Software: Revit or AutoCAD?

There are many architecture programs for the computer out there in the web marketplace. What is the overall best one for it's value? Well, to tell you the truth, I've had experience with AutoCAD and Revit Architecture. Out of those two programs, Revit is the simplest to use. AutoCAD has a lot of different features but it can be confusing for a beginner with very little experience. There are, however, schools that have courses in order to get you AutoCAD certified, which is a plus for any architect and/or graphics designer.

Revit Architecture's features are very easy to use. I mean, you still need to know the basics, but it is simpler than AutoCAD. Revit has the feature of adding different camera angles to your final render. You can take pictures and render the image from different angles. You are even allowed to make a video clip of your design. I once designed a house and made a video clip of the inside, to visualize how it would look walking from room to room.

Visit the Revit Architecture website HERE and find more information about it. If you want to learn about AutoCAD click HERE. I mean, which ever one you use, they will both be a benefit to your career.

God Bless!

p.s. If you've had experience with either of the programs mentioned here or any other software, drop me a comment. How did you use it? Was it beneficial for your area of work? Would you recommend it to anyone?

Architecture?

I have posted an article on Associated Content entitled: What is Architecture? Here is a sample:

What is architecture? According to Dictionary.com, architecture is: "the profession of designing buildings, open areas, communities, and other artificial constructions and environments, usually with some regard to aesthetic effect. Architecture often includes design or selection of furnishings and decorations, supervision of construction work, and the examination, restoration, or remodeling of existing buildings."

Sounds interesting right? Well, some of us are not very artistic. Some can't even draw a straight line regardless of how hard they tried. Architecture can be learned and it doesn't only focus on the artistic area of a person. There are computer programs that can help someone design a building, home, or even a city block without having that person physically draw one line. We have the Autodesk Autocad software, which are a group of Computer Aided Design programs that aid in the design of buildings.

If you want to read the rest you can visit the article HERE. I would love some feedback; what do you think? Does architecture interest you? How could architecture be improved? Feel free to comment!

God Bless!

Christmas Home?

I hope everyone had a GREAT Christmas with family members and loved ones. I know some of us were busy shopping last minute, but we all enjoyed the warmth of being with our loved ones. I ask my self this question:

What is the best design for a warm, Christmas-like, family-ortiented home?

I very quickly picture a log cabin, with a fireplace in the living-room/family-room area. I also think of a cozy, New York-style apartment, with windows over-looking the city. I think about these things and realize that not all of us live where there is cold weather. Sure, the northern United States have snow and colder temperatures; but what about Southern United States? Can a home in Florida have that "family, cozy, Christmas" feeling like a log Cabin home does in up-state New York? Well, a home, a house, a dwelling, can symbolize a lot of things but its main purpose is to house a family. Now, the Christmas feeling can be achieved not because of the house, but through the family getting together and spending time together. Never forgetting the meaning of the day, which was the birth of Christ.

As I thought about this, I realized that a home doesn't have to be designed in a special way to make it feel like Christmas; it needs to have a loving, kind, and grateful family that remember's the birth of Christ!

God Bless!

Mini Lesson: Abstract Art

Sometimes Art is in the eye of the beholder. I can look at something and see something totally different than you. We are all different and that makes us each unique. I have uploaded a picture I drew and colored in. You can see the image has no specific pattern but at the same time, smaller parts of it do. The overall picture is not precisely drawn or following a precise order; its random. However, in the random parts of the picture, the small details, you see precision and neatness. You can see the lines are straight, the triangles are firm, the circles are precise, and the colors are toned just right.

This image is an example of abstract art, there are a few things you can distinguish but they don't follow an order or set rules. We see a sun, but what purpose is it playing in the picture? It's up to the viewer to make his/her mind up and decide what the shapes are and what they mean.

This can be used in architecture; modern and futuristic architecture use crazy shapes, sharp edges, designs that challenge the current mind-set of traditional architects. Architects are experimenting with new materials, bending the rules, and coming up with new designs that are awe-insipiring.

Assignment: Grab a plain sheet of paper. Get a pencil, pen, crayons, markers, whatever writing utensil you have. Draw what comes to mind, without a pattern, just draw. Color in the shapes with colors you feel match the image. Be creative! Leave me a comment or contact me and tell me, what have you learned? Did you enjoy this experiment? Would you use it more often in your own work? Send me some images, I want to see what you came up with! Good luck!

God Bless!

