BATH HOUSE: New Deadline

The deadline for the Bath House project has moved from this Thursday to on or before Sunday, November 28, 2010 @ 4pm.

Students must be quite far with the presentation when the studio meets on Tuesday. All work shown on Tuesday will be noted by tutors. Be prepared to indicate to tutors how your project considers all the issues (activity, memory, form, climate).

BATH HOUSE: Learning Lessons

Remember the point of any crit or review is the teaching and learning.
The following notes summarise the lessons "learnt" during Tuesday's interim crit.

Ideas
In no. 4 in the book: 101 things I learnt in Architecture School the author states Architecture begins with an idea. A central idea will go a far way in directing and guiding the design process. It is the mental structure through which you will organize, and give meaning to the experience and information about it. A number of schemes seen on Tuesday had vague or no ideas. Try to focus on a singular idea that captures what the building will be about. The idea must be a part of you and not "manufactured". For instance, I think Bathing should be private. In my design, I would try to find ways of making the act "feel" private in a public structure. My decisions would be influenced by this idea. A few strategies could be the following:
Urban vs. Rural
Remember that the urban site requires public pedestrian thoroughfare from street to street. The following shows just three ways (of many) that this can be manifested.

While the urban site is predisposed to a plan design approach, the rural site in contrast requires a sectional approach to the design problem. The following shows 2 ways in which the section can be manifested.

In his book 101 things I learnt in Architecture School, Matthew Fredrick states in no. 7 that suburban buildings are freestanding objects in space and urban buildings are often shapers of space.

Section
Always remember that we have to step up from the ground plane when we enter buildings (and sometimes before) therefore we MUST show a difference between the floor of the building and the ground outside. The following sections illustrate this:

Site and Context
There should be serious consideration (or the appearance of serious consideration) in how you building relates to the site. It should not be designed in isolation and then given a "best fit" treatment when placing on the site. All space on the site must be considered and not be "leftover". This is especially true on the urban site.
How do you move from the car to the building? How does the building meet the landscape?
Of importance also is the representation on the floor plan of the immediate context so that onlookers can be informed of these issues. See below.
Communication
Be aware at all times that the purpose of you pinning up your work is to COMMUNICATE to others your thoughts and intentions. If the information is not in the drawings then it is perfectly reasonable for onlookers to assume that you did not think of it or even understand the issues. If the representation of your ideas is ambiguous then it is perfectly reasonable for onlookers to misinterpret your ideas.
Take a critical look at the information you have to present and if it is not communicating what you want to say, take steps to bring it in line.
All drawings are interdependent. They add a little bit of the story to make the complete picture. Do not underestimate this relationship.


If there are any other lessons that you think I missed, please do not hesitate to add it to the comments section.

BATH HOUSE: Stage II

Output required for Tuesday's (Nov. 16) pin-up
Taking your "strong" conceptual ideas and design strategies, you should now move to a preliminary scheme that begins to suggest the "right" size of your bath house as well as fix the programmatic relationships to a building and the site.

Communicating your intentions will require scaled plans and sections that show and articulate:

• entry/exit
• circulation through the bath house
• levels
• spatial configuration
• scale
  

Note: Communication is not restricted to 2D methods. We have always encouraged the use of physical models.

In addition to scaled drawings you must also develop a series of sketches or vignettes that give an idea about how the space(s) might look. This will rely on your imagination and should show articulate:

• How the space might be used
• how issues such as light/dark is dealt with
• Texture/materiality/

More later...

BATH HOUSE: Addendum

Due to the suspension of classes on Friday, the presentation of the Bathing rituals will take place during Tuesday's studio. Presentations will be restricted to 5 mins. and this will be strictly monitored as a lot has to be covered during that studio. Also, to ensure that no time is lost on the weekend (assuming that the presentations were already complete on Friday), another component is added to Tuesday's roster.

Program of Bathing ritual
All groups are to pin up on Tuesday, a proposed program for their bathing ritual.
Each group has to specifically develop a program that expresses the ritual in 5-8 spaces. The group has to isolate specific activities/procedures and identify, examine and elaborate on the various needs a space for the activity may have. This must be expressed in relation to issues of form, mediation, ritual, memory. An example of a program for Frying an egg is below. (click to enlarge)



While it is not complete, it gives a good idea of what is required. The final program must be placed on a 18x24 sheet and pinned up on Tuesday.
We will answer any questions about this right here on the blog. Just use the comments section.

