Calendar 9/14

7 Basic Functions

Free Form Geodesic Structures

The principles of geodesic construction were developed by the pioneering American architect and engineer R Buckminster Fuller in the middle of the last century as part of his efforts to use science and technology to address universal issues. His vision has inspired successive generations of architects and geodesic designs have played a fundamental role in defining the architectural landscape of the past few decades. Architonic takes a look at some recent projects that combine the brilliance of Buckyʼs ideas with twenty-first century technology, resulting in complex yet efficient structures with a futuristic aesthetic.

The MyZeil centre in Frankfurt by Massimilano Fuksas demonstrates the complexity of form that can be achieved with modern materials and techniques

Geodesic construction is founded on the principle that the triangle is an inherently stable form, independent of size, and that a triangular framework held together in tension enables the creation of structures that are lightweight but profoundly strong. Applying these building methods to spherical forms encloses the maximum interior volume with the least amount of surface area, meaning significant material and cost savings can be achieved. These inherent benefits have ensured that geodesic methods remain a relevant and popular choice for architects and developers seeking to ‘do more with less’.

Cast-aluminium joints connected the cardboard tubes – a method that Ban has used in various previous cardboard-construction projects

The ease with which geodesic structures can be transported and constructed is an advantage in many scenarios, saving a great deal of time, money and materials. Some of the earliest geodesic structures that Buckminster Fuller built were designed as temporary pavilions, intended to demonstrate the engineering and manufacturing capabilities of America to the world. One of the first geodesic structures seen by the general public was a dome made from cardboard tubes presented at the Milan Triennale in 1954, which came away with the highest award, the Gran Premio. For the 2009 London Design Festival, Shigeru Ban designed his own geodesic cardboard structure – a 22-metre cone made from compressed cardboard tubes that became the tallest paper tower ever made.

Foster + Partnersʼ UAE Pavilion from Expo 2010 drew inspiration from a sandbank; photo Nigel Young

Glazed vertical strips on the northern elevation allow light to penetrate the façade; photo Nigel Young

At last yearʼs Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, some of the worldʼs leading architects employed geodesic forms in their designs. Foster + Partnersʼ 3,000-square-metre pavilion for the United Arab Emirates was one of the largest at the fair and featured a triangulated lattice of flat stainless-steel panels joined by adjustable nodes making it easy to construct and demount quickly.

Shanghai, China: the membrane roof that covered the Expo Boulevard created by Knippers Helbig had a total surface area of 65,000 square metres – the largest of its kind in the world; photo Thomas Ott The diameter of the glass light funnels increases from 16 metres at the base to 80 metres at the upper edge; photo Thomas Ott The Admirant entrance building by Massimiliano Fuksas in Eindhoven, Netherlands, fits five floors of commercial and office spaces inside its amorphous form; photo Rob H’art The complexity of the surfaces and interior spaces requires detailed planning, using modelling software to create practical spaces; photo Rob H’art

Geodesic structures do present some distinct disadvantages for conventional applications. Despite their ability to enclose a high volume using minimal material, the lack of straight sides can reduce the amount of usable space. Advanced engineering software has helped to combat this issue, enabling architects to calculate the optimum position for floors and walls and enabling the design of unusual forms that still retain acceptable levels of functionality.

The fluid form of Fuksasʼ MyZeil complex connects Frankfurt’s Zeil, an important shopping street, with the historic Thurn and Taxis Palace

The building houses shops, offices, a sports centre, a cinema and various public spaces, with views of the city beyond the twisted glass façade

Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas has employed geodesic principles in many of his recent buildings, including the MyZeil centre in Frankfurt, Germany. The complex, twisted forms that he creates rely heavily on digital software to generate practical spaces that are also organic and dynamic in form. The MyZeil project features a geodesic skin which envelops the site and is pierced by various funnels and voids that allow light to enter the interior and help direct the flow of movement around the building.

Yann Weymouth – project architect for the recently opened Dalí Museum by HOK Architects in St Petersburg, Florida – counts Buckminster Fuller among his architectural heroes and thought it fitting to utlilise his methods in this build as Fuller was also a contemporary and friend of the surrealist master. The building features a solid concrete bunker interrupted by a glass and steel ʻEnigmaʼ that allows natural daylight to enter the large atrium.

