Hi

I hope everyone had a great weekend.










2F

Just in Case You Have Nothing Better to Do

Though you should all be focused on your final projects (including those beyond studio), it might be worthwhile for some of you to take a look at brushing off some older projects and see some potential applicability to other competitions. For example, the CLOG rendering competition is an opportunity to take advantage of what work you would do regardless. Some of you have yet to compile your portfolios and can also speak to your colleagues who have had to return to their earlier projects from past studio and "spruce them up" for portfolio purposes. If you are in a position that would give you such an opportunity, consider killing two birds with one stone - tweak your portfolio projects while entering them as refreshed entries to current competitions. You are effectively doing the work already, why not make it worth more and provide more opportunities for awards?

Don't ask why... The 3AM Hit

Yours Truly,

Details details

A useful website for details and such for anyone who would like to use it.

http://moreaedesign.wordpress.com/

Dearest Vince....

I hope that your weekend is filled with fun family events and that responding to this post will be just a small break from an otherwise joyful day.

I am currently figuring out the triangulation of my secondary structural system. I figure it will be a guiding element for the facade membrane which allows for either a stretching configuration that reveal program (i.e. my component) or will hang off the primary structure to allow for atrium spaces. In my efforts to build such a structure i allocated primary structure to the

cantilevering program and the vertical supports that will be adjacent. The triangulation starts at the end condition of the cantilevered primary structure and smooths out towards the extends of the physical model (i imagine that it would smooth out further to become a flat plane and would

then break away for similar conditions).

The issue i am currently having is one of choosing the structural systems, meaning the profile of members and their inherent connections. I can see this choice going one of three ways: I-beams that connect via plated connections (similar to that of the ROM construction), circular section HSS beams that connect at a nodal point (potentially just a plug-in system at junctions with a spherical connection, then welded) or square HSS beams that connect with a hybrid of the above

systems. As mentioned in our previous discussions, we spoke about the lightweight nature of the secondary and tertiary systems as they will not need to be load bearing. With that in mind, the I-beam condition may be too bulky, however it could be the most interesting with regards to laser cutting capabilities. I see that either of the HSS conditions will be very simple and would

use a construction (for the model) that is not unique to the structural systems in mind.

I look to you to guide me in the most adequate direction. I think that any of the systems would suffice, however due to time constraints or the lightweight nature of the structure, i am in limbo.

Also, the membrane condition will begin at the extents of the secondary structure and will end at the extents of the model as well. With the imagined triangulation, the shrink wrap will take the shape of the beginning structure and will scale out towards the extents leaving a space in

between. This setback will allow for the showcase of the structure when light is projected

outwards (with more depth, there will be more definition in the structure from the exterior).

Here are some very preliminary images of what i am speaking of......

primary structure (conventional structural steel - I-beams)

secondary structure (????)

tertiary structure (tension cables)

membrane condition (silicone coated fiberglass (shrink wrap for model))

an idea of the triangulated planes (shows how the membrane will hug the structure and then will expand outwards as it sheathes the exterior)

possible construction using circular section HSS

elevations of the membrane and secondary system

Anyways, i will be exploring all options as of right now, your help would be greatly appreciated, and if anyone else has any input that would be of nice as well.

And to end off, ill show you an image of the Zenith Concert Hall in Strasbourg, France by Massimiliano Fuksas. The transparency of material and the allocation of light allows for a revealing condition to the structure. I am looking to achieve something very close to this.

Adrian's Tokyo Prada...

Ok seriously, I need to move away from it.

I know.

Initial sketches of the addressing basic site conditions, form and massing.

The first idea with circular glass panels and LED backlighting scrapped.

Two different systems that are working against each other, no good.

Was imagining different panel types as well.

The sketch section at the bottom is still something I am working towards.

Working towards making this sectional drawing a reality.

Would like to have the shading element conform to the shifting diagrid and create some form of dynamism.

More updated drawings of what the program is going to be within my head.

More ETFE; yay.

The beginnings of what my component may look like.

