Facebook going North... Way North

Facebook has plans to build a running plant in Sweden 60 miles from the Arctic Circle. The plant will be running off hydroelectric power from a near by river that produces twice as much power as the Hoover Dam does. It will also have 14 backup diesel power generators.

The whole reason to build so far north is that the Arctic temperatures will help keep the servers cool and prevent them from melting down and crashing. This new European location is also going to create faster Facebook speeds throughout Europe. The project is expected to cost around 760 million dollars and will hopefully be completed by 2014.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2054168/Facebook-unveils-massive-data-center-Lulea-Sweden.html

Mexico's Radical "Sky Scrapper"

Mexico City may see a new sky scrapper, but not up into the air, but down into the ground. The new concept design would go over 300 meters into the ground, be about 65 stories, and the design holds historical grounding in ancient pyramids built by natives to the country. They also have plans to have offices and apartments within the structure. The top would be a glass atrium area, that would allow for a lot of lighting to enter the space.

Many critics have cited that the bottom could feel very closed in and claustrophobic. There is also a worry that earthquakes, which are some what common to this area, could pose a danger to the construction. They came up with this concept because many people feel that high rise buildings would harm the look of the traditional skyline of Mexico City.




Source: http://whatsondalian.com/tech136.html

VC: Design Instructions

Instructions give us information on how to carry an action out, our how to construct something with steps along the way to building it. The best success with these lies in the use of easy to understand steps, very detailed yet simple drawings or graphics that help you know what exactly to perform. There is a very logical yet artistic work show in many of the guides.

source: http://drigbydesign.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/infoinstructional-design-examples/

Blog Post 004: WAM Design Elements

When analyzing our cabinet for the Weatherspoon and how the elements of design apply, I can clearly see how our project connects two the seven elements.

Space- The space element applies more here in what the cabinet will do to the Weatherspoon space it is in. It will allow a display addition for the gift shop. It will also add an element of inspired design in the lobby space.

Line- Our lines seem very fluid in the piece. We focus a lot on the curves and allow the piece to reflect a lot of the curves that can be found in the lobby space and of the overall shape and style of the building as a whole.

Color- Our piece is mostly birch wood, a color element not really seen in the lobby or the building. This will add a new element and color to the space, making it stand out more, and add color to a space that really has very little contrast within it.

Value- The piece we are creating adds value in the space because it is much lighter than most of the interior in the lobby space. It creates a contrast within the space from light to dark. It adds an element to the space that is not seen already.

Form- The form of the cabinet is made to fit the interior in many ways. It reflects the elements of curves and fluidity in the space. The space is very open and it lacks objects within the space, this display cabinet adds to the space and brings more furniture into the space, yet does not clutter the overall space. Not only is it a piece that fits, but the piece fits the space in its form and design.

Shape- The shape of the piece is very loose, and fluid. It has a curved top, asymmetrical doors, and the handles for the pieces reflect the curve of the top. The space follows a lot of these same curved and fluid design ideas. The piece has very similar elements to the space it is being placed in.

Texture- The piece is mostly made of birch wood. It is smooth, but not as glossy smooth as say the marble floor in the gallery. It has some sense of contrast within the space, but it still has a smooth texture too it like much of the Weatherspoon does. The difference in color and materials is what adds to the contrast in the space then I would say the texture does.

This piece has a lot of elements that relate to the gallery overall when it comes to design and style. The fluid curves and the smooth exterior have similarities. The contrast comes with the materials used and the colors of the piece. I feel the cabinet has the perfect balance of similarity and contrast to the lobby space it is going within.

Light Effects

Reflection on Floors- They reflect almost perfectly back off of shinny materials. Off carpet though it just mostly reflects back the light.

Light Reflecting off the mall floor.

Light Reflection on my bedroom floor.

Reflections off Verticals- When it is shinny it act just like a mirror.

Light Reflecting off of my TV.

 

 

Light reflecting off mall glass window.

Interior Shadows- These are harder to find, even though they are all around us all the time. I felt it was harder to get a better example of these.

Shadows from light behind plant. At my parents house.

Shadows from daylight on back wall. In studio.

 

 

Artificial light- These seem to be very easy to find. The quality of light that comes out is a lot different than natural light too. It seems more intense and have a brighter light quality to it.

Lighting Piece at Freer Asian Art Museum in Washington DC

Overhead Light shinning down at my work.

