Sketch 14

This week I decided to play with perspective.

Entry 14

As the semester comes to a close, I am reflecting on all of the lessons I have learned. One of them being that I need to purchase a backup hard drive because I have too many large Revit files on my computer. There were a variety of things that this semester has taught me. I learned about the construction process from Professor Michael O'brien in The Making of Architecture, in studio during lectures, and while making the construction model. I learned how to use computer programs from designing things in Revit, cutting from AutoCAD, and then presenting a poster in Revit. I used the wood shop more than any previous semester when making the rolling walls and construction models, and the table saw still freaks me out. This semester has also taught me that time management is crucial. We had so much to do in very little time, and in the end I am proud of my work. All in all, this semester has taught me many skills that I will carry on with me throughout the years. 

Entry 13

This week I learned more about Revit than I ever thought was possible. Designing the townhouses and villas was both challenging and helpful because of the new software. It is amazing to look at the posters from preliminary reviews and then look at the posters from final review. I improved quite a lot from the conceptual mass project. I now feel confident in Revit. Obviously I'm no professional, but it is nice knowing that I have the knowledge and skills to design a building in Revit and present it formally with renderings and drawings. 

Presentations went well, and our firm is quite pleased with how our final townhouses and villas came out. We thought that the design was cohesive, while also still showing our personal flair. 

Sketch 13

Exploration of Hatching

Entry 12

I work for the ticket office at Kyle field, so on Saturday I sat at a ticket window all day staring at the Memorial Student Center. I decided that instead of just staring out a window, I would draw what I was looking at. My shift was over during the first quarter of the football game, and when I went up to my seat, I really looked at Kyle field and how massive it is. My seat was on the very top row of second deck, and my friends and I leaned over the ledge looking at the structure holding up our seats. It is unreal that 3 months ago I would have looked at a bunch of concrete and thought about how boring it is. Now I look at concrete and I think, "Is it precast or sitecast? Is that a type one or two connection? Is that rebar sticking out through the top? Look at that bearing pad that the beam is resting on." My friends and I literally had our backs to the football game and were looking at concrete instead. When we turned around, we decided to leave because the game was boring. I never thought the day would come where I was more interested in concrete than in football. 

Entry 11

My professor in The Making Of Architecture has us drawing every single class. This week we would walk in, spend 30 minutes drawing connections, and then lecture. The whole process is really teaching me a lot about the construction field. He will ask a question, and the entire class just looks at him because the answer seems too easy to be correct. In construction, it seems that the logical explanation is correct. This mentality is so different from all of the other architecture classes that I have taken because normally we are taught to think beyond the ordinary and usual. Sometimes he asks for suggestions on what to draw, he will draw it, and then tell us that he has never drawn that connection before. This class has taught me that if you know the process, then you can reason out the connections even if you have never drawn them previously.

Entry 10

The Texas Society of Architects convention in Dallas, Texas was this week. My friends from studio and I took a road trip to my house in Canton, Texas for the weekend. The convention was on Thursday, and it was so interesting. We listened to a few lectures, some being: architects designing homes for themselves, artists and architects working together, and transportation in cities. After the convention, we went to explore Dallas and Fort Worth. The Perot Museum designed by Thom Mayne from Morphosis is incredible. We were there just standing outside the building taking pictures for an hour. When we finally left, we went to the Fort Worth Water Gardens designed by Philip Johnson. It was, by far, the most exciting architecture that I have experienced in my 19 years. The crazy part is that the whole place is made of stone, and simply uses water to create the experience. That is definitely something to take note of: sometimes simplicity in design and materials is powerful.