shade in chicago

"Shade is the launch of a new, self-developed material that applies as a film to glass surfaces, which through blocking and passing daylight forms a spacial projection of shadows and sunlight. The film holds a grid of triangles that each individually fade between transparent and opaque, and hence block or pass light. The graphic shadows projected on the floor, walls and ceiling of the space reveal the geometrical wind patterns that pass the building on the other side of the glass, as choreographed by the measurements of an outdoor sensor.

As the angle of light and patterns of wind are continuously changing throughout the day and year, the perpetual character of the artificial space is reconnected with an evolving, unplanned natural timeline."

- Simon Heijdens

check out dezeen or vimeo for an epic clip

'high tech pavilion'_ animation

 the final results of an architectural digital visualization introduction.  here are some images of Lebbeus Woods' 'High Tech Pavilion' in Chengdu China.  

tubes of light span a mirrored void projecting them into infinity.  a short, 50 second animation was created through rhino, 3ds max, and adobe after effects.

The Making of a Portfolio

So, as I begin my final days in posting portfolios by mail towards their fateful destinations, I am relieved at the long (although fun) process of Making being over. I decided to save a bit of money (probably only a bit) and add some class to my portfolios by doing a perfect binding in watercolor paper. The reasons for this were mostly having an A4+ document perfect bound in the city of MKE is quite the task. No one can bind that size easily, and wanted me to have large-scale prints done to create the cover in addition to printing my book-masterpiece. No thank you hundreds and hundreds of dollars that I would (and will) otherwise be using to apply to the schools in the first place. The final product? 49 full color, 70# matte cover stock A4 images, bound with a hand worked Japanese stab process and an ink-solvent transfer that is reminiscent of etching. Cost? >$40 per set of original prints plus cutting, about $6 for 3 sheets of large format heavy Watercolor Paper, $6 for a Fiskers 1/16th hole punch, about $4 for a few Chartpak markers and about $5 for cover images prints. HAHA Kinkos.

So, I've been asked to share the process of binding and covering. here is goes:

Intro: I should begin by saying that my prints were A4 front and back, but I had the printer guy cut the inner edge (what will be in the binding) about 1/4" wider than the crop mark, this is so my images do not get lost in the binding as you will see.


The Binding:



1. organize and double triple check that your copies are in order. I had them printed frontside and backside in reading order. I.e. when you flip the first page over you are looking at a full spread.



2. Prepare your template for punching holes. I cut a piece of cardboard the same width as my portfolio pages and drew a line 1/4" from the edge (you will remember the 1/4" allowance I requested when I had the pages cut). Then, I made a second line at 1/8". I marked an ODD number of dots along this center line with regularity. ( I made 11 at about 3/4" between, getting closer to the corners on either end). The ODD number is important as I followed the instructions on Japanese Stab Binding from the following video: japanese stab binding But I did more holes, closer together so that it would be very strong. Then, proceed to punch your holes, using each mark as the approximate center. Just be careful, it need not be entirely perfect (just as close as you can get).



3. Use your template on the top of your first set of pages where the binding would go. Use binder clips to secure if necessary, or just hold it steady. Use a sharp pencil to mark where each hole will go. Next, stack a few pages together in order (the thicker the paper, the less you can do at once). This is where binder clips are important. you want the pages to move as little as possible. While punching, the blade could be a bit dull an push the pages slightly askew. Clipping your pages before you punch will minimize this. Punch punch punch away!

4. When stitching/binding the pages, I used a decent weighted thread, but one that is a simple sewing thread. Make sure it is a type which could be used for sewing fabrics. Drugstore sewing-kit thread works, but it is not as strong as those bought from a fabric store. Again, I used the tutorial on Japanese Stab Binding.

The Cover:



5. Make the cover by cutting it the height of your portfolio and twice the length plus the width of the binding. I also found that adding an extra scant 1/16" will aide in making everything line up at the end (after folding). Mark the binding limits with lines along the paper. On the other side, mark another set of lines that are 1/4" farther out from the middle than each binding limit.


6. Make folds towards each other on the lines that mark the binding. On the opposite side, fold outwards the lines which mark the 1/4" limit. The result should look like that above. You can start envisioning it as a perfect binding.

