Reflection - FMP

While in New York, i came across this wonderful architectural model that uses the contures of the hill that the building is on. here it is...

and i wanted to use this technique. so i did a very small test piece using foam board of my design...

they are not great but you can get an idea of how this might work. overall i thing i can do alot better.

another interesting thing that took place today was that a fellow class mate sugested that i could also use another energy source in my design so that you can get as much energy as possible. and i thought that this was a very valid point. after a bit of research, i found that water levels were at their lowest during the summer. so i might need another source of energy during the summer months. and what better to use than 'solar power' there is alot of sun during the summer so i can get alot of electricity

:)

Reflection - FMP

i have been having problems trying to get electricity from rivers because of fluctuating water levels and lack of force. but i have now come up with a master plan and a solution to all my problems. the plan is to create a man made waterfall. not a huge waterfall but a drop large enough to give the water that extra bit of power. this new idea is also not effected (in performance) by fluctuating water levels.
however, this means that my house will need to be on a hill. so i am going to have to change my design abit.

and this is what i came up with....

the house its self is built into the hill. cutting into the hill to create a man made cave.

Reflection - FMP

i did it!!!! i created electricity!!!! :)
i connected my motor to some small light emitting diodes (led's) and as i turned the cogs, the lights came on. and the faster i turned the cogs, the brighter the light was. what a great success it was. unfortunately with all the excitement, i forgot to film a video. and i cant film one now because the 'contraption' broke in my bag on my way home :(
but what i proved was that my idea is doable. all you need is a force strong enough to turn the turbine.
:)

Reflection - FMP

today i learnt the magic of 'cogs'....

what i found was that if you connect a big cog to a small cog and then to a big cog and then to a small cog again.... a small amount of energy can be transformed into a HUGE amount of energy. (enough to turn a generator and produce a substantial amount of electricity)

btw please ignor whate kate (lecturer) is going on about in the background LOL

:)

Reflection - FMP

well today i finished my statement of intent. and started doing my primary research.
here is my statement of intent:

The title for my project is ‘Sustainable Architecture’. In this project I will be working towards producing a sustainable home that uses recycled materials and renewable energy sources. By the end of the project my final outcome will be a large model of my final design showing the workings of each specialist part. This work relates to the work I did during the pathway stage because I will use the materials and building techniques that I found then, and incorporate them with the new technologies and energy sources that I am now going to explore. This is extending my knowledge and understanding of sustainability because I am looking at different ways of making things sustainable. I am now also much more aware of the environmental impact that modern architecture has on the earth. This project will also improve and test my creative ability because I need to find a way of using as many sustainable techniques but have a design that looks as though it has been made using modern and conventional building methods.

My main influences for the pathway stage were ‘Earth Ships’ and ‘Bio-Structures’ because of their radical ways of building using different materials. My main influences for this project will be scientific discoveries and break through in energy so I can use them in my design. I will also be looking at existing buildings that use similar methods and techniques. This information will come from many different sources such as the web (www.architecture.com and www.sustainableabc.com), books/magazines including: Energy manual: sustainable architecture by Manfred Hegger, Matthias Fuchs, Thomas Stark, Martin Zeumer – Birkhäuser. I will also be going and visiting buildings that have already incorporated sustainable ideas such as 30 St Mary’s axe (the gherkin)

Throughout this project, I am going to be using a variety of different materials. But the main ones will be wood, acrylic, rubber and possibly water. And with all these different materials come different techniques and skills such as mould making and polishing. I will also be using CAD to generate 3 dimensional digital models which can then be manipulated. The overall time scale for this project is eight weeks which I will break down into three stages. One for research, one for design development and the last stage for making and evaluating my model. The first two stages will be two weeks each and the final stage will be for four weeks as I believe it is the most important part of the project.

My method of reviewing and analysing my own work takes form as an online blog with three entries a week. I will also be taking part in ‘group critiques’ where other class mated discuss and evaluate each other’s work as the projects develop. The feedback from these group discussions will also be posted on my blog. To evaluate the success of my project and final outcome, I would like to conduct a survey asking viewers how sustainable they believe my final design is. 

Reflection - FMP

right well today was the first day of the Final Major Project and i used the day drafting and wrighting up my statement of intent. however its still a bit on the weak side and will need some more work doing to it. but overall a boring day because its all theory. but also an interesting day hearing all the ideas of fellow piers.