Sunday, October 31, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Charts
The information that nautical charts convey is essential to any sailor. They contain information regarding the topography of the ocean floor as well as giving landmarks to orient oneself to. When paired with a Coast Pilot (a book providing directions on how to navigate coastal territories) safe and effective passage is possible.
NOAA Nautical Map of Bar Harbor, Maine
NOAA Nautical Map of Bar Harbor, MaineSailing Lexicon
Sails:
mainsail n.
principle sail in the sailing wardrobe; adjustments in the sail area is achieved by reefing and the sheeting angle of the mainsail can be controlled by the use of the mainsheet traveller.
genoa n.
a headsail that extends from bow to behind the mast.
lapper n.
a large foresail which extends aft behind the mast.
jib n.
the foremost sail; it is a fore-and-aft sail and is triangular in shape.
spinnaker n.
a lightweight three cornered sail set flying from a spinnaker pole and controlled with sheets from each clew.
trysail n.
a triangular loose-footed sail fitted aft of the mast and used to replace the mainsail in heavy weather.
Image adapted from Bob Bond's, "The Handbook to Sailing"
mainsail n.
principle sail in the sailing wardrobe; adjustments in the sail area is achieved by reefing and the sheeting angle of the mainsail can be controlled by the use of the mainsheet traveller.
genoa n.
a headsail that extends from bow to behind the mast.
lapper n.
a large foresail which extends aft behind the mast.
jib n.
the foremost sail; it is a fore-and-aft sail and is triangular in shape.
spinnaker n.
a lightweight three cornered sail set flying from a spinnaker pole and controlled with sheets from each clew.
trysail n.
a triangular loose-footed sail fitted aft of the mast and used to replace the mainsail in heavy weather.
Image adapted from Bob Bond's, "The Handbook to Sailing"Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Opening Gambit
Weather and our environment are in a constant state of flux. From the changing seasons to the changing climate, we reside, figuratively and quite literally, in an unstable air mass. Our separation from this environment is often regulated; though, through the static construct of our homes’ walls. Contemporary dwellings primarily rely on adjunct systems to maintain a secondary interior atmosphere, separate from the one that encompasses the house. And this, to a large extent is the purpose of our homes, our dwellings, to offer protection from inclement weather, and shade in the heat of the day.
Yet homes have lost their relationship with their environment, with the weather around them. No longer does one close the shutters at the onset of an impending storm, no longer do our homes contain “sleeping porches” for cool summer nights, rather the thermostat ensures we are always provided with our cool summer nights and our shutters have become vinyl bookends to windows, feigning functionality.
Restoring and reexamining this dynamic and active relationship, between the house and its environment, is what this opening gambit seeks to do. Designed to adapt to the changing climate along Coastal Maine, the Responsive House reacts against traditional notions of the static dwelling. While the immovable shoreline granite has worn, eroded and severed over time, the Responsive house delicately touches the land, tailoring to the changing winds and freeze-thaw cycles. It takes its inspiration in part from the rich sailing traditions in the region, where an array of sails are trimmed and hoisted to utilize changing winds. It also explores the sensibility of layered and adjustable hiking attire and abode. The house affords the inhabitant the ability to “trim” the constituent parts of the wall section to accommodate the weather, undergoing an array of metamorphosis throughout the days, weeks, and seasons.
Yet homes have lost their relationship with their environment, with the weather around them. No longer does one close the shutters at the onset of an impending storm, no longer do our homes contain “sleeping porches” for cool summer nights, rather the thermostat ensures we are always provided with our cool summer nights and our shutters have become vinyl bookends to windows, feigning functionality.
Restoring and reexamining this dynamic and active relationship, between the house and its environment, is what this opening gambit seeks to do. Designed to adapt to the changing climate along Coastal Maine, the Responsive House reacts against traditional notions of the static dwelling. While the immovable shoreline granite has worn, eroded and severed over time, the Responsive house delicately touches the land, tailoring to the changing winds and freeze-thaw cycles. It takes its inspiration in part from the rich sailing traditions in the region, where an array of sails are trimmed and hoisted to utilize changing winds. It also explores the sensibility of layered and adjustable hiking attire and abode. The house affords the inhabitant the ability to “trim” the constituent parts of the wall section to accommodate the weather, undergoing an array of metamorphosis throughout the days, weeks, and seasons.
Just a Moving Facade?
The work that I did for "House as Thesis" made me look at other precedents but also ask what about what I was proposing was different. Here are a few examples of work that begins to engage the facade/wall section as an active player in the discussion of shelter.
Architect Tom Kundig often takes these considerations into account through his whimsical and innovative designs as seen in his cabin proposal for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.
KieranTimberlake also explores the role of the active facade (as well as prefabrication) in their Loblolly House in coastal Maryland.
Ernst Giselbrecht + Partners has their well known Showroom for Kiefer Technic.
All of these projects have active facades yet I wish to go further to explore how the engagement of this facade can affect how one interacts with their environment, why is the wall the primary recipient of these dynamic systems, and how much is really gained but such an endeavor?
Architect Tom Kundig often takes these considerations into account through his whimsical and innovative designs as seen in his cabin proposal for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.
KieranTimberlake also explores the role of the active facade (as well as prefabrication) in their Loblolly House in coastal Maryland.
Ernst Giselbrecht + Partners has their well known Showroom for Kiefer Technic.
All of these projects have active facades yet I wish to go further to explore how the engagement of this facade can affect how one interacts with their environment, why is the wall the primary recipient of these dynamic systems, and how much is really gained but such an endeavor?
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