Archinect - University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (Charles)

environmental technology exam + studio pin-up today.

2007-10-12T10:17:47-04:00

et related studio consensus:
where the hell were the numbers?

studio pin-up today though.
im pretty excited.
i'm craving feedback (as usual).

a small sample now (im too lazy to upload it to archinect... you guys need to code a friendlier updater.)

ill post a larger image in a bit. don't wanna spoil it yet.

...i'm back.

2007-09-10T14:16:22-04:00

i'm back.
the summer was awesome. SOM DC was a hell of an awesome experience.
baltimore is still sketchy. i love sketchy. i love rotting.
ann arbor sucks.

let's see. let's start with a class schedule. what am i taking this semester?

architectural design studio with g. wilkins.
architectural representation with m. mccullough.
theories in urban design with l. larsen.
environmental technology 2 with m. navvab.

i still find myself censoring 90% of the thoughts i'd like to write.
therefore, enjoy.

i'll post back with pretty pictures later.
because that's why i'm here... it's all about the pretty pictures.

final project.

2007-04-30T18:22:55-04:00

colin and i worked on this for the better part of the semester.
at this moment i am way too tired to fully explain the l33tn3ss of this project (yeah, i used the word l33tn3ss. sue me.).
ask questions, and i'll answer.

catia vbscript on top.
guide surfaces in red.
instantiated parts on top of the surface create the building.
they read their position within the surface and the ground and alter their shape accordingly.

oh yeah. it's a natatorium.

and im missing a zillion cool renders and plans because i jetted out of ann arbor 12 hours after our review. i'm in baltimore for the summer, commuting to DC to work at SOM. but that starts on the 21st. for now. video games, friends, partying and the senior week at johns hopkins that should have been mine.

ps, my grades were far better than i expected, and i'm actually excited about next semester.

a tidbit.

2007-02-04T15:32:13-05:00

im interning at SOM DC this spring break.

massively excited.

now back to drawing while listening to all this new music i've gotten in the last few weeks.

im sleepy. always.

2007-01-22T15:08:19-05:00

sooo....
i kinda wished i haven't backed up and erased all my work from last semester.
had a few good renders to post, so i'll have to fish through my back-up box later and get those up here.

for now, this is what i've been working on:

1. studio. second project.
gotta keep those two pieces of wood locked in that orientation while one floats past the edge of the table. quick maxwell render done while i set everything up in rhino. i'd post a picture, but i left my camera at home.

2. catia model. superbly basic. just splines. completely parametric. both are the same model with two changes in the radius parameter and the plane offset parameter that guides the distance between each of the circular segments.

15 minute power nap is in order now.
then back to the woodshop.
yay.

ps, i overheard "no models next project" and i got so excited.

gestalts, competing representations.. review in 5 minutes.

2006-11-06T13:40:16-05:00

minutes away from the start of today's schematics review...
somewhat scared.
things only started clicking in the last few days. (wednesday at 1am really.)

a library in toledo ohio.
the concept for the form revolves around the attractiveness of forms resulting from competing gestalt representations in the viewers mind.

ouch.

2006-10-22T22:02:57-04:00

"architecture is a dangerous profession" -koolhaas

i bled all over a corner of my site planning assignment.
lesson learned: "don't leave exacto blades on top of your desk, charles"

i think im in love with this renderer btw...

now back to analyzing this site and making diagrams of toyo ito's mediatheque

i'm blabbering.

2006-09-26T23:54:49-04:00

tonight i was looking through the library stacks for inspiration.
it seems to be a common practice among many of my studio-mates.

it so happens that if you search the umich catalog for "blobs", you get get one book source.
if you search greg lynn, you get one book source.... and it's not on the stacks.

so my question. the one's that been bugging me ever since i first thought about starting to study architecture... why do architects draw straight lines? is form anything but an aesthetic decision based on the perceptions of both the user and the architect? especially now that we don't have to constrain ourselves to architect scales, triangles, and maylines; now that we can measure curves exactly and produce construction plans that allow us build such "free" things... shouldn't we be taking advantage of these new options? what's the next step?

i could write a bit about this project we are now working on, but ill save that for it's own post..

as to my thoughts tonight:
form is...