Assignment #4: Material Research

IMPORTANT: Thorough completion of this assignment is mandatory for your inclusion in Thursday's field trip.

Material research questions to be handed out during class. If you are not in class, they will be posted here by the end of the day, Tuesday.

Material research, life cycle and innovative re-use precedent --

Every manufactured material has a life cycle.  The performance, value and quality of each are particular and unique.  The following materials pose particular problems and opportunities in their process of making, their projected lifespan and their reclamation.  Many times natural resource exhaustion, pollution, human exploitation, habitat degradation and post-use problems are over looked when estimating the cost / value equation.  This assignment will introduce you to the “life cycle” of a building material and challenge you to find innovative potentials for post-use.  As you research your particular material pay careful attention to its raw components and their origin, the performance or primary function and how that function may be altered through a new, innovative adaptation.

1         Concrete (Portland cement)                            Seth & Matthew

2         Concrete block (CMU) & brick                      Marcus & John Carlos

3         Wall board - drywall or gypsum board           Jonathan & Hector                 

4         Steel & Aluminum                                          Dean & Manny

5         Glass                                                               Carlos

6         Asphalt (Bituminous concrete)                       Alex & Gabe                    

7         Plastics & resinous composites                       Eboney & TJ 
      

1. What is the particular material? Is it trademarked (proprietary) or is it a generic term. Where is it made? (display 3 different forms of applications)

2. How is the material made? What are its components and where do those components come from?

3. What is the process to make the material? What are the byproducts of the process?

4. What is the materials’ intended or primary use and user?  What is the life span of its primary use?

5. Does the material have precedent for recycling, reuse or adaptation?

6. With the information gathered, propose an innovative new life.

Assignment #3: Community Letter

Students, please come to this Tuesday's class prepared with your edited letter to your assigned community organization.

homework assignment 1

Yeah theres touch screen phones, and touch screen computers that belong on tables, but whos heard of a touch screen table? obviously the person who designed this was thinking about being fun, but somewhere in his thoughts he thought of function, accessibility, and style. the design of the structure also compliments the table itself in style and support. this is a perfect table for dorms, homes, and offices for quick use.

Assignment #2, due Thursday 17th

Community outreach and partnership initiative

Assignment #2: Off the Hook

Being that it is already Monday afternoon, there will be no new assignment for tomorrow.

However, you each should have posted 1-2 words on the glossary page by now.

Also, those of you who have yet to post Assignment #1 on the blog, please do so by 10:00am tomorrow morning. Also, Carlos, please post the summary of last class by 10:00am as well so that we can stay up to date.

Tuesday + Thursday schedule:
Finalize table design and build table
Community mapping
Begin community outreach letters

i believe that this table has its own personality, its cool its a table that wants to be used for more things than just putting things on top of it, it wants to be used for storage, cooking, and even learning. the person behind this unique design must have been very smart and a person who likes to build things and is very interested in technology.

fire table

this table caught my eye because it is somthing you dont see everyday. A table with fire coming out of the middle, that's nifty. i believe this table was made to give the consumer an out doorsy feel even though they are inside. or it could simply be used for cooking without having to leave the table.

Funky Loop Table

This table is in a loopy shape and has a funky type deal going on. I think the maker of this table wanted this table in a futuristic looking home for a young bachelor. This table may intertain the eye of an esteemed house guest.

Homework #1

When I look at this table it catches my eye a lot. I see its attitude as fun and exciting. The person who made this table was thinking about how to have a good time. This table would be great to have at a party.

My Table

My table is an ipod table. This table is more of an abstract/creative table. It's personality is fun. It supposed to be a little goofy and off edge. It has a modern attitude to it due to the technology its made after. My guess is, the person who designed this table is a very modern person. They are into the latest technology and the things of now and uses it to influence their work.

Chess Table

My table’s name is Omar. He was born in Arabia. He is a happy table because people use him to play checkers and chess at the park. The person that built this table loved to play checkers and chess. He was the best chess player in the family. He got sick of playing in his house and wanted to play somewhere comfortable like the park. He decided to build a table in the park so he could play and be comfortable at the same time.

Home work #1-Ruiz

when I look at this table it has two attitudes. On one side as you can see it gives you a fun side with a small pool table. On the other side it shows you a regular table which keeps the pool table pretty hidden.I can see this table being made for a person who would like to utilize their living area.

Home work #1-Ruiz

my table design is simple but yet complex enough for it to have the structural stability that it needs for it not to wobble and allow four it to still be accessible form all four sides.

Eboney: Assignment 1

When I look at this table I think of the future, or the jetsons. It has a sassy attitude with a hint of classyness. This table isnt meant to be used for coffee mugs, and decoration would take away from its unique look. Who ever built this table is a laid back person and has good style and puts the most random things together perfectly.

G Harvey: Assignment 1

I interpret the personality of this table as playful in many ways: the first and most overt is due to its dual functions of door / ping-pong table.  The table/door exhibits other playful attributes beyond its function as well.  It allows itself to be seen from both sides which is atypical for a table. Most interesting is its treatment of simply being a nested door that oddly pivots at the center point of its frame along an unexpected axis.

Image from http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~cook/movabletype/archives/2007/06/playroom_ideas.html

homework #1

It's strong because i drew 2'4's going accross the bottum of the table for support, so that it doesnt bend anywhere in the middle. I drew half circles on the bottum of the legs so that the base of the legs are wide so it wont shift back and forth. I drew wood connecting the top of the table to the legs for extra support. I made them small instead of big because if their big you wont have any room to put your feet under. The style of the table is circles. The top of the table has like a flower of circles where you can see through the table. Theres two rows of cirlces that go along all four sides just to make the table look nice, but id like the circles to be metal because the metal will hold the legs tight. The circles under the legs just go with the style of the table. This table would be used for more of a fancy dinner type thing. Like in a dining room or in a resturant. I designed this table to be strong and sturdy but also so that it looks nice. I was thinking if i went to go shopping for a table I'd want one that looks nice but is also strong, i just started drawing and it came too me.

Joshua: Assignment 1

 

"I'm an explorer, a traveling poet, ready to look at the world from a different point of view. I get antsy staying in one place for too long... I was born to move. 2x4's, 1x4's, and recycled bike parts--these are the ingredients that make for real adventures, all for close to $free.99. My top is structurally reinforced with a central 2x4 so I can support passengers of all shapes and sizes. A wandering surface is made of wood planks, each one cut precisely to line up with its neighbor. Two small legs enable the table to stand free, without the bicycle that is typically attached. These small details, signs of craftsmanship and care, tell the world that I am important, that I matter, that I belong, and that I can be the start of a meaningful conversation... wherever it happens to take place."

Assignment 1: A table with personality

PART 1:
A Table with Personality--

...draw, sketch, model, build, photograph, conceptualize, materialize...

a table

...now describe, in words, its personality. with what attitude is it built? how does it want to be used?
 tell a story about the person who built this table... and upload to the blog.

DUE - 9:00am Thursday, Feb. 10



PART 2:
Glossary of Terms--

Add new words to the class terminology page.
"www.metourwords.blogspot.com"

To be continued throughout the semester.