Arch 101 Final

Instructor: Jerry Lum

Thanh Huynh

Introduction

• The concept of our Architecture final is: Architecture is a sculptural autobiography. What I think that means is that architecture is a form of art that describes oneself, but also needs to be built for the human condition of dwelling or living.

Iteration 1

• I thought this would create a good shadow, but building this life size didn’t look very stable.

• My first iteration was built using the pattern of my final iteration from the midterm. I decided to create the wall like that.

Iteration 2

• For this iteration I was really focusing on the back side of our hill trying to create a pattern with the walls. The shorter wall actually shows “101” and can also cast the shadow.

• This one looked like a good idea. It was basic and could produce shadows. Problem was the longer wall couldn’t produce the shadows because the sun would never go at that angle.

Iteration 3

• For this iteration I decided to have 3 walls with a door on the flat side of the hill.

• This one seemed like a good idea because it had windows to show views. Looking out to the trees and to batmale hall.

Iteration 4

• This one was build to have a view of the soccer field.

• Though it had a good view of the soccer field, it was too enclosed and you can barely see any other view.

Iteration 5

• This one I was just having fun making a rectangular shape bounce around the whole structure.

• The box on all the walls made the structure look playful and the big window gives the view of the soccer field again.

Iteration 6

• This iteration seemed the best for our area. It had the view of batmale hall, the soccer field, and the trees. It also had a little bench so you can sit and rest.

• Though this had a lot of views, it did not really seem stable if it was going to be built life sized.

Iteration 7

• This iteration was considered because we agreed that our structure could be elevated to create a higher sense of height.

• I created this one with a ramp and a ladder to go on top of the structure, but it did not seem safe to build this with the time we had.

Narrative

• We changed our narratives and installation many times. First narrative was to create a pathway up the hill for people to climb. We were going to create a difficult journey so your reward would be much higher when you get up to our structure. It was either going to be just a pathway with steps or a rope to climb. But then you inspired us with the arches of the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto Japan.

Inspiration

• The arches seemed like a really good idea. Having an archway to go through is more inviting than just a regular pathway. Also having the archways positioned and having many of them gave a sense of direction.

Tying Narrative with Structure

• Our new narrative was the butterfly. Then it was the life cycle of the caterpillar to the butterfly and this actually corresponds to our journey in the arch 101 class.

Caterpillar

• To begin our journey we created the first row of arches starting with bigger arches to smaller arches. It ties to our narrative because we all start our lives as caterpillars seeing the world as a very big place but as we grow it gets smaller and smaller. When we registered for 101 we all expected it to be all about design, but we soon found out that it was much tougher than we all had anticipated.

Caterpillar

• There are 7 arches also corresponding to how long the caterpillars life is. ( later on less arches for shorter period of time)

Cocoon

• This section of the installation was designed by Nicole and Thet. When the caterpillar goes into its cocoon state, it is enclosed and protected from many things as it transforms into a butterfly. This part of the journey is around after midterms and getting into this final. All the information from 101 is stored and ready to become better as we reach our goal of butterfly ( Arch 102)

Cocoon

• The cocoon was held with many wires and ropes hung on the tree. We hung the panels one day before the presentation hoping it would not fall down by its own weight.

Butterfly

• At the end of the journey for our caterpillar, it becomes a butterfly and becomes free. For us 101 students this transformation to a butterfly is our hopes of what we will become in 102 after our work in 101.

Butterfly

• When you exit the cocoon, there are 3 arches (shorter life of the butterfly). These arches are actually broken in the middle and angled outward pointing away from the cocoon because it symbolizes the openness and freedom of the butterfly.

Butterfly

• These are benches we installed that look like butterfly wings. The benches were built mainly because every other team had benches, but it was also a design feature.

Good times and Bad times (Post Mortem)

Good (Successes)• Finding free materials

(Doors)• Communication between

group members• Acquiring and moving the

materials (with a truck)• Constructing the arches,

cocoon, and benches

Bad (Difficulties)• Time management• Meeting up as a whole

group• Deciding on designs of

many aspects of our installation

• Creating a narrative• Working on the hill (digging

holes into the dirt and keeping things stable)

Conclusion

• From this final project and everything that has happened in 101 I learned what is expected of me as I enter 102. I must be more specific and think about what I say, before I say it. Understanding what you are doing and to be as specific as you can so you make less errors. Design is not just a form of art, it is also a form of function and that is what we need to consider as architects. Also time management is very important architecture.