Social Media as Disaster Relief

The earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010 dealt a catastrophic blow to an already beleaguered nation.  Almost immediately after the devastating quake mobile phone technology became a critical means of registering and routing requests for specific types of relief aid via text messaging.
 
Social media have begun to develop into powerful tools in areas experiencing natural disasters, civic violence, and other emergency situations.  Using Haiti as the site for exploring the use of interactive telecommunications as a component of response efforts, students were asked to speculate on the possible architectural implications of this emerging technology. 
Responses included establishing a network of communication relay structures that would serve to both virtually and visually link key points in the city, an interactive website to aid people in locating friends and families in times of emergency, and a system that would allow community members the opportunity to voice their thoughts on post-disaster community needs.

Second Sky

In an era of active material investigation, light has become an increasingly important ingredient in the pursuit of optimal and unforeseen material effects. One notable trend has been the adoption of fiber optic principles of bending and extending light to a variety of materials--such as light pipes, acrylic tubes, and mirror ducts. These principles have been harnessed to produce responsive material effects at the scale of a detail, as well as smart day lighting and energy optimization strategies at the scale of a building. This four-day intensive design + research catalyst introduced examples of light behavior and material integration, in addition to methods for developing physical structures that utilize light as a primary ingredient. Participants designed and constructed multivalent lenses and surfaces that filter, modify, and channel light emitted by a mirror duct system called the 3M Light Guide that is being installed in the second-floor south studio space in Rapson Hall.

Stereotomic Structures Catalyst

The goal of this Catalyst "Stereotomic Structures" is to analyze, understand and apply practically some principles of stereotomy in architecture. This Catalyst Studio explores stonecutting properties, rules and reactions of self-supporting structures made of stone. The aim of this Catalyst is to create a vehicle to translate drawing into a spatial map of gravity forces depicted by objects on the space gathered by stereotomic rules.

This course emphasizes very particular constructive characteristics of masonry using skew arches as provocateurs. The lens to observe and develop architecturally these type structures takes a specific problem of stereotomy faced by stone masons in the past when arches were supported on oblique walls. The study of the skew arches focuses on how "the constructive" is the creative engine of the architecture. The goal is to understand history through architectural technology exploring different modes of practice in the discipline of architecture.

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Paper Folding

Paper folding allows you to work through a composition/design without thinking about it. You are suppose to read back from each move to see where the progression is headed. Moves are dictated by initial rules set up by the designer. In my paper folding, I was working with the medium and it's natural tendencies- curling and flowing. I am showing the final move for 3 different progressions , as well as the final progression and move.

Exercise IV. Defining structure - Defining architectural design

In this exercise students focus on the structural system of their studio design proposal. During this semester, we have emphasized the intrinsic relationship between architectural design and structure. Through our sessions we have reviewed the most common components that make building structures. We have learned the different components comprising a building structure (spanning and vertical), we have studied how spanning elements can be solved (form, vector, bulk, surface active, etc.) and we have studied how lateral force resisting mechanisms work. We have studied the supporting system of buildings and we have learned about the role of structure in the overall architectural composition. You have brought to class case studies of significance to the contemporary context of architecture. Through these case studies we have learned that meaningful architectural proposals are loaded with the strength of structural logic.

Exercise II. Case Study, Structural System Analysis.

This project aims to identify the structural components of a chosen Case Study and represent them through diagrams. The outcome of this assignment has two components; a scaled model and a set of well proportioned or scaled diagrams and drawings. Structural members were identified following this hierarchy:
a) Primary Structure
b) Secondary Structure
c) Lateral force resisting mechanisms
d) Materials
e) Flow of forces in the structure