WAM Budget Work... So Far

WAM Budget/Material Options

Wood Options
Looking at wood we have determined these possible options.
Birch plywood 4’x8’ ¾’’ not seeing wood of any kind at 1’’ thick
We are going to need at least 5 panels for this project.
At 54.00 dollars we would need 270.00 just for wood.
Baltic birch is also an option. It is marine grade and is more commonly used for boats. It has a slicker smoother finish
More commonly found in 5’x5’ options. 4’x8’ are possible though.
It would be 79.00 for sheets at ¾’’ and would cost somewhere in the ballpark of 395.00 dollars.
Birch Veneer is also possible. I believe this will take a lot of work to make a usable exterior for the chest. It is available in many sizes.
13x16’’x25’ 8.00
13x16’’x50’ 13.50
13/16’’x x250’ 36.00
2’’x25’ 19.00
2’’x50’ 32.50
Prefinished birch is also an option. This is actually what they would use to make cabinets in houses.
4’x8’ at ¾’’ would be 285 dollars
If price needed to be lower, stains and finishes could be added to many of these lower grades of wood to make them smoother, slicker, and more cosmetically pleasing. This would lower costs, but would add to labor and time of final production.

Interior Shelf Ideas
We are currently pursuing options in the shelving ideas
Plexiglass is a cheap and very possible to use. Either sprays, or steel wool can frost Plexiglass, but it has the tendency to hold and show dirt and oil from human contact, not a very appealing look on a display rack
Fiberglass is an option. Thick enough with help from added supports that could be added would make them durable enough
They could be made to fit pretty easily and cheaply enough by just adding a peg support column to the inside sides of the chest. It would also make it very easy to change the width between the shelves to included wider selves if needed.
Glass is also a possibility, but this would not be the cheapest or possibly the safest material to use.
Wood shelves covered in some type of metal paneling are also a possibility. It would add to cost because more wood would have to be bought, but with the addition of metal it would create more of a possible interior reflection to take place with the right type of metal.
Exterior Options and Ideas
We have looked into adding nickel knobs, handles, handle bars to the exterior. These are hard to pinpoint an exact amount on. They range from all styles and price spectrums. It can easily be said, lower the price, lower the quality of the piece.
Shelves similar to the ones on the interior could be added to the sides, to expand display space. That would be along the same price Hinges will also have to be bought for the doors on the front face of the piece.
Adding a lighted interior could make display more noticeable, but would limit mobility of overall piece unless battery operated.
Changing the shape and size of the doors could change the ways and spaces for display space.
My rough estimations at this stage in the game would be anywhere from 600-700 dollars.







Budget After Detailed Pricing

Wood- We need 5 sheets of the following (prices of overall total)
Birch plywood- 270.00
Baltic Birch- 395.00
Prefinished Birch- 285.00
Birch Veneer – an option but the sizes are different and we would need different amounts which could affect the overall price for less or more, may not fit needs overall.
Interior- Shelving for gift shop items to be displayed
.220 24x48 Acrylic sheets- 53.99
Battery LED Lights (Pack of 2)- 32.07
Peg rack railing and pegs- 3.00-5.00
Hinges for the doors- 3.00-5.00
Corkboard (3/16 inch 4ft x8ft)- 17.48
Corkboard hanging shelves- 6.48 a piece
Bottom Drawer/Exterior of Display Doors- Extra storage for items displayed
Knobs- 3.00-5.00 (Can even be more expensive depending on exact quality and taste)
Drawer Track- 11.00-15.00



Additional Items
10x10 Aluminum Metal sheets- to add metallic element possible desired-10.98
Satin Finish- Will give very neutral finish- 36.98
Semi-Gloss Finish- Give more reflective quality to wood- 37.98
Pull Plate- Strong Handle for cabinet- 20.00
Screws- Possibly already in wood shop- no cost
Sandpaper- Possibly in wood shop- no cost
PMS 380 green paint- Possibly already at WAM- No cost
Wheels- for moving cabinet- 6-13 (a piece)
Electrical System- Wood require wall plug- Prices may vary
Paints- For whatever purposes desired- Prices may vary
Wood trim- Add to exterior- 98 cents and up
Screw peg covers- birch color, covers screws- 5.00

Next Stages
Decide on a more finalized idea
Account in new budget changes to overall final budget
Meet with WAM and decide their opinions on our finalized idea
Begin buying supplies, and starting construction on the piece

WAM Budget Work This Week

As our group works ahead on creating our gift shop cabinet piece we have been dealing with a lot of ideas and issues. I have been working on pricing a budget.

Monday I drove out to a wood store in Gibsonville to price wood prices and get an idea of what kind of wood style we should use. Kate at the WAM gift shop said birch wood, so I looked at the various types and what prices I could get them at.

We are looking a birch ply, birch veneer, and a Baltic birch. All different types have various uses, looks, and different needs to help it reach it's final look.

Wednesday Matt and I went to look for acrylic sheets that we could use for our shelving inside of the cabinet. We had not so great luck with this venture.

Thursday night I went to Lowes hardware and looked at prices at all things needed to go along with this. I found wheels for the base, metal sheeting for a possible material, handles, knobs, hinges, LED lighting, etc.

What I am quickly realizing is how many items are needed to complete this project. It also makes it hard in the beginning because there are so many options and so many different items needed to make all those various ideas happen.

Tomorrow is first pinup... I look forward with presenting my findings and prices of the various items I have looked and, and had to learn about.

photo provided through uncg.edu