Objective:

• To go to a place and fully capture its essential qualities

I. Site visit schedule

8:00 Depart school

8:15 Arrive Tiara Court.  Initial tour by Diana Zelaya, instructions by Nancy Cheng

8:20 Begin drawing, photographing, measuring

9:30 Wrap-up discussion, course feedback

9:45 Return to school

II.  Site visit considerations  (for discussion)

What questions might elicit meaningful information about the place?

When you think of powerful places from your past, what kinds of imagery do you think of? What should we look for?  Consider looking at the lighting conditions or other aspects of your Maybeck or Aalto project.

On your first tour of the house, identify locations and details for further study.  What makes them seem special? What tools would best capture that quality?  Consider how analytical, symbolic or textual notes can clarify naturalistic sketches of what you see.

Is there a way that you can capture the non-spatial aspects of the place?

III. Interpreting the information

Review the information's completeness, see if you need to go back for additional information.  Limit further work to exterior views or contact the client.

Scan sketches, load pieces to share onto the Mac-PC Exchange under Arch424-524

Compile the information so that fragments are joined together. Does the imagery seem more suitable for a particular kind of presentation? What materials or skills do you need to complete the project? Can you get these through reciprocal exchange?

Looking at all the information, consider how pieces might be combined in a 2D collage, 3D spatial composition (texture mapping) or a time-based animation. Could sounds enrich the ambiance?

IV. Reference

Capturing Place: a comparison of site recording methods

Placetools grant proposal