Hi all,

Well done as I suggested in class the projects that were handed in showed a high level of effort and ability so congratulations to the whole group for passing well. Hopefully the two projects this year have prepared you well for your final year of MYP…but now it is time to celebrate and enjoy the summer holidays,

Have fun,

Dr T

Well that has come around very fast hasn’t it – the end of the wondrous eco-house project – although as you have all been using your project management – Gantt chart maybe it is not so much of a surprise to you! Note you will have normal lessons next week during the exams so two more double lessons to complete the project – phewww!

Remember here are some of the final things you need to do: -

1. Finish 3 developed designs – checking that that are fully analysed and annotated against specification
2. Say why you have chosen final design
3. Meet with client to discuss final design – show evidence of this with any changes needed
4. Produce final design drawings – including Isometric, Plan (with scale), side views etc
5. Produce final CAD Model – and views movie making sure to email me a copy as soon as you have finished
6. Make sure final design is annotated with eco features and checks against specification
7. Follow testing plan – showing evidence of tests
8. Meet again with client for feedback on eco-house
9. Produce evaluation – please look at guide for what you need to include
10. Organise folder into correct sections making sure everything makes sense, is titled and analysed so that an external examiner could fully understand your thought processes
11. FINALLY – bind your folder and hand in before 3:15 on Friday 11th June
12. Any problems please email Dr Tech – and remember if you need to borrow any resources over the weekend please ask this Friday

Then “Its all over, and it is now” so you can go and enjoy watching the World Cup ~

Hi all! Well you should now be deep into your creative designing of your Ec0-House – by next Tuesday when I will recheck and interview re your progress against your Gantt project management chart. Here is where I believe you should be:-

• Initial Design Sheets finished – around 2 A3 sheets with sketch Isometrics, details, plan views and annotation showing creative ideas for your designs of your eco-house.
• From these initial designs choose 3 or 4 to develop the design for…
• For each of your developed designs draw an Isometric, a Plan to scale, have a Sketchup CAD model and views printed and make sure to add annotation about whether your designs fulfills the specification
• You can start maybe also to do some modeling in card and paper to help you realise your design in 3D – also make sure that you are thinking about scale of your design by adding people to your drawings – see the Metric Handbook for ideas of how to show people easily.

I will be away on Wednesday so make sure to work hard and be ready for seeing me next week to discuss your design work…

Dr T

Now you have finished your investigation and planned your next 7 weeks time to get the fun part and start designing and for homework this week (Due Tuesday!) you need to produce your first brainstorm of ideas for your ecohouse design. Like the sheet below this should be full of interesting and wild ideas – try to do lost of sketches showing shapes, plans etc with both 2D and 3D drawings.

The most important thing is to be creative – it is the quality of ideas rather than drawing that counts at this stage – so make sure you are using your inspiration moodboard for the design work – you can also always use your sitemap as the start for designing floorplans. Always make sure if you are stuck that you go and look for ideas and inspiration from elsewhere. I often go to a site called Design Boom for some amazing design inspiration.

Please make sure you border and title your first brainstorm initial design sheet – I am looking forward to seeing your first ideas next week.

Welcome back and already you will have some new targets – this final term and quarter is short and by the end of the semester you will need to complete all parts of the design process for your Eco-House project.

You next target will be for the 28th April next Wednesday :-

1. Improve investigation and any other points discussed during your assessment interview with me yesterday
2. Add a moodboard to your investigation which will inspire your design – maybe an architect, fashion design, nature – as many pictures and photos as possible that can inspire the shape and aesthetics of your design
3. One other piece of research – up to you but must be something worthwhile that will influence your design
4. A complete bibliography – including where all pictures and photos came from
5. Write a specification that clearly links with all research undertaken – make sure this is clear and bullet pointed
6. Write a paragraph and small table with 3 tests you might undertake to check your design meets the specification and is sustainable
7. Produce a GANTT chart for your plan section to organise and project manage the rest of the time you have on this project.

So you ask what is a GANTT chart – it is simply a project management tool that is visual so everyone in a project design team can complete work to set deadlines. Remember if you do not complete the work in the real design world – you do not get PAID!

There is one application that is free to download and can be used for creating your own GANTT chart easily: -

• Gantt project -This software is also on the school computers and is simple to use – you can follow this video if you find it tricky – http://www.teachertube.com/members/viewVideo.php?video_id=10418

As the picture above it simply shows through the use of bars the time taken for each part of your project, when each part ends and another part begins. So when is your final deadline you ask -well at the end of the semester so 11th June to complete the final three sections of your project – design, create and evaluate. More about those next week!

Hello happy campers, well we are now truly into the project and you have your first major deadline to complete for the end of next Wednesdays lesson.

When you hand in your folder it should be fully organised in the correct order, all work must be titled with analysis and reasons why you have undertaken the work. If any pictures or photos are just added in without annotation they will be ignored – you have been warned ~

Remember you should have the following in your folder in this order: -

1)Discussion on Guided Question – one A4 page

2)Brief – explanation of problem

3) Brainstorm of things to research – related to sustainable design and eco-houses check the SDA website as a beginning

4) All drawings so far titled with basic explanation of what the drawing styles are and where you would use them

5) Print outs with annotation of your SketchUP skills and tutorials you have completed with reasons why

6) Your site – with analysis, why chosen etc

7) Evidence of your IN-DEPTH  interview with your client – e.g. questions and answers

8 ) 3 in-depth pieces of research with full analysis -and what you have learnt to take forward in your design

Remember to check your guide for further information and help with your progress. Any questions you know who to call…and while you are calling why not watch an inspirational video about bio-mimicry and sustainable design.

