Reflection on Architecture Class

Architecture has always been an interest of mine and this class was chosen to exercise that interest.  The beginning of this course was rather menial and filled with busy work which did not enthuse me to work incredibly hard but as it turned out all of those assignments played an important role in my understanding for the future.  Basically, I hated them at the time but am grateful to have completed them.  The most interesting aspect of this class for me would definitly be the building part towards the end but also the drawing artisitc part. In fact, the only discouraging aspect of this course was the technicalitites that I got caught on so many times.  I understand this is an important part of architecture and hope to grow better at catching them.  In all, I am happy to have taken this class and look forward to Architecture II.

I made my decision to take this class because I thought that it was going to be pretty easy and I would not have to do much work. I got what I asked for about the first four weeks of the class, but then it started to become harder and harder. When the class started getting harder I didn’t think that I could take it, and I felt this way until about half way through the semester when I looked back on what I had done and saw that I had drawn legit buildings. The last thing that we did in the class was a group project. This project got me a little scared because it looked like it was going to be extremely hard. It turned out that the project was actually fairly simple and the only hard thing about it was doing it in the time frame that I had to do it in. After I was done with the project I was exited because it was over, but I also felt a little sad because it was actually fun. Finally, my favorite part of this class was building the balsa wood model of my house, and I think that this course was a great really fun and I recommend it to anyone who is slightly interested in architecture.

Floor Framing Plan

The Floor Framing Plan was one of the easiest aspects of the Jekyll Island project.  All I had to do was take the Foundation Plan and hide all the footings, piers, porch supports etc and I was left with simply the two Parallams connected by numerous joists all uniformly spaced.  Other than achieving the correct spacing this was overall a very remedial task.

Final Reflection

Overall, I would have to say that this class experience has been very interesting. It's definitly tailored for those who plan to persue a career in an architectual or construction field. I have learned a lot over the coarse of this semester, and enjoyed working with my fellow classmates. I feel as though everyone worked hard and did a wonderful job this semester. This class was very challenging, especially when it came time for the final project, but everyone worked hard and managed to accomplish all that was reqiured. My reflections about this class are that this class choice is not a slack elective, and is for students who really are serious about architecture.

I really enjoyed the final project and my favorite part about it was is the hands-on building process of the house model. It was a simple, yet sophisticated home and my goup and I were even able to get ahead because our building technique was so well thought out. This project and class as a whole was a very fun experience. Before the project we drew many drawing of house structures, so that by the time the final project was assigned, the whole class felt prepared to take on the challenge.

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed drawing the wall section. It was very time consuming but it was fun. Working with autocad was not my best subject but many people helped me work on it and showed me what to do for different tasks. On the project, i was able to work with autocad to draw the wall section. That gave me the chance to help me gain more skills with autocad. Working with autocad helped me to see what the house would look like head on. I enjoyed autocad after a while and would love to do it again. All in all, the class was challenging but interesting. I really enjoyed working with Mr. Reece and the students here this semester. We had fun in the class and i will defiently miss it.

When I originally signed up to take the Architecture 1 class I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had taken many classes from Mr. Reese prior to Architecture, and I thought I would try something new. At the beginning class the assignments were fairly simple but once we progressed into the semester they became much more advanced. The projects were fun and educational at the same time. To be able to work in a group on such a big semester project helped so much, and it also allowed me to get know my classmates better. Overall I am very happy that I took this class and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Architecture field.

This is a typical wall section of our house. The specifications of both the foundation and roof can be found in the original Foundation and Roof Plans. The roof is shown in some detail, and includes insulation hatching in the roofing slope design. The roof is a hip roof, constructed of 2x6 rafters and ceiling joists. With a one foot six in. overhang and a 2x6 fascia trim, the upper part of the wall section clearly displays the overall design of the roof. The floor joists are 2x12's and the walls will be made up of 2x6's.

Elevations

Foundation Plan

Floor Plan

The floor plans that we have created help to utilize all of the space that our house encompasses. Since we can only have a 24’x24’ house it is important that we use all of the available space, so that we can have a home that does not feel too confined. The first floor has the kitchen, dining room, living room, utility room, and a bathroom. Between the kitchen and the dining room is a bar so that the area feels more open. Also, instead of putting a wall between the stairs and the living room we put railing, so that, again, the living space feels more open and less cramped. For the second floor we put two bedrooms and two bathrooms so that it can house either two couples or a single family.

Sketches

Our House

Situated between three massive oak trees,  Ela House lies at the end of a winding dirt road and faces placid Wannaweep Lake.  Made to blend in and compliment her surrounding, Ela House mimicks historical examples all over Jekyll Island.  With a massive porch angled to absorb as much sun as possible, this construction of simplicity praises her environment by using old style wooden siding and an eye drawing cupula perched upon her crown.  This modern piece of architecture, based off of native Timucua circular huts, invite guests to take a hiatus and share a drink with their fellow neighbors.  Extended porches in the center of each side enable outdoor excursions to take place rain or shine.  Light penetrates each corner of Ela partly because of the large windows on each floor as well as a central skylight.  Never has an artifical plot of land been so perfect as this 24' square home.

First Test

Testing...