Geodesic principles were just one part of Buckminster Fullerʼs vision for a world in which advanced materials and engineering contribute to an improved standard of living for everyone. ‘Through technology, man can do anything he needs to do,’ he claimed, and, with increasingly sophisticated physical and digital technologies available to the current generation of architects, what is required most is a willingness to commit to using them in the creation of buildings that are as efficient and ecologically responsible as possible. In this way, perhaps we can continue progressing towards Buckyʼs ultimate ambition: ‘To make the world work for one hundred percent of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation, without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone.’

Fractal Geometry

This thesis work is part of a broader research project that is entitled ‘Fractal Geometry and its Applications in the field of construction’. This interdisciplinary research gathers the domains of mathematics ( Dr E. Tosan LYON/LIRI ) and construction (Prof. Y. Weinand EPFL/IBOIS). The goal of the interdisciplinary work group is to research and to develop concrete applications of fractal geometry in the field of construction.

The project founds on the use a fractal model, based on iterative algorithms, which have been developed at the LIRIS for the creation of virtual images. The considered model is translated in order to create algorithms that are adapted to the problems of physical construction. This leads to the following speculation: Is it possible to use iterative algorithms – which produce fractal objects for virtual images – for the construction of materialized physical objects? Which are then the inherent specifications and advantages of this geometric modeling method?

The construction of fractals relies on BASRNSLEYS’ formalism, which uses iterative function systems. The formalism operates on a set of simple and comprehensible functions, which build – if applied iteratively – uncommon and complex objects. The way such objects are described is therefore limited to a few parameters. The obtained objects are always modeled of a discreet number of elements.

The discreet expression of the so modeled objects offers a bunch of advantages for the physical realization of complex shapes. The studied modeling method generates meshes that, in the one hand, are potentially interpretable by software for numerical simulation and, in the other hand, are ready made for integrated manufacturing. The proposed method not only allows the construction of fractal objects (selfsimilar objects, hollow fractal objects, growing structures, bursting objects) but also the construction of classic polynomial figures (Bezier, Spline, NURBS, etc.). In terms of architectural conception and production, the studied method opens the door to a new sculptural universe.

Further, the combination fractal geometry / wood / integrated manufacturing explores a new application range of the material wood in the field of construction. The so created structures will play different roles: Bearing structures and spatial separators as well as deco-, shading or acoustic panels.

Full Article @ http://ibois.epfl.ch/page-10895-en.html

My USF SACD Experience: The Year Long Detour

It was a hot spring day in Southern Illinois for our graduating class of 2009.  After four years of a typical undergraduate “architorture” experience we were exhausted but eager to move on to the next step in our lives.  A few students planned on heading to big name architecture schools like Michigan, Cornell, and Virginia Tech.  However, it was a difficult year for undergraduates applying for grad school.  Continuing education was a trend of the recession which provided us with greater competition.  Many of my classmates settled on waiting a year and trying to find a job, or they are taking a risk by staying at SIUC even though the master’s program has yet to gain accreditation.  I was anxious to get the ceremony over with so my parents and I could head down to beautiful Tampa Bay Florida where I was accepted into the University of South Florida’s Master of Architecture program.  It couldn’t have been a more exciting change to relocate from the small town feel of Southern Illinois to a place where I knew absolutely no one!

I could recite the actual letter of intent that I mailed to USF when I was hoping to get accepted into the school, however, the underlying reason for my decision was a financial one.  My parents invested in a condo in nearby St. Petersburg a few years back when my sister lived there and I couldn’t pass up taking advantage of that convenience factor.  I was also told getting in-state tuition for one or both years of attendance was attainable, bringing the tuition rate close to what I would have paid in Illinois.  I was so confident I had made the best decision for myself that I posted the “two-year curriculum track” (mailed to me in my acceptance packet) on facebook for all my friends to see.

