so close...yet so far.

stealing the router...

sanding...


most of the chair...HOTT.

Weee!!

SUMOlicious

Nate and Jason's recent test run:





Katy's SUMO man:

foamtastic

All inner foam ribs are cut and glued in their pieces (5 layers thick). And our hands are covered in Gorilla glue/every particle of anything in the woodshop.

CNC update

We've been working hard all day so far (and some of us last night) getting this foam cut - the foam is well on its way to completely cut, and the glueing process has started. Here are some process photos for you.

securing it to the CNC bed


CNC router in action


sanding off the tabs


jig set up for glueing

spreading glue


lining up the foam on the glue

the layers are compressed by scrap wood and left to dry

!

megaTunnel

The subways have long been occupying the subterranean spaces of cities, and roads have cut through mountains and cliffs in the form of tunnels. Boston's "Big Dig" is an attempt to drop the major arteries of traffic below the city to expose space for beauty and leisure in place of chaotic traffic.

More important, I think, than the technicalities of what the "Big Dig" project is attempting to accomplish, is what this thinking - traffic below, walking up top - could accomplish if implemented in more cities.

Take, for instance, what this project is attempting to do to the pace of Boston's movement. The quick traffic hurries below ground, while short-distances are accomplished above ground. Two aspects of a day are separated by place: the fast-paced rush hour and the slow-paced lunch hour, for instance. It could mean the displacement of population based upon the time of day. It could mean that the dark underground is associated with fast movement, long-distances and getting from point A to point B, and the day-lit upper ground becomes the place for errands, working, and leisure.

original illustration

Could it be that from 8-9 every morning and 5-6 every night, the underground is lit with streams of headlights and tail lights, while the upper ground remains a calm, walkable city? For an American city, I believe this could be an accomplishment - to combine the incredible efficiency and speed of the American mentality with the leisurely walkable distances of a European city.

original illustration

Because the "Big Dig" will decongest the intense traffic in Boston, people will get from A to B more quickly as well, not having to combine with the slower people, wandering from here to there and parking and such.

While this project is being widely criticized for the amount of money and the technical difficulties it has experienced, I believe (especially now that there is no turning back) that the project is a worthwhile experiment and will truly lead to more urban possibilities in the future of city growth all over the country.

sources:
Boston Central Artery/Tunnel History

images courtesy of:
Boston Central Artery/Tunnel History
Boston Photos

cushion

i've been experimenting with mattress coverings, and on the study model i applied simple egg-crate foam. right now it is pinned to a cardboard backing, but that won't be necessary on the final because of the solid nature of the structure.

i was planning to attempt a covering, but maybe we can discuss leaving foam cushioning exposed. i do think the egg crate foam actually looks pretty hott.

thoughts

I felt that studio was really successful today...sometimes it's good to just be able to work through it and check in to show progress, unless we're really stuck and need some feedback. Or maybe on group projects it is a good idea that some people work while others talk. I do feel that our class-long discussions are important, but maybe not three days a week.

Anyhow, I'm really excited about our progress - it's one thing to have a model, and another to have a model that you can sit in. I think this project is going to turn out better than I'd originally imagined.

proposed materials/budget estimates

This design is SERIOUSLY beyond our budget. We need to make revisions.

Plywood ribs:

• At Lowe's, plywood costs $45.95 for a 4' x 8' x 3/4" oak sheet (7 ply).
• There is also the option to use pine, depending on the other structural considerations, which costs $24.95 for a a 4' x 8' x 23/32" sheet.
• It looks as though each rib area-wise will take about two sheets of plywood, because there is not a good way to orient the pieces in order to fit more wood on one sheet, unless the pieces are divided up smaller. It is proposed that each rib is two layers thick.

Each rib (using pine) would cost about $99.80.
So far there are six ribs proposed, amounting to a total in plywood alone of $598.80.

Joining the ribs would be 9 threaded rods.

• Lowe's has threaded rod (1/2") for $6.47/yd.
• This will require 9 rods, each being 30 inches in length.

The total for threaded rod would be $58.23.

Cushioning and Insulation:

• The cost of a simple twin-sized piece of foam matress pad at Walmart is $9.94.
• Spray foam (cellulose - used in attics) at Lowe's costs $7.97 for 40 sq.ft.
  
