PJD Distance M.Arch Semester 2

Portfolio: Practice(Immaculate Conception Church)

2007-10-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

As Assistant Project Manager for this Catholic church in Calais, Maine, I was tasked with translating schematic level design drawings into a 3-d computer model as well as generating all architectural construction documents. While my involvement in the concept design was negligible, I was responsible for most of the detailing throughout the building, as well as all submittal review and a large part of the construction administration. Project is expected to be completed in early 2008.

Portfolio: Practice(Brewer Public Safety Bldg)

2007-10-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

As Assistant Project Manager for this $6.5 million Police & Fire Station in Brewer, Maine, I was tasked with heading up the work effort to produce all Architectural drawings. My original design concept(images on right), which was chosen by the client, attempted to resemble a formal northeastern municipal building melded with traditional New England farm house to create a play between formal and informal, past and present. It was my intention to place the administrative wing of the building on the high point of this sloped site to accentuate its hierarchical importance. The design has gone through some iterations, and the final massing model can be seen on the left. Foundations are presently in, and steel will be placed soon.

Portfolio: Personal Work

2007-10-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Landscape design for my personal residence in Glenburn, Maine(above)

Lessard Residence (above)

the client wanted something reminiscent of traditional Maine colonial style architecture for this coastal community. I worked with window proportions/placement, roof pitch, and shed dormers to help give the client both a functional/affordable design, and an aesthetically pleasing one.

Halpern Residence(above)

Because of the difficult site, it was important to the builder to accentuate the horizontality of the home so as not to make the rear appear too tall. I played with hip roofs, horizontal banding, and deep overhangs to achieve this.

Portfolio: Plan

2007-09-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

As this design problem had such a strong Sustainability component to it, from the beginning I began to focus on a few specific green strategies to help me achieve this. First and foremost, I wanted to use as many prefabricated components as possible. Not only did I want to use prefabricated components, but recycled prefabricated components. It was my intention to articulate my design thru the use of retrofitted shipping containers which could be “plugged into” the main core building which is constructed on site. This could serve a two fold purpose. First, cut down on the energy associated with harvesting, manufacturing, transporting, and assembling raw materials, and second, reuse something that presently exists in abundance in storage yards all over the world. The containers could be used as dorm rooms, class rooms, break rooms, etc. They are versatile and built to be transported. The core building, which also serves to articulate my “buffer” concept, is the framework which these containers can dock into. Furthermore, by staggering the containers in a sawtooth fashion, I am maximizing southern light and views to each of these spaces. Educating future designers in a place where sustainable approaches such as adaptive reuse and passive daylighting are so strongly apparent, is a perfect way to ensure that they take these values, as well as lessons learned, with them into the future.

Concerning the arrangement of spaces, I attempted to transition public into private, and vice versa, through verticality. Simply put, the level on the street is readily accessible to the public who are encouraged to use the plazas and visit the gallery space to learn about the program and the BAC. On the second level, slightly detach from the public and the street, strategically positioned to observe the users below, are the academic spaces. And finally, the top two floors contain the dorms and provide for maximum privacy. At the lowest level of the building, a small parking garage, mechanical, and storage spaces exist. I feel that the plan is an effective blend of my parti and my program.

Portfolio: Concept Statement

2007-09-27T17:51:00.000-07:00

Portfolio: Program

2007-09-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

Portfolio: Elevations

2007-09-27T17:13:00.000-07:00

The treatment of the rear elevation is an attempt to maintain the buffer concept between the site and the turnpike while meeting the necessary functional requirements. As strips of transom windows provide some indirect northern light to the interior of the core building, the Ivy screen serves as a filter cleansing the air, and the light, and the noise prior to its entrance into the building. It also serves to inform those commuters as to some of the things this building stands for, namely its green principles. The evolution from the large screen on the west end to the narrower screens closer to the main vertical stair and elevator tower provides for a more gradual transition from complete opacity to the transparency of the beacon at the intersection.