“Will the candidates for a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies please stand.”  A few handshakes and hugs away from the Sunshine State!

For the first couple days my parents and I did some site seeing, unpacking, and visited with my aunt in Sarasota.  The previous tenants had recently moved out of our condo so we spent much of our time at resale furniture stores to furnish my new place.  On Tuesday I decided to email my graduate advisor “Stan Flowers” (or something similar) to inquire about a possible graduate assistantship.  He did not reply.  After attempting to call him a few times I assumed stopping by and introducing myself wouldn’t be a bad idea.  It was the following Tuesday and my parents and I were preparing to drive back to Illinois by Thursday.  We decided to make a day out of visiting the University since it is about thirty minutes from the condo and we only had one vehicle.  They dropped me off at the Architecture building and went to grab some coffee nearby.  After asking a group of students where an Architecture Professor’s office might be I was directed up the stairs to the fourth floor of the building.  I walked in the door to the air conditioned office area and there was no one to be found.  Surely there had to be someone around, it was 10:30 in the morning.  I started poking around the office when a door opened and a student walked out of the Academic Advisor, Ms. A’s, office.  I had spoken to Ms. A on the phone before so I took this opportunity to introduce myself to her as well.  She was organizing some papers on her desk when I walked in and she quickly glanced up and gave me a mild hello.  I told her my name and reminded her of our previous conversations.  She told me Stan was out of the office that morning but would be back in the afternoon and to come back around 3 pm or so.  I thanked her and left to track down my parents and explain that I either had to come back later or kill time until 3:00 rolled around.  We decided to go to lunch and walk around IKEA for a few hours until Mr. Flowers returned.  I checked my email one more time on my phone to make sure he hadn’t spoken to Ms. A and emailed me back.  We headed back up to campus around 2:30 pm and my parents waited in the car as I walked up the stairs to the fourth floor.  This time the door to the offices was locked.  I sat down on a nearby bench to read and wait for someone to return.  About twenty minutes later Ms. A whisked by me and around the corner toward her office.  I jumped up to catch her before she went inside.  She told me Stan had not returned yet but I could wait in the air conditioning for him if I wanted to.  I did.  I waited until about 4  pm before I ripped a blank page out of my book and wrote him a friendly letter.

Prof. Flowers,

Hello.  I am the student that has been trying to contact you about a possible graduate assistantship.  If you could let me know when the best time is to meet with you I would sincerely appreciate it.

Your Unofficial Stalker 🙂

Melissa King

KingMLeigh@aol.com

(555)555-5555

 

Of course my parents had migrated to the nearest coffee shop by the time I had returned.  My dad, being a retired college professor and now district administrator, couldn’t quite understand the miscommunication between Mr. Flowers and myself but we headed back to the condo to decide what to do for dinner.

The next day was the final day of my hardworking parents’ vacation.  I would be riding back to Illinois with them as well for a wedding before driving my own car down to settle before fall semester.  We relaxed the day away while they expressed to me how lucky I was to have such a limitless opportunity in my life.  I continued checking my email and phone to see if Mr. Flowers had tried to contact me but he hadn’t.  Thursday morning we packed up the ’96 Suburban to head out on what would be the final voyage for the long lived Chevy.  The economic stimulus program “Cash for Clunkers” had encouraged my parents to purchase a more environmentally friendly vehicle.  We merged onto 275 north to head home.  As we got closer to the University I asked if they minded stopping by one last time to see if I could talk to Stan Flowers.  Of course they didn’t.  I made one more trip up to the fourth floor to find a gentleman coming out of the bathroom and heading into the offices.  I wondered if it was Mr. Flowers.  I had seen his picture on the SACD website but wasn’t sure enough to greet him.  I smiled and walked in behind him.  Ms. A was helping a student in her office so I sat down to wait.  The gentleman walked out of the mail room holding my letter I had written two days earlier and stood reading it a few feet from me.  I said, “You wouldn’t happen to be Professor Flowers would you?”  He replied “You wouldn’t happen to be my stalker would you?”  I laughed and asked if he had a couple minutes to talk to me.  He grudgingly said only if we could step outside so he could smoke.

