ARCHITECTURE 102 MIDTERM PORTFOLIO

CHRISTAINE MAYNESSA DICHOSAANDREW CHANDLER

CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCOOCTOBER 15, 2014

INTRODUCTION

• Having finished taking Architecture 101, I already have some idea what to expect in architecture 102. I know how time consuming this workshop is and how I need to be dedicated and open to survive this subject. Despite having this knowledge I am still not accustomed to the environment and languages used in this field, which is why sometimes it can be overwhelming. I still don’t know what to expect in this course; however I do expect the long and vigorous process needed for me to be able to feel comfortable in speaking the right tectonic languages and doing the design process. I expect by the end of this course, that I will be able to communicate my vision properly, and that I can present through my iteration what I am intending the audience to see. Furthermore, I expect to be able to learn to balance multiple issues into one coherent structure that would be clear and understandable to others.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………… 2

• Chosen image………………………………………………………………………………… 4

• Corrugated Cardboard Exercise……………………………………………………… 6 – 14

• Gesture Models……………………………………………………………………………… 15 – 28

• Site Drawings……………………………………………………………………………….... 29 – 32

• Program……………………………………………………………………………………....... 33 – 42

• Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………… 43

FIRST HOMEWORK RESPONSE:

• Our very first assignment was to bring one colored picture that we love or find very appealing. The picture can be anything, as long as it is colored and the image touches us personally.

• Thinking in a normal point of view this homework is very easy because we are just expected to bring any picture. However thinking about this task critically, choosing one picture that have a powerful impact to me is difficult because it is hard to choose which can be very important to me. Searching in the web does not help either since every time I try to search something new I find something new that catches my attention, which made me have difficulty choosing the right image. So, in order for me to pick my most favorite image I choose three characteristics that I want the image to portray, which is serenity, grand, and open. Thus, by doing this I was able to choose my image.

MY CHOSEN IMAGE:• I have chosen this image because I love the powerful impact of the sunset to the sea, which makes the viewers feel warm and extraordinary. However, despite the vivid warm color of the orange sea and sky, one can also feel a sense of serenity in the picture, which is what I also love in the image. The calm tides and the lonely boat give this feeling of privacy and freedom to use the open space, which is the sea. Lastly, what I love in this image is the grandness of the open sky. It shows the golden beauty of the sun behind the black clouds, which is like making the viewers wonder what might be hidden behind the clouds. And because of these feelings that my chosen image shows, I decided to choose this as the image I love.

CORRUGATED CARDBOARD EXERCISE

FIRST CORRUGATED TILE ITERATION

• Concept:

• I based my first iteration to the random circles of the image that was given to me. By using some tracing paper I was able to experiment which shape is interesting and which is not. Furthermore, I chose this design to response to the chaotic yet energetic concept of the flower image.

PROCESS IN CREATING MY FIRST AND SECOND ITERATION:

• Here are some traces and drawings that I did which led me to my tile design

FIRST CORRUGATED TILE ITERATION

• Strengths, weaknesses and discoveries:

• One strength that this tile have is that I was able to produce the chaotic and randomness of my image to my tile. I thought I was able to present my intent clearly, but as I presented it in class I found out that my intentions are not shown evidently. Furthermore, by creating an architectural tile for the first time I limited the full capacity that I would have achieve if I continue adding some height and elements in this tile. Thus, because of my bias assumption of what a tile should look like I was not able to fully communicate to what the corrugated board should want to be.

SECOND CORRUGATED TILE ITERATION• Concept and Discoveries:

• For this tile I want to express and emphasize some of the placements of the random flowers and exaggerate it. So, I chose to use geometrical shapes to represent my intention because I was looking for a simple way to create a design that compliments my ideas, which I admit is wrong for my part because not only did I create a simple and boring tile, I have also throw away the opportunity for me to improve my creative skills. Moreover, like my mistakes in the first iteration I made the tile flat as possible and did not experiment further on how I can fully use the hidden capacity of an isotropic material, which is the corrugated board,

FIRST AND SECOND ITERATION INSIGHTS :

• Despite my mistakes in using simple, flat geometrical shapes, I can still continue using them in my next design, but I still need to play with this idea more. Also, now that I know what an architectural tile is, I will start to develop my iteration more by playing around and discover the unknown beauty the corrugated board can provide. Moreover, I have learned from class that being passive in designing will not make me a better conceptual designer. Therefore, in my next design I will do my best to push myself to the limit.