Portfolio: Site and Roof Plan

2007-09-27T16:08:00.001-07:00

Plaza design sketches 1

2007-09-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

I am trying to spend the remainder of my time addressing outstanding design issues.. namely, the treatment of the main plaza and rear plaza, and transitioning the building into the site.... one scheme that I have been working on that I like is raised planters which both soften the transition between building and site, and help further define the plazas... also, I like the idea of creating a passageway on the backside of the main "green screen" connecting the two plazas...

I see the potential for the rear plaza to serve as an outdoor extension of the exhibit space and perhaps become a formal sculpture garden.. as far as the main plaza is concerned, I want it to remain an exciting gathering place...... more to follow

Portfolio: Code Analysis

2007-09-22T11:49:00.001-07:00

Portfolio: Structure

2007-09-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

In terms of a structural system, I intend to have a steel frame on piles for the core building, exhibit space, and classroom space. Floors will be concrete on metal decking. Roof will be membrane on rigid insulation on metal decking for the core building and green roof at classroom. Walls will be precast concrete panels attached to the steel frame for the core building, insulated metal panel for the classroom, and translucent insulated glazing panels for the exhibit space.As you can see above, the trickiest part of the structural system will be tying the prefab container units into the core building's frame. Is the core building one complete system that the container merely plugs into, or are there two separate systems, one for the core and one for the containers, that are attached together in the field?

Site and Roof Plan Progress Print

2007-09-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hi Werner...you are correct in that I have not revised my site plan much... I wanted to get something up for Kevin's comment(in particular, site drainage and runoff management). I did shrink the fountain and try to make for more plaza space with seating around the water feature, but the site plan doesn't reflect those changes yet...it definitely will....I think that I will have much of my supporting posts, i.e. structural, mechanical, code, completed to an acceptable level of detail very soon and I will be able to spend the remainder of my time fully focusing on outstanding plan/site plan issues to fully address the critics, as well as your own, comments.

Portfolio: Section

2007-09-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

Some of the things that become strongly evident from the sections are the importance of the main plaza, as well as the vertical orientation of the different space "groups." Even before I reconciled the program with the site, I knew that it was important to have a south facing plaza for students, staff, and the general public to take advantage of. The building site located at the highly visible junction of Mass Ave. and Boylston St. and it is subject to extensive pedestrian traffic. What better way to take advantage of this than to provide a comfortable place to sit down and people watch or eat lunch next to the reflecting pool? With the tall ivy screen separating the plaza from the street, strongly during the warm growing months, less so as the ivy grows dormant in the winter, there is a sense of enclosure and transparency all at the same time. Furthermore, as the users on the ground level are separated from the plaza and the public merely by sheets of glass, as one ascends higher into the building they grow more detached from the hustle and bustle below and are afforded the opportunity to retreat into their private dormrooms.

Portfolio: Model & Perspectives

2007-09-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

Portfolio: Research and Exploration

2007-09-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Portfolio: Building Services

2007-09-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

Electrical - While the building will use predominately public electricity, there are some features which will significantly lower its usage.

There are presently over 1,000 square feet of Photovoltaic panels on the roof which could potentially generate 10 kilowatts of electricity per year. At the current energy costs, this could translate into around $3,000 of savings per year for electricity.

Because of the significant amount of southern exposure due to the "sawtooth" plan layout, and the fact that the building is so strongly oriented on the east-west axis, the design lends itself well to maximizing natural daylight. Couple this with the use of CO2 and Lighting sensors, and the building has the potential to be extremely efficient in terms of lighting needs.

The use of sun visors/light shelves in so many of the spaces will maximize the use of natural daylighting.

Cooling/Ventilation

The south facing air space that is created between the roof of one container, and the floor of the next, is an excellent opportunity to funnel natural ventilation into the building. There is a chimney space located at the core building between each of the containers which can provide an excellent way for the incoming breezes to escape.

