Rendering  Nature  Jasmine  Pettway  ARCH  101  Studio  1  Semester  Portfolio  II  

Spring  2015  

Making  the  Invisible  Perceivable  For  our  final  studio  project,  we  were  asked  to  render  nature  by  making  the  invisible  perceivable  with  the  following  requirements-­‐  

Generally    •  Choose  a  site  specific  

characteristic  to  render  in  design  

•  Create  the  unexpected  and  unfamiliar  

•  Avoid  obvious  notions  

Specifically  •  Have  an  inviting  

entrance  •  Organized  set  of  paths  &  

nodes  •  3  separate  spaces  that  

meet  general  requirements  

The  Group  Members:  Fidel,  Natasha,  Yue,  Eminent  Role:  Project  Manager  Duties:  scheduling/group  meetings,  budget,  construction  documents  Theme:  Light    

The  first  assignment  was  to  demonstrate  sectioning.  Trying  to  keep  the  goal  of  rendering  nature,  I  choose  Light  as  my  theme.  Past  projects  mostly  focused  on  wind  for  the  creation  of  moving  parts  which  I  was  interested  in  too,  but  light  could  be  used  to  sculpt  spaces.  

Iteration  #1  

Light  can  be  magical,  playful,  warming,  or  exciting.  It  is  also  a  unique  spectrum  that  humans  experience  the  world.  Other  animals  typically  see  in  other  wave  lengths  or  limited  visible  light.  

My  iteration  was  exploring  light  and  shadow,  and  possibly  moving  parts.  It  was  mostly  sculptural,  but  I  hoped  it  would  be  a  good  starting  point  and  evolve  into  a  thoughtful  design  for  the  installation.  However,  it  was  too  obvious!  

Iteration  #2  My  second  attempt,  I  tried  to  focus  on  the  specific  program  requirements  of  having  3  nodes,  an  organized  pathway,  entrance,    exit,  and  spaces  for  activities.  Of  course,  I  could  have  tried  to  draw  the  layout  on  paper,  but  I  did  not  want  to  make  the  mistake  of  getting  fixated  as  I  did  previously  in  the  semester.      

I  was  already  inspired  by  this  image  of  Janet  Echelman’s  “Every  Beating  Second”  installation.  String  would  be  cheap,  easy  to  put  up  and  take  down,  and  a  great  way  to  play  on  light.    

Not  quite  knowing  where  I  was  going  with  it  yet,  I  explored  layout  options.  There  was  the  vague  idea  of  using  frames  that  would  bend  at  an  angle  to  create  arches  with  the  strings,  hence  the  triangles.  

Using  a  base  that  only  has  horizontal  spacing  for  my  components  was  not  the  best  choice  because  I  limited  how  I  can  move  these  “frames”.  

Site  Analysis  It  was  time  to  finalize  our  site  of  choice.  We  nearly  investigated  every  area  of  the  courtyard  and  hill  area.  

We  considered  the  center  of  the  courtyard  for  full  exposure  and  its  flat  stable  surface.  

We  also  appreciated  the  tree  and  slope  in  this  area  of  the  hill.  

Pros  •  Connection  with  

community  •  Large  surface  area  •  Full  Sun  Exposure  Cons  •  Extreme  winds  •  Groundcover  composed  of  

mulch,  uneven  terrain  •  Full  Sun  Exposure  

We  choose  the  top  of  the  hillside  where  Martson  ave.  and  Batmale  3rd  floor  balcony  meet.    

Iteration  #3  After  my  team  conducted  our  site  analysis  and  choosing  our  top  site  and  goals  for  it,  I  had  more  direction  for  my  exploration.  One  issue  I  had  was  creating  a  shelter  that  wasn’t  boring,  or  “obvious”  to  protect  from  the  wind.  I  came  across  a  student’s  work  in  the  hallway,  and  found  new  inspiration.  

Here  are  my  prototypes  of  recreating  this  design.  