ETFE can be applied in single and double layers.

I am also imagining some sort of adjustable screening between the two layers of ETFE bubbles.

Also looking to play with patterning and treatment of the actual ETFE panels to create different shading effects in various areas.

This is done to focus attention on specific locations within the building.

Laser cut the diagrid frame to get an idea of what the overall size of the component model will look like.

Experimented with making the mold for vacuum forming the ETFE bubble panels.

I am quite satisfied with how it turned out; it should work.

Need to further develop the connections between the ETFE component and diagrid structure.

One thing I am worried about is the scale, did I choose the wrong scale?

I almost feel that 1:10 scale will not let me go as detailed as I would like to with the connections.

However, if I step up to 1:5, then a single diagrid would be about 48cm by 32cm and the overall effect of the wall system would be lost, in my opinion.

The mold.

Test vacuum form.

Vacuum form on diagrid frame.

Check your weave

This is just a quick post to put up one aspect of what I'm planning for the model.  I had hoped to be building this today, but it looks like I'll be starting that tomorrow...

Either way, this is my idea for a shading system that will filter the light entering the large atrium space in my building.  This is an essential part because there will be so much light entering that space through the southwest exposure that heat gain would become a serious issue.  I've come up with a scheme that employs simple repeated units of varying sizes to create degrees of shading throughout the building.  This system is composed of aluminium strips, fastened alternatively to the strips above and below.  As these strips are applied the vertical separation between them creates a chain-link like form.  Changing how frequently the strips are fastened will create voids in the mesh-like structure, allowing more light in some areas than others.  Varying the thickness of the strips can also effect the amount of light that enters the space...  I won't go into much more detail here but I will mention that this mesh like structure begins to act like a membrane that will follow the glazing for the most part but break up or appear to tear as certain building elements (the classrooms) thrust though the building envelope.

Two different unit sizes, the trick is getting the larger voids to occur smoothly in the rest of the mesh.

Mylar prototype for shading and form study.

Attempting to create the larger voids by removing a single staple.  I think this could be achieved a lot more gracefully...

Handily this structure can conform to a mild to medium amount of curvature.  It is not fully rigid, but when constructed with aluminium it should be self supporting for a few cells.

The second part of what I will be building is a section of the ground floor glazing that opens via a vertical lift hinge, the image below is my initial motion diagramming to figure out how this hinge will work for my model.  Next up, build a prototype.

Good luck everyone


James

Spectacle Surplus

Thought I'd probably get this draft out of the way to make room for my next.

(Which would be sometime tonight also)

For the past few days I've been doing a bit of research and came across some..

"intriguing" ideas..

I've also manage to come across a website that has a collection of

Responsive Skins/Kinetic Facades.

What intrigues me the most from site is the Super Cillia Skin

However, I think this would be more of an interior element.

Moreover, here are some other intriguing elements that could be incorporated into the facade.

The following two uses Electoactive polymer (EAP)

[skip to 1:50 for demonstration]

On the Simpler side things..

A folding shading device

and..an Awning Window that uses the same idea.

Although these devices maybe simple, I believe they have further potential to be a "spectacle" on the Vegas scale.

And Even more simple...

[PHOTO]

(.I misplaced the photo...will link it back lateR)

some other conventional kinetic facades (or at least i think its kinetic)

After all the research..

I realized I had to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

There are too many intriguing spectacle elements that I would hope/like to incorporate into the designing of my final facade.

However, in the end, it all boils down to what I seek to design or achieve in my facade.

I want the Buildings facade to be a place where the idea of "culinary arts" is display...(Chef at work) Where the building is the Chef's stage and the facade the curtains.

Essentially, my facade will seek to achieve the following ideas.

OPEN & CLOSE

PUBLIC & PRIVATE

SPECTACLE

I'll expand on these a little later.

So close!

While this post seems redundant I know, there was an exhibition just last week from March 4-6th in Toronto on the current culinary trends and also includes molecular gastronomy! GRRRRR!!!