The hydronic heating system could also double as a cooling system.

Heating

The heating system will be hydronic, located within the concrete slab of each floor.

A natural gas fired condensing boiler, vented thru the north wall, will be located in a mechanical space below Level One (at the parking level) and serve to heat the building.

Systems at the Containers

Each container will be completely finished with the necessary utility hookups and will be "docked" to the core building when installed. These are intended to become integral with the core building services once in place.

Portfolio: Detailing

2007-09-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

Building Service Progress Print

2007-09-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

My thought is that I can bring natural ventilation in between where my container modules meet.. Perhaps some type of an adjustable louver can serve to allow ventilation in when desired and keep it out the rest of the time... My thought is that air can come in under the container and be forced to the back of the core building with the use of some type of baffle located within the ceiling plenum space... it can then work its way over the baffle and into the chimney stack to make it out thru the roof..... I think this could make for some great passive cooling of each of the floor slabs and container floors..

See post below for more detailed systems narrative..

Structure Progress Print

2007-09-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

Container attachment

2007-09-10T17:32:00.001-07:00

For the container attachment to the core building, I would like to be able hang it off of the frame as seen in the images below.... I really need Kurt's opinion on this, but my idea is that there is a frame within each of the containers that can be attached to the core frame at 6 points per container..... I could be way off in terms of the type of attachment, but I think that it can work in theory.... I just have to get the connection down..

Building service sketches

2007-09-09T16:30:00.001-07:00

Below are some sketches that try to illustrate my intended building services.. I think that the heating and daylighting are pretty self explanatory... The natural ventilation piece is a little more complicated though... I have a concept sketch for that below...

Revised Framing Sketch

2007-09-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

Building Services progress narrative

2007-09-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

Electrical - While the building will use predominately public electricity, there are some features which will significantly lower its usage.

There are presently over 1,000 square feet of Photovoltaic panels on the roof which could potentially generate 10 kilowatts of electricity per year. At the current energy costs, this could translate into around $3,000 of savings per year for electricity.
Because of the significant amount of southern exposure due to the "sawtooth" plan layout, and the fact that the building is so strongly oriented on the east-west axis, the design lends itself well to maximizing natural daylight. Couple this with the use of CO2 and Lighting sensors, and the building has the potential to be extremely efficient in terms of lighting needs.
The use of sun visors/light shelves in so many of the spaces will maximize the use of natural daylighting.

Cooling/Ventilation

The south facing air space that is created between the roof of one container, and the floor of the next, is an excellent opportunity to funnel natural ventilation into the building. There is a chimney space located at the core building between each of the containers which can provide an exellent way for the incoming breezes to escape.
The hydronic heating system could also double as a cooling system.

Heating

The heating system will be hydronic, located within the concrete slab of each floor.
A natural gas fired condensing boiler, vented thru the north wall, will be located in a mechanical space below Level One (at the parking level) and serve to heat the building.

Systems at the Containers

Each container will be completely finished with the necessary utility hookups and will be "docked" to the core building when installed. These are intended to become integral with the core building services once in place.

Structural System progress print

2007-09-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

Below is my first pass at a framing plan for the upper levels(see brief narrative below the sketch). The odd shaped pieces are rigid box frames within the containers which can be attached to the core building frame. As you can tell, I am definitely NOT a structural engineer, so I will take any advice I can get....

In terms of a structural system, I intend to have a steel frame on piles for the core building, exhibit space, and classroom space. Floors will be concrete on metal decking. Roof will be membrane on rigid insulation on metal decking for the core building and green roof at classroom. Walls will be precast concrete panels attached to the steel frame for the core building, insulated metal panel for the classroom, and translucent insulated glazing panels for the exhibit space.

