The Expansion of My Horizon

            Throughout this project I have learned a lot, not only about what I thought I was going to learn, but also a multitude of unpredicted things as well! I researched a variety of concepts and acquired a comprehensive knowledge in a broad range of categories. I focused on researching Intermodal Steel Building Units (ISBU) or shipping containers, and the application of these components as housing accommodations; as well as, architectural principles, such as insulation, foundation, and component clearance. I soon found though, the more I learned the more I needed to research in different areas. Insulation research turned into extensive research on insulation types, wall composition, heat transfer and thermal resistance, and so on! Then the foundation was not simply deciding the foundation type, it involved research into the region’s soil properties and load calculations. And with the component clearance, I had to integrated math and physics principles in the application of spatial design—let me just say, this is no piece of cake! I even learned about the military! Seeing as I WAS designing for the military it only made since I knew how many personnel made a squad and that four squads make a platoon! Not to mention, the military actually has a program, JOCOTAS (The Joint Committee on Tactical Shelters), that calls for housing reform—which is exactly what my project provides! But these are only the concepts I learned from the research alone, there was SO much more to this project than just research!

            I designed in a whole new software I had never used before—Autodesk Revit, a Building Information Modeling software. This presented its own set of challenges and knowledge base. I learned the software from the ground up, and even learned how to do some pretty advanced things—as I was designing in shipping containers, which the software interpreted as components not buildings and therefore they worked differently and had to be treated as such. I also worked with designing components I needed but could not find.  I established software communication by designing these components in Autodesk Inventor, and exporting them and importing them into my Revit project. In doing this, I learned how to identify components that have been imported into Revit from another software—as, in the transfer the component becomes a single mass, and usually design materials are lost. In working with imported components, I have not found a way to alter material types, though there is most likely some way that I have yet to discover.  But that is what the software is about—you play around with it enough and there is that “AH HA” moment when you figure out how something is done.

            Project RHEMIDI has been a great experience for me, I not only gained knowledge and insight into the field of architecture, but now I am sure, civil engineering with an architectural back, is definitely the career I want to pursue in college! 

Part Three - The Model

Research Design Project with Professor Williams 

The Site Plan Model is a physical model created based on the 3D Site Plan designed in Autodesk Revit.  Each shipping container is represented by a 4” x 1 ½” wooden block, painted a sandy color for camouflage purposes. These blocks are mounted on a piece of Architectural Butter Board. The board is painted using a mixture of the same sandy color as the containers, a light brown color, and a dark brown, and is painted in such a way as to try to mimic a sandy, silty, texture; however, this did not come out as well as hope, though the mounting board looks pleasing, it does not represent silty ground as best as it possibly could have. After the blocks were mounted in accordance to the 3D Site Plan, labels were created for each of the models.  Next, the area where the 3D Site Plan shows a fountain area with benches for esthetic reasons, the physical model puts to a more practical use.  In the military, there would be an area, enclose by sandbags, designating an assembly area, and this is what that area has become. To represent sandbags, the model uses strips of foam that have lines at intervals to create the look of a line of sandbags.  The painting of these was kind of tricky; at first I tired spray painting them, but that only led to them flying away or dissolving. So, next I tried simply coloring the strips with brown/sandy colored markers, this failed in the esthetics area though. I eventually came to the solution of individually hand painting each strip, and that seemed to work much better. There has also been a flag, held up by a rock pile to add to these embellishments.

Part Two - The 3D Site Plan

Technical Manufacturing with Mr. Reece

The 3D Site Plan features all of my designed units with doors, windows, and footings, as well as a mess hall model and power house models featuring solar technology. Due to the way Revit works, the Site Plan models have been created as separate models, and are only outside representation.  Though it was necessary to create the original models for the architectural plans as Project files, these cannot be imported as components in other Project files.  For this reason, the creation of new models as Family files was required to create this Site Plan.

            The mess hall unit was designed using four forty foot ISBU units in total. The units are in two stacks, two containers high, and are forty feet apart; this design allows a roof to be put in the middle and will serve as a dining area. The bottom containers are intended to be kitchen and food units and the top containers intended for the housing of staff or supplies. The power house containers are designed with solar panels of varying heights facing true South organized around the container. Inside, the container houses large batteries to store this power and electric generators for assistant purposes.  Also located in different areas around the base are back-up generators for specific amenities such as the SCHEMA units and the mess hall.

