Last week, we got back together in our work groups and kept working on the different aspects of the project. The presentation layout was defined and we all realized how much work we have left to do!
Below, some images of the different teams working…
Exterior Walls working on our 3D Model..
…our Structural team in a coordination meeting…
… and our Interiors team working on some CAD floor plans!
More of Team 7 next week!
On weeks 11 and 12, Team 7 started to develop the project (short-stack tower) by starting to think about the floor layouts, structures and facade design.
Students were given papers shaped proportionally to the kind of program required in the building, and it was their job to cut it / place them as they thought would best work for this project.
We also developed a structural grid for the building, and had a presentation on structural design from our fellow engineering mentors, as well as a game consisting on making paper columns and stacking books on top to see how different column shapes / sized perform under pressure.
Week 12 concluded with a presentation on building skins to get the team thinking about how the building should look on the outside, and concepts of transparency/opacity and materials were discussed, among others.
On week 13 was the ACE luncheon, an event organized to help raise funds for ACE student scholarships and present to various contributors and teams what ACE is about and what we have achieved so far in ACE history and the year. Some ACE students were lucky to attend the event and sit with different firms that asked them questions about the program and who even joined to play a game to win one of the students present a scholarship. This photo is of one of the presentations, and of the beautiful grand ballroom of the Hilton hotel.
Back in our team headquarters on Wednesday, the students paired up with mentors and sketched facade designs for the project. Then they presented their ideas to the group.
This week we dove further into our project and spent some time illustrating what inspires us. This gave everyone the opportunity to be creative and think about the concepts they want incorporated into the project. We then pinned up our collages and explained to the group our different ideas:
Week 9 was a very eventful week: from an elevator mishap to a site visit and concept collages, we had a few adventures but most importantly started thinking about the project in its context and how we envision it.
We had a site visit to our project location in the South Loop, and were able to understand the kinds of buildings and programs that surround the site, how the train could possibly affect the activities within the building and who could benefit from a project such as a short stack in that location, full of student life.
When we came back to AS+GG, we divided into three groups and started working on collages that will represent the design concept. Next week we will start by finishing these and hopefully have an interesting conversation about all the possibilities for our project.
On week 8 we started with the very popular blokkus to get our heads back into the disciplines after the holidays.
Then, we proceded to draw stacking diagrams of our new project: a short stack building. This exercise helped us understand how the difgferent programs relate to each other and where they could be on the site. Students also learned to draw basic sections, which helped them start thining in 3D!
This week we announced that we choose the short stack for our project! The CEO of Big Sky Development, Ronald Trump, flew in to discuss what his hopes for the project were.
Ronald Trump pictured above.
He is hoping for a highly sustainable project that also incorporates the culture of Chicago into its design. after he left, we were able to dig deeper into our site. We broke up into small groups and started a site analysis that will help us as we devleop our ideas further.
See you all January 9th! Enjoy your winter breaks!
Last week we started our evening with some puzzles, followed by ACE pictionary! Two teams competed on their knowledge of discipline related concepts and their drawing skills. After the games, we split into groups to debate three options for next year’s projects. The teams then presented the pros and cons for these and voted at the end for their favorites. We are currently discussing the results and will have a project to announce this wednesday!
Last week we were lucky enough to visit Power’s construction site at Loyola’s campus. This was a great intro into the construction world and also a great way to see how all three disciplines come together. A big thank you to Power!
Our last meeting was getting to know the disciplines. Our ACE students divided into three groups, where they rotated between the Architecture, Engineering and Construction professionals and participated in a series of activities to get to know what we all do and what our professions are about. The activities included a tour of the AS+GG offices, games, presentations, videos and Q&As. We hope we answered all your questions and if not, bring thjem tonight for College Night!
