This portfolio represents the class as a

whole, as well as the reflections I had while

being in the class.

Learning

Portfolio Architecture 101 – Professor

Jerry Lum

Juveriyah Salat

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Table of Contents

Project 1 – What’s Your Sign? ......................................................................................................................... 2

Phase 1 – Concept Generalization ................................................................................................................ 2

Phase 2 – Build It ........................................................................................................................................... 3

8-31-2015 ................................................................................................................................................. 3

Project 3 - Perceiving, Experiencing, and Interpreting Spaces and Places: Documenting Our Journeys ..... 5

Project 3A ...................................................................................................................................................... 5

Project 3B ...................................................................................................................................................... 8

Project 4 – Wall, Window, Wonder ...................................................................................................... 10

Iteration 1 ................................................................................................................................................... 10

Narrative ........................................................................................................................................ 11

Iteration 2 ................................................................................................................................................... 11

Reflections ..................................................................................................................................... 11

Iteration 3 ................................................................................................................................................... 12

Narrative ........................................................................................................................................ 12

Outline ........................................................................................................................................... 14

Storyboard ..................................................................................................................................... 14

Iteration 4 ................................................................................................................................................... 15

Narrative ........................................................................................................................................ 15

Feedback ........................................................................................................................................ 16

Iteration 5 ................................................................................................................................................... 17

Feedback ........................................................................................................................................ 18

Additions to Iteration 5 .................................................................................................................. 18

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Collage 1 Collage 2 Collage 3

Project 1: What’s your sign?

Week 1

Phase 1: Concept Generalization

As we start class and learn more about making our sign, it offers a little bit

of a challenge. What three adjectives describe me the most? Which ones are

representative of me as a person? And how exactly am I supposed to create a

sign using these?

To accomplish this task, I chose determined/ stubborn, knowledgeable/

loves books, and curious. To create the sign, I started looking for images on the

internet. I decided to choose a magnifying glass to symbolize curiosity, as that is

a big symbol of curiosity. The personification of books was obvious – the open

book I chose also represents an open mind, relating to curiosity. I had trouble

deciding on stubborn though. I looked online for images that related to

stubbornness; that was difficult as the only things that were coming up were

rocks and mules. As I had to take into account the visual aspect of the entire

design as well, mules and rocks made a terrible design. Looking further, I

searched up a variety of different images and words, which led me to choosing

my last picture – a flower coming out of gravel/a road. Creating the collage,

was a different matter altogether. I layered them on top of each other to create

a different aspect on what I decided was to be the more dominant personality

type. The symmetrical composition of the circles and the asymmetrical line of

the magnifying glass offset the symmetrical nature of the magnified area,

leading to a hierarchical system.

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Phase 2: Build It

For my first rendition, I started with my second collage. To do this

however, I had to think of a way to exemplify my collage into an actual sign. To

do this, I first had to think about what I wanted my sign to look like. I had never

made something before, so after we put up all our collages on the wall,

Professor Lum explained how to create a sign as well as the dimensions that it

was supposed to be. Through that, I got to thinking how I wanted to construct it.

For my first design, I did not take into account how much time it would take to

create the sign itself. I started to make it around 5 PM, but unfortunately, finished

around 3 AM. Because it was late, the unaccounted-for consequence was that

the construction of it wasn’t that great. Through this, I learned that it is necessary

to give yourself time to design, plan, and then

construct. Since I had never used spray paint

before either, that was another challenge to

overcome.

My second design, I feel, was much

better. The materials were the same; however,

I started much earlier and had a clear idea

where I wanted to go with the sign. The next few paragraphs will detail my

thoughts; I will also explain my design process behind it.

For the back resting against the wall, I chose a circle

backing, which made sense, as that connected with

the circular motion of the magnifying glass, as well as

the other two elements. I chose for the rest of the sign

to hang on a rectangular block as that connected with

the slab that connected the flower and the book, as

well as the handle itself. After the previous class, I had

learned how to use spray paint correctly, and it made a

very big difference in the overall presentation of the

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sign. The magnifying glass is hung from a string so that it dangles, showing

multiple sides. The way that the flower and the book are placed has two

separate hierarchical systems; the flower can be seen first from one side, but is

shown second on the other side.

08/31

Professor Lum gave us some questions, and I have done my best to

answer those. These are my answers as well as reflections for the class up to this

point.

In the past few weeks, we have learned that design is a language.

Thoughts and ideas are very intangible and are not accessible to everyone else.

