Architecture 101Midterm Portfolio

By: Wesley LukInstructor: Jerry LumFall 2013

Table of Contents My Introduction to Architectural Design 3 Week 1: Icebreaker – Repetition – Order – Design Thinking & Making 4 Week 2 : Representation – Drawn Presentation – Design Elements & Principles 6

Illustrations 7

Week 3 : Language – Narrative – Scale – Site – Layered Emphasis (Hierarchy) 9 Narrative 10

Week 4 : Form – Scale – Proportions – Beauty12 Week 5 : Space – Experiential Space – Sequential Experiences 14 Week 6 : Truth – Frame Expressions – Surface Expressions – Structures 16 Week 7 : Nature – Precedence – Responses to Natural Forces 18

Slideshow19

Conclusion 32

My Introduction to Architectural DesignWhen I first showed up to class that fateful day, I had no idea what I had been expecting, but

certainly not what had happened. Maybe it was because of my own inexperience, but even the

classroom seemed like a new experience for me. Usually, a classroom would be filled to the brim

with desks, in tidy, straight, rows. Interaction with other students during class, in college at least,

was not exactly promoted in subjects like Mathematics or English. When you walk into one of

those subjects, the unspoken rule would be to stay quiet, listen to the lecture, and especially don’t

talk when the teacher is talking. In this classroom, though, interaction was encouraged. We are

encouraged to talk to each other, criticize our work, and learn from everyone. This class was my

first introduction to Architecture. It was only over the summer that I decided to take a class to see

what it was like, and despite the huge workload, I am enjoying this class immensely. I think it has

definitely expanded my way of thinking.

Week 1 – Ice Breaker – Repetition – Order – Design Thinking & MakingObjective:Create a model that fits

in a 8-1/2 inch x 12-inch stiff piece of cardboard. The model will me made up of twelve similar objects. The iteration will be pinned on the wall with four pins in each corner, so the iteration must uphold its structural integrity.

Qualities Explored: Dynamic, 3D, Repetition, Organization

Materials Used: Varying sizes of Styrofoam balls, Barbeque Sticks, Tacky Glue, Paint

Strengths:•Structural integrity is solid.•Large, uses the boundaries to the maximum

Weaknesses:•Simple•Too concrete, not abstract enough•Symmetrical

InsightsIn design, utilization of repetition is valuable because it gives the iteration a sense of

unity. In my model, I used the repetition of material, space, and color, to create a structure that holds well together. You can see how each separate layer is a represented by a different color. I think that by making my model stick out to the maximum of the boundaries, and have all the pieces sort of reaching into one spot, it made it much more dynamic in nature, than if I were to just line it up horizontally, side by side. By connecting the Styrofoam balls together with the barbeque sticks, I create space in-between each object. It gives the model different levels, almost like a hierarchy, and it is because of this quality that it gives it self the ability to “pop” out.

ChallengesSome of the challenges that came up were finding the right type of glue that won’t

meltthe Styrofoam, and pushing myself into making something that was unique and vibrant. I feel that I have made my model overly simplistic. I feel like I didn’t spend enough time thinking and imagining something that could be even better.

Learning Outcomes

Week 2 – Representation – Drawn Representation – Design Elements & Principles

Objective: Improve upon previous piece adhering to the rules of the previous piece. Also, photograph and draw both iterations in three different types of view each.

Qualities Explored: Enhancement, Literal vs. Abstract, Symmetry vs. Asymmetry, RhythmMaterials Used: Styrofoam Balls, Tacky Glue, Paint, Barbeque Sticks, Air-Dry Clay, Black Foam Board, Sheet of WoodStrengths:•Asymmetrical•Definitive Theme

Weaknesses:•Way, WAY too literal•No wonder, no elation, no thinking required

IllustrationsIteration 2 Left Side

Iteration 1 Right Side

Iteration 2 Front Side

Iteration 1 Front Side

Learning OutcomesInsightsIn this iteration, I feel like I took one step forward, but two steps back. In hindsight, I think I

didn’t completely understand what constituted as a “brilliant” type of design. This was practically my first time ever making a model that would actually be critiqued by, not effort, but design concepts. This model flew completely away from the last one. There wasn’t much in this iteration that I liked. In fact, the only section I liked even remotely was the tail of this “comet”. I weaved the Styrofoam balls in and out to create some definition in the model, instead of just a flat, identical height. I even painted the balls in a fading pattern to emphasize the design.