As you can see above, the trickiest part of the structural system will be tying the prefab container units into the core building's frame. Is the core building one complete system that the container merely plugs into, or are there two separate systems, one for the core and one for the containers, that are attached together in the field? Sketches to follow

Studio Final: Progress Prints

2007-09-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

Studio Final PROGRESS PRINTS

2007-09-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Studio Final PROGRESS PRINTS

2007-09-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

I am going to start posting progress prints of each of my studio final entries for comment. I am working on these in waves, so some are more complete and revised than others. I plan on posting a bunch of these throughout the weekend, including the new assignment 6 requirements....

CS/AT-Marching orders???

2007-09-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

Werner,

Since getting back from the intensive, I have focused primarily on details and systems. As I look at the clock, quickly winding down, I realize that time is growing short enough that I don’t really want to revisit my plan much. I would like to reuse the plans that I have already presented, with minor modifications as needed, and focus the remainder of my effort on the systems, details, and presentation material. Furthermore, as flawed as I know my design is at this point, I don’t have too many comments from the review to help me refine the design.

So, I just wanted to run that by you. I would like to reuse most of what I presented at the intensive, and spend the next 2 weeks focusing on the other stuff. Your thoughts? Will this be satisfactory???

Also, Karrick had a great idea in creating a new blog solely for the final presentation. Is this something that you would recommend for the rest of us? I personally think that it would work well.

CS/AT- Key Detail 3

2007-09-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

This is how my north wall section is shaping up... see the detail key below to see exactly where this is on the building... also, you will notice that the key doesn't show a below grade parking area, but I have accounted for it in the wall section..

CS/AT - Elevations

2007-09-02T09:12:00.001-07:00

CS/AT- Precast Panel info

2007-09-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Werner, et al.....

Check out this website for some information on Precast Concrete panels with integral insulation. It is a pdf download. Notice the first image that pops up... remind you of anyone's project????

www.pci.org/view_file.cfm?file=MK-14-98.PDF

Also, a google search for "concrete panel with integral insulation" reveals quite a bit....... I retrieved my particular detail information from the "pace representatives" website. A building science/materials vendor web site out of Mass...

CS/AT - Key Details

2007-08-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

CS/AT- Precast Panel

2007-08-31T04:18:00.001-07:00

Hold the phone folks.... I think I found it... A precast concrete panel with integral rigid insulation... solves my thermal bridging issue.... This is courtesy of the Pace Representatives site... more to follow..

CS/AT-Core building envelope material

2007-08-31T02:02:00.000-07:00

Werner, thanks for the link.. I was looking at that site yesterday.. I am starting to think that, because the precast concrete panels need to be directly connected to the steel frame, there is no way that I can have both the pre-cast panel and the continuous insulation and moisture barrier as every connection will be a thermal bridge. Furthermore, as you stated, sequencing would be an issue. These two systems seem to counter-act each other. None of the details I have seen, or the engineers I have spoken to, seem to have a solution for this.
I still want to use a concrete product for the core building to achieve that thick, heavy feel. I could look at some type of CMU, as this could tie back into the studs with masonry ties and leave my envelope alone. I am much more familiar with this type of wall system.
Any thoughts??? Anyone??? I think that it could still achieve the same feeling aesthetically, plus it makes for a proven wall system in this part of the world....

CS/AT- Typical parapet detail (sketch 1)

2007-08-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

Behold my masterpiece below..... this is a ROUGH sketch of what I think my typical parapet detail is going to look like.... this is based on the wall system that Wagdy Anis went over with us which consists of a continuous moisture barrier in the envelope... one thing I am still working out is how to tie the concrete panels back to the steel without causing too many major thermal conductors.. I know that, with a masonry veneer, I could tie back into the stud framing... but I am not sure if that is possible with full concrete panels... I am going to talk to some of our structural engineers tomorrow, but if anyone can shed any light it would be most appreciated....

CS-Plaza renderings

2007-08-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

Rick, this rendering program is awesome.........

CS-Intensive Final Presentation

2007-08-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

Below are the images that were posted at saturday's final presentation..

