Arch 101 learning portfolio by Dylan Bermingham

ARCH 101 LEARNING PORTFOLIO DYLAN BERMINGHAM

SPRING 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS • What’s Your Sign

• A Journey of Discovery

• Wonder Wall

• Structural Approaches

• Site Analysis

• Team Design

• Construction Safety

• Construction Process

• Site Narrative

• Presentation reflection

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S YOUR SIGN

To start we had to come up with words and ideas that conveyed the message and feeling that we wanted to portray about ourselves. The Words that I thought were representative of me were Adventurous, Curious, and Risky

WHAT'S YOUR SIGN ITERATION 1 Next we had to create a sign to hang on the wall that was based off of the collages we had done. This sign I thought showed the words I had chosen in a very straight forward manner. The man sitting on top of the cliff represents Adventure by the work it would take to get to that point and him sitting on the edge shows the curiosity and want to get to the edge and see out but also gives the feeling of the risk involved with being at the edge of a cliff. I think that this shows the values in a way that represents the way that I live my life

WHAT'S YOUR SIGN ITERATION 2 After presenting the last iteration and hearing the feedback from the class we set out to create another iteration of it. In this sign I wanted to try and express the words risk, adventure, and Curiosity in a somewhat more abstract way. The big question mark as the center of the design shows curiosity while the hanging dice represents the risk and adventure that goes along with the roll of a dice

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S YOUR SIGN Throughout this project I encountered some difficulties in developing and creating the ideas that I wanted into a working sign. I had to really think about myself and the ways that I could use the ideas about myself and turn them into a working sign. This project was also a first in using materials such as foam core which was an interesting experience that I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really had before. This project taught me some basic model making skills that I will be able to us in the future projects. It also made me think a lot deeper about what goes into the creation of a structure beyond the actual materials so that there is a story behind what you have created for others to experience.

A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY • Sutro Baths San Francisco

A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

For my Journey of Discovery I went to the Sutro Baths site. One of the first things that this site made me think about was the actual placement and size of the site. I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been to or seen many places that have a building of this size and close proximity.The building itself is now gone but in the picture on the previous page you can see what it used to look like and the pictures above show it now. As I walked down the path to this area I could feel the strong breeze from the ocean and smell the sea water and it made me feel a sense of nostalgia for what it would have been like to have used a bath house like this and look out and see the ocean crashing within feet of the walls because I've gone swimming in the ocean and have been in bath house like pools but never something like this situation

A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

As I got down into the site itself and wandered around I was intrigued by how even though there is very little left of the site it is still being used and explored by people and animals years later. The Birds use the are that would have been the baths and a clam place to swim around in which they do not have to be worried about being bothered. And the old water way to bring in the sea water is now a place of which street art has been created. Along with those I saw many people walking around the site and even a couple taking wedding pictures. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think this is necessarily what the builders had in mind it would be used for after it was taken down but it gives it a sense of timelessness that It Is still used for all sorts of things even though there really isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t much left of it

A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

These pictures show some of what is left of the site and the materials and placement of parts of the site. On the left shows the left over structure that was dug into the side of the hill. The concrete that was used seems almost like a natural material the way that the environment has taken it over and blended it n. It also allows you to see the height of the structure and how they used the surrounding environment to construct it. The picture on the left shows again how the environment has taken the left of structure and kept growing around it. You can see the outline of what some of the shapes of the bathing areas were and it gives a sense of how there could have been a hide and reveal factor as you were insides and had to navigate these different areas

WONDER WALL

WONDER WALL ITERATION 1 For this assignment we were to create a set of walls that evoked a sense of wonder and set off an set of experiences as you traveled through them. I wanted to play with the openings that I could create in the walls and the shadow pattern that they would give off as well as the hierarchy of forms. I created an abstract set of openings that would allow the suns light to catch these openings as well as have a hierarchy of more openings on one wall and as you move back they diminish. After our class session I felt that I needed to add more of an experience around these walls the just the two walls with no obvious beginning and end of the path, and to investigate with the use of more parallel walls

