Mid Term Learning Portfolio
ORIOL ROYO OBREGĂ“N Arch 101. Architectural Design Studio I Jerry W. Lum City College of San Francisco
A.1
What’s my Sign? Concept Generation + Collages Pg. 4
A.2
What’s my Sign? My Sign 1.0 Pg. 6
A.3. What’s my Sign? My Sign 2.0 Pg. 8
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B.
A Journey of Discovery Pg. 10
C.1
Make a Wall 1.0 Pg. 20
Table of Contents
C.2 Make a Wall 2.0 P. 22
C.3
C.4
Make a Wall 3.0 P. 24
Make a Wall 4.0, 4.1 & 4.2 P. 26
C.5 The Storyboard. The evolution of the Cocoon. P. 30
C.6
The Final Wall. P. 32
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The first collage I created consists on adjectives that describe who I am.. I decided to organize them following the shape of a redwood tree. By using a natural element I incorporated my passion for the environment into my description. I have intentionally chosen a redwood tree since to me, they represent wisdom, longevity and a they provide a solid structure. The adjectives are placed in the tree with an intention. I placed the adjective persistent in the roots of the tree since it represents who I’ve been since I was a child. On the trunk of the tree I placed attributes of me that made me take very important, challenging and scary decision during my life. The lower –and older- branches have qualities that I have since I was born, the medium branches include adjectives that I discovered about myself overtime through life changes and experiences. The top branches include adjectives that even if they are part of me, I still have to develop. The second collage is a compilation of images that represent persistency, adaptability and capability. The images are personal pictures, images from artists such as Andy Goldsworthy and Rebecca Johnson and images found on the internet. I created the third collage just as a way to organize my ideas and images and to be able to create a final and more abstract collage full of symbolism.
SECOND COLLAGE
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THIRD COLLAGE
A.1 What’s my Sign? Concept Generation and Collages
FOURTH COLLAGE
FIFTH COLLAGE
For my fourth collage I used a black and white manmade rock wall that seems to be unbreakable. I placed in the middle what represents a crack, an explosion that breaks the unbreakable wall. . For the explosion I used colors with warm hues and high saturation to call the attention of the public and make sure that they focus on the dark and small picture of the middle.
For the fifth collage, by using oblique directions I wanted to create a tension between destruction, pollution and degradation and an alternative future, a green future in which human beings embrace nature.
The central image represents how the current type of human development is pushing away and destroying the natural environment that sustain us.. The picture has a lot of symbolism and even if it uses dark colors, the part in which nature has been removed looks dirtier and darker than the part in which nature is still present.
For the alternative future in which I included green walls and roofs, wind turbines and an organic design from GaudĂ I used bright colors. In this collage bright colors represent an awakening.
For the destruction, located in the top right -which to me represents an aggressive and abusive position- I used dark colors with the exception of a forest fire.
In the middle of the collage I used a plain (representing human development) and a snake (representing sin) colliding and creating an explosion in which nature is freed again.
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For my first sign I used reclaimed barn wood to represent persistency, the persistency of wood to be s t ro n g ove r t i m e , wa x e d string for adaptability and brass metal for capability.
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I n o rd e r t o c re a t e a n attractive combination I used red, white and gold colors.
The next step was a little bit tedious, it consisted on attaching the nails to the wood board.
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To create the sign I started by choosing a word that scares me but that has always been a motor in my life, change.
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I n o rd e r t o m a k e i t attractive I experimented with different fonts until I found one that was attractive for my sign.
O n c e t h e n a i l s we re i n placed I had to remove the paper that I used as a reference.
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The last step consisted in adding the waxed string to the sign.
I properly sized the font according to the size of the wood and I clean the contour of the letters in order to be able to proceed with the next step.
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Fo r t h i s s t e p , i t wa s important to keep a small and homogeneous distance between the nails to avoid the sign to look ‘pixeled’ when adding the string.
In order to create a crisp word I started and finished adding the string to the contour of my word.
