Learn how architectural students use Photoshop to create a poster about a Studio Odile Decq project created in SketchUp.
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Category: Architecture
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SketchUp – Lecture 5
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SketchUp – Lecture 2
SketchUp Pro 21 for Beginners: How to rotate, mirror/flip along, group, build a pyramid and a dome.
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SketchUp – Lecture 1
In Lecture 1 I present the basic tools of SketchUp using two main tool bars: the Large Tool Set and the Views tab. This introduction to SketchUp is 15 minutes.
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The Profession to Academia
I am fortunate to have been offered a teaching position at Fairmont State University last fall.
Live the life you want to be living, and this will become your life. As I wanted to become a better architect, draw more, and allow creativity into my daily practice, I found this opportunity to grow through academia. This semester I am teaching both freshman and seniors, who in four years have different expectations of their work. They approach the work of creativity by different means. Freshmen are getting comfortable starting a process, of drawing for example, without knowing what the end result may be. Seniors may be expecting something of their project result, and may want to reach the end too quickly to be able to present a final project during critique.
It makes me wonder about the profession as a whole, teaching students of architecture to work in a profession that doesn’t lend itself to much exploration through the process. The idea of architectural service is becoming more engaged in the voice of a large community. Architects are more collaborator than singular practitioners. Where does this taught ability of exploration find itself in the professional world? As an architect who has been managing large projects for the last few years, my role in the office has become one of a coordinator, and not a person who produces the work directly by drawing. I engage others to draw, explore, and build the set we will use to bid and construct the project. Collaboration means that a lot of time is spent emailing to remind consultants, calling the owner to keep the lines of communication clear, organizing and hosting 5-hour long phone calls so that all of the designers (interior, graphic, landscape, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, energy consultants, etc.) may be listening to one another in order to work together. It is not the work I was doing to get my degree. In a communities’ mind, the value of an architect has shifted. While we have an understanding of code compliancy and structural limits, the value of providing a built aesthetic is waining.
As my position of being an architect changes, new opportunities present themselves. Instead of only offering a service as an architect, my perceived abilities now include teaching architecture. How lucky am I to get back to the source of my interest? My research process includes reading, writing, and drawing. To share this with people of different perspectives is a joy. In the next week I will be discussing Smart Cities with the senior students of Fairmont State University. This is in response to Architect magazine’s article here. What is a Smart City to you? Does it include more or less of the available technology we have today?
The process of finding that architecture school teaches a student is a valuable life lesson.
Living, Eating, Sleeping, Cleaning, Working:
This is what we are doing in our homes and work places.
Over the past few year I have come closer to defining my work, and the impact with my career as it relates to what I believe in the overall well-being of myself, those who are close to me, and the world. As an architect I believe that I have an opportunity to help people evaluate their current life situations and suggest a different way that they may use their space or acquire a new place.
I promote using what you own, and self-sufficiency. In our Green-saturated world of products, if you build new, I promote using those items for your own health-sake and to abide by nature’s given sequence.
Below is an Interiors Matrix that I have developed in hopes to allow people who want to afford products that are local, good to breathe around, and sturdy, the ability to do so.
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Flooring –
Aluminum Floor Tile Eco Friendy Flooring, Madison WI
Daltile Rittenhouse Subway Tiles
Altro Healthcare Flooring
CentreMills Antique Floors
Conklin’s Vintage Wood – NE Pa
Aged Wood Antique Flooring in York PA
Sylvan Brandt Reclaimed Wood PA
The Woods Company PA
EcoTimber Artemis
Goodwin Heart Pine Micanopy, FL
Fritz Tile Texas
Stone Eco Friendy Flooring, Madison WI
Eco-Terr Slab / Tile Floors
SileStone Tiles
Cork Click by Natural Cork Artemis
EnviroGlass in Plano Texas http://www.enviroglasproducts.com/
Lascaux Tile – Decoritive
Forbo Marmoleum Stout Carpet Mt. Lebannon 412 563 5600
Forbo Marmoleum Click 1’x3’ Artemis
Forbo Marmoleum Click 1’x1’ Artemis
Forbo Marmoleum Sheet Artemis
Forbo Composition Tile 13”x13” Artemis
Earth Weave Carpet Dalton, Georgia
Interface Carpet Tile InterfaceFlor
Flexco Flextuft (rubber tile best outdoor apl.) Bennet
Flexco Tuflex (rubber tile best outdoor apl.) Bennet
Cast Basalt Tile Artemis
Warm Board
4 x 8 x 1 particle, Recycled Wheat /Straw Plywood
Dragon Fly Bamboo Flooring
Nice Flooring Website – Amtico
Mapei Floor Sealer
AFM Safecoat Stains / Sealers
Stained Concrete Radiant Floors 15622 zip
Heated & Chilled Raised Floors by Lindner
Armstrong Standard Excelon VCT
Shaw Carpet, Anso Nylon
Trim –
Stained Wood Base 5 ½”
Lewislp Reclaimed Trim in Picture Rocks, Pa
Wood Crown
Johnsonite Contour Base
Mdf Base Sierra Pine
Roppe Eco Effects
Forbo Base
Stock Pine 9/16” x 4 ½”
Walls –
American Clay Artemis & EcoSupply
Trove Wallpaper & Printed Wood Veneer
Fashion Wallcovering
Altro Healthcare Wall Surface
Wall Coverng by Grahm Brown www.grahambrown.com
Carnegie xorele (sustainable wallcovering)
Grass Cloth (asian grasses)
Ppg Primer & 2 Finish coats
Farrow Ball http://www.farrow-ball.com
BioShield Paint www.biosieldpaint.com
Tabrasa Low VOC Dry Erase Paint
Green Series Caulk www.greenseries.com
Red Devil Caulk www.reddevil.com
Modular Arts Wall Panels
3 Form – Translucent Panels / Partitions
Echo Recycled Glass Tile from Crossville Wa
Recycled Glass Tile Eco Friendy Flooring, Madison WI
Daltile Rittenhouse Subway Tiles
Ellen Blakeley NJ, manuf. Where?