The Transfer:



7. I will not go over the transfer in detail as one could use another method (like large format printing) to make the cover itself. But, to make a transfer, you have to print out a mirror-image of what you want on a non-home office printer (or, you could print it on your home computer and use a Xerox machine to make the necessary print). You turn this face down on your receiving paper (the cover, in this case) and rub an ink solvent on the back. These can be toxic, but not hard to find: Chartpak brand illustration markers carry a "Blender Marker" which has the necessary elements. Rub, Rub, Rub and you get a nice effect on the cover.

Adhering:



8: Before adhering the cover to the binding, be sure to really crease each fold so that everything will stick properly. As far s glue goes, I used plain old xtra-sticky Rubber Cement. it really is magic. Really lay in on the inside of the cover binding, and ALSO on the edge and sides over your bound/sewn pages. Wait until they have dried fairly completely (this is how it is permanent). then, CAREFULLY place the booklet into its cover. A good way to really fine tune the lining up is to pack it (yes like a cigarette) on a table top. First on the bottom, then on the binding itself, the top, or how you feel it needs adjusting. Rub the binding as well to encourage the bond. After a moment, open the cover and crease the fold again. It should cover the thread and the binding. This method is really pretty permanent and if it isn't, you can usually find a way to adjust it. If you are nervous, make a couple extra covers to insure you can always fix an emergency!

9: Send out your portfolios and drink some well-deserved whiskey cocktails. Horray! You have made it into a grad program because of your excellent and thrifty portfolio making. GoodBye MKE!

the airlab is coming...

my modeling skills are still archaic at best. but behold - the start of something beautiful.... i hope.

HERC: sculpture + short list

i can't believe i haven't posted these yet.

i was invited to join a competition team as a design consultant/catalyst.

a group of five [including my self] hammered out a charrette in just one night [more or less].

summer

the prompt was to re-develop a neglected piece of property at a jewish community center. the program outline called for a sculptural anchor.

our design re-interprets the idea of sculpture to include the landscape.

more insight to come.... i needed to post the images asap.

winter

oh, by the way. we were short listed. finalists. no biggie. the comp ran out of steam however, kind of sad, but i've heard insider information that is rather disturbing regarding the dissolution of the competition....

design team [studio 400]:

j.cordell steinmetz

natalie dulka

alex harm

eric barch

lebbeus woods; light pavilion

the fabrication technique

one of the classes i'm enrolled in deals with the art of digital representation.
i'm learning a brand new set of skills; rhino, 3ds max, and grasshopper... about time.
we are to pick a building to study, model, love and hate. the goal by the end of the semester is to create a 60 second animation of the project.

my project was spurred on by my studio professor. he's working with lebbeus woods and steven holl on the raffles city project in chengdu, china. so.... i'm modeling lebbeus woods' high-tech [light] pavilion. it's a series of aggressively angled light shafts surrounding stairs and platforms. the surfaces are all mirrored, conveying a sense of infinity and ambiguity.

the modeling is coming slowly, but i wanted to share some progress of the physical model i need to produce.
it's the start of a 1/2" = 1" scaled model of the light tube. the photos show the jig used to create the bevelled corners as well as some of the products of the acrylic heating and forming.

the jig

the result

i'll post the images of the project when/if i get permission. big names and the work hasn't been built, so i hear things are a little shaky. i'd hate to be the one to spill the beans and end my career before it begins.

b4; timelapse ii

our second night of group work. things are getting dirty. we're working hard to polish this bad boy up.

so far.

frame:
1 x 2's + mdf

topo:
1/8" cardboard

context:
3/32" chipboard [yeah, i know, wtf were we thinking]

application:
gesso
pigments + india ink
acrylic
tissue paper
cheese cloth
newspaper
pigments
beeswax
pigments
fire

more, i'm sure to be applied

my fingers are still gray/black from the last night's marathon rally

augmented sculpture

epic!

Augmented Sculpture by GROSSE 8 & LICHTFRONT / Passagen 2010 from Lichtfront on Vimeo.

lichfront + grosse8

thanks ian!

b4; timelapse

for brief 4 @ gsapp we're charged with designing a climatology lab for a group of 10 scientists and a whole host of spaces for public interaction. the site is in the shadow of the brooklyn bridge near pier 17 on the old peck slip. it's offering up untold treasures of texture, context, potential and inspiration. hard edges, long shadows, people milling about everywhere, rusted metal, driftwood, more more more to come.

ps. great job everyone. it's going to look killer. updates to come...

similarities & differences

el lissitzky_ proun 5a

vladimir tatlin_ counter relief

mitzi pederson_ from: i'll start again

the chair

lebbeus woods

the GREat rant.