BATH HOUSE: Prelude

Bathing is the immersion of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practiced for hygiene, religious or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity.

source: Wikipedia.

“We ought to remember … that the thermae of old, with their routine of daily regeneration, were as much a matter of course to their users as our restaurants are to us. Only more so; they were considered indispensable.”

Bernard Rudofsky

The challenge for this semester's project is to develop a bathhouse from one idea encountered over the semester; which by reconciling issues of form, human activity, meaning and climatic mediation is a delight to inhabit. The outcome will be a well-defined architectural entity that celebrates the ritual of bathing.

The first step in the project involves identifying a bathing ritual. Each tutorial group is therefore expected to research, adapt and describe a ritual for your bath-house. This will be based on research into the bathing rituals of many cultures. The chosen ritual must be clear, simple, preferably easy to adapt to an indoor environment and public. The following questions can be used as a guide or checklist:

• What time period is the ritual prominent?
• Where is the ritual prominent?
• How many persons can take part at any one moment?
• Are men and women (and children) separated or together?
• What are the steps involved in the ritual? (labelled step 1, step 2, step 3 etc.)
• What is the purpose of the ritual? (cleanliness, recreation, religious etc.)
• What is the significance of the ritual to the culture?
• What are the support activities to the main bathing ritual? (drinking, eating, smoking, talking?)
• Is the ritual self-administered or is there mandatory assistance?

The presentation format is open. Format and medium is up to you. Remember it's an opportunity to educate everybody in the studio so make sure you communicate well.

We have received questions about this and powerpoint is acceptable. There must be however some traditional media use in the final images. Also...don't go overboard! Plan to present for 3-5 mins. Start time for the presentation will be 2pm. All work must be pinned up or digital files placed on one machine by 1:30pm

Apologies for the late posting. Any feedback?

MEDIATION: Lecture and Links

Here is lecture as promised. It is in multiple parts due to file size.

• Introduction
• Sun
• Wind
• Light
• Local Examples
• Overseas Examples

The following links will help you in your research.
http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs44.html
http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/bourke/arch672/fall2002/shading.htm
http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/bourke/arch672/fall2002/natural.htm
http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/bourke/arch672/fall2002/wind.htm
http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/bourke/arch672/fall2002/wind2.htm

Use the following search terms: shading device, enclosure system, daylighting in Google to find more information.
Place links to good sites in your comments to this post please.

There are a few books and notes in my possession that I am willing to lend under the condition that it be used in the CSA office area only. Unfortunately these will not be available until Tuesday morning.

Contributed Additional Links
http://www.wbdg.org/resources/daylighting.php
http://www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/carbon-aia/strategies1b.html
http://windows.lbl.gov/daylighting/designguide/section5.pdf

Tuesday Oct. 19

http://pvcdrom.pveducation.org/SUNLIGHT/SUNCALC.HTM

http://www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au/documents/Natural_Ventilation_Systems.pdf

Prada Transformer

Designed by Rem Koolhaas/OMA (Office of Metropolitan Architecture) the Prada Transformer is a mobile exhibition for fashion, art, cinema and ultimately architecture. The exhibition accommodates a variety of activities within the volume by simply changing the axial arrangement of the space.

RITUAL: Schedule of process

SESSION 1 [Friday]
Lecture – Ritual & Activity
Workshop – In groups, perform a prescribed ritual and produce a series of drawn studies. Participants should break the ritual down into 4-6 crucial events in the ritual. The sketches will focus on proportions of the body in space as well as the relationship to other figures. This should take into consideration interactions, positions in space, parallel action, meaning. The sketches are pinned up for evaluation and discussion

WEEKEND
Take the rituals assigned and begin to break them down objectively and symbolically. Perform your ritual again stopping and pausing like a video machine. Record, analyse, diagram. Draw the figure postures that result from the freeze action. What are the distances involved? Is the ritual intimate or public? What is the static direction of the participants in relation to each other? How do support devices aid/mediate in the interaction between the participants? How do the participants move in relation to each other? Translate the information into an easy-to-read format. Make sure all aspects of the ritual are clear.

SESSION 2 [Tuesday]
Presentation. Pin up and Discussion
Staff in collaboration with each design collective will discuss synthesizing analytical information into a singular space.

SESSION 3 [Friday]
Lecture – Modelmaking
Group Review – Groups will gather to present latest progress to design tutor assigned to group. Discussions will cover the way forward and how to best represent your constructed space. Sketchbooks will be examined.