CS-Parti

2007-08-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

CS-Parti's

2007-08-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

CS-Vision(Intent)

2007-08-20T05:35:00.000-07:00

AT- Environmental Program (project priorities)

2007-08-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

High Priorities

First and foremost, I want my design to qualify for a minimum of a LEED certification. Obviously I would like it to achieve a platinum rating, but since this is the first project that I have ever worked on (even if it is purely academic) that is shooting for LEED points, I see this as a great opportunity to become acquainted with the process. I intend to remain consciously aware of LEED requirements throughout the design process and have a theoretical list of points that I feel the design could achieve by the end of the semester.
50% reduction in energy consumption. In keeping with the 2030 challenge; "All new buildings, developments and major renovations shall be designed to meet a fossil fuel, GHG-emitting, energy consumption performance standard of 50% of the regional (or country) average for that building type." This goal is intended to be met by all buildings prior to 2010, and is a great way to aggressively move toward the goals set forth by the challenge.
Where possible, sustainable systems and design features will be showcased to increase awareness and drum up excitement concerning green building strategies. The 2010 imperative strives for "complete ecological literacy in design education." For this to realistically happen, design schools must also serve as laboratories for green technologies & methods to be experimented with.

Low(er) Priorities

All occupied spaces will have access to views and natural lighting. This type of exposure to the environment is an extremely important feature for any space used by human beings and it should be incorporated in all design.
All plant materials used in outdoor spaces and/or greenroof will be native plant materials suited for the New England climate and requiring minimal maintenance.
At least 30% of the building will/could be comprised of pre-fabricated modules. In addition to sustainability, pre-fabrication conveys a sense of speed and efficiency also. These are qualities which help make the Distance M.Arch program special and should be seen in its design.

CS-Program post

2007-08-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

CS- Program and Bubble Diagram progress prints

2007-08-14T17:26:00.000-07:00

Below is a revised program and some bubble diagrams illustrating what I see for adjacencies, proportional relationships, and general grouping of spaces.... at this point, I envision 3 clear levels, one for students staying in the dorms, one for students attending classes, and one for exhibit/public functions.... My square footages have been determined by combinations of graphic standards recommendations, layout requirements for certain space types, historical precedent, and general gut feelings...

AT-Eco quiz results

2007-08-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

My results for the eco-quiz are below.... not pretty..... I just barely beat the national average... I am interested to see how the rest of the class scores....

I am in kind of a tough spot on alot of these categories.... first, I live in Maine... I'm rural, like most people up here and need to drive to just about everyplace I go... I could get some type of motorbike, but those are pretty cost ineffective when the weather only allows for them to be driven a few months of the year... Considering everyone up here drives a 4wd truck, the fact that I am driving a car automatically makes me more environmentally sensitive.. I have replaced all of my light bulbs in the house with energy efficient bulbs, and have all new energy efficient appliances, but these things pale in comparison to the fact that my house is about 100 years old, drafty, poorly insulated, and I have to burn oil and wood for at least half of the year to keep my family from freezing.... my boiler isn't old, but I am sure its not that efficient either...

Personal changes that I could make would probably be, 1. Get the house better insulated and install a new, more efficient boiler and water heater 2. Buy less processed products 3. Try to carpool to work 4. Eat less meat 5. get rid of my wife's 2 cats..... (I'm just throwing that one in there for fun... it might not lower my eco-footprint, but it would sure make me feel better)...

CS-Program progress post

2007-08-14T03:41:00.001-07:00

This is how my program is coming along so far... I am eager to hear other's input to guage my progress so far... The way I read the problem, many of the support functions are to remain at 320 Newbury st so I am not allocating space for them here... anyone??? anyone???? Also, I just remembered that the leadership assignment 2 is due tomorrow night... is that right???

