THOMAS BIBA
FINAL ARCHITECTURE 102 PORTFOLIO
KITE PROJECT SUMMARY • in my kite project I sought to create a design that would influence people in a
certain way - specifically to cultivate wisdom - (kite, in german kuze, means owl)
• my hypothesis was that symbols carry meanings that are inherent in the objects
themselves
• example: through extensive research I found that there were two major
species of owl, “barn owls”and “normal owls”. They have very different and distinct facial features; barn owls have a rounded face with darker round eyes, normal owls, have distinctive “ears” or “horns”, and more triangular shaped faces. Owls live in every area of the globe accept the two poles. And in every culture the barn owls are seen as symbols of death and mystery, and the normal owls are seen as wise, and mystical creatures. In order to explain this universality, I theorized that the this cognition comes from signifier which exists in the inherent nature of the facial geometry itself. • Though in oder to say this more conclusively I would have to do much
more extensive research, with a deeper understanding of cognitive sciences
• I since have learned that this response is fundamentally incorrect, however it may
not be completely invalid - by most it is considered that meanings are not inherent in things - and the little bit of research I did on owls and the cultures that perceive them in this way is conclusively universal • in short most part of this semester was built on the successes and failures in
the first half, to apply my theories about the social and psychological influence of forms to the social and behavioral ( and psychological affects of spacial forms, programming and organizations that the crafting of space has on the human mind • I worked on materiality and drawing as well as presenting, and
organizing and focusing my ideas, to help capture manifestations or snapshots as data points documenting these processes that I believe are a necessary element of the design process
S I T E A N A LY S I S
S O C I A L A N A LY S I S AND RESEARCH • My group did research on the social and cultural aspects of the our site Stanyan and Haight • Zena photo graphed peoples faces on site, devin conducted interviews, Jessica interviewed and
photographs shop owners, • I interviewed a tourist, a police man, locals, and street people - more than interview I dwelled in
the cultural habitats of people from each of these cultures for hours on end, making sociological observations about culture and interactions base on perceived meanings • my goal was to use sociology to understand peoples perspectives, and the meanings they
assign to different symbols, to see which meanings they had in common with each other and what meanings did they not (example - policeman patrolling on block - to them this is an act of watching for organized crime) - someone else could interpret this as a threat) (me asking a tourist a question - for them could mean potential danger) • my goal was to use this information and my theories about how space can influence
behavior to create a space where these different groups could interact and through the abstract experience of car full crafted symbolic forms, allow people to experience the same phenomena in a different way, form someone else's persecutive from another population on site, so that they could then, after walking through the structure have more shared meanings to form a basis for new levels of understanding and interaction.
-3 POPULATIONS - STREET PEOPLE -LOCALS G A T H E R I N G PA T T E R N S - TOURISTS -ORGANIC, - SOCIAL HUBS - C U R B B E F O R E PA R K , M C D O N N E L L ' S B I O M O R P H I C , D Y N A M I C - ALL THROUGHOUT - M O V E M E N T, - WHOLE FOODS AND ON LEFT
SINGULAR EXPERIENCES S I D E W A L K FA C I N G E A S T - R E C TA L I N E A R , - O B S E R VA T I O N S FIXED, REGULAR - S T R E E T P E O P L E VA L U E C O M M U N I T Y A N D I M M A T E R I A L I T E M S A N D - C U LT U R A L A N A LY S I S CUSTOMS ASSOCIATED - VA L U E S - T O U R I S T S S E E T H E M S E LV E S A S - NORMS OUTSIDERS ABOVE PEOPLE IN THEIR SURROUNDINGS - HISOTRY - L O C A L S VA L U E I N D I V I D U A L I T Y - LANGUAGE TECHNOLOGY AND MATERIAL - SYMBOLS ITEMS
SOCIAL EXPERIENCES AND O B S E R V AT I O N S O N S I T E
• Significance: • eventually this will show in its significance to
my final concept
• I touch on this concept in later research • its the ethos of my architectural style and
• interaction with “street people”
language
• I spent 40 minutes interacting with a man named Lamar, I jotted things down while I hung out in their circle • I learned Lamar was from a high socioeconomic background and that he left home because he wanted to hop trains and travel • I witnessed a calm and dynamic atmosphere in our interaction • I theorized that this may be a result of the geometric organization of the group and specifically where people were oriented in their
environment influence what they see and how they feel as they interact
• people ply hard outer shell but have softer insides • interaction with police officer • I interview a police officer named Elizabeth. she expressed a deep love for the people in the area • she used to life in a situation similar to many of the people that squat in the park • she said that although drugs and crime are issues, most kids don't start out doing it, they are socialized into it. • all police want to do is to prevent organized crime, don't care much about small time drug dealing. Their goal to to help people
from not getting addicted to drugs,
• interaction with tourist • I asked the man one question and he looked at me scared and confused and then went of, as if fe felt he was superior to me.