THIRD CORRUGATED TILE ITERATION• Concept and Discoveries:

• In this model I am still trying to show the randomness and joyful feeling that my image portrays. However, this time I have tried playing around with my corrugated board, which help me show my intent in a better way. Such as the enjoyment in my chosen image, the slanting of some of the shapes create this energetic movements that is shown when someone is enjoying something. In addition, I tried to incorporate the geometric shapes in my design to balance the complexity of my new elements. However, despite integrating the basic geometrical shapes, I still played around with it, and I was able to use them to enhance the beauty of my tiles. My efforts and playing around was not wasted because when I presented my tile in the class I was mostly given with a positive feedback.

INSIGHTS• Despite having a lot of positive feedback on

my third iteration, I was not able to communicate my intention properly. Not in the gesture model, but in my words. I notice in the class that every time I have to explain and defend my model, I always forget what I want to say, and my voice slowly starts to decrease. I feel disappointed in this weakness of mine because whenever I am not talking in class I have many ideas about my model, but when it’s my time to speak in the class I always get tonged- tied. So, in the next class I will try to at least louden my voice so that I can get accustomed in talking to public.

FINAL CORRUGATED TILE ITERATION• Concept and Discoveries:

• For my final iteration I further developed my third iteration by retaining what I see as the strengths of my third iteration and replace a new concept that can even more beautify my tile. As I was looking at the strength of my third iteration I was inspired to use the corrugation of the board thus making a more impact to my design. I also started using elevation, since the class said that my design is just standing on the board. That is why I begin to explore ways to incorporate the bottom, which I successfully did. Furthermore, I discover that by elevating some elements in my tile, I was able to create interesting spaces without my knowledge.

GESTURE MODELINTRODUCTION TO CONCEPTUALIZATION AND ABSTRACT THINKING

• After we finish with the corrugated tiles, which is the class’ warm up to make our brain start rolling, our class then immediately went to the gesture models. The objective of the task was at first anonymous because professor Chandler just gave us three words to base our models on. The three words: waiting, throwing, and reading, are three very vague words that we have to interpret and put in our gestural language. Moreover, we have to materialize the qualities or attributes that I think best explain these three words. I was having difficulties deciding what to do for like my experience to the very first assignment, the possibilities are limitless. And we have to design two iteration that would best show our ideas and creativity.

FIRST GESTURE MODEL

• Concept• For my first gesture model I tried

responding to the task by looking for qualities of the three words that held significance to me. Such as, for throwing, the quality that I associated with this word is focused and so does reading because when we do this two activities, they require a great amount of focus in order for the doer to execute them better. Moreover, the human quality that I associated with waiting is intimidating, which is a vague attribute. I tried showing the word intimidating through the use of sharp triangular shapes to show the uncomfortable and alert feeling of some people when waiting for something. Also I tried showing the quality of focus through the triangles meeting at the top, merging together. Thus, coming up with this model

DISCOVERIES:• What I discovered after making my first design is that I am not very successful in showing in my gestural language the ideas that is generating in my head. Moreover, as I ask my family what they see in my gesture model and told them what I want them to see, they said that they don’t perceive the ideas that I want to show. Even in the class, the first reaction to my gesture model was not really great, I still need to tell them what I want to portray before they even realize the design of my model. Although I struggle explaining my work, at least I was able to communicate what I want my audience to see. The reason for this, is that I am not really thinking about my audience when making my two gesture model. For in Architectural 101 I got used to only conceptualizing what is clear to me and don’t think of the others, but I was wrong. Overall I was not successful because I was not able to communicate my intention of my model.

SECOND GESTURE MODEL• Concept• For my second iteration I still

apply the same qualities that I have on my first model, but I change some elements in my design process to explore how I can show my intention by using different tactics. So for the quality focusing, I intentionally let all the strips of paper kind of meet in one point to show that when focused a player or a student reading will need to have one important thing they have to prioritize in order to achieve their goal. For the quality intimidation. I tried putting a lot of paper and compressing them together in order to achieve another form of intimidation which is the breaking of personal space.

DISCOVERIES:

• When I finish doing my gesture model I was happy that, although little, I was able to show my intent in this second gesture, which I know since my family was somehow able to see my intention. However, I am still not 100% capable in showing my intent because my work is too simple. When looking at my design I notice that I am reverting back to my old habit of making a building, which is not the task. Moreover, I forgot to incorporate the 1:3 proportion in my design, which is one of the important limitation to incorporate in our design structure. So next time in my next gesture model, I will try not to forget about the proportion, and I need to integrate what other people see in my design not just what I see.

