Monday, July 25, 2011

observing one's dominion


Many designers like to feel on top of their projects, virtually and figuratively. Using images like this during design development might work for office politics or designer-builder relations, but what end-user ever encounters a building from this angle? Once it's approved, it's a little late to say "Gee, the parapets seem out of proportion." The project above ended with a comic compensation for such oversight. 

3D modeling is now so well-embedded in building industry software, it's easy to periodically examine a project from the user's eye level. If true perspectives are not possible, track a project via elevation, perhaps with figures for scale. Elevations may miss the dimension of depth, but they approximate the user experience more accurately than the above type of view (isometric paraline.)

A designer should know how to request a specific view from software. It's important for design students to understand the basic geometry of linear perspective, since any 3D modeling software is built on classic geometry. At least for now. 

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

urban geology


Charles Dilworth, architect@STUDIOS. Gravel by Ma Nature
Here is a building context I simply had not foreseen when making the schematic illustrations for this project! Construction of the transit center in downtown SF has accelerated a depositional environment at the foot of the (75% complete and holding) Foundry Square. In geologic time, it won't be long before the materials of 1st and Howard will in fact become part of an alluvial fan.