ARCH 101 JOSE ZARATE TEAM X

Immediate elements from context

Reflections Objective:

Get familiar with the working space

Progress: Qualities of the environmental components are

recognized

Pictures help to identify strengths and weaknesses of the field

Challenge: Once we had an idea of the environment, the challenge

was to propose ideas that responded to the context

12 iterations

Weakness: Since this was one of the first classes to do this project,

the parameters were too general, and the objective was not clear

Research

Reflections Objective:

Exploring spaces identify: Qualities Spaces relationships Experiment emotional experiences Identify physical aspects and their impact in people

Progress: The argument to build a reasonable model has gained more

ideas The journey has helped me to work on my personal narrative

Weakness: The challenge brings a proposal without considering any

specific locations, which limits my possibilities

Challenge: The challenge for the next session was to bring an idea that can

be adapted to any location in the courtyard, and respond logically to it

Iterations

Reflections Objective:

Iterations critiques

Progress: The idea of spire roles seems to show that there is an

approach in order to respond to the curving walls There is an rational behind the process.

Weakness: However the proposal seems to have a very general

bases. The model seems to be crafted without consider

scales. Consider the model has to be doable.

Challenge: Next step is get together in groups and start working

in a common idea.

Getting together “Team X”

Peers Iterations

Design Process Once we had finished our model and readjusted some details, we were ready to take the next step in our journey which was getting the materials.

Sketches for design

Research of Materials Cost, length, weight, sizes, and other different qualities of materials were explored in our visit.

Building process Once the materials were acquired, the next step was to take measurements, marking the surfaces to cut. Since we only had one shot, we were always verifying the components that were going to be attached to match each other.

As the deadline approached, we needed to start assembling the pieces as soon as possible. The weather conditions didn’t help in the process, but we got through it.

Building process

our primary concepts in order to succeed were teamwork, communication and safety first. A good mood and hard work helped as well.

Progress

Final Touches The due date was around the corner, and we needed to take advantage of the good weather conditions. The final step was to check that all the components worked the right way to assure the safety of our visitors.

The final model is finished after countless days of hard work.

Tuesday 11th,December 2012

Narrative Slender spires rising from the heart of a mysterious

enclosure draw our curiosity from across the courtyard. A sense of austere quietude surrounds the installation as we circle its perimeter. Its clean and unadorned appearance gives it a sense of lightness, in stark contrast with the gray brutalist monolith looming above us. Narrow slots in the enclosure allow us tantalizing peeks into the interior. The nearly horizontal slots expose only short segments of the slender spires—just enough to further tease our curiosity. As we continue around, buttress-like beams fly out over our heads, mimicking the concrete breezeway of Batmale Hall. A linteled portal indicates entry and invites us inside the intimate space. Arranged in a spiral that draws us deeper, here are the spires that first caught our eye. They form the heart of the structure, rising skyward like our secret aspirations. We stand at the center and look directly above—the spires pointing to some distant vanishing point among the clouds. The ascending sun slices deep into the enclosure through the long slotted openings, emblazoning bright belts of light across our chests and the interior walls. Exiting the enclosure now, we see a bench beneath a slotted canopy, offering us an opportunity to sit and reflect. Shaded from the morning sun, we look to the east and gaze upon the hills and the homes of this city that we share. Lowering our gaze, we notice a jagged crack on the ground. It is there to remind us that there are hidden forces with whom we share our beautiful San Francisco and a common risk that unites us all.

The biographic aspect is in regards to the geographic location that we share as San Franciscans, our urban community, the CCSF architecture student community Batmale Hall.

Concept

Site Responses Our project responds to 2 major environments: Batmale courtyard shape and The Civic Center.

24°

Beams, that we nicknamed “Spider Legs ,” are directed at 24°, pointing to the heart of San Francisco (Civic Center) and the east. We want to remind our visitors that the location is were the sun rises and when a new day begins. We call this journey Life.

Conclusion

The experience in the 2nd half of the semester has brought many positive outcomes. Our class had to deal with the outside environment and design for the first time. The work has been arduous, complicated and limited at times. A strong organization, communication, commitment and safety were concepts that my group always kept in mind in order to succeed until the end of our project. I, myself, as well as my group feels that we have taken a firm first step, and we are ready to take on the next challenge. Arch 101, Fall 2012