#desn 360a

[universityartmuseum]

The End is Nigh

DESN 360A student Cathy Hsiao and professor Heather Barker discuss whether or not it is possible to dye the sails quickly and effectively on campus.

There's one last question about MatterApp: Pyramidial that hangs in the air: To skin or not to skin?

This semester went by incredibly fast and it still shocks me that finals week is upon us. As much as I don't want it to be over (I'm sure the students disagree) I'm so excited to see the final design. I'm also incredibly eager to see what MatterApp looks like in reality.

In any case, going into this week the DESN 360A gang has been discussing what the structure's skin will look like and whether or not they want any form of cladding at all. The sailing club on campus donated a bunch of sails for the students to work with. There's some talk about the possibility of dyeing, tying, twisting and draping. 

Coming soon: the conclusion of MatterApp: Pyramidial and the solution to cladding (or not).

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Brigette Brown is a freelance writer and editor based out of Orange County. She holds a BA in Studio Art - Graphic Design from CSULB (2010) and is currently putting her MFA in Design Criticism from SVA (2013) to good use writing about design’s role in shaping our communities for publications like Surface, Disegno and The Los Angeles Review of Books.

[universityartmuseum]

Although many artists and architects privilege phenomenological experience, they often offer the near-reverse: "experience" handed back to us as "atmosphere" or "affect"—that is, as environments that confuse the actual with the virtual, or feelings that are hardly our own yet interpellate us nonetheless. —Hal Foster

The design of MatterApp: Pyramidial will soon be coming to an end! In less than a month, the students will be presenting their final design (details on then when and where coming soon). As they scramble to finalize the structure and secure materials, I've decided that reading Hal Foster's The Art-Architecture Complex is only fitting.

[universityartmuseum]

Duncan Anderson Lecture Series: Mic Patterson

Self-proclaimed façade geek, Mic Patterson made an appearance at last week’s Duncan Anderson Lecture Series and his presentation was a fanciful display of sparkling curtain walls, geometric forms and transparent gems of buildings. (Clearly, I’m a façade geek myself and I took great pleasure in exterior construction talk: glass installation, curtain walls, space frames and innovation in building skin.)

  Mic Patterson’s is in constant evolution — rather than simply taking cues from other designers, he builds upon his own practice — and no two buildings look the same. He is in on a constant quest to create “gem quality” buildings by taking the simplest route possible.

  LA Live Tower & Residences, Los Angeles, Gensler (2010)

Jacob K Javits Convention Center, New York City, I.M. Pei & Partners / FXFowle/Epstein (2013)

Seattle Family Foundation campus*, Seattle, NBBJ (2012)

Sometimes, looking back at New York City’s mid-century curtain walls (n. a wall that encloses the space within a building but does not support the roof) like the Seagram Building (1957) and Lever House (1951) can provide design solutions for today’s architectural constructions because, as Patterson says, “Imitation is one of the important design strategies that we can use.”

Seagram Building, New York City, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1957)

  Lever House, New York City, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) (1951, curtain wall replacement in 2001)

Even so, although we hack, invent and design on a regular basis, we still haven’t found the solution to the sustainability problem. The reason for this is partly because the vocabulary we use to describe “sustainability” isn’t clear or universal — what does sustainability really mean, anyway? — so, one of the first steps to solving the problem is to “get more aggressive in our vocabulary” before we can innovate our way to a more sustainable built environment.

  Mic’s lecture was smart and incredibly thought provoking which, I think, encouraged the students to innovate their way to a better world. There really is a need for fresh perspectives in design and there’s still a huge gap between where we are today and where we need to be tomorrow (or, where we should have been yesterday) in terms of architecture and design that isn’t wasteful.

  On another note, all of this talk about skin and sustainability comes at the perfect time for the DESN 360A crew as they come up with ideas for the cladding of MatterApp:Pyramidial! Stay tuned for the latest in MatterApp’s construction.

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Brigette Brown is a freelance writer and editor based out of Orange County. She holds a BA in Studio Art - Graphic Design from CSULB (2010) and is currently putting her MFA in Design Criticism from SVA (2013) to good use writing about design’s role in shaping our communities for publications like Surface, Disegno and The Los Angeles Review of Books.

[universityartmuseum]

Halloween was an important day for the DESN 360A students. Last week they had a construction strategies meeting with the amazing project realization team (a.k.a. CSULB stakeholders from Facilities, Design Services, Engineering, Groundskeeping, etc.) and Nathan Reynolds of Gossamer Space Frame— it went well!

Heather Barker laid out the latest news in MatterApp's design, space frame construction, anchor systems and production timelines for the team. Of course, there are still a few things that need to be worked out in terms of skinning the structure and figuring out what MatterApp:Pyramidial will be used for but overall, the team seemed to be on board and ready to push forward.

