9.20.06

So far today, we have finished assembling the foam pieces thanks to the help of all the girls. We managed to cut some of the outside ribs of masonite also, but we ran into some slight problems with the joints in them, nothing a little sanding won't fix though. Everyone has been working real well together, accomplishing different tasks at one time. Katy and Nate are busy resolving the logo/graphics for the lucite, which we have ready to get cutting. I'm pretty excited- its coming along nicely.




















our first fully assembled outside masonite rib



Some thought the eagle might add character to the unit...(mandi)

coming along...

detail of lucite

Photovoltaic arrays

In this study, I am exploring the potential for solar panels/photovoltaic arrays and their application on a human scale, a building scale, and even the scale of the earth. Sustainability is a key subject now that we as architects must be concerned with.
Photovoltaic arrays can be arranged in a number of ways to integrate itself into a buildings design. Solar photovoltaic panels contain arrays of solar cells that convert light into electricity. Solar cells, or PV cells, rely on the photovoltaic effect, which describes how certain materials can convert sunlight into electricity to absorb the energy of the sun and cause current to flow between two oppositely charged layers. Individual solar cells provide a relatively small amount of power, but electrical output is significant when connected together as an array making up a panel.

These solar panels have the potential to be used as something more than just add-ons to a building, they can become the skin of the building. The image below shows the spread of solar radiation over the surface of the country. Parts like Arizona seem to have the most impact of the suns energy on its surface, so strategically placing the panels in an area such as this would maximize energy conservation and reduce the consumption of other forms of energy. One proposal of this was to create mega fields of solar panels located in desolate regions whose sole purpose would be to gather energy, then at night the energy would conceptually be transferred to nearby cities such as Los Angeles. As astonishing as it sounds, in 40 minutes of daylight the sun releases upon the earth the amount of energy that is consumed by the entire population of the planet in one year. Each day more solar energy falls to the Earth than the total amount of energy the planet's 6 billion inhabitants would consume in 27 years. Currently, we harness about 1% of this energy.




Todays solar cells are typically made of silicon, with an efficiency of around 4 to 5 percent. Studies are now being conducted to produce new solar cells using other materials such as plastic
, which could provide an efficiency of up to 15 percent in the future.


On a larger scale, one of the most interesting concepts is to introduce solar panels into outer space to collect the suns energy. Several engineers have proposed placing large solar panel farms, the size of Texas, onto the surface of the moon to gather as much "free" solar energy as possible. The energy would be beamed back to the earth vvia microwaves. Complex megastructures such as the Matrioshka brain are being considered for interstellar placement. This mega device would be placed closer to the sun, near Venus or Mars,to gather more energy.





This image shows a comparison of a farm of photovoltaic arrays the size of Texas on the moon.


original illustration

9.13.06

It's been a productive day. We've really gotten a grasp of the full-scale model today and it seems to work rather well. We all split up tasks today, some working on the full scale model, some on a possible seat construction, and others working digitally and refining details in earlier models. I think now we are looking to fine-tune the design and move away from this project soon. I look forward to working more in a graphic nature and investigating further potential of architecture, and how we can apply this in a mega-scale as we've been researching

thoughts 9.11.06

Today we've hit yet another brick wall it seems. We've managed to come together and synthesize our ideas into one project, which is great. I felt pretty good about this one, but it seems that we've aimed too high. The issue for us as a group now is to work within a given restraints (budget, personal criteria, time) to make this unit that will best suit our needs. We were all pretty stuck today on where to move because we don't want to backtrack and waste time. I think we realized today that we've analyzed the structure and make-up of this project, but now we have to run some tests to see if what we are being is actually comfortable and whether it accomplishes its given task. I have also been thinking of other ways to approach the design ( are the sides merely faces, or can their surfaces be altered in a way that they maintain our previous studies while offering something more?/ Is the unit one solid, or can it be segmented to offer variance?) of the unit, given all the things we've learned so far. I think we're on the right track with this project and I hope to see a resolution that we can be proud of.

SUMO

From the previous session, we've progressed towards a single design. We all agreed that the portability of the rolling cylinder was most effective, and we combined that with the complex curves of the free-standing unit from the other group.



The unit, now called SUMO (Self-contained Unit for Mega-communicative-occupancy), is accessible from two sides, making it able to be occupied by two people simultaneously. The curves of our structure conform to the body and wrap around it, making the surface a dynamic element in this project. The structure will be made primarily of wood as we see it now, but cost might cause us to pursue other solutions. We propose the use of high density foam, sandwiched between the plywood ribs to reduce noise and to increase its strength. Other areas of the design have been explored as well. The outside panels of the SUMO will be paneled with a semi-transparent material (plexi, lexan). Being that the panel is pretty large, we will probably apply the text to the surface.