Culinary trends on the menu at the 2012 CRFA Show

TORONTO, Feb. 16, 2012 /CNW/ - Some of North America's most innovative chefs will showcase the latest culinary trends -- from gourmet sandwiches to molecular gastronomy -- at the CRFA Show, March 4 - 6 at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto.

Cooking demonstrations will take place throughout the three-day show featuring the following chefs:

Anna Olson 
A familiar face from Food Network Canada and author of six best-selling cookbooks, Chef Olson also runs Olson Foods + Bakery in Port Dalhousie. Olson previously worked at the Inn on the Twenty in Jordan, Ontario, where she met her husband and business partner Chef Michael Olson.

Domenic Chiaromonte
The executive chef and co-owner of T2 Restaurant in Woodbridge, Ontario, will demonstrate high-impact molecular gastronomy techniques that can be applied to any menu. In molecular gastronomy, chefs create new tastes and textures by applying the physics and chemistry of food science to the kitchen.  Chef Chiaromonte is also a cookbook author, popular television chef and catering industry consultant.

Kira Smith
Gourmet sandwiches and burgers are a big trend in restaurants today. The corporate chef for Kraft Canada, Kira Smith will show how a few simple ingredients can transform a sandwich or a burger to meet the growing consumer demand for new flavours.

Karen O'Connor and Eric B. LeVine
These leading catering chefs will demonstrate the latest trends in catering menus. Chef LeVine is a Food NetworkChopped champion, cookbook author and multi-award winning chef.  Chef O'Connor worked in some of the finest restaurants in Toronto before becoming a top catering chef with Daniel et Daniel.

About the CRFA Show
With over 1,200 exhibit booths and ongoing chef demos, seminars and events, the CRFA Show offers restaurant and hospitality owners, managers, chefs and executives a variety of fresh ideas to help promote, grow and manage their business.

Registration is now open (trade only) at www.crfashow.ca. Those who register online in advance get $15 off the price at the door.

The CRFA Show is owned and operated by the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association, one of the country's leading business associations with more than 30,000 members.

2F

In your FACadE!

Looking towards shielding the sun and ways to diffuse the amount of sun entering the building I was led to the concept of homeostatic facade systems that open and close when an electrical charge is sent through a metal trigger the expansion and contraction of a material shaped in order to cover a larger distance. This video 2min should show it off in  all its glory. 

Also, for those of us who went on Kultour in 2010, remember this place?

While looking at lighting facades, I had previously done a building case study on the Kunsthaus Graz in Austria last semester. I can take a lot of the ideas and difficulties they went through in terms of building envelope and apply it to my component design. There are far more difficulties than what you would expect. The BIX lighting facade assembly was interesting enough as a that was a large portion of the project.

And if we'll be competing with the strip, this will be our direct neighbour...

This is a lighting facade in Asia, and office building that lights up like many of the examples previous to this.... do I want my whole building to light up? We'll see...

While trying to find attractive lighting facade I was reminded of this video by Underworld

I must however end off with this video, the lyrics are a testament to designing in Vegas! You have to see them live! Volume up and leave in the background if you like.


Enjoy

You're homeboy on the northeast corner,


2F

CNC aint got shit on these guys

i give you flight assembled architecture

The Beginning of "The End"

Looking to the culinary world for inspiration I have further looked into the culinary art of molecular gastronomy which was mentioned and shown to us by Professor Hui. Molecular gastronomy takes the ordinary culinary process of making food and through the deconstruction of various produce, meats or dairies, by means of physical and chemical transformations, changes all the sensorial aspects (touch/texture, taste, visual appearance, smell)  that a dish might entail throwing away any preconceived notions of what a dish might be.

For a city like Las Vegas turning the known into the unknown or the extra ordinary is all part of the cities spectacle.

So here is what I'm thinking...

My proposed culinary institute along with teaching regular culinary art will focus on teaching molecular gastronomy a feature that will be highlighted in the building's main restaurant. Although there are other restaurants on the strip that play with molecular gastronomy I don't think that having a institute or another restaurant that focused on it would "overkill" the above mentioned experience. 

