Patrick J MoeDigital Workshop

Precedent.

The Magnolia Residence by Seattle-based BUILD is an example of the firm’s commitment to following the values of modernism and delivering quality, long lasting design to everyday, residential projects. While the firm still relies heavily on physical models as both a tool for developing a design and for client review, as any modern office must, they also make use of digital models. With the view that renderings should appear as sketches, not as photo-realistic images, BUILD uses SketchUp to construct their models in a process of importing plans and elevations from AutoCAD. For ease of use, BUILD uses the plugin, Podium, to complete renderings. To add finishing effects, Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and Illustrator are used to polish and add any missing information. This process only works when the intended results are not photorealistic images, as SketchUp is a relatively simple program—albeit one that can go very far. I see a simpler rendering as a good think, allowing for easy manipulation and editing in the design process. I don’t think that this workflow would work as well on larger, more complex projects, but for an intuitive (and free) program, SketchUp does an admirable job.!About. My interest in architecture stems from the benefits I have experienced first hand from exposure to quality design, and conversely, the disappointment and drawbacks of encountering poor design, especially in our built environment. Architects have the power and responsibility to create a better world through promoting sustainable practices, exploring how aesthetics affect our interactions with our surroundings, and teaching that design based thinking can be beneficial in any number of fields. I’m excited by architectural theory, but I am also looking forward to playing with and researching materials and building practices that make sense in this time and place.!Readings. Ackerman — “The Conversation and Rhetoric of Architectural Drawing.”A good survey of the story of architectural drawing from the classical era to the complete models of CAD. I enjoyed the side trek into where art and architectural drawing overlap, with etchings of Roman ruins and the relationship between what was happening in the art world in the 20th century when Mies van der Rohe was creating his fittingly minimalist representations. I still wonder if it is possible to create a drawing free from the designer’s personal prejudice, even if the format does indeed speak volumes about the time and place of its origin.!Celento — “Innovate or Perish: New Technologies and Architecture’s Future”Beginning on a fairly dreary note, I was worried that this article would be just another lecture on why not to be an architect. Instead, I was left with the positive charge to go forth and change the industry—a message that, sadly, is under promoted. In the years since its debut, many of the underlined technologies have gained momentum, bursting into the mainstream, especially 3D printing and connected smart objects, all promoted by the web. We live in exciting times with the maker movement bringing just the innovation called for in this piece. How would this article differ if it was written today? I can see that we have a lot of the proposed work left to do, but I wonder what progress Celento would see now.!Van Berkel & Bos — “Diagrams”I think diagrams are endlessly fascinating, able to represent so much by often showing so little. There is a lot of crossover between the subject of diagrams and the architectural drawing laid out in the writing by Ackerman, and like the drawings Arckerman mentions crossing into art, diagrams can have the same movement. With the complexity of today’s CAD renderings, the diagram is more important than ever—bringing important information forward, and into focus, or lending a view of the gestalt.!Iwamoto — “Digital Fabrications: Architectural and Material Techniques”Complementing Celento’s essay, I can feel that we really on the edge of something new in the field of architecture. With an exponential increase of what is possible with today’s materials in combination with CNC tools, 3D printers, etc. I think we still need to figure out what is appropriate use. Sure, it could look good for bricks to appear to move as waves, but what I think is more interesting is the ability of these processes to improve the function, stability, and longevity of our environments all while creating a stunning visual effect.!!Questions. Are any programs particularly suited large or small scale projects, interior vs. exterior, product vs. structure, etc.?!Do you have recommendations for displays and mice? Any recommended outlets?