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A.2 What’s my Sign? My Sign 1.0 REFLECTIONS • Strengths: a. The sign was within the required parameters and it was solid and stable. b. The sign is attractive and unique. c. I managed my time properly. • Weaknesses: a.
At first it didn’t cause impression in the public.
an
b.
The small details were not appreciated from the public.
c. I can improve my design method by organizing my ideas since the beginning. • Opportunities: a.
Create a sign that can be placed parallel to the wall. b. I can create a more interesting, architecturally pleasant sign. • Threats: a. The new sign needs to be related to this sign and I am using heavy materials.
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The second sign was more challenging since it required to be more abstract and to have two sides.
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I decided to use a circle to give shape to the sign. In order to create a ‘perfect’ circle I used a dish as a reference.
I n o rd e r t o r e p r e s e n t “change” in an abstract way, I used a symbol composed by three spirals. S i n c e t h e s i g n h a s t wo fa c e s , I d u p l i c a t e d t h e symbol.
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I am lucking of resources such as hammers and a saw but I managed to ask a friend to use his tools.
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Since I knew about the second sing, I already had another piece of wood for it.
I experimented with different ideas and designs i n o rd e r t o c re a t e a n appealing symbol.
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I adapted a long piece of the same type of reclaimed wood to create the sign structure.
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W i t h a n a t u ra l s t r i n g , I balanced the weight of the sign and its structure to ensure that it was stable on the wall.
As with the first sign, the last step consisted in adding the waxed string to the sign. In order to create a crisp word I started and finished adding the string to the contour of my word.
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A.3 What’s my Sign? My Sign 2.0 REFLECTIONS • Strengths: a. The sign was within the required parameters and it was solid and stable. b. I made drawings and research about how to distribute the weight of the sign. c. I used heavy materials and only two pins to sustain the sign because of the thoughtful design it was structurally sound.
but
d. All the materials are part of the sign including the string that supports it to the wall. • Weaknesses: a. I only experiment with the sign once, I took too much of a risk but not placing the sign in the wall before the class. b. I could had experiment with new materials. • Opportunities: a. Learn more about structures and forces to make a more paradoxical sign. b. Improve the level of detail by for example sealing the wood and using two string colors that create volumes. • Threats: a. Not experimenting with other techniques and materials. b. Maintain a high level of energy to continue improving myself.
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MISSION BAY
MISSION DISTRICT
POTRERO HILL
DOG PATCH
MY JOURNEY, THE AREAS THAT I VISITED AND THE SPOTS IN WHICH I TOOK PICTURES
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B. A Journey of Discovery
EMOTIONS: MISSION Charming and intriguing BAY feeling characteristics
of old places.
Overwhelming amount of c re a t i ve p i e c e s o f furniture and art. The history smelled.
MISSION DISTRICT
POTRERO HILL
can
be
There is an organized chaos that makes you feel comfortable inside DOG the space. PATCH It is like a toy store for adults that produce us surprise, excitement, desire of discovery and adventure.
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MISSION BAY
MISSION DISTRICT
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POTRERO HILL
DOG PATCH
B. A Journey of Discovery
EMOTIONS: MISSION The BAY
reflection of the olive tree with the lights produced me a feeling of calm and tranquility. The size of the mirror and lanterns make you feel small but calm, protected.
MISSION DISTRICT
POTRERO HILL
The warm color of the lights look like candles that bring warmth to DOG you during that cloudy PATCH day. The material palette – metal, stone, wood- are noble and strong, the place has a sense of eternity.
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MISSION BAY
MISSION DISTRICT
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POTRERO HILL
DOG PATCH
B. A Journey of Discovery
EMOTIONS: MISSION BAY
The perspective of this pier and the next door building create a sense of infinity and distance. It felt like a place in which you will go to say goodbye, maybe because you are leaving or maybe because somebody is leaving you. The sound of the bay was very low but constant and captivating, it surrounded you and knocked out the sound of the adjacent street.
MISSION DISTRICT
The aged posts of the pier seem strong but deteriorated like some older people that once was POTRERO DOG part of my life. HILL
PATCH
There was something else special about the place that at the beginning I wasn’t identifying. It was the smell of ocean that even if it was not great, it was brining me back memories of my childhood.
