ASSIGNMENT 1.4: Joint between exterior and interior

You should have a series of 2D and 3D parties that will help you to conceive the conceptual and schematic idea of your project.
In conjunction with the development of your design process, you should concentrate on two (2) important interior spaces, each with different characteristics.
Special attention should be paid to the following themes:
-The public resonance of the building, the exterior/interior expression;
-A place of many experiences and events: learning, experimenting, socializing, respecting, playing, etc.)
-A space with a particular condition: scale, orientation, light, form, accessibility, view, placement (threshold, spine, core, in between, etc.), spatial relationship with other spaces (inside or outside)

Consider possible combinations and spatial variety of rooms, of voids, of voids and rooms.
Explore the ambiguity of voids as negative spaces and/or solids.
Investigate patterns of voids or strategic voids: you could involve the exterior, or consider the space in between rooms, or public spaces (or communal, semi-public) flowing into your rooms. Your communal space (interior or exterior) could be a surface or a volume within the volume generated by the building.

Think about a diagram of densities (of units/of voids).
The arrangement of the spaces could create completely secluded voids, or slightly open or completely open spaces (interiors or exteriors).
Study how the spaces interlock; idea of adjacency involving lighting conditions, air, transparency, opacity, protection, structure…, as organization of the internal and external spaces.

Your drawings should explain a particular nature or an architectural quality of those spaces. Focus on strategies that imply operations of assembly, repetition, difference.
Use the media technique that you feel more confident with.

The spatial narratives or intuitions will be printed in 2 color-pages of size 11x17, one page for each space. Space should be represented in plan, section and through axos.

Complete and rethink your drawings through a parallel investigation with physical study-models. The models should not be the exact replication of your drawing. It should contain the idea of the sectional-volumetric exploration as another of the project’s generators.

Scale of the sectional models: n”=1’-0”


Due on Fri, Jan. 30 Class discussion

ASSIGNMENT 1.3: Spatial Parties

You should have a series of 2D and 3D diagrams tracing and/or re-interpreting specific site’s characteristics, elements, components and presences.
Using digital modeling techniques, illustrate simultaneous sequences of 2D and 3D parties generated by your diagrams. Keep in mind that the point of this exercise is to explore spatial issues.
Apply operations of: assembly of information, assembly of parts, combinations, reiterations, variations, 3D extrusions and manipulations.

Conceive your final diagrams as they are related to spatial connotations.
Explain through your favorite media each partie' process.
Your parties should contain ideas of: orientation, placement, edge conditions, views, spatial and infrastructural relationships.
Translate different site conditions into tridimensional intuitions with spatial qualities.

The spatial parties will be printed in 2 color-pages of size 11x17.

One page will contain the 2D process, the other page the 3D process.

Due on Mon, Jan. 26 Class discussion

ASSIGNMENT 1.2: Diagramming the site

You will focus on your specific site’s characteristics.
You should particularly concentrate in:

- Analysis of nearby buildings: lot info, front dimensions, deep dimension, number of floors, heights, use.
- Analysis of vacant spaces or vacant lots.
- Analysis of courtyards, open private spaces within the buildings in the nearby blocks.
- Analysis of public open spaces, parks, green areas, playgrounds, parkings.
- Analysis of infrastructural systems, circulation systems.
- Analysis of commercial developments.
- Demographic, economical, social conditions.


References

http://www.lubbockisd.org/DistrictInfo/SchoolLocators/AttendZones08-09.pdf
http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us/pdf/books/LbkArchHeritage.pdf
http://www.lubbockisd.org/DistrictInfo/SchoolLocators/DistrictMap.htm
http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us/images/maps/TechTerraceMap.gif
http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us/pdf/Neighborhoods/TechTerraceDemographic.pdf
http://www.lubbockisd.org/RoscoeWilson/index.htm
http://www.lubbockschools.com/data/leroscoewilson.shtml
http://www.publicschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/80033#map

GOOGLE MAPS-STREET VIEW-AERIAL VIEW

You should represent 3 diagrams, related to the project-site.
Each diagram should uses digital or analog modeling techniques. Illustrate sequences and moments of each diagram. Apply operations of 3D extrusions; conceive your final diagrams as they are related to spatial issues. Explain through your favorite media each diagram’s process.
Read the site graphically in a creative way, but concentrate on urban elements. You can be more conceptual or analyze real conditions. Translate different site conditions into 3-dimensional intuitions with spatial qualities.
Your site diagrams will be one of the generators of your building spaces.

The 3 diagrams will be printed in 3 color-pages of size 11x17.


Analysis Example: Existing buildings

Before conceiving any diagram, you need first to research on specific conditions, elements, presences, characteristics, etc.

- Your research could focus on the analysis (transformations over time, traces of the past) of historical buildings, or on the analysis of exceptional buildings, in the projects’ block or nearby.
- You should focus on general dimensions of the buildings, on floor height (analyze the façade), on depth and width, on openings, on volumes composition, and how they are related to other adjacent buildings in the same block, structurally, functionally, formally.
- Scale, materiality, quality of light and air, are just some of the issues you should be involved within your explorations.

