NCSBDC 2009

(click to enlarge--we are to be designing for the lot to the right) [source]


(click to enlarge) [source]


Today in our Design Project class we turned in our individual design solutions for the North Carolina Sustainable Building Design Competition 2009. More can be found out about the project here on the competition website. The basic challenge is this:

Design a two-story, multi-family, residential building to meet the needs of CASA (Community Alternatives for Supportive Abodes), a local organization created in 1992 that provides supportive housing for individuals with mental illness, developmental disabilities, or substance abuse disorders. The approximately 6,000 square foot building will include nine individual apartments and an indoor community space for meetings and gatherings. The building shall be designed to high energy efficiency standards (approximately equivalent to LEED Platinum) and include sustainable design elements in the categories of indoor environmental quality, water efficiency, material selection, hazard mitigation, community preservation, and affordability. The project should also include universal accessibility and be within HUD design standards.

The next stage of the process will be for the four members of my team to get together and hash out a plan and a strategy that works for all of us from the four widely different proposals we presented in class today.

Once that is established we will develop our design to meet or exceed several sets of standards and benchmarks on which the project will ultimately be evaluated.

This will no doubt be a more intense competition for us than last year's was, as we are probably much more capable now as to some of the issues and design problems we will be facing. We know what we are up against this time. Last year we were in a little over our heads and just did what we could to keep our heads above water.

Last year's team decided to split up into two, so I have two new teammates returning from last year's competition.

I'll try to keep updating our progression throughout the semester.

Christmas ArchiGIFTS

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Stair Porn (blog)

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I was looking online for an image of a certain staircase I'd seen in dwell magazine--in this Walter Gropius house although dwell did not publish all of the print images on their website. Anyway, I Google-image-searched for Gropius stairs and found this blog: Stair Porn.

Final Renderings of the House for a Composer

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Just finished the fall semester; one more to go.

These are some of the renderings of the semester-long project in my Presentations class for which this retreat was designed. Other images, including presentation drawings done my hand can be seen here.

New Archinect T-Shirts

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Great new hatch pattern t-shirts available from Archinect.
(Christmas wish-list items)

new sketchBOOK

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I just ordered this new sketchbook from the filmmakers of archiCULTURE. It combines two things to look forward to: a film about architecture school and a new Moleskine sketchbook.

I have blogged about this film before but wanted to mention it again as I know they are still seeking funding while in post-production. Read this synopsis below and then click the link above to visit their site to find out more about the film.

Archiculture is a feature length documentary that examines contemporary issues surrounding the realm of architecture through the perspective of university students during their final thesis semester. The film follows the protagonists through the evolution of their respective senior thesis projects and the internal and external conflicts each student faces during this intense year-long process. Interviews with family, friends, significant others, industry professionals, architects, and design professors are woven throughout the film to create a story that builds an intimate connection between the characters and the audience. The emotional storyline will reveal a breadth of experiences ranging from the 4AM deadline dash, to the fulfilling sensation of graduation. The film provides viewers with an in-depth look into the creative yet competitive process of architectural education while also depicting current issues such as the role of architecture in society, the disproportion of gender and race within the profession, and environmentally conscious design. The story is structured in a way that chronologically follows the students’ development of their theses and continually builds suspense as the final critique looms. The film concludes at the students’ final thesis presentation as they find themselves on the brink of their adult and professional lives, and the closure of their adolescence.

AutoCAD|Photoshop

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This elevation rendering was produced by printing an AutoCAD drawing to PDF, then opening PDF in Photoshop, and applying color, texture, images and scale figures.

The enlarged image (full size=11x17) is probably a little bit big (you think?). Lesson learned: not every image has to be done HUGE.

House for a Composer

I've put up a new set on my flickr page with drawings of a house design as well as some initial photos of a chipboard model that will be updated as the project continues.

Podcasts

Maybe I'm (really, really, really) late to podcasting (listening, not creating), but I've been quite content filling up the iPod with Architecture/Design related podcasts lately:

UNC Charlotte - Architecture on Air
Dwell
Metropolis
AIA
AIAS
KCRW DnA

I have subscribed to several of these through iTunes, as well as a few others...

Also, since I don't have the Sundance Channel, I have subscribed to the first season of the reality show, Architecture School. Read more on ArchRecord, Archinect, on Tulane's site...

Program Status

It has been awhile since I've posted anything here, expecially directly related to the Architectural Technology program (which I am now 3/5ths through).

This summer's classes included a 3-D CAD class which focused on Revit, which is Autodesk's Building Information Modelling software. From Wikipedia:

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the process of generating and managing building data during its life cycle[1] using three-dimensional, real-time, dynamic building modeling software to decrease wasted time and resources in building design and construction.[2] This process produces the building information model (also abbreviated BIM), which encompasses building geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information, and quantities and properties of building components.

I've got some rendering images from the project for that class on my flickr page in the Schoolwork set.



Over the summer I also had a class in Building Codes, which looked at the International Building Code, the Accessibility Code, as well as at Winston-Salem/Forsyth County's Unified Development Ordinances.

I had the same instructor for a class called Light Construction Technology, which was basically learning how to format basic construction drawings for smaller commercial buildings: stair plans and sections, bathroom plans, overall floorplans, elevations, wall sections... Might sound kind of dry, but it was my favorite class of the summer session.

Also had a class called Environmental Systems for which we made several field trips, most of which were photographed and are documented on my flickr page and have already been noted here on ARKTEK, including a trip to NC's greenest hotel, the Proximity.

Next week my family is on vacation, and the following week fall semester starts. It is my fourth semester of a five semester program, so I am about 60% finished with the "mid-thirties career redirection."