Other times, it is hard to communicate what exactly we want other people to

see or believe. Design is a powerful tool that can help convey the message we

want others to receive. Even if there is a language barrier, or other obstacles,

images can convey our message. The difficulty is choosing the correct images

so that our message is the only one going through, and does not conflict with

other things happening.

It is necessary to say look at our past works, and compare them to our

future. As with my work, my second edition was much better than my first. One

thing that I can improve on is creating the correct balance for my projects. One

thing I noticed was that my handle was much lower than I intended it to be.

Weight is a big factor in design as well.

The others in my class helped me realize how I could use better materials

and tools to create my sign. For example, I could have used hot glue instead of

rubber cement.

For my craft, I learned that rubber cement does not keep cardboard

sticking together. It is also a very messy and unreliable method of sticking

materials together. It is necessary to be careful as well, as I burned myself using

hot glue. Box cutters are good for straight lines, but scissors are much better for

cutting round objects as well as finishing edges. Another thing that was

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mentioned in my feedback, that I corrected with my second iteration, was that

all things need to go together seamlessly and combine. Shapes cannot be used

arbitrarily but must coincide with something else in the design.

Overall, I believe that the second time was much better, but asking

questions and participating in class helped me realize what I could have done

to make my first sign better and how I could have used my materials better.

Project 3: - Perceiving, Experiencing, and

Interpreting Spaces and Places:

Documenting Our Journeys

Week 3

Project 3A:

As we started Project 3A, I quickly began to brainstorm some places I

would be able to go to. I don’t live in San Francisco – in fact, I live so far, I have

to take one of the furthest Bart stations to get there (Fremont). I also had some

limitations further placed on me for personal reasons. Therefore, I had to choose

a place that had significant value but was also very unique and could provoke

a multitude of experiences in me. In the end, I chose Lake Elizabeth, a local park

in Fremont. While I had been there previously, I had never been on the far side

of the 2 – mile walk path. Walking there was a serene experience. My pictures

and reflections follow, and are noted here.

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Lake Elizabeth, at 1 PM was gorgeous. It was a beautiful day and the sun was

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Lake Elizabeth, at 1 PM was gorgeous.

It was a beautiful day and the sun was

hitting the water perfectly. Overall,

there was a sense of adventure as well

as a sense of awe and wonder, as I

pondered what I would see and what

I would feel during my trip. I had never

been in nature for that specific

purpose, just to capture light and

certain emotions, and it was a new

experience. I had such a great time; I

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think I’m going to reflect more outside and just think about nature, and ponder. I

believe that this experience helped me become more in touch with myself, and

learn other ways in which to expand how I see the world, as well as myself.

I believe that this experience was the result of us learning that we could

broaden our horizons and show, through this medium of photography, that we

have learned how to expand our world view as well as our senses

I had never been to that specific area of the park (labeled above) so it

was an entirely new experience. I tried not to let my preconceived notions of

what it would look like and just experience how it was itself. Through this process,

I noticed the intricate details of the park, and I took in several aspects I had

never acknowledged before.

As this project progressed, I started taking pictures of specific areas that

identified with certain emotions rather than ones that just looked interesting.

There had to be something more to that, and I wanted to capture that essence

in my photographs.

I believe that the camera did highlight my experience as it created a

small window to look through so that my focus wouldn’t be one a random series

of objects, but what was right in front of me.

My most memorable moment was seeing all the bright yet dark aspects

that nature and lighting have to offer. It created a perplexing yet pleasing

experience to the eye, and that very much agreed with me. I would not have

been able to see this aspect without this assignment. It certainly helped me.

The only thing I think was the problem was that I took pictures of nature

rather than buildings, which is what most people did. However, I think this was a

very beneficial project for me.

Project 3B:

For the second aspect of the project, we were required to create a

collage from our pictures that we had created. Our objective, as has been for

the entire semester, was to evoke wonder. I had been wondering how I could

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have done that with my collage. I came up

with the collage above. When I took it to class,

I got some interesting feedback. One thing

that was said was that there was way too

much going on at once. Instead of adding

layers upon layers, was that I could have

subtracted images, or add different elements

of each image on one image. With that

image, I took the initiative to create another

collage just for my sake to learn from my

experiences (to the left). I really like this one, as

it has multiple aspects to it, and there is not too

much going on. While it seems as if it is multiple

objects, in reality, it is one flower, and the idea

of it being just one plant, evokes awe in me.