Post-meeting enthusiasm helped keep the students focused on continuing the development of the project's programming: skinning the structure, education and workshops, identity.

There's still a long way to go but this last meeting showed just how nicely things are coming together.

(And no, there was NOT a medical emergency in the classroom! UAM Curator of Education Brian Trimble and UAM Educational Assistant Christina Alegria showed up in Halloween costumes)

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Brigette Brown is a freelance writer and editor based out of Orange County. She holds a BA in Studio Art - Graphic Design from CSULB (2010) and is currently putting her MFA in Design Criticism from SVA (2013) to good use writing about design’s role in shaping our communities for publications like Surface, Disegno and The Los Angeles Review of Books.

[universityartmuseum]

Krinner ground screws are the choice for MatterApp:Pyramidial's anchoring system! They are easy to install, cause minimal damage to the grass, don't need to be supported by concrete, and meet the campus dig depth restrictions--2 feet being the maximum depth the MA:P Team is allowed to dig, to ensure that potential archeological material in the substrata remains undisturbed.

[universityartmuseum]

This photo sums up both the process of MatterApp:Pyramidial's conception and construction as well as what it's like to participate in a workshop. This Thursday, October 17th at 6:30pm is your last chance to have a hand in building DESN 360A's inaugural environmental design project on campus so don't miss out!

Thursday's guest is Jenna Didier who conceived the nonprofit Materials & Applications to become a driving force to increase public participation in the built environment by inspiring within visitors fresh interest in their surroundings while they experience the latest ideas in architectural design and theory. Her aim is to push the application of materials beyond what limits upon commercial, residential and traditional gallery-based projects are typically allowed towards a more flourishing, living architecture.  Didier's latest endeavor is Urban Applications, through which M&A partners with community organizations to har­ness the innovative thrust of environmental design and empower the residents of urban neighborhoods. 

Register here. 

[universityartmuseum]

One workshop down, two to go! MatterApp:Pyramidial community workshop number one was so much fun—designers, architects, artists and enthusiasts all came together to construct and describe the possibilities for the visual language of the structure. Some people played with K'Nex, others worked with mesh and plastic balls or wire and cardboard. The materials were limited but 20 or so people who showed up at EXPO Art Center to participate were thoroughly engaged and their enthusiasm for experimentation was amazing to see! Of course, it was pretty hard not to get excited after Mic Patterson, one of The Pyramid's architects, talked about what it was like to work on that project and the opportunity for space frame exploration. (He even tinkered with rafia, wire and plastic balls.)

You missed Mic but for this week's workshop on Thursday, October 10th we'll be working with Oliver Hess and building upon the structures and forms from last week. The focus will be on MatterApp's underlying skeleton built from an octet truss system. Please make sure to register (it's free!) and bring your friends.

Collaboration really is at its best when everyone is working with the same goal in mind and they bring their energy and enthusiasm to the table. See you there!

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Brigette Brown is a freelance writer and editor based out of Orange County. She holds a BA in Studio Art - Graphic Design from CSULB (2010) and is currently putting her MFA in Design Criticism from SVA (2013) to good use writing about design’s role in shaping our communities for publications like Surface, Disegno and The Los Angeles Review of Books.

[universityartmuseum]

It's incredible how many different approaches the students came up with during their research. Educational background, personality, age and experience influenced every single person's case study selections but still, there were a few common threads that ran through nearly every idea:

1. Interactive + Participatory— the audience should be able to engage with the structure on some level

2. Surprise + Change— How cool would it be if day-to-day and person-to-person experiences differed depending on when you saw the structure?

3. Lights!— Lights make everything more exciting. So, what if the structure is lit up at night? Or, even better, what if light is used as a contouring tool?

4. Mixed Media— How can the mixing of textures and media (projections, lights, concrete, fabric, wood, etc.) be used to make a simple, paired down structure more complex and interesting?

5. Multisensory— We're a generation of people that LOVE to touch and interact with art and design. Being able to touch, hear and see MatterApp:Pyramidial could bring a compelling level of whimsy, delight and commentary.

6. (Extra)ordinary— What if MatterApp was composed completely of ordinary objects that transformed into something extraordinary?

Check back for some of my favorite case studies. Students showed examples that really pushed the boundaries of art & design, showcased their diverse backgrounds and fostered interesting discussions about cost, construction and labor.

**Make sure to register for the MatterApp workshops that will be held on Oct. 3rd, 10th and 17th! It's FREE but reserve your spot because space is limited.**

_________________________________________________________________

Brigette Brown is a freelance writer and editor based out of Orange County. She holds a BA in Studio Art - Graphic Design from CSULB (2010) and is currently putting her MFA in Design Criticism from SVA (2013) to good use writing about design's role in shaping our communities for publications like Surface, Disegno and The Los Angeles Review of Books.