The reason I had been so adamant about tracking him down was to be one of the first students to inquire about a grad assistantship.  My professor back at SIU had informed me that GA’s can sometimes get out of state tuition costs waived.  I knew that SIUC had offered over twelve GA positions in their early developed graduate program.  This led me to believe that USF would have even more opportunities for me.  After sitting down outside and allowing Mr. Flowers to light his cigarette I inquired about the GA positions.  The conversation went something like this…

“We only have two GA positions available and do not offer them to first year grad students.”

I said “Okay, well I am concerned about out of state tuition costs and would really appreciate the opportunity to prove myself worthy.”

He spit back “Well you can’t get in-state tuition unless you have lived here at least a year and now that the policy is changing you won’t ever be able to get in-state.”

I asked “What exactly is changing about the policy?”

“Once a student is admitted out-of-state he will never be eligible for in-state tuition.”

“Wow, this is the first I have heard of this, when did this policy change?”

“It hasn’t yet but it should be going through around the end of June and effective for the fall semester.”

A few more words were exchanged before Mr. Flowers’ cigarette was burning short along with his patience.  I left disheartened and frustrated.

After returning to the suburban I calmly explained to my parents what had been said.  We continued on our drive and discussed possible options and outcomes of the situation.  I tried stay as positive as I could.  I was still accepted into the program and there was still a chance I could get a scholarship or somehow come up with the money to pay for tuition.  At this point I wasn’t even sure if everything Mr. Flowers had told me was certain.  After all, the policy hadn’t been changed, it was expected to change.

For the next month or so I stayed in Illinois spending as much time with my family as possible.  I knew once school started I wouldn’t have much time to visit them nor would I have the money to travel back and forth.  It was getting closer to Fall semester and into July when I decided to call the graduate admissions office to check about the tuition policy.  I spoke to a gentleman, Mr. S, who was very helpful in finding out what changes, if any, the State had made in their tuition policy.  He emailed me the new statutes and it had in fact changed.  To summarize, a student’s residency remains constant for the duration of his or her enrollment.  Because he had been so helpful, I asked Mr. S for his advice.  He informed me that they had set aside scholarships for the students that had already attended the University for a year and were now being affected by this new policy and I would have a hard time proving I deserved it more than them.  He said if paying out-of-state was too expensive I could always defer my admission for a year and gain residency prior to enrolling for classes.  I hated to consider this option because I had heard of students leaving the educational environment and not wanting to return.  However, it seemed to be the sensible option.  He told me I could wait until the first week of classes to mail him my deferment form.

My sister volunteered to ride with me to drive the rest of my stuff down to Tampa.  Unfortunately, she doesn’t drive stick shift so she just kept me awake for the twenty hour drive.  I was running a fever when we left that morning but she had taken off work to join me so we left regardless.  By the time we got to Atlanta I had fever blisters inside of my mouth and I was sweating even with the air conditioning on full blast.  Turns out my strep throat antibiotic from the week before didn’t quite cure me, and it came back twice as bad as scarlet fever.  Yes, scarlet fever does still exist!  I didn’t have health insurance at the time (had been expecting to be under a student plan soon) so my sister phoned a doctor friend and put an antibiotic in her name.  We arrived in St. Pete at 5:30 am and instead of heading to the condo to go to sleep, we drove straight to Walgreens to fill the prescription.  I didn’t get out of bed for the next two days.

As the first week of school started getting closer, so did the realization that I had to make a final decision on what I was going to do.  Ultimately, if I deferred my admission I would need to find an architecture related job to start the Intern Development Program and stay on track towards becoming a licensed architect.  I knew this was next to impossible with the recession and my lack of experience.  I decided to defer it on the final day before classes began and began my job search in the Tampa Bay Area.

A month went by of the discouraging and exhausting job hunt.  I wasn’t just looking at architecture firms anymore.  I was settling for anything!  My savings were running low and I was beginning to lose myself in a new place with no family, few friends, and no job.