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MISSION BAY
MISSION DISTRICT
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POTRERO HILL
DOG PATCH
B. A Journey of Discovery
MISSION BAY
MISSION DISTRICT
POTRERO HILL
DOG PATCH
EMOTIONS: This two independent discoveries were a surprise to me, they seem to be related but because of their locations I don’t think they are related. Both reflect and inspire the
power of nature in completely different ways, once represents the power of nature cracking a concrete floor, the second one reminds me to the terrain of mountain or the bed of a river.
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MISSION BAY
MISSION DISTRICT
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POTRERO HILL
DOG PATCH
PIER 70 DISTRICT HISTORICAL SHIPYARD
B. A Journey of Discovery
MISSION BAY
EMOTIONS:
This building seems taken from a pace in which a war just took place.
MISSION DISTRICT
POTRERO HILL
It creates in my a feeling of loneliness and sadness. The destroyed windows and overgrowth nature make you feel that the DOG stop by in that space. time PATCH
To me it seems unbelievable that in a city as expensive as San Francisco, it has not been restored.
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For my first wall design I decided to create an outdoor pavilion. My idea was to place the outdoor pavilion on the edge of a plateau. The covered space is facing the hill and will have stunning views of a valley. The back wall will be facing the plateau and giving privacy to the entertaining area. By creating a heavy and tall wall I wanted to produce intrigue and wonder to the potential users. Seeing that wall with an opening will make you wonder what is behind. Once behind the wall you will feel protected because of the roof and with a big feeling of privacy and intimacy. I wanted to add a narrow and long windows to frame the views of the plateau. For this outdoor pavilion I wanted to use earthy materials such as rammed earth for the walls and wood and metal for the covered area. For the outdoor pavilion I was inspired by the Hamel Family Winery building designed by Gould Evans. See image below. In created a model with SketchUp in order to understand proportions of the structure and to help me building the model.
the
In order to built the actual model, I scaled the SketchUp divided the building in layers with the thickness (that is what I though) of the cardboard that I was going to use. The different colors of the model represent different shapes of cardboard that I had to draw and cut.
Gould Evans
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C.1 Make a Wall 1.0
After drawing the pieces, I started cutting them with a cutter and a metallic ruler.
The first step w a s t o d ra w the different units that form the structure in cardboard.
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My SketchUp model was e x t re m e l y useful to e n s u re t h a t I was not missing any piece and to glue the model.
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Late night I started to glue all the pieces together
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Besides all the preparation, I made a huge mistake. I didn’t measure the thickness of the cardboard properly and therefore the proportions of my structure were not correct. Since it was late night, I decided to proceed with the model to see how the model will look with distorted proportions in the z-axis. The first wall experiment was very interesting, I never build a model before and even if it wasn’t perfect (or close to perfect), I was happy to create a sturdy and realistic model.
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HAND SKETCHING
SKETCHUP DESIGN SketchUp was very useful to create two different final designs. Because of time and materials I had to select the most simple of the two designs.
For the second version of the wall, I started by sketching by hand different parallel wall experiences.
CONSTRUCTION
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For my second wall I used a similar yet different building technique. Instead of piling pieces of cardboard I fold chipboard creating hollow rectangles. It was a fun but messy project that filled my kitchen with glued walls
C.2 Make a Wall 2.0
REFLECTIONS • Strengths: a. My wall was sturdy and it played with parallels walls as required b. The proportions of the wall were correct. • Weaknesses: a. The design was too symmetric, even if I enjoy symmetry. b. I spend too much time designing and building the model. c. I have a clear tendency to lay with straight lines • Opportunities: a. I can create more playful designs. b.
Even if I like symmetry, this is a good exercise to experiment and learn about non symmetric designs.
• Threats: a. I tend to create monumental structures, I am not experimenting with smaller structures. b. I create pretty big models, which require more details than smaller models.