This weeks homework involves two elements:-

1) Drawing a 3D drawing of a house from a 2D plan drawing
- You will need to download a JPG of the plan shown below (or if your prefer choose your own from the Centex Homes website – http://www.centexhomes.com/Plan.aspx?nbrid=46711&plnid=387439 ) – by clicking this link – YES this one.

Wow what a houseplan...

- Once you have done that you will need to watch the following tutorials over at YouTube – Model a House 1 and Model a House 2 (Yes I have chosen Youtube as hopefully it is more reliable but also embedded them below.

2) Once you have drawn a plan in 3D then have a go at drawing your own home/house/flay – go as far as you can manage choosing to do the interior or the exterior. Remember the more you practice the better you will get!

Please send both SketchUP models as last time to my school email address. And next week we will see who will be on top of the SketchUP throne.

(Whose design is this above do you think?)

Time for a little rest from Technical drawing and CAD work – and start to look and research behind the world of architecture and some of the most famous architects in the world.

What do you have to do – well simply choose an architect and building from the list below – you can do this in pairs or on your own depending on how you would prefer to work.

• Michael Reynolds – Earthship Biotecture
• Le Corbusier – Notre Dame du Haut
• Tadao Ando – Westin Awagi Island Hotel
• Rem Koolhaus – Seattle Central Library
• Jan Kaplicky (Future Systems) – Selfridges Birmingham
• Zaha Hadid – Vitra Fire Station
• Frank Gehry – Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
• Mies Van de Rohe – Farnsworth House
• Santiago Calatrava – Tenerife Opera House
• Frank Lloyd Wright – Falling Water

You will have only one double lesson and homework + 20 minutes of the next lesson to bring together a visual presentation that must do the following:-

1. Give some background to the architect
2. Show drawing and pictures of their buildings
3. Show a mini review with diagrams and floor plans if possible of the named building
4. Discuss whether the architect has considered sustainability issues
5. You must have a large A2 sheet – for presentation
6. You must be able to present in 5 minutes
7. You must final discuss your own points of view on the architect and their work – and say what you have learnt that you might take forward in your designs

Presentations will be on Wednesday next week…

Related articles by Zemanta

• Why Zaha Hadid’s MAXXI Works (online.wsj.com)
• House Life in a Koolhaas (blogs.nybooks.com)
• Frank Gehry: The Houses (coolhunting.com)
• Stay overnight at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater (gadling.com)

Example SketchUP drawing – Woo Hooo…

Well Grade 9′s as well as practicing your Isometric drawing skills you will need to be able to draw your designs using the Computer Aided Design application of SketchUP. You should have all downloaded it by now…but if you haven’t click here to go and download it. How do you learn how to use it – well that’s easy you do not need to depend on Dr Tech for help when you can learn yourself. What is the easiest way to learn – you guessed it follow some tutorials. Here are a selection of tutorials you might like to try:-

• Tutorials videos from Google themselves
• Aidan Chopra has put together a massive series of YourTube Video Tutorials which are excellent and start from beginners and then get more and more difficult

So now you have seen some of the tutorials – here is your homework (note these videos can take a long time to load – if so go to the Go 2 School site and download them from there. The first three tutorials everyone must do – the fourth tutorial anyone that thinks they are a CAD genius can have a go:-

1. Fun Curvy Project – goto Youtube or watch the embedded video below and complete the interesting shape – http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&feature=channel_page&v=DsGJ9i1CB8o
2. Secondly another easy tutorial to follow – simply download this PDF file and follow the instructions to create another simple shape with a little more details and features – ObjectTutorial
3. Go through the Follow Me Roof video TUTORIAL 6- and again print out a copy to go in your portfolio and email a copy of your file to Dr Tech. (Or download from this web address – http://media.libsyn.com/media/atotheo/school_tss_005_h264_640.m4v )
4. (FOR THOSE THAT THINK THEY ARE A GENIUS!) Go through a Model a Lantern using this video from (Download from this web address – www.media.libsyn.com/media/atotheo/Model_a_Lantern.m4v)- Model a Lantern – TUTORIAL 1. Print your finished lantern – and email a copy of the SketchUp file to Dr Tech.

You will have one week to complete these drawings (Due Wednesday obviously – as I always give you one week for homework) – and must email them to Dr Tech’s Firstclass account. Any problems please see Dr Tech before Wednesday!

Congratulations to all Grade 10′s  – Well done at handing in on deadline and making such a great effort with this project Moderation will happen on Thursday – and you will receive semester grades next week. Remember your final Technology grade is a combination of both projects – IT and DT this year so good luck in your next project.

Here’s the second manipulation thanks to Mr Quinell – better than my first attempt I think…

Wow how weird?

Can you recognise anything in the photograph? I will hopefully get around to manipulating it a little better and then will also publish these results. Good luck in the final week of your project hand-in.

Remember check the video for advice about developing…

You should develop for about 10-15 seconds, or so. Once the color starts appearing pull it out.  Then into the stop bath for about 10 seconds, and finally the fixer for at least two minutes (very important!) Remember to rock or agitate the tray at each stage so the chemicals fully cover the paper surface.  Here is another link to some great and simple advice so read it!

When taking the photograph remember to not over expose – and the exposure time depends on the type of daylight that you are observing generally between 5 and 12 seconds – longer when cloudier and darker!

Next week I will have a final look before doing your semester grades….

Remember you will have to 5th February so not much time to complete projects- so get making NOW!

Dr Tech

Well second snow day so just time for a quick reminder that because you could not hand in your folders for the deadline on Wednesday – I have changed the deadline to next Tuesday 12th, by the end of the lesson. With all this extra time you are getting there should be no comlaints about too much work, and your folders should be well organised and brimming with excellent work.

Inbetween all the hardwork do enjoy the snow!

Dr T