Finally, my friend and neighbor, Jesse, informed me of a contact he had at an architecture firm in Tampa.  I called to talk to his contact, who happened to be the principal of the firm, and was invited in for a “conversation.”  I had little hope that the firm would hire me as they had said they weren’t looking for anyone at the time, but I was so relieved that someone wanted to at least talk to me!  The meeting went well and I left them with a portfolio and resume in case a position happened to open up in the near future.  Less than a month later I got an offer to join the firm part time.  I met some of the most amazing people and had the most wonderful experience working here.  In March of the following year my principal hooked me up with another part time job at the local AIA chapter.  These two jobs introduced me to so much more than I could have expected working in the Tampa Bay Area.  The firm was acknowledged for many local and regional awards and the AIA was a perfect way for me to network with many professionals in the area.  The best part of both jobs, they wanted to work around my class schedule when I started grad school in the fall!

It was the summer before school was supposed to start up again and time to register for classes.  I took off work one afternoon to drive up to USF and register for classes.  Ms. A gave me a list of all the classes I was supposed to take to get my master’s degree.  I noticed right away that some classes I had already taken at SIU were listed on the sheet.  When I asked her she replied that she was not the person to discuss that matter with.  I didn’t have time to examine the rest of the classes so I just asked her what she recommended for me to take my first semester.  She signed me up for studio and three others.  I went home that evening to examine my curriculum.  The curriculum USF had mailed to me said I only had 52 hours of grad school.  This sheet was listing over 100 credit hours I needed to complete!  I was so frustrated and confused.  They must have made a mistake.  The next day I tried getting ahold of Professor Flowers via email.  No dice.  I decided I had to track him down immediately to get this all sorted out.  When I finally did get to talk to him he explained that my curriculum was not really examined the year before by the admissions committee since I was deferring for a year.  He said the first week of classes the committee would meet again.  I tried finding out the names of committee members so I could speak to them personally.  I was told they were all on vacation and the names were confidential.  All I had left to do was to prepare a letter and argue my case.  I could not possibly repeat all of those architecture classes again.  If the curriculum Ms. A handed me was correct, I had 3 years of grad school at 15 credit hours per semester!!  Most schools consider 6 hours full time for grad students.  In fact, SIU’s program was around 15 months with 52 total credit hours.  Their MArch program had also gained accreditation that spring.  This was the first time I had regretted coming to Tampa.  Besides my USF experience, everything in this city had been a positive opportunity so far!  I spent the next couple weeks anxiously preparing a letter and backup material proving my case.

It was the first day of class.  I had worked that Monday morning at the Architecture firm and was heading over to studio at 1pm.  I left early so I could figure out where to park.  I hadn’t been able to get a parking sticker yet and planned to ask my classmates where I should take care of that.  I was early to studio and there were only a few students in the classroom.  I grabbed a chair and watched everyone file in.  They seemed to take more notice toward me than they did each other.  I soon found out this was because they all already knew each other.  Some were talking about a Europe trip from the summer and others were talking about last semester’s studio project.  This was really strange.  I was expecting a room full of strangers beginning grad school with me.  One student seemed to be lingering around my desk uncomfortably.  Finally he asked me who I was, so I introduced myself.

He said “oh, so you are Melissa!”

Everyone stopped talking.  One girl explained they had all seen my name on the class roster and wondered who I was.

I said “So you do already know each other?”

She said “Well yeah, we have had each other in studio classes for the past two years.”

They were third year architecture students!  Oops I must have been in the wrong room.  But no, my name was on the roster.  Lost in thought, I finally realized the lingering student was waiting for me to get out of his chair.  I got up and stood next to another table.  I soon found out the school didn’t provide chairs to students; we were supposed to bring our own.  Once the professor entered he told me to go next door and borrow a seat for now.  We went over the syllabus and our first studio project and we had an assignment for the first week.  Normally I would have been ecstatic to get back in the swing of things and down to work; however, I had bigger problems to solve.