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Instead of upgrading my previous wall, I decided to take a higher risk and create a third wall. The third wall I created was intended to be more playful and create a different type of structure that had a deeper meaning. For this wall I went back to a previous sketch I made in which I designed a p ea cefu l a nd q u i et ro o m l o ca t ed between walls and with benches on each side of the room. The room has two means of egress that meander through long and narrow h a l l wa ys t h a t i nv i t e t o t h i n k a n d meditate. I named Cocoon.
my
structure
the
Dialogue
The Dialogue Cocoon is located in the hill of a mountain and it just has walking access. It is meant to be a place to solve discussions in small communities. Similar to a Greek agora.
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C.3 Make a Wall 3.0 When in a small community or in family there are two different opinions about an issue, the people will go to the Dialogue Cocoon to discuss about it. They will go towards the building and they will take a different path depending on their opinion about the topic. The path is the beginning of a journey of reflection in which they are invited to think about reasons that support their opinion; Inside the cocoon there is a meandering hallways that will bring them deep to their thoughts. The first step will be a small room in which they will gather with the rest of the people that shares their though in order to share their point of view and strategize how to approach the issue with the other people. After that first step they will access to a bigger room in will sit in benches in front of the opposite group. In that room each group will present their thoughts to the opposite group. After the first discussion, the individuals are welcome to change groups if they change their mind. They can also go back to smaller rooms in which they can individually meditate. During the second round of discussion they are invited to reach a solution or an agreement with the rest of opposite group. Sometimes problems cannot be solved but the cocoon is meant to create more sensitive communities that are aware of the needs and interests of other people. The Cocoon is a monumental structure but not aggressive because of its openness and connection with the outdoors. The meandering shapes of the cocoon invite to peacefully think and disconnect from external discussions.
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When building this wall, I focused all my attention in creating a structure without straight lines or angles. I have a clear preference for straight lines and formal forms so I decided to challenge myself. The main issue in my design is that I didn’t pay attention in creating an structure with different e x p e r i e n c e s . M y b u i l d i n g wa s t o o p l a i n a n d symmetrical and without a hierarchy between different elements/spaces.
To me, my wall/structure had good bones so for my new wall iteration I decided to use the same structure but incorporating new elements that break its symmetry and add new and interesting spaces. For this new iteration I also decided to work in the landscape since it is part of the story of this wall.
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In order to decide how to modify my wall I worked in some small and fast design areas such as the tower and two potential substructures that were not a success.
C.4 Make a Wall 4.0, 4.1 & 4.2
The new design met some of my structural expectations. The new building was more appealing, less symmetric and with different elements organized hierarchically. My next challenge was to experiment with different materials and to build the exterior, the skin of the structure and the landscape. This new challenge almost end up in a complete fiasco. I tried to create a roof for the main structure (the ‘cocoon’) made of metal wire but because of its irregular shape it was completely impossible to make the wire go through the chipboard layers. I wanted to experiment with a narrower and more flexible wire but at that point I was not engage in that idea. For the landscape I experimented with panties, another mistake. My structure presented two main issues, the landscape shape is too irregular and the panties didn’t follow its contour homogeneously. The second issues is that the structure was not strong enough and the panties were pressing the landscape structure excessively. For my next iteration I decided to go hard and experiment with more tuff materials. I gave shape to the landscape with something similar to paper mache, for my version of paper mache I used wood glue and chipboard. For the main structure I decided to use plaster. It was very interesting and enriching to experiment with new materials to give shape to my building. Notice that I made use of SketchUp to quickly sketch some of my design ideas.
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The use of new materials created a very interesting version on my structure. For this new version, a left a hole opened on the top of the dome of the main chamber of my structure. The dome will allow natural light and rain to reach the interior of the structure and create a felling similar to the Pantheon of Rome. The oculus of the dome allows for the main chamber to be completely lighted without the need of artificial light. The new structure iteration is more sturdy and created a building more similar to what I envisioned at the beginning of my wall journey. It creates a monumental and memorable structure with a mystic feeling such as the one reached at the Tulach a’tSolais Memorial or the dome of the Casa do Condo in Portugal. The next step of my wall will be to add vegetation and texture to the landscape and to the tower. I am still debating in between opening square windows in the main structure or just leave it enclosed with the open dome.