[found as image when searching "GRE criticism." Apropos.]

I am also bitter. Check out the deep-sea news blog's post on the GRE and you will too. Is nothing sacred from becoming a corporation any longer? Or is the corporation now sacred. But I am not just bitter from my feeling of being used by corporations like this, or that the GRE is antiquated and unsuccessful in doing what it claims, but becasue educational institutions, both public and private, while knowing all of these things, still require it. And while New York State took steps to regulate their practices in their public primary schools, they still subject their students to do them, and their places of higher learning require the test for admission. Not all states, programs, or schools do, but most. And why? And if certain schools use the scores to toss out a percentage of applicants before looking over any further information about the applicant, are they not necessarily throwing out a student who could bring honor and achievement to the school? The answer is yes. What is education anymore? And how are we measured by it and for it?

I feel this is my least intellectual posting, but it is one that houses some deep-seeded frustrations. Further to come, is a brief analysis on class-status and the ability to not just perform on the test, but to take it at all.

[presenting]

many of you may know about the little endevour i got myself into for about a year before i left the third coast and sojourned to the east coast:


i now proudly present: studio deep end.

we're off an running - have been for some time - the group is set, the build out works, and the galleries are ready to fill! last friday the deep enders launched analog blog: our gallery space. the show: Nostalgia, Logic and the In Between runs from 10.8 - 10.22. the show holds various objects with a range of themes. mostly incorporating objects with wry commentary, they are aimed at evoking a broad range of emotional responses using minimal materiality.


the opening night was really exciting and we're looking forward to keeping the engery flowing and doing what we can to inspire milwaukee!


please keep visiting. we will continue to fill the webpage and introduce the [digital] blog as the weeks go on! rock on!

appeal [for] the real

i didn't know what to expect sitting down in woord auditorium to hear a lecture titled; appeal of the real. my interest was peaked - i guess - by the fact that i have a few freinds getting their degrees at MIT and since speaker sheila kennedy is a faculty member there i'd try and make some connections between our two institutions.

she says the title of the lecture is a little mis-leading, but i think it works - she shows projects that take very theoretical concepts and [attempts to] makes them concrete. maybe the title should have read; appeal for the real. the projects she chose to show dealt mostly with the fine line between prototyping and production and "explores architecture, digital technology and emerging public needs."

her firm, KVA; MATx boasts a large r&d department - which is a little unorthodox for a mid-sized firm - generally. it works though, MATx is producing some truly incredible and liberating design concepts; the interactive wall @ PENN's SOE, the east river ferry project, their ocean [in]sight competition entry, the portable light initiative, and their soft house competition win -for example.

a few highlights were;

the portable light initiative. it seeks to replace the fire as a source of illumination is rural and developing areas. the technology utilizes flexible pv panels in a modular, flat packed assemby that soaks up the sun during the day and gives a family light at night. new versions now incoroprate usb plug-ins for recharging phones. now the idea is being adapted all over the world from applications in handbags, to hospitals blankets.

yeosu; living ocean comp. the marcus prize group - silofill will like this one. the repurpose a set of silos in korea with emphasis on advancing knowledge and technology concerning the oceans and coasts. it's a really bold proposal. the inhabitable space is surrounded up ocean water that is pumped up via pv and creates a visually stunning effect. it also reflects the local vernacular of rooftop water towers prevelant in the area. it's called ocean[in]sight

lastly. they've recently won the iba hamburg competition with their proposal; soft house. it's pretty incredible infrastructure for local energy generation. cleaver and seductive in the design - it uses pv embedded curtains to generate power as well as a LED display to simulate the wind [similar to the PENN project].

happy hunting.

A4001: CORE I studio: assignment ii_ backpack purification

A4001: CORE 1

our second studio assignment deals with the scale of the body, water, air, edges and boundaries.

WHO estimates the number of people without access to clean drinking water at 1.3 billion. everywhere from the deserts of africa, to the himalayan mountains.

CHARGE: the backpack is a water purification system able to supply purified water from most non-saline water sources. water can be drawn from ponds, rivers, lakes or standing water that may contain chemical and biological contamination.

THESIS: a central task of architecture is to create enclosure, separating a within form an outside. the relationship between outside and within is evident through the use of section: a 2D tool, invented about 500 years ago to give determinacy to the relationship between inside, outside and also the tectonic transition of the two. one of the central tasks of this tectonic articulation is to keep the weather out: water and air. Water is especially tricky to keep out since it is in constant search for it gravity bound horizontality.