WONDER WALL ITERATION 2 AND NARRATIVE Walking through this pathway you are directed by high walls and many staggered windows. As you approach the entrance you can't see what is behind the walls and there is just one opening to go through or see into. While approaching the entrance you are unsure of what is behind the wall and once you enter the walkway your pathway is naturally lit and you can now can see a partial view of the inside through the scattered windows which still keeps some uncertainty until you finally fully enter the courtyard. The entrance to the courtyard is one of uncertainty that is keeping the hidden aspect of a courtyard until you are partially inside and you can see small aspects from certain views as if you were inside a building looking out of a room or lobby into the normally enclosed courtyard. This pathway to the courtyard is a metaphor for the uncertainty and small glimpse of the future one has while traveling through life. You are guided by the movement of life's events, the lead up and turn to the pathway, and when you are given a more direct path with glimpses of new aspects of this new direction, the openings in the wall, and finally you are brought to the entirety of the decision where you will stay, the courtyard. As you enter or leave you are given a small picture of what lays on the other side which creates that uncertainty which you face on a daily basis with life. The bleak white wall creates a uniform movement towards the entrance and the narrow path with high walls emphasizes the importance to go down the path to the opening at the end. The openings in the wall and light allowed in allows for the path to have a feeling created by the time of the day due to the sun's position.

WONDER WALL ITERATION 2

In this iteration I wanted to develop the space that the walls led into and the Hierarchy of the walls in comparison to the rest of the site and how the shadows portrayed onto the floor. I created the walls at a height that is twice the surrounding walls height so that as you approach you can see the openings of the wall as you approach from the outside and once you're inside you call really feel the contrast of wall height as you travel through. I also added the surrounding walls to add more use of the parallel walls all around

WONDER WALL ITERATION 3 This is my third iteration of the walls. In this iteration I wanted to create multiple nodes to go into along with experimenting with the use of parallel walls that were less symmetrical and angled more than 90 degree straight walls. I still wanted to use the use of light in the main entrance walls to create different feelings as the sun moves throughout the day. I also incorporated the use of planes that came from the ground and eased your eyes up as you are entering. For this the challenges that I faced were deciding where I wanted the angled walls to face, both the straight standing walls and ones that were coming from the ground up and from the walls down. I think that this iteration allows for more a hide and reveal experience and allows for many different nodes to be experienced

WONDER WALL ITERATION 4 In my final iteration of the wall I decided to make the two sides of the site have a less symmetrical feel but kept the same entrance and overall shape. On one side there is a more enclosed feeling while the other feels more open.

ITERATION 4 KIT OF PARTS (SCALE ¼”=1’)

ITERATION 4 STORYBOARD PTS 1 & 2 The use of the sun light and the shadows to be created was an important part for me. As you enter the site, depending on the time of day you will be confronted with a shadow pattern on the floor. On the left is what the shadows would look like during the morning and mid day. On the right is what the shadows would look like later on in the day. I think that the two shadows have completely different feels so the time of day and placement of the site in comparison to the sun is important in the experience.

ITERATION STORY BOARD PTS 3 & 4 After entering the site and passing the first walls you are faced with the choice of which direction to go. When you look to the left through the openings in the wall and through the pathway you can see an open wall to which you can exit and see out of. To the right is a more closed area in which there is some hide and reveal being evoked with the hole in the wall leading to a smaller area in which you could go. This allows for you to feel like you can enter into another layer of the site because of its openings and it the openings diminish as you go though to the back area with no openings

ITERATION 4 STORY BOARD PTS 5 & 6 After deciding which path to travel you are brought into an node. If you chose to go left you are brought into the more open of the two. Connecting back to my narrative and how we are faced with many choices in life this is the path of a choice that leads to a more open ended decision in which you can continue into this path or escape completely and see where that leads you. While the Choice to the right brings you to a place where you do have other choices, the small opening in the first wall you encounter, or not going into that small hole, however both lead to the bigger enclosed area in the end. This represents the life choices that may not have a way out of that you have to fully embrace.

