proceed to build

fresh start

2010-01-28T20:38:00.000-08:00

New semester, new blog:

http://proceedtobuild.wordpress.com

Final Project: "The Ceremony"

2010-01-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

Gallery of Images

This project is about creating a space for a ceremony. The ceremony itself emerges from mundane, everyday events. I chose to examine cooking.
These shots show the exterior and interior spaces.

Front elevation

Front elevation with cladding unit removed

Street view of entrance

Preparation space

Plan views

The 'firepit' and elevated cooking space. Door to storage area on the left.

The cooking apparatus

Looking back across the 'firebox'

The catwalk and platform; a space for consuming the meal.

Final design drawings

Change

2009-12-31T16:39:00.000-08:00

Architects want to protect their designs from changes made by others, who they think do not understand them. They are right—the others do not understand and that is exactly their virtue. That is exactly the virtue of the changes they want to make.

Architects strive for a moment of perfection—when their building is finished. But as soon as that moment passes, their building begins to decay. A finished building is really unfinished, the first frame of a descent to destruction.

Architects must embrace the decay of their buildings, at least mentally. They should forget about perfection, the complete realization of their design, and understand that the only truly finished building is a heap of rubble.”

Bathasar Holz (via Lebbeus Woods)

CAD 3D Final Project

2009-12-22T17:22:00.000-08:00

(click to enlarge)
This project intends to use Saarinen's MIT Chapel as a way to explore additive and subtractive concept modeling in CAD. I began by reviewing my notes from my two visits to the MIT Chapel:

http://proceedtobuild.blogspot.com/2009/10/mit-chapel-visit.html
http://proceedtobuild.blogspot.com/2009/11/cambridge-architecture.html

Some generative ideas synthesized from my analysis:
-Cylinder intersected by a rectilinear volume
-Light from above focused onto a specific form in the center of the volume
-Reflecting pools used to transmit light
-A sense of "turning inward"
-Exploration is required to find the entrance
-An island; isolation in an urban environment

With these ideas as a guidepost, geometry is created.

The geometric forms are extruded and subtracted to find space within.

A cubic volume is subtracted from both shapes to form an entrance and interior.

Different qualities of light are studied.

For a second iteration, masses are added to a field to simulate an urban environment. A wall, garden, pathway, and reflecting pool is added to the field.

The main cylinder is opened by subtracting an array of solid rectangles from the sides. A cylinder subtracted from the top provides an aperture for sunlight to illuminate the interior.

Subtracting the cubic volumes from the interior and exterior of the cylinder creates openings to the garden area. The interior geometry and aperture can be seen.

Various viewpoints and lighting conditions are explored to reveal how the building might be seen by neighbors and passers by.

Going forward, I'd like to clarify the relationship between the walls and the cylinder. The interior volume is still a bit small; venturing inside and looking around still feels a bit strange and claustrophobic because the scale is wrong. The garden also needs some resolutions.

Final Project Model

2009-12-19T19:16:00.000-08:00

The interior is finished, next step is to attach the cladding. Might be up all night if I make the cladding removable.

Pre pre-final project.

2009-12-09T14:05:00.000-08:00

"Less is More."

As a construction exercise, we are building a model of Mies Van Der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion.
This morning's progress:

Working between AutoCAD and Vectorworks can be time consuming, but worth the trouble. Fluency in 3D modeling means learning how different programs treat certain conditions.

CAD 3D Final Project

Our task for this final project is unnervingly broad.
"Find a building to modify in some way and model it."
I submitted three proposals, one was accepted.

UNO: MIT Chapel
Consulting my Finnish friend for guidance again. Since I've spent plenty of time this semester analyzing the space and Saarinen's intentions, I propose to synthesize this research into a new building. Here's where it gets tricky.
If I were to submit this as an architectural studio project, I would certainly be accused of arbitrary formalism.
This much would be true. However, the focus of this exercise is to practice modeling techniques. I don't expect the project to do anything other than be a shiny rendering for my portfolio.