Physics of Architecture

Thermodynamics deals with the transfer of work and heat. The first law of thermodynamics says, “The increase in the internal energy of a system is equal to the amount of energy added by heating the system, minus the amount lost as a result of the work done by the system on its surroundings.” [reference: wikipedia.com]

U = Q + W

Where U is the internal energy of the system; Q is the heat added to the system; while W is the work done by the system.

We can apply this to architecture when it comes to a room’s dimensions. Heat can travel through the air and in a compacted space (a smaller room), heat will do more work; the molecules of air will collide more often and the temperature of the room will rise. Now, if we have a lager room, the air molecules have more space around them so they won’t collide as often as in a smaller room. It would take more energy and work to transfer heat from the warmer areas to the cooler areas of the room. This is something an architect can keep in mind when designing a room. Windows also play a role, the more light that comes in the room, the warmer it gets. The more windows, the more light there is, which in the end means the room would be warmer. Physics also plays a role here with the Law of Thermodynamics.

Bernoulli’s Principle could be applied to the plumbing area of designing a home or commercial building. Bernoulli’s Principle states: “that for an inviscid flow, an increase in the speed of the fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or a decrease in the fluid's potential energy.”

[ inviscid flow - The flow of a fluid that is assumed to have no viscosity. ] [reference: wikipedia.com]

Architects, plumbers, engineers, and general contractors as well as other building professionals, use physics when it comes to the designing a sewage system connected to bathrooms and other places that use running water. For example, in a bathroom’s sink, we have the pipes set at certain angles so that some water is retained in the middle so that the gasses and smells from the sewage don’t rise up through the pipes and into the bathroom. This uses Bernoulli’s Principle because different pipes have different diameters and different fluids have different viscosity and flow rates. Everything comes together in the final product; the architect designed the bathroom in a certain way so that the water could flow correctly and the engineers use Physics to work with different problems they face in the overall design.

[ viscosity - is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear stress or extensional stress. In general terms it is the resistance of a liquid to flow, or its "thickness". ] [reference: wikipedia.com]

Physics impacts architecture in more ways. It is not only incorporated in the plumbing, the room design, but also in the way the structure affects the environment. Energy efficient homes are designed with the idea of Conservation of Energy. Conservation of Energy states “states that the total amount of energy in an isolated system remains constant.” [reference: wikipedia.com] In an environmentally friendly home, energy is converted and remains in the system (in the home) so that it does not pollute the environment or alter its surroundings. Most of the energy is conserved in an environmentally friendly home due to the fact that energy is transferred in the system and it does not leave the system.

Architecture and Design uses creativity and the artistic area of a person. It also, however, brings in the science perspective of things so that the whole product is designed both artistically and scientifically!
Keep up your good work, read, research, draw, practice, learn! Architecture and Design is fun but to get better at it we need practice! ‘Till next time!

God Bless!

p.s. Some definitions in this article were taken from www.wikipedia.com

Lesson One: A Cube

Drawing a cube is not difficult at all, the process is very simple. Of course, as time passes and your skills increase, drawing other shapes in 3 Dimensions will become easier. Now, I want to start with a cube, because from what I said before, it is really easy to draw. You can apply it to any shape. Lets begin.

First of all, we start with a line, shown by the following illustration:

It is a very simple line. Don't work yourself out too much! :) After the line, we create a square. As shown below:

The next step is the technique used to draw the cube. Draw a line starting from the middle of the square. This is illustrated below:

We have to draw another square, look at the illustration below:

Once the squares are drawn, we connect the corners and we'll get this:

The lines are straight on the actual illustration, but the angle that I took the picture from with my camera was off so it looks a little off-set. Its an illusion! :) Just make sure the lines are straight when you draw the cube. Once you get it and are comfortable with drawing it, you can move on to other shapes and other techniques. I will show you how to user perspective on a later lesson to add even more depth to the shape. Get creative, add shading, make it solid, do whatever you want! Enjoy!

God Bless!

p.s. Even though a cube is very simple, it plays a major role in architecture. Not only when a plan of a cube is drawn but when a plan is rendered and when the client wants a 3 Dimensional illustration of what he/she wants constructed. A cube is the first step of 3 Dimensional drawing, make sure you get comfortable with it! You will use it A LOT!

Welcome

Architecture is a fascinating field! We will learn, together, techniques to improve our architectural drafting and design methods. The web is full of information; I'll bring some of that information and share it with you. Some of us are more advanced tham others, so criticism is a must, leave comments with ideas, critiques and whatever comes to mind! I hope you enjoy this blog and what it has to offer! I also hope to hear from you with opinions!

God Bless!

p.s. Follow this link: Architecture Article for some information on what Architecture is!