Archinect - University of Cincinnati (James)

Who needs Lechner? - Climate Consultant 4

2009-10-20T19:06:10-04:00

Give your trusty copy of Heating, Cooling, and Lighting (by Norbet Lechner) a much needed rest - try Climate Consultant 4, free climate and environmental analysis software developed by students and faculty at UCLA!

It really is a marvelous tool for students and architects. My studio was introduced to the program by an instructor a few weeks ago, and since then, I’ve used it multiple times to analyze my project’s site. A really useful (and easy) resource to consult before beginning to design your own studio project. Here’s how it works…

1. Download the free, light-weight Climate Consultant 4 software (Mac, PC).

2. Go to the Energy Plus website, then choose and download an .epw file from over 2,000+ weather stations in the United States. (Since my studio project site is in Cranbrook, Michigan, I’ll be looking at data from the Oakland County INTL AP station, which is 10 miles NW of our site).

3. Start up Climate Consultant 4, then open the .epw file you just downloaded.

4. Voilà! A vast a...

D-O-N-E with studio! (plot inside)

2009-08-09T07:17:26-04:00

Today marks the glorious conclusion of our DIS studio projects!

Three weeks to research, design, and draw a harbor bath was a pretty intense timetable - but the effort everyone invested is well worth it in the end. It was also rewarding to work alongside a broad range of students from across the states - observing everyone's varying process, style, and technique was educational and inspiring.

Anyways, here's my project. [final plot, 2.5 MB]

So, after our pin-ups on Monday and Tuesday, we have a free week to enjoy Copenhagen! I'll be sure to clock plenty of biking and swimming time.

Later,

James K.
www.facebook.com/jameskehl

Touring Denmark - [Steven Holl + Schmidt Hammer and Lassen]

2009-08-03T08:09:30-04:00

Hey Archinect.

My class just returned from our second and final study tour around western Denmark. We swung through Aarhus, Silkeborg, and Koldinghus, which were all quite lovely towns. Incidentally, they were also filled with fabulous architecture!

We covered alot of ground, but I'll show my own personal favorites from the tour. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, but thanks to studiomates Ryan Consbruck and Anna Pietrzak (who were so kind as to lend me some photographs), the day has been saved!

Herning Center of the Arts - Steven Holl

My favorite stop was at Holl's newly finished museum, the Herning Center. They're just now beginning to unpack art and construct installations, so it was a unique experience to wander the galleries as completely empty and purely architectural spaces.

That's me sketching on the right, there. Anyways, the museum was very reminiscent of the interior of Holl's Kiasma in Helsinki. Alot of the same tectonic strategies/materialities were employed, it seem...

Copenhagen. Harbor Bath. 3 Weeks.

2009-07-25T08:39:15-04:00

Hej Archinect!

This past week has action-packed since I've returned from DIS's first study tour. We've been given the details for our final studio project, which has to be completed within 3 weeks. Yikes. Anyways, I'll give a quick brief on the project to anyone who's interested, and then share a bit of my process from the past few days.

The project entails designing a 15,000 sf bath and sauna facility in Copenhagen's harbor. The site is in Havneholmen, a neighborhood transformed from industrial area to a modern residential/business zone.

There's a lot of housing and corporate buildings in view, as well as a pedestrian bridge crossing the harbor.

Sketching, conceptualizing, and designing for the past few days has been really enjoyable (I don't say that for many projects!). The short, intense schedule for the project requires you to formulate an idea and run with it - which is refreshing. Weeks of just precedent studies gets old!

The typology we're working with is also pretty u...

Stockholm & Helsinki! [DIS study tour]

2009-07-19T18:20:44-04:00

Evening, 'nect.

I just got back from the first DIS study tour, which takes the school through Sweden and Finland on a week long sketch-fest. We investigated a hefty list of famous architecture, including alot of work by Saarinen and Aalto.

The trip was amazing. Our schedule was packed with site visits and sketching assignments, but we really were given a great sense of Scandinavian architecture - and the commentary our Danish professors and fellow students provided helped everyone glean something useful from each building. Some of my favorite highlights from the trip included...

Turning Torso (Calatrava)

Myyrmaki Church (Juha Leiviskä)

Kiasma (Steven Holl)

Jyvaskyla Campus (Alvar Aalto)

St. Henry's Chapel (Matti Sanaksenaho)

The study tour wasn't all work and no play, though - far from it! We had multiple nights off in Stockholm and Helsinki, an evening at a Finnish sauna and lake, and a couple overnight cruises to release any pent-up energy.

Really, props to DIS and its faculty for...

The 4th at Øresund Beach! (and my first project)

2009-07-05T14:54:18-04:00

Godaften, Archinect.

I hope everyone had a fun 4th! DIS definitely did - by the early evening a mass exodus to Øresund beach had begun in celebration of Independence Day. We wiled away the night playing ultimate frisbee, swimming, and chilling around these really cheap $4 disposable grills trying to cook hot dogs. I'm guessing there were 50+ DIS students who came and went throughout the night.

Here's an image of the beach [little_cuv].

In addition to those windmills, you could also see the Øresund bridge in the distance. It's a 5 mile span connecting Denmark to Sweden - it seems like a very impressive structure, and I've resolved to bike across it when I have a free weekend in Copenhagen.

Well, as far as school goes, I'll be working on a project involving Myyrmäki Church, done by Juha Leiviskä. The group assignment calls for a model that illustrates the building's character, attributes, concept, etc. Here's an image of the church interior - I think the most recognizable feature ...

Prologue: Hej from Copenhagen!

2009-07-01T18:33:03-04:00

Goddag Archinect! It's great to finally be blogging - I've anticipated this for awhile. I feel like I know most of you regulars... I've been posting for a few months, now! Anyways, for those of you who don't know me, I'll briefly introduce myself.

I'm a 4th year Architecture student at the University of Cincinnati, and I'm currently in Copenhagen (DK) enrolled in the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (D.I.S.) architecture program. I'll be taking a Scandinavian architectural history course and participating in an architecture studio with perhaps 75+ other American students from all across the States. I've met people from Pratt, RISD, and Harvard, to people from UOregon and Sandiego - though I must say that the contingent from UC is the largest (~35 students).

Anyways, I'll be sharing what life and studio is like in Copenhagen for Archinect's benefit, as well as interested 2nd year students back in Cincinnati.

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