Final Boards

Wed Lecture Notes Feb. 29

Materials
-Tectonics - way materials behave in a system
Warhole
-Way to deal with society is to escape it.
70's & 80's
-post modern movement
-escape,lost archives
-confusion about use of materials
-new formal language about the use of history in architecture
-ecological awareness
Smithson
-ecological awareness
-immersion into site
-non-sites
-translating the work done on site
-representation of the work in the gallery space
-non-site is dependent on the "real" site
-how to represent the landscape?
-photography was the primary means of transfer from site to non-site
-smithson referred to these as abstract maps
-smithson liked sedimentation; engages mind, body, nature; the relationship humans have with nature
-both humans & nature are in a state of decay
-he used the decay to create art
-industry and technology have become a part of earth's geology
Michal Heiser
-loved tools; land art
-mechanized means of how these projects could be built.
Double Negative
-trace of the landscape at a huge scale
-displaced tons of earth that was put on the surrounding hills
-Nevada desert
Ava Hest
-testing materials and seeing limits and qualities of materials
-project depended on how much material she had
-"non-art"
-how to make something that doesn't look constructed
Enric Miralles
-Gabbian wall system
-exposes structure system
-allows overgrowth
Lara Almarcegai
-construction materials
Cristina Iglesias
-suspended corridor
-copper wire woven and hung

Fuel Station

Phase one:
- Design rail map around College Station and Bryan using existing roads.
- Explain "bus route" system.

Phase two:
- Design fuel station.
- How is the building supported in the 100 year flood plane?
- How do vehicles receive the fuel?
- How does my building accept and use the trail system?
- What makes my station monumental?
- How does my station induce multiple functions?

Phase Three:
- Design vehicles; rail train and flywheel bicycle.
- How many people can the it hold?
- How fast does it go?
- How far does it go?
- etc...
Phase Four:
- Statitics; pros and cons of this system.

Fly Wheel Research

Fly wheel bicycle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYFDIiBIwLw

The basic idea behind flywheel technology is storing massive amounts of energy in a spinning disc. One of the big advantages of a system like this is that it is entirely mechanical, as opposed to chemical (or batteries). In a mechanical system, everything can be monitered and maintained. In other words, the fly wheel might fail, but it is not going to fail for no reason. We will be able to moniter each system and know if something is going worng and fix it before the system fails.

This is a much more efficient way of storing energy than a battery, but it does have its draw backs. In order to store the necessary amounts of energy to move a car or truck, the flywheel has to be very big. Because of this, the idea for using flywheels seems more practical for trains and possibly 18 wheelers, or any transportation device that is big enough to contain a massive flywheel.

My design will be focused around two aspects. First; a rail system designed for the convenience of everyone in College Station and Bryan. Second; interstate traffic of big trucks that could utilize this technology efficiently. The majority of transportation will be on a sort of "bus route" systems. Personal cars will exist in my scenario, but they will be less common and be run of a different energy source than my fuel station. There will be many of these rail trains that run 24 hours a day. They will come to the fuel station once every couple of days to have their flywheel spun and be able to run off that for the next couple of days. All of these trains will have extremely efficient regenerative braking systems so that making stops does not eat away at their efficiency.

My fuel station will feature a tremendous transmission where these rail trains and interstate trucks will pull up and hook into it to have their flywheel spun. The fuel station will have a nuclear reactor as its initial energy source to power its transmissions along with the stations personal electricity.

Flywheel Bicycle travel will also be emphasized. My group is designing a trail system for our site that will show how bicycle travel will work in my flywheel scenario. The video above shows an actual flywheel bicycle. When this technology is more advanced I think this method of travel could be a very efficient and practical.

Professor Habaerl has recommended me to talk with Professor Pallazeo, who is researching flywheels here on the A&M Campus. He is in the mechanical engineering department and I plan on paying him a visit Monday of next week. I think he will be a good resource to check the practicality of my designs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV_b5oMqc2M

Studioplex

Studioplex is an on-going research experiment. The goal is to design our studio space to promote optimum productivity. The experiments we have so far include; a ping pong table, circular central table with floating bowl, palm tree, wall art including sculpture and king kong, dart board, conference area separate from working tables, wall paper for class notes, and clown bike.

Ping Pong Table: The goal for this experiment is to give us an active outlet for any frustration or confusion we might encounter with our projects. Also it invites a positive social atmosphere for other students outside our studio to join us and mingle.

Circular Central Table with Floating Bowl: This give the whole studio an "axis point", so to speak. Candy and snacks are also placed here, giving a welcome atmosphere.

Palm Tree: This is for decorative purposes only.

Wall Art:
- Sculpture: This gives you something pleasing to look at on the walls in a 3-dimensional scope
- King Kong: This is a 2D picture, but is a very big image, almost covering a whole wall.

Dart Board: Another active outlet for us to use, similar to the ping pong table.

Conference Area: This is an area reserved for class discussions and presentations only. It is good to have this space as opposed to all of us sitting at our desks where there would not be an appropriate place for visuals.

Wall Paper: This is functional and decorative. We can post important notes on the wall, but it also provides a decorative element, similar to graffiti.

Clown Bike: This is a very new exhibit, I'm not sure how people will react to it. It is simply a very little bike that looks funny to ride on. I assume we will use it to make trips around Langford to get a laugh.

Pictures and video research will follow this post to show results of each experiment.

