Unusual Materials

Key Card Hotel

      The unusual material of subject for this blog is hotel key cards.  These discarded cards were giving to a man named Bryan Berg to construct a hotel made out of them.  The amount of cards used came to a whopping 200,000 of them.  The commissioned “hotel” consists of a guest bedroom, bathroom, and lobby.  This is fully equipped with functioning life-sized furniture, working TV, and functional lights.  The parameters set by the hotel were 400 square feet.  This stunt was orchestrated by Holiday Inn to mark the re-launching of their hotel chain back in 2009.  This took place in Manhattan, New York where they inaugurated the world’s first card key hotel.  The hotel stunt was a five day promotional gig that occurred on September 17^th to the 21^st of 2009.

     Holiday Inn commissioned Bryan Berg to build this key card hotel.  Bryan is a world record-holding ‘card stacker’.  His record breaking started in 1992, where he built his first record –breaking house of cards at the age of 17.  The chain also commissioned him to build a replica of the Empire State Building.  Some interesting facts about Bryan that was surprising in doing research for this blog.  He holds a Professional Degree in Architecture.  He also holds a Master’s in Design Studies from Harvard.  All the techniques he uses today are self-taught.  Bryan was introduced to card-stacking at the age of eight by his grandfather.

     Holiday Inn marked a re-launch of their hotel chain in 2009.  They commissioned him to build a “hotel” out of discarded card keys to make a point that the hotel was going electronic.  The hotel had a lobby, bedroom, and a bathroom.  Bryan himself is a world record-holding “card stacker”.  Upon doing research it was discovered that Bryan holds a Professional Degree in Architecture as well as a Master’s in Design Studies from Harvard. 

References

(1)   http://blog.dn3austin.com/post/268053199/hotel-of-cards

(2)   http://teentweensblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/hotel-made-out-of-200000-plastic-key.html

(3)   http://www.cardstacker.com/about.html

PSC LEED visit

    

     Before Thanksgiving break, we went to PSC to see the east building that is LEED certified.  Our guide for the tour was John DeBard.  The building houses the engineering department.  It is 13,800 square feet worth of space.  While the two buildings are separated by a parking lot, a corporate theme is maintained.  The maintenance is done through the use of shapes, texture, color and style, for both interior and exterior fenestration.

     These are the things that both buildings share in the theme being carried out.  The radius of the front wall of the building is concentric with the curve of the street, allowing the perimeter office partitions to fan out on a radial axis (1).  All the perimeter offices and conference rooms have glass walls to allow natural light to penetrate the interior core, while also allowing vistas to the exterior (1).   Skylights centered in the core of the open space brings in further natural light, but is heavily filtered to eliminate glare.  Installation of 56 inch tall cubicles maintain the “shared” natural light and vistas, while also allowing privacy for the employee and sustaining an open, inviting presence which promotes group interaction and participation (1).

     Features of the “green” put into the project are as follows.  There are exterior views for ninety percent of the occupants.  A light control system put in place that senses the occupancy and light levels.  Low-flow plumbing fixtures installed to reduce water consumption.  Waterless urinals installed to make better use of water consumption.  High efficiency mechanical systems and energy management systems were installed in the building.  The duct system is cloth ducts with holes throughout the length of the ductwork.  By going with this type of ductwork, dust settlement issues are non-existent.  Low VOC finishes and recycled materials in building furnishings and finishes round off the “green” features of the building.  Outside, drought tolerant landscaping and a 6,000 gallon underground cistern that collects all the groundwater run-off, roof run-off, and mechanical unit condensate are part of the storm water management that was put in place to provide drip irrigation to the green roof and at-grade landscaping.  A green roof is incorporated in the roof of the building as well.

     The results are a seven percent reduction in natural gas consumption.  A twenty-three percent reduction in electricity was accomplished.  Water usage was reduced by fifty-nine percent.  Finally, a ten percent reduction of sick leave was observed.

     The 13,800 square feet of the east building maintains the interior and exterior fenestration’s corporate themes.  Inside of the building houses the engineering department.  Cubicles are kept at fifty-six inches to allow for some privacy and sustain an open, inviting presence which promotes group interaction and participation.  Many “green” features are integrated in this project that lead to the LEED certification.  

References

(1)   Brochure

(2)   www.team-psc.com

Jeff Seal

 

     

    

This past Wednesday, our class went to tour upscale homes designed and built by Jeff Seal.  The two homes we toured were at 4104 103^rd Street and the other one was a few blocks from it.  The belief in quality and attention to detail was evident in both houses.