ChallengesI felt that my first iteration was too simplistic,

and offered little inspiration. However, despite realizing this, I still seemed to bestuck on the literal. In my mind, this second iteration was pretty epic. It was a large comet, with a magnificent tail. It orbited around the Earth, shining with all its glory…That’s how I imagined it, at least. How it turned up was an entirely different matter. My idea was way too concrete. Like the previous iteration, this one left little to the imagination. Even after Jerry went through his lecture, I didn’t make the connection of what is “abstract” with my design.

Week 3: Language – Narrative – Scale – Site – Layered Emphasis (Hierarchy)Objective: Develop a narrative or story that relates to your present design in terms of its scale (in relationship to the size of a human), purpose, and environment; and use this narrative to focus the evolution of subsequent iterations that increase in both complexity and beauty.

Qualities Explored: Language, Meaning, Significance, History, Culture, Time, Denotation, Connotation, ComplexityMaterials Used: Wood-texture strips, Colored String, Double-Sided Tape,

Strengths:•Elegance•Spiral•Sense of musicality•Simplicity•Freedom•Contrast of Flexibility

Weaknesses:•A little too simple?•String won’t stay taut•Lack of solid connectors, uses glue and tape

NarrativeSpinning and Spinning

Spinning in a spiral within the confines of its cage. Where one wrong step means the end of a cycle. It begins, low and soft, pianissimo. The percussions tremble, and the woodwinds carry. Grazioso, gracefully, yet almost mournfully, the piece wakes.

When the beginning is the end, but the end isn’t quite another beginning,When realizing, regretfully, your failures,

your inability,your shortcomings,

have lead you to be lost,A dissonance

The piece slowly transitions, tentatively and uncertainly, at first, gathering courage. Like a puppet’s who’s come alive,

Whose stings have been cut, but doesn’t yet know his limbs are his limbs,

and his heart is in his hands,Of those lost in the dark,

uncertain, and nervous, and panicking, and dreading, yet

feels the wind, an opening, a door,with hope,

Suddenly, with a tremendous surge of energy,Forte! Forte! With Gusto!

Louder! Louder! With power!Pretissimo! Even

faster!All at once, the drums roll!

The cymbals clash!The cellos bellow!

And the flutes sing!In joy! In joy! In joy!

A baby bursts forth,into light, into life, into love,

It struggles for it’s first breath, and with a gasp, cries with life,

The howl of the wolves to the green corn moonlaughing, and shouting, and

prancing, and dancingInsanity! Insanity!

And all too soon, diminuendo, dolce, ritardandoin increments,

gradually,deliberately,

The music stops.And starts anew

InsightMy third iteration was a huge leap from my second model. It stepped away from the literal, and

turned into a design of beauty. This entire piece of work describes movement. It starts at the top, twirling downwards, and when it reaches the a bit lower than the middle, it branches off. That’s my favorite part of the design, the one-strip-cut-to-three. It hangs freely, in contrast to the strips that are stabilized by the barbeque stick. This part enlarges the spiral, and even the white, Styrofoam base enhances the effort because of it’s uneven shape. My creation was inspired by my experience in playing the piano. I had always regretted that I quit piano when I was young. Back then, I didn’t know the joy of playing an instrument, and maybe it was because it was my parents who ordered me to do it. I didn’t suggest that I wanted to learn the piano myself, so being ordered to practice was very off-putting to me. Now, however, I know better, and I jumped at opportunity to learn again at CCSF.