Aluminum Floor Tile Eco Friendy Flooring, Madison WI
Walker Zanger Tile
VMZinc
Colored Stainless Steel sh@millenniumtiles.com
NovaCork 4’x8’ sheet Bennet Supply
Design Wall 4’x8’ sheet Bennet Supply
Burlap 4’x8’ sheet Bennet Supply
Nyloboard (rec.cpt) Artemis
3/4″, 5/8″, 3/8″ X 4 X 8 sheets and beadboard
Used for outdoor app. garage doors, rainscreens & pergolas.
Plyboo, Plywood & Sheet Goods Artemis
Kirei, Sorghum Board, Coconut Panels Artemis
Sunflower Seed Board, Wheatboard Artemis
Wedi Board for shower 3’x3’ Artemis
Kliptec Exterior Surfaces
Nichiha Exterior Panels
Fresh face on Concrete Panels
Standing Seam Metal Roof & Exterior Walls
www.haarchitects.com Light-in in brick ties
2 x 6 Stud, GWB, Batt insulation
Zip System by Huber Engineered Woods
Cement Siding James Hardie Bldg. Supply
Fiber Cement Board
Green Screen Plant Trellis
Green Screen
Ice Block
Solarbord osb w/ reflective foil – Roof / wall Sheating
DenShield Moisture resistant by Georgia Pacific for Tile Backer
Insulation
Weka – Wool insulation through Artemis
Ultra Touch Cotton Gray Group, Altoona Pa 814.949.0371
Bonded Logic
Greensulate by Ecovative Design
Cell Pak Blow in Insulation KY
Green Fiber Loose Fill Insulation
Icynene Spray Foam formaldehyde-free
Stains & Finishes –
AFM Safecoat paint and Caulking www.aftmsafecoat.com
Quartz Lock Grout at Dal-Tile Pittsburgh #169 412 787 2040
Bulkhead –
Studs & Gwb with Paint
Casework & Work Surface –
Gouldsberry Cabinet Shop Middle Grave Crk Moundsville, WV 26041 (304) 845-3466
Products Online
Richlite EcoSupply
Subterra Cork EcoSupply
Paperstone -1”std Artemis
ShetkaSTONE www.shetkastone.com in Le Center, MN
Cement based w/ recycled content:
Lithistone
Epoxy/Resin based w/ recycled content:
Alkemi
Eco-Terr www.eco-terr.net
EnviroGlass in Plano Texas
Sand Hill Industries Recycled Glass in Idaho
Subterra Cork
Solid Surface:
Silestone – eased edge – Distributor Vangura, 81 miles, pa
Sierra Pine MDF – Fmld.free ½” 4’x8’ sheet Beth B @ Bennet
Sierra Pine MDF – Fmld.free ¾” 4’x8’ sheet Beth B @ Bennet
Corian
Wilsonart
Formica Signature
Wilsonart Laminate
Formica Laminate
Cambria Quartz Countertop – at Famous and Lowes
Quartz Countertop, Eco by Conentino – made of 75% recycled material and bound by corn oil resin
At Famous Supply & Shuttler
CaesarStone CaesarStone Motivo, wall Tile
Eco-Terr Slab countertop
Eco-Cem Panel For cabinetry face
Staron Solid Surface – Acrylic solid surface with recycled content. Found at Home Depot.
