Time Capsule: Final Full Scale Model

This is an image of the final full scale model that we were required to construct. The final product would not be made of cardboard tubes but instead of plexi-glass or glass. I very kind person was willing enough to donate the tubes for my project. The tallest set is 5'5" which is about the size of a average person. I am quite pleased with this final model although it was quite heavy and large to maneuver.

Definition of Sustainable Design

Dictionary Definition: the art of designing physical objects and the built environment to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.


My Working Definition:
Elizabeth Redmond considers a sustainable design to be when you use the energy that humans already put off, meaning their kinetic energy, and use that towards a design that would take advantage of the energy and actually use it. She has designed an installment for sidewalks that uses the energy from people as they walk across and play with it. She designed this installment to function off of the wasted energy that we humans use by simply walking.
LEED is known as the The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. They provide builders and constructors with the appropriate tools to build environmentally friendly structures. LEED is all for the green houses that are built in a sustainable manner. The image below is of the Ripple Rock Elementary School who hired the LEED company to help build them a sustainable school. The ventilation system was designed so that the air flowed slowly instead of just blowing into the rooms. This helped with the reduction use of energy. LEED would consider sustainable design to reduces the energy used and to use it wisely.

Sources: metropolismag.com

Matt and Tina Ford, designers and architects, have designed a series of homes that are site specific for Houston, Texas. These homes have been designed in a way that they retract the extremely hot heat that the sun gives off in Texas. The purpose being that they are trying to reduce that amount of air conditioning that is being used. The walls have been described as having a tin foil effect wrapped around the exterior. This being the device that makes the sun bounce back off and not bring heat into the house. The singles on the roof do the exact same function. Matt Ford has been quoted saying, "The greenest thing you can do is a tight design." With this he is means the best thing that can be designed in a sustainable way is to design everything in a way that energy is being used in an efficient way. Take advantage of the power that the sun gives off, reduces the energy that is being used in side the house.
Source: www.dwell.com
Gensler Architects are all for sustainable design. They are known for designing the first office building to be considered a green design. They used raised flooring, air systems beneath the floor, natural day light, a natural ventilation, and shading done in a solar manner. I would consider this to be their personal definition and approaches to sustainable design because they seem to use these techniques to accomplish a sustainable design. With this said the considered using good quality air indoors when they designed dwellings.
Source: www.gensler.com

The drawing represents the perfect house by the standards that the Sustainable Design Group has created. As labeled in the picture of the house they suggest to use solar panels, a solar oven for the kitchen, a rain water collection container, a waterless toilet, solar hot water, a compressed brick wall, and a natural ventilation cooling system. The Earth Home and the company which created it claims that they offer affordable, comfortable, healthy, durable, hurricane and earthquake proof, fire proof, fire proof, termite proof, energy efficient, self sufficient and environmentally sustainable. Through all of these words is how this company considers sustainable design to be defined. I actually can not imagine how it would be to live and function in a house like this. It would be quite a change from what most of us are used to.
Source: www.sustainabledesign.com

The General Services Administration's Sustainable Design Program defines designing a sustainable dwelling as the reduction of the consumption of non-renewable resources, the minimizing of waste, and a creation of a productive environment. Their mission is to basically better the environment through several different tactics that include water conservation, and better the quality of the indoor environment. They also consider sustainable design to reduce all of the negative aspects of the environment.
Source: www.gsa.gov

HOK, a design firm that displays sustainable dwellings, claims that they please their clients through a environmentally responsible design. I have found that most of these companies and firms all have the same approach to sustainable design because they are all for bettering the environment. Like the others researched above HOK has certain goals that define their approach to this situation. They included limiting the consumption of resources, improving the building performance, and promoting health.

"Nearly a hundred years ago we made a promise-that we would act as stewards of the environment. Since then, we've been dedicated to serving our customers in a way that never becomes a disservice to our planet. We believe that, big or small, every action that safeguards and retores the environment is significant. By inspiring lasting, meaningful action we can all benefit from lasting, meaningful results."
The above quote was said by the James P. Hackett, the president and chief executive officer of Steelcase. I think by this quote defines their approach towards sustainable design because they describe it as any action that can be taken to better the environment.
Source: Steelcase brochure