DOS: Applying the program of my home to the De Stijl protocols of Gerrit Rietveld's Schroeder house. Essentially, this would mean modeling my house with sliding partitions and intersecting planes.
This was not accepted based on the face that the Schroeder house is:
-More complex than a 10 day beginner project should be
-In every student's portfolio at some point

TRES: I proposed to model Breuer's J. Ford House and add some landscape features that respond to the site and original plans. I was advised against pursuing it because it would be a handful to resolve by next Wednesday. I agree.

Goofing off with Vectorworks

2009-12-02T23:45:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the best way to learn a procedure is to experiment with ideas and learn by trial and error.
This is not really one of those times. However, I had some fun playing with modeling tools in VW.

anti-architorture

2009-11-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Cambridge Architecture

2009-11-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, our little studio group met up in Cambridge for some sketching. Once the fingers go numb, it's helpful to have you camera with you.

Carpenter Center, Harvard University

This is a building that reveals little of itself until you venture up the walkway.

Standing in this passageway, you get a sense of everything that is happening in the building, as it is happening. From here, you can observe the artists and students at work above and below you.
We were given access to the inside. In one area, we were able to examine original models of the center.

I particularly like the circulation of this building. Every path has a carefully chosen view of the interior.

Another stop on our three-hour tour was the MIT Chapel. I can never get enough Saarinen. No one was around to tell us not to play with the lighting system.

Context, again

2009-11-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

This is an image from Google Earth:

The area in the foreground is our site. Essentially, it is the area from the north wall of the carport area all the way to the south facade of the Lenox Hotel.
All these 3-d building models makes it easy to obtain measurements for building chipboard site models.

Context

2009-11-20T18:05:00.000-08:00

We have a site!
It's not a great site, but workable.

This elevation is the facade of Lord and Taylor on Exeter st in Boston. We have some leeway as to what we can and cannot remove from the site as part of this exercise.
I'm leaving everything intact. It isn't necessary to bulldoze everything and start from scratch; that strikes me as a cop out. I'm intrigued by all the intrinsic problems. This project will be richer and more compelling if I can find a solution that accepts the site as-is.

Progress, site analysis

2009-11-18T18:18:00.001-08:00

Working on modeling solids in VW and AutoCad. Gradually regaining sanity/grip on reality.

This week, we're advancing through the initial site analysis for the project.

View Larger Map
Our site consists mostly of the large planter bed and garage entrance to the Prudential Center garage. It's a good thing I haven't fallen in love with my diagrammatic models, because shoe-horning them onto the site won't work.

3D Modeling, First impressions

2009-11-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

Trying to not punch a hole in my monitor.
I think I may need a Vectorworks manual.

Programming, pt 1

2009-11-13T15:40:00.000-08:00

From a narrative describing a ritual, we have diagrammed spatial relationships. Developing the project has not been easy. The more I diagram, the closer I get to figuring out these programmatic spaces. The "ceremony" that I am designing for is a simple sequence of cooking a meal over a fire and sharing it with others. Before I attempt to model these spaces, I am going to simplify the ideas and diagram them in plan and section.
Gonna be a long weekend.

Project 3

2009-11-09T16:12:00.000-08:00

I'm at my desk, diagramming poetry. This is one of those exercises that eventually adds richness to your skill set.
Until then, you have to do things like diagram the spatial attributes of a poem.

AutoCAD is a great program, but not if you own a Mac. You can take a bite out of your apple by installing Windows 7 with Parallels, or use Boot Camp. Expensive solutions. A fist bump goes out to Vectorworks for solving the problem for free.

Next up is the space for ceremony we are designing. Not only are we responsible for housing this ceremony, we must generate a ritual to design around.
Welcome to the Church of Grilling in the Backyard.

Canton Cup 2009

2009-11-01T14:38:00.000-08:00

And Octomom:

And jackolanterns:

Wearable

2009-10-19T13:06:00.001-07:00

More to follow after the critique

Fun With Photoshop

2009-10-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

Adding some interest to an otherwise boring scanned pen sketch.