I had emailed Stan Flowers a copy of my letter and dropped a hard copy off at the office addressed to the admissions committee.  They would let me know “as soon as they knew” what the outcome was.  Tuesday came and no word about my curriculum.  I worked downtown Tampa that morning and my studio group came over to survey our project site.  Since they were more interested in getting pizza and chatting I found this the perfect opportunity to find out what the hell I was doing in a third year studio.  Turns out I wasn’t just in a junior level studio.  They had already completed many of the classes on my proposed curriculum.  I actually had more credits to complete than they did and I already had my bachelor’s degree in Architecture!  How was that possible!?  We finished surveying and I went back to work.  It wasn’t until Wednesday after studio that I got word about my curriculum.  The fifteen page case I presented to the admissions committee resulted in the elimination of one elective.

I got in my car and started to drive.  I was so upset I was shaking and decided to pull over.  The first person I could think to call was the director of SIU’s school of architecture.  I thought, there is no way he will actually be around to talk to me but if I could leave a message maybe he will have some advice.  Incredibly, I was connected to him through his secretary within a matter of seconds.  I wasn’t even sure he remembered me!  He did.  I explained the situation, fighting back the frustration and trying to organize my thoughts.  Within a ten minute conversation he asked if I would be interested in coming back to SIU, if it was possible.  This was a shock to me.  I had waited a year to gain residency.  I had two jobs and so many friends in Tampa now.  There was so much to think about.  Still, I told him I would be interested.  He told me not to get my hopes up yet but he was going to talk to the director of the grad school and see if we could work something out.  If this was at all possible he said I would need to be prepared to pack up my car and drive back as soon as possible.  Fall semester had started for them on Monday as well.  I drove back to the office downtown to call my parents and to email a professor I trusted from SIU.

Hello Professor Y,

As you know,  I came down to USF based on the premise that I would be put on a two year track with studio and thesis being the primary courses I still had to to work and become a FL resident.  A couple months ago I visited USF’s campus to get everything set up for school this fall.  The advisor gave me a curriculum chart that I had never seen before.  It was different from the two year track that had been presented to me when I was admitted to the program.  According to my advisor, the admissions committee did not review my portfolio and transcript extensively until this year because I deferred my admission.  With the added courses my track will be closer to 3 years (with 12-15 credits per semester).  I have presented my case to the admissions committee with a letter explaining my situation and my curriculum discrepancy but all of this only resulted in the elimination of one elective from my curriculum.

What is frustrating is that most of these added classes are so similar to ones I have taken at SIU.  I am not worried about the added year that I will be in school,    it’s not like there are firms that have projects they need fresh interns working on, I am just more frustrated with the school for doing this to me.

Are you familiar with this or have you heard of this happening to anyone before where you might be able to offer me some advice?

Thank you so so much for your time!

 

He replied immediately.

First of all I will say that stinks! If you have a letter of admission and something in writing that allows you to defer then there is a contractual obligation that they should honor. Unfortunately, they probably don’t care…
I am going to surmise that this has occurred for one of three reasons (though I might be wrong) the first would be at the time of admissions they had no experience with SIU and were willing to take a chance.  However now that they have had a SIU student go through they may feel a little different.

The second possibility is that they had a new director start last academic year and he has likely changed the admissions committee and the overall direction of the program.

The third and much more probable reason is that there has been a dramatic increase in the quality of the applicant pool and they don’t feel that you are as competitive with this cohort of students.

Honestly, if it were me I would make sure they understand that you came from an accredited program (Professor X can provide a letter proving that). If they still won’t budge, then take what they offer and be happy to have the opportunity in a great location. I realize that isn’t the greatest answer but they really are in the driver’s seat on this one.

 

I received another email early the next morning from the director of SIU’s grad school explaining that if I wanted to come back to Southern Illinois they would allow me to enter a semester late (their graduate school had started in June) and I would take the semester I missed the following summer.  I was blown away.  USF couldn’t provide me with a chair to sit on, and SIU was rearranging an entire program for me?!  SIU still had my application, portfolio, and letters on file.  He left me with a list of tasks that needed to be completed immediately if I were in fact enrolling that semester.