WEEKEND
Prepare your final drawings for submission on Tuesday afternoon. More Anon

SESSION 4 [Tuesday]
Final Review of exercise.

MEMORY: Schedule of Process

SESSION 1 [Friday]
Lecture – Memory and Meaning
Workshop – After displaying research information about their event, each group began to define various key words generated by the memory of the event. These words were used to generate two dimensional and three dimensional images of the memory.

Draw them in your sketch book describing the different images through the use of tone, line and shape. Rework the images in two dimensions and three dimensions using the paper provided. Draw them. Keep track of your thoughts and the ideation underlying each image.

WEEKEND
Continue to research your particular event. Your initial response should be to the first instance of the event, to appreciate the initial impact of the event. The next stage is to break down the memory of the event into the different layers of meaning that exist therein. Try to discern and analyse the various layers that envelop the memory of the event. These may be meanings to discrete people or parallel overlays, which contain different emotions and significance. From this analysis you can design shapes and forms, which have linear qualities. Try to visualize a hierarchy in the different layers.
You will then recombine these analytical separations into one overlaid design for submission on Tuesday. With the media you have chosen for the semester - pen, watercolor, markers, colored pencil etc. and compatible paper as the surface, use line, shape and colour to express the memory and to accentuate the types of meaning in your design. Limit your colour to a scheme that seems to reflect the overall essence of the memory. A clear hierarchy should emerge out of the 2D composition. The shape and proportion of your sheet format should also be chosen to fit the shape and movement of the memory.
Parallel to this process, begin to translate the developing 2-dimensional design into 3 dimensions. Generate about 5-8# quick 3D alternatives that focus on different aspects of the memory and different relationships of form (location, proportion, connection). Evaluate. Select 4 specimens and prepare for submission on Tuesday.

SESSION 2 [Tuesday]
Presentation must pinned up by 1:30 within Groups. PROGRESS: Level 1,2,3
Each design collective will present work to tutors and discuss implications and possible directions. Sketchbooks will be examined.

INTERIM
After choosing the most feasible direction, continue to “design” the installation. Remember the relationship between the dominant and subdominant elements. These can be spatial relationships. Ensure that an adequate exploration of the interior qualities of the installation is done. Maintain a human scale for the installation. Begin to think of material characteristics rather than actual materials (e.g. Rough instead of Concrete, Shiny instead of steel).
Explore the developing installation by sketching and testing with physical models. Cut a few sections. Start working on the final presentation.

SESSION 3 [Friday]
Group Discussion – Groups will gather to discuss latest progress with design tutor assigned. Discussions will cover the way forward and how to best represent your proposal for Session 4.

WEEKEND
Prepare a presentation of your memory installation for submission on Monday afternoon.

MEMORY: Prelude

What must be done?
Taking the Newspaper articles (csaheadstudio.yolasite.com) as a starting point, prepare a display/installation/exhibit that tells us as much about the event as possible. Try not to make it interpretive but rather objective and informative. Use a mixture of media to tell your story. These can include drawings (self-generated or reproduced), painting, photos, collage, audio, video etc.
Don't make a meal of it. In other words, don't overdo it!

Try to tell us:
Who were the main characters?
What were the main factors in the incident/event?
What was the context in which the event happened?
What is so important about the event?
What did it affect later on 10yrs, 20yrs, 50yrs...?
How is the event remembered today? poetry, art, music, books, images...

There are several books in the library that can help:
The story of the Jamaican people / Philip Sherlock & Hazel Bennett.
Available at the Library's Caribbean Collection and one can be found in the E.N. Isaacs collection in the library beside the office. I also have a copy for browsing in the office.

The history of Jamaica / Clinton V. Black.
Quite a number in the library.

Just to name a few...

The library has an excellent newspaper archive (access.newspaperarchive.com/AdvanceSearch.aspx) that has newspapers from 1748 including the Gleaner. You can only access it on Campus.

There is also google images and the right search terms.

Questions, Comments, Feedback... Click below...

FORM: Session 2 Feedback

Overall the amount of work produced for the session was commendable and the studio as a whole demonstrated the ability to come to the session on time with completed work. A couple persons arrived late or pinned up late and it is the responsibility of everyone else to encourage them to complete and pin up on time. Remember it is the work of the class that is being pinned up and when one is late, the class is late!