Wearable: Final Drawing Set

2009-10-11T21:19:00.001-07:00

wearable vid, complete

2009-10-11T11:34:00.001-07:00

Wearable: Complete Set from David Deitch on Vimeo.

MIT Chapel Visit

2009-10-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

Earlier this afternoon, I smooted my way across the river to check out Saarinen's MIT Chapel. It's nice to have a camera in your phone for spontaneous trips.
(click to enlarge images)

The building sits at the east end of the quad opposite another Saarinen, the Kresge auditorium. Atop the brick cylinder sits a metal sculpture by Theodore Roszak.

I am struck by the contrast between the door and the wall material. The color says "enter over here, please." Placing the entrance away from the most important facade intends to reward your exploration of the site. For example, in your wanderings, you can't help but notice that the whole thing sits in a shallow pool.

Being inside the chapel is a real treat. The shapes are simple, but the feeling is incredible. Over a white marble altar hangs a Harry Bertoia sculpture that reflects the natural light from above. It makes the light tangible, as if it is dripping down from the ceiling and flowing under the chairs.

GP Gloucester 2009 Race Report

2009-10-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

The good:
-Holeshot off the line, with a BIG gap!
-Led the race for about five minutes.
-Free waffles from this guy. And he is not stingy with the nutella, either!
-Good friends who got up early to cheer me on, in the rain no less.

The bad:
-Asploded into a billion pieces after the first run-up
-Fell in the mud and got tangled, with someone's handlebar stuck in my helmet
-Couldn't hold on and slid slowly to 48th

The ugly:
-90 foot mud run up? Really?
-NINETY FEET OF GREASY MUD WALL.
-MUD. WALL.

(photo credit: More Bacon)

Wearable in motion

2009-10-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

Wearable Architecture Project, V3 from David Deitch on Vimeo.

More wearable

2009-10-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

Wearable in motion:

(click for large image)

Project 1- The 'wearable'

2009-09-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

When you aren't sure how to begin a project, start sketching.

Figuring out what constitutes 'wearable' architecture was a two-week task. From sketches and models, we have created a set of rules:
-It must attach mechanically to the body (duh)
-It must trace or react to the motion of the body part under scrutiny
-It should make a comment about how the human body interacts with objects in space

First off, I am not a fan of figure drawing. After three weeks of doing it every day, I am not a fan of figure drawing.

To get some motion under my fingertips, I loaded a short Capoeira clip into iMovie and advanced it frame by frame. Once I found an interesting set of stills, I traced them from the screen. I like the result.

Next up, we have the wearable itself. I took what I had learned about measuring motion and applied it to the pedal stroke of a bicycle. This is the first version of the wearable device:

The device will attach to the upper and lower parts of the leg, with a hinge at the knee. That piece of black PVC supplies spring tension to the upward pull of the pedal stroke. The hope is that using this device will help a cyclist develop a smooth and even pedal stroke.

Also, we've acquired some new drawing skills that will prove useful in the coming weeks.

Architorture Season Premiere

2009-09-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

The fall semester has gotten off the ground, and I with it. Three fewer credits equates to about fifteen fewer hours of work each week. Last semester was all about developing a good foundation of skills. This semester seems to be about wishing that foundation went a few meters deeper. Let's break that down, shall we?

Drafting: There's no right way to draft, just a few conventions and a big basket of things that distract your critics from your design intent.

Drawing: It's never going to get easier, but gradually your figures become recognizable as human. As for still life, something in the picture will always look like it is floating. Furniture does not float.

-I haven't cut myself with a utility knife yet, but I keep jamming thumbtacks into my thumbs.

-Nutrition should not come out of a pasta box this time around. We're trying the Paleo Diet instead, and so far results are good.

-In that 15 hour space, we're training for cyclocross. Let's face it, mental strife should be at least tempered with physical torture. It's all about balance.

Keep an eye out for spy photos of this week's top-secret prototype construction.