Now came the hard part.  I had to go to work that morning and explain to my coworkers that there was a good possibility I would have to leave immediately.  So much for a two week notice!  I could hardly give them a day!  It still didn’t sink in that I may be leaving Tampa however.   When I got to work I they were the first to ask me what was wrong.  Trying to keep my voice from shaking I explained what was happening.  One of the principals knew the director of USF’s program and had him on the phone in a matter of minutes.  He put me on the phone with him and the director seemed very accommodating.  He wanted me to come in that afternoon to speak with him directly.  I hugged everyone goodbye at work, just in case I had to leave.  I still didn’t think I would be leaving, but if that was the case I would have to pack my car and leave that next morning to get back Carbondale.

By the time I got to USF I could tell that Stan Flowers had already talked to the director.  He seemed like a different person from whom I’d spoken to on the phone.  Once again, I was told the committee had omitted one elective from my curriculum.  He also told me if I wanted to take all of my syllabi, tests, quizzes, and work to each teacher I could try to get an individual exemption for each class.  I would have to get ahold of each teacher by Friday however because that was the last day to drop a class.  This didn’t even seem attainable.  How would I organize all of this on such late notice?  The tests and quizzes were in folders back at my parents’ house in Illinois.  My building technology drawings would all need to be organized and plotted into pdf drawings.  The syllabi would need to be requested from my SIU professors.  I left his office to find the third parking ticket I had gotten that week on the windshield of my car. I wasn’t going to spend $60 on a parking sticker if I wasn’t going to school there!

I went home and started packing.  Through my tears, I wrote a message to my Tampa friends on facebook explaining why I couldn’t say bye.  My best friend Maggie called me crying and said she was dropping her plans for the weekend to ride with me and fly back from St. Louis.  The next day I called Ms. A and dropped my classes at USF.  I waited for Maggie to get out of work and picked her up.  We drove 15 hours, through the night, back to my alma mater in Carbondale, Illinois.

Not only had Southern Illinois University’s graduate school of architecture gained accreditation by this point, they had a brand new facility dedicated to the grad students.  I am now in my last semester at SIUC finishing up my thesis and I couldn’t be more grateful to be going to a school that not only provides me with a chair to sit in, but has the most helpful and caring faculty a student could ask for.  I hope to patent my thesis project within the college by this December.  If I were still at the University of South Florida’s School of Architecture and Community Design today, I would not even be half way done with my master’s degree.

Enviro Skin – Seascraper – Layers of Dubai

http://inhabitat.com/solar-building-skin-turns-sydneys-ugliest-tower-into-an-eco-marvel/lavatower-ed01/

http://inhabitat.com/dubais-wave-tower-is-a-spiraling-seascraper/

http://inhabitat.com/energy-generating-desert-towers-harvest-the-sun-and-wind/

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The Seven Basic Functions of Human Skin

Functions of the Skin

The structure and physiology of the skin are obviously much more complex than we have been able to describe in the present work. Nevertheless, by knowing them even in part it is easier to identify the functions that our skin fulfills:

• barrier
• protection
• immunological
• secretion
• thermoregulation
• sensitivity
• absorption

Barrier Function

The function of the skin’s barrier is to protect the skin and, therefore, the body from the entry of chemical substances and also preventing the loss of bodily substances. This function is valid from the outside to the inside and vice versa. Only lipid-soluble substances can penetrate it, provided that their molecular weight is not excessive. This selective permeable barrier is mainly due to the basal membrane, horny layer, and intercellular lipids. Thanks to this functional barrier, water, the essential source of life, does not escape from our bodies.

Protective Function

The skin performs a protective function against biological (bacteria, viruses, and mycetes), physical, and chemical agents. An alkaline substance placed on the skin is neutralized by the hydrolipid film and the horny layer before it can damage the organs below. In the same way the sun’s radiation is neutralized, at least in part, by melanin or by the horny layer. Finally, the skin plays the essential role of mechanical protection that we all appreciate every day when large or small mechanical traumas are cushioned by our skin.

Immunological Function

The first site of entry for foreign substances and bacteria is the skin. With the Langerhan cells the skin is able to identify these and to prepare a defence. Sometimes, as in the case of contact dermatitis, the defences themselves do us harm, resulting in inflammation that is normally the essential response marking the invasion of a foreign agent.