HYPOTHESIS ABOUT SOCIAL ISSUE AND POTENTIAL ARCHITECTURAL RESPONSES • as the building, and structure relates to
the actual influence it can create and embody in the reaction and behavior of people on site - and even if not it shows what lengths I went to - to understand how the social issues on site should be taken into serious account when addressing site program and design
• proxemics is a form of non-verbal
communicate that has to do with spacial orientation. Physical layouts of buildings literally structure these experience that can be described scientifically as forms of social communication and aspects of culture
• the above images portray geometric setting arrangement as whole food cafe,
people either face each other 100 % or they face directly foreword (either challenging or disconnecting • below depicts geometric organization of street kids, since they gather in
concentric circles, there orientation are neither completely facing, nor completely facing foreword • this i theorize explains the communal behavior of street kids, and explains the
• Throughout my project I seek to find ways to apply
these concepts and this theory and I also look to expand it
individualist, capitalist and consumerist behavior of people at whole foods (establishment)
“Lay down these words Before your mind like rocks placed solid, by hands in choice of place, set before the body of the mind in space and time: solidity of bark, leaf or wall riprap of things: Cobble of milky way, straying planets these poems, people, lost ponies with dragging saddles and rocky sure-foot trails the worlds like and endless four dimensional game of Go ant and pebbles in the thin loam, each rock a word a creek mashed stone Granite: ingrained with tormentor fire and weight Crystals and sediment linked hot all change, in thoughts, as well as things”
• Adjectives
• this helped provide a theoretical
• interconnected • cord, interlink, unite, fuse • metaphysical • theoretical imperceptible, spiritual,
ideal, visionary, cosmic, transcendent
• physical • somatic, material, corporeal • concrete • effective, unquestionably literal • abstract • metaphysical, theoretical, romantic,
etherial,
! • multidimensional
focus or unity or path to my conceptual development • The poem is very astronomical
and touches on ideas of consciousness, and the connection between the mind and the body and mental act as they relate to physical acts • this is important and significant
realization and contribution to the holistic understanding of what it is that I intend to do in this semester and in the future of my career
NOTES/BREAKDOWN WORDS HIGHLIGHTED WORDS LINKED TO CONCEPTS LISTED CONCEPTUAL ADJECTIVES D E V E L O P M E N T O F C O N C E P T AT T H I S S TA G E
6 GESTURE MODELS • interconnected, metaphysical, abstract, concrete, physical, multi-
dimensional
• 1) The primary goal of this model was to explore the experience of
how varying set of concentric circles can conjoin to create more complex forms that are intelligible -its inspired by the native american hoop dance
• 2) the same, repeated circular form in a spiral is meant to be the most
basic and unintentional exploration of fractal geometry, and its connection, how it alludes to the truth within the structures of nature
• 3) the wild model to the left symbolizes and celebrates randomness,
and the process of extrapolation where the truth becomes distorted in transitional form waiting to be reorganized, this is an intimate process know to humanity
• 4) this model is meant to mimic a simple topographical map, and it is
an exploration of how to model surfaces and structure that mimic the patterns of the earth
• 5) this model is an experiment in applying the theory of proxemic
interaction I discussed in previous slides. “walls around edges and on the left side are curvilinear pathways, and the pathways on the right are rectilinear; this is meant to highlight individualist vs. collectivist cultural norms embodied within physical structure. The height of the rods neat the curvilinear symbolize the highness of collective culture
• 6) this model is an experiment in expressing how the rectilinear can
transform into the curvilinear, how the origins of mathematics progressively deal with more and more lines and edges and points. it also represents deconstruction of the hypercube a 4D shape (in poem)
TREE MODELS CHOSEN TO DEVELOP FURTHER
• metaphysical
• the role of this form of inquiry will regard primarily the
ordering principle, that will guide future designs.
