Now the fun starts...

We now take a look at Vietnam. Phase one involves the analysis of Ho Chi Minh City and it's surroundings. We concentrate on what makes the city work, things that make the city become what it is.

Based on Ms. Lyster's article titled "Landscapes of Exchange: Re-articulating Site" I decided to dwell on the Imports and Exports traffic in Vietnam. Many of the ports are located in and around Ho Chi Minh City making the city the hub of the trade network.

Project number one

A monument to Architecture and space:

Back to the books..... and plots......

Here we are back and somewhat fully recovered from the Spring 2009 Semester. We're challenged already with a huge site as we kickoff the Fall 2009 semester. Well.... all we can do is take it a step at a time.

This semester's objective is to concentrate on urban design in the city of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.... click here to learn more.

But before all that fun starts we're giving a warm-up assignment. I'm relieved because that's exactly what I needed.......

Designing never rest....

It's the end of the semester and things have gotten a little more calm. The requirement for us as students to observe new developments in architecture has been lifted, but it should remain a requirement for us to continue the study without our professors. That's what it takes to be the best. This is just a little picture of what's going on currently.

Jury day...

It's time to present the finish work, and it made me nervous. I didn't know what to expect from these professional architects. Nonetheless, it went well. Here are some pictures of the final models and drawings. The semester is finally over......

Week 15

This weeks has been pretty hectic, and I can only imagine that it will only get worse. I did present what I had done over the weekend on Monday and fixed it for Thursday. Here they are, feel free to leave comments.

Week 14

It's time for drawings to come to a finish and this is just a sample of what's to come.

Week 13

The plans are done, but they can still use some touching up. It's time to wrap it up! Only 7 days left! Its crunch time! Here's what they look like.....

The 3D begins....

The 3D model is finally coming along. These are just some test prints that I made to check out what I have done..... looks ok so far.

Week 12

We started our detailed section drawing by hand and digitally to further explain our design. This was and still is an interesting process in where the little details that make the design work are presented.


I also found out this week that the way I was applying my skin wasn't working.... so it was back to the skin detail for me..... Below I show why the skins don't really work.

Now for the progress....

Things are finally looking better and better as we come toward the end of the semester. I've discovered that a nice big atrium will make my space work and function better.

Well the next week comes, and I barely have anything to show. Still lost, I worked long and hard to come to a model that I thought was interesting. Yet I've come to realize, thanks to my critics and peer reviews, that it was problematic. It didn't make sense but here I'll show it anyways.... My goal for next week is to take a step back to what looked better and more promising.

Floor plans started really slowly to the idea which didn't work very well. I was pretty upset and lost. I didn't know what to do with these sets of plans. They looked ugly and boring. So I thought for next week I'll build a model instead......

Back to the drawing board for me........ but now I was catching on to something. Well at least I thought I was.

Now I believe this had to be the best idea I have thought of throughout the process. A structure that would not alter the views of the highway from a distance.




Did I mention that I tried to build a quick section of this?
Well, it didn't look too pretty.....

It was the time to capture ideas from other architects such as Ando with his HHHstyle.com building. Not exactly the way to go, but the PBS building sure did help a bit. An idea of a floating seesaw came to my mind as a potential design.

It's already tough as I start to develope an idea for this assignment. But that's what is all about.

..............................

I feel lost.... I feel like nothing.... I need help.... I need a break.... but I need not to give up!

The Drawer

The image of an optical illusion of a black hole was projected into the drawer of a flat file to illustrate the purpose of the drawer. The projection tries to illustrate that the drawer is more than just a storage unit, rather it is a unit used to hide beautiful work! It assist in keeping good work from the eyes of the viewers.

The project did not turn out the way it should have be. It should have concentrated more on the geometry of space around rather than tell a story. I have learned a valuable lesson while working on this project! It has shown me, from others' work, that any space can become interesting. That any space can become interesting with one simple move. I hope to use steps similar to these taken to help me become a better student. There were many works that I have to appreciate for it's great effects. Please feel free to click on the links under the "Studio Folks" title to view the intelligent works. My favorite has to be Vi's.

Building with ADs!

Talk about an attention snatcher, the job of an AD!!! I've seen building size advertisements in California, but this weird. It's just crazy what people think about these days! I wouldn't necessary say that this is an ugly building, but I wouldn't say it's a pretty one either, but I can surely say that it pretty darn interesting. Not everything that catches your eyes and attention has to be beautiful or out right ugly! It can just be different and bizarre compared to the normal perception of a typical idea. It's a brilliant way to cover the facade of a building. I like this building though I have no opinion on how it looks. The point of the idea is the building should be more then what is typically expected. This is evidence of thinking outside the box and out of the norm! Although it is very much cluttered, it is very interesting at the same time. It's not only a building, but a gigantic billboard!

New nose!

I was browsing around on the net and found this picture. It's pretty interesting in where it shows the relationship of the cup to the human face while they drink from this cup. Gives you a chance to see how'd you look in a new nose before the plastic surgery!!! :-P

This is the real beginning!

Sometimes the simple things in life are the most beautiful......

Spring 2009 semester has just begun, and I'm eager to take on the exploration and discovery that awaits!!!