THIRD GESTURE MODEL• Concept• For this model I change some of my quality

words because according as I learned from the class, my quality word is either broad or not a quality at all. Furthermore, professor chandler has also added some new limitation to our design process. He have associated a more precise activity to the vague ones. Such as, throwing in bowling, reading in studying, and waiting in transport. Knowing specific words to integrate to our design language was very helpful for me because I have some base as to what we are doing, and knowing a little bit about the project helped made my model have a little complex. So for my model I still retain focusing in my design language because that is what I believe strongly signifies the attribute of throwing. For reading I added a new quality which was enjoyment because when studying students need to feel happy when reading to be open minded, and gain new knowledge. Lastly, I changed intimidation to congested because it is much more specific than intimidation.

FOURTH GESTURE MODEL• Concept• Similar to my third gesture iteration I

integrated the three new qualities that I chose. Moreover, I play around using wood as my material to see if I can add complexity into my design, which I happily achieved. I was happy with the outcome of using wood, but maybe I should play around using wood more and see if I can do something to make my own gesture language clearer. Although I was able to produce a good design, I realize in class that I was still off in my proportion. Even though I thought I was already proportionally correct, my understanding of what a proportion is, is not matching up with what is required in class.

DISCOVERIES:

The new learnings that I discover is that because of the new limitation I was able to create a model that has no up and down. I was also able to improve my previous iteration into a more architectural conceptualization. However, despite my achievements I was still off with my proportion, which is not good because I have already ignored this rule twice. Although I did not forget about the proportion when making my two new iteration, it seems that I still don’t understand what is proportion. So I need to ask somebody in class to explain to me how the proportion works, I could even ask the professor, which I forgot to ask yesterday. Moreover, I found out in class that one of my word is not a quality, so I should find another word that is a quality that have a close meaning of my previous word, which was enjoyment.

FIFTH GESTURE MODEL• Concept• First of all, I really like this

design compare from my previous iteration because for me it is the most beautiful model I have ever made in the design studio. So, going back to my concept, I further develop this model by integrating both my third and fourth model. Because I feel that my third model emphasize the quality of congested more, and my fourth emphasize the quality of focused more; I tried to integrate both of them which resulted to my final structure. Furthermore, I added the colorful strips to represent my new human attribute which is curious. I used colorful strips because when people are curious they are always trying to learn new stuff. And there is no black or white in their vocabulary.

DISCOVERIES:

• I am very happy in the outcome of my fifth iteration, and I was even praised in my class in making something beautiful. However, one thing that I discover is that even if my work is beautiful, if I cannot speak about it in class, it is all for nothing. Because I was overcome by my fear to talk in my class I was not able to gather the interest of my classmates and professor more. I am disappointed with myself because my difficulties in speaking English, and my fear to talk had made me look like I don’t know what I am doing. So, in the future I will really try to talk even little by little so that I can get back some of my confidence when talking in English. Moreover, I again got the proportion wrong in this structure, which led to the professor giving me a warning that if I don’t get the proportion right in the next class he will not talk about my work. I notice that even though wood give beauty in my design, it limits me in having the right proportions. So in my next iteration, maybe I can change my materials.

SIXTH AND SEVENTH GESTURE MODEL• Concept• With both my sixth and seventh iteration I tried

using other materials that can have kind of the same qualities as a wood but much more flexible, so while touring around in an art supplies store, I came upon Plastruct, the international supplier of Architectural, educational, and hobby model parts. Although their plastic rods and plastic sheets does not give the same effect as the wood, its flexibility made me decide to try using it in my next two iteration. As shown in the image I was able to use plustruct to further show the quality of throwing, which is focused. But I still continued using colored papers to emphasize congested and curious because I want to use the meaning of colors to represent the quality of waiting and reading. Such as, the dark blue piece represent the dark constricting feeling when we are in a tight space.

DISCOVERIES• What I discover in my new to iterations, is that they are

not as complex looking as my fifth iteration because taking off the wood had also taken off some of the complexity of my design. However, I was now able to meet the right proportion, and I was able to show more of my ideas in the design by using Plastruct so I think continuing in using the plastic in my next iteration would be alright.

• I also discover that my sixth iteration is much more interesting because it has a much better spatial concept and much more appealing to look at. However, my seventh iteration is good because there is not an up or down when looking at the structure, unlike my sixth who have a base. So in my next iteration maybe I can combine both and see the results, but I still need to play around with the idea.

EIGHTH GESTURE MODEL• Concept• For this gesture model, I again tried

to make it a hybrid of the sixth and seventh iteration by taking the dark blue element of the sixth model, and taking the no ground concept of the seventh model. Furthermore, I added more colorful strips to create a more dynamic structure. Moreover, I tried to wrap a little dark blue paper in the front to emphasize more the focused quality of throwing.