• questions: does this field cover both forms in nature and
ordering principles
• response: here ordering principle is primary and form is
secondary
• concrete • the role here will seek forms that mimic nature so building
can appear as though it folds into nature
• questions: does this model cover both ordering principles
and forms in nature
• response: here form is primary and ordering principle is
secondary
• abstract • the understanding of the abstract and the process of
abstracting is paramount to developing symbolic communication
SITE MODEL BASED ON GESTURE MODELS F I R S T I T E R AT I O N
• hypothesis: will certain geometric forms lure a certain group of people; in this case will the white nodal pieces that are connected to the metaphysical model attract
“street people” or spiritual locals? • explanation: The three primary elements are indoor/outdoor spaces for and the street people to enter. its meant to lure them in and to have forms that theoretically
mimmic their cultural values, establishing familiarity. the central structure is meant to blend in with the topography of the surroundings so it appears as if the culture of the “street people” emerged directly from nature. • program: build a structure that integrates metaphysical and concrete concepts, as defined by me for this exercise, that is within smalls site limitation • relevance to thesis: touches on concept of integration and identification • pros: interesting contrast of materials and spacial typologies, creates interesting contrast • cons: craft is poor, execution of concepts is uncle, representation is too loose • conclusions: good start, but refined much much more • questions:what is the most pragmatic way to build or embody concept iI theorize • what learned? good design takes time, make sure you a lot yourself to have enough time..
ABSTRACT • The structure on the right is supposed
to be an abstract representation of the police, because embedded within it is a hand gesturing to stop.
• as human beings we abstract
information and interpret it, giving it socially defined meaning. These symbols we come to know are part of our abstract language - this understanding is part of how i develop my formal architectural language
• this conceptual thinking can lead to
expression given more nuanced symbols that involve the nature within humanness — such as brain structure and mirror neurons
• hypothesis: hand facing towards you is an authoritarian symbol accosted with the police
in our culture, this establishes the connection of the model formal language to the thing it is meant to represent
• program: design cop symbol in model • relevance to thesis: explaining how the concept of the abstract relates to human
perception, architecture, and design, and conciseness
• pros: good craft, clear there was a careful and methodical building process, language
communicates abruptness
• cons: model could be more complete, and have more secondary and tertiary elements,
and potentially skin too, also how is it clear that this model really communicate the police signifier? if so how why, if not, why how
• conclusions: use knowledge about symbolic language to build on new models for new
iterations, apply what you have learned
• questions: what are the fundamental setbacks to the kind of thinking and process you are
conducting, is it architecture? should it be architecture? what does it tell you if it is not?
• what learned? even though meanings are not inherent in things, symbols are still valuable
because it allows us to track cultures as they are now, preservers in the slowness of time
CONCRETE •
the path of inquiry in the field of concreteness, has to do with formal language which are abundant in nature •
•
this will help me to create spaces that are more nuanced and natural in tree/park setting,
topographical maps/ sectioning trees with other natural forms/ structural repetition in nature/ underground animal architecture/ study materials employed in earth architecture • hypothesis: nature is concrete because it has constant ordering principles, studying and
mimicking this will make us more aware of ourselves and give us a model to understand human behavior in space
• program: build model built on natural ordering principle • relevance to thesis: for many things in nature, we have symbols that represent their
meaning or significance to us or our culture, Analysis of this type of understanding could open window to how the human mind works and solves architectural issues
• pros: solid craft, beautiful execution and result, learned how to create subtle variation in
form using sectioning technique on multiple angles
• cons: not completely finished, could have more variation, and the form could be broken as
well, could have skin, entrance and exits cold be more clearly defined
• conclusions: model helped me understand a construction technique, however the issue of
finding self ordering systems is still unresolved
• questions: what form does this model mimic? (water?) - If not what do you think it
symbolizes - warning you may fin other people interpretation vastly different than yours
• what learned?: simply building and engaging the hands, guides you as an architect down
the path you need o go
M E TA P H Y S I C A L
• Notice the image to the left, where all the 6 gesture models can combine to create many collective
structures, not only does this address complex new theories of architecture such as theories of component part construction, but it also alludes the concept of fractal geometry and self similarity
• case study - many african fractal villages are observed to be built primarily in fractal geometric
organizations, and the forms of organization are sometimes connected to the intentionality and meaning to the social functions of the structure. (every building with it has certain measurable functions and dysfunctions)
• The main model in this set is an experimental model that works with fractal geometry in the
representational sense, however not yet the refined socially functional sense
• the chip board model is a fractal that follows the shape of all the rainbow gatherings that have
occurred in the United States, the form repeats within itself theoretically onto infinity. This is meant to symbolize now the site is a microcosm for a larger global movement, it is the cultural epicenter.
