project taking form

this weekend has proven to be a very productive one for me with my project design.  I rationalized ground, second level, and typical floor plans and started to really shape the exterior form of the building.  all of the floor plans function well and have great potential to improve, which is very exciting for the design.  I have realized that doing the floor plans first enables me to understand how the building will FUNCTION for an occupant, and in turn that affects the overall form.  this understanding is something I have always struggled with because I try to create a beautiful form from the onset and apply floor plans afterwards.  doing the opposite and establishing functioning floor plans first will allow the building to take a natural form; a form that is successful not only aesthetically but practically.  this is the kind of architecture I want to create.

with all of this in mind, I started doing research on sustainable practices, curtain walls, material uses, and other topics.  this research has given me a better understanding of how I want my building to work.  ultimately I want to accomplish these main goals:

-  Use materials local to San Diego
-  Curtain wall system is sophisticated and has multiple functions
-  Green and Active rooftops
-  Colors of facade are affected by sun's orientation
-  Form reflects San Diego culture and CELEBRATES the area
   *  this building should be representative of San Diego
-  Sustainable systems; passive and active

below are the floor plans I have created as well as some of the initial building articulation:

Ground floor plan
*  Everything at this level is public

Second level floor plan
*  These amenities will be offered only to residents

Typical floor plan of unit layout
*  Variety of options would entice developers

Subtle curves are dramatic with the scale of the project

Changes start to show the building's skin "peeling" away

Active roofs will reduce heat island affect, sun reflectivity, and utilize flat roof space

The tower flows with the commercial floors below, which is an important aspect to the project

the colors of the project go back to the initial concept I had of the sail cutting through the blue ocean.  white is great for albedo (sun reflectivity = less heat gain) and also has a great contrast with the blue glass of the building and the blue skies that occur daily in San Diego.  Im initially thinking that the white walls will be made of white concrete.  however, I will have to play with that idea because not all of these white walls will be structural making the use of heavy concrete unnecessary.

I am going to continue to develop this idea and concept and hopefully take it to a higher level of sophistication.   the ultimate goal is to have, not only a beautiful structure, but an innovative design with intricate details that will attract spectators at a smaller scale than just the overall building form.

one aspect that I was wanting to incorporate with the building was the use of wood.  more specifically, after some research, I was wanting to use western red cedar because of its natural beauty, workability, and potential for interior finishes.  if I continue to work mainly with white and blue colors I will not see the ability to use wood.  however, there is still a potential to use the wood solely in the interiors and exclude it from the exterior.

I want to get some feedback about this progress I have made and from that point I will make the necessary changes to start truly detailing my building.  going into the 5th week, I will have about 1 1/2 weeks to continue the design before I prepare for the midterm presentation.  right now, I feel like I am at a very strong point in my design and am extremely excited to see how much more I will progress.

recycled shelf

This was the old shelf.  Although it had spaces for small items, its bulkiness

limited the amount of desk space and hardly allowed for any under-the-shelf

space to be utilized.  

over the past few years I have consumed a lot of coffee...to say the least.  this resulted in me accumulating a lot of empty coffee cans.  instead of throwing them out I thought it would be a cool idea to recycle them into a shelf.  a newer shelf was definitely needed because the old one I built took up too much desk space.  this new shelf is a lot more space friendly and allows me to utilize my desk better.

This was scrap wood from my garage and serves
as the main shelf surface.

A couple of these coffee containers serve as vertical supports.

This new design allows for under-the-shelf space.

The overall design is slim and very simple.  I think it  came out pretty well and
am excited because it has the capabilities to free up a lot of desk space.

process work

I've been working very diligently with my project the past few days and have some more process work to share.  below are just a few sketches that I did that start to show how the building is starting to take form.  the main things I am trying to accomplish right now are a building that has a feasible structure, response to surrounding environment, sustainable energy production, feasible mechanical systems/zones, and an overall form that evokes a positive reaction from on-lookers.  right now, this is what I'm thinking:

"THE THREE FINS" control:

1)  Structure

2)  Light

3)  Wind

4)  Unit Creation

Using mainly these materials:

1)  Blue Glass

2)  White Concrete

The "Three Fins" start to define the number of units in the
building.  They serve as the main structural elements containing
the elevators, exit stairs, and mechanical rooms and all of the
rooms branch off from there.  

Looking at sq footage closer I realized that I can squeeze in one more unit.
This allows me to offer multiple living arrangements and will give a
prospective occupant the option of a specific unit (price/sq ft/# of bedrooms/etc).

Getting down to a detailed scale, the "Fins" will serve as wind catchers that draw
natural ventilation into rooms through two techniques.  The first allows a user to
open a vent in a room where the ventilation flows through the wall, and the second
option is to open a window on either side of the unit creating a +/- affect which
draws the air throughout the entire space at a higher rate.

project update

spending the majority of today in my room I have made some serious progress on the high rise tower project.  after visiting the site and gathering tons of information/pictures/analysis, I started to work out some models and sketches of early design ideas.

I started my thinking by asking myself one question:  "what is it that the high rise towers in San Diego lack?"  this question can simply be answered by saying that all of these towers are not special to San Diego at all.  they have no identity and no connection to the beautiful city in which they are located.  so then I asked myself one more question:  "what does San Diego offer to this project?"  1)  sun, 2)  gorgeous blue skies year round, 3)  consistent warm temperature, 4)  a breeding ground for new ideas.

the concept that I am currently working with is the sailboat.  it is notorious with San Diego, but it was not this that attracted me to using the concept of a sailboat.  I loved the idea of the thin white sails of the boat slicing through the great blue ocean mass.  from that view I started to work some ideas out with models and sketches.

Concept: Sailboat cutting through the water

This was a first sketch done yesterday

The next sketches are worked out roughly to give me an idea of what my idea could become

This sketch inspired most of what the study model looks like.
I started to look at more of the ocean than just the blue water.
The white foam occurs when there is movement in the water.

The model is at 1/16" = 1' - 0"

Street view for a pedestrian looking up at the tower

I really feel that I have a great start with all of this and I can't wait to work out of some other ideas soon.  another aspect that will really drive my design will be the overall structure of the building as well as how mechanical work (HVAC, plumbing, electrical) systems will work within the building.

winter 2011 project: affordable/student housing

this quarter for studio will entail one project for the whole ten weeks.  our site is located on the southeast corner of G street and 8th street in downtown San Diego.  right now the program has not been completely finalized but we are told it will be an affordable/student housing tower that will range somewhere from 15-20 stories tall.  a big component to this project will be the incorporation of a well designed building that has functional mechanical systems, both passive and active.

im really excited about this project because of a few main reasons: 1)  the constraints of a downtown site will allow me to get creative with the building's form/function, 2) I will learn codes and other restrictions to actual development of a building project, and 3)  I will learn how to properly design mechanical systems.  incorporating all of these aspects into my design is going to give me a greater understanding of the actual processes that are required in a building project.