umm... England?

Right so George Quan is demanding I update this blog.. so here you go... Basically my summer was spent largely on the phone, in court rooms and in other countries so I dont have much to speak of when it comes to drawing... I do however have a ton of photos from various excursions in the UK presently... But first drawing I apologize for the poor quality I do not have a scanner and couldn't make it to the uni to scan in the lab today.. but I'll try to get in there some time this week..

I had a 6 hour layover in Boston on my way to Manchester and the terminal I was in had a gorgeous view of the Harbor so I tried sketching it...



This was just a quick perspective thing I was showing the year one students at a pub during a trip to the Cheshire Plain



Last week we went out to Rivington Pike and these are just some quick sketches as we were climbing the hill and I was falling behind so their quality is... not really very good but it was really just to get an idea.



Now since I've been here we've explored the Cheshire plain and Rivington Pike, the Pike being the actual site of our current project



This image comes from the Cheshire plain, its abit foggy, as expected but way off in the distance is Manchester more specifically you can just barely make out Beetham Tower Manchester's tallest building.

The view on our Asecent up Rivington Pike. Still rainy and misty as you can see...

This is a tower at the top of the Pike, the pike is on the end of the Pennine Moors which divides the Eastern and Western parts of England. At one point the very hill was used as a stage of a beacon warning system to alert the English to an invasion by the Scots.. Just as a quick note, the view is allegedly second to none in England and on a clear day you can see Blackpool Tower and Liverpool Easily.. However the weather conspired against us and we could see only mist and more mist.. in fact at the top it was almost like being in the midst of a smoke screen as you could see absolutely nothing beyond the top of the hill.. Not really relevant but pretty funny... I've got a book to make for tuesday so I suppose I'll update again once thats finished..

Celestial: A place to bathe

With spas and health clubs becoming increasing staples of contemporary society in addition to the growing universal design fundamentals it was only a matter of time until both ideas combined. This design is for a bathing space that can be used by both the able bodied and those who may be bound to wheelchairs. The space itself is divided, one being a more private pool with extra attention from attendants. This is designed for those who may need extra help, are embarrassed or simply seek a little privacy.

The larger pool located, opposite a partition wall is intended for 5 or 6 and also features accessibility to those in wheel chairs. However sitting in a pool in a wheel chair is hardly therapeutic and this space encourages one to leave the chair, to float or simply soak in the water.




Looking up towards the ceiling reveals a series of elevation changes marked with blue undersides, this form is an abstracted idea of water falling and encourages thought with its simplistic pattern.


Light is prevalent in this space with large windows allowing views to the outside but also allowing in much needed light which gives extra character to the space from the shadows cast.


The perspectives from the water may seem limited but they actually direct the view upwards either out the windows or towards the ceilings extrusions.




Attendants will be present at the bath to assist those in need of assistance but will also leave those seeking independence to do so at the guests discretion. With a single entry into the baths via the ramps it eliminates the implied segregation of those who are in wheel chairs and those who are not in addition the fact that the user leaves the wheelchair they may be bound to also removes that segregation.

Below are various drawings including the plan view, ceiling plan, wall section and elevation.

Shelter|Bus an Unabridged Legacy

With the conclusion of my presentation of my Star|Network Shelter|Bus project I am over come with joy and even still disapointed. I really feel like I didnt accomplish what I wanted to in my presentation, so much useful information had to be cut in order to squeeze everything into the four minute window established to save time. So tonight I regale you with everything including the left out stuff. After weeks of planning and research into the needs of my various clients I found myself leaning towards a series of devices that would assist communication. With this idea I began looking at networks and one stood out to me. The star network, this network of computers uses a single central node in order to connect all the others to the internet or a large office network. This same principle I decided was what I wanted to include in my Shelter|Bus. I wanted the Bus to become a central point that all the victims of hurricanes could go to, in order to get in touch with family, doctors, etc. and locate missing persons.
I realized that as we advance as a society our dependence on technology increases. So much so that every 2 years the amount of data stored on computers doubles. A frightening statistic, it means that in the near future this dependence will cause the community to deteriorate due to our increased introvertedness.
I decided then that the bus would need to serve as a gathering point while at the same time incorporating advanced technology to aid in the recovery process.
The Lack of light pollution in Eastern NC, provides a unique ability to see stars. When grouped together these stars form constellations. Just as constellations find geographic points within the sky, the facial recognition software within my shelter bus is able to locate missing persons.
Movement is inspired by my precedent the TGV 001 High speed locomotive found in France. In order to ease navigation through the space way finding has been implemented with the use of an LED powered lighting system that transitions from Green to orange as they go from public to private. In order to mark the entry ways to the Communications Kiosks and the Missing Person Location system are marked with a blue LED lights as well as a woven wall.
Along with the aforementioned facial recognition software this public area communication devices allow the user to communicate with family members, doctors, or anyone necessary via webcam, email and phone.