ITERATION 4 STORY BOARD PTS 7 & 8 These two parts of the story are after you have entered and traveled into the areas of the site and are turned around and are heading back out. They have similar feels but depending on the time of the day the light will create a different shadow pattern. This exiting part of the experience is when you have faced a decision and now are going back to continue on with the rest of life outside of the decision. You will have different experiences depending on the path that you have chosen

WONDER WALL REFLECTION â&#x20AC;˘ I think that this project was a really good way for me to experience many aspects of what goes into the design and creation process of a product. I had to look within myself and pull deeper meanings that I want to be evoked in the physical creations and the experiences that go along with the site as well as developing my skills in creating scale models of my project. Through out this process there were things that were easier, like the actual building of the models because I have always been a hands on person, and others that were harder such as using the new language and vocabulary that I have learned and using those in the development of my creation. Along with my own personal discoveries while going through the different stages I discovered and used the importance of taking a step back from working and talking with others and hearing the feedback of their ideas of what parts I had done well and what they thought that I could develop further to make the best product that I could. I have always been a person that more deals with problems on my own but this experience has definitely changed my outlook on projects in the future. I think that this all will allow me to develop a strong project for our final project and once we form groups to be able to use my ideas and bounce them off my teammates so that we can create the product we can. And use these ideas and skills in general throughout the rest of my education and professional life

STRUCTURAL APPROACHES â&#x20AC;˘ There are many was to construct a structure including folding, sectioning, tessellation along with many others. The one that I chose to investigate is folding. I chose this because I've always been intrigued by the art of origami and taking a method that is the base of that art and using it in the creation of an actual structure draws my attention then the other approaches

FOLDING • There are many ways to fold a material so there are aspects that go into the “recipe” to get your desired outcome. Things to think about before are the paper thickness and how well you will be able to manipulate it. The size of the folding material, and how you will incorporate different pieces together like cutting, slotting, bending, layering. The way that you use these pieces of the “recipe” can create different feelings and at the most basic a intimate vs an open space

FOLDING ITERATIONS #1 In my first folding exercise I wanted to see what different shape areas I could create and investigate the changing of levels using folding. In creating this I learned a couple things, first that you can lightly cut so that its not fully cut but is easier to manipulate, and that level changing is very possible to create.

FOLDING ITERATIONS 2,3 &4

FOLDING â&#x20AC;˘ In class we joined into groups based off what approach we took. We looked at everyone's creations and what specific approaches were used in folding. Like the material, way it was folded, cut, slotted, and what spaces it created

SITE ANALYSIS â&#x20AC;˘ When working on a project on of the first things you must do is the site analysis. This is because without a knowledge of the area you are going to be working on you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what you will have to deal with. Aspects of the site analysis include the climate, geography, history, legal, infrastructure, relation to sun, wind directions, slope, noise sources, and entry ways. All of those are important things to consider because one or all could effect the design you have in mind and you may have too re think certain aspects

AREA FOR SITE ANALYSIS:

BALTMALE HALL COURTYARD AND HILLSIDE, CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO

SUN PATH N

WIND DIRECTION Wind Usually comes from the north west N

EXISTING PATHWAYS There are several pathways that exist around this area including a roadway that comes from the south west and a walking pathway that comes from the south

SITE 1 ANALYSIS The first site that I investigated was on the hill inbetween the very top flat part and the bottom heavily sloped area. In this area there is sun cover from the trees, it has a relatively flat slope, not much wind cover, noise can come from the road behind, foot traffic on the path, trees in area, boundaries of the path and the road

