Eskinder Belayneh
Arts Scholar
Portfolio of Work
Building Materials and Methods
Building Materials is one great and important topic I’ve learned in this course. Before coming to this class, I had a vague understanding of what material best fits a certain building. As I've continued to explore this course, I was able to have an advanced selection of building materials. One example of this practice is when I was given the option to pick between different types of glasses. I was able to analyze the characteristics of each type of glass and select the best one. I also studied what glass is most frequently used for this building type. Since It was a bakery shop or a place of trade, I understood that Laminated glass was the best glass. And I described the characteristics that make it the best option(Press Button). I would have loved to explore these things more in BIM and understand each material's composition so I could get a better understanding of its physical attributes. The professor however gave us a different angle than BIM. She helped us understand what formation is best for certain materials and what treatment is necessary for some materials. The slits/holes on the wood and brick layout on a wall are a good example for material treatment and only from the professor could I learn the condition of the building materials. Â
Before I took this course, I didn’t know an architect could be involved or had a preference in the material of the building. I didn’t understand why it would matter to an architect. I believed one house could be made with different materials and still function the same way. As I continued to take this course, I understood that building materials can determine the quality of the building. The building materials determine the structural integrity, its life span, its visual quality, its protection against the weather conditions, and also its effect on the earth. I understood that they are a crucial variable that an architect needs to understand. I mostly learned this in the lectures but a demonstration I saw with the guest lectures made me truly comprehend the significance. The Potomac Valley brick presentation happened in the great space and a lot of students were able to visualize the demonstration. I was able to see 5 layers of a wall that day and I was curious to know why each material was important. The guests told me there needs to be a layer for insulation, circulation of moisture, air space, structural support, and protection against harsh weather. The brick wasn’t the structural support and This really struck me. The brick was just the thing protecting the inside from harsh weather. It was also the aesthetic appeal of the building. The model I saw was a bit different than the picture you see (Fig. 2 of button) but they are very similar.Â
Thanks to this class, I am able to articulate the relationship between each building material to construction system. I’d say I’d confidently tell a construction manager what the best material is for certain parts of the building. I also understand the building code for each building part. I was once asking the guest speakers for building codes relating to safety and they showed me it’s the main thing accounted for. So I believe I’ve had enough experience to consult experts. Although I've had difficulty understanding certain terminologies used in this class and in the book, I believe I understood the important words to communicate with the experts. I plan to do more in the future. Right now I used the highlight and lookup feature that would let me define the word but even that has many issues. I must improve my technique next time. I also know that I would recognize any building material that comes up in my future classes because I understand and have a high interest in the materials. Although I have preferences on which material I wanna study more, I don't mind reviewing them and learning more about them in my upcoming classes.
Architectural Design Skills
An important aspect of architectural design is fluent communication. I believe a fluent communicator in architecture would succeed a lot in selling their work and cooperating with other architects. It also helps with trading information more smoothly. Unlocking various vocabularies and using professional terminologies would come in handy when trading information. I am not quite ready to communicate using professional terminology. I’m still at the point of trying to communicate my idea in general. I’m an immigrant that came to this country about eight years ago and although this does not excuse my inability to use professional terminology, I believe I need a little bit more time to confidently start using professional terminology. I feel like I practice communicating by asking questions. Although I don’t have the confidence to ask questions during class due to my uncertainty of the question I ask being not comprehendible to the professor, guest speakers, and to the other students, I do ask after class and after the presenters have finished their presentation. This satisfies my curiosity which I had during class and also makes me understand where I’m at with my vocabulary and comprehensibility. I can say I have improved a lot with communication since the beginning of class.
I have also improved my architectural literacy. Before this class, I only knew why a building is formed like that. Even though I had lessons in the history of Architecture in which it explains why certain civilizations only used bricks and some tended to use wood, I wouldn’t have been able to understand their composition and why they are an important component of the building. As I continued to take this class, I learned that the building material says a lot about the building and the environment. A building façade made with glass could signify that the building is more public and inviting of outside people. This would be a business place, trade center, or a people’s place(one working with people) (Button). Brick would serve more for homes and places that need protection from the climate. These are all general things. An experienced architect would choose a specific and more appropriate building material. I was also able to pick up on the advantages of certain building assemblies. I understand that certain building assemblies vary in insulation, structural support, and spatial consideration. I know that a roof must be sloped to redirect the flow of water to the edge and relieve central stress. I was also able to understand why large buildings and parking garages have diagonal bracing. It’s things like this I was able to notice when I took this course.
BIM Integration
BIM navigation was one skill everyone attained in this class. Prior to taking this class, I didn’t know there was a software that compiles different materials and allows one person to accurately build a structure with the given building materials. Learning Revit was pretty useful and the TAs guided us clearly on how to articulate our design Ideas. Although we had to create a certain pattern for our exams and home-works, the TAs did well to show us how to navigate the technology. I am a person that likes working with computers so It was exciting to use BIM and I was happy that it was a criterion of this class. Given that this is a necessary tool for Architecture students, I’m glad I learned it early as well. The prosperity of structures and building parts Revit has is very appealing. Autodesk families were a new discovery to me and that made me realize I can construct a home with just that model. I’ve learned Rhino, Sketchup, and AutoCAD and I feel like Revit is more Architecture friendly. It has so many construction companies specific to structure types. Knowing I can account for every structural part is quite relieving. Physics and Math are some of my favorite topics and although this does not apply to calculations, I believe it helps visually. Revit will give me the view that would make me decide if a building is structurally sound or not. BIM is one of the most important tools for an architect. The technology not only plans out the structure but also holds information on the finances of the structure and also allows them to interact with the construction managers, builders, engineers, and contractors. A tool like that is very powerful and definitely speeds up the process of making a building. It also avoids any error in the formation of a building. This was one of my main concerns as an architect. What if I build something that has one error and the entire building collapses and people get hurt? What if some measurements do not add up? All my concerns are eased with this technology and knowing there are a lot of people that are working with me and checking my work. BIM is essential and all architects should get accustomed to it. That’s what I did with professor Ming Hu this semester and I had a lot of fun working on it.
