is a great addition to the firm, because it makes it more dynamic and versatile in the design field. i really enjoy Ricks attention to detail and his idea of what urbanism should be. He takes into consideration the context of the building and strengthen and enriches the site as well as the building along the basis of context. Some ignore context, however, Rick uses it to define his urban environments.

www.oskaarchitects.com

Designers ( Peter Marino)

I was introduced to Peter Marino during my sophomore year at Liberty University when during my spring break I had the opportunity to have interviews with six of the best interior designers in the world, according to Architectural Digest January, 2000. One of those designers was named Marc Charbonnet, and Marc was the man who told me about Peter Marino. From there I have discovered that I really enjoy a lot of his work. I consistently enjoy how he combines his skills in interior design as well as those of an architect. It really comes to the forefront in some of his retail spaces for Chanel as well as his interiors for Armani. There are times that I look at his residential or hotel/spa designs and juxtapose them with his corporate and condo designs and con not believe that the same guy has designed both of these. I admire the ability to combine the two skills of architecture and interior design. Thankfully I am in an interior architecture program which also fuses the two design skills.

Designers (Kuwabara Bruce)

This firm has received more than 100 awards including the Governor General'sAwards for Architecture, Canada's highest honour. Do all of these awards and honours require the public to like a firm such as this? Am I as a design student afforded the liberty to not like their work? I answer this by saying that as a design student. if I do not like their work then I had better have a reason why. I had better be able to critically critique them in an educated way and from a design perspective.
Having said this, I do enjoy their work and I will tell you on a critical level. Instead of talking about Bruce Kawabara personally I am going to discuss one of his projects. I am taking this unconventional view, because I believe a persons work speaks volumes about him or herself. The project I am going to talk about is Canada's National Ballet School. Form the exterior the building is beautifully integrated into the surrounding urban landscape. One might even say, it is edenic in an urban semblance. Even the beautiful yellow sapphire like glow that emanated from the building at night contributes to its edenic qualities.
www.kpmb.com

Designers ( Pugh and Scarpa)

Designers ( Bohlin Cywinski Jackson)

Designers ( IEOH Ming Pei)

While I do not like all of his buildings from an aesthetic viewpoint there are some that stand out to me as very well designed. I really think the context as well as proportion was well thought out in his Bank of China Tower building. Pai also took into consideration and incorporated the idea of representing the aspirations of the Chinese people while maintaining the symbolism of good will toward the British Colony. That is a neat concept.

Designers (Rick Harlan Schneider)

Designers (Renzo Piano)

Centre Georges Pomidou is the building that invited me to take a closer look at Renzo Piano. I am captured by new ideas and ideas that scream, "wow that is a great idea". This building addresses the wow factor when it was designed to be a building that encompasses art, music, theatre, and cinema. Furthermore, all the functions of the building were designed to be on the exterior of the building. The walkways, and the plant systems have been moved to the outside and are characterized by different colors so as to create an entirely uncluttered interior.