SITE 2 ANALYSIS The second site that I was considering to work on was the concrete courtyard. This site had the benefit of being a completely flat surface in which you could build up off of easily. It also is the first site that you can interact with once you exit the building which allows for people to see it from inside and possibly be compelled to venture outside and explore it. This site has the most foot traffic of them all because of its close proximity to the building and would not encounter any noise given off by the road. This site has no sun cover which you could take advantage of the sun in your design. The wall on the west side of the court yard allows for wind cover which none of the other sites have

SITE 3 ANALYSIS The third site that I was considering was the sloped hill between the triangle of trees. This site ended up being the one that my group was situated on. This site has the difficulty of being on a hill which presents the challenge of building on a hill, but we decided that this was a challenge that we wanted to take on because we thought it could be useful in our design. The trees act as a roof and create shade for a majority of the site. This site also had one of the best views of the city. It also has less wind because of being lower on the slope then at the top of the hill directly in the wind ditection.

START OF TEAM DESIGN â&#x20AC;˘ The group that I ended up being a part of was with Helouisa, Matthew, Winnie and Tergal. We decided that we wanted our site to be based around the movement of people up the hill and originally thought of a platform with a slide of some sort as the way to travel from top to bottom, and enclosing the platform with some type of cloth. To the left is a small scale model that we used to investigate the feel of the ideas that we wanted

TEAM DESIGN WORK One thing that was a driving influence in our design process was using the idea of a tree house since our site was based around the placement of three trees on the hillside.

TEAM DESIGN WORK After much communication between our groups and expressing our thoughts of what we should do, we came up with the ideas of a stairway that lead though the site somewhat like the sketch up model below.

CONSTRUCTION SAFETY â&#x20AC;˘ Whenever you are constructing an item there are many different tools that are involved in the process. Whenever you are using power tools there are precautions that you can take to help prevent any accidents from happening. Keeping the overall work area clean is a key to safety, having electrical cords away from being able to trip over them and putting tools that are sharp or pointy in areas where no one can accidentally fall onto or bump into them. Safety glasses are an important piece of attire when using almost all tools. Finally always being aware of your surroundings, smart about the use and placement of tools and never choosing to put yourself or someone else in a dangerous situation will prevent any unfortunate accidents.

BEGINNING CONSTRUCTION: THE STAIRS One of the first things we had to do with our site was excavate it so that we knew where the roots of the trees and the irrigation pipes were. After evaluating the site our first goal was to create the steps that we would then place on the hill. To create our steps and have a visually appealing piece to look at we used a metal rod with patterned wood pieces with diagonal supports.

ISSUES FACED AT BEGINNING OF CONSTRUCTION While excavating our site we unfortunately hit one of the irrigation pipes and had to fix a connection that had been broken, which we learned that we should be more careful in our process of evaluating the site. After figuring out where the main roots were we realized that our original plan of having a looping staircase would not be the most effective and possible way to have our design to we had to decide to change from the original(middle picture below) to a new design(far right below).

SECOND STAGE OF CONSTRUCTION: LANDING PLATFORM The next part of the design that we had to tackle was the platform the stairs would lead up to. We decided to continue with the look that we had with the stairs in the rest of our platforms. We placed an eight foot long platform to create a walk way that would connect the platforms we would later build.

SECOND STAGE CONSTRUCTION DISCOVERIES â&#x20AC;˘ With deciding to place platforms on the hill we had to figure out how to place the legs and have the platform be level. It took us several try's to get the right length legs for each corner of the platform to level it. We were unsure of the best way to stabilize the legs to ensure the stability of the platform and after several of us talking to people we knew with building experience we decided to hold the legs in place by banging rebar into holes through the legs base into the hill. Which after figuring out allowed us to create the platform that we envisioned.

THIRD STAGE OF CONSTRUCTION: RIGHT SIDE PLATFORM One of the two platforms that we wanted to create was on the right side of our site and we wanted to have it be a shape that went from a bigger size to smaller and extended out past the tree to allow for a full, unobstructed view from our site. We wanted to continue to use the slope of the hill in our design so as we were extending out the direction we wanted we placed it lower then the middle platform because of it being on a lower part of the hill.