 

Part One - Architectural Plans

Senior Project with Mr. Stillwell (Mentor) & Dr. Carter (AP Literature)

The plan for each model basically depicts the design work I put into each model and is a good summary of the model itself. For each model a “C” size architectural plan was created, which contained multiple views of the model and if there was room listed some of the design aspects. Creating the actual plans was a very simply process, including orientation and dimensioning. The skill and real challenge came before this I the designing of each model and the researching involved for each. Years ago, the creation of architectural plans and blueprints was an arduous task that required much focus and a steady hand, but with the invention of CAD and BIM software the process is now much simpler—allowing that time to be spent in the design and forethought of the construction.

To see the complete designs for each model click on one of the links below or see the links under Pages to the left:

TASCOH Model

TABS Model

SCHEMA Model

ISBU High Cube

All housing designs start out with the basic ISBU unit.  The RHEMIDI Project designs employ 40ft High Cube units to insure plenty of headway for even the tallest of military personal.  A High Cube is a type of ISBU, that like other containers is 8ft wide and comes in several different lengths but instead of 8ft, it is 9.6ft in height.  The model seen in all RHEMIDI designs is from RevitCity, an online community where once a member one can download projects and families other members have created and uploaded.  Revit software comes with a datebase of components but many components a user may not find; RevitCity can save time and effort by being able to share the components other users create.

40ft x 8ft x 9.6ft Grey High Cube Revit Container 

                                              (L x W x H)

 ^Bottom^

In all views of the model the containers top is removed (as seen below), this is because to design inside the unit and the components be visible the roof needed to be removed.

To see the complete designs for each model click on one of the links below or see the links under Pages to the left:

TASCOH Model

TABS Model

SCHEMA Model

Building Information Modeling

First off, let me start by saying I know about Computer-Aided Design (CAD), I have been using various forms since I was in seventh grade, and have become fairly proficient.  I started in SolidEdge, which is now called SolidWorks, and then upon entering drafting courses switched to using AutoCAD then progressed to Inventor.  But Building Information Modeling (BIM) is totally foreign to me; actually it was not until I started researching that I found out that Revit was indeed not CAD software but BIM.

While both CAD and BIM include geometry, the latter also includes a multitude of building information, making BIM a better choice when it comes to designing a building.  BIM is a newer technology in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry that is not only used for design but also management purposes and in construction and operation as well.  The software makes it easy to track a building from the beginning to the end, or its lifecycle, staring in the conceptual stages of development all the way through to demolition. 

Revit

Autodesk Revit is Building Information Modeling (BIM) software that enables architects and engineers alike to model and design more efficiently.  There are currently three main versions of Revit: Autodesk Revit Architecture, Autodesk Revit MEP, and Autodesk Revit Structure.  Autodesk Revit Architecture is primarily for building design and was originally called Revit Building.  Autodesk Revit MEP focuses on the mechanics of the building; this software’s purpose is to help with mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) design with specific tools created with these purposes in mind.  Autodesk Revit Structure allows structural engineers to build and design structures more accurately and efficiently by presenting design tools specific to building structures and using intelligent models.  Autodesk Revit 2013 is a fusion of the above software, Autodesk Revit Architecture, Autodesk Revit MEP, and Autodesk Revit Structure, in one comprehensive package, and will be what I will be using to design in.

Revit products save BIM models using .RVT files; these models are created using parametric objects or 3D objects and 2D objects called families, and can be imported into projects to create a building.  A family file is identified by a category such as furniture, plumbing fixtures, or generic models, and is created and grouped based on the characteristics of said category.  Once completed, families are saved in .RFA files that can be inserted into projects.  Projects are Revit’s equivalent of the Autodesk Inventor assembly file, if you are familiar with Inventor.  A project file cannot be inserted into a family or another project; they are the final model file and are saved in .RVT files.  Simply put, a project is where the building model is assembled with some new creations while families are the components placed in the project.

The Irony of Overlooking

As I started working more and more on this project it became clearer that I was going to need to see a shipping container for myself, so I set out to find one.  At first I looked on the internet for places that sold shipping containers, and there were plenty but there were none too close to home.  Then to make matters worse, the places that were close were only open from seven to four Monday through Friday, and seeing that my school hours are from eight thirty until three thirty this was going to be tough.  I had just decided I would get up early and be waiting down there when they opened at seven one morning, when Mr. Reece (my Technical Manufacturing teacher) opened my eyes.  Mr. Reece asked me if I had seen the shipping containers down by the track—right then it clicked: I didn't have to find a shipping container company I was surrounded by a world of shipping containers.  On my way home that day I saw all the shipping containers I was previously blind to; there were three right one campus and another one in the parking lot at my dad’s office.  All I can say is that it is amazing what you can overlook, when you overlook in the wrong places. 

