Week 4: Blend Layer

Post 3 images to your blog that show the application of the blend layer technique to your chosen house.

Image 1: pitting of marble, cracked tile floor, cracked marble wall

Image 2: pitting of marble, dusty glass, moss ceiling, rusting chrome, raw marble, graffiti

Image 3: moss ceiling, cracked tile floor, dusty glass, rusting chrome, raw marble

I need to change the blend factors in the material editor because some of the blend layers look very strange.

Week 3: Reflection

In research I have learnt a lot regarding building structure and how building materials could decay over time. Materials that seem quite durable and semi-permanent are actually very prone to decay without proper maintenance. I think the Barcelona Pavilion is very susceptible to effects of the weather because of the open plan and while violent damage may not occur excessively, decay and corrosion definitely would.
Concocting a story behind the history of abandonment and destruction is helpful for me because I was unsure what I wanted to do and having a narrative focus appeals to and aids the direction I want to take.

Week 3: Progress

I'm starting with a complete Pavilion so I can explore it and figure out what I want to do with the building. I find it easier to explore a 3D model in order to visualise where decay and neglect would most manifest. I'm also trying to figure out good positions for the "money shots" that we have to submit. I like diagonal perspectives which are also helpful for including more content in view however the direct views down walkways are also aesthetically pleasing. I think a lot of the perspective represented should be from eye level for the audience to fully experience the scene.

In researching decay, I found reference images of interest:

An abandoned shopping centre in Ohio- you can see the debris concentrated areas where glass has broken or building materials have fallen apart. I like this representation of abandonment and I think I don't want to specifically focus on a natural disaster type of decay that is too busy with broken objects.

Abandoned houses on an island in the United States- again, I like the empty simplistic nature of this type of abandonment and I want to translate this into the decay I am representing.

Abandoned rink in Brisbane- even though the material is no longer there, the structure for the roof of this building still remains and I expect that to occur for the Barcelona Pavilion as well. The marble material may decay and break off in certain places however the steel structure within will remain intact though external influences such as weathering or physical damage may alter it from its original form.

Week 3: Sketches

Do 3 sketches of your chosen house, of how their structural systems might fail over time without maintenance.

There are lots of images of abandoned pools filled with chairs, I don't know why people do this though some looks strangely artistic, I assume it might be to do with...storage?? Because pools are usually such large areas and since they're no longer filled with water, people might try to put all the discarded furniture together in the one place....??
The Barcelona Pavilion has two shallow pond-like areas so it might be interesting to document human existence through this kind of neglect.

Broken glass is quite common in abandoned buildings, this particular house has missing panes however because the glass material in the Barcelona Pavilion are quite large in size, it's more likely that they would have gaps as opposed to the entire pane be missing.

I expect nature to gradually take over the building, however the stage of decay I want to present translates a more empty, lonely atmosphere with maybe some water milling around that washes away light debris, but predominantly is a focus on the remaining man-made material. Excessive vegetation would be too wild and active as well as less likely considering the marble material as opposed to stone or wood.

The roof the Pavilion is going to decay in certain places around the edges where the support of the cruciform columns won't extend to and the ceiling itself will develop some moss.

Week 2: Progress Specular and Bump Maps

Beige marble before:

 

Beige marble after:

Fibreglass before:

Fibreglass after:

Glass before:

Glass after:

Granite before:

Granite after:

Green marble before:

Green marble after:

Marble tiles before:

Marble tiles after:

Week 2: Reflection

The variety of programs used in this course and especially in this second project will be beneficial in future activities perhaps in animation or a similar virtual set design type of assignment. Software used is interesting and I didn't know work could be integrated across various programs. I think this will be helpful in other courses that have a heavy influence on computing and using different software. This course allows a lot of self-direction which gives space for creativity and individual approaches.

Week 2: 3 Materials

Choose three materials and do some research on their properties, i.e. the process of making each material, how long they will last, what makes them corrode, structural pros and cons, what these materials are typically used for, environmental impacts.

CONCRETE

Concrete is a mixture of two components: aggregate and paste.

Aggregates: sand and various sizes of gravel and crushed stone. Fine aggregate: 5mm or less. Course aggregate: up to 40mm.
Paste: limestone + clay + gypsum + various other chemicals and minerals = cement. These materials are crushed, mixed in appropriate proportions, burned and ground. Resulting mixture is combined with water where a chemical process called hydration takes place, and the resulting paste dries into a solid stone-like mass.
Cement, water and aggregate measurements have a huge influence on concrete's strength, permeability and durability.
Lifespan: depends on iron and steel bar reinforcement inside. When air, moisture, and chemicals seep into reinforced concrete, the bar rusts, expanding in diameter four or five-fold, which destroys the surrounding concrete. Usually 70-80 years.
Pros: economical when ingredients are readily available, long life, low maintenance requirements, unlikely to rot, corrode, or decay, molded or cast into any shape, non-combustible material, withstand high temperatures, resistant to wind, water, rodents, and insects, often used for storm shelters
Cons: low tensile strength, low ductility, low strength-to-weight ratio, susceptible to cracking
Decay: harsh weather, decay of connected materials (eg steel), physical destruction

GLASS

Primary ingredient: silica/quartz sand without iron impurities as the iron will cause the glass to appear greenish when present.
Other ingredients: sodium carbonate, calcium oxide, magnesium/aluminium oxides. Sodium carbonate lowers temperature necessary to make glass commercially. However, it permits water to pass through the glass, so calcium oxide, is added to counter this. Magnesium/aluminium oxides may be added to make glass more durable. These make approximately 30% of ingredients.
Chemicals: chemicals can be added to produce desired colours. Iron/copper oxide can be added to create a green effect. Sulfur compounds create yellow, orange, brown or black effect, depending on how much carbon or iron is included.
Mixture is melted into liquid. Commercial silica is melted in a gas-fired furnace. Without additives becomes glass at a temperature of 2300 degrees Celsius. Sodium carbonate lowers required temperature to 1500 degrees Celsius. Stir mixture to make it even and get rid of bubbles.
Molten glass is poured into a bath of molten tin for support and blasted with pressurized nitrogen to shape and polish it. This is how glass panes are made.
Annealing: heat treat glass to strengthen and remove stress points that formed during cooling. Then the glass is treated to improve strength and durability.
Glass lifespan: approximately 40 years
Decay: harsh weather, erosion, physical destruction

MARBLE

Large cubes of marbles are extracted from the ground.
Piece is loaded on platform supported by hydraulic lifts that lift marble into steel saw blades slicing from above.
Slab is placed face down and diamond-encrusted abrasive pads grind the surface to smooth the material. It is then sprayed with epoxy sealer and left for 48 hours. This is then repeated on the other side of the material.
Decay: chemical reactions (weather), physical destruction