Materials

In our research of the Music Library were asked to research different and unique materials in an unconventional manner. Instead of thinking about a wallpaper being on the wall we were supposed to throw out the norm and think of materials not in their traditional settings. And of course we were to have a "marriage" of materials. (Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue)

My material choices:
Something old_ Tin ceiling tiles

Something New_ Wool and Wood Acoustical tiles

Something Borrowed_ Pine (Glasgow School of Art Library)

Something Blue_ See through Concrete

How do these all connect?

For starters I chose the tin ceiling tiles because they were very elegant and then I thought about how they would maximize sound in the library which is not necessarily desirable. To contrast that I needed a material that would absorb sound so I found acoustical tiles made of wool and wood. Next I chose the see through concrete which I thought of being very industrial feeling and I wanted another material that would pull more warmth into the space so I then chose Pine as my final material. In the end I had a palette that brought warmth and energy to the space.

Anna Behrendt's Concepts

On Friday we all presented our concepts that dealt with either the Jackson Library or the Music Library. It was so much fun seeing all the other concepts from my classmates because everyone always comes up with such unique and different ideas from your own. There were two of Anna's that I found particularly good. One of them was her Electricity concept and how she related it to the Library.
Her diagram is very clear and easily understood. It is especially helpful that she included a brief description of the diagram and her thought process. I loved the idea of she got by relating electricity to learning and how ideas can come together and make a "spark" of knowledge.

The next concept that I thought flowed with the Music library well was her Water Concept. The idea that water creates different rhythms really captures the essence of what the library should be like. In some areas it should circulate quicker and others will be more slow and even paced.
Her diagram and picture represent the idea well. I feel that this concept page is more graphically pleasing than the electricity one however, both do an excellent job of describing the concepts.

Music Library_ Concepts

These diagrams use the different building systems that are relevant in the Music and Jackson library to further our understanding of conceptual development. For example one of the systems was light. The way that I understood light in a library is that it was guiding. From that I thought of a sunflower which emulates the path of the sun.

Library_Precedent Study

This picture and diagram represent the users in the Monastery of St. Catherine Library.

A diagram of the Duchess Anna Amalia Library showing the experiences within the library.
This diagram suggests the boundaries that direct how the user flows through the Glasgow School of Art Library.

Our precedent study of the libraries was extremely helpful and useful. I found that once I did more research I was able to aevaluate and diagram a space more effectively.

Music Library_ Systems

For our STRUCTURE assignment we were asked to take one of seven topics ( boundaries, systems, users, materials, circulation, sensory experiences, and furniture) then diagram what that system looks like in the Music Library. My topic was Materials. The materials in this space are very mundane and uninspiring. This assignment helped me analyze our space more thoroughly so when we begin designing the new library I know what material palettes to avoid.

My [Design] Manifesto

My Manifesto

I sat in my room the other night feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. However, at first my thoughts were selfish until I came to the realization that I, Nicole Leah Ware am not the person in this world. The fact is that there are 6,989,799,191 people on the planet as of January 24, 2012, 12:22 am (census.gov). And after that epiphany my next thought immediately went to; Who am I? What is the meaning of my life? And what am I supposed to do with the rest of it? Questions that only a few days ago I was laughing at and mockingly saying that my significance is too insignificant to answer those questions. An answer that a failure would give, and I was reminded of a quote I chose the other day to base my “design manifesto” off of. The quote is by Chris Alexander, “Architects are supposed to be good visualizers, and we are, but still, most of the time we’re wrong. Even when you build the things yourself and you’re doing good, you’re still making 9 mistakes for every success.” Although this seems somewhat cynical it’s true… but it’s what you do with those failures and mistakes that define you as a person. Do you give up or do you bounce right back and fix what you have done? After all my rambling and the insane thought process that happened to be swimming in my head at 12 in the morning, this is my manifesto. Which not only applies to design but also my life. From this moment on every mistake and failure I encounter, I plan on working twice as diligently to mend it. Design is a marriage of failures and successes and for every success there was 9 mistakes, 48 hours of lost sleep, 10 microwavable dinners, 7 calls to Jimmy John’s at 2am, 1 pillow and 1 blanket under your studio desk, and finally one hell of a (tired) designer. But hey who’s counting?

One more thought before I finish, I went back and looked at the quote and there was a part that I left out unknowingly: “Architects are supposed to be good visualizers, and we are, but still, most of the time we’re wrong. Even when you build the things yourself and you’re doing good, you’re still making 9 mistakes for every success. So you take the time to correct them.” –Chris Alexander

Assignement 1 and BIM: Understanding Revit

It does not seem that long ago that I wasn’t even using computers to write papers. “Back in the Day” I was just using a pen and paper, but then again that seems like ages ago when you consider the technological advances in the past 10 years. Now you have IPods, IPads, MacBook Pros, Smart phones, touch screen, 3D TVs, and even devices that you can speak into that will record and write down everything you are saying. It all seems so surreal when you think about all the technology we have today. But seemed even more surreal a couple of years ago when they were developing the first stages of this technology back in the 70’s.  My boyfriend’s father has been in construction for over 40 years now and I remember him telling me about one of the first computer architecture programs for drawing construction files. He said that it was so finicky that if you misplaced a period or comma the whole program would freeze up and not allow you to work on the drawings anymore. He told the instructor that he would pick these programs back up when you could talk to the computer and tell it what to do. We are not quite there with that technology but we are quite close. 

BIM

From what I understand on parametric objects it seems to be any object with a standard equation. For example a table, it can be the shape but have different materials or a different look all together. A parametric object in Revit allows you to change the features without changing the dimensions of any other part of the table unless that function is desired. Where as other programs will change the proportion of everything leaving you with the tabletop you want but disproportionate legs.

How is Revit different from any other 3D modeling program? For me there is hardly any comparison. At first I was a little intimidated and defiant to use the program but then getting into it I found that it has many great features that are truly incomparable to programs such as CAD, Rhino, and SketchUp. For instance the interface is very clean and very user friendly. There is also an extreme advantage to Revit, it allows you to work on one set of drawings such as the floor plan and all the while it is creating your elevations, sections, and perspectives all at the same time. Plus any change you make to one document it then changes it on every other document. This feature is a true time saver and allows for better design. Then start adding windows and doors to the project and it begins to create the schedules associated with those objects. For now as a beginner I see no obvious flaw in the program, but maybe as I become more proficient it will arise. However, for the time being I AM HOOKED.