The computer within the private area allows the user to adjust the environment to suit their needs. Whether by making the glass opaque so lynn can pray or transparent so that Chi Chi’s bird Col. Clucker can be seen. Similarly to the contemporary computer photos, videos and music can be uploaded to the computer. By simply touching a photo similarly stored images can be accessed.

What I have just done is walked you through some of the major points of my design from the macro to the micro. This same principle is the over arching idea within my shelter bus where communication occurs on a micro and macro level.

Some Details of various bus features

Friday Sketching

Anohter chance to work with perspectives, this time back in the EUC just like last term. Took a seat in the food court and set to work sketching, the people I took very gestrally I think not really illustrating the details as frankly, they were very far away.. Overall I'm happy with it.. enough to add some color.

Sketching Away

Right So, been sketching over the past few days trying to get some practice with shading, thicker lines to show depth and just perspective in general that we've been covering in Jake's drawing lecture. So below you'll see 2 of my better results.


This first one I shamefully did while jake was going over perspective so while I guess its bad I was sketching, it was relevant. I think the hatching really helped with this as well I think it looks pretty good and alot better than some of my past work.


This image I did quickly and small because it was shortly before my psycology lecture and thusly I had to make sure that I didnt miss it when he began to speak.

Just a quick post for now, will have a few more things to post shortly though. Patience is a virtue, even if I lack it.

A room with a view

I've decided that I'd attempt to start another drawing series, hopefully this will have better success than my last attempts... but even still one day while looking out the window of studio and listening to eddie izzards "room with a staircase with a view and a pond" I got the inspiration to draw the building that stands out side of my window..

Advertising Charette

In our final charette we have the oportunity to come up with all sorts of guerilla advertisements to publicize our projects. My group seemingly made some rather silly ideas that actually might be really interesting.. One such idea was the idea of a protest in which the protesters are protesting against iArcs involvment in the community. As highlighted in the image below

Over at the blog of Lily Glover you will find another idea of a viral video

Also at Katie Reynolds blog you will find our idea of a series of seemingly random words strung togehter into an attention grabbing system on a bus.

Finally on Kurt Huizenga's blog you'll find a rather humorous example of our fake arrest idea.

Table Saw (Jupiter)

The table saw’s origination is based on the invention of the circular saw, which is believed to have been invented in the 1700’s or the 1800’s as lumber mills began to appear. The Table saw has since become a staple of any wood shop due to its variable uses. The table saw uses a circular saw blade as well as a motor which spins an mandrel which results in the blade spinning at high speeds to cut through wood. The table saw is used to cut wood in straight lines or at an angle. Many table saws of the 20th century have similar features including a fence to keep wood straight as well as having many safety features. Specifically the Rockwell Model 34-400 was made of cast iron. It also featured guide holes so the operator could cut the wood at a 45, 30 etc. degree angle The table saw has over time become the main feature of a wood shop and is the most common saw type in small wood shops.

Comparisons:
Much like the library table both appear very heavy and share a relatively flat top. The library table appears heavy simply due to its box like shape with few voids similar to the table saw which has few voids beneath the tabletop. These characteristics also give the two a very similar shape and scale.

Contrasts:
The table saw is made of cast iron and is therefore very heavy however the fire screen by W.A.S. Benson is also made of metals (copper and brass) but is designed in such a way to appear very light and therefore appears to be almost made of something completely different and yet it does little more than its designed function similar to the table saw.

Container Charette

My Group decided to focus for our charette for a shelter bus on shelter and Medical Care. I was more interested in the Medical Care aspect so I was really involved in that design. We selected a bus made by Motor Coach Industries due to its size and various modifications they allow to be preformed while the bus is actually being produced. Below are some renders and photographs of some of the work of this charette.



Our idea focuses on literally a mobile hospital complete with triage, phramacy, couciling, an ambulance and even an operating room.



A break down of the space from a plan view, the operating room is in the back and is located near the medicines of the pharmacy, this operating theatre is designed for common surgical procedures.



A perspective view of the operating theatre.