Possibilities

Container homes are being used for everything from disaster relief to college dormitories and everything in between.  With so many options out there, I thought I could not possibly choose which to design for.  One might have more constraints, more creative freedom, or more specifications; I had to weigh the pros and cons of each choice.  I finally narrowed it down to three options: disaster relief, group homes, or military housing.  Disaster relief was a good option as there is a growing need in this day and age for quick, portable, and cheap relief housing.  I would not have to worry so much about specifications and space would not be as much of an issue, but I would be very limited in my creativity as the design would need to have limited on sight set-up, as well as just being the bare minimum of temporary housing.  Group housing was on the other end of this.  I would have total creative freedom, but would have to worry about specifications, space for multiple persons, and permanent housing.  Military housing was the perfect medium.  It offers me an amount of creative freedom with my design, while still being temporary housing and not having to worry about the small space and the comfort factor.  Though a drawback is the military does have strict specifications I will have to design too, but with further research I found that was a good thing as there is not much other readily available information about container home specifications.

            In proceeding with designing container housing for the military, I needed to pick an area to base my simulation off of; I choose the deserts of Arizona as the climate simulates that of the climates of the Middle East and I can easily get the numbers I need about Arizona.  Arizona was also a good choice as though the days are brutally hot the climate is very arid which suits container living very well.

Here is a mind blowing website about the different uses of shipping containers

http://www.tempohousing.com/projects

What I Know Now… and What I’ll Know Then

Through my years in high school, I have taken many engineering courses and have found that my passion lies within this field; but as engineering encompasses a myriad of categories, I have not even begun to scratch the surface.  I have completed courses in general engineering, engineering drafting, math, and physics, which has given me a good base in engineering, but those have only given me the technical side of engineering. Lately, I have become quite interested in Civil Engineering; therefore I decided to take my endeavor in architecture. I will learn the design principles and concepts behind structures, and integrate my prior knowledge of material testing, 3D analysis, and fundamental engineering principles, to create a project that builds and expanse my horizon of knowledge.

The architecture work and design are a learning stretch for me as I have never done architecture before.  Not only will I be learning to design in different software, Autodesk Revit, but I will be finding a way to get Revit and Inventor to communicate, increasing workflow.  I will also have to do extensive research before the designing is even started.  I will need to learn about insulation and the insulating of homes, and then apply the knowledge to insulating the container, as space requirements do not permit the use of standard housing insulation.  I will also need to learn about housing foundations and come up with one that is suitable for the purpose at hand—considering the landscape being built on, stability, and move-ability   This is just the beginning of what I will need to research, and these are only some of the topics I know that I need to research--who knows what I will find I will learn once I get started!

The Container Housing Project

Many shipping containers are retired to landfills each year to rust, a waste of materials and space.  A growing trend in Europe is re-purposing these old shipping containers as homes, both economical and green use, and I plan to bring this idea to the U.S. 

For my Senior Project, I plan to research and design container housing for military purposes to reach the most efficient use of materials, both economically and environmentally.  Container housing is beneficial to the military as it is efficient to transport with limited assembly and can either be used as storage or lived in on the way to the destination.  The project is a collaboration of three class projects in which each will bring a different element to produce a larger project, with three distinct products: floor plans, a site plan, and a physical model.  To pull off a proficient and useful model will require close attention to detail in the design, organization of space, and introspection of concepts such as insulation and foundation.

Designing container housing for the military not only coincides with my academic studies and career goals, but is an environmentally and economically better way to house troops overseas.  I plan to study Civil Engineering in college and this project will help give me a holistic prospective of this field and the architecture behind it.

The Product Breakdown

Architectural Plans: For my senior project product, I am designing the floor plan of a staff officer’s quarters and the general housing for a squad inside of shipping containers, to maximize function space and minimize cost.  The final design will be created/drawn in Autodesk Revit 2013.

3D Site Plan: In my Technical Manufacturing class with Mr. Reece I am designing a 3D representation of the layout of the military base housing built from the shipping containers in the Revit software.

Physical Model: In my Research Design class with Professor Williams I will build a model of the Site Plan I have created in the previous class.

I am very excited about this project and am looking forward to getting started.  This blog will be a way that not only my teachers, but I, myself, can track my progress throughout this semester and project.