Final  Por*olio  Dakota  Klyve-­‐Underkofler  

Arch  101  Spring  semester  2013  

 

Week  Nine  –  Research  Period  •  What  We  Did  

–  Formed  groups  and  looked  over  inspiraGonal  work  –  Discussed  which  aspects  of  inspiraGonal  work  the  group  

liked  best  and  why    •  Picked  design  elements  that  would  respond  to  our  site  •  Decided  to  use  secGoning  and  framing  to  create  a  3d  wave  

effect  •  Picked  wood  for  our  main  building  material  due  to  cost,  

availability,  ease  of  use,  and  texture  

–  Discovered/chose  site  responses  and  experiences  •  The  view  of  the  water  tower,  The  “cliff”  or  ledge,  The  curvature  

of  the  retaining  wall  •  Accidental  encounters,  tantalizingly  threatening,  a  place  to  

enjoy  a  framed  view  

•  ReflecGons  –  Our  group  did  a  great  job  of  delegaGng  responsibiliGes,  

everyone  contributed  equally  –  Had  a  vast  array  of  material  opGons,  but  discovered  wood  

had  the  most  pros  versus  cons  –  Our  ideas  were  all  very  different  to  start,  it  was  difficult  to  

combine  our  ideas  at  first  –  Ideas  were  strong,  but  we  realized  structural  strength  would  

be  an  issue  

hZp://\loop.wordpress.com/2011/03/27/Fibonacci-­‐transformaGon-­‐python/  

hZp://architecture.about.com/od/asiasouthasia/ss/Wang-­‐Shu-­‐Por*olio_11.htm  

Week  Ten  &  Eleven  –  First  Individual  Models    

•  What  we  did  •  Group  agreed  on  SecGoning  and  framing  to  create  

implied  surfaces  •  Worked  to  incorporate  our  wave  idea  and  create  

curvilinear  form  with  straight  lines  •  Explored  different  ways  to  respond  to  the  site  and  

nodal  experiences  •  Revisited  nodal  experiences,  not  all  group  members  

were  on  the  same  page  •  Explained  to  other  group  members  how  and  why  we  

thought  our  designs  were  accomplishing  site  responses/nodal  experiences  

•  Agreed  on  a  scale  to  use  for  next  week  

•  ReflecGons  •  Our  models  were  all  very  different  for  the  first  round  

of  models,  it  was  hard  to  give  and  hear  criGque  •  Eventually  found  aspects  of  each  design  that  we  

liked,  decided  to  keep  certain  aspects  and  further  them  

•  Realized  many  of  our  designs  did  not  incorporate  all  site  responses  and  nodal  experiences.    Talked  about  how  to  resolve  this  

•  We  didn’t  talk  enough  about  structural  integrity,  this  issue  came  up  later  in  subsequent  models  

Week  Twelve  –  Individual  Models  ConGnued  

•  What  we  did  •  Took  ideas  from  the  last  set  of  models,  explored  other  ways  to  accomplish  the  same  things  •  AZempted  to  beZer  incorporate  site  responses  and  nodal  experiences,  but  all  models  sGll  

failed  to  have  a  framed  view  •  Talked  about  incorporaGng  other  materials,  discussed  the  viability  of  other  opGons  •  Discussed  team  member  responsibiliGes.  Chose  bookkeeper,  site  manager,  secGon  leader,  and  

photographer  

•  ReflecGons  •  Our  models  were  starGng  to  look  similar  and  have  some  sort  of  unity.    Group  discussions  led  

to  a  beZer  understanding  of  what  we  all  liked  as  a  group  •  Decided  to  focus  more  on  chosen  concepts  for  next  week  instead  of  exploring  other  design  

opGons.    Realized  we  all  were  coming  to  an  agreement  with  what  our  design  should  incorporate  and  how  to  accomplish  that  

•  We  talked  a  liZle  about  construcGon  methods  and  structural  integrity,  and  that  we  needed  to  focus  on  this  more  for  our  next  models  

Week  Thirteen  –  Final  Models  •  What  we  did  

•  Examined  final  individual  models,  and  happily  came  to  consensus  about  the  design  elements  we  wanted  

•  We  ended  up  taking  parts  of  all  our  designs  and  incorporaGng  them  into  one  final  iteraGon  

•  Addressed  structural  viability  and  construcGon  methods  •  Wrote  up  an  approximate  list  of  materials  and  their  costs.  Decided  when  

and  how  to  acquire  the  materials  •  Built  one  final  model  to  use  as  a  master  plan  for  our  full  size  construcGon  

•  ReflecGons  •  Coming  to  a  master  plan  for  our  design  was  almost  too  

easy,  everyone  was  in  agreement  with  liZle  to  no  argument.  Lucky  us!  