DISCOVERIES

• Although I was able to achieve growth in my new process of addressing the three main concept of our project. I noticed that it’s seems closed up, which is what professor Chandler also pointed out to me in class. I realize that I will have difficulty transitioning my latest design to the site gesture structure, which will be our next assignments. So in my next iteration I should find a way to open it up and make my gesture language work with the problems of the site.

SITE DRAWINGS:

SITE DRAWINGS 1:• Concept

• The reason why I chose to draw these three spaces in the site because these are the three spaces that I want to place the three program, which is the waiting, throwing, and reading. Moreover, I choose them because assuming that the trees will not be cut down, these spaces are the most spacious ones in the site. Also I want to design something that can integrate the trees in my structure.

• However, after the class I found out that my first drawings are not that helpful in developing my approach to my gesture design. And I even forgot the reason of one of the drawings that I sketched. Therefore, on my next set of drawings I will wake sure that it is informational for me and to my audience.

SITE DRAWINGS 2:• Concept and Discoveries

• For my second set of drawings I did an analytical approach in one of my site sketches by doing a site analysis. I did this to show that because of the blocking apartments in the western side of our site and because of the southern sun, the site is not very cold during hot days. However, in the northern side of the side the wind is blowing strongly because there are no obstacle to block the wind. For my second sketch I draw a perspective view showing how part of the site can be seen in the ocean avenue and there are a lot of people walking in that area, which is a good place to put an entrance for my site gesture model.

• After talking about our sketches in the class, I discover that my sketches are still not good enough or informative enough for the audience. Moreover, my perspective sketch is not in a proper perspective. Therefore, on my next sketch I will make sure that it is in a right perspective and informative to all who see it.

SITE DRAWINGS 3:

• Concept• For my third set of drawings I made sure

that they are already in a right perspective and I integrated the information that I got in the drawings to my models. Like the very bottom sketch, I want to show the very steep road of Harold Avenue. Looking from the site base it looks so far and hard to reach, which is what I want to frame when I make my model. Next, what I want to show in the middle picture is the location of the bus stop and the amount of waiting chairs it have. I have drawn this because I want to respond to the waiting problem of the muni bus by maybe putting my waiting space near this part. Lastly, I have drawn another site analysis of the site, but this time I include the measurements and a more detailed picture of what is surrounding our site.

SITE PROGRAM THE BOWLORAMA

• Our class’ site program is to build a four lane bowling alley, a bookstore/café, a exterior waiting space. For the bookstore/café, it is to be approximately 1000 sq. ft. And the café is to be about 500 sq. ft. that serves from an outside window. Furthermore, there should be ten café tables outside near the serving window. For the waiting space, it is a top covered exterior space. The size and design is determined by logic, common sense and site constraints. The bowling space is approximately 25 ft X 18 ft. with four lanes.

THE FIRST SITE GESTURE MODEL• Concept

• My exploration and conversion of my gestural language to the site was not very successful because opening up the closed nature characteristic of my eighth gesture model and doing it in an additional scale created a problem. Moreover I was just focus in making my small gesture model bigger, which is why I was not able to explore other possibilities to improve and enhance the site gesture model. However, I did integrate a new concept, which I just accidentally discover when I was desperately looking for ways to fill the space. For now the big triangles does not mean anything, but maybe I can explore more in integrating this big folded triangles in my later design.

DISCOVERIES:• Converting my small gesture model into the site made me encounter some

difficulties; although the plastruct is flexible, there is also limitation to its flexibility. And applying the 12’’ long rod to a 20’’ board is not advisable. I have to double the rod by sticking them together with a glue, then I have to bend them praying that the glue would hold. Moreover, even though the colorful strips is supple enough to blend with the white plastruct, it still end up looking like a building. Where the plustruct is the skeleton and the colored papers are the frame. But, despite the new problems that I encounter, I was able to accidentally discover how the big triangles might help me solve my dilemma, just a guess. So, maybe I should play more with the triangles and see how it can compliment my curvilinear structure, and see how it goes.

• In addition, I should also think of how I can integrate the ground to my structure, since I was not able to apply it to my first structure.

THE SECOND SITE GESTURE MODEL• Concept• In this model, I already put the big triangles

intentionally and lessen my colored strips. I also changed the position of the dark blue paper because after professor Chandler asked me what is the significance of the dark blue paper being placed in the end of the boar; it made me think of why do I place it there? So in this second model I tried swapping the places of the colored paper to see how it impacts my site language. In addition, I tried separating the white curvilinear to give its flexibility some emphasis, which response to the quality curious.