Secretory Function

The skin’s secretory functions are carried out both by the cutaneous glands and the epidermis itself. Sebum, sweat, and epidermal lipids are products that perform functions for the skin (protecting it) and for the whole body. In fact sweating, like keratinization, is one of the means by which drugs and harmful substances are removed from the body. The apocrine sweat glands participate in this function, as becomes clear, for example, when these expel dietary herbs and spices such as garlic.

Thermoregulatory Function

The mechanisms used by our skin in thermoregulation are insensible perspiration, eccrine sweating, and changes in cutaneous vascularization. By these mechanisms the skin is able to adapt our body temperature as a function of the ambient temperature. When the individual is hot it means that they have not been able to exchange the heat produced by the body with the environment. If this exchange does not occur, then life may be in danger because an increase in body temperature, as with fever, can block cellular reactions and, therefore, cause their death. This is why, when one is hot, the sweat glands become active and the blood vessels dilate to allow more blood to flow just below the skin, producing heat loss both in physical ways (irradiation, convection, and conduction) and by sweating. Perspiration, on the other hand, remains quite stable and changes occur only under conditions of intense heat. The opposite occurs when one is cold: there is a reduction in sweating and a restriction of the blood vessels with consequent lower blood flow and less heat under the skin. In other words, the ability to increase or decrease the quantity of blood flowing under the skin provides the means of dissipating more or less heat into the environment.

Sensitivity Functions

The chance of survival in an environment is linked to the capacity of the individual to be in contact with it. Together with the senses of sight, hearing, and smell, the skin’s sensitivity provides the individual not only with the sense of touch, but also allows us to recognize our position and its variation in space. In addition the skin is able to sense pain due its nerve receptors and through other receptors present in the encephalon to read the blood, so facilitating the identification of hot and cold. The skin also detects itching, which, together with pain, heat, and cold, is vital for the survival of the individual, as these sensations warn us of danger or injury. Without the skin and its sensitivity we could burn ourselves without being aware of it or we could freeze without knowing.

Absorption Function

Strictly linked to the skin’s barrier function, absorption allows substances applied to the skin to be conveyed into the blood system. This important function is being ever more exploited by medicine to avoid the damage that can be caused by gastrolesive drugs when administered orally, or to favour a continuous slow drug absorption.

This function obviously varies according to the area and thickness of the epidermis. Eyelids and other analogous regions characterized by a thin layer of skin will absorb more of the substances applied to them than do other areas. Other regions, like the scalp and the armpits, which are rich in sweat glands and hair follicles, will absorb through these structures more than in other regions. This function can also have negative aspects in that it can also cause absorption of dangerous and even lethal substances. Logically, any change in the horny layer will favour absorption by the skin. Absorption is larger for lipid-soluble substances and is divided into three stages:

1. Penetration or passage of a substance from the hydrolipid film into the epidermis

2. Permeation, which is the diffusion through the cells of the epidermis and dermis

3. Reabsorption, the penetration of local blood vessels by a compound that has reached the dermis

Though with limitations, especially for large molecules such as collagen and other proteins, the epidermis is easily permeable to many substances, particularly if they are appropriately carried. Liposomes, resembling the constitution and structure of membranes and intercellular lipids, penetrate the skin better than other substances and can carry many active principles. For these characteristics, liposomes, like other special structures (some even smaller than liposomes), are particularly well used in cosmetology and medicine.

Two other functions are also worth remembering-the skin communicates our image to others and has a fundamental role in the production of vitamin D, the compound necessary for normal bone development. The skin receives ultraviolet rays and utilizes them in the production of vitamin D. The discovery of this role is quite recent. In fact, at the beginning of the industrial age, when the main fuel was coal, the skies over the cities of Northern Europe were darkened by pollution, which, in combination with climate, resulted in those populations receiving little sunlight. Children, therefore, grew up affected by rickets. Exposure to sunlight was found to improve the condition, leading to the discovery that the skin is the organ that synthesizes the active anti-ricket compound, vitamin D.

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