Arch Construction

Today I am going to blog about my experience working in my first group project for BIA. We were instructed to construct an arch out of plasticine and test how well it performs under various loads. I was assigned as the team leader and worked with Joharris, Josephin, and Intan. Here are my research findings and experiences. As the team leader, I had to delegate tasks for this project and ended up doing most of the research work. In order to not repeat myself, I will add my annotations I left out of the infographic.

Objectives:

• observe and learn how it handles various loads
• work as a team to hone our cooperative and problem solving skills
• reflect on the outcomes from the results.

 

The arch is a vaulted and curved structure that spans over a space, which can handle compression force effectively.

Arches are comprised of:

1. Abutments are columns built to support the lateral pressure of an arch.
2. Voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.
   Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer.
3. A springer is an architectural term for the lowest voussoir on each side of an arch. Since it is the bottom-most element of the arch, it is where the arch support terminates at the abutments
4. The keystone is a central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together. Although a masonry arch or vault cannot be self-supporting until the keystone is placed, the keystone experiences the least stress of any of the voussoirs, due to its position at the apex.

We started out with sketching ideas together. We ended up testing the last 2 designs. We did not know that the corbel arch was a primitive arch as we were figuring out how to make the plasticine bricks stick effectively and decided that it seemed ideal. However, we ended up with the true arch (also known as a roman arch) and the structure ended up yielding better results.

Constructing the arch multiple times deemed a challenge for us, but after manipulating the material for the first two hours, it only took 15 minutes to rebuild the arch. My team members did a good job on construction and we seemed to be on the same page as everything fit together.

An arch is held in place by the weight of all of its members, making construction problematic. One answer is to build a frame (scaffolding) which exactly follows the form of the underside of the arch. Voussoirs are laid on it until the arch is complete and self-supporting.

We conducted 3 tests as per mentioned in the graphic directly above. We failed the first and last one. The first one failed because we were still using our primitive inefficient design. We perfected the design for the seismic test, but by the time it was the third test, it had weakened and failed.

Generally, we would have constructed thicker columns, the as the clay collapsed too easily. The shape of the voussoirs could be more wedge like, and the keystone could be bigger. Aesthetics could be improved on if we had a bigger time frame, in terms of workmanship (better shaped bricks) and decoration (such as carving).

In the end, I must honestly say I felt a bit stressed about this assignment. I wanted my arch to be good, but it didn't. However, Ms. Sharon said that it was more about the learning experience and that helped make me feel better. Time management was a challenge we faced. I also found working in groups a bit challenging. I did not enjoy being the leader as it is something I struggled with, but I think I would not mind being a team leader in the future. Also, I do feel satisfied with how the project ended up.

Passive Design & Zoning: Dicussion

Malaysia is located near the equator, so passive design when it comes to direction and location are different than countries located in the extreme Northern or Southern hemisphere. The days are almost the same length all year long, with sunny weather and rainy seasons.

My house is facing West, 5 degrees off towards South. Due to that, even with the windows open and the fan to aid ventilation, my room feels very warm. It is situated at the back of the house, facing east. It is hottest in the morning, as the Sun rises from the East, shining directly in my room. The front of the house was cooler in general as when the Sun was facing it, it was already a cooler time of the day, and because there are trees in the front garden. Due to its location, the laundry dries efficiently and is best done in the morning, taking only a couple of hours to dry.

I used to live in an adjacent street in the same neighborhood, facing North. The house was a bit cooler. According to what I learned from passive design, North facing houses get optimum sunlight in the afternoon, and not excessively the whole day.

In every house there will be North, South, East and West facing doors and windows. East and West  facing windows are good for the most sunlight, and people who prefer cooler rooms can face the windows North and South.

I also learned how to keep a room cooler in terms of materials. Clay bricks keep the house cooler, due to its insulating nature. Growing bamboo can also help keep a house cool as it grows fast (providing shade) and releases more oxygen into the environment than other plants. Bamboo is also used in building traditional homes as it handles tension well, and is cooling.

60105 // Project 1a / Relief Model

After a week of refining our design with trial and error, here is the complete relief for the bee. I had to make sure I glued everything neatly and that it matched my final sketch of the parametric.

I am happy with my work overall, though I do feel like I could have improved it by adding more details on the body. At the same time, I do like how simple it looks though. When it comes to interior design, simple and minimalist is a style that I prefer.

Finalized relief photo layout

My finalized sketch. It looks very similar to what I had made and imagined.

60105 // Project 1a / Formal Organization + Design Principles + Variations

For this week, we had to define the Formal Organizations, Ordering Principles, and Variations of the insect we chose to research. We also learned about points, lines, planes, and how they merge into a form.

Formal organization can be categorized as:

• centralized
• linear
• radial
• clustered
• grid

The ordering or design principles are:

• axis
• symmetry
• rhythm
• hierarchy
• transformation
• datum

This is how I analyzed the bee in terms of its formal organization and design principle:

We also had to interpret the variations of parts of the bee through cross-hatch rendering.

The variations we learned about are:

• Form: shape, size, scale
• Balance: harmony, unity
• Hierarchy: dominance, contrast
• Surface: repetition, gradation, texture

In conclusion, I learned to design with these principles in mind. These principles helped translate thought into a design. It also helps with analyzing organic and inorganic forms. As for the drawings, I liked the way I cross hatched mine, though I should improve my anatomy a bit more.

For the following week, we had to prepare for building the relief. I rendered my sketch of the geometric parametric using Photoshop to make it more accurate. However, I'll redraw it on paper once I'm happy with my progress. This is what it looks like:

I've spent a whole day trying to build my construction mock ups. I am not pleased with it yet. Here is my progress of it so far:

I started off just constructing the basic volumes from printing paper. However, the proportions were not that nice, so I printed a lot of nets until I achieved something I liked.

After improving slightly on the proportions, I started working with art card. It was difficult and delicate at first, but I got the hang of it eventually. The proportions were still off.

Here is a preview of the perfected proportions, in net form, and a mock up of the hemisphere I configured. I just need to assemble everything and make the wings and legs now!

60105 // Project 1a / Insect Studies

Our inaugural assignment for this semester was to do studies of any insect of our choice. I chose to do a study on the Western Honey Bee. Here are the final sketches:

We also had to present research on butter paper. I enjoyed working with ink for this one.

Reflecting on this assignment, it was fun to do. I am satisfied with my work, though I feel like the bee's anatomy can be confusing at times and looked a bit off as I worked in some stages. I tried my best to fix it, however. I can't wait to see what we can come up with as the weeks go by. It looks challenging, but I still can't wait!