Elements of Design II: September 2014

PROBLEM:

Reinterpret a Mobius strip into an architectural cubic volume containing a single, continuous plane that represents your choice of a community or neighborhood in Southern California. The cube should have visual pathways revealing the interior of the volume. Must be 9x9x9 or 12x12x12, end where it begins and colored to represent the community or neighborhood you choose.

DESIGNER RESEARCH:

I.M. Pei

Deemed as one of the most famous architects, I. M. Pei's innovative body of work is well known around the world. Born on April 26, 1917, Pei earned his masters from Harvard's Graduate School of Design. His famous designs include the Kennedy Library, JFK Airport, Mile High Center, the Louvre, The Museum of Islamic Art (pictured) and countless others. In looking at his body of work, it is obvious that structure plays a big role in the overall look of the architecture. The structure not only becomes a solid frame/skeletal foundation, but it also is incorporated into the overall aesthetic and feel of the design. I found the Museum of Islamic Art to be particularly similar to the infinity cube project mainly because of the square faces are broken into unit forms and furthermore, demonstrate a sense of continuation that results in a visually intriguing architectural design. The windows not only act as voids but also become a much needed element to break apart the heavy solidity of the building. What I also find interesting is Pei's use of contrasts in both shapes and forms- while the museum itself is quite sharp and angular, its interior and exterior surroundings are both based on curvilinear structures.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Born June 8, 1867, Frank Lloyd Wright is known as one of the greatest American architects having produced over 1,100 designs. He is most well known for his Prarie style, Southwest concrete, Usonian style and later on modern architectural designs. His work is known as both innovative, ahead of their time as well as uniquely American. In looking at his body of work, what I noticed most is his use of cantilevers as seen in Falling Water and Taliesin East. These cantilevers create visual interest in the structure which is something I felt that I had to constantly keep in mind while designing my infinity cube, especially when thinking about how it was going to go through the center of the cube without intersecting other planes. Similar to our project, Wright also incorporated the surrounding to his designs. The Ennis House (pictured) is one of his four concrete textile block houses. The unit forms on the outside seems obvious as they are broken into many cubic forms that together create a unified structure that also gives off a very cubic appearance. Despite the angular corners, the forms come together and create several planes that provide a sense of continuous flow.

Le Corbusier

Villa Savoye

Pierre Koenig

Stahl House Plan

Donald Wexler

Dinah Shore House

William F. Cody

Cameron Residence

SKETCH:
The Mobius Strip was discovered by August Ferdinand Möbius. It is a twisted, three-dimensional form that consists of one non-orientable surface and one boundary. I think making and drawing my own mobius strip helped with visualizing the complete path of beginning and ending at the same point when designing my infinity cube.

INSPIRATION:
I chose Old Town Pasadena mainly because I grew up right next door to my hometown, Arcadia. Growing up, I had always loved coming out to Old Town not only because there was plenty of shopping and restaurants, but also because of the attractive, welcoming and fun vibe it gives. Old Town has a unique, old America charm that I think will always be timeless. I think this classic charm can be credited to the architectural design of the area. The buildings in this town are naturally older due to the city's rich history. When walking down Colorado Boulevard, you get a feeling as if you're stepping back in time while also being bombarded by the modernity of the new retail shops. This contrast of old versus new is what I think makes Old Town so attractive and unique to all visitors.

Bricks are heavily present throughout Old Town

Green is often used to highlight architectural features

Metal plating by names of stores/restaurants

Bricks

Gold is frequently used as an accent

Lots of black metalwork designs are also present

A lot of the old buildings have an art deco feel to them

Plaster/molding designs

TRIAL & ERROR:
This was my first infinity cube design. Thinking that my concept had been approved, I built it ahead of time it since I knew finals week would be a little more hectic. Later on, I learned that "U-turns" could not be used and each square could only be touching on 2 sides in order to not cause confusion when following the path. Despite my time crunch, I decided to redesign a new one completely in order to fully demonstrate the mobius strip concept.