Expensive cameras, bikes, and mud

2009-09-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

Things we like.

US Gran Prix of Cyclocross - Portland, Oregon from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

Re-posting this because it really captures the feel of a day of racing cyclocross.

2009-09-04T05:51:00.000-07:00

T minus five days until we're back in the pain cave for another fifteen weeks. For now:
http://twitter.com/ddeitch

Final Project

2009-05-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

This is how the project developed, sketch models through final design. The order of the images is pretty close to how things happened.

Looking back on our assigned problems, the aim is pretty clear:
Arrange solids and voids in a way that induces a specific experience.
-In the lower level gathering space, natural light and integrated seating encourage social interaction. There are no distractions; the light is tuned so occupants can share experiences at different times of the day.
-The upper level space for solitude is linked by a long series of right angles that take you across the outer wall. At all times, you can see your destination; it is possible to comprehend the entire structure during this journey. Your reward for the trip is a spot that forces you to sit alone and consider the view over the wall and beyond.
This relationship was informed by an idea of integration. As the process lumbered along, I realized that resolving integration and solitude would become the focus of the design. The final form doesn't excite me too much. I have a lot to learn about communicating visually these oddball concepts. I'm quite pleased with the experiences designed into the space. The spaces grew naturally out of a lot of hard work. The most difficult thing to get used to is knowing that your designs are never really finished. Everything can always be improved.
The one thing that is finished? THE SEMESTER.
This is how it feels to be finished with a double-semester courseload:

Click the photo to visit a gallery of ALL the work I've done this semester.
Bring on the fall.

A-1 Studio: DONE

2009-05-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

The presentation took up some space:

Click each thumbnail to see the work more closely.

Models:

Drawings+ Light Studies:

Final Drawings

2009-05-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

Not the greatest photo, but you get the gist. Your reward for making the trip to the upper level: framed views in a place that rewards seated contemplation.
Click to enlarge

Final Model

2009-05-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

More on this later.....eye candy for now.

resolution (almost)

2009-05-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

The system of natural joints that the project requires has been resolved. The black and white drawing shows the layer-by-layer methd of constructing the joint.
There's still the matter of what to join to it. I now have eight 'cassettes' (up from five) that I can slide onto the datum. Each one is a variation of ideas about a space for solitude that:
a) Makes the most of the natural light 'moments' I posted a few weeks back.
b.) Makes an argument about the conflict between solitude and integration.

The organizing principle for this project is 'integration.' To conform to this rule, all spaces and structures should have multiple functions. For example, the south wall of the gathering space is also the walkway that leads to the space for solitude. We are to use three volumes to create a space for solitude, a space for gathering, and a transition space.

Also, a more rigorous light study. This uses daylight arc data for Boston to approximate sun angles and shadow depth during the day. Representing sunlight in this way allows for the light quality to be 'tuned' to suit a range of experiences.
(click to enlarge-highly recommended)

48 HOURS!

Getting closer

2009-05-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

Continuing to home in on a resolution for this design. Transitions and gathering space are each pretty strong. The solitude space on the upper level just isn't quite doing it. I still haven't given my occupants a reason to go up there and explore.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, CRITIQUE!

Process continues

2009-05-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

Continuing to revise ideas. These design drawings intend to communicate information about how you might gather in the space, where solitude can be found, and how the joints come together.

Trying a lot of different ideas and techniques, all of which are new to me.

Interior perspectives

2009-05-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

Continuing to carve into the model to find space. As I work, I am discovering that the 'spline' concept is present in the material. The corrugation pattern is a type of spline, a smooth curve that passes through fixed points. For now, I'm experimenting with the thickness of the material in order to develop an understanding of how to filter different qualities of light.