• Rainbow Gatherings are gatherings of primarily hippie and beatniks and free spirits in national
parks for a could months at a time every years. I am using this to create a fractal to allude to the fact that there might be some lager truth to this unintentional map or patterns that Ii want to highlight and I am using fractal geometry as a tool to represent that consciousness on site and in the experience of the structure
• hypothesis: fractal geometry can be used to communicate larger symbolic meaning through its
understanding of self similarity, that shows how the site, is a cultural epicenter for the hippie, beatnik movement of love and consciousness throughout the united states and the world. • program: build a particular type of model that is a fractal, based on the specific ordering principles on self -
similarity, that mimics the overall mapping of rainbow gatherings in the united states • relevance to thesis: though this excursive is primarily representational, I believe fractal geometry can be
used to program spaces (forms and shapes of internal walls, barriers openings, framed views, and seating organizations) specifically to oder people’s interactions in such a way that makes them more spontaneous and natural - this exercise is merely a step to getting there. • pros: models is actually a pretty accurate fractal, and is based on pretty solid data, that portrays clear
patterns of gathering on the united states - though this may take an explanation to fully see • cons: bottom of motel is too much like a base, does the model really communicate the concept of
metaphysical-ness? how does that conceptual gap get bridged • conclusions: successful understanding of how to apply principles of self similarity to skin like surfaces and
potentially basic forms (still need more investigation to understand how i manifests in three dimensions) • questions: how do I start to break down fractal geometries application socially and in three dimensions? • what learned?: case studies on specific phenomena can be useful to create new tools for deeper
understanding but also make more challenging to keep a unified whole design concept
!
CASE STUDIES
• Topographical Mountain City: I looked at this example
to understand how a structure could intricately mimic or even embody natural forms while still on a monumental or macro scale. This example uses a structural system that also looks a lot like a complex sectioning technique.
• Underground Architecture: I investigated this building
to find a way to create a structure that was largely hidden, underground that still had a distinctive design while blending almost seamlessly with nature
• Fractal Village Geometry: I revisited this specific
geometry, that echoes the research done in the jester model to understand the concept of self similarity, to the the structure, within itself, embodies natures forms and self similar repeating forms, and internally consistent self ordering or organizational principles
S I T E M O D E L S E C O N D I T E R AT I O N
• hypothesis: through the application of all of my research, an unobtrusive, self similar structure, that mimics forms in nature will blend in with
site (and at this stage I also wanted to integrate the three groups using symbolic language that attracted them each individually into the space, and them lead them to a collective space where shared meanings and understandings and communication could be achieved) • program: build a structure that applies your research to a site specific, relevant model • relevance to thesis: model based on research will be embed with the wisdom and essence of nature, (and eventually create a language that
can build the platform for applying the social goals of this project) • pros: is very successful at applying research concepts and case studies • cons: doesn’t address social issues at all • conclusions: do more research on design tools and socially scientific concepts to realize social goals • questions: how can I explore more underground structures to be more unobtrusive • what learned?: focusing on one goal per iteration seems to be a healthy practice, this model was successful at what i set out to do, and I feel
the next phase will to
NEW GESTURE MODELS + REFINED CONCEPT • The first gesture model is an evolution of the models
in the abstract category. This model explores symbolism associated with the hippie movement through the application of symbolic elements of the peace sign - which is evident the the secondary and tertiary smaller connections near the connecting points of the primary frame expressions
• The second model is an evolution of the concrete
category and explores the geometric from of the tree through the sectioning technique to try to understand how its geometry is internally organized, to understand nature even more, and to apply it to verticality so that the concept will blend in better with the extreme hight of the trees on site 100-150 feet tall,
• The third model is an exploration of the
metaphysical/physical category and is meant to be a nodal model that will let in sunlight from a smaller opening in the surface that allows light to pour into a larger gathering piont underground. The steady angling of the walls is carefully crafted to accommodate 33% sun angle in the winter, and a 50% sun angle in the summer, and it will also receive consistent light throughout the day.
