ARCHitecture 243-

MATERIALS AND METHODS

woodbury university//fall 2018//

INSTRUCTOR: jOSHUA STEIN

team contributions: iris fung, minn maung and velexis arquell

The course is based on developing greater understanding of how material properties affect the way they are used, to further understand factors such as thermal, moisture, and seismic movement, and construction tolerances, and their effect on detailing. Also, to further understand how materials can be used to affect the acoustic, thermal and moisture-protection performance of buildings, to explore the aesthetics of joining materials and understand how architects use joining to create a personal design intention about detailing their project and to fabricate a construction detail in the form of an aesthetically pleasing object, showing an understanding of form, proportion, texture and color.

The project is based on The Broad Museum which is a contemporary art museum which was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfo, at $140 million cost and built by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad in 2015. The Broad Museum is in Los Angeles, a unique location in California. The design of the structure is very clean and crisp. We have narrowed down the design to its basic structure and unveiled the inside of the building by carefully drawing and executing it. We have dedicated our knowledge to master the main structure which is the steel, concrete and GFRC panels. We have researched and figure out how these three work together to make a strong and workable structure for the public when is at full scale. This team project is very helpful to understand how to work in a team and make accommodations to get the best results at the end. We pinpointed the core of the structure and executed the main idea on a smaller scale. My contribution to this project is mainly with steel. I had to learn a lot and practice long hours outside of school time to be able to master mainly welding. I had to learn how to cut precise angels on a steel tube, buff, clean and weld but it was very helpful to understand the complexity of the project.

The project has influenced me, to have more than one plan and be able to have a plan B in case something doesn’t go the way it was planned. This experience has taught me to think and have in consideration how a building works and costs. Because we have to stay in budget, we have planned the material cost and execution to its best so no mistakes were made. While planning to execute the assignment, we always have in mind how the main components will go together. Thus, we have to have in consideration that GFRC panels would hold its weight based on the steel frame and sub-frame. We have to measure exactly where the L shaped anchors are welded to the sub-frame, so it doesn’t shift the GFRC panel axis. Also, we have to have an exact leveled concrete and grout to make sure that everything stands vertically and it doesn’t fall. Thus, by planning ahead of time and making the best judgment possible, we are able to execute the project successfully. Nevertheless, it is an eye-opening experience that provided me with lots of knowledge, experience, and understanding of a building.

The satisfaction at the end gives a person a gratitude experience because it’s something that you have done yourself with your colleagues and it’s not only drawn in a paper but executed to its best. It’s a very helpful experence for architecture students because it provides them with an unforgettable experience for their career.