     The house on 4104 103^rd Street is a four bedroom, four and a half baths, and Mediterranean Villa styled house.   Some of the features not found in regular homes were a fire sprinkler system, French casement windows, a central vac system, and twelve foot ceilings.  Details such as symmetry, barrel vaults, real wood floors, and different layouts of the firebrick abound in the house.  Custom pieces of furniture and built-ins are a standard feature in his homes.   The most fascinating element in the house was the barrel vaulted brick ceiling.  This is not a typical ceiling treatment done in a common house.  Taking cues from customary French architecture design, no baseboards are used in the house.  The outside was just as exquisite as the inside.  How he approached supporting the Juliet balcony made both an architecture and artistic statement.  The simple visual homage to a villa church’s bell tower made a thoughtful statement.  A detail that was noticed later on after looking at pictures for the cover was the mortar joints underneath the Juliet balcony.  Some of the joints were intentionally recessed deeper to give the house an aged looked in keeping with a Mediterranean Villa house showing its age.

     The other house was much, much bigger in house size and lot size.  It consisted of two master suites, two bedrooms upstairs for the boys with a bathroom for each.  The house is going to have three laundry rooms, a two story piano room with a balcony overlooking the space.  The foyer contains the double bridal staircase and a prayer room.  Both houses incorporate the groin ceiling as one of the many types of ceiling used in his houses.  Since the house is in the early construction phase we had a chance to see the components of the structure.  Six inch wide studs are used to build the wall instead of two by fours.   This house also incorporated many variations of recessed ceilings in addition to the mentioned groin vault.

    The field trip to a couple of upscale houses showcased attention to detail and quality materials done by Jeff Seal.  The house located at 4104 103^rd Street contained unexpected surprises, unique applications of various materials, and fire safety measures.  The other house had much going for it already even though it was still in early stages of construction.

References

(1)   Notes from field trip

(2)   www.jeffsealhomes.com

Collins Tile and Stone

     

     This journey took us to Collin Tile and Stone store located at 4715 Clovis Highway.  It was started by Tim Collins and his wife, Ava back in 1984 out of their home garage.  The tour included the current showroom, the slab storage area, and the new showroom back storage area that housed more of their slabs of rock.  Their specialty is granite, marble, travertine, limestone, various types of tile, engineered stone, & laminates.

     When we toured the back operations each of the various machines were discussed.  The first machine that was viewed is called the (Gravellona Machine Marmo) GMM Bridge saw.  This saw moves back and forth on a track and can cut at an angle while the table holding various sizes of slab can spin 360 degrees to accommodate any type of cut necessary.  Two of the most recent machines added to the production line is the CNC machine which stands for Computer Numerical Control.  Through the acquisition of the CNC machines creation of intricate shapes, increased availability of profiles and patterns of edges was made possible.

     While there Tim also talked about the different finishes that can be put on a stone.  They are polished, honed, and leathered.  The polished is typical finish that is seen everywhere.  Then there is the honed finish.  The finish is usually a matte or satin.  Commercial floors are an excellent choice for this type of finish.  A leathered finish is achieved by running a high heat source such as a blow torch, across the slab so that flakes of stone pop off.  After a slab is chosen, templates of the pieces are arrange onto the slab in order to check how the veining of said slab will look inside all the cut-out pieces.  A new engineered stone product that has just come out was shown to us while on the tour also.  It is called Cambria.  The new stone requires no sealing, polishing, or reconditioning is needed.  Countertops can be just washed with warm water.  Its creation comes from natural quarts.

     On November 1 our journey started at the showroom of Collins Tile and Stone business.  A company that was started back in1984 with his wife, Ava, inside the garage of their house.  The GMM Bridge saw and the CNC machine were viewed while getting a tour of the production line.  A polish, matte, or leathered finish can be put on a stone.  Templates are used to determine the best usage of the veinage of a slab.  Cambria is a new engineered stone that has hit the market.

References

(1)   Notes from field trip

(2)   www.collinstile.com

(3)   www.rgnytiles.com/cambria/

Leftwich Chapman Flooring

     

     Our journey this time around took us to Leftwich Chapman Flooring store located at 5417 50^th Street.  The owners are Larry Leftwich and Jo Chapman.  Both have over twenty-one years of experience in the flooring industry.  Their business has been at this location for nine and a half years.  Ten employees currently work in this location.  They also have seven to eight crews out in the field doing various installations.  The products offered in their showroom are carpet, tile, wood flooring, and rugs.