•  Everyone  did  a  much  beZer  job  of  incorporaGng  nodal  experiences  and  site  responses  as  well  as  considering  structural  strength  

•  Our  final  model  was  awesome  and  everyone  was  proud  of  it  and  could  see  how  the  design  had  grown  from  their  contribuGons  

Final  Group  Model  

Our  final  group  model,  put  together  by  Xenia  with  a  culminaGon  of  our  group’s  ideas.    This  design  conGnued  to  evolve  and  grow  during  the  construcGon  phase  of  our  installaGon.  

Week  Fourteen  –  ConstrucGon  Begins  

•  What  we  did  •  ConstrucGon  begins!  Materials  and  tools  

brought  to  the  site  •  Prepared  the  site  with  stakes  where  holes  

were  to  be  dug,  then  cut  2  x  4’s  and  figured  out  how  to  best  put  them  sturdily  into  the  ground  

•  Discussed  how  to  beZer  support  and  stabilize  the  2x4’s.  Decided  against  tensioning  and  for  more  lateral  support  

•  ReflecGons  •  We  realized  our  full  scale  design  would  have  to  

be  altered  to  achieve  our  goals  and  to  be  stable  •  Thinking  about  and  talking  through  our  

foreseen  problems  ahead  of  Gme  gave  us  an  edge,  we  realized  we  would  need  more  materials  and  some  other  tools  as  well  

Week  Fikeen  –  ConstrucGon  ConGnues  &  Design  Evolves  

•  What  we  did  •  Worked  together  to  start  pulng  up  a  supporGng  

“skin”  around  the  outside  of  the  2x4’s  •  Tested  the  strength  of  connecGons  to  make  sure  

they  will  withstand  the  wind  and  elements  and  not  hurt  anyone  due  to  failure  

•  Cut  smaller  pieces  of  wood  and  began  aZaching  them  to  the  tops  of  2x4’s  and  began  construcGon  of  our  “wave”  element  

•  ReflecGons  •  ConGnued  to  change  the  design  as  liZle  issues  

presented  themselves,  such  as  adding  caps  to  screws  that  were  too  long.  

•  Had  trouble  achieving  the  density  we  desired,  decided  we  wanted  to  increase  the  density  and  complexity  of  the  “skin”  

•  Had  a  liZle  trouble  creaGng  our  entryway,  worked  through  it  by  building  to  and  over  the  retaining  wall  to  more  easily  beckon  you  into  our  path  

Week  Sixteen  –  ConGnued  ConstrucGon  

•  What  we  did  •  Worked  to  complete  the  “skin”  and  achieve  the  

density  we  talked  about  the  week  prior  •  Framed  view  started  to  come  into  play,  found  a  way  

to  make  it  visible  for  most  heights  of  people  •  Started  adding  the  final  small  lengths  of  wood  to  the  

top  of  our  design,  adding  complexity  to  our  “wave”  •  Fixed  minor  connecGon  issues  

•  ReflecGons  •  Not  falling  off  the  ladder  proved  to  be  difficult,  

ended  up  using  mulGple  spoZers  to  keep  it  stable  on  the  woodchips  

•  Made  final  adjustments,  moving  a  few  pieces  that  didn't’t  quite  fit  the  way  we  wanted.    Worked  towards  beZer  securing  some  of  the  smaller  flimsier  pieces  of  wood  

•  Tested  for  strength  and  resistance  to  shaking  from  the  wind,  added  a  few  staples  and  screws.    Used  “beZer  safe  than  sorry”  method  

•  Framed  view  was  a  maZer  of  big  discussion.    Group  members  disagreed  at  first  and  finally  came  to  consensus  

Week  Seventeen  –  ConstrucGon  is  Complete  

•  What  we  did  •  Final  pieces  added  to  the  top  of  the  structure  to  

complete  the  “wave”  •  Discussed  possible  addiGons  to  the  design,  but  

came  to  the  conclusion  that  we  liked  it  the  way  it  was  

•  Cleaned  up  our  site  and  did  a  final  looking  over  of  possible  weaknesses  

•  ReflecGons  •  Success!  We  talked  about  how  far  we  had  

come,  and  how  many  obstacles  we  had  faced  and  conquered  to  complete  our  design  on  Gme  

•  Hard  work  pays  off.    We  worked  on  the  weekends  for  the  first  few  weeks  and  it  paid  off  with  an  early  finish  ahead  of  schedule!  

