Barcelona: Day 1

Today was my first day to be alive in Barcelona.

I spent several hours catching up on my sleep.
It did not occur to me that jet lag would make me so nauseous!
Note to self, and any long distant flyer, do not drink the free wine they give you. Drink water!
Also, buy converters in Spain. I spent $40 on my converter, and here it is only 4 euros.

This morning, I ate an apple and peanut butter for breakfast I had stashed in my purse from the US.
In the afternoon, we went to get our money exchanged, where we received the exchange rate of 80 cents on the dollar. Then partook in some light grocery shopping. I love that fruits and vegetables are so inexpensive and FRESH! Into the evening, we spent walking up and down La Rambla. We walked to the fountains as far as the fountains before turning back. Totaling our walking mileage to a whopping 6 miles. We stopped in the fresh food market where there were plethora of meats, cheeses, vegetables and fruits.

Oh the Gaudi, the beautiful 18th century Andrea Gaudi.
More pictures to come

Textiles on Grid

All of the sketches below were drawn on grided paper.

(My FLW interpretation)

Sketchbook

This is one of my first sketches of the year.. This was drawn in Langford C 

I drew this on my dinner break when I worked at Smoothie King at the Rec on campus.

This was another sketch I drew on my break while working at Smoothie King. I went up the stairs and drew the top of the indoor rock wall. I found the perspective to be challenging.

This was a doodle during a meeting.

This was a concept during that meeting. I wanted a pod door to be this mystical winged door that slides back and up in a sleek fashion. I was shot down and mocked for a few months.. #noragrets

This is the Aerospace Building around sunset.

Column on the Administration Building

Lamp inside the MSC flagroom.

Sketch series of the Student Transit

Book Review: The Devil In The White City- Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson

Discovering the Book

Book Up Until the Chapter "Acquiring Minnie"

Concluding Thoughts

Discovering the Book

I first learned of the existence of this non-fiction novel after conversing with my perceptive aunt on my preference of non-fiction novels. She told me about this book called the "Devil in The White City," and about the protagonist being an architect in charge of the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition, 1893, and the antagonist being a serial killer, and how the lives of the two public names intertwine, yet they never meet. 

Book Up Until the Chapter "Acquiring Minnie"

Introduction

In the beginning, the book introduces the two men in brief with two quotes. 

Daniel H Burnham: Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood.

Dr. H. H. Holmes: I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing.

Now I would like to highlight in a bulleted list of all the interesting facts of American history that I learned reading this book:

• Daniel Burnham's and John Root's firm, downtown Chicago had a gym. One of the first, to pioneer bringing exercise into the office
• The fair was almost held in New York, and the pack of New York were hesitant to contribute drawings until Burnham convinced  Richard Hunt, an alpha in a sense, agreed- the rest followed (George B. Post and Charles McKim)
• Chicago's soil is wet, and dynamic, making setting a foundation a challenge every time. Also, the building season ceased for the winter.
• Chicago reversed the flow of the river. A great engineering feature.
• Frederick Law Olmstead, pioneer of landscape architecture, designed Central Park in New York, and the simple elegant ground of the fair. 
• Jack the Ripper killed about a dozen prostitutes, while Dr. H. H. Holmes killed thousands.
• Burnham, at least at first, cared for the employees. The construction workers of the world's fair were housed and fed.
• The fair was a giant economic opportunity, so many young men and women fled to Chicago. Men got blue collar jobs building the buildings in the fair. (and when there was a layoff, many of the men became homeless- which is believed to be when the term "hobo" was first coined). Women worked as receptionists- unless they fell of into the trickery charm of Holmes that led them to their tortured deaths.
• The medical schools, such as the University of Louisville, were in short supply of bodies and were desperate. "They attempted to rob a grave at the State Asylum for the Insane in Anchorage, Kentucky, this time on behalf of the University of Louisville. "Yes, the party was sent out by us," a senior school official said. "We must have bodies, and if the State won't give them to us we must steal them. The winter classes were large and used up so many subjects that there are none for the spring classes." He saw no need to apologize. "The Asylum Cemetery has been robbed for years," he said, " and I doubt if there is a corpse in it. I tell you we must have bodies. You cannot make doctors without them, and the public must understand it. If we can't get them anyother way we will arm the students with Winchester rifles and send them to protect the body snatchers on their raids.""" pg. 150-51
• This was Holmes target market. Medical schools paid a lot of money for bones, so Holmes was a frequent supplier.

• There were many disasters, and disbelieve of the fairs success
• including a failure to include a live load for the glass ceiling due to harsh winter conditions
• The goal of the fair was to out "Eiffel" Eiffel's Eiffel Tower
• Which they did with the first giant Ferris wheel designed by an engineer with many connections, George Washington Ferris.
• Walt Disney's dad was a craftsmen and contributed to the fair.
• Daniel Burnham was slowed down by all of the committees, subcommittees, and the fact that he had to share power
• In another article I read about the Hyperloop, HTT technology CEO, Ahlborn made a similar comment. 

Concluding Thoughts

This book is jammed pack of interesting facts. I would recommend for any architecture student who enjoys history, and a bit of mystery.