CS-Program check

2007-08-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

I am looking for a check for my program gross square footage..... my first pass at the program is coming up with a building in the range of 13,500 gsf to 15,000 gsf.... this is at 60% efficiency so my net assignable area is around 9,500 sf to 11,000 sf.... I would be really interested in others ballpark numbers to see if I am missing anything....

CS-Sketch Problem 1- Final Post

2007-08-13T02:26:00.001-07:00

CS- Sketch Problem 1 (re-post with narrative)

2007-08-12T11:31:00.000-07:00

My approach to this first sketch problem was one that I have grown fairly comfortable with over the past few years. First, read, re-read, and re-re-read the problem. Try to become familiar with what the instructor is asking for, before I get married to any course of action. I have found that, as a creative person, I have the tendency to start solving the problem before I even really know what it is. In this case, my earliest attempts turned out to be throw away solutions because it took some digging and fumbling before I could grasp what the purpose of this exercise was; simple spaces and transitions. In my initial solutions I was convinced that I needed to shake things up by adding some new geometry to the plan. I was playing with curves and introducing new angles. In the end, all of this was taking me further away from the solution. Rather than fight with the existing geometry, I decided to embrace it and let it drive my layout (on a side note, this is one reason that I love sculpting with found objects. Sometimes its helpful to have parameters already set up for you, as long as you can adapt to them). So, I let the existing geometry drive the exterior footprint. The only thing I really needed to do was make it large enough to accommodate my program which consisted of a large space(with two distinct subspaces), and small space, a transitional space, and the 3 required transition types. I felt it was only logical to have my Object Trouve located in the small space. I felt it deserved its own space, but didn’t need something as substantial as the large space. Also, I felt it needed to be located away from the entry to promote circulation and build suspense. I wanted to make people work to get a view of it. What fun is it if I pull them in off the street and show them the goods right off the bat?? This way, there is some anticipation. There are glimpses of it offered throughout the interior and from portions of the exterior, but a user has to be in the small space to get the full money shot… One of the other minor freedoms I took was to double and triple many of the walls and columns that divide up the spaces. I believe that the substance of these walls will be felt in the plan and really reinforce the division of the spaces. I also think that the transition from a triple wall to a group of columns to no obstructions at all makes for a special transition element in its own right. At one point as I travel down the rear corridor/transition space, I am separated from the OT by a massive slab of wall. As the wall ends, I catch a glimpse of the OT thru a group of columns which become more scarce as I travel into the space and am finally able to fully view the OT. Oh, the drama……. In the end, I feel that this plan successfully satisfies the problem that was presented.

AT-Climate Analysis

2007-08-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

Climate Analysis for Boston, Massachusetts (Latitude 42.35, Longitude -71.07)

Solar path
On December 21st, Bostonians can expect the sun to rise at approximately 7:30 am at 120 degrees azimuth. This winter sun will reach its highest elevation of approximately 23 degrees in the southern skies at around 12pm. It will set at approximately 4:30pm at 240 degrees azimuth.
Conversely, on June 21st, Bostonians can expect the sun to rise at approximately 4:30am (I think that this should be adjusted to 5:30am for DST) at 60 degrees azimuth. The summer sun will reach its highest elevation of approximately 72 degrees (a mere 18 degrees shy of being straight up in the sky) at around 12pm. It will set at approximately 7:30pm (adjusted to 8:30pm for DST) at 300 degrees azimuth.

Annual temperature & relative humidity ranges
During the winter, the design temperature range is from 5 degrees F to 57 degrees F. In the summer, the design temperature range is from 57 degrees F to 92 degrees F. The average annual temperature range is from 44 degrees F to 58 degrees F. Boston has record high and low temperatures of 96 degrees F and 5 degrees F.
During the winter, the relative humidity ranges from 50% to 76%. In the summer the range is 52% to 82%. During June, July, and August the dry bulb temperature and humidity hover around the comfort zone, occasionally exceeding it. For the rest of the year, temperature and RH are below the comfort zone.