•  Working  with  the  group  was  challenging  at  Gmes,  but  obstacles  and  differences  were  overcome  to  produce  a  wonderful  installaGon  

Week  Eighteen  -­‐  Judgment  

•  What  we  did  •  Gave  a  brief  presentaGon  

of  our  work  to  the  judges  before  showing  them  our  installaGon  

•  Talked  about  our  site  responses  and  nodal  experiences  

•  Discussed  issues  we  faced  in  the  design  stage  and  explained  how  we  overcame  these  issues  in  the  construcGon  phase  

•  Walked  through  the  paths  of  all  the  constructed  designs,  and  gave  praise  and  criGque  for  the  work  everyone  has  done  

•  ReflecGons  •  The  judges  had  amazing  feedback,  

bringing  up  many  strengths  and  weaknesses  •  Our  secGoning,  complexity  

and  density,  and  our  use  of  the  linear  to  create  curvilinear  were  a  big  hit  

•  Our  framed  view  could  have  been  more  unified  with  the  rest  of  the  design  

•  The  beginning  of  our  structure  also  lacked  unity  with  the  rest  

•  Hearing  from  the  judges  really  brought  our  design  to  life.    The  language  they  used  to  describe  our  work  helped  reinforce  what  we  have  been  learning  throughout  the  semester  

•  It  felt  so  good  to  be  praised  by  those  who  work  so  hard  to  teach  us  and  share  with  us  the  vast  knowledge  they  have  accumulated  throughout  their  years  in  architecture  

Our  Finished  Project  

Semester  ReflecGons  

Architecture,  for  me,  has  evolved  a  great  deal  over  the  past  few  months.    There  is  definitely  a  learning  curve  jumping  into  your  first  design  studio,  and  I  had  to  make  some  adjustments  in  my  work  ethic  and  design  approach.    Truth  be  told  I  wasn’t  sure  what  to  think  of  the  class  or  my  professor  Jerry  Lum  in  the  first  few  weeks.    However  I  found  myself  appreciaGng  both  more  and  more  with  each  class.    Why  is  he  making  us  do  all  this  stuff?!    It  wasn’t  long  before  I  realized.    The  first  half  of  the  semester  provided  us  students  with  enough  background  and  hands  on  experience  to  approach  the  second  half  of  the  class,  creaGng  a  real  structure  that  is  not  arbitrary  or  general,  but  specific  and  thought  out,  something  that  responds  to  its  surroundings  and  works  towards  a  feeling  and  experience.    I  find  myself  criGquing  and  really  examining  all  kinds  of  structures,  spaces,  and  designs  more  than  I  ever  have,  some  Gmes  even  to  the  annoyance  of  those  around  me,  but  I  love  it.    Its  crazy  to  think  how  much  one  semester  can  open  up  your  eyes  and  change  the  way  you  see  things.    It  really  makes  me  excited  to  conGnue  to  change  myself  in  the  way  I  perceive  things,  and  thus  change  the  way  I  approach  situaGons  and  even  change  the  things  I  create.      I  didn’t  expect  to  get  as  much  out  of  the  class  as  I  believe  I  have,  but  it  took  a  lot  of  hard  work.    If  there  were  one  thing  I  would  stress  for  those  coming  into  their  first  design  studio,  well  its  actually  two  things.    Do  your  work  as  best  as  you  can  as  soon  as  you  can.    The  sooner  you  start  the  more  Gme  you  will  have  to  further  your  design  to  the  best  of  your  abiliGes,  and  who  doesn’t  like  compleGng  something  ahead  of  schedule!?  The  second  thing  is  to  observe  and  ask  as  many  quesGons  as  you  can.    Don’t  ever  be  afraid  to  say  something,  whether  it’s  a  comment  or  a  criGque  or  a  quesGon.    We  learn  as  much  or  more  through  dialogue  with  others  than  we  can  with  silent  observaGon.    I  really  loved  this  class  and  my  professor  Jerry  Lum;  I  have  grown  so  much  and  am  excited  to  take  the  next  step  in  Arch  102.    

   One  design  studio  down.    Can  not  wait  for  the  next!!!  

Thank  you  for  taking  the  Gme  to  view  my  por*olio.  I  hope  you  enjoyed!  

             -­‐Dakota