ChallengesThe hardest part was incorporating the spiral so that it surrounded the base. It

didn’t look the way I wanted to until I cut the strip into two pieces. The most annoying part, however, was getting the string to keep taut. I used double-sided tape to make it stick to the strip, but no matter what I did, it still hung loose.

Learning Outcomes

Week 4: Form Scale – Proportions – Beauty

Objective: create a series of scale and proportional transformations that alter the size and dimensional relationships of your design elements and tighten the correspondence between your written narrative and your constructed design. Note how proportional transformations to your design can impart a different reading.

Qualities Explored: Proportions, Material, Scale,

Materials Used: Circular-shaped Styrofoam, Toothpicks, Rubber Bands, Double-sided Tape, Tacky Glue, Strengths:•Golden ratios, Fibonacci Sequences, etc., create a sophisticated kind of sense• Contrast between varying levels of flexibility

Weaknesses:•Tools used to make the model hold were tape and glue•Strings did not stay taut

InsightsAfter hearing the critiques and suggestions from the last class meeting, one

particular idea stuck one me; intensifying the relationship of the varying levels of flexibility; between rigidity and freedom. In this model, I increased the number of sharp points that jut out of the base. While a few were ornamental, most of the barbeque sticks/toothpicks were actually used to hold the wooden strips to the base! I deposed of glue entirely this time, and only used the barest amount of tape. The main connecter (hopefully this counts as one) were two pieces of rubber bands that grip everything to the base.

ChallengesThis time I really wanted to do away with the glue/tape. Elman’s work really

inspired me. He knew used sorts of techniques besides typical gluing to combine his work.It’s too bad that my work was too fragile to utilize drills/hammers/screws, or maybe it was my inexperience that prevented me with incorporating them into my project.

Learning Outcomes

Week 5: Space – Experiential Space – Sequential ExperiencesObjective: Focus on the relationship between figure and field. Produce a series of scaled-up constructions that focus on developing hierarchically diverse and expressive spaces defined by your forms.

Qualities Explored: Shape of Space, Stimulate Senses, Materials Used: Styrofoam Balls, Toothpicks, Rubber Bands, Thin Strips of Wood

Strengths:•Greater detail•Different perspectives•Greater insight

Weaknesses:•Not necessarily as grand•Simplistic

InsightsNot much this week. This iteration was fairly simplistic, and not in a good way

either. In the iteration on the top, I tried to weave multiple panels together and the pattern created looked great at first, yet when I placed it on the Styrofoam, the Styrofoam overwhelmed the unique attributes of the wovenarray. On bottom iteration, my thought process was along the lines of exaggerating the spaces of the tiny holes in the Styrofoam. It looks like the beginning of something creative, but nothing came to me on how I should improve it.

ChallengesI didn’t realize we were allowed to modify the part of the model we decided to

expand. I feel like I made a 180 during this iteration. I misinterpreted the instructions;I thought we had to get every detail scaled down precisely; i.e length of each piece, thickness of the material, etc. I felt uninspired this week,and I know I could’ve done a lot better.

Learning Outcomes

Week 6: Truth – Frame Expressions – Surface Expressions – Structure

Objective: Refocus the evolution of your design by reconfiguring the constituent parts into readable expressions of frame and surfaces.