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Project 4: Window, Wall, Wonder

Iteration 1:

I got the idea by doing some

preliminary research on what reading

nooks were, and spending some time

looking at why I liked them. As I wanted

to create something new, I had to

come up with something new. That’s

where I came up with the idea of

having stairs leading up to the seat. The

first picture is my original sketches of

what I wanted to create. The second is my schematic design, along with all the

dimensions as wells as the conversions. This is usually how I tackle a project,

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starting with rough sketched, then with detailed dimensions of the model, in this

case, the wall.

First Narrative:

Entranced by curves & curvilinear walls, I started sketching. I sketched,

eggs, waves, and anything I believed would result in the desired outcome.

Given the problem, as well as options that I wished to choose, I started

researching a specific type of window/ interior I had envisioned in my head.

Creating just a wall was the initial challenge. Once I had finished the preliminary

research, I started sketching what exactly I wanted my design to look like, as

well as adding dimensions to it. The model shows a ¼” = 1’- 0” to scale model;

the base is 14 feet wide, and it is 17’ feet hide, along with being 1’ – 6” deep. My

vision was to create a unique reading nook, as I believed that that replicated

my personality clearly. My position was “The wall is an augmented extension of

me – a magnified hyperbolic extension of me”. To fully bring this to life, I had

steps to reach the window, as high windows are a source of wonder. This was

inspired by various designs of houses I have seen that implement a nook. It is also

shaped to mimic a person’s back resting against the wall. There is an added

element of danger as the seat for the reading “seat” extends past the window,

allowing a sense of danger, but within reason. Since there is a window that

allows you to go back into relative safety, the two conflicting natures balance

each other out, allowing an added sense of wonder to the wall.

Iteration 2

Reflection:

With the second wall of wonder, our objective was to build upon the

feedback we had gotten on the first wall. Therefore, I changed up my design a

little bit, and added more elements to add more of a cohesive design to it.

Some drawbacks were that the intricacies of the so-called wall did not show up

in the final shadow, which was a bit disappointing. I was looking forward to what

it would look like. This was a developing portion of what my completed space

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would look like, as that was the main goal

we were going for. As such, it showed

developing progress, as well as a

heightened sense of what exactly I was

doing. I wanted to reach a point that was

clearer to my objective as well as a clearer

design.

Iteration 3:

Third Narrative:

As you enter into the tower, the

essence of being in a fairytale suddenly

comes to life. Walking up twirling stairs,

such that you cannot see the top, leads to

an ethereal sense of wonder.

Shadows and hints of light come

through, from small windows

peeking out into the sunshine.

Trailing a hand along the smooth,

stone wall, a fairytale springs to life.

You can just imagine Rapunzel

throwing down her hair, or hear the

echo of a dragon roar, maybe

even the sounds of Snow White

singing. As you slowly walk up the stairs, you reach a landing, leading to a

window in which you can look out to the beautiful view outside. The stairs are at

a comfortable level, leading to a feeling of ease walking around. The spots that

the light shines through makes you walk around all the time, leading to a sense

of mystique. Slowly going to the top leads to new views, looking in all directions,

and leading to places that capture just the right moment to look outside. As we

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get nearer and nearer to the

top, we realize that the spaces

in which the windows are

spaced is getting larger, giving

a sense of expectation, in

which we want to see what is

at the top. At the top, there is a

blast of light as there is a huge

window. Leading out from the

window is a balcony in which

you can go out to

and see the sun. The

window and the

balcony are the south

facing portion of the

wall. The tower is

cylindrical in nature,

and has a pointed

cone roof, also

lending aspects to the

fairy tale aspect of the

tower. The roof is also

made out of shingles, which look like stone. The whole effect is to make it look

like a safe spot to those who may want to have some time for themselves and

reflect. On the top floor, there will be furniture which will reflect what the person

wants to do, and will reflect the aspect. The outside will have an elegance of its

own, and so will the inside. The windows are spaced at approximately 4.5 feet

apart, but will exponentially increase as it nears to the top. They will be in a

circular pattern, reflecting the stars inside.

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Outline:

Walk into doors, bigger than the average person – 8 feet tall

Look to your right, see stairs

Before you get onto stairs, look to your right, this will be the first window

As you walk up the stairs, you will get to the first a window in 9 steps,

leading to a distance of 4.5’

The first landing you will reach will have a window looking outside at

approximately 6’.

This will be a place to rest your feet, as there will be a seat, and there will

most likely be an option to sit with your feet dangling off the edge.

The intended path will then repeat 3 times, each leading to a different

view outside.

As you get to the top floor, you will be drawn to go outside as soon as

possible. The balcony allows that option.

