ARCH 101 - Final PortfolioCody T. Vantrease

The SiteThe Space

Our group was awarded with the space bounded by the retaining wall, spanning from the right edge of the face panels to the beginning of the second slope, the planters to the East & West, and to the direct South, a point perpendicular to the wall between the two slopes, spanning 10 feet.

We had the luxury of having extra space to expand, if needed, due to the distance between the other groups. We decided to stay within the original confines laterally but chose to emphasize hierarchy vertically. Points of Interest

We knew that structural integrity was going to be difficult to achieve with the impenetrable floor we had to work with, therefore; we built within the confines of the threaded holes and the planter boxes, the two primary points providing the majority of structural integrity.

The Model

In hindsight, the transformation between the scaled model you see here and the final product was fairly spot on from a structural standpoint.

During the initial design process, we had wanted to accentuate the curve on the left-hand side but during our materials research we quickly discovered that this would be a hard task to accomplish. Personally, I thought it could be, using the two groups of vertical posts for structure and stability, but I was eventually out-voted.

As for the right-hand side, this model was produced prior to discussion of the eventual color-skinned triangles that were implemented in our installation. This side is also responsible for catching the eye using vertical hierarchy.

Design Inspirations

The neighboring Sunset District’s pastel-like color scheme evoked us to choose fabrics that accentuated the pale greens, greys, and yellows of the exteriors of the homes in the Sunset.

Part of the requirement for this installation was to provide a seating area for multiple people. Mary and Tamara used this picture as inspiration to weave their own, triple-anchored hammock.

Materiality

Nothing to me is more naturally and aesthetically pleasing than proper material contrast. Coupling that notion with my prior experience with using wood and steel, I knew these two elements would make up the majority, if not all, of the structure skeleton.

Not only do these two materials contrast well in their original state, they are both easy to manipulate and both have structural integrity in their own right.

The fabric used in our installation was chosen due to its stretchiness and stability. The color of the fabric, as aforementioned, was chosen to accentuate the colors of the neighboring Sunset District.

The Narrative

We began our journey as a group as a bunch of students consisting of various ages, backgrounds, cultures, and most importantly, ideas. We had hardly worked together before and didn’t really know what to expect.

Each person in our group brought something different to the table. There were only a few of us that had actually used tools, any tools, prior to this project. We knew that we ultimately had to come together, using strengths from each group member to make the best installation possible.

We divvied up responsibilities between the different sections of our installation but ultimately made group choices, GROUP choices. Without the help of my group members, this installation could have never been finished, and I’m sure they would say the same.

The hammock used the concept of cooperation (by requiring three people to sit in it at once to work) and satisfied the requirement of having a group seating area.

Challenges & Discoveries

Before I begin, I want to point out that I might come off as overly critical, but that criticism is directed primarily at myself and my strive for perfection. Ive always been tough on myself and am hardly satisfied. I truly consider myself a realist, hardly an optimist.

First things first: math and physics can take you a long way and save you many steps along the way. As we proceeded throughout the construction, we played a dangerous game of trial and error, something that could have been completely and ultimately avoided with the use of math and physics.

With that being said, solely using math and physics would require you to excel at other facets of the project, such as material knowledge. For example, without knowledge that metal piping only comes in lengths up to 10 feet, you would probably think that you can plan to have piping longer than that to make your idea work - wrong.

That takes me into the overlying challenge that

troubled us throughout construction: transforming ideas into reality. Its one thing to construct a scaled down model when weight, stability, and the elements are hardly taken into account, but its another when you try to morph those same ideas into a full scale, life-size model.

TIME MANAGEMENT. Jerry couldn’t preach it enough and yet, it ailed us. Being in a group can be a gift and a curse. Choices made by the group as a whole were made by vote. Those discussions take time, opinions need to be heard and explained, that takes time. We could have much better at making quicker decisions and moving on from them.

To be honest, I could talk forever on what we could have done better and things I would have changed in hindsight but the truth of the matter is we came together when we needed to and got the job done. It was a great learning experience and will very helpful moving forward.