I started out by sketching a bunch of different cubes just to try to help myself visualize the design. I think this was definitely the hardest part. As I began sketching, the concept became easier to understand and I came to find a path much quicker than I thought it would take me. To me, it felt like a fun rubix-cube like puzzle to solve. Below are just a few of my main sketches of the initial design.

My first model or prototype was made out of plexiglass. I had gone for this material not only because I wanted to challenge myself, but also because I wanted to learn how to work with new materials. Plexiglass also seemed like it would be the most interesting and accurate material to use as a representation of Old Town because of all the storefront glass displays windows you see when walking down Colorado Boulevard. Finding a place that sold and cut plexi was surprisingly not an easy task. Researching online led me nowhere. Thus I just started calling random art stores and hardware stores until I found one. Eventually, I called OSH and they said they offer a free cutting service. YAY! Free.

I brought my measurements to OSH and they were certainly unhappy about all the cuts to make- they did not usually cut more than 1-2 cuts per person and furthermore, did not prefer to cut small pieces. But smiling and saying many "thank you" many times got the job done. Gluing the first model together was actually pretty easy thanks to a really strong super glue and a hot glue gun. One problem I ran into was that I had torn all the plastic film off and the glue and fingerprints made the plexi appear a little murky.

Mini model of original design made of bristol paper

First plexiglass model

PROCESS:
The process of my final design was actually rather quick. After understanding the changes and concepts from the work in progress section of class 11, I quickly sketched up another design, went back to hardware store and got some more plexiglass cut (this time I asked for a nice store clerk to help!). For some reason, the gluing of this model was much more difficult than the first. I'm not sure if it was because I was in a different house and the temperature was different or something else, none of the pieces were staying together, which was extremely frustrating especially when on a time crunch. After completing the design in the sketch below, I realized that the back left corner was starting to sag a little because there wasn't a piece supporting the weight on that side. I then improvised a quick fix, made a third trip to OSH and added 4 new 3"x3" pieces to extend the middle part to ground to add a weight bearing support. To keep it as clean as possible, I kept the plastic film on the sides to avoid fingerprints from the glue.

In designing the subculture of Old Town, Pasadena, I knew I wanted to incorporate the few features that really stand out to me whenever I'm in the area. Firstly, I wanted to include bricks since that is such a major feature. I also wanted to incorporate the black metalwork design and railings on some of the storefronts since they are such an elegant contrast to the heavy bricks. Plastered molding designs are also very prominent in Old Town. The color green acts as a cooling highlight against the rich red bricks. And lastly, I left a few panels of plexi uncovered to act as a the storefront window displays. I incorporated paper roses for two reason - J.Crew, one of my favorite stores that sits on a busy corner in Old Town, always has a rustic looking window display that incorporates paper in some way that furthers the timeless and artistic quality of Old Town. Secondly, Pasadena is most famously known for the annual Tournament of Roses New Years Parade and there are banners on the street lamps with roses as the logo everywhere in Pasadena. Therefore, the paper roses not only act as a window display element but also pay homage to Pasadena's historic and iconic tradition.

Overall, I learned that in 3D design, especially when working with a transparent material like plexiglass, you really have to be aware of both the inner face and the outer face. And because it is see through, you also have to think about how an element of design looks from another corner or view, and how it can work cohesively. In addition, 2D drawings of 3D objects also don't always show the proper support in weight of a structure. This was a lesson I quickly learned and had to deal with when building my final model. Lastly and most importantly, keeping an open mind. It was tough for me to make the decision for if I should make a whole new design and model or not. I thought I was going to stay ahead of the timeline and be done with the project early with my original model. However, I knew I wasn't going to be satisfied with the results if I were to turn in something that did not completely meet the specs. In taking the extra time and funds to make a completely new design and model, I found that I was much more satisfied and confident with the result of my work.