SITE MODEL I T E R AT I O N 3 • hypothesis: creating an underground system of pathways and nodes that receive sunlight at
different times can map out important events in the development of hippie culture, by aligning one of their inner components or essential geometries to the specific sun angle of the time of year that that event occurred. This will create a direct experimental capsule hidden from the surface experience of life, giving a deeper analogy to what wisdom is and where it resides. • program: build system of nodes, that create collective experiences of significant points in history
to create a cultural crescendo of interpersonal experience • relevance to thesis: this idea attempts to put time, space, and culture into an inextricable linked
system, that creates a rich, layered, and nuanced experience of truth (with social consciousness, and harmony as it purpose) • pros: amazing profound idea • cons: unclear if people will really “get” this meaning if it is not thoroughly described to them (this
may yet be even more symbolic and meaningful in the context of wisdom because it shows how hard wisdom is to find and achieve and hold, even if you have an some inkling of where it might be) (though profound, this may be impractical) (the tunnel system may also be socially dysfunctional in that if gives people another place to squat - not only would the space be used for an unintended purpose, but if would be counter productive to the idea goal. • conclusions: ideas are great things, but unless realizable, it is challenging to make use for them in
the here and now, this idea may defiantly provide inspiration for what is possible to do with contracting things in the physical world that harmonize functionally with nature, they transcend the physical, and go beyond the imaginable. But here we need architecture that harmonizes with human beings, not only nature. • questions: How can one achieve harmony within nature and human beings separately and
together distinctly.? • what learned?: the shaping of the physical world can be incredibly profound, because it can
create consistent experiences. Don’t loose this treasure, because it is architecture at its truest core (this is not the only matura) (its is but a drop in the ocean)
SITE MODEL 4 T H I T E R AT I O N
• since the underground concept was hard to construct, i will refine the previous design • making it unify the design language of my kite with my most recent successful unified
design • problem: still doesn’t address the social • hypothesis: by creating a model that unites the previous design and the tectonic language
from my kite will create more clarity and build a platform of unity for the next model to realize itself • program: create a model that combines the embodiment of nature through mimicking
earths forms, fractal geometry, and abstraction of symbols to the theorized language of wisdom tapped into from the kite project • relevance to thesis: combines theories of wisdom to theories of nature to create the
foundations for understanding humanity • pros: language is rich, primary frame expression has rhythm, repetition and variation, there
are secondary connections that mimc formal language in new material, adding structural integrity, the skin material mirror the texture of the ground, and the widows mimic the new overall layout, in a fractal, there are two clear openings that represent underground nodes • cons: though an interesting combination and integration of previous ideas, this design offers
no new ideas about social issues, the formal language mimics the old but is irrelevant to the character of the three populations or groups of people who’s culture and language I am seeing to provide a potential understanding of unity for which starts with symbolic representation • conclusions:good synopsis of previous concepts, now work on integrating the three culture’s
formal language • questions: how will you do this? • what learned?: design is a beautiful processes of understanding the essence of the universe,
it has nothing to do with buildings, it is about embodying character, quality, frozen in time, as a truth to be reflected upon or analyzed, this is an allegory for life itself - our physical state is but a finite moment in the infinite continuum of the lives of our souls, therefore we must study it and treasure it, and use it to understand our immaterial selves.
F R A C TA L R E S E A R C H - N E W C O N T E X T T O U N D E R S TA N D G E O M E T R Y, A N D HOW IT CAN AUGMENT ALL FORMS O F O R G A N I Z AT I O N - P H Y S I C A L A N D , ALL ENHANCING DESIGN • Benoit Mandelbrot represents change in mathematics: most mathematicians used things they discovered
in their minds to explain things in reality, Mandlebrot using things in realty to discover patterns that exist geometrically • previous mathematicians separate “things that are understandable and recognizable with present
mathematics” and then “acts of god” which they throw away - things they cannot explain • Mandelbrot saw the “acts of god” as the meat • Turns out that simple, simple equations, when repeated or iterated eventually to
infinity , create these incredibly beautiful shapes • Fractals deal with complex numbers - points in the plane (whereas Real numbers are piont on the line. • the equation Mandelbrot came up with to describe roughness was Z —> Z^2 +C
fferent models and applications • Benoit Mandlebrot’s discoveries helped people create images that appeared to be like objects in nature,
using these algorithms and equation • this helped my in my project to make architectural skins and forms that looked like pattern in nature
• At its core I think fractal geometry can
help us make buildings that are more reach level os complexity that we see in nature
• Ron Eglash’s studies of seeing fractal geometry in African villages lead him to discover how people were
intuitionally using fractal geometry for certain social purposes • there was a fractal village that as you entered the next inner iteration of the fractal, you had to show
a higher level or respect • similar to a norm in our society that the higher up you go in a building the more wealthy the
people, or the more important they are • There are villages that had to use algorithms rooted in fractal geometry to create a mail service • another village was organized in such a way that the entire village was self similar to each house.
• and within those forms created, social
organizations and institutional arrangements will change in how building function based on how they circulate, as well as on the micro scale of one and two person interactions.
