Location, location, location

Here is what I meant about being concerned about site location: allocation and transportation of materials. This is from a book I have about sustainable housing.

Hey Sal, that's cool that you took the leap to move out there like that. Good luck with interviews and what not, I'm sure you'll land something good. I'm actually in Shanghai, China right now. Its pretty awesome here, I'm starting to think I might be here longer than a year... but who knows.

LOVING THE PANEL SYSTEM

Hey guys,
I have to admit, loving the panel system.......and the whole using materials from locally resources is a smart move, once you think about it, it is the heart of the competition. I think the panel system will work effectively. Great Job, Frank!!!

As you guys know I’m currently in Los Angeles and was suppose to be interviewed today but the guy is out of town so he told me he would call to reschedule. Hopefully he is not blowing me off because I still haven't heard from the other two firms yet. Well wish me the best guys it sucks to be without a job.

Sorry about not having worked on this competition but moving to LA, visiting friends, and working on my portfolio has really kept me busy but no worries. As soon as I get settled and some free time I will jump right along. Hey fry it’s nice to hear from you how is China or Japan I always forget which one you’re in. Oh and I hope all is well, stop by and say hi more often. Especially now that I’m in LA, Frank is in SC and you’re in East Asia. Talk about international team….ha ha ha. Any how I will talk to you guys soon.

the modular wall

These were a few wall 'modules' I cranked out. Far from polished, just to give you an idea. The FormZ file is under "form Z" folder (wallsamples.fmz) . Give 'em a look.

I tried working with the shipping containers, laminate, plate glass, and and corrugated aluminum (though it showed up as solid white, which wouldn't be too bad, actually.) There are far more combinations to explore, especially with glazing.

Wall Construction Diagrams

Here it is fully assembled:


Here it is with the frame removed:



For your reference and input, here are the first stabs at wall construction diagrams. The CAD sections are available on the server if you all want them, though there's some details that still need to be resolved for moisture control, etc.

The FormZ File
Anyway, I tried to spell it out easily. The FormZ file is here if you want to see it a little more clearly.

EDIT: This is just for exterior walls in each 'module.' I hope later tonight to update it with different types of glazing, etc.

Jonesin

I think I'll have to agree with Frank that we can use different materials besides just whats given to us by shipping containers. And is that supposed to be a central idea to this? Shipping containers? I thought they were kept only in similar dimensions due to the ease of relocation and transport.

Should we pick a specific site for this? If so, we could get more technical about what materials we choose in terms of their manufacturing/recycling origin. Straight from the site it says: "Create designs that facilitate local building materials reuse"

I really like the circulation idea now. Perhaps just one face of the building has that permanent structure whereas the other side's surface shifts with the individual units.

And check out one of the entries from last year.... pretty similar idea to ours:

Building Section (there's the "M" word again)

I'm working mostly right now on unit wall modules, and hope to have some more information for you all on the wall composition in terms of CAD and Form Z. In the mean time, here's a quick sketch of the building section, showing the rough draft of circulation, and how floor levels are resolved between the units and the cores. The plan might not be all that helpful, but it was the initial idea.


Sal, you're focusing mostly on this, how has the progress been? It's going to take a lot of resolution and it's the major part of this.

Also, what version of FormZ are you all using?

Shifts in the project

So Fry, as you may or may not know, Sal is moving out to LA tomorrow.

Idea on Wall Panel construction

Over the next week I'm going to look into the construction of the individual 4' wide x 9' high wall panels that provide the exterior facade. Sal and I spent last weekend discussing the possibility of different materials for the exterior (Sal championed keeping it as close to the shipping containers as possible to keep uniformity, I championed introducing other materials to add variety) . The idea is that these panels can be manufactured using local or easily transportable materials , and a custom facade can be 'ordered' by the client. This can work for glazing, solid materials, etc.

Revising the Unit Plans (Download the CAD file)

Over the weekend I spent time revising Sal's plans and putting them into the project layers. I RECCOMEND YOU DOWNLOAD THE CAD FILE as it contains new layers for countertops, appliances, etc. I think we're getting close to having it all nailed out in terms of plans.

>>DOWNLOAD HERE: <<
http://kojote.net/g2/CAD/June%2015/newcadplans04.dwg

There are a few changes over the previous CAD standard:
+The Core width is now 10' , not 8'. This means the 'special' wall modules that are 3' long instead of 4' long will be necessary where the units meet the core (see the plan). Overall, I think it's worth it- it gives us a LOT more usable space.

+Space in between units is 3', accounting for wall thickness.

+Interior walls are 2 1/16" thick.

+Doors are 28" instead of 30"

Some things to think about:
+ Storage space is probably one of the things we can look at solving through furniture design as opposed to adding in closet space (which can be used most likely for WC's.)

+We're going to have to focus on how the wall modules. Material, construction, how they maintain strength, etc. Another possibility it allowing for the 'customization' of these walls (similar to what you see with laminated rainscreens)

Modularityness

Man, Frank loves the word "modular". Just wanted to say I'm on this thing and yeah, this is a better idea than e-mailing. I'll post some actual material shortly.

Hey this is a great idea Frank........great job.....hopefully fry gets in on this soon so we can have fast easy communication access. Anyhow see you tomorrow, give me a call to let me know when and where? Oh another things......a friend of mine....(this old guy i do work for) asked me if i can show his grandaughter around clemson.....you know give her a tour and i told him i would be glad to. I'm just hoping she looks good. Anyways i told him tomorrow i was going to clemson to meet up with a friend and told him it would be a good time. So i might bring someone along but don't know yet......

Welcome to the Blog

Welcome to the Blog. Let's get it started.