[Re_Map] 4599/’Beyond Conflict’ 1:1000 Coventry model

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This year 6 project has focussed on the city of Coventry with a view to looking at the functionality of the city post WW2. Given the scale of the area being studied the group chose to produce their master plan at scale 1:1000. Building heights we created by layering up cut components to an approximate height based on the number of floors at the scale. The group had two other methods of conveying their site.. Firstly a projector would be mounted above the model projecting mapping over the model to convey various changes. This required quite a lot of thought and as the group realised, time should always be made for overcoming scaling issues when using projected images.

Coventry Master Plan (12)Secondly, buildings the group has focussed on across the city were made as separate acrylic blocks assembled in the same manner as the laser cut ply components. There buildings would allow light from the plinth base below to be case upward mapping specific roles of each site.Plinth construction should always be kept as simple as possible without compromising the strength of the construction. It is important for the sake of material waste and money that any plinths are designed well and used only when necessary. The plinth-base construction was chosen to allow the group to store several map types which can be slotted in place to cast a variety of chosen scenarios across the buildings. This meant the proposals for the site could be demonstrated in variants and allows further proposals to be demonstrated at a later date.

Laser Cutter Out of Service!

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Be advised that our main laser cutter is currently out of service due to a technical fault. We are working to resolve this issue as soon a possible but it is likely the machine will not be online again until sometime next week.

Please email or call in to discuss current bookings.

All paid bookings will be refunded of honored for another day.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Jim and Scott

Materials Price List Update

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There have been a few price changes from our materials supplier which have meant some increases to sheet prices from our stock. As stated on our materials page these prices are all in line with the cost to us and you are charged at cost.

Updates can be found by clicking here.

We now have laser bed sized 5mm Acrylic sheets in stock at £16 each.

1:500 Master Plan Model, Year 3 BA Architecture

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This group project for 3rd year BA students will be used to display multiple concepts that will continue to develop throughout the year. For this reason considerable thought was put into getting the contouring and overall model size correct for purpose.

By figuring out high and low points on their site the group could then make a series of supporting ‘ribs’ at the relevant size for the 1:500 scale. Clearly marking each piece by number is crucial when there are many components. Once fixed in place the engraved ‘skin’ was fixed over the top creating the flow of contours across the site.


The next main phase of construction was to produce the existing site buildings. by taking plans printed at scale the group divided the site into different zones and gave each building a number to assure easy identification when assembling.

By referring to visual reference such as photographs it is possible to find an approximate building height by looking at courses of brickwork and door/window heights. At this scale approximations are fine for the models purpose but extra care should be taken when focussing on areas in the immediate vicinity of the areas being used for proposed development.

The group decided to add extra laser engraved facade details to the exiting buildings closes to their proposed site. This helps to highlight the concentration and detail in the surrounding buildings without over emphasising their physical construction.

As the group found out, adding too many detail lines can prove costly in terms of time on the laser cutter.

We encourage you to consult us about any of these fine details as more often than not they can be simplified and still easily convey the message.

Structural Detail Models, Year 2 BA Architecture

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DSC01345Last week 2nd year students were given the task of further refining their designs for structural elements. By taking their initial ideas to the next stage they came up against many more problems to solve in particular how joining replicated components would work in practice as they made seven identical units to work with one another towards supporting a structure or forming a building form. DSC01314 DSC01315 DSC01317 DSC01325DSC01319In many cases designs will test the limits of the machines available anda degree of initiative will be required to solve the problem. In Georgia Govan’s case the angle she required for her components to fit together was too sharp to be machined and the profile nature of the laser cutter meant she had to use a ‘Jig’ to get the job done. This side of a task can often be time consuming and should not be underestimated. A lot of thought is required to design an effective jig but it’s worth the effort and the learning curve you will go through.
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DSC01323 DSC01335Marco Wan had an interesting approach to creating the curved planes for his design. This process is called ‘glulam’ and as the name hints at, involves laminating sheets together with layers of glue and material whilst clamped in a given shape. This produced a very strong formed shape that can and is used for many 1:1 building applications. Very nice to see a student employing this technique in their model development.