• The first three premises • Premise 1: human beings act toward things based on the meanings the things have for them • physical objects: ex. tree or chair • other people: friend or foe • institutions: school or government
SYMBOLIC INTERACTION RESEARCH - U N D E R S TA N D I N G C O M M U N A L C O N C I S E N E S S W I T H I N S PA C E S C R E AT E D - W AY O F V E R I F Y I N G I F D E S I G N I N T E N T I O N S V A L I D LY W E R E ACHIEVED
• guiding ideals: ex. individual indépendance or honesty • activities of others: commands or requests • Premise 2: The meaning of such things arises out of social interactions with fellows • Premise 3: These meanings are handled in or modified through interpretive process used by person in dealing with encounters • In the symbolic interactionist perspective ignoring the meaning of things toward which people act is seen as falsifying the behavior • So within the concept of a symbol is that people subjective meanings for things that arise from interaction, are what people use to interpret reality from what they experience,
which then lays the foundation for how they will think and behave • if architecture can be sensitive to that… • architectural environments are the arena’s where this sense of meaning can arise • architectural forms can influence the meanings that arise by creating context for interaction • or potentially the meanings shared • if we can influence that, then we can help guide people to hang more shared meaning, then we can create a social hub that facilitates integration of cultures and
cultural understanding • the application of this idea would have been most relevant to the concept I had earlier that i did not fully articulate (which I was very passionate to build • But in order to truly and fully understand how this specific system of sociological understanding applies to architecture, I must do more extensive research on the theories
and field themselves, and i have found that some of the ideas I have generated still contradict certain tenets of symbolic interactionism • that being said… I still feel that this system may hold a lot of promise for guiding how we should contract our buildings and how they influence people’s perceptions • the only wall I have hit is that meanings are primarily subjective and not inherent in things • this is the main theoretical contradiction that has falsified my ideas of late • so more research and new ideas to come for 103
R E - E V A L U AT I O N O F DESIGN CONCEPT • hypothesis: if I sketch gestural images that represent both negate and
positive qualities of each social group on site, I will have a basis for relating their positive and negative qualities culturally on site through the integrated experience. • program: draw positive and negative qualities of each group, and
expand the list of adjectives and deepen drawings • relevance to thesis: this is the missing link between symbolic
representation, social perception, and design language • pros: responses to the meanings of the gesture drawings are consistent
with many peoples perceptions, • cons: with the amount of time for this project it does not seem feasibly
to create the originally attempted concept of integrating the three groups • conclusions: so, I found my solution in the philosophy of Philip Hallie,
who argues that the most moral act is to elevate the oppressed. So I believe my concept could be achieved through exiling hippie, beatnik, culture by creating a structure with design language that embodies that specific culture, then attract all the people in the area into that structure so they will learn the treasure of this cultures significance and beauty • questions: how will I attain this form? • what learned? Gesture drawings can be a very powerful and significant
tool to create the origin of tectonic language
•
this is the gesture drawing that represented the positive quality of the hippie culture
5 T H I T E R AT I O N O F S I T E M O D E L
• hypothesis: by focusing on the gesture model that described the positive quality of hippie
culture, creating a design based on this will attract all populations in the area, and integrate or unify them in the appreciation of the hippie culture, that was so significant to this neighborhood and the world
• program: design structure based on positive hippie gestural sketch • relevance to thesis: it pears down the social concept into a design that is more practically
feasible
• pros: intricate and detailed micro-language • cons: too literal - looks like tree • conclusions: look more closely at drawing, the form is more like concentric orbs that flow in
and out, up and around, the side and beneath the floors, with many openings and windows.
• questions: How will this new design concept influence behavior - since you will no longer
have cultural integration, you will have assimilation?
• what learned? : don’t get carried away in just building, you have to stay fast to the design
intentions, by devoting yourself to the abstract communications, of design language empowered and harnessed through your drawings.
