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