THIRD STAGE DISCOVERIES â&#x20AC;˘ Like the last platform, we had difficulty placing legs of the right height that would hold and stabilize the platform. When we first placed the platform we did not align the back edge with the back edge of the center platform and after talking to our professor we decided that we should align them to create a more connected feel. Although we would have to pull the platform out of where it was placed and replace it we came to the conclusion that even though it would take time, effort and postpone the next stage of building, it would be beneficial to take the time to increase the quality of our overall design.

FOURTH STAGE OF CONSTRUCTION: LEFT SIDE PLATFORM The Last platform that we created was the left side platform. The shape of this platform was heavily influenced by the areas that we were able to place supports and the space between the trees. We wanted to use this platform as an area that you can sit down and enjoy the area that is created by the two trees. This sides design we decided to elevate above the rest because of its placement and our ability to make it seem like a tree house by elevating it.

FOURTH STAGE DISCOVERIES â&#x20AC;˘ This stage of construction was the most difficult because of the amount of roots we had to avoid and get the height of the platform that we wanted. This was a time where as a group we really had to come together and make decisions of the design we wanted based off of the restrictions that we had. In the end we were all satisfied by the outcome of the platform we constructed.

FINAL STAGE OF CONSTRUCTION The last parts that we constructed are the railings for the platforms and stairs, the bench for the left platform, and the pieces to frame the view on the right platform. These last aspects were what created the safety of the design and allows for the final feelings that we wanted to be evoked

FINAL STAGE DISCOVERIES â&#x20AC;˘ The last aspects that we had to construct were not the most difficult parts of the design to build. However they were still instrumental to our project. As we concluded building it was a good time for us to feel a sense of relief with being able to complete the design, as well as being able to look back and reflect on how far we had come and that we were able to go through the whole construction process without any injuries or major complications that prevented completion.

REFLECTION ON THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS â&#x20AC;˘ As we conclude our project I was very happy with what we have created. As a group none of us have had much experience building anything like this before so it was a great opportunity for us to experience a side of the field that we had not previously. That being said I think that for the first time creating a piece we were able to come together as a group and use a combination of all our knowledge to power through challenges that we faced during the process. For me personally I enjoyed the hands on aspect of building throughout the last month of the semester. It was also very fulfilling to be able to come up with ideas and turning them into a life size structure that we were able to experience in the way that we wanted rather than just theoretically while looking at models.

NARRATIVE OF OUR SITE

The Site that we have chosen is in the middle of three trees, having roots that go in many directions we connected that aspect to the roots of what has made San Francisco the city that it is. Our name is an overall representation of the site and the larger community that is the bay area.

San Francisco has had a very unique culture and community throughout its history. From Spanish settlersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; creating a mission and pueblo, to the discovery of gold in California and the city becoming a hub of people traveling from all over to come find gold including a huge population of Chinese immigrants coming as labor workers. During WW2 it was a major point of departure for the military and arms production as well as angel island serving as an internment camp for Japanese Americans after pearl harbor. It is also one of the most progressive cities in the world and was home to many counterculture movements including the summer of love in the 1960s, the gay rights movement in the 80s surrounding the famous Castro district, and lastly in the late 90s there began a boom surrounding internet technology. Throughout San Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history the people that have lived here have been relatively the same demographics of race and economic standing until the dot com boom. This boom created a wave of entrepreneurs and tech workers coming to work and create companies of their own.

NARRATIVE CONTINUED The area that we have chosen for our site is on the hillside outside of batmale hall at city college of San Francisco in between a triangle of trees. When you approach the hill you are confronted with a steep slope which is not easily maneuvered. This slope is not only representative of the hilly landscape of san Francisco but also the rising cost of living in San Francisco. The economy based around Silicon Valley is monstrous and the salaries of the people who work in that sector exceed that of most other industries in the bay area. This in turn allows for those individuals to be able to pay higher amounts for rent which has driven the base housing prices up. Our site is not one that you can navigate easily and in designing our site, one of our main goals was creating a way to move throughout the site with ease. We have literally and figuratively created a set of steps for you to navigate the challenging slope. The higher and higher cost of living in the city has caused the unfortunate gentrification of San Francisco which is forcing natives of the city out of the homes and neighborhoods that their families and relatives have grown up in.