• Fabric covering:
• to cover the insulation, we need roughly 205 sq. ft. (2.5 width linear measurement)
• fabrics at Walmart cost anywhere from $0.99/yd. to $40.00/yd.
• selecting a mid-range linen (for durability), it is $4.99/yd.

I believe that 1 twin foam pad will be enough to cushion the occupiable areas, costing $9.94.
The one package of spray foam will be enough - $7.97.
We will need 23 yd. of fabric - costing $114.77.
The total for the cushioning/insulating system is $132.68.

It seems that the biggest challenge will be what to do about the transluscent side panels.

• The side panels must have a level of structural value.
• The most durable and translucent (or available in translucent shades) material is Lexan.
• We need roughly 24 sq. ft. of Lexan , and most widths come in 4' x 8' sheets, so we would need to buy three.
• The best option is Lexan 9034. The best price I found for a 4' x 8' sheet was 1/4" thickness for $307.82.
  
• Half-inch thickness costs $672.60.

The cost of the Lexan, if we go for 1/4" thickness, would be $923.46.


Lowe's and Home Depot both did not have the high-density foam (at least according to their employees) and I am having trouble finding it online. My father's business actually works with Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) which the technical name for what we need, and he is going to email me a powerpoint about it later on tonight.


The total budget (according to the model presented today) that does not include the door, hardware, all AV equipment, material for the handle system and the foam is

$1713.17!!!

Wheel o' Ron

Nate Dicks, Mandi Young, Nicole Carter, Jason Flemming, Melissa Vandiver, Trevor Jordan


The basic focuses of our project are portability, versatility, and privacy. We wanted to provide the occupant with the option of being sealed up for privacy, or occupying the exterior of the space. We maximize these choices by the cylindrical shape: not only does it provide portability, but also the choice to rotate it and occupy it in different ways.

side elevations (wheel is closed)

side sections



front elevation with wheel sealed (left)
front section exposing structure of seat and occupant (right)

Shown in the model and the above front elevation is a sliding door which will contain the monitor and a folding desk. Other proposals for entrance to the enclosed area (one would be chosen based on cost-effectiveness and technical feasability) include zipping into it from the side panel, or making the side panel able to be swung open.




The basic structure would be made of wood, and the sides out of translucent lucite panels. The interior around the structure would be coated in sound-absorbing foam, as well as the exterior seating places. More insulated foam would be placed inside the structure of the seating areas.

9/6/06 Revised proposal

.....and....... Mandi's blog has more

the techniques of sound control

by melissa and nate

Keys to soundproofing:
1. Density- making sound pass through multilayered material with different densities is effective in reducing noise.

Sound Absorbing Materials: cork board, carpet, open-celled foam, wood, chair, person, blankets (fiberglass, felt, wood wool), perforated tiles etc., lead

diffuser panel (diffuses sound to prevent interrupting waves)

foam

spray-in open-cell foam insulation

multi-density composite fiber panel

vinyl sound barrier

2. Isolation- isolating the station from other surfaces by using buffering materials will prevent sound from escaping and entering the station

-Rubber or vibration absorbing buffers between structure and ground/floor/walls

-Cavity within walls reduces vibrations (outer wall furred-out)

3. Shape-the shape of the station will determine how the sound is distributed. Because the station will be relatively small, this is not as important of an issue as materials is, but it could inform the design of the structure and overall shape of the station.

-Concave shapes reflect sound back to the source

-A spherical shape, like the egg chair Katy mentioned, will focus the sound to the center and not allow much exterior noise.

-Absorbent material will be necessary regardless of the shape because of the scale of the project.

Speaker Placement: the issue here is to prevent feedback between the microphone(s) and the speakers. If the speakers are kept in front of the mic, there shouldn't be a problem. A highly sensitive area mic would make Ron's voice echo on his end. A directional mic could solve this problem by placing the mic close to the user. This type of mic, however, should not be pointed in the direction of a speaker or feedback will result.

Here are some proposed methods to controlling the spatial characteristics of sound based on body position and environment. The following are mentioned in Sound:Space by Bernhard Leitner.

speakers are represented by blue circles

dotted lines designate the direction of sound waves
all illustrations are original