Time capsule project

Let me preface this entry a little: our last assignment of the semester was to design a time capsule for our "client", Tommy Lambeth (our professor), to be opened or commemorated in 20 years. We spent several weeks researching precedents, interviewing faculty & students, and conducting site analyses of the Gatewood building where it would be located. This is the first time we were going to create something real. Tommy informed us that one of our prototypes would be selected and actually produced and installed for the 20 year duration. We first had to make a parti of five ideas for time capsules, and then make five models of these ideas. From there, we narrowed down our ideas to two models, and then to a scale model and process booklet of the one we liked best. As if that weren't enough(!) we then made a full scale prototype, as close to the "real thing" as possible, and presented it to our class. (My friend Jessica teamed up with me to do our presentation together.) The last day of class we had a secret ballot vote, in which we voted for our top three favorites among us... and my design won. (hooray!)
Now you're up to speed!
So...here it is! This is a photo of the full scale prototype for the time capsule I've designed. It is difficult to tell in the photo, but it is an eight foot tall structure with strings across the front so it can be played like a harp. When the real thing is constructed, the back panel and top and bottom fascias will be made of wood and will hold 16 harp strings. The in-class presentation discussed having a hidden cabinet with shelves that would be built into the wall to house artifacts. To access the artifacts in 20 years, there is a door behind the strings that would be opened at our reunion/ceremony (you can see the outline of the door in the photo). Our "client" was not so sure about having the cabinet included; whether or not it will be there is what you'll have to stay tuned for as the project gets underway next semester.
I feel truly honored that something I designed will be in place in our building for 20 years. I am hopeful that our first year class feels well represented by this piece, and am thankful for everyone's support.

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch...

I mentioned to Suzanne on the last day we had class that I may try to draw Dr. Seuss' Grinch over winter break, since I've been watching it daily for a few weeks now (my kids love it!). So I gave it a try, and let me also say my 2 year old daughter was in my lap the whole time I was drawing... so I did it quickly, in about two minutes.



I could get a lot better at it, but for my first attempt (and with a slight handicap), it turned out ok. This version of the Grinch is actually Chuck Jones' interpretation from the animated movie. Dr. Seuss' Grinch looks a little more sinister and snarlier.

You just can't find better song lyrics than the ones describing the Grinch:
"...You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch.
You're a nasty, wasty skunk.
Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your soul is full of gunk.
Mr. Grinch.
The three words that best describe you,
are, and I quote: 'Stink. Stank. Stunk.'"

That gets me every time! :)

Naturally Juicy...

You have to check out this CG video from the awesome team at The Mill. It's an ad for Orangina (a citrus beverage) that is running in France. There's no chance of it ever being aired on US tv, as it's a little suggestive. (And before all you perves out there get too excited, it's not a commercial featuring humans.) It is available on youtube but the quality is completely lost in that format. Check it out here. It's under the CG category, then click on the green text "view on BEAM.TV". I read some comments on youtube that many people found it to be silly, and lame, but I think it's pretty darn cute.

nine-leaf exercise

I feel like this is one of (if not the) worst drawings on my blog. I was hurried, and it shows. :(
The assignment was to use the different techniques we've learned in class to draw a leaf, in nine squares.
Top l-r: crosshatching, random scribbling, blind contour; middle, l-r: gesture, contour, smudging; bottom, l-r: negative space, hatching, stippling.
The stippling one is the ONLY ONE I like. It's an English Laurel leaf by the way, a beautiful specimen that my husband I and chose when we first bought our home. I love these shrubs.
I feel horribly that I didn't spend more time on it, but Merry Christmas anyway!

(yes I realize the scan cut off the top... I'll try again later to get the whole thing.)

