Month: February 2012

The final week of the Learning Exchange Carport Project has come to a close, and one of the project’s two main goals has been delivered. The two Google Sketchup workshops were a success in the eyes of both the clients and the project group, and received very positive feedback from the patrons of the Learning Exchange. The design reccomendations of the carport will now become the full focus of the design team, with delivery to the client scheduled for the week following the Midterm Break.

Sketchup Workshop #2

On Thursday afternoon, Games and myself made our way to the Learning Exchange for the second installment of the Google Sketchup Workshop series. We were met by eight patrons, most of whom had attended the previous week’s workshop, and all of whom had some knowledge of the program. Based on the lesson plan suggested by Evan, Games and I lead the group through some of the intermediate tools available in the program. Through a worked example of the design of a birdbath, the group learned:

• The Offset Tool
• The Follow Me Tool
• Geolocation
• Importing Objects from the 3D Warehouse

Following that brief lesson, the students were given time to practice use of the tools we had shown them, and to continue exploring the capabilities of the program. Games and I circulated the classroom answering questions and helping individuals with any troubles they were having with the program.

One student at the workshop, Tanya, was a member of a community garden that was currently in the design phase of the plot. She was excited to be able to use the Geolocation feature to import a map of the site and create a 3D design of the garden using trees, bushes, flower stands, toolsheds, and benches imported from the 3D warehouse.

Here’s a picture of Tanya and I working on the garden design:

And another of the class being lead through the Geolocate Feature:

 

Carport Design

On the afternoon of Friday the 17 of February, the design team met with UBC Architectural Systems Manager Mark Daigle to discuss design concepts for the Learning Exchange Carport. Mark had previously visited the Learning Exchange and was familiar with the space. The group discussed the uses of the space that had been suggested in the public consultation (see Learning Exchange Carport Week 4), and came up with several key design considerations, described below.

Bike storage – space should be able to accommodate six bicycles. For ideas about efficient bicycle storage, the design team will tour the bike kitchen in the basement of the UBC Student Union Building.

Music production – the Learning Exchange has other rooms better suited for music production, and as such the carport need not be designed for this use.

Built-in Cabinet – the existing Rubbermaid bin will be replaced with a permanent cabinet that will meet the storage needs of the space. Hanging space for tools will be provided either near this cabinet, or near the bicycle storage area.

Lighting/Electrical – Suggestions of the location of lights and electrical outlets are to be specified in the final design. Electrical outlets will be included above the work benches.

Work Benches – These are to be located along the wall to the left side of the floor plan diagram (see Learning Exchange Carport Week 4)

Sliding Table – This is to be located along the side wall of the carport, with the ability to be moved into the centre of the room.

Industrial Space Heater – Mark suggested the group include an electric heater in the design plans to acccomodate classes that are being held in cooler weather.

Recycle/Garbage Bin Storage – The existing rolling bins are a crucial part of the carport’s usage, but take up a substantial amount of space. The final design will attempt to minimize the number of bins and provide an area for them near the back wall of the carport.

To aid in creating a useful space, the design team generated a pie chart based on the expectage usage. The final design will feature as much open space as possible in order to maximize versatility.

Next Steps

At the conclusion of Friday’s design meeting, the team assigned drafting and design tasks to be completed over the Midterm Break. The next blog posting will give an update on design progress.

We’d quite like to hear any thoughts you have on the project.

With four weeks behind us and only one ahead of us, the project team is excited to report that delivery of the project goals has begun. On Thursday, February 9, Evan, Kevin, and Drew headed downtown to the Learning Exchange to deliver the first of two Google Sketchup workshops to a larger than anticipated group of students. The workshop was well received, and the patrons are looking forward to next week’s workshop which will build on the fundamental skills taught in this first workshop.

