Author: Prz_Macks (Page 1 of 4)

How important is the relationship between materials, structure, and design to you?

How will you implement these relationships in the design studio?

For material to exist there has to be a user or a consumer, for a design to be viable, there must be a market or appreciative masses for design to thrive.

Among the three It might be useful to consider the masses, the profane man who thrives for perfection but is short when what is received was not anticipated. Primarily it helps to design for man who can be very fickle and violent if not given into wishes. Second the  aspect of material is of importance since, if a man/woman wishes a palace to be built but the stones are sold across a mountain or far flung locations, the design suffers.

The ideal condition would be man material design to be within reach and cost effective, But it is never the case.  Practicality would force one to consider,  material and client to be more effective and that simply means as a designer or as a drafter one is at the mercy of either political (man) and or economic( materials) reasons.

This is where as  a service industry which does not mean negative, for designers can sole problems abnormally if not in the most ingenious ways; this is where design becomes  poignant meaningful.  For when you begin to see that design is more the mediation/ mitigating factor between political woes and scheming bankers, then it makes design a better “concept”

To design then one has to consider the client/benefactor and the availability of material, to which when a design is drafted it has to be surveyed lightly if the materials are cost effective and found nearby. After thorough changes and considerations with any client , the material aspect has to be considered fully.

Occupants would then be considered as the primary objective of a design (without sacrificing vision), placing Material use, its economics as the secondary objective and lastly the mediation between the first two , any design involved.

What do you appreciate about the different materials and how they work in structural systems?

The amount of materials and processes available allows any designer or architect even builder to consider  restrictions as solution generating rather than  problem generating. In a sense if a foundation wall cannot be built with continuous footing because the ground is unstable,  there is shoring or damming but takes considerable calculations. There is raking shore(s) or trenching.

But the main point for having a varied range, not just a singular set of components is that if the issue can be broken down into components x,y and z forces together with material science, it can make building problem easier.

Then there is the  aspect of material science where if the  study is taken up, it helps greatly in understanding how certain materials behave in certain conditions, not just that but also the opposite can happen , if you have the problem parameters then you simply find the  material that is most susceptible to .

For structural and building processes, it may give one greater appreciation for building materials if three things can be considered, nature of the site, nature of the basic components of  the material themselves, and the mentality of the contractors. In which case the problem is not with the availability of materials but the people who actually  “peruse” instead of  “use” any material due to payrolls.

How will you integrate egress into your design work?

What are the most important elements to consider when designing  safe egress

Exit stairs and pathways are important  due to post occupation evaluation be it be 1980 or  2016. But the  initial rules on egress as of  New York City’s  stair code and maybe the entire North America, maybe not, were imposed around early 1860,  when stairs had to be fire resistant because the stairs themselves disintegrated and left the dwellers trapped or dead.  Some forms of early regulations for north America and the U.S. primarily, 1860,- egress stairs, 1911- triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, 1942-Cocoanut Grove fire.

The result of tested incidents lead building authorities to define fire proof stairs, exits to be safe and non suffocating for anyone escaping away from the fire, The idea of a safety exit, allowing the stairwell to control and deter fires, standpipes to be more useful than a hindrance to firefighting.

The basic stair requirements according to Ching’s building construction:

              “Stairway Width  44″  minimum, 36” for stairways max load 49 or less

                   “Handrails be at 4′- 1/2″ into required width”

                   “Landings- wide as staircase, minimum, length  equal to stair width “,  Open doors must not intrude into                                       required width by 7″ greater”

                “Handrails on both sides of the stairs”

When integrating staircase, circulation paths, stairs/ramps into design consider at least how the adjustments will work to the over all design. If the code requirement  does not mesh with a design then a mediation must be made. If your design is a narrow slender arcade, gallery and the requirement creates a horrible disjoint to  then a mediation space must be made or a complete redo of the design.

For a design to incorporate codes, consider small spaces potential, since dead space can somewhat be revived if not completely redesigned.

In a design egress should be the primary objective, since your house or building cannot exist without any occupants, otherwise your design is not for people.

Exterior Walls and its complexity

Exterior walls primarily  behave almost as a control for the site or the design. Being external there is the issue of exposure and structural requirements, primarily. Beyond the basic  requirements come other requirements such as protection which then sends the topic into multiple “safety issues”; fireproofing, entry deterrent,public/private separation, legal demarcation of property,  structural integrity.

But through these  Thiis-Evensen  in his  archetypes  treatise, “a wall  “delimits” and “supports” the roof”. There then is an extension of an occupant to a located building/house  provided these have walls. For without a wall vertical extensions cannot be made possible structurally. Let alone the outermost or primary wall, external be the initial build prior to any structure within the said walls.

To delimit can mean many things.. prevention, protection, political lines but to delimit from the occupants point of view can alter their living condition in that space. Exterior walls then become not only  components but as living components to the program for which any design is made for.

A wall can  connote meaning by its very form and structure.  A high wall can express privacy or imprisonment. a small wall can be an inviting wall. A picket fence is a friendly demarcation line which if its owners are threatened can be turned into a massive keep out wall.

As such even with its archetypes there is still the actual process of building the component and allowing it to withstand gravity.

for this, glossing over the details any exterior wall can  be seen from its archetype or its basic mechanical use which even then meaning for mechanical purposes validate protection.

Masonry is natural occurring for the stones and mud binders.

But in a general sense, a monolithic effect such as a stone veneer or a lining or fake stone cover makes up for competition for other materials.

Stone has that heaviness, old rustic effect not just in paradigm but also its place in common jargon. It  exudes weathering, time tested effects even out of context. For stone has the first appeal of  standard antiquity but because it is also  still available in nature, it competes well with other materials.

Cost effective, rustic , good mechanical compression and relatively low skill needed to handle the material are what allows stone to continue as a viable building material.

In its simplicity stone along with wood and mud are the precursor to any building material especially after the industrial revolution.

As such the paradigm and jargon of stone is a reminder of how Stonehenge evokes of massive presence yet heavy enough to withstand nature.

18×24;36×24 sheets scanned

pre final

Initial Sketch with Overlay,  sketch sep…

for mod 3 36×24 frame axonometric drawing

Redid layout followed instructor’s layout

due to original  dimensions from partial floor plan plate 1.

Calculations for Depth only and span of decking

Cross Section of Beam, Girder , Decking and Concrete Decking   (initial)

Uploading sketch and calculations..

might have to redo..

Frame Layout

Beam and Girder Calculations

Decking Calculation

Pre-final progress report.

Federal Hall Masonry Wall Exercises:

1. Wall Section
2. Axonometric View

18×24  sheets

Raw scans from Kinko’s