Ergo-proposal

In this proposal, we have chosen two simple shapes that fit the basic needs of one person. The egg shape will serve as the primary seating and it will be plugged into the rectangular shape that will then enclose the person. The primary method of the chair construction will be egg-crating, thus allowing easy adaptation when needed. Both the egg crate and the rectangular form will be constructed out of wood. The exterior of the egg will then have equally spaced openings that will be perfect to plug in the insulation for a sound barrier. The insulation will be exposed allowing others to touch it at will, creating an intriguing surface for the exterior of the egg. We propose that the egg be removable from the box so that a person could let him or herself in and out easily. The egg will be locked into place and zipped into the box from the inside by the person, then he or she can turn around and have a conversation with someone else on the video screen with no outside distractions. We chose to take the idea of inflation and apply it to both the outside of the box and the inside of the egg. The air bubbles will penetrate the exterior surface of the box, creating an appealing surface that pushes the idea of comfort from the inside to the outside. We see others wanting to experience the surface and even lean on it if they desire. The inside of the box will allow for two different seating positions: one lying in the egg shape and another sitting at the edge of the egg seat with the weight of the person distributed to the knees, relieving tension from the lower back. While sitting on this kneeling chair, the pod can be unzipped, leaving an opening for group communication.

Ergonomics

For this new assignment we were given the task to develop an enclosed space for one person to occupy. Mandi and I chose to study the ergo-dynamics of the design. We first approached the assignment at a basic level, defining what ergonomics is as well as material choice to allow the unit to be portable. Ergonomics is defined as an understanding of not only the physical interactions between a person and their surroundings but a psychological one as well. We first thought of the physical nature of someone in an enclosed space and a work area integrated into that. At the moment, some of our ideas seem a little confined and broad even, so we decided to analyze specific aspects of the design such as:

Adjustability/Versatility- the height of the useable interior space. How the positioning of one body can be altered to incorporate technology (audio, video, laptop, etc...). We researched the idea of static vs. dynamic body positions. We thought about possibly configuring an opening or a surface that would restrict a persons movement, versus having a surface that would allow a series of body positions. For construction in the interior space, a series of contours could be stacked vertically and covered in a skin, which has the possibly of being fixed or rotated to create a different position or offer veriability.

Another idea is that the contours could be slid or shifted in a horizontal direction which could be tightened into place. To achieve a static, but comfortable position, a solution is to construct a "kneeling chair," which is minimal, eliminates stress when sitting for long periods of time, and could easily be combined with the other components of the booth.

Materials- this concept effects the weight and mobility of the unit, level of comfort inside, controlling the amount of noise/noise barriers, supporting the body, defining the space, and impacting the occupant on a visual level. Materials we found that would accommodate the body, be lightweight, and serve as some sort of insulation are: foam creations, which allow for versatility of shape, size, light; inflatable plastic is another light idea that is easily adaptable, such as bubble wrap. We could mass produce small inflatable bubbles that can be shaped in any way in the portable unit, or the unit itself could be created with a system of inflatable structures. We also thought of making three variations of this that would accommodate three different body sizes. These three "packages" could be zipped up and stored inside the unit. This also follows the idea of portablity. We thought that this thing could be deflated and packaged for ease of mobility and inflated in another place.

Psychological effects- ergonomic design determines not only body positions, but comfort sensation, and perception. Elements as simple as choice of material color or smell can effect the mood and performance of a person. Color psychology can be used in combination with aromatherapy to heighten the senses and productivity. For example, red hues are said to increase bodily tension and stimulate the autonomic nervous system and cool hues are said to release tension. Aromatherapy can be an alternative of medicine because of its psychology of odors and their effects on the mind. Studies show that the oils of certain plants have stimulating or relaxing effects. Blends are 100% natural and can do things from enhanceing memory and concentration to relieving stress.

These are all a combination of ideas we've explored and would like to incorporate into the design process

Thoughts 9.1.06

So far the studio has proven to be a little more than what I had expected. I think that everyone in the class is working well together to generate ideas and to work through them, but there seems to be some misdirection in the air for me. I feel good about the case studies so far, and the feedback I've gotten from my professor, Ron, that has been helped refine my research and productivity. The communication is still an issue for me. The skype chat we had on wednesday seemed to work, but it got very confusing to try and read everyones input at once and really understand it before the next person chimed in. I just think I work better if I verbally talk through my ideas sometimes because they come so quickly through my mind, its hard to grab the right one at a given time. I'm glad to see that we are all able to communicate our ideas more articulately. Maybe these chats are what I need to sharpen my skills as a writer. I look forward to trying other ways to communicate. As far as studio prospects, I'm anxious to see how these megablog entries play into our design for the semester projects.