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C.4 Make a Wall 4.0, 4.1 & 4.2
REFLECTIONS • Strengths: a. I use several different techniques to build my model, I experimented with a lot of materials and even if some of the experiments were not successful I learn about new techniques. b. I
created an asymmetric building w i t h c u r be d s h a p e s a n d a n architectural interest.
° Weaknesses: a.
I spend too much time experimenting with shapes. I should had either make a better use of S ke t c h U p o r u s e pa p e r t o experiment.
• Opportunities: a.
I can work in some of the different events that I created and give them more detail. .
° Threats:
b. I spend a lot of time designing and building the model.
a. I am still not experimenting with smaller structures.
c. The building didn’t cause the impact that I was expecting.
b. I don’t think my building can be build at the end of the semester.
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ANCIENT TIMES‌
In ancient times, the cocoon was used as a place to discuss family and community issues.
The design of the cocoon was something mystic, it was designed to make people d i s c o n n e ct f ro m t h e exterior.
It was a monumental place that invited the users to reflect and meditate. The main chamber was lighted with natural light coming from an oculus The Pantheon, Rome, Italy.
Tulach a’tSolais, Ireland
Over time, with an increase of population and a change in the way people communicated and resolved their issues the cocoon was no longer in use. The main s t r u ct u re , m a d e o f s t o n e , deteriorated but it survived the passing of time. Abandoned Cooling Tower, Unknown.
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The tower, once used as a kitchen to feed the users during long discussions and to give them shelter in case they needed to sleep or relax, was made of wood and the years damage its structure. Abandoned Water Tower, Poland
C.5 The Storyboard. The evolution of the cocoon. MODERN TIMES‌
The new times created a population with a high level of stress and without time to relax and enjoy the solitude.
The time changed and after many years of neglect, the cocoon found a new use as a meditation center. Constellati on Tower, Qatar
Casa do Condo, Portugal
Relaxing indoor/ o u t d o o r s pa c e s we re c re a t e d . The new spaces re s p e ct e d t h e shape of the cocoon
Shell, ARTechnic Architects, Japan
Blossoming, Dubai
Covered outdoor spaces that invite t o re l a x a n d m e d i ta t e we re build.
The cocoon undergo a major renovation to host a new use. GrodShell Toledo, Italy
The tower undergo a m a j o r r e n o va t i o n because of its bad shape. Nowadays the kitchen, the guests bedrooms and a spa are located in the t o we r . T h e m a i n structure is c u r re n t l y h o s t i n g workshops and meditation rooms.
The cocoon is back!
Marin County Civic Center, CA, USA
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The cocoon had evolve one more time, besides preserving the existing events, two more events had been added. The first event, the cocoon skeleton reinforces the idea of theme and repetition. It creates a formal or main entrance to the cocoon as well as an indoor/ outdoor area. The second event is created by the new openings in the main structure. The windows have d i f f e re n t s h a p e s b u t t h e y create a formal pattern that mimics the pattern of the windows in the main tower. If the cocoon was able to evolve again, it will be interesting to create a path towards the skeleton to define a more clear entrance. Another feature that will reinforce the idea of theme and repetition will be the addition of a wired but smaller tower. A wired cupola on top of the cocoon or a wired gazebo to the right end of the gazebo with a floating deck are future ideas/options that I would like to explore.
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C.6 The Final Wall.
REFLECTIONS • Strengths: a. I experimented with several materials, successfully and unsuccessfully but it allowed me to learn methods and techniques. b. The building has elements organized hierarchically, and there is a theme and a variation between the different elements. • Weaknesses: a. My crafting can improve, with more practice it will get better but I could had been more careful with the plaster. • Opportunities: a. II can explore building another tower and creating a more inviting landscaping. b. With more time, the cocoon windows can be improved and with patient I could also add windows similar to the ones from Marcel Breuer. • Threats: a. I have to be careful with the risk of creating a model full of structures that don’t relate to each other.
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