Since we anticipate that people will likely need access to counciling we added a design for a councilng center and doctors private office so that, doctors may have a space for administrative duties but will also have a private place where a counselor may help those who need counseling get the help they need.



A side view of the bus shows the division of the surgical section from the office.



An idea we enjoyed was the idea that their should be some kind of vehicle that could be dispatched to retrieve those people who were unable to make it to the bus. We were able to actually find a bus that had enough space to store a small vehicle as well as the tents needed to set up the recovery and triage area



The bus/hospital after everything is set up, the tent on the right represents a recovery and triage area where a multitude of paitients can be kept until they can be released. The Bus takes on a headquarters roles in a disaster situation in which only the major operations need take place while giving the resources to the doctors and nurses who work to help those who need it.



A plan view of the entire complex once fully set up, this sketch was actually a jumping off point for the whole unit. Heather Link worked with me on the medical bus and she has some more information present on our design on her blog.

Our second bus was literally catering to sheltering victims of a hurricane and that information can be found at Katie Reynolds blog as well as Kara Petrisko's blog.

Summer Drawing

Right, I've been away now for.. A long time, a thick layer of dust has settled on my blog, but I'm back and I'm blowing all the dust away.. Now that I'm moved in to my new flat, as well as having a new scanner to scan in drawings I can finally get around to posting all the things I've been working on this summer.

First Up a Sketch of the Building I spent most of my time in, GSRB II on Duke Universities West Campus


A sketch of my once again messy desk, I did this one on a day when it was rainy and so I couldnt really bother to go out to draw unless I you know, wanted to be killed by rain.. But since I do not fancy death by rain I decided not to


Same day, rainy and dreary so I decided to draw the living room, the chair is the only thing I dont like about this drawing but ultimately I think it was to just keep me from being completely rusty when the new term began.



A friend and I decided to enter this drawing thing on a website and the first was to draw your favorite videogame character well I chose Joanna dark from the Game Perfect dark, unfortunately it looks like I did this drawing in the dark so lets just move on..

This drawing I spent 2 days on, really just 2 hours, because thats how long I had for lunch, its the building across from mine, and looks rather like mine, but thats MSRB I or II I cant recall, but it also houses the Human Vaccine Institute so go figure..



This was a drawing I did on my first day of work because they told me they didnt have anything I could do with out a computer and to occupy myself so I sat about and drew for abit...



This is one of the last drawings I did this summer as it was nearly time to move but its a co-worker of mine, hard at work.. I myself was not that hard at work but whatever..

100th Post! and Elsewhere

How appropriate that my post for our project as elsewhere should be the 100th post on my blog! Thats right, must mean I've posted over 100 things that I've been working on over this past, suppose I should look back and reflect but I'll save that for post 101... Anyway, over the last few weeks of my drawing lecture with Suzanne Buchanan we have been drawing the museum Elsewhere in an attempt to map out certain areas of the space. This post will contain all the drawings I have done for elsewhere.

Day one at elsewhere we took 5 sticky notes and selected 5 objects to draw, mind you with our time limit I was only able to get one drawn while I was there.. but here it is

As you can see its a big scary looking mask. It just stuck out amongst the books. So later on I took this same drawing and gave it some color just for the fun of it..

Alas our main objective at elsewhere, was not to just draw, we were supposed to map out spaces we determined with duct tape. Well I'm no cartographer, and if I were I think I would fear mapping out elsewhere, everything gets moved around, constantly. However I did not let that stop me. After 2 days of sketching I had two which I liked, I decided that since elsewhere really is just ALOT of stuff piled up, I really just wanted to show how much you can see from various perspectives. I tried to cram as much stuff on the page as I thought I could with out losing the feeling.


As you can see, the drawings I tried to create a sense for just how tightly packed everything is. If you read the text in the second one you can see just how exhausted I was when I was drawing this, as my thoughts were clearly incoherent.

Using these two drawings I wanted to try something digital for my final drawings. Using the eraser tool and drop shadows I created two very different effects and then threw in some text that I think reflects my final opinions of elsewhere.

This first one I wanted to have a blue with a black outline to really show off the hatching to show light moving around over the objects, I dont think I truly succeeded in this respect but the effect is still really cool to me.

Now my second one I think turned out really good, and I absolutely love the white outlines on some of the edges, again I thought of how light was interacting in the space, and I bent the laws of physics a little bit to get some of the stuff underneath outlined as well but who's judging.

I didnt just fall into those two as my final finals, I had a few other attempts which I will post below, I didnt select due to little things I didnt like about them, but I still feel its good to show my process..