i’ve been super busy doing about 100 other things recently (2 actually, but that is another story) so finally I’m uploading a bunch of images from the class I taught last semester at Utas.  I posted a few previous images of the proof of concept, but these are the final products.

Rhino3D was used as the modeling program, with visualMill being utilized for the CNC milling processes.  The ideas was for students to develop a skillset in free form modeling, in addition to developing an understanding of the implications of ‘organic’ architectural expression.  Emphasis was placed on the embedded properties of the material mediums (expanded polystyrene and concrete) and how they were influenced by the machining process, not to mention that the mould is in reverse and the pattern is positive.

The assessment task was influenced by a project that I completed at IaaC while undertaking my Masters, but the addition of concrete to the mix (bad pun!) added a more permanent element to the UTAS project.  The final objects, 13 of them, currently sit proudly outside the School’s front door!

If i ever get the chance I will write a more detailed description of the project I will, otherwise these images speak for themselves.

One of the classes I teach focuses on the integration of digital processes in architecture and fabrication.  The final assignment for the class it 3D mill a mould from polystyrene and then pour concrete into it to create a solid ‘pattern’.  I needed to prove to the students how quickly this could be done, and that it actually worked so here are some images of the proof of concept.  A bigger post will follow once the class is complete.

An early start awaited me this morning for the 6am bus to Launceston. Fresh snow on the mountain and ice on the windshield.  All I was thinking about was the sun and the sand (i lie actually, i like the cold better than summer).

It has been way too long since my last post, so I’m going to start posting more random things on a more regular basis.  This way the blog will be updated a little more often.  So here is the first of what i hope to be a lot more new posts.  This photo was taken a while back, and similar to the huge library of photos sitting on my hard drive, was dying to to be put online.

As a part of my teaching with the University of Tasmania I run a class called ‘Building Simulation’.  This semester I set my students the task of selecting a famous house constructed during the past 10 years as a case study.  The first assignment was to represent the building using vectorworks and archicad. The second assignment was to translate the previous digital information into cinema4D and create static and animated visualisation materials from it.  Being very digital-to-fabrication orientated, the final assingment was to translate the 3D virtual model into drawings suitable to create scale model of the house and fabricate the model on the schools CNC 3-axis router.

Maison Bordeaux (oma) Dale Cromley + Josh Stones

I gave the students a limitation of 3mm MDF and 1.5mm acrylic as the pallet of materials and set 1:100 as the scale for all groups.  After that it was pretty much at the students whim to add as much (or little) detail in and present it in the best possible way.  I placed a lot of focus on the documentation of the drawing translation and process of fabrication and assembly as I was expecting a lot of mistakes to be made and learnt from during the assignment.  The images included are probably the best examples from the class.

Vinyard Residence (John Wardle Architects) Richard Waterson + Ryan Tubby

Overall I was extremely impressed with the work of the students for this assignment, with many submissions containing a huge amount of detail that I wasn’t expecting to be included.  It creates a very interesting platform for me next year when I return to utas to teach a similar unit with a focus on fabrication, this time in rhino.

Last month I headed up to sydeny for the Biennale of Sydney.  Between bridgette and myself we had 4 cameras and a video camera – slight overkill.  In my defence it was really just my camera that i had use of, everything else was film.  Ayways took me a month to upload these images, but it was really great to be back in sydney.  A highlight was visiting the exhibition at cockatoo island, an amzing decommisioned naval base in the middle of Sydney harbour.

A group of former IaaC students have, in assiciation with the school, created a new on-line magazine called we have NO VISION.  It is aimed to be a magazine that looks at current notions of architecutre and proposes them as a new vision for the future.

My first post,  a vision of architectural research, discusses the current trends in practice based architectural research and proposees a mode in which is can break free of the more traditional ‘research through design’ model that we are currently experiencing.

I was looking over the web for some research info, and i stumbled accross this.

It seems that one of our lecturers has busily been putting our presentations on his blog site, which is obviously all good.  Now that I have found it I can put a link to it on my site!

As you can imagine, now I’m back in Tasmania life has slowed down a little, meaning that I’m posting less often as the other ‘real’ thing in my world take priority. This is great as it means that I’m not spending 16 hours a day in front of the laptop, but also confirms that i should set some time aside for posting and thinking as well.

So to make up for it I decided to post a heap of photos of my two day stop over in london on the way home.  The images above are of the Architecture Associations DRL 10 c-space pavillion, which is a competition open to current and past DRL students (i think).  This year it was won by two guys who are architects with Future Systems (I also think).  More info on the official blog.

This one is also a pavillion by the AA, this time by second and thurd year students.  It make you see what can happen when you ahve alot of money for student projects (smell the jealously).  I was very luck as this opened the day i was there, so my daytime photos (not posted, only on flickr) still show the hoarding around the site.  There is heaps of great info available here.

Promenade by Anthony Caro, as a part of the Royal Academy of Art’s courtyard summer series.

Poly & Chai by Chinese architect Yung Ho Chang as a part of the Victoria & Albert Museum’s China Design Now exhibition.

And finally, two of the large graffiti pieces on the front wall of the TATE Modern.

So that was the end of Europe for me for a while, and now my life is back in Tasmania where I am teaching with the School of Architecture and working at jaws architects.  Hopefully they will bring as much enjoyment as my time in Barcelona – it’s a tough ask, but I’m sure they will be better.  After all, I’m now finally home.

the time has come to say goodbye to iaac (and soon barcelona).  tomorrow will be our graduation, followed by the final fiesta, which if it lives up to it’s reputation should be amazing.

I have transferred all my blog type stuff from the iaac one, to this on, providing me with a platform to continue posting what is happening in my world of architecture and design.

so i guess it is adios iaac!