fall 2014 portfolio

AIM

humberto normanarch 131fall 2014california polytechnic state university, san luis obispo

ali mcbride

table of contentsbiography

00 totem01 game space

02 walking the line03 interpolated void

04 ufo05 pier

06 miscellaneous

born: january 9, 1996 in stanford, cafrom: woodside, ca

places: mexico, haiti, jamaica, grand caymanspeaks: english, spanish, latin

loves: riding horses, playing guitar, listening to music, playing softball, reading, writing, philosophizing, learning, loving

fun fact: does not like chocolatefavorite song: you be the anchor that keeps my feet on the ground, i’ll be the wings that keep your heart in the clouds

by mayday parademeyers-briggs: istj

biography

“life is a painting and you’re the artist”

00 totem

learn by doingplaying with various tools and machines to make art

01 game space

orthographic analysis of game spacesby understanding all aspects of space, you understand the activities that can be performed within that space

from 2D to 3Dtaking a newly aquired understanding of space to create a new form

reflectionGame space expanded my imagination and began to prepare me for the architectural world. At first, my designs and diagrams were very literal but quickly became more abstract as I began to see the different spaces within the games as art instead of reality. This project taught me the most about the creative mind and how it applies to the surrounding world, not just the artistic world.

02 walking the line

observationsgood design is influenced by careful observation of space

mapping observationsto see the bigger picture

applying observationslooking at detail in a different way

reflectionThis project proved to be more challenging than I originally anticipated. Taking the observations

was easy but applying them in an abstract way to the final line was very difficult for me to do. Even after finishing my line, I feel as if I was too literal in my design. However, I am happy with how differ-

ent mine was from everyone elses. I thought in a more 3D way, making mine seem more realistic. From this project, I learned how to imply a purpose without directly drawing or creating it.

03 interpolated void

looking inside the boxfinding patterns in every day life

cutting, shifting, deleting, extendingfinding connections between two separate patterns

drawing, eliminating, refiningsimplifying connections and deciding what is important to the space

digitalizingturning a drawing into a digital composition

reflectionInterpolated void was probably one of my favorite projects this year. It allowed me to utilize and expand my imagination while still creating something meaningful. I was most challenged by the

idea of simplifying to focus on the most important elements of the design although it seemed as if everything was important.

04 ufo

ripping, folding, cuttingturning the interpolated void into a space

folding, cutting, lightingcreating a new space influenced by light

reflectionDesigning my UFO was a very stressful and fun process. I restarted my study models many times and came upon my final study model by accident. I was so unaware of what I had done that when it came to creating my final model, I took apart my study model, only to find that I couldn’t put it back together. However, I am still very satisfied with my final model. I love how although there are so many spaces within, light still reaches every corner and crevice. I also find it interest-ing that I was given many comments that my final model looked like either water or fire. Perhaps I should take that feedback and go further...

05 pier

taking it all inanalyzing the site to truly experience what it means to live in a space

sketching observationsfrom reality to paper

coloring with waterexperimenting with an element from the site

its about the little thingstaking exact measurements and testing their accuracy

programmingimagining life in a new space

enlarging and enhancingrecreating an observation...only bigger!

reimagining spaceapplying purpose to an existing form

extending lineslooking at flat drawings in a 3D way

its a design choicerestarting from scratch and finalizing decisions

and so it goesaccepting mistakes and moving on

reflectionThe pier project was the ultimate test of my new understanding of space. From program diagrams to obliques, each step continued to introduce a new way of thinking that I had not had the op-portunity to embrace before. More than anything, this project taught me the importance of time management and communication. Architecture is not a solo profession. The architect must be constantly communicating with the construction manager, the engineer, the electrician, the site owner, and many other people while still attempting to hold a sense of individuality. Similarly, my group had to work together, compromise, and even completely restart in order to reach our final design. However, in the end, our hard work and dedication paid off and I am proud to have the ability to put my name with theirs, on our model. I only wish I had more time to see where else this project could have taken us.

06 miscellaneous

art at workcontour figures drawn from life

living artcontour portraits drawn from life

strike a posefinding patterns within human motion

speed drillstesting the limits of our sketching skills with our dominant hand

13 min 8 min 5 min

going blindblind contours of with the dominant hand

3 min 2 min 1 min

switching it upsketching with my non-dominant hand while blind

1 min 2 min 3 min

just a little offno longer blind but still using my non-dominant hand

5 min 8 min

homo sapienan accurate recreation of the self

Ali McBride

4.8 in

4 in

3.25 in

2 in

4 ft 7 in

5 ft 4 in

8.25 in5 in

7.5 in

Ali McBride

how puzzlingisometric drafting puzzles of various objects

architecture is music in stonea composition based on music

play with your food!using food as a painting medium

food for thoughtanalyzing architecture with food

reflectionMy journey through first quarter architecture at Cal Poly was a long but generally fun experience. More than anything this year, I learned the importance of purpose. Any person can make a build-

ing or space but if it has not purpose, then what is the point of creating it at all? This year also sparked a new appreciation for sleep. Passenger said it best when they said “you only know you love her when you let her go” and its definitely true. It wasn’t until I was living off of a few hours of sleep a night that I saw how privileged I have been. Despite my lack of sleep, I am proud to say

that I have not yet been overwhelmed by the mountain that is the architecture major at Cal Poly. In fact, I think that I have come to love architecture even more, although most of the quarter was dedicated to abstract thinking. I look at the world around me now in a completely different way.

Instead of a lawn or room, I see potential for art. Architecture is more than just walls, roofs, and win-dows. Architecture is music, rain, dance, and every other aspect of life. Life is a painting, and I’m

the artist.