Progress
In an attempt to inform students about their status as the exercises/project progress, we will be informing you of the level of achievement after the interim presentation. We will respond with a "level" classification. The definitions are below:
Level 1 - This means the work presented/pinned up and shown in the sketch book is "behind the pace" of the studio. You may not have spent the requisite amount of time on the exercise or you haven't understood what is required of you. You will need to do a considerable amount of work to catch up in order to produce acceptable or fair work. If there is something you are not sure of or need help with, ASK!
Level 2 - This means the work presented/pinned up and shown in the sketch book is on track and on pace with the objectives of the studio. You will have spent the requisite amount of time on the exercise and/or you have a fair understanding of the task. Any slacking off or side adventures could seriously derail your initial efforts and produce work that is fair to poor. "Consolidating" or strengthening your position will garner good results. If there are any issues or directions that you want to tackle, ensure that your tutor is "on board" and aware of your efforts.
Level 3 - This means the work presented/pinned up and shown in the sketch book is ahead of where it should be with the objectives of the studio. You will have spent the requisite (or more than) amount of time on the exercise and/or you have a very good understanding of the task and the learning objectives. "Consolidating" or strengthening your position will garner very good results. There is opportunity for experimentation and focus without detrimentally affecting good output. Your tutor must be consulted & kept on board, if only to be aware of the progress of the work.

Presentation

• Names need to be placed on the FRONT of sheets at all times. You can use pencil but for a better solution; integrate it with the layout (make it a part of the presentation).
• Stick to the paper size specified. (and the amount requested)
• Use consistent, easy-to-read, printed (not cursive) text.
• Organise drawing elements on the sheet using good layout strategy - consider white space; align related elements; maintain consistent sizes; place text appropriately;
• There should an element of cohesion in the presentation of each tutorial unit. Try to agree on sheet orientation or color etc. We should be able to differentiate between groups at first glance.
  

Craftsmanship

• While we applaud the number of models, there must be some comment on craftsmanship. Make sure planes are oriented correctly (and not "lean"); corners meet accurately; material is cut cleanly; Forms are fully formed (no open ends);
• It is expected that lessons that were learnt in first year is applied in this studio. Bad line work is unacceptable. Make sure you that you observe spatial & planar hierarchy of lines; lines are continuous; drawings are clear;
• You should be using the interim review as opportunity to experiment with your media choice.

Process

• On the whole the studio took the process seriously and came up with good results. When communicating the process however ensure that the start, middle and end are shown. (not the final form alone as seen in some cases)

Comments, questions and feedback will be welcomed.

FORM: Schedule of Process

The following are the procedural steps that can be followed for the FORM exercise.

SESSION 1 [Friday]
Lecture – Formal Composition
Workshop – In groups, produce a large number of rectilinear planes in a wide variety of shapes (length x width). The shapes do not have to conform to the final dimensions in the task. Arrange the planes in combination with sticks, into groups of 3 (2 planes/1 stick, 1 plane/2 sticks, 3 sticks etc.) keeping in mind the guiding principles above. Evaluate the planar compositions with respect to visual interest, balance, “beauty” etc. Draw them in your sketch book describing the different constructs through paraline and elevation views. Rework the combinations, comparing them to the previous iterations. Draw them. Keep track of your thoughts and the design principles underlying each construct.

WEEKEND
Choosing the most interesting compositions, transform the lines and planes to volumes (in keeping with the principles above). Explore the resulting forms by sketching and testing with physical models. Vary the volumes as much as possible, making sure no two have the same measurement. Start with the dominant form then spend sometime locating the subdominant. Add the subordinate quickly to get a sense of the composition before refining.
Generate about 10 -12 alternatives making sure the compositions vary and contrast widely. Evaluate. Select 5 specimens and prepare for submission on Tuesday.

SESSION 2 [Tuesday]
Presentation. Projects will be graded
Staff in discussion with each design collective will choose about 8 compositions for further exploration and development.

INTERIM
After choosing the most feasible compositions, continue to “design” the construct. Fine tune the relationship of the dominant and subdominant elements. Experiment with the proportions of each element in relation to itself and the other elements. Explore the developing form by sketching and testing with physical models. Start working on the final presentation. Begin researching and experimenting with your chosen media.

SESSION 3 [Friday]
Lecture – Exploring Media
Group Discussion – Groups will gather to present latest progress to design tutor assigned to group. Discussions will cover the way forward and how to best represent your construct. You will refine the construct by drawing, making and analyzing the construct in both three and two dimensions. Sketchbooks will be examined.

WEEKEND
Prepare your final construct for submission on Monday afternoon.