The Virtual Architects

World Builder-Bruce Branit
This award winning short was created by filmmaker Bruce Branit, widely known as the co-creator of '405'. World Builder was shot in a single day followed by about 2 years of post production. Branit is the owner of Branit VFX based in Kansas City.

original from:http://www.vimeo.com/3365942?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Eduard Bohlen-A ship sails in the desert

The Namib is one of the greatest and most unique natural creations on earth. It is the world’s smallest desert, but also the oldest (80 million years) with the highest dunes offering an exceptional ecology. The coastline of the Namib is harsh and often referred to as the Skeleton Coast. One of the many skeletons along this coastline is the well-known wreck of the Eduard Bohlen.

On 5 September 1909 the Eduard Bohlen, a 2 272 ton passenger / cargo ship, was on a voyage from

Swakopmund to Table Bay. On the day the sea and coast was covered in thick fog. The 310.6 ft ship lost its way and ran aground at Conception Bay about 150 km from Swakopmund. On 5 September 2009, exactly a century ago, this tragic drama occurred. The wreck of the Eduard Bohlen is a desert icon and one of the most photographed shipwrecks.
At Live the Journey we believe: “touring should be a life-enriching experience”. With this in mind we have planned a unique trip to commemorate the Eduard Bohlen’s 100th year on dry ground. A special 4 x 4 overland trip through concession areas and the Sperrgebiet was designed to ensure that you will be able to lift your glasses in the shade of the Eduard Bohlen on 5 Sept 2009 and to let your imagination run freely on what happened on the doomed day. We would also like to hear your theory on why the shipwreck is nearly 800 meter from the coast.

original from: http://facesofthenamib.com/2009/08/15/eduard-bohlen-a-100-years/

This reminds me a book that I read during my MArch, Unknow Quantitiy by Paul Virilio, there's a quote I like that marks out the modern catastrophe "the increasing development of accidents as an indirect consequence of man's inventions." It's too crucial to me to see this as a kind of human inventions, but simply look it as an abandoned object, an object that last in the place that is not suppose to be when its created, and the accident act as a vector that divert and  interpolate to create this sort of catastrophic landscape which is cannot be manipulated. from the time being, these two alien substances start to merge and resolve. I was very fascinated  by the trace and footprint of the drift moment that is still kept in the land for 100 years, a sign of vector that is being recorded from the surface as a trace of this motion.

Render work in Kerkythea II

Today I worked on a bit of interior render in Kerkythea, the result come out to be better than What I expected. After 5hr render for this quality I think is very reasonable. Using the setting of Photonmap Medium+AA，no lights in the scene, only with illuminating materials and a sun light.  The machine is still running another setting of render "BPT lighting", it takes longer time with passes over and over, its a bit like Maxwell method, u can save at anytime u want, so there's no need to finish the caculation which is more flexible.

This is a hidden drawing, I was playing with the sunset enviroment mapping and some PS with wind and raindrops, I guess I won't show this to my supervisior, as probably people will ask, how will such a moody atmosphere can convince the client? I think it will be the opposite. anyway, I enjoy doing it.

Ghost-like Architecture - Shingo Masuda

Japanese architects Shingo Masuda and Katsuhisa Otsubo have installed mesh screens at the boundary of a property in Tokyo. Called Ghost-like Architecture, the screens are made of expanded metal and act as louvres. The property boundary therefore appears to be surrounded by an opaque wall when viewed from one angle, but a translucent mesh from another.

original from :

http://www.dezeen.com/2010/01/14/ghost-like-architecture-by-shingo-masuda-and-katsuhisa-otsubo-architects/

It really looks like the 3d material I usualy like to use to express the fense or what ever that u dont feel it needs to be detailed but to show the division of areas. in fact the frameless mesh of this project is really imazing, only with some articulated openings. By looking at this view, I can't stop linking my mind to the X-ray view of Rhino or Sketchup.

Render work in Kerkythea

This week is getting intense, both of the project that I'm working on is having design panel and reviews, although they changed my PC for a more powerful Xeon quad core, but still I need two brain to think and work. Having lack of time to do the rendering works, a free plugin for Sketchup work quite well on the GI render, Kerkythea, I guess its similar to Maxwell with its easy settings and physical day lighting system, but its quite fast in a way. This is the outcome of the plugins, still havn't got chance to play with any fancy material and render settings, but the default setting is already convincing enough. All the same issue about these CGs, is that it's always lies. How many days in a year will it be sunny with sharp shadows in London? Why not a rainy day?  Anyway, I try to do it in a partly cloudy day with leaves falling and birds flying....

Ernő Goldfinger- post war modernism

Ernő Goldfinger is a Hugarian architects and probably a key member of modern movement in UK, I'm sure the above biulding (The Trellick Tower) is very distict in London urban enviroment, I once saw it somewhere on the coach to Salisbury, the skybridge probably is the bold design in that preriod, although I don't appreciate too much about the massive construction, but if we think of the post-war period where economics and effeciency are everything, like Barbican and the ugly concrete tower that I lived right now on 23rd floor, myabe thats what it is in the time when all they focus is C/P, but at least there's certain quality of design signature in his building.

I didnt know about this architect until I started my work in Avanti, they do conservation on listed buildings, and the director is the son of the modern movement I guess. the following is the site that I'm currently working on, Haggerston School BSF project, it invloves refurbishment of the listed building and a new-built 2 stories. Of course I got no idea about conservation work, so I'm currently focusing on the new-built. I have being seeing this facade for 4 weeks, and to be honest, its kind of elegant in a way, the exposed beam and the iconic roof profile, and the proportion of the window frames. I think this is what I appreciate about, the precisely desgined facade. Now days, cool buildings don't really care about these classical manner, because all there energy are poured in the complex geometry and try to stitch them in one peice. In general, I think buildings are just part of  fashion products, it has its own period of value.

Master Project on British Council Taipei Website

The slides are the design exhibition for UK education affair in Taiwan and its held by British Council Taipei.
2 images were selected from my master project, the 19th Tee and the Golf club.

http://britishcouncil-taipei.ning.com/photo/she-wu-zhe-de-gao-er-fu-qiu
http://britishcouncil-taipei.ning.com/photo/the-19th-tee

U City-Scott Teplin v.s. White U -Toyo Ito

Alphabet City which features letters as tiny dwellings. The little spaces aren’t ordinary homes though, they’re filled with all kinds of random things mad scientist laboratories and piles of what appear to be donuts, as you can see above. Each letter is totally different and unique, so be sure to check out each one.

original from:
http://www.teplin.com/images/alphabet-city-prints/

The U-House was built in 1976 in the centre of Tokyo. It was designed by the architect Toyo Ito for his older sister, who had just lost her husband to cancer. In 1997 the house was demolished before Toyo Ito's eyes.

original from:
http://storiesofhouses.blogspot.com/2005/06/u-house-in-japan-by-toyo-ito.html

Ink Calendar by Oscar Diaz

Just saw this on Dezeen, I like the idea of using simple physics of ink spreading as a time based calender, although I dont really know how to control the speed of spreading that makes it accurate. it reminds Shin's project, one of my colleagues in UCL, he uses  diatoms to grow architectural facade, and its indeed fascinating.

maybe some similar idea is possible, the growing machanism as a time device.

see orginal post:

http://www.dezeen.com/2009/07/17/ink-calendar-by-oscar-diaz/

new blog layout

After designing Marcos's blog, I tweak a little bit on my blog as well, the 3rd coloum looks much better than previos one..