Week 4

The group began to do more in depth research about their design, investigating similar designs and how their design is or is not superior. Some group members also began to make simulations and 3D models of the facade using Google Sketchup.

The group members did not have much experience with this program, and making this three-dimensional shape was a bit difficult. Eventually member was able to have some measure of success, though the group was unable to make a video of the transformation, as they had wanted. Instead three stages of the movement (open, partially open and closed) were made in order to give viewers an idea of what would be happening.

We also found a video of a model of a similar design in which the movement was directed from the center rather than the corners.

However, we kept our design as directed from the corners, as this allows us to have a very simple mechanism for operation. The facade can be mounted at the corners on a square frame, and the rods of this square frame can rotate to move the leaves/petals of the different parts. These rods can then be connected to the building with a second set of rods.

Week 3

The group has decided, rather than try to improve the Al Bahar design they would try to create a design of their own. They will continue to use to facade on the Al Bahar building as inspiration. By then end of the next week we plan to the primary idea for our design in place and to begin to produce a 3D model of the design. One idea which is considered is to have a general structure similar to an origami fortune teller, with the interior consisting of panels of glass and the outer panels made from solid materials. This could then be opened and closed to allow light into the building. And added bonus of