Rapid Prototype

3D Printing Background

Personal Experience with 3D Printing
The Lessons Learned

3D Printing Background

Rapid prototyping began as early as 1992. A stereo-lithographic apparatus machine (SLA). This technology has continued to develop throughout the decade, enabling seemingly impossible circumstances a reality. There are many types of 3D printers that range in price from $100 to if you have to ask, then you can't afford it. The most common type of 3D printer you can find on campus is Makerbot, which uses a reel of a plastic (PLA).  The design possibilities are endless.
That leads to another great question, just because it CAN be printed, should it be?

Personal Experience with 3D Printing

A team of two, myself and a classmate, designed a parametric wall to metaphorically represent the climate in Texas during the years 1970, 1980, 2006, and 2007. We would construct a hollow core door to a dolly and then build a grid with a series of dowel rods at varying lengths, then attach a series of 3D printed nodes to the end to seal the corners of recycled cardboard pieces we laser cut into varied sized triangles. Excuse the run on, but the final product should have looked like a black sleek wall. My team printed nodes for my project on three attempts. The first set, were much too small. We learned that in order to take a 3D model, in any given software program capable of exporting into an .stl file, you have to apply a mesh to it, so the printer will recognize it as a solid. We then decided to go ahead and outsource the second print to the EIC. Given that they are engineers, they are surely they will get it right on the first try, and they did. We also gave ITS a second chance, and they got it right too.

The Lessons Learned
Through this project, I learned how to apply a pattern to a parametric surface using Revit software.
I conceptualized the building process, and how the 3D printed nodes would attach to each of the dowel rods. However, more of the lessons I learned derived from mistakes-which should be of no surprise. As of now, we have two correct batches of prints, but none of them are labeled. Because each node is different, not labeled, it is an absolute headache to assemble. Going forward, I would assume the role of project manager, and demand more communication, and responsibility in my team. I would label everything to a point where it would appear redundant, maybe write an instruction manual on how to assemble a wall. This way, an outsider would be able to come in, and be able to assemble the wall without having to know everything about the project. I would even consider printing modular pieces for another application, such as a sun shade for the exterior of a building. 

HyperWhoop

This summer I learned of a competition hosted by SpaceX, after following Elon Musk and all of his businesses.

So I formed a team.
Iyabo, Bri, Ken, Jaime, and Sergio. We met and worked all summer, developing potential design solutions for the vague first edition of competition rules.

We lost Bri and Jaime in the fall to study abroad programs. Sergio quit. And because Ken signed up to take the Hyperloop class for his capstone engineering class, he was unable to still be on our team. Things were looking down, except for the fact that Dr. Culp had agreed to be our faculty adviser.

The EIC hosted a "Hyperloop Kick-Off Meeting"
There, Iyabo and I met another team, HyperWhoop. We decided to merge, as well as pick up a handful of students who were interested in the competition, but did not have teams.

HyperWhoop, composed of less than twenty students, has met every week, three times a week, with hopes of making it to design weekend, and actually building a pod to test. We have a propulsion team that meets on Mondays, a structures team that meets on Wenesdays, and an overall team meeting on Thursday when we get an hour of Dr. Culp's time before he rushes off for date night.

After several delayed release dates, and deadlines, on Wednesday, November 25th, at approximately 4:35, I found out we have made it to design weekend. Dancing memes and ecstatic comments blew up the hyperloop crew's group me. We could not have done this without the dedication of the entire team, the organization and leadership of Katie, and the direction of Dr. Culp.

For the part, we will be given a mentor, sponsors, and a prestigious pitch coach. Two of our members will be training with him up until design weekend in January.

Unfortunately, I leave for Spain at the beginning of the year, and the design weekend, that is hosted at Texas A&M, isn't for another two weeks after I leave. I have requested that I still train with the coach, because it's free and I love learning. My team has agreed to skype me in during the event.

This is the side section I worked on for the competition.

ARCH 205 with Mark Clayton

Blogs & Drawings
Mass Manufacturing
Climate Panels
Villa Rotunda & Townhouse
Construction Model
Essay

Blogs & Drawings
Each week we are required to post one blog, and one drawing.

Mass Manufacturing
The class divided into assembly teams in the wood shop. The end goal, between the morning and afternoon studios, was to attach a hollow core door to a base with a trim on a dolly, to support parametric sculptures to be used over and over again. This process took about three weeks, about two weeks longer than it should have.

Climate Panels
After all of the doors were assembled, the class paired up to tackle the next project. The class analyzed data from 1980 to 2013. My team, Alpha, Panel 1, had the years 1980, 2007, 1970, and 2006. We looked at the highs and the lows of 4 evenly spaced times of the year. We then applied the climate data to a parametric curved surface.

Villa Rotunda & Townhouse
Next project, was to design a Villa Rotunda out by Mesina Hof in Bryan, and a Townhouse downtown Bryan by forming a firm of four. We were forced to merge our two person panel team with another team. Our communication has been sub par, and I am concerned for the continuity in the designs of our firm. We also have to build a massing model of each of these.

Construction Model
I have not even started this. I feel like drowning when I think about it too.

Essay
I am required to write an essay on Palladian architecture.
Fortunately, back when I was a sophomore, and in honors, I wrote an essay on this topic. Hopefully I can recover it in time, and just have it revised at the campus writing center. If not, please pray for me.