Pecha Kucha Anyone?

Well its been a while since I've posted something and a lot has happened.  The semester is flying by real quick and my work is stacking up.  So I'll try and make this quick.

First off, during the last week of February....Gosh, it seems so long ago.  I took a visit to the Garden Atriums in Poquoson.  

The air in this place was better for you than the air outside.  Its so lush and vegetated that you question wether you are inside or outside.

These homes truly use sustainable techniques, by utilizing natural light, solar heating, night purging, thermal mass, recycled materials, solar energy.  Just to name a few.  The fact is, you can really notice it when it is 30 degrees outside and 70 inside, all done without gas or electricity.  You will also notice it at the end of the month when you get your utilities bill and it is close to nothing.Next on the agenda was a spring trip to Prague to experience an amazing urban fabric, beautiful architecture and get a little culture, Dark Pivo!We documented our time in Prague through sketches and photographs.  The collection we accumulated was pretty overwhelming,(over 300 sketches!) but record, record, record was all we could do when in such a  unique place so far from home.Now I cant reveal too much about the trip cause I wouldn't want to spoil our exhibition and presentation.  So if your interested you'll just have to show up in Bemis on April 18th.Just recently I tagged along on a class trip to Charletsville to check out the EcoMod house that the architecture students at UVA designed and built.This is another place that has great examples of sustainable design(less then $100 a month in utilities).  The great thing about this place is that it was an old shotgun house that was restored and made more suitable for people today.Ill have to say that it was really inspiring to see what a group of dedicated students can do.  I only hope that Hampton will have opportunities like this one day.  Amongst other things, Im currently in the process of designing a rowhouse.  Lucky for me I got a chance to see first hand some great examples of sustainable design that I can incorporate into my rowhouse.The form of my design was heavily influenced by natural lightning and a community roof space.  I want to enhance the community space of the site by adding another level to it and by bringing it into each of the homes.Well the design is still in the works and the clock is ticking fast.  Its gonna be nose to the grindstone for the next 5 weeks and Im sure it will feel more like 5 days.

Warming up my sketch hand.

The semester sure is flying by quick.  Spring break is in less then two weeks.  But for me its not going to be so much of a break.  Its going to be an experience.  Im traveling to Prague with about 12 other students to study the built environment and its architecture.  Prague is supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world and Im really excited about going.  This is going to be my first time traveling with fellow architecture students so the learning experience is going to be great.  The class work is based on sketches and photographs we take while recording our experience's.   We will hold an exhibition in Bemis when we get back. 

So in order to make sure Im ready, I have been sketching every chance I get.  Im trying to get my hand and eye tuned to the same key.  The practice is a lot of fun.  I really enjoy sketching especially the more I do it because I notice my improvements.  Sometimes Ill see something randomly and say to myself, "I want to draw that", and normally when I do, those are the sketches that come out looking good.  Its also just an urge I have to satisfy sometimes.  If I haven't put ink to paper in a while I'll have to make it a point to go sketch something.  

Here is a list of some of my sketches over the last few weeks.  Some were drawn on site, some from photographs, and some I made up. 

If anyone has any techniques, suggestions or critics they would like to share please let me know.  I normally use ink when sketching, and sometimes pencil, but I would like to experiment with some other media.  Thanks.

Not hitting the nail on the head.

It seems I have one of these projects every semester.  The VA prize was one for me.  I know these contests are set up to have such a level of obscurity that there is no wrong answer.  But I felt like my entry lacked architecture.  I banged my head against designers block for hours this weekend.  Sketched, scratched, read, researched, abandoned.  I was having trouble finding a concept, but I knew I wanted to tell a story through my design.  So I decided to write a narrative, a brief story with illustrations.  I should have used this storyboard to influence my design, but instead, it became my design.  While working on it I was thinking if the story was working visually and textually, and I do believe it did.  So I finished, tacked it on the wall of my room, washed my hands of the project and relaxed.  But no sooner than when I start to relax I look at my board and a question pops into my head....Wheres the architecture?  Ahhhhhhh, I got so caught up in telling a story, that it was all I did.  I hated looking at that board for the rest of the night.  I guess it was a decent storyboard..., but I don't think the competition was asking for storyboards.  

I tend to be my own worst critic, which is a good thing... I think.  All though through all the stress, lack of sleep and disappointment.  I still loved the experience.  It was a great challenge and I look forward to the next one.  I really enjoyed coming in today and seeing all the other unique results the rest of the school came up with.  It was also nice to know that I wasn't the only one dissatisfied with their end result.  It was funny seeing the pile of boards stacked up at the end of the room, where students would come in, walk past all the nice looking products.  Go to the end of the wall, and stick their board in the back of a pile and hope it couldn't be traced back to them, or looked at in their presence.  Lucky for me a fellow colleague took mine from my hands and read it the second I walked in.

Well, like the blog say's.  This is only my second year.  So the way I see it is I have three more of these competitions to eventually hit the nail on the head.  Thanks for listening.

Phoebus Analysis

Well, we just had a formal review of our analysis boards.  The class split up into groups of 3's and 4's and each found their own issue or question to analyze pertaining to Phoebus.  The group I was in chose Pedestrian Friendly Streets.  Most of the class chose to compose their boards digitally.  I was a bit nervous about our board because we chose to do it by hand, and a friendly email from our teacher reminded us that our past precedent boards had been a bit amateurish.  But I guess our craft worked because the jury liked it. 

 

We broke our analysis up into three sections.  

RED:Most Pedestrian Friendly

ORANGE:Semi Pedestrian Friendly

YELLOW:Needs Improvement 

The main info the boards were to provide was Documentation, Analysis, and Examples of Findings, all pertaining to the issue the group chose.  Also, as with everything you pin up in architecture, the board must be able to get your point across without you being there to explain it.  We had Nicole Knight, a thesis student, come and critic our presentations.  She gave us excellent and very useful feedback.  Thanks Nicole.

I have also included another groups board that I thought worked well.  

I grouped up with Jessica and Kendra.

The second group consisted of Noel, Latrina, and Syreeta.

After the crits we were given a couple 

more days to fix our boards before we turned em in for a grade.

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It Starts.

What's happening Bemis,

Hope that everyone enjoyed their break.  I know I did.  But by the time it was coming to an end I was ready to come back.  Im glad to be back at it again, even though I will miss the sleep, but hey, Its the cousin of death. Right?  Ill be blogging this semester for the second year class.  Ill be trying to give you an example of what were learning this semester, and some of the things I experience here at Hampton U's Bemis Labs.  I know its going to go by fast so hopefully I can keep up. 

Right of the bat we were given three assignments.

-An urban analysis/issue of Phoebus

-A facade study

-A class portfolio

Our whole semester we will be spending in Phoebus, and let me tell you, that place needs some work.  However, it does have potential.  It has a lot of history, and a nice location near the water, amongst other things.  It also is the closest thing to our campus, so if it was to develop more, it might be a cool spot.

 

By the end of the semester we will have designed two buildings in the area.  One will be a group of live/work units, and the other is still undecided.  Stay tuned and feel free to comment.