Results of Public Consultation

On Monday, the group reviewed the surveys that were collected during the patron consultation last week. The most prevalent uses suggested by the patrons were:

• Video production/screening
• Music production/recording space
• Storyboard creation
• Mechanical project space
• Visual art project/classroom space
• Construction project space

The design team has now begun the task of creating a design for the carport space that is suitable for as many of the above uses as possible. The overall intent is to create a space that is as open and versatile as possible, with emphasis on adequate lighting and acoustics.

Evan has sketched a dimensioned floorplan of the current carport arrangement. Although we have a detailed 3D model of the carport, a 2D sketch can be a useful and accessible tool for both quick brainstorming and detailed design. The sketch is shown below:

 

Sketchup Workshop #1

The first installment of our two part Sketchup workshop was both well attended and well received. The original signup for the event was limited to six students due to limited space and computers, and the group was not certain that attendance would even reach that number. By Thursday afternoon, however, eight students had signed up for the lesson. Evan, Kevin, and Drew were thrilled to see such an interest in the workshop, and equally thrilled that enough computers were available to run it.

The university was able to loan six laptops, and the Learning Exchange was able to supply two. Some patrons also brought their own computers. Evan started the workshop by showing the group some of the capabilities of Sketchup and Google Earth, and then went through a tutorial on the user interface and basic tools. The group was instructed through the creation of a house model, and shown how to add colours and materials. The tutorial finished with some free time for students to continue to develop their skills and ask questions of the instructors.

Overall, the students that attended the workshop were very excited about the program and interested in using it for jewery, home, landscape, and artistic design. The students were shown additional learning resources for Sketchup, and we likely expect to be enlisting the teaching skills of several of the patrons during next week’s tutorial. During that tutorial, we will ask the patrons if we can include pictures taken of them learning Sketchup on our blog. Check out next week’s blog for some shots of the Learning Exchange in action!

Next Steps

With the first workshop behind us, and the next on less than a week away, the Sketchup instructional aspect of the project goals are on time and on budget. Due to a heavy academic load in the week leading up to the mid-term break, the design group expects that the final presentation to the client will take place during the week classes resume. The group will meet again on Monday to discuss the progress of the design, and assign design task as neccessary.

As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome!

Week three of the UBC Learning Exchange Carport Project is winding up, and the project is taking shape and developing flavour. The team gathered twice this week to discuss tasks and made a trip down to the Learning Exchange to consult the patrons. In the background, the design team has perfected the Google Sketchup model of the current layout of the carport.

Carport 3D Model

Shown below is the most up-to-date Sketchup model of the Learning Exchange Carport. It includes the features of the model posted earlier in this blog, with further detail and functionality. With this completed model, the design team will start moving to initial conceptual designs of the space. Stay tuned!

Patron Consultation – Thursday, February 2 

This was the main event of the week for the Carport Project. Games, Kevin, Drew, and I (Brody) made a trip down to the Learning Exchange to make a brief presentation to the patrons (the end users of the space), to be followed by a consultation of the possible uses and features of the renovated space. We also intended to determine the level of interest for the Google Sketchup workshops we plan to run. As mentioned in last week’s blog post, these workshops form one of the two major goals of the project.

Although the afternoon didn’t strictly follow the neat and tidy schedule we had laid out, we achieved all of the objectives we had set out. Over the course of the two hours the team spent at the learning exchange, we discussed design ideas with around 15 patrons, distributed and collected surveys from those present, and determined that there was indeed enough interest among those at the Learning Exchange to run two introductory Google Sketchup workshops. During a short debriefing with the client, we mused that the experience was much more “organic” than regimented, and that flexibility and adaptability are crucial components of any design project.

Next Steps

After some data crunching this weekend (i.e. looking over dozen or so surveys we’ve collected), the team will start discussing design concepts for the space. As well, a sign up sheet will be posted Monday morning at the Learning Exchange for patrons interested in taking the the first of the two Google Sketchup workshops we will hold. This first workshop is scheduled for Thursday, February 9th, and will be an introduction to the user interface and basic features of Sketchup. Because of facility constraints, the workshop will be limited to six students, and three of the group’s members will be present to ensure a high teacher to student ratio.

That’s all for this week. As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the project.