The window will be able to be opened, and the elegance of the window

door will lead an extra experience of wonder to the experience.

Storyboard:

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Iteration 4:

Narrative:

Walking inside you

initially look to the front. It is

difficult to see the room

beyond. Intrigued, you walk

closer to see what is on the

other side. Trailing your hand

past the walls, the webs add an

interesting feature when the sun

is reflected through them. You

look back, all you see is a huge

window, inferring not the light.

When you look forward it is so

dark. The idea of going further

trades your mind, compelling

you to go further and further in.

You take one of the pair of stairs

going to the other side of the

room. This side of the room has

an obvious depression in the

roof, compared to the other

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side of the building. There are two small

shafts of light coming from the roof,

sometimes intercepting but not always. As

we walk to the other side, we see that it

has the same continuous theme of the

webbing in the other room. However, that

is where the similarities end. The windows

on this side are much curvier, relating to

the curved nature of the walls. As we walk

in, we can immediately see that it is much

narrower at this end, rather than the

opposite end. This creates a sense of

intimacy and closeness, contrasting with

the large space at the other end.

Feedback:

I got some crucial feedback on this

iteration. One thing said that the

excessive glue made it look entirely messy; that I could have done something

else instead to make it look better. There were come issues that I could have

resolved fairly easily, which I did in the next iteration. These issues included: small

windows, making it seem as if it is a result of poor craftsmanship; the front “door”

or entrance’s threshold was too high, as it coincided with other windows as well,

making it seem as if you could get in through every window, which was not my

intention; the sloped floor was also very low, leading to the idea of the “reading

nook” not being promoted. Overall, I learned a lot from the feedback that was

given by both my classmates, as well as Professor Lum. What I learned, I used in

the next iteration for my space of wonder.

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Iteration 5:

For this iteration, I started with the feedback I

had gotten from the previous iteration. The first

thing I did was create a highly sloped floor,

which plays back to my original idea of a high

reaching place. What I then did was cut out

windows in the walls that matched the curve of

the floor as well as the wall; this lead to a pattern

emerging, as I did the same for both sides of the

space. I then added stairs to that floor, leading

up. The stairs are positioned with risers leading up

to the top of the area. There is a “reading nook”

type ledge which the stairs lead to. As

mentioned previously, I did take suggestions

from the comments and one thing was the

entrance to the space. For this, I created an

entrance that followed the shape and curve of

the walls. The light-heartedness from the light-

filled area leads to the darkness coming from the

floor, as there is no direct sunlight that reaches it immediately. The entrance is

the South-facing wall, and will receive the most sun throughout the day. This

way, the idea of the light slowly going into dark and then becoming light again

will show through most of the day. However, the

shadows from the sun going to the other side of the

space and meeting the other windows will happen

only at one point in time; each set of windows will

have their own period of time that this will occur.

This creates the one-time wonder effect, and allows

for multiple experiences to be had.

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Feedback:

When we got back to class, I got

some essential feedback. I had to figure

out a way to make it stand up on its

own. I had no idea so I asked my

classmates for some help, and they

gave me the idea of creating trusses

that will help support the room so that it

will not fall down.

Another piece of feedback I got

was that the design of the stairs could be

more cohesive and work with the overall

design and layout of the space. He gave me

some ideas on that as well; creating a zigzag

layout on the stairs or create a set of stairs that

have a stadium-like appearance.

Additions to Iteration 5:

When I searched up trusses, the first ones I

saw were bridges.

Once I looked further, I

realized there were

some for bridges. As there were none that

had the exact shape I was going for, I

started sketching.

Professor Lum had given

me some ideas on what

it should look like, and I

started from there. I had

tried to use chipboard to

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make it but it proved not be a completely flexible

way of making the trusses. So then I migrated

toward using toothpicks. They were very easy to use,

and were the perfect shape to make trusses. Most of

the trusses online were triangle based as triangles

are widely known as the strongest shape. Therefore, I

went with that idea, and glued multiple pieces

together. As I based it off the original design, the

pictures off to the side and above show the final

product. It works very well and helped the structure

stay up, which was my initial intention, and it looked

cool as well.

I created two quick study models based on

another portion of my feedback, and I definitely like

the zigzag style much better, mostly because of the

fact that I wanted to keep the stairs confined to only

the raised, sloped floor, not extending onto the flat

are of the floor. Therefore, I decided to go with that. With that, I am planning on

creating windows at every node, in which there will be a window at every

landing, creating a one-chance moment. The reading nook will once again be

in the center. I’m excited to see what it will look like by the end with all the

components put together.