Qualities Explored: Truth, Form, Function, Ornament, Design by Nature vs Design by HumanMaterials Used: Metal String, Clips, Metal Wire, Glue, Wooden Columns

Strengths:•Distinctive Shadow•Many Lines, allowing for eyes to ‘travel’ the perimeter•Arches make it structurally sound

Weaknesses:•Larger than was requested by the instructions•Hard to see from far away

InsightsThis week’s iteration was fascinating and perplexing at the same time. Trying to recreate the exact

same model, but only the frame proved to be more difficult than I could handle. I wanted this iteration to be entirely made of wood, the design required the wood to bend in an extreme fashion, into a circle. I tried dividing into pieces and then connecting them together, but it didn’t have the same effect, so I decided to substitute it with wire. I like working with wood. The material really makes me feel like I’m in an architecture class, and very professional. The best part of the model isn’t actually the model itself; it’s its shadow. I love how despite the unassuming nature of the design, the shadow gives it a whole new meaning. Surprisingly, I wasn’t aiming for this in the beginning. I was so focused on how to duplicate my previous iterations that the ability to play with shadows slipped my notice until the day I brought it to class. It was an especially sunny day, and as soon as I stepped outside, I detected the crazy shadow patterns.

ChallengesI admit it, in my determination to work only with wood, and completely

recreate my previous iteration in frame-form, I completely massacred a whole heap of wooden sticks. I wanted to bend stick into a circle, but that proved fruitless even when I soaked it in water. I considered trying out the steaming technique, but when I looked it up on Youtube, everyone had their own personal-specially-made machines.

Learning Outcomes

Week 7: Nature – Precedence – Responses to Natural ForcesObjective: Research and identify exemplary designs that respond to the physicality of site and the forces of nature; and that may be used to promote your design. Integrate these inspirations into your design to heighten its responsive qualities.

Qualities Explored: Designed to Resemble Nature/With Nature, Responses to Nature, Organic ArchitectureMaterials Used: PowerPoint, Iphone, Muni, Leg Power, 5-senses

Strengths•Observation of Different types of Buildings and Their Responses to Their Surroundings/Nature results in a Greater Insight for Future Iterations

Weaknesses•Time consuming to travel around•Learning is never bad!

San Francisco International Airport

Arriving/ Pickup Area (Outside)

Having glass panels closely lined up with each other in a slight curvature create the illusion that you are walking a long distance, quickly.

Thick pillars that not only give the airport structural integrity, but also lets its guests feel safe and protected by its strength

Departure/Check-In Area(Inside)

The International Terminal. It was designed by Craig W. Hartman.

Isolators designed to protect against earthquakes. Also the complexity is aesthetically eye-catching

Parking LotSunset illuminates the surroundings, creating an ethereal effect.

St.Mark’s Lutheran Church

A Higher Plane; Staircases

Separation of the planes normal and holy, human and worship

The Courtyard

Recreational Center

Examples of how incorporating repetition and pattern can be used both mechanically and artistically.

Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption

Reflective glass; Keeps the church in a shroud of mystery, something beyond human understanding

Even the hill was used to portray ‘ascension’ (like the staircases from before)

This is the very tip of the human plane, and these stairs guise you to the next.

Somewhere, An Office Building

The building extends in and out of the metal frame.

Railing overhang creates distinctive shadow patterns

More pictures in detail of the metal frame.

This one in particular feels like you could just reach up, grab the metal pole, and immediately start scaling the building!

ConclusionMan, oh, MAN! This class must be the class that has the most work to do I’ve ever taken. I’m sure

you’re tired of hearing this from every student, but it’s the truth! I have never spend so time on an

assignment before. However, despite this large workload, I have to say I have had a great time in Arch 101.

I’ve learned many things from you, Jerry, and it’s not only the technical aspects like value of repetition,

patterns, building in response to nature, etc. You’ve also taught me how to be inspired. Cheesy, right?

Seriously, though, in my vast experience of nineteen years, there hasn’t been much that lit a burning crave

inside of me. Taking this class made me want to push myself to the limits, to reach new heights, and just

create. After every lesson, when you explain the assignment, I get so excited about thinking what I should

make next. During the bus ride home, when I’m staring out the window, I churn out all sorts of crazy

designs, and I just can’t wait to get back home to get my hands dirty (literally and figuratively)! I’m so

excited in anticipation of starting the final project. The projects the previous students made were so

stunning, so it’s making me impatient to create my own!

Thank You