Portfolio of Work
Knowledge of Embodied Carbon
As a person determined to make the world greener, I walked into this class with the preconception that a lot of industries that make steel, concrete, wood… or any type of manufacturing industry have very little consideration for the environment. And I didn’t know we were going to cover embodied carbon or sustainability in this class. My curiosity was widened when this was one of the topics we delved into and my interest grew even greater when I learned that my preconceptions were wrong. The modern industry does care about emitting fewer greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. I learned this because We’ve worked on material life cycles and we’ve analyzed the building hot spots(processes that use up a lot of energy and produce a lot of carbon) (included in the image) I realized that a lot of companies do account for that and they do try to minimize that. An example of this would be building industries using local materials so the transportation process does not produce a lot of CO2. This is one of the main reasons why a lot of buildings use the same material that is abundant in their environment.Â
I also learned a lot from our carbon footprint presenter. Meghan Lewis taught me how to navigate the EC3 website which has all the manufacturing industries in the world and it gives you a lot of information on the embodied carbon print for a lot of different categories. I am the type of person that likes to explore the development of the nation I was born in. So I used this website to explore how the nation is doing with its industries and I was saddened to not see any categories matching to concrete. (Embodied carbon Image 3) I’ve also tried structural steel which is a common material in my nation but I was also unable to find anything relating to carbon emissions or any other embodied carbon information. I can only assume that the nation does not report their emissions or they only do foreign trade.
After taking this class I see buildings with a different lens. Whenever I see a building, I will have to think about how much energy to consume not only for maintenance but to build it. The environment we live in isn’t sustainable enough. As Meghan Lewis reported, our rate of emission is similar to adding a whole New York City to the world every 34 days. But all this research has taught me that a lot of industries and companies do try. We just need to be more dedicated and determined to make the world greener. Embodied Carbon is really the new age of construction. That is the current policy and every architect needs to have that in mind when making their design.
Learning Abilities
I considered myself to be a listening learner. This means I had to let go of everything and direct my full attention to the professor. This meant not taking notes and not writing down stuff while the professor was speaking. I’ve tried that for a week or two and I realized that I was able to remember the most important things and not all the details that are important to the topic. This method of learning wasn’t allowing me to remember much of what I learned and it only helped on the short term which meant I would remember such things till I take an exam or use it for an assignment. So I changed to a laptop note-taking method and although it diverted some focus from listening to the teacher, it was useful in the long term. This method gave me more resources and in addition to that It allowed me to practice improving my typing speed and sometimes while not looking at the keyboard. So this definitely changed my learning method. This note-taking method also allowed me to write questions and reserve them for later. After the class is over, I would ask my friend that question and if I think that answer doesn’t make sense or the person doesn’t know the answer, I’d ask the professor or the TA. This has also allowed me to see that I have a hierarchy of people I’m confident in asking. The TAs I feel very comfortable with asking questions and they tend to understand what I mean. I’m also comfortable with asking the guest speakers but in a more formal manner. And lastly, I’d approach the professor at the end of class to ask her about something in her slides that made me curious. I do it after class for the main reason of keeping the flow of the presentation going. That’s very important in keeping the organization of the lecture and fully understanding how the topic connects. Plus I have more time for the teacher to explain it to me after class. And she could go in-depth and I prefer that. My learning strength is that I learn a lot better in an interactive setting. I was able to learn the BIM tutorials because it was in a smaller setting and it was more interactive. I was also able to learn a lot better from my partner and groups. Specifically, the in-class assignments helped a lot. The smaller settings allowed for a closer relationship between the two parties and it allowed for the exchange of information. So anything I didn’t understand, my partner would explain and I’d do the same for my partner. Both of us not knowing would signify that we need to ask the professor and frequently we did. A learning weakness I noticed I had was the reading mediums. I learned that I read slower due to the fact that the writing I see in the book was quite unconventional to what I usually read. And since I don’t like moving on without understanding something, it took longer than it needed to. I would even sometimes come into class hoping the professor explains what goes on in the readings because I know the book has important information for architecture students. Luckily for me, she touches on the topics the book covers in her lectures. However, I fully understood that that can’t go on. I need to orient myself into this learning medium. The learning activities I responded to more easily were the YouTube videos shown in class. Corning glass videos were easy to learn because they can visualize their examples and they have a lot of resources. However, I still like the recorded aspect of it. I can go back, pause and zoom, and understand every aspect of the video. This helped a lot too with recorded TA tutorials of Revit. It walked me through all the detailed processes. This class was a great exploration of my learning skills.