The Scarpa and Brooks firm is built under the structure of a married couple. While designing a house for themselves they decided that they were going to see how they could best apply their knowledge of green design. With this knowledge they created a solar powered structure that looked like a very high end design but also a house that paid very little bills because of the solar power. This couple sees the solar architecture to be the solution to sustainable design, also known as green design. Their definition would be that sustainable design would be taking the advantage of the sun and benefit from the energy it puts up.
Source: www.dwell.com

An artist named Vigil and his wife Brandy LeMae, a designer decided that they were going to build themselves a house and they decided that they wanted to be sustainable and environmentally friendly. They describe sustainability to be using materials of the environment and not using by-products instead that will gradually destroy the environment. This couple also used pre-cut and manufactured wood. I think their approach is a very useful approach and I think others should take more advantage of it.
Source: www.dwell.com

Orthographic View of Time Capsule

I would have to say that this was one of the most difficult orthographic views that I have ever done. It took many hours to complete but it was worth the time. Although now I am quite proud of it. The top image is consists of the front view and the top view. The bottom image consists of the right side view. The scale that I used for the orthographic drawing was 1"=1'0".

Perspective of Time Capsule

With this drawing we were to draw our time capsule in the location that we have designed for it to be in. My location is on the second floor of the IARC building right next to the water fountain. The image above I would have to say that it is not as clear after being scanned into the computer. The original is much better.

Reflection of Time Capsule Project

I have really enjoyed this project so far. I think that it is a great idea to have some form of memorabilia that the first year students can remember their experience as a IARc student. At this point I am quite fond of my project and excited about the final product. What I can tell from other students is that there is a wide range of ideas about what the final time capsule will look like. I know of one person that I think is making a digital time capsule which I think is pretty neat because in our time now we are technologically advanced and I think having a electronic time capsule will show us in the future that even thought the technology has changed we were still pretty advanced at the time. I also like the fact that some people ideas are six feet tall and others are no more than one foot tall. At this point in time I am quite impressed with everyone's ideas because they all sound very interesting in their own way.

Time Capsule

Thumbnails and Prototype of the Zine


This is my prototype for the zine that I made for the process of the time capsule project. The actual page in the zine changed some what.












The is a zine of my process so far on the Time Capsule project. It starts in the beginning and ends with my final idea. The final idea has a clear tube assigned to every first year student who would then write a letter to themselves on translucent paper and role it up and place it in the tube. The groups of four represent the groups that we would work in throughout the semester. The sculpture would have a ground level light installed under it that would shine up through and on the paper. The light would help show the writing and but not completely reveal it.

Drawings that have been touched up

I actually went back in and added some more contrast and now the cube actually looks as if it has a hole going all the way through.

Shadings of refined iterations

These are drawings of my refined ideas. My favorite idea is the bottom one that has the clear cylinders. The cube at the top is supposed to have a hole completely through it but this is hard to tell from the drawing.

Self Portraits of Many Emotions

This is a movie clip of my self portrait project. The project itself contains a total of eight self portraits of me that demonstrate different emotions at the time of creation. I felt that a video would best show my work because the physical project is about six feet tall. To help with confusion the video was filmed vertically so it might help to turn your head to the left to get the real effect. This was not my favorite project I would have to admit because I felt that my self portraits are not as good as others and they resemble me as much as they should. I am quite pleased with my design of the display unit. Having four pictures on opposite sides creates interaction with the viewers because it causes them to actually walk around the display.

Comination of Projects

These are the three final projects that I completed. The one in the middle was the equal mix between Kurt's and Lauren's projects. The project to the left is the combination between the middle mix and Kurt's project. The project to the right is the combination between the middle mix and Lauren's project. One aspect that cannot be determined by the pictures is that inside the cones are mirrors that reflect the image of the person looking in. My main concentration for combining the two projects was the focus on the functions of the individual projects. Lauren's project suggests looking inside at something and Kurt's project displays the egg in which he designed for. The purpose of the mirrors in my project is to look in and see something that is unexpected. You see how people look at you. I am quite pleased with my projects.

This is actually what my middle mix turned out to be instead of the one in the photo below. This change of idea was actually beneficial because the neat effect that the mirror creates would not have been discovered.

This was my first iteration of trying to combine the two projects. I chose from two qualities from each, the function and the proportion. I tried to make this project demonstrate of
all four of these qualities.

These are the two projects that I chose to combine in some way. The top of the two is by Lauren Thore and the bottom of the the two is by Kurt.