Holiday Kitchens – Wisconsin Cabinet company
Kliptec surfaces
Doors / Frames and Hardware –
Handmade Cabinetry Knobs Artemis
Eleek Door Handles / Pulls / Switchplates
Spectra Hardware
EcoBuilt Garage Doors by www.overheaddoor.com
Larson Juhl Photo Frames
Atlas Homewares
Ceiling –
Acoustic Plaster System Pyrok Inc, NY
2 x 2 Jute ACT by Armstrong
Heated & Chilled Metal Ceilings
Sustainably Harvested / Repurposed Wood Plank Ceiling
Conklin’s Beams – Vintage Wood – NE Pa
Furniture –
Salvage Shops:
Oldegoodthings.com
Arch.emporium, Adams Ave. in Cannonsburg Pa
Construction Junction, Lexington Ave., Pittsburgh
Who’s New 5156 Butler StreetPittsburgh, PA who-new.com
Bedrock Industries
Mattresses & Linens
Stool www.vivaterra.com
Sage in Design Furniture
Some Sustainable Furniture from All Steel
davisfurniture.com from rep Lisa Tomasovich
tuohyfurniture.com from rep Lisa Tomasovich
Bernhardt – at Macys and Today’s Home in Pittsburgh
Organic Towels bedside manor
Furniture by Lee
Equipment–
Excel Dryer
Whirlpool Energy Star Dryer
Amish wash tumble
Stoves –
Fabric / Curtains / Shades –
Designtex
Exterior Designer Shades
Mecho Shade (Interior / Exterior)
Lutron (Interior / Exterior)
Earth Shade www.earthshade.com
Arc-Com Fabrics Artemis
Brentano Fabrics Artemis
Solucent Exterior Shades by Cambridge Architectural
Dressage and Strata by Conrad UV Shades of Natural Fibers
Fabric by Distinctly Duralee
Lighting –
Eleek Sconces, Ceiling, Table & Floor Artemis
Charles Loomis Lighting Cabin
SolaTube
Exterior – Sternberg Lighting
Insight Lighting – Compact-5 Hanging Fluorescent and EX-5 Linear Fluorescent
Partitions –
Lumicor Recycled content
Plumbing –
Clean Grey Water System by Hansgrohe
Black Water by WET
Sinks by Eleek Artemis
James Hardie rain Cistern
Tankless heater
Hybrid Energy Touchless Faucet by Kohler
Signange –
Energy Usage & Equipment –
Solar Hot Water
Solar Attic Fan Artemis
Climate Master Geothermal
Solar Thermal System (Solar Hot water heating) by Apricus
Wood Stoves
Radiant Floors
Misc. Finishes –
Masland silk carpets Artemis
AFM Safecoat Paint Artemis
Durostain Artemis
AFM Naturals line of oil wax Artemis
Sealent – OSI Green series Artemis
Osmo OIl wax (atl. to stain) Artemis
Eleek Hardware
Upcycled Accessories by Mothology
Rugs by Roubini
Home Decorators – Rugs
Windows –
Serious Logic Window Systems
Roofing –
Metal Galvalume roofing
Semper Green Green Roof
Carlisle Roof Gardnes
Site –
Soil Retention Plantable Concrete Systems
Recycled Plastic Lumber for Planters/ outdoor furniture
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I believe in quality over quantity. There are many products that are competitive to other non-sustainable products in price, and I think in the long run that if the price of things drive us to act or not, then we should evaluate our values again. If something is too expensive then it is probably not necessary, in our country, in America. When we buy cheap products, cheap food, cheap clothes, too much too often, it is always at the cost of something!
~ Conceptual Work with the Online Green Design Team below~
Other recent products I’ve found:
Upcycled Accessories by Mothology.
Furniture made by artisans at McGuire in San Francisco.
Furniture by Bernhardt at Macys and Today’s Home in Pittsburgh.
Bath Mat of handwoven vetiver root fibers by Gaiam.
Ever Heard of Affordable Comfort?
Look into Deep Energy Reductions and Thousand Home Challenge for more on affordable comfort!
My contact is Linda Wiggington, who is the founder, though her main work now is on 2 initiatives: “Deep Energy Reductions” and “Thousand Home Challenge” listed on this page here.
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Views and Vistas
Materials in the Garden
Outdoor Rooms below the canopies of Virginia Spruce or Katsura Trees left for 100 years.
Pathways and Places, Edges and Boundaries
Garden Ornaments
Photos by P and K
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Mayfield Lecture 2016
Join the Architecture department at Fairmont State University this Thursday, October 20th to listen about the life and work of Julie Beckman, architect of the 911 Pentagon Memorial.
The reception will begin at 6 in the Engineering Technology building on campus (#20 on this map.) The lecture begins at 7pm.
It was a nice Saturday to enjoy a West Virginia town along the river. Details from many of the buildings caught my eye. Enjoy it for yourself by visiting Fairmont, West Virginia. I suggest stopping by the local Joe N’ Throw for a brew of any kind. The place is filled with a few students and older locals, but I found a free table for my own peace and quiet for a few hours.
Passive Architect 