LOCATION: bhulbhule, lamjung province, nepal.

REFLECTION: the incredible potential in the sun's rays is amplified through a dramatic shift in elevation [mountains]. bhulbhule provided a unique case study: isolated [broken transportation networks], lacking of basic needs, natural hazards [water table pollution], difficult topography [extreme cyclical weather patterns], a culture of carrying [sherpas]. these conditions mean that many are left with running water 1 in 4 days, susceptible to 16 hour power cuts. regular and recurring transportation strikes leave people stranded on the road, lacking food, without clean drinking water.

so, if you're stranded in the mountains, on the muddy roads, or caught in a himalayan monsoon, fill up your pack and let the sun help you purify while you sojourn... or your nomadic migration.

EDITORIAL NOTE: after all that... i realize my section is missing [stated in my thesis]. well, missing from this post [it's not worth sharing yet - YIKES]. should give me something to work on for a bit. keep you posted.

Musings on Contemporary Design

The details and delineation that have, in our recent past, defined us and our environments— pieces, originally made to sit side by side, categorized, are rusting together and inside of one another. Nothing is separate from one another-- neither in physical expression nor in thought.

I have begun to read my home in such ways. There was a time when, growing up in the spreading out of the Midwest, I saw it as one set of pictures with the same caption. But, I see its pieces now, no longer separate. Each piece and picture is an identity that gives way to identities. They are changing and moving. And in this change it is not that they require new environments, but simply new environments come about, and dialogue is begun. We belong, as designers, to a landscape of dialogue. A landscape which pauses, reacts. We cannot examine space, program, structure as singular, as individual and timely choices. Design is now, more than ever, about complex relationships, their identities and intensities. The city is experiencing the complexity effected by a substantial rusting.

This set of identities is not unique to Milwaukee, but to today's City itself. There is nothing I find more interesting, nothing more cross-disciplined than the study of cities and the participation in them whether that is walking down a street or designing in its context. It is important for me to be part of that dialogue as a critical and conscious observer and doer. I need to be plunged into new intensities, to understand different identities and their relationships. It is a concept to me, that seems, once understood completely, to govern the spaces that will change everything. But it is dynamic, quick and growing. It is large and small. It brings to mind movement and a designer's need to move with it-- literally. Extending limbs, touching, drawing-inward, outward, running, being-in. This exasperation, this shortness of breath is then, a design of participation and it is design through which I can hope to participate in this movement.

art of unemployment 1: Vegan Cow

Quitting my final service job in order to devote a couple months to grad school preparation was not without its dry consequences. I do not want to do my portfolio all the time, nor can I make myself do it. Along side my responsibilities to express myself well enough for my top-choice schools, I've begun several art projects to keep my mind in the sanity zone. Here is a sample: Vegan Cow.



Vegan cow sculpture uses one of the most plentiful materials known to me in the upper midwest: Common Bluegrass. Yes, lawn. In order to raise a cow, it needs around 167 lbs. of grass per day (25 lbs. of dry matter). I used substantially less. The sculpture is based on a unit system, the unit being one blade of grass, each being braided into long strands and held together with tension (thread). The process was time consuming and done in a few choice places representative of my unemployment: the park, the bed and the bus. Finally, it became a gift to a vegan friend, a perfect expression of folly on raw energy, time and the consumption of grass by livestock.

concrete + ants = amazing

so this has been around for a bit, but still pretty incredible.

complex network of subterraneon highways, side roads, branching to fungus gardens and rubish pits... who knew ants were little architects.

arch_week + student work

something i hope to be a part of in the future... may be wishful thinking. but it's good to set goals.

[clever map.]

anyway. ny_AIA is presenting "exemplary" student works from 14 of the nyc area architecture schools. it's at the center for architecture. the event opens on saturday [oct 2] and will run as part of architecture week 2010 [oct 2 -10 = 8 days a week].

a group of us from coreI will be migrating over the bleecker and w.3rd street around 4 to hear the deans roundtable!

if you're around, it'd be a kick to see you there!

prefab weekend retreat

nice photo essay and pre-fab project!

rem koolhaas comes to GSAPP; hurry space is limited

lectures, as with all things in nyc, are a whole different ball game. waiting in line for over an hour that crawled up a stairwell - wrapping around and around and around... at least there was beer. we ate dinner on the stairs, in single file, whiling shuffling around for the half dozen head counts. space is limited when the big names come, but i squeaked into wood auditorium just in time to see the shiny head pass into the hall.

published 30 years after delirious new york, al manakh [cont'd], released in may, is the second in the series of [???]. the chronicle - which is designed to fit into a mailbox - attempts to dive deeper into the desert and address new challenges facing the gulf region in a post 9.11 and financial meltdown age.