Click to enlarge

2009-05-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you have to draw big things in order to understand them. I had a 30' roll of cheap 42" wide paper, so I thought I'd try making a drawing that looks like you could step right into it. I spent almost as much time cleaning charcoal off my wall.

here comes the sun

2009-05-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

Using light studies to inform the next steps of the process. The corrugation filters the light in a nice way. It would be interesting to find ways to use that feature to play up certain qualities of light.

form and emptiness

2009-05-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

Continuing project 3, I am working out a space for human occupancy. 'Spline' is the organizing principle that is being pushed toward clarity. This week's iterations took a bigger departure from the first arrangement of volumes and forms. I made a bunch of different spaces out of foam and cardboard, and photographed them with a macro lens at scale figure eye level. Examining the photos, you get a better sense of what it would be like to occupy the spaces.
#1-Red guys and blue foam
#2-Blue guys and cardboard stair test
#3-Blue foam and green guys
#4-1/4"=1'0" cardboard model with seated and standing 5'7" figures

Since the cardboard was to be stacked and glued, I also tooled around with Lego Design Studio to experiment with integrating stairs, solids, and voids.

How much is enough?

2009-04-25T20:46:00.001-07:00

Thinking about space

2009-04-25T19:06:00.001-07:00

From left to right, it goes volume 1, datum volume, volume 3.
This is the first iteration of a volumetric model. The arrangement of volumes is based on the idea of a spline, an old-school drawing tool that uses fixed points as a way to draw smooth curves. Many possibilities exist for making a floor plan within this arrangement.

At the top right, there is a space for solitude. The stairwell on the lower left brings you to the roof plane, which functions as a gathering space. The datum in the middle could also function as a place to congregate. Next steps will be drawing some sections and perspectives to show how the space could be inhabited by human form. Bringing natural light into the datum will require some investigation.

Project 3 Begins......

2009-04-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

Thresholds and Occupiable Space

Figure is 1/4":1'0"

Final Project 2 Drawings

2009-04-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

Actual size of each panel is 12"x38"

Solar Decathlon

2009-04-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

BAC/Tufts 'Curio' 2009
http://www.livecurio.us

A group of students involved in the 2009 Solar Decathlon presented their joint BAC/Tufts Engineering design last night. Groundbreaking is this coming Wednesday. From then until October, the team will be constructing the house on a temporary foundation on the Tufts campus. Lots of volunteer help will be needed to get the home built and ready for transport in October. I'm signing up to swing hammers and turn wrenches this summer.

Project 2 Model Evolution

2009-04-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Project 2 models

2009-04-05T17:42:00.000-07:00

Click to enlarge

Week 9

2009-04-03T19:44:00.001-07:00

Lots of learning went down this week:

If you can diagram a problem, you understand it enough to begin an attempt at resolution.

The design process is like a math problem; record every step you take so you can check your work. If you make a design move without supporting sketches or writing, you have no hard record of your project. Without that recording, understanding exactly why something didn't work is impossible; if it goes well, you lack sufficient evidence to explain the solution.

Throwing some pasta water in your pasta sauce makes the whole dish more delicious.

As for the ongoing project, I've begun to model. To understand the assigned problem, I made sketches and diagrams of my construction methods and wrote about what I was doing. Once I had developed a clear set of rules, I started to build. The new series exhibits a much clearer process and logic.

(click to enlarge)

Still a few more models to build, and drawings to edit.

Busman's holiday

2009-03-28T21:48:00.001-07:00

7 out of 7 panels fully developed and ready to pin up on Monday. Each is 12"x38"

And one more day of Spring break to enjoy.

Project 2: wallpaper

2009-03-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

The first four panels of the series are finished. I started by making an incomplete 3-d model using SketchUp so I could measure proportions and experiment with various methods of deforming, cutting, and subtracting without wasting a big pile of cardboard and foamcore.

Model on left, transparent 4"x4" cube for reference.

Show, don't tell.
The first four panels show the construction of the cube model; first the spine, then the cut-outs and wooden supports. Panels are added in #3, and the completed model is shown in #4. The plans, elevations, and axons are from the same point of view. The sections change on each panel to highlight the constructive 'move' made within the drawing. It took a lot of sketching, head-scratching, and erasing to arrive at this set of rules. I think they effectively show the construction logic.