Narrate your site analysis through 3 diagrams exploring 3 site conditions.


Readings list
See how to analyze cities through diagrams in the following suggested books:

Rem Koolhaas, “SMLXL”
Ben van Berkel, Caroline Bos, “MOVE”
MVRDV, “Metacity, Metatown” and/or “FARMAX”

Digital files
Save your final 3 pages into the digital folder called : visualLBB
Collect all information, images, texts, materials, and more you will use for this assignment into this folder.

Due on Wed, Jan. 21 Class pin-up

PHASE 1: EXPLORATIONS

ASSIGNMENT 1.1: Diagramming the city

The first phase of design will be involved with the overall schematic and conceptual development of your project.

The diagram is the beginning, is the key drawing that contains the entire project. The diagram expresses the idea of the project precisely. We will try to understand what a diagram is, working on a conceptual reading of the project-site and analyzing real conditions in a creative way.
Start to get familiar with the city of Lubbock analyzing its territory. Particularly, you should focus on the conditions and urban elements in your site proximity.

References

http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us
http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us/pdf/books/LbkArchHeritage.pdf
http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us/pdf/CityGoals/21stCent.pdf
http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us/maps.aspx
http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us/plans.aspx
http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us/DemoNEco/demoEco.aspx
http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us/pdf/Neighborhoods/AllNeighborhoods.pdf
http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us/pdf/LandusePlan1975-1986.pdf
http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us/images/1984Map.jpg
http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us/images/compAnnex.jpg
http://planning.ci.lubbock.tx.us/pdf/ZoningOrdinanceAug2005.pdf
http://codes.franklinlegal.net/lubbock-flp/


Choose and explore the following conditions in the chosen neighborhood in relationship with adjacent areas:
• City grid, districts, circulation north-south-east-west systems, street-systems, important public buildings, horizontal voids, vertical voids, hierarchy of infrastructural systems, vertical and horizontal connections, access-exit to the site, paths of specific destinations, existing green spaces, congestion, densification, rarefaction, events, programmatic bands-stripes, layering of activities or of traces, people flow, cars flow, movement, in different hours, during the day, at night, courtyards, open spaces, residual islands, images, brands, signs, advertising, water, views, night life, day life, entertainment, attractions, shopping…etc.
• People flow: movement, walking, shopping, working, leisure, any activity or dynamics….
• Spaces: interiors, inside, protected, hidden, big, small, dark, bright, old, new….
• Spaces: exteriors, outdoors, open, covered, empty, full, rare, dense…
• Buildings: façade, structures, components, presence, materials, adjacency, verticality, horizontality…
• Feel free to add and discover other conditions in the chosen neighborhoods.

Compose and print your research on a total of 6 (six) pages in 11”x17” format.

Represent your research using:
• Collage of images, pictures, detailed images, 2Ddrawings, simple given diagrams, simple mapping drawings, or any visual technique that could be useful to represent a city condition.
• Add some explanatory captions, short text or titles if necessary.
• Pages Layout is at your choice.

Save your final 6 pages into a digital folder called: visualLBB
Collect all information, images, texts, materials, and more you will use for this assignment into this folder.

Due on Fri, Jan. 16 Class pin-up

INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE
What game shall we play?

You will analyze children’s ludic activities, or/and children’s actions, potentialities and instruments with an aptitude toward play.
Play implies the choice of a field, rules and a framework, but also the idea of expansion and change without limitations. A game can be different plays; can be related to an evanescent, virtual space (video-games, online-games) or to a real, known surrounding space (hide-and-seek), or to an unpredictable space. Games extend into physical space that is permeated by devices, sensors, information technologies.

Choose your favorite playing situation, game or ludic activity. Particularly, you will focus on the following components:
- Creativity, fantasy, luck, competition, excellence, pleasure, imagination, safety, scenarios and situations, dynamics, movement, stimulation of emotions, illusion, magic, ambiguity, spatial relationships, ability, rules, fictions, freedom towards experience, adventure and narration.

You should explore forms of relationships between the real or the conceptual space of play and the special role of the player/players.


Process
Compose an assembly of 8 ½ x 11” images, combined with digital or hand drawings/sketches, and /or diagrams representing the narrative of your selected play/game/ludic activities.
Mount your process of visual mapping on a horizontal cheap-board stripe, max length 36” (3 ft), max height 11”.
Use colors only in selected areas/zones/parts, to emphasize a concept running through the entire stripe.
You must also apply the following manipulations to selected parts of the images/drawings/diagrams: cutting, layering, overlapping, folding, and bending.

The resulting narrative should have a 3D graphical and physical result.


References
Alberto Iacovoni, Game Zone, IT Revolution series, Birkhauser, 2004
Steffen P. Walz, Space Time Play. Computer games, Architecture and Urbanism: the next level, Birkhauser 2007
www.playbe.com
www.spacetimeplay.org
www.gigglepotz.com/kidsworld.htm
www.pbskids.com
www.webkinz.com
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com
Fields of interests: playground activities, toys, books, music, arts, stories, media, electronics, etc.


Due Tuesday, Jan 13
Class pin-up