tessellation

chrome tesselated surface, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

starting off the semester with a script that produces a tessellated surface using (in this case) a semi-random array of vectors (vectors in maya = points for everyone else). I'm hoping that this algorithmic investigation will yield some useful tools…or at least some shiny renderings..

three down

sectionRender, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

Four to go. I find that having finals after winter break really seems to kill my ability to ever completely relax because no matter what I know I should be studying or writing or something other than sleep and eat.

In any case, this is what I made in the span of about 24 hours.

centroid

Architects love diagrams. Projects live and die by them here in architecture school.

This is an interactive diagram I made to show the "Centroid" of the Harvard undergrad housing (sans frosh). I won't explain too much except to explain that "weighted" means that the calculations take into account the number of residents, so a more populated house will affect the centroid more than a sparsely populated house. Unweighted is then just the average by location only. Also see if you can figure out how to turn on and off houses and edit their populations (note: the population numbers are accurate for most of the houses as of this year).

p.s. See if you can find the bug in the programming. I could probably fix it…if I wanted to.

done

plan, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

This monday was the final review for our fifth and last project of the first year. In order to build the final models I estimate that I spent around twelve hours on the laser cutter cutting over three-hundred precise individual pieces out of chipboard. I remember making fun of those pale kids hunched over the computers in the basement cutting out sheet after sheet of whatever for a model. I thought I would never be one of them. But after spending hours myself hunched over the slow computers with blackened fingers inhaling chipboard smoke and toxic plexi fumes I am no longer above anyone. I also spent quite a bit of time getting cozy with the CNC router in a semi-failed materials experiment. Now I have a few days to catch up on sleep and try to figure out my summer before the last round of finals hit next week.

sections

partial model, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

This is how I'm dealing with curver's remorse…at least in 3D.

I'm slowly but surely pumping out my final production models for my second semester core class. The GSD has a lot of resources (CNC routers, multiple robot arms that no one knows how to use, plotters everywhere, 3D printers, and frickin' laser cutters), but when it comes to crunch time, everything is always taken. So you have to be crafty and slip in and get things done in the cracks and be ready to jump off of whatever it is you're doing and run down to get pieces of your model laser cut. It's insane and not conducive to sleep. But if all goes well we should all have very nice projects. Still being alive at the end would be a huge bonus too.

sixDays

This is curver's remorse. How am I going to make/ draw this?, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

I have to figure out a way to make this badboy out of materials that are by nature flat. This may hurt.

raw

Butcher Block, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

I made this board out of 1" x 2" maple strips and I'm planning on routing out a site plan in 1"=64' scale on the cnc cutter. Crossing my fingers that I get a CNC time slot, and that the file works, and that the board doesn't split, and that it's worth my time. It's deceptively heavy.

sketchup

Sketchup, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

Going through stuff for my portfolio I ran across this little badboy from the first "Build Your Campus in 3D" competition that our Stanford team won last year. And it looks like there's a new one going on now too.

E&E

P1010102, originally uploaded by Stanford Architecture.

I came across this photo in the Stanford Architecture photostream of what I presume to be the new Architecture studio in the brand new E&E building in the up and coming SEQ II. Somehow, two of my models (from the same project) made it over from Terman to the new space. Pretty sweeth.

string();

string operations, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

I've been working with string for the latest project which is fun, but may also prove to be my demise. This is part of my study "instrument" where I test the operations I've set apart: Pinch, spread, and bridge. We'll see what develops.

fractal

fractalSite01, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

In order to begin our last project for our first year core studio, I made an actionscript program that imposes a semi-random fractal over our site. What the script came up with was pretty interesting…at least I think so

project #4

bottom of topo, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

I've finally completed my fourth project, and despite being confident in my ability to get things done in a timely and efficient manner which would allow me to sleep before the critique, I was definitely up for two days straight and working up until the last minute. I'll post more images as I sort through the rubble on my desktops (real and computer)

squared

Site Squares glued, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

I've been working on building a 1/32 inch scale topo out of chipboard. My genius idea was to make it with tiny (~3") squares. So after sitting down in the basement cutting the topo with the laser for around eight hours, I was stuck with popping out, keeping track of, and gluing thousands of small to tiny pieces of cardboard. But as I'm getting closer to finishing, I'm glad I did it this way…I think.

tranCISION

Escondido Freeway page, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

The book that I was part of, "Division & TranCISION," was published recently by McCall Design. The book turned out great and is a perfect finish to a great summer internship. I kind of want to revisit some of the ideas we explored during our research.

rebuilt

Door new, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

After much toil I have finally managed to reconstruct my first semester door project. I replaced much o what was wood with plexiglas. The plexi allowed me to be much more flexible and accurate with the wire and pullies. And actually I like the new version better than the first. Maybe it was good that the original broke…

studioWorks

door02, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

Finally sat down (for like twenty-four hours) and put out some renderings for studio works. Unlike my botched model, these turned out okay.  This image is from my door project (see previous post)

(As always you can click the image and be taken to my flickr stream)

Broken

Pile, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

So in preparing my door model for studioworks I got a little overzealous with the drill press and the whole thing imploded. I think it had a lot to do with not having nearly enough sleep while operating heavy machinery, but whatever. Anyway, all is not lost and I plan to rebuild over the weekend. Yay for more work…

StudioOne

Side view of door, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

Posted some photos of last semester's work. Unfortunately (or really, fortunately actually) I have much more work to do to prepare stuff for studio works. I'll post those once they're done.

Water

Water Tower, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

For our energy class final we had to design something that had something from a shipping shipping container…or something. We were placed into small groups and then assigned a location (with some kind of extreme condition associate with it) somewhere in the world for our containers to live. I was assigned to New Orleans and so I got to work on a container that would deliver fresh water and living quarters. I came up with this little deal that opens up to make a water tower that supports a passive solar water heater array and create a shady sleeping porch-like space inside. Maybe not the most exciting, but it's done, and in the end isn't that what it's all about?

Plexi

Plywood and Plexi, originally uploaded by neutralSurface.

One of five materials projects I made for a class. This one I made by putting a square piece of plexiglas on a bean can in the oven on low and then taking a nap. Probably not the best idea in the world, but it worked.