DISCOVERIES:

• I discover how displacing the color scheme of my design does not really meant anything so I should try displacing them some more to find the perfect location for them. I also found out after class that I have already started making a building, with stairs and floors, and have integrated the ground a little bit. Therefore, I should really start to think of some ways I can incorporate the ground as part of my design.

• In addition, as shown in this model I tried to return the folded triangles, which I change before, because not only is it convenient for me, it also added some complexity in my design. Maybe I can return this element in my next iteration?

THE THIRD SITE GESTURE MODEL• Concept and Discoveries• I ended up with this design scheme

because I want the opening curves at the back to respond to the wind and to merge my design with the ground. Furthermore, I am also starting to expand the dark blue folded triangles because I believe it is starting to form into something that can help me develop my design. Moreover I intended to place the curvilinear in a piercing fashion to the triangular structure because I am already trying to make them communicate with each other. For in my second model, I notice that my design is fragmented into three spaces, that is why I decided to try placing them in this manner. But I think it is not that successful because I feel that I am forcing my materials to communicate, when the truth is they don’t want to.

DISCOVERIES CON’T:

• Now that I am looking at my finish product I think the curvilinear structure is not really complementing the linear structures of my model. Also seeing it now, it looks chaotic and it does not show what site force I want to respond, which is the wind.

THE FOURTH SITE GESTURE MODEL• Concept and Design

• In this model I totally discarded all the curvilinear structure and go all out to my folded triangles. I tried to experiment of taking off my curve structure and see how it affects my design. But as I was doing this I slowly began to realize that I made a right choice. Moreover, the natural space folded triangles has also helped me emphasize my responding to the wind. Furthermore, by cutting some of the foam core into triangles and continuing my design into it not only made me integrate my structure, finally, but it also helped me discover a new space for my site gesture model.

THE FIFTH SITE GESTURE MODEL• Concept and Discoveries• For my fifth model I tried to mix the

colors more so that it will looked more integrated. Because in my fourth structure the structure was still somehow separated because of the separation of the blue color to the yellow. Moreover I tried opening up in the middle to emphasize the wind catching element of my model, and I also put some in the sides.

CONCEPT AND DISCOVERIES CON’T:

• However, what I learned after our class is that I was so focus of catching the wind that I was not able to think where to put the circulation doors. Even though there are openings that look like a door, it doesn’t look like one. So in my next design I should remember placing some entrances for the people.

• Also in this model I took away the space under the ground because I was planning to put the bowling in the middle, but I notice that this decision made my model kind of boring. So, I should also bring back that element in my next site model.

THE SIXTH SITE GESTURE MODEL• Concept and Discoveries• In my sixth site gesture model I returned

the underground space, which I intend to use as the space for waiting, by pulling up the ground and integrating circulation in my structure, I was surprise at how it have taken shape. However, because I was so caught up where to put the entrances, I lost focus on my primary force response, the wind. Thus, my structure ended up looking all even from left to right (as what professor Chandler said to me in the class). Moreover, after the class I like the idea professor Chandler emphasize to the class and that is to exaggerate our site response. Therefore, in my next iteration I will make sure that my intent will be exaggerated.

THE SEVENTH SITE GESTURE MODEL• Concept and Discoveries• For my seventh site iteration I start to

exaggerated my response to the wind by making a very big funnel like structure at the top of my bottom design. I intentionally make it bigger because I don’t want it to just catch the wind, but when I was making this space I was imagining it as a reading/café space of my structure. Because by putting the reading space above, the people can enjoy the sky and breeze coming from the nature. However when I was designing my model I tried to ignore my gut feeling that the wind here in San Francisco is very cold and having my structure as a wind catcher can make the people feel even colder (as pointed out by professor Chandler and my classmates). Therefore in my next design I will find a way to minimize the entrance of the wind without discarding my new discovery.

CONCLUSION:

• Therefore, this half semester have been an insightful and fun class. Although I have a rough start in this class at the beginning, I am slowly adjusting to the environment of being an architect major. Furthermore, I am slowly adopting the architectural tectonic language. Although this class required a lot of dedication and time, I am starting to have fun learning all about architecture and what is required for us students to succeed. In addition, I am beginning to get comfortable with my classmates, and professors. Even though I am still struggling with my communication skills, I believe that I can overcome this problem. Also, creating all the activities and models, have been fun for me because, I am slowly seeing my improvements compare to who I am in 101. I hope to all the future students who take this class will also have fun and learn a lot from this class, like me