How do the characteristics and qualities of craft influence the development of form and space to create meaningful architectural experiences?
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN I - ISAAC CASTRO
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The meaning of this semester was to learn the basics of being an architect, while also finding the meanings and characteristics of craft and how it influences creations and development of areas and space. The basics of architecture included hand and online drafting, model building, and using technology to create portfolio's. The two projects we were assigned to create this semester was a bird residence for a randomly selected bird, and a dean's residence in Denton's Old Alton Bridge, also known as "Goatman's Bridge".
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PROJECT I - BIRD HOUSE
For the first half of the semester we were given the basics of architecture and our first project I was assigned to create a house for a randomly selected bird; for me it was the Cave Swallow.
What ARE Cave Swallows?
The Cave Swallow is a small bird with a length of 5.5" and a weight of 0.6 and 0.9 oz, and a wingspan of 13" or 33 cm. The Cave Swallow is a brown, white, and orange bird
Where do Cave Swallows live?
They usually resides in the southern parts of North America, such as Texas and Mexico, along with some parts of South America, such as Ecuador and Peru. Their habitat includes caves, sinkholes, and man-made structures such as bridges and buildings.
What are the diets of Cave Swallows?
The birds diet consists of flying such as moths and flies, but they also consume non-flying insects such as grasshoppers, which allow them to eat on-the-go.
What are some of the predators of Cave Swallows?
The Cave Swallow's predators include hawks, snakes, cats, kreshels, owls, and falcons.
Where do Cave Swallows live?
They usually resides in the southern parts of North America, such as Texas and Mexico, along with some parts of South America, such as Ecuador and Peru. Their habitat includes caves, sinkholes, and man-made structures such as bridges and buildings.
What are the diets of Cave Swallows?
The birds diet consists of flying such as moths and flies, but they also consume non-flying insects such as grasshoppers, which allow them to eat on-the-go.
What are some of the predators of Cave Swallows?
The Cave Swallow's predators include hawks, snakes, cats, kreshels, owls, and falcons.
How did the characteristics of Cave Swallows influence your design choices?
The Cave Swallow's habitat, their and their predators' sizes, and my wanting for easy entrances led to both of my concept sketches.
Bird House concept designs
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For the first design on the top you can see the arms and the major body, with the arms having multiple holes that allow entry through both sides, with the body having a top hole that penetrates through both sides of the body, and a hole on the bottom made out of glass as to allow the public to see.
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Bird house concept sketches on butterpaper.
First concept(top)
Second concept (bottom)
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For the second design you can see a city-like structure, i made it with the intention of allowing Cave Swallows to be able to edit and modify it however they would want, with my concept as the base for the habitat.
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Final Bird House Design
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Whyd you choose this design?
I chose this design due to how interesting the arms were along with being able to confuse or be ignored by predators due to its tree-like design, allowing for the Cave Swallow to be able to enter and leave how they like. and to be able to live together.
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PROJECT II - DEAN RESIDENCE
For the second half of the semester we were instructed to design a residence for a dean with the location being in Old Alton Bridge, also known as "Goatman's Bridge" The residence was to be constructed using the four following crafts; metal working, glass working, wood working, and ceramic working.
Who IS the dean?
The dean is a laid-back man who sometimes houses students who need it, the client is usually calm under pressure, with water helping him stay calm during stressful situations, he works in the glass and ceramic industry teaching classes.
Dean residence concept designs
My first design (Left) was influenced via the Frutiger Aero aesthetic, Roman architecture, and AT&T Stadium, which led to my design of using pillars and tons of water, with a dome at the top of the building.
My second design (Right) was influenced via microscopes and magnifying glass, which I believe couldve allowed for a solar energy powered building.
Dean Residence Final Design
I chose this design as a mixture of both, including both glass and water, including the dome and the Frutiger Aero aesthetic vibe that emits from both designs allowing for my dean to stay calm.