I'd recommend clicking through and viewing this one in it's original size.

Editing, compiling, reviewing.......

2009-03-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

A sampling of my favorite work. Click on each image to see full-size.

Spring Break

2009-03-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

And much to do.

More project 2 madness

2009-03-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

The first model in the series: Straws, wire, foam, held together with friction.

For the revisions, the foam and straws are swapped for cardboard and foamcore. The new materials are assembled with the same logic:
-Wooden rods go placed through the hollow corrugation hold the panels together
-Friction holds card and foam panels in place.
-Two panels of the same dimensions form a 4"x4" frame. The form implies a cube by assembling panels around this frame. Each panel is sized as a percentage of the two central spines. I am satisfied enough with the clarity of construction here that I can proceed to drawing the next steps. The problem to solve will be showing the progression of 'making' and 'un-making' the object.

'Design is the sum of all constraints'

2009-03-22T21:04:00.001-07:00

This is Charles' Eames answer to 'what is design?'
Brian Eno on constraints:
'In modern recording one of the biggest problems is that you’re in a world of endless possibilities. So I try to close down possibilities early on. I limit choices. I confine people to a small area of manoeuvre. There’s a reason that guitar players invariably produce more interesting music than synthesizer players: you can go through the options on a guitar in about a minute, after that you have to start making aesthetic and stylistic decisions. This computer can contain a thousand synths, each with a thousand sounds. I try to provide constraints for people.'

the iterative process of frustration

2009-03-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

This is based upon the rules and logic of the straw constructions shown in an earlier entry. Sponge is swapped for foam, straws are swapped for cardboard. I departed too much from the rules, leaning more toward something compositional. The object implies a cube and shows glimmers of a tectonic logic, but the proportions don't have a definite relationship. This reads a bit better in plan view.

Needs more work.

Project 2: Tectonics and silly materials

2009-03-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

Project 2 is an exercise in visual and lateral thinking.
Requirements: Build a cude from 'found' materials. No glue, tape, or adhesives; use the natural tectonic qualities of the material.

I picked straws and sponges.
Mistake.

Building another iteration of the pink cube, I used friction and tension to hold the pieces together. And they fell apart. To be more accurate, each piece simultaneously came out of joint, causing the model to CEASE EXISTING.

Final project: Orthographic Projection

2009-03-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

Constructing a set of finish drawings for Richard Meier's Smith House. Dimensions are pulled from the not-to-scale building plans. Presentation of the drawings will also include a project board and dissertation.

.........which is why I'm up to two cups of black coffee per day.

A Diagram

2009-03-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

Project 1, Beginning To (almost) End

2009-02-28T20:24:00.001-08:00

STABILITY/INSTABILITY

First figure-ground concept

3-d concept model from b/w compositions

Construction diagram

First model plan

Concept diagram

Cardboard stock

Parts kit created from 36 9"x9" sheets, which becomes........

...a more fully developed concept model......

........then revised into a finish-quality chipboard model.

and recorded as a charcoal 3-d sketch.

Et tu, chipboard?

2009-02-27T20:45:00.000-08:00

Project 1, final rally.
Chipboard is fickle; do it right or do it twice.

Vernacular building techniques

2009-02-25T18:42:00.000-08:00

Fascinating, though somewhat dry article explaining the methods the Nubians used to build vaulted brick structures in 1300BC.

http://www.earth-auroville.com/index.php?nav=menu&pg=vault&id1=4

It's important to have principles.

2009-02-23T16:29:00.000-08:00

When I was first learning about Jazz harmony, my high school music theory teacher assigned us each a chart to copy down by hand, note for note. Once you had a chart copied, you were to listen to the original recording and transcribe each solo, note for note. In this way, we learned how to bring together musical elements and improvise over them. Learning the principles of design is not too different. To understand the process that brings an idea into form, you need to look at each component carefully and draw what you see.