s u
Closed Ecological Systems
EarthShip Systems
s
t a n a b i
l i t y
- Rain water collection - Grey water treatment - Bio-sewage treatment - Plant Fertilizer - Solid Land Mass Heating - South facing windows
Urban Farm
Purpose: to maintain lifeform - waste products carbon dioxide, feces, and urine, must eventually be converted to oxygen, food, and water - must maintain one autotrophic organism (chemotrophic and phototrophic are plausible) Ex green algea - phototroph used today
-
Inspirations
-Goal: maximum yield per minimum volume -experiments with different 3D configurations - considering sun exposure - how fill spaces with light that wouldn’t normally receive it - mirror lighting - how to filter water through structure
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM OF L I T E R A L I T Y- A G E S T U R E M O D E L • hypothesis: through breaking the form of the previous model, inspired by the first
gesture model, i will build and abstract language that will be the foundation of my final design. • program: build model that abstracts and breaks down, elementally the tree form • relevance to thesis: works through the persistent challenges of the relationship
between human and nature, to discover human nature. (the ultimate design discovered mimics the forms what are theorized to be the very structure of the universe, and also that of electromagnetic fields. • pros: creates interesting and abstract forms that both mimic trees but also
completely depart from them in any literal sense. the forms created are interesting and so complex they never seem to quite get fully familiar - like nature that is always growing changing and evolving - and to think one can create a structure that is physically static but not experientially static, the possibilities for influencing human life is tremendous. • cons: craft is poor, still very basic, no variation in line weight, no clear intention
and legible hierarchy. Rhythm repetition and variation seem present but they are not apparent • conclusions: Good discovery, you have it here, keep refining this design. • questions: how does this design change my concept, my narrative and my
intuitions at social influence • what learned? : gesture model followed and guided by gesture drawing are
essential tools in the process of abstract design
FRAME EXPRESSION O F F I N A L I T E R AT I O N
• hypothesis: By creating a structure that embodies the qualities of hippie culture in its design
language, it will create a cultural hub, on site, in the interstitial space where the Haight ends and the park begins, that will welcome people of all cultures to come and experience the unifying power of hippie culture, its ideals and is character imbued within the forms and purposing of space.
• program: build a structure that will become the frame of your final model, use a complex multi
angled sectioning technique to create undulating forms, that have mathematically significant symbolic properties that make a statement and construct a certain social reality through the use of space
• relevance to thesis: unifies social motivations with design language grown and developed from
trail and error, in the endeavor of creatively applying research to achieve the outcome stated in the original intent
• pros:abstract language is rich, form is complex an layered (a true feat without computer modeling),
it has subtle primary, secondary and tertiary areas of focus in rhythm and receptions, there are primary and secondary lightweights, outlined in a hierarchical fashion. The form is unique and it embodies hippie culture through touching on the spiritual - forms that mimic electromagnetic fields (the shape of the universe) - it celebrates the soup kitchen which was on site by the forms appearing to move as if they were liquid. The forms also mimic the insides of trees, a significant symbol in hippie culture, and finally the forms suggest that there are no windows walls floors or ceilings, geometrically, which embody the concept of infinity.
• cons: craft could be better, there could be more hierarchy of line weights in frame structure with
sub-notes, the secondary framing could be more extensive and consistent, and there could be multiple hierarchical layers of varying forms and patterns, adding more hierarchy and complexity, density and richness. Also the language relative to the culture of the hippie movement could be more developed and refined.
• conclusions: good transition from previous work ideas are becoming more refined and focussed,
now focus on crafting skin and pathways nodes and floors, internal organs
• questions: What will be underground and what above ground, cut into the site. What functions will
the form facilitate and inspire? How can it be best utilized to establish unity, and memory and a healing force to the neighborhood, a cultural artifact and talisman that will protect it from loosing its heart (remember buildings are not for themselves, they are for people, if building were for themselves then we would not need them, and they would not need us. So the building is meant to be the people, the building is what it inspires people to do within it, that is architecture.
• what learned? gray model star with rough gestural expression - ten build upon them
SECTION DRAWINGS • B
•
• A
• A
the first is a section A is facing north and the second section B is facing east
• B
• Human
PLAN DRAWINGS • floor 1 - museum - tourists • floor 2 - commune/soup kitchen (“primarily street
kid and locals”
• floor 3 - urban gardens “serving the whole comity
• 1
• 3
• 2
N A R R AT I V E , C I R C U L AT I O N , PROGRAMING • Circulation - people enter through west entrance and with travel right down the spiral
path through the museum, or they travel left on a path that spirals upward to commune space with a library and a kitchen, then continue to an observatory and then two urban farms, which are on the 3rd level of the cycle. • Program - There is a museum on the first floor, which will attract mainly the tourist group/
population and from -out of neighborhood - locals as well, then the commence will be occupied by street people and traveler’s anyone welcome who is prepared to have opening experience. The gardens belong to the community and so does the commune, they will establish their own form of governance, and work the farm and the museum, which will provide income • Narrative: the program and circulation are meant to organize people in the building to
flip a paradigm in architecture, that people with more wealth and higher social status are usually on the higher levels, about the tourists who presumable have more money, and symbolically, nature, above both groups is elevated even more.
FINAL MODEL1 16TH SCALE
FINAL I T E R AT I O N • hypothesis: An integrated formal language that alludes to the metaphysical concepts related to the hippie
movement, that has program that creates social organizations that challenges existing socio-architectural norms related to socio-economic status and height, and a circulation that allude to the abstract consent of time, will create a structure that creates and preserve and foster a community on site that integrate all groups on site, and encourage new groups to interact with existing ones, preserving re-teaching, evolving and redefining a culture that was so influential to the evolution of your collective conciseness as human beings in the modern world and thought all time.