The Tower Conoco on Route 66

The following is from a research analysis of the Tower Conoco and U-Dropp Inn cafe done by ARCHITEXAS, to view the whole paper click on the link at the end of the paragraph:

The Tower Station and U-Drop Inn, constructed in 1936, is one of the finest examples of roadside commercial architecture in the nation. Constructed in the Art-Deco style, unusual for commercial buildings of this scale, the building was designed to attract travelers in a very competitive travel and tourism industry. Despite the demise of such businesses, brought on by the advent of the interstate highway system, the building remains an icon to Route-66 enthusiasts around the world. On any given day, the station is visited by a rich cross section of people from diverse backgrounds, all interested in exploring the vanishing cultural resources along the remnants of the old highway. The Route-66 commercial strip in Shamrock has largely disappeared, but the Tower Station/U-Drop inn remains intact and relatively unscathed. In early 1999, a group of Shamrock citizens joined with the local government to develop a plan for the rehabilitation of their most important commercial landmark. The plan, which focused on preserving the building’s role as a tourist icon, called for the use of the building as avisitor’s center and local chamber of commerce office. The city submitted an application to the Texas Department of Transportation for funding through the Statewide Transportation Enhancement Program, TEA-21, and a rehabilitation grant was awarded totaling $1,746,864.00. ARCHITEXAS, Architecture, Planning & Historic Preservation, Inc. (AT) was commissioned by Phillips Swager Associates and the City of Shamrock to preservation and restoration goals of the city. The recommendations of this Historic Structure Report and Master Plan are based on the Secretary of the Interiors Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Reporting and Reconstructing Historic Buildings. In addition, the project was developed with the guidance of the Texas Department of Transportation who made the rehabilitation possible. The City of Shamrock is committed to the rehabilitation of the station to a 1940c period of significance by preserving materials from this period and removing materials from other periods. This Historic Structures Report and Master Plan was prepared by ARCHITEXAS under the direction of Craig Melde, Principal in Charge and Nancy McCoy, Project Architect, and Jay Firsching, Preservation Specialist along with team of consultants experienced in the restoration of historic properties.

https://www.dropbox.com/home/Gas%20Station%20Research?share=1#/Gas%20Station%20Research:::

Built in 1936. Sits at the intersection of Route 66 and Highway 83 in Shamrock, Texas. The building was constructed as three separate businesses: 1. The Tower Conoco Station, so named for the tall tower gracing its roof. 2. The U-Drop Inn Cafe, named by a local schoolboy in a contest that awarded him $50.00 for his idea. 3. A retail store, never used as such, but soon taken over by the cafe folks for use as a ballroom and overflow dining room. The building was beautiful in its day; neon lighting, deco details and glazed ceramic tile walls. It gradually took a beating, the biggest hit coming in the 70s when it was painted red-white-and-blue and converted to a FINA station. The building operated successfully for most of its life, finally closing completely in the mid 90s. The Shamrock Chamber of Commerce is utilizing a federal transportation enhancement grant (TEA-21) administered by the Texas Department of Transportation to restore the building to its original grandeur. Soon the chamber will occupy the retail space as the Chamber/Tourism office. The Cafe will be restored as a stopping place for weary travelers to get a cup of coffee, a soda or just to play some dominoes and chat with local old-timers. The station is to be restored as, well, a sort of museum of itself; restored to what it looked like as an operating 1940 station so route-66ers and gas station buffs can stop and walk through. The plan also calls for a picnic area, dump station, and travel info kiosk. The beautiful Tower Conoco station was used as the inspiration for “Ramone’s Body Shop” in the Disney/Pixar movie “Cars”.











http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ofMilFXlUk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lpxbDnz_Y0&feature=BFa&list=PLCA016B1BA4CB3BDD&lf=results_main

http://www.360cities.net/image/conoco-gas-pump-shamrock-texas-usa#13.45,-5.07,90.0

Gas Stations

This is a hydrogen fuel station in California. This is Frab Loyd Wiright's fuel station.This station was designde by William Pereira.

This is St. John's Signal Tower, in Portlan Oregon. Older style.

Hike to the B/C.S. border

It was an exciting adventure to say the least. The mystery of not knowing where you are headed seems to produce the most rewarding results. I have included a couple of pictures to accent the more interesting parts. After passing through the "hippy village" of College Station, the first discovery was of a plot of land which could serve as an excellent site for our fuel station.The site appeared to be occupied by a house at one time but has since been cleared of it. Soon after this we located our second site directly across the street. This one was much bigger and had a more open view to traffic. This was where we hit our first barrier while walking the border. After jumping the fence we proceeded on our way. Nothing caught our interest between this first barrier and the second fence that we ran into. After crossing the later, we were halted by thick brush and thorn bushes.
We were forced to circumnavigate the wooded area in order to continue on our exploration. After crossing an apartment complex and residential street, we came to our third and final site discovery. This was a very nice corner lot with as much, if not more, space than the last discovery. I suspect that this will be a popular one when it comes time to select lots for our projects. We commenced to follow the border, crossing a park and a sewage pipe serving as a bridge over a creek. Perhaps the most interesting portion of our trip was discovered next. We seemed to have stumbled upon some kind of a dirt and soil dump for there were piles of Earthy materiel strewn about.

The final discovery we made was of a gardening area where it appeared to be open to any who wishes to start a small garden. Upon emerging from this place we soon found a bus that returned us to our class room in a timely fashion, thus concluding this great adventure.