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Structural Detail Model by Andra Calin

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2nd year student Andra Calin has been developing a structural concept model that is expanding on a sketch model inspired by the form of a bird. Initially Andra produced a paper model of her idea which loosely defined what the structure would look like. For this next model she has increased its scale and added more detail. This kind of model will raise questions regarding connection detail and overall practicality of the structure.

2nd Year Andra Calin (1)

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For me its these intermediate types of development model that are the most fun to construct as they help clearly define details that can be replicated or improved upon and I hope to see more of these in the coming weeks as these ideas progress! Scott

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Workshop Capacity

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We thought it worth making a post about the 20 student capacity limits on our workshop.

Unfortunately due to the number of potential hazards in the workshop environment there is a restriction on the number of students we can supervise at any one time. This has been enforced several times over the last week resulting in a few disappointed and frustrated students. When in the workshop you should always sign in and collect an apron before starting your work. This is a good indicator of how busy it is as we only have enough aprons for our maximum capacity. If you can’t find an apron on the hangers its a good bet we have reached our maximum number of students for that time.

Aprons (2)

The best way to avoid having to wait for free space is to get into the workshop as early as possible both in your projects and each day. Asking for tips and advice about your project at an early stage will benefit how you plan your time and allow us to advise the best approach for what you are trying to produce.

Machine booking is also essential to avoid disappointment late on in your projects. We’ll see you all soon (if you aren’t here again already!).

Scott and Jim

Experimenting with DaVinci

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Mona Lisa (1)This Mona Lisa 3D print was made from a image that was applied to Standard Primitive Box object in 3D Studio Max this had a Displaced Modifier attached, the box has then had   increased segments to make the object appear more three dimensional.  This will turn the 2D black and white Jpeg Image into a 3D meshed object that can be printed later.

Mona Lisa (3) Mona Lisa (6)Using the black and white image of Mona Lisa we have done a number of controlled tests using a raster engrave setting on the laser machine.  Paper was used initially and then card and timber this has had a number of interesting results and is proving to be very effective if an image or graphic is need for a model or surface decoration for an object.

These experiments were carried out to demonstrate yet another potential use of the CAD driven machines in our workshop and could be applied to anything from facade detailing to micro site modelling.

 

First Year Starter Projects

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Last week brought us an onslaught of eager first year students all keen to make their ideas into reality in the workshop. As many found, this wasn’t as straight forward as they might have thought! With projects like this it is crucial that things get moving quickly for avoid disappointment with machine bookings of workshop space as several students found last Friday.

This is an important lesson for future tasks as space in the workshop is at a premium and demand will be especially high in the last few days before submissions. The best way to prepare for this to the organised ahead of time and get to a stage where you can be making as early as possible in your unit.

For the students who did make it in there was a fantastic array of sketch models and concept models produced. As with all students, no matter what your experience within a workshop environment we encourage you to ask for assistance if unsure about your projects before starting. This allows us to advise the best construction methods and materials choice for your purpose and can help us free up space to get as many of your projects completed as possible. We look forward to see what comes our way next!

‘Extreme Conditions’ Predictive Contour Model

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Stockport Contour Model (3)

This 3rd Year contour model of a site in Stockport has been made to demonstrate the effects of pollution in the area. Smoke, trapped in the lower box section of the model will escape through holes on the base of the site representing pollution from the area. The river area will eventually be flooded and show and overspill to the surrounding urban area.

Models of this kind are described as being ‘Predictive models’ in that they are attempting to show how a change may occur over time. The process of ‘flooding’ on this model will likely result in its destruction so it’s life will be short.

Stockport Contour Model (4) Stockport Contour Model (6) The group used laser cut MDF to build up the site contours and band saw cut MDF for the site roadway. The buildings were made from Jelutong wood blocks and the base box from band saw cut acrylic with acrylic square section.

Stockport Contour Model (7) Stockport Contour Model (8) Stockport Contour Model (10) Stockport Contour Model (11)