Vers Une architecture du carton ondulé

2009-02-17T20:47:00.000-08:00

It's going to be a late night.

click

2009-02-10T21:04:00.000-08:00

The frustration with drawing like a first grader for the last two months forced me to practice. Something just fell into place this morning during a freehand exercise.

By 3pm Thursday, got it?

2009-02-09T20:05:00.000-08:00

I hope my notes can tell me what I rapidly dashed out on this piece of trace, because I need to turn it into a 1/4"=1' scale hard-line projection of my studio space by no later than Thursday at 3pm. This is supposed to be a seven day project; the instructor has a conflict so we have to turn it in early to make up the class day. Good thing I am industrious.
Better get drafting.

Week Two: Archi-nerd boogaloo

2009-02-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

Spots. Dots. Spots. Dots. Strips and blips.
All week, I have been slicing up bits of black and white paper and arranging them to create figure-ground panels, which probably explains why my synapse turned to jelly around 6:30 last evening. It is an exercise that is not so much about the product, but the thoughtfulness with which you progress through to the end. Concisely stating the key concepts of your process is the underlying focus of the project.
Tedium exists elsewhere. For a theory class, we are hand-copying the building plans, sections, elevations, and details of this home by Wheeler Kearns Architects. Replicating the side elevation and section in careful freehand took two hours.
Also, architects have a tendency to paste "ality" or "arity" on the ends of adjectives to describe something in the most pretentious possible way.
Example: A shape that is round has circularity. The corrugation of cardboard is its materiality. If this creeps into my vernacular, slap me until I stop.
And if I hear someone say "for all intensive purposes" another 300 times this week, I might finally crack.

2009-02-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

Some samples of the first studio project: Implicit/Explicit space, inside/outside.

Precisely mitering and gluing 3/8" basswood begins to chip away at your mental state after awhile.

week 1: 'you can't outrun the pain train'

2009-01-29T16:44:00.000-08:00

"If you don't love this, design might not be for you."
The first week of class was a sure test of mettle. There is no gentle nudge here, no momentary orientation. It's "here is a list of everything you need and everything we want you to do and when. Go." All week I've been intensely focused on maintaining an efficient and intense work ethic.
I'm worn out from the intensity, but with a depth of satisfaction I've felt only a few times in my life. Knowing that this nebulous feeling is the reward for all the frustration will make difficult times ahead more bearable.

begins

2009-01-25T16:07:00.001-08:00

proceed to build

fresh start

Final Project: "The Ceremony"

Change

CAD 3D Final Project

Final Project Model

Pre pre-final project.

Goofing off with Vectorworks

anti-architorture

Cambridge Architecture

Context, again

Context

Progress, site analysis

3D Modeling, First impressions

Programming, pt 1

Project 3

Canton Cup 2009

Wearable

Fun With Photoshop

Wearable: Final Drawing Set

wearable vid, complete

MIT Chapel Visit

GP Gloucester 2009 Race Report

Wearable in motion

More wearable

Project 1- The 'wearable'

Architorture Season Premiere

Expensive cameras, bikes, and mud

tweet

Final Project

A-1 Studio: DONE

Final Drawings

Final Model

resolution (almost)

Getting closer

Process continues

Interior perspectives

Click to enlarge

here comes the sun

form and emptiness

How much is enough?

Thinking about space

Project 3 Begins......

Final Project 2 Drawings

Solar Decathlon

Project 2 Model Evolution

Project 2 models

Week 9

Busman's holiday

Project 2: wallpaper

Editing, compiling, reviewing.......

Spring Break

More project 2 madness

'Design is the sum of all constraints'

the iterative process of frustration

Project 2: Tectonics and silly materials

Final project: Orthographic Projection

A Diagram

Project 1, Beginning To (almost) End

Et tu, chipboard?

Vernacular building techniques

It's important to have principles.

Vers Une architecture du carton ondulé

*click*

By 3pm Thursday, got it?

Week Two: Archi-nerd boogaloo

week 1: 'you can't outrun the pain train'

begins

click