Merging this along with with the previous idea I had of using a large green wall of produce as a defining feature of the building and its atrium will become a major part of the buildings spectacle.

The purpose of this produce wall would be to highlight the use of the raw product as a reference for the deconstruction of it through the cooking process and the recreation of food. Consequently the design of the interior atrium space would highlight this utilizing a wall of produce leading to the kitchen/laboratory and ultimately the restaurant table (all in a upward motion).

Building Massing / Rough Programming

After looking at the given program size and any extra program I want to put in the building (including services) the program could roughly fit within the massing. There is defiantly allot of extra space as the site is extremely large but this can be incorporated into public spaces, retail and atrium spaces.

The given program will fall somewhere in this separation of spaces

Facade Component

In answering what my envelope will become I have to first discern what I want it to do. For me the envelope must do 3 things.

1: Contribute to the building spectacle
2: Highlight the interior spectacle
3: Provide relief from extreme climatic conditions.

Playing off of previous envelop ideas I had  for this project (exploring metal/fabric meshes and diamond shape glazing units)  I have decided to stick with something close to my original ideas.

My idea is to create a component that has a horizontal frame which would be attached to the buildings glazing units. Inlaid within this frame would be a series of fabric strips that would act as screen elements for solar heat. In addition to this the fabric would act as a surface which at night would be illuminated by a system of led lights adding to the building ambiance.  

It is highly important for me that the component is visually porous so that views into and out of the building are not disrupted. Along with the material choice of fabric to achieve this, the density of the strips can also vary depending on needed visual or solar transitions between exterior and interior spaces. Working in tandem with what I image for the building's interior the exterior envelope component will allow for the deconstruction of the exterior visual impact and shift it to focuses on the interior produce wall, molecular gastronomy kitchen and restaurant dining experience.

In the end I want my building to have a balanced relationship between elegance and spectacle

The 'Vegas' Facade

Been looking up media facades as a brainstorming tool for our detail component project.

Greenpix Zero Energy Media Wall

Beijing, China

Designed by Simone Giostra & Partners Architects, Arup

This project uses pv panels to absorb solar energy throughout the day and then powers the LED lightshow at night.

I think this is showing what happens at sunset when the facade is transitioning from day to night mode.

Pretty cool as a PV-LED system.

Crystal Mesh
Singapore
WOHA Architects


Another envelope system using lighting as a spectacular feature.

Looks nice at night, but seems like during the day it just stays off. If not, the lights are probably a lot less impressive during daylight hours.

FLARE Kinetic Membrane Facade

This is sold as a product. A pretty cool modular system consisting of a series of kinetic mechanisms. See video.

A nice idea in terms of thinking about an interactive facade.

Now that I`ve got some of my thoughts down, time to start thinking about how this is going to translate to my studio project.

Arash

Spectacle of the Facade

Many of you are still trying to figure out the larger scale question of how your culinary institutes will be "different" from those produced by your colleagues.  At the same time, more astute students have been trying to take advantage of the local site factors including microclimate, available materials, and even drawing upon the tourist flows through the site. Some of you have already brought to the discussion ideas pertaining to a responsive wall driven by wind.  Though that is certainly possible, there are some inherent difficulties that you should consider including vandalism, access/repair, net effect, etc.  Not to sound too pessimistic, here is the Sowers Studios project that made headlines earlier last week for its wind-driven Windswept project.

Windswept from Charles Sowers on Vimeo.

Additional Restaurant/Hotel Precedents

In a rather serendipitous coincidence, ArchDaily recently issued a brief listing of top restaurants and hotels.  This is appropriate given this past week's lecture on the spectacle of restaurants and the manner in which the architecture may highlight this condition.  For many of you, the problem lies in how to best address Venturi's paradigms of the duck and the decorated shed.  For others, the challenge is in how to design something that is iconic in Klingman's model yet able to properly address the hyperactive and frenetic landscape of the Las Vegas Strip.