NARRATIVE CONTINUED As you approach our site and travel up the hill you will notice a couple things. First that our design complements and leads you to the site behind ours as well as the rest of the sites on the top of the hill. Before you decide to go towards the rest of the sites we have two pathways that lead you to the left and to the right of our site. If you chose to take the pathway to the left, you encounter a raised platform with a seating area in which you can relax and enjoy that natural enclosure created by the trees and it allows you to have a 360 view of all the sites that surround us created by our arch 101 community.You also have partial views of the surrounding area in which you can recall the many different communitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; that create San Francisco. If you go to the right there is another platform to the south west end of our site where you are extended outside of the trees and are presented with a view shaped by angled wood pieces that are influenced by the hills on the southern part of the city and daily city. With this view you can really see more of the city including multiple public high schools, Daily city which is where people are being forced to relocate to, and looking beyond the hills is Silicon Valley which is the home of the tech industry. This view is the pinnacle of our site and story allowing you to fully see and think about the city that is being affected by this new industry.

NARRATIVE CONTINUED As one leaves our site to explore another site or go back down to the school we would like them to be left with a strong thought about everything that we have presented with our story and represented with our designed site. Whether you are a part of or think the tech industry is beneficial for the world community and even the community of the bay area keep in mind the repercussions of it all and what it is doing to families who have called san Francisco home for decades. Our group is in a way representative of San Francisco and how it is affecting everyone who is a part of the San Francisco community. Having members from China, Brazil, Southern California and a San Francisco Native who have come together for education in San Francisco shows the diversity of San Francisco and the bay area but when you look deeper only one member lives in San Francisco because of the cost to live here. As you go throughout our site take into consideration the fact that natives are being kicked out of their homes and students are not able to live in the city they go to school. Is that somewhere you would want your friends and family or even yourself to live? â&#x20AC;˘

REFLECTIONS ON PRESENTATION â&#x20AC;˘ After Presenting there were some things that I think we could have done better and somethings that we did well. I think that if we had rehearsed presenting more we could have had a presentation that flowed better. The comments that were mad by the judges were very beneficial in reflecting on all parts of the project. We needed to have a more solid connection between our narrative and the design, and focused more one on or two aspects and exaggerate them to get our point across better. One thing that they said that I found to be encouraging was that they could tell the amount of work that we had put in and could really see our passion and drive for the project which is important to have when working on anything and once we develop our design skills to a higher level combined with our work ethic we have the ability to truly create a great structure.

ARCH 101 END OF SEMESTER REFLECTION â&#x20AC;˘ Coming into this class I had not had much experience with the design process, construction of installations, and presenting of all of this. The first half of the class we got in depth with design language, model making, and narrative writing. Throughout this part of the semester we were really able to investigate each part of the process and develop a base skill set. In the second half of the semester we looked at some of the main structural approaches in architecture. After we used the knowledge we gained from those explorations and were put into groups to develop a site installation. From this point on the class was less centered around individual work and rather the collaboration aspect that goes into the architectural field. This process was one in which much compromise and communication was needed. This allowed us to understand the collaboration of different fields included in the construction on a structure. I enjoyed the second half of the semester a lot because I am much more of a visually hands on learning person and working along with others enhanced this process for me. This class overall was one that I have never really had anything like before. However I think that because of that it really pushed me to work hard to complete what I needed to accomplish. I am very happy that I decided to take this class and that I was able to take it with Jerry before he left because he is also unlike other teachers I have had and was motivated to do my best because of his strong drive to teach the class to the best of his ability. This class has definitely given me a strong base for all the work I am going to have to put into the next years of my architecture education and further on in my career.