Design Research: 10 Sustainable design ideas

Here's a list of 10 sustainable design materials:

1. cork flooring
2. LED and compact fluorescent lightbulbs
3. bamboo flooring
4. flyash concrete
   
5. engineered structural products
6. insulations: Cementitious foam, Perlite, and rockwool
7. photo-voltaics
8. fuel cells
9. green roofs
10. low or no-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paints
    

Design Research: Interior Environments

above: 2 photos of the set on "The Seven Year Itch", released in 1955. Besides the obviously aesthetically pleasing Marilyn Monroe, I have always loved the set for Richard Sherman's apartment in NYC (he's the main character). Right in the middle of the 1950's I would expect more space-age atomic style, but this set design portrays what a realistic everyday household (of a certain income) would look like. I love the soft blues and uses of metallics in the living room. Another fave is the "Stairway to Nowhere" used as a book ledge. While the room is not minimalist in any way, I don't find it to be too cluttered. I think it's close to perfection, actually! (I highly recommend the movie, as well!)


This is an anonymous photo found on the Internet of a children's room. I think the lime green on the walls is very creativity-inspiring, and it seems like a great place to study or do homework. I'm usually a fan of built-ins, and I particularly like how the bunk beds are built in to the cabinetry as well. It makes the beds seem like integral parts of the whole wall system, as opposed to separate entities. Also the maple finish is very light reflective, which aids the cheeriness factor for the whole room.


This Mickey D's would certainly be more interesting to visit than the typically boring and sometimes dirty ones we're used to in the US. This one, outfitted with Jacobsen Egg chairs, is in London. The color choices for the chairs are very bright, and are definitely not the red & yellow you see everyday. Those little marshmallow shaped seats are adorable and are visually not as cluttered as chairs that have backs.



What beautiful lighting! Kudos for the home having this facing (probably west or east) to accentuate these awesome furniture pieces. Already a fan of the Eames molded ply chairs and the Saarinen Womb chair, I find them to be right at home in this room. The red sofa compliments the dark ply chairs and sage of the Womb chair nicely. Neutral wall color is not usually my first pick, but it is a great backdrop to showcase this well thought out room.
Designed by Chris Marzec in Chicago.



This is a courtyard view from a Joseph Eichler home in southern California. A trademark of this builder's homes, the courtyard is treated as another room of the house rather than an outdoor space. I LOVE the floor-to-ceiling windows, a staple in mid-century design. They provide an unobstructed view of the outdoors, and were placed with a desirable view in mind. The use of plants adds a vertical element to draw your eye upward as well as provides some color to the concrete terrace. What I also find pleasing is how the smooth floor in the living space leads right out to the terrace, for an almost seamless transition. The white pod-type furniture adds the finishing mid-century touch to this classic space.



above: from the Entenza House (Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen) in Pacific Palisades, CA.
This is one of the Case Study houses (no. 9) from Arts & Architecture magazine built in 1949. The oval coffee table, low to the floor, and simple clean sofa are elements I find attractive in mid century design. Again, I dig those floor-to-ceiling windows to show off the view.

2 new technologies used in design

1. Solar powered billboard

The Pacific Gas & Electric Company in California will soon be unveiling the first solar powered billboard in the US (Dec. 2007). Comprised of 20 solar modules that are interconnected to a grid, the billboard will create more energy than needed to light it at night, therefore giving up to 3.4 kilowatts of (solar) energy to PG & E customers. "We Can Do This" is the slogan for the company's green advertising campaign. The US will become only the third nation to use solar energy technology in this manner, following similar uses in South Africa and Canada.

2.Louisiana-Pacific's LP Solidstart LSL

A new product from LP called Solidstart is a laminated strand lumber that offers superior strength and consistency vs. traditional dimensional lumber in residential building. As a structurally engineered wood product, the key to LSL's strength is how it's made: from thin, longer length wood strands that are oriented parallel to the beam's length. Suitable for use as headers and beams, wall studs, roof beams/rafters, truss chords, rim boards and stair stringers, the product is certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and backed by a lifetime limited warranty. (From the International Builder's Show 2008 website.)