"some interesting things happen when you wonder deeper into the desert." i'd like to get my hands on a copy, it's convenient that the avery library is right under my studio seat!

a collaborative between oma + amo, archis, pink tank and the nai. oma has a clever little 26s video revealing the whole 536 pages. [thanks sangwook for the photo!]

This is a very interesting view of Detroit.

Just a good supplement to our project artifacts. Also interesting about his project is that it shows the density quite beautifully.

Sukkah City.

I was given a chance to work with THEVERYMANY on their Sukkah city competition the project contained:

49,722 holes
25,000 rivets
10,420 text
5,257 unique parts
120 hours of CNC
60 sheets of walnut veneer

Half of it being coordinated/built by yours truly.
Due to the nature of this type of competition research and development was rushed and the need to produce halted further research time needed to study strengths and weakness of material used "Veneer".

We had divided the Sukkah into several parts for construction purposes. Assembly took place and as we added on layers, as the increase of weight steadily grew we could slowly see the feet buckle. After putting on the second to last part, the feet remained the same and we were confident that the sukkah would last the competition.

The design had succeed in almost every aspect we needed to think about except transportation. The ride on a flatbed truck over Manhattan bridge turned out to be too much for the Sukkah and when it had arrived it had collapsed onto itself.

This was a good lesson to learn but quite a hard one to swallow.
So I'm going to grab a beer see you all again.

Peter in the New York Times

Our Peter featured in the New York Times!


go!

GSAPP: lectures

below is a link to Columia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation [GSAPP] lecture series.

if you're in the nyc area, please stop by and get me out of studio for a bit. there promises to be some extraordinary presentations this semester.

including;
patrik schumacher, partner @ zaha
a three part ecogram series focusing on africa
andrew freear, director of rural studio
the underdome sessions, in conjunction with studio-x
a conference: the north american anthology, including patricia patkau, shim + sutcliffe, rick joy
etc., etc. etc.

enjoy the events

story of the day

i found this quite amusing. i signed up to receive a story of the day [courtesy of storypeople] after a brief exposure from a friend in brooklyn. i found it relevant to my life... sort of.

design flaw:

one of those rare
bumblebees who agreed
with the engineers about
not being able to fly so he
mainly sits around &
watches the other bees
work themselves to death

san ysidro land port of entry: miller + hull

in this day and age of massive and spectacular digital output it's great to see a firm sticking to their artistic integrity.

i've been checking in with miller + hull since i started studio. a professor introduced me to their work and after seeing the correlation between his [professor] work and their [miller + hull] work i'm beginning to see some of the influence has made it's way into my hand... through a different process, but with the same aesthetics. all i can say is, woohoo.

however, i am enamored with their watercolors in addition to their works of design!

the images are from a new project for the san ysidro united status land port of entry. it will be constructed in three phases and are on target to achieve LEED platinum certification thanks to energy efficiency, water conservation strategies, and an integrated design process. more impressive is the fact that this project is the first to be open 24/7/365 to achieve this LEED status in the united states.

the site sees 20% of the border crossing traffic into the united states. 34 lanes of traffic! the complex is both a welcoming center, first impression of the country, and critical facilities for national security. craig curtis - partner at miller + hull - "this project will set a new standard for land ports of entry, not only for surpassing general service administration's sustainability goals but for enhanced processing of visitors and increased security measures." who knows, maybe border crossing could actually be an enjoyable and memorable experience - for the right reasons.

construction starts next year.... four masts rising 100 feet support a 275 foot canopy made of ethylene tetraflouroethylene - the same material that clads the national aquatics center from the 2008 beijing olympics. this means; rain and sun protection but also allows natural light to pass into the officer's booths.

thanks to a 700,000 gallon rainwater reclamation system the site will cut water consumption by over 12 million gallons annually = 100 households.... nice work out in the desert.

outlines of the future phases and more in depth information on the sustainable features can be found aqui.

be wise