I  put  the  triangular  huts  together  to  create  four  separate  spaces,  and  added  simple  arches  leading  out  of  the  installation  as  my  group  discussed.  

Collaborating  With  only  one  week  left  to  decide  on  our  final  design,  the  team  got  together  and  combined  ideas.  

Kit  of  Parts  •  45  Triangle  •  30/60  triangle  •  Frame  &  Skin  •  1  irregular  rhombus  

Our  final  design  included  a  main  structure  made  of  frames  and  panels.  The  section  that  would  face  the  campus  will  have  slices  that  allowed  in  sunlight.  On  top  of  the  main  portion  there  is  a  translucent  material  slightly  covering  the  frames  changing  light  balance.  Entrance  and  exits  would  be  obvious,  but  would  create  the  boundary  for  a  courtyard  of  triangles.  

Preparations  It  was  time  to  get  organized.  I  took  on  the  responsibility  of  making  our  initial  budget  and  materials  lists,  schedule  of  deadlines,  and  availability.  

Scheduling  Materials  and  Budget  

Construction  Fidel  allowed  us  to  prefabricate  our  pieces  in  his  shop.  

On  Site  

A  few  adjustments  had  to  be  made  on  site  for  a  more  seamless  design.  

The  3  separate  walls  that  were  designed  to  be  offset  now  met  at  the  corners.  

We  had  to  reposition  the  walls  to  align  correctly  losing  a  little  area.  

Issues  Finding  angles  and  proper  ways  to  cut  them  proved  to  be  difficult.  

We  were  able  to  find  a  few.  

Last  Minute  Changes  

I  helped  design  the  entrance  and  exit  archways.  Originally  I  had  the  idea  of  using  strings  to  create  a  ray  of  colors  that  would  represent  the  light  spectrum  and  cast  more  delicate  shadows.  I  did  not  develop  the  idea  very  well  so  we  choose  not  to  put  in  the  strings.  

Final  Product  

Concluding  Remarks  Semester  

 I  don’t  know  if  I  spent  the  semester  more  confused  or  more  intrigued  by  design  and  the  process.  Sometimes  I  was  confused  on  intents  and  goals,  which  were  usually  discovered  later.  Other  times  I  was  confused  on  which  choices  to  make.  I’ve  learned  it’s  best  to  explore  all  options  in  both  these  cases.  I  have  a  need  to  work  with  my  hands  and  a  need  for  information  and  understanding.  In  conducting  these  explorations  for  the  best  learning  outcomes,  I  will  need  to  craft  and  research  extensively.      Team  

 We  worked  pretty  well  as  a  team  and  achieved  our  personal  goal  of  craftsmanship  and  connecting  the  campus.  However  the  theme  we  choose  was  not  rendered  strong  enough  in  structure.  Looking  back,  I  think  we  should  have  spent  more  time  on  our  design  process  really  digging  into  the  problem  and  how  to  answer  it  with  the  spatial  experiences.  

Personally    When  choosing  teams,  I  decided  to  step  down  from  a  leadership  

role.  I  figured  I  could  use  more  practice  at  following  since  nearly  all  my  roles  up  to  this  point  have  been  in  leadership.  In  the  end,  I  robbed  myself  of  a  great  opportunity  to  experience  leadership  in  my  chosen  profession.  However,  had  I  not  done  what  I  did,  I  would  not  be  able  to  see  this  huge  growth  opportunity  in  my  learning.  I  know  how  to  do  what  I  am  told  when  given  directions,  but  I  also  have  the  skills  and  forward  thinking  of  a  leader.  At  one  point  my  instructor  Jerry  told  me  either  I  will  be  in  charge,  or  second  in  command  always.  If  I  don’t  put  myself  in  the  position  to  develop  and  refine  those  skills  that  I  naturally  have,  I  may  not  be  satisfied  with  where  I  get  in  life,  or  I  will  not  be  able  to  get  as  far  as  I  would  like  to  go.