      In the wood flooring section we learned that placing them in the bathroom is a definite no no.  Kitchens are doable but extra steps and precautions will need to be made.  Leather and bamboo flooring was shown as a possibility.  On the leather flooring, Larry pointed out that felt pads placed on the bottoms of furniture to prevent tearing.  Exotic woods are a popular choice of flooring in the West Texas area.  One of the things to consider in choosing wood floors is the finish and the Janka Scale.  This measures the force necessary to embed a .444-inch steel ball to half its diameter in wood.  It’s also the industry standard for gauging the ability to tolerate denting and normal wear imposed on the various species.  Doing a darker stain or choosing a hand-scraped style makes for a happier client in the long run.

     The carpet and tile sections were a variety of great ideas.  One of the new things that carpet manufacturers is adding depth to carpet.  Also choices in pile cut, colors, and patterns have been added.  In tile, the newest technology to hit this field is digitally photographed images produced surfaces.  Glass tile is a popular item right now.  Mixing the glass or metal with stone is taking off right now too.

     There is experience, knowledge, and a pulse on what items are hot at Leftwich Chapman Flooring store.  Wood is ranked according to the Janka scale.  Wood floors do not belong in bathrooms but can work in kitchens providing there is extra precautions are made.  Adding texture such as a hand-scrapped look blends the denting and normal wear into the finished product easier.  Digital photographs are the latest thing to impose onto tile slates.  Glass and mixing it with stone or metal is a hot item right now.   

References

(1)   Notes from field trip

(2)   www.leftwichchapman.com

(3)   www.countyfloors.com/about_janka.html

Principle and Elements of an interior room

Principle and Elements of Interior Design in a interior room

      The assignment for this blog was to search for a photograph of an interior room that had some factors of the Principles and Elements of Interior Design.  The picture I chose had the following items that satisfied the Principles of Interior Design.  These were balance, emphasis, scale, and variety.   The following items satisfied the Elements of Interior Design.  These were color and light, shape, texture, pattern, and line.
     Balance is conveyed with a couch on either side of the fireplace and that they are facing each other.  The pictures flanking both sides of the fireplace gives a balance to the room.  Emphasis is directed towards the fireplace by not placing a bigger TV above it.  The width of the TV opening is the same width of the fireplace.  Also the stone above the firebox looks like it’s pointing down towards it.   Scale comes into play in how the cabinet heights are proportional to ceiling height.  Furniture scale is also proportional to the room size.  Varity comes by using different types of materials and colors.
     Earth tones are used a color for the room.  Using the neutral colors makes the room feel light and airy.  Shapes come into play in the selection of the sofa, tile cuts, and the selection of the coffee table.  Texture is achieved by the type of wood selected, fabric choice of all three couches, selection of the accent pillows, and tile selections.  Pattern is achieved in the same manner as well.  Finally line elements in the wood band on the fireplace wall that follows the kitchen cabinet height, the mantel height is the same as the cabinets flaking it, and the vertical lines occurring on the same wall.
     In conclusion, a multitude of factors of both the Principle and Elements of Interior Design is achieved in the photograph of an interior. 

References

(1)   Notes from class

Design Expo Day

   

     On October the 4^th , Design Expo happened at the Merket Building.  While there were many fascinating companies exhibiting their products, one stood out amongst them by me.  Rulon Company is the one that attracted my attention.  They specialize in suspended wood ceilings, acoustical wood wall systems, suspended Upvc ceiling, and canopy systems.

     Within the suspended wood ceilings are linear, panel grilles, and cubes.  An example of a panel grille system is the architecture building lobby area.  The Market at Stangel/Murdough has a cube system that is done in metal instead of wood but the principle is the same.  The panels are left out exposing the bottom of the floor above.  Also in this category is the namesake, which are wood panels placed in the grid instead of the typical panels.  The panels are compatible with the standard 15/16” t-grid system.  Configuration options for the squares are lay-in, side-slot, or recessed tegular edge.  According to the website, the wood squares are more for upscale office environment.  Such an example would be law offices.  A specialized type of ceiling is part of the division as well.  This is the Curvalon brand.   These are custom curved wood veneered panels.  The core consists of a flexible core material in which wood veneers or HPL laminates can be applied.  Faces of the Curvalon line can be radiused concave, convex, or even a serpentine form.  Furthermore; custom sized design options in linear strips, narrow panels, or up to 4’ X 10’ sheets.  They can be used on ceilings, walls, soffits, or as “acoustical reflectors”.  Flat panels and Aluratone are the two products that make up this category.  Aluratone are acoustical wood veneered panels.  The Business Administration has a similar wall treatment on the third floor lecture halls.   Finally, this company does accent beams as well.

     There were many companies represented on Design Expo Day.  One of them, Rulon Company, held my interest.  Their specialty is in suspended wood ceilings, acoustical wood wall systems, suspended Upvc ceiling and canopy systems.

References

(1)   Brochure given out during Design Expo

(2)   www.rulonco.com