• program: build a structure that merges with site, has articulate curvilinear tectonic language that interacts
with the nature on site around it, and that encourages multiple cultures to interact with trusses and a complex sectioning technique for framing, partial skin and spiral flooring.
• relevance to thesis: constructs a symbolic design response to a social inter-relational concept, an embodies
abstract language that builds on the concepts of self similarity in fractal-like repetitions of the three atria
• pros: unique and socially conscious and interactive and unconventional • cons: doesn’t address specific social issues as deeply and accurately and directly as I would have wanted
and hoped for. (I want to spend more time developing ideas that were born within this project
• conclusions: Strong project, rich and layered (always more ways to expand and evolve it further • questions: what would it look like with more full and complete skin • what learned?: when in the practice of design try to come to solid design earlier, so that you have more
time to refine the social and psychological detailed components that will theoretically and experimentally illicit shifts in consciousness that you seek to create.
1/8 FINAL MODEL
• This size model,
though not fully completed allows one to see the overall basic structure of the final model and to get closer to feeling what it would feel like and look like if one were inside it.
REFLECTION • learning outcomes + self evaluation. • this semester was rough for me. It was my first semester ever besides summer session where I was supporting myself and
going to school - this took a huge toll on my studio class. I am the type of student who will work really hard to achieve some level of satisfaction in my work, and it is very hard to meet my own expectations, because I am very attentive and I have a deep desire for learning, so I push myself in studio to attain a level of understanding and practice that exceeds anything I could have expected. This semester, what I did unconsciously, was that I set my expectations lower, because i knew that I would not have the time to dedicate myself as fully to this class as i really wanted to. However, I was also relatively new at schedule management and I probably could have been more efficient. All this aside, I did learn a great many things in this class about the next level of architectural understanding and practice, and I also learned many things about myself.
• Architecture- I had an introductory experience to true site analysis, on a verity of levels, expanding my horizons in my
goals to study people, and to integrate the users as the primary people in the design experience and process, for they are the ones that truly matter.
• Myself - I learned that I have this insatiable desire for knowledge and changing things I see that are not right and
finding concrete solutions that have the potential power to address those problem, but sometimes there are so many ideas, it becomes a challenge to commit to a few and to realize them. That was definitely a huge challenge leading up to the final project. I he'd to pear down my idea, and I started to learn that the true scope of your intentions for the project must be seen within the time you have available or else your endeavor will not be fully realizable. I learned too, that I learn and develop architecturally through making things, and doing rough gestural drawings in the conceptualization phase. After my midterm portfolio and presentation I learned from my experiences and with Alimy’s guidance, to use these tools, and they served me well in the final project. My final design developed from a gesture model, and my early gesture model provided a lot of inspiration that a drew from even much later in the coarse. The greatest things I learned was that I learned new methods to help me learn more deeply and efficiently, to develop more rapidly yet thoroughly and grow steadily.
• General Reflection
R E F L E C T I O N ( C O N T. )
• I learned that my wide range of knowledge serves me well in the field of architecture, • and it is my mission as an architect to use sociology and psychology and philosophy to understand how spaces influence our interactions,
perceptions, and eventually our cognitions “actions” and behaviors
• in this specific case my original theory of proxemic experiential interaction is not fully realized - the closest my final project gets to
exploring this is the abstract forms the geometry represents as well and the psychological concepts embodied in the programing
• my theories don’t have an “on the ground” influence • the reason I strayed away from this was because I felt that it was more essential for my success in the class to focus on abstract language,
than to test a theory.
• though frustrated in the moment, I have learned from this semester through thinking about how buildings perform social functions,
and can be functional and dysfunction for each specific distinct intended purpose.
• this is a more complex problem to be addressed in future work…. • hopefully I will be able to address this next semester when I take a psychology research methods coarse, social deviance and arch
103 studio.
• reflection on presentation, what did I learn? how will it help prepare me for 103? • knowledge and experience about programming, as well as skills in scale modeling and architectural drawing\ • as well as things I learned about my own design procces • thinking ——> making (must be a symbolic process) - something to show or gesture drawing —-> building or any sequence of those
three things in quick secession
• refineing: building at different scales —-> adding reevaluating certain aspects, doing gesture model that can be edited roughly • then careful craft with attention to detail, and precision • then careful photo documentation