Day 168: Field Trip!

Our Building Systems Interface class took a field trip today to Providence Career and Technical Academy. The building was just finished last year and is certified under CHPS: The Collaborative for High Performance Schools. The building engineer gave our class a terrific tour of the automated HVAC systems at work in the building.

Everything in this building is geared toward the thermal comfort and environmental safety of the staff and students.

Introductions



Fieldhouse


Mother of all mechanical rooms



Inflatable HVAC ducting







Solar heat exchange buffer tanks



Solar Heating Glycol



Reserve hot water tanks



Air recovery system



High efficiency boilers



Control panel

Days 165-167 CAD Class in 2011

My last CAD class was in 2005. It's been awhile. Since the last time I took CAD, a few things have changed:

The class has its own website/blog where we post our completed homework assignments, questions, maybe some cool renderings we come across on the internet. This is a pretty viral step forward. If you rock at CAD, the whole internet knows.


Conversely, if you blow at CAD, the WHOLE internet knows that as well.

Moving on, computer labs are basically over. Everyone has their departmentally mandated laptop (hello MacBook Pro). I think there are a few labs on the 3rd floor of CIT. That could also be a rumor. In any case, personal laptops put the cost and responsibility for updated software, service and insurance onto the student. It also means you can work anywhere.



Lastly, you can buy a 3-D mouse! Courtesy of 3DConnextion. I don't think this has a negative angle. It's downright awesome and I can't wait to get one.

Day 164: Continued

Artisan Cafe Styleboard

DISCLAIMER: I know this is overly nautical. It's a 30 minute styleboard. Think textures + colors.

Day 164: The Stake Out

Today I'm staked out at RISD Artisan Cafe for the lunch rush...and by that I mean between 11:30am-2:30pm there were a total of 6 customers. One of them was me. I recommend the mushroom ravioli.



It's not hard to wonder why there's so little foot traffic when you have signage like this posted in the halls of the undergrad dorms - for an anonymous cafe - that doesn't take the meal plan - and is offering beverages for the over-21 crowd.

But I'm not pursuing a Masters of Business Marketing. So I'll stick to the interior of the cafe. Concept due to the professor via email by 5pm. Better get thinkin'...

Day 163: Fit it all in

I started today with a to-do list that had about 30 items on it. I've crossed 11 items off that list. Tomorrow will be busy.

My assistantship this semester is researching technical textiles for an article a faculty member is writing. This is a very cool assistantship. I get to look at amazing fabric architecture for hours and hours. I need to remember my actual coursework though..which took a back seat today.

But truly, how could you mind riding backseat when these are the guys who get shotgun?

You couldn't and you wouldn't.

Antonio Ravalli Hostel



Petra Blaisse Curtains




Tord Boontje Little Feld of Flowers Wool Rug [this will be mine. one day. in white]



and Fabric Room



It might be cool to do a project with re-purposed sailbolt sails? How often does a sailboat need a sail-change...?

Day 162: Welcome to Studio

...and the end of "a full night's sleep".

Our studio this semester is being co-taught by two professors. We'll have one professor the first seven weeks and a different professor for the last seven weeks. Both professors are interested in university / campus design, so that's what we'll be focusing on.

The first project is quick. Two weeks. We visited a space today that RISD owns, Artisan Events & Cafe . It's also the "Grad Bar" on Thursday and Friday nights as well as special occasions (like "Nerd" night?).

Quite bluntly, this space does. not. work. The restaurant is screaming for an actual concept. We're at the beginning of our analysis, so I'll have more to share in the coming days. Here's a look at the current space:













How witty RISD...a picture of a toilet on a door leading to a room that has a toilet.



It's our job to site the major problems with the current layout/furniture/flow, etc and offer solutions to RISD's director of Dining. We're shooting for "visionary" concepts with a pit stop at "reality" that will hopefully arrive at a destination called "actual changes that are within budget".

Spring Semester Begins! Day 161

Class Line Up:

Building Systems Interface
Spatial Perceptions: Investigations in Color & Light
Studio 1
Intro to Computing (AutoCAD & Cinema4d)

And a few pics of last week's trip to Seattle. Hopefully these will act as a reminder that this semester is nothing but a bandaid that happens to take 14 weeks to remove.

Last Scenes from the Cape

Some shots from our internship investigating the historical modern homes of outer Cape Cod.








And of few of the house we stayed in each week! The house was designed by architect Hayden Walling in 1960 for a painter.















Thanks to my partner Jing for the photos!