Annual wind speeds & directions
Average wind speeds annually range from 7mph to 21mph, with a mean of 13mph. The record high is 41mph.
In Jan, Feb, and Mar, winds are primarily cold and on the dry side and coming from North/North-westerly directions
In Apr, cool dry winds come from the west, while cool humid winds come in from the South and East.
In May, winds are cool and steady from all directions.
In Jun, cool dry winds come in from the Northwest, and warm/hot winds start to come in from the West/Southwest.
In Jul, warm/hot winds continue from the West/Southwest. Steady comfortable winds come in from all directions except for Northeast.
In Aug, warm comfortable winds come in from the West/Southwest.
In Sep, cool dry winds come in from the West/Southwest with some strong winds coming in from the Northeast.
In Oct and Nov, cool dry winds begin to come back in from the North/Northwest.
In Dec, the return of the cold winds returns from the North/Northwest, and Westerly directions.

Annual percent sunshine
The average amount of sunshine is approximately 42%.
In Jun, Jul, Aug, and some of Sep, shade is required for much of the day. The rest of the year is primarily cool/cold regardless of percent of sunshine.

Psychometric chart notes of interest
60% of the year, some form of conventional heating system is required.
Because of the cool dry air from the North, some type of Humidification is recommended for 44% of the year.
Protection from the wind is required for 34% of the year.
Conventional air conditioning is only required 2.2% of the year (provided natural ventilation and direct evaporative cooling methods are utilized).
Shading from the sun is required for approximately 9% of the year.

Summary
Boston is a cold weather city where exposure to the sun’s warmth is at a premium, and heating systems take precedence over cooling systems. Provisions should be made to maximize southern exposure to take advantage of the sun, to allow for cool southwesterly breezes during the warm summer months, and to protect from the cold north and northwestern winds throughout most of the year. Because of the predominately cool, dry air, some form of humidification may be desirable. During the summer months, shading from the sun and methods of natural ventilation should be provided.

Sketch Problem 1

2007-08-08T18:32:00.000-07:00

Below is my revised solution for Sketch Problem 1... Some notes of interest are;

1. I stayed within the original geometry because I felt it was logical. There was a clear linework established in the original problem and I chose to work within that framework to take advantage of it.
2. Per comments from Werner and classmates, I felt that I needed to rethink portions of the circulation and transitions. With some slight shifts, I feel that I have addressed these issues and achieved a more open feel, with less confinement and a better variety of transistions.
3. I chose to double, and triple up some of the walls and columns in an attempt to give them more substance. The elements that were added by me play a crucial part in dividing up the spaces.... By making these elements "heavier" I feel that I am successfully reinforcing that division...
4. I took a very minimalistic approach to creating space 1B... In fact, I merely aligned a new double wall with an existing opening in the exterior wall to help define that space. That opening is crucial in creating a sense of enclosure for that space. This also serves as the setting for my gradual transition.
5. My lead transition takes place at the main entry... with a substantial wall that runs from exterior to interior and vice versa... I added wall panels to the inside of that wall, and left gaps at the butt joints to create a rhythm that draws users into space 1A.
6. Although this is not a very efficient layout, given its use as a display/museum type space, I feel that the excessive circulation space is acceptable, and desirable for additional art/exhibit space..

Sketch Problem 1

2007-08-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

Folks.... below is my solution to the first Sketch problem..... I am interested in feedback, and will happily revise the layout if necessary, but I think the solution is valid. I have addressed all of the major design elements as stated, ie. inside/outside, main entry, large sub-space, small sub-space, transition space connecting the two..... I have gone with a gradual transition which slowly brings the user into the object trouve space.... there are ample glimpses offered into the o.t. space to help build mystery and interest....... I am trying to take the user on a journey into that space and slowly reveal the art inside as the journey progresses......

Semester 2 Introduction

2007-07-29T06:01:00.000-07:00

I'm back.........how the past few months have flown by.