Canopy Re-Design

Well, the round canopy design did not work out. So now we are looking at a design that uses a complex network of wood that forms a curvilinear form that would be supported by two telephone poles and cables. This is strictly a concept and will probably end up being redesigned.

Stewardship South T-Shirts

Here it is! After much diliberation a t-shirt design was finally approved and should be available by Friday, February 15th.

Structure Design

(concept canopy cluster)

Building on the previous post, this would be the basic structure for our canopy form. This kind of structure was picked for its elegant simplicity and minimal impact on the site.

Concept for park canopy.

Frei Otto and A Direction for Our Studio Project

Olympic Stadium in Munich 1972

Test umbrella structure in Cologne 1971

In our studio project for Clemson's Jaycee Park, our studio group decided that a some form of canopy structure would meet the needs of our site. Unfortunately, no one was quite sure how that structure might look or how we could make it. After doing some research and much deliberating, we decided that the work of Frei Otto, particularly the umbrella structure above, would be a good direction to head. We decided a design like this would limit our need to disturb the site with excessive structure, hide the structure to create a more sculptural elegant design, and would produce a very intricate play of light and shadow with lights mounted inside the structure. We would like to use piezoelectrics in the walkways to make these lights interactive.

We are also considering morphing this design to so the umbrella acts as shelter and backdrop for the stage. The fabric on the structure would be a net of recycled plastic that should provide the play of light. Further developments are to come!

Frei Otto is an engineer that was one of the pioneers of tensile fabric structures. He has worked for over 50 years developing new methods and technologies to create lighter and more creative architecture.

New Semester - New Projects

This semester our design/build studio will be working on two sites within the Upstate of South Carolina. One is an outdoor stage in the Jaycee Park in Clemson and the other is a memorial park for a community in Pendleton. The Clemson site is a very personal site for me because I have spent a lot of time there with my wife and son over the past four years. I am extremely excited to be a part of this project to give something back to the park and the community that will hopefully inspire others over the years. My only concern for this project is our timeframe. We only have till the end of the semester to design and build whatever we decide on and I am concerned that there just is not enough time to build a well designed, well crafted work.

The Pendleton site is a much different site. This site already has a memorial on the site and is situated not on a commercial corridor, but at the fringe of a very poor neighborhood. The current design is very interesting from an architectural theoretical point of view but, I think, does not seem to address the pressing needs and concerns of the people living in the area. As we progress through the design process for this site, I hope that we can instill some meaningful functionality for the community. If we can, relations between this community, Clemson University, and Pendleton should improve, even if that improvement is minuscule. The most difficult part of designing something for this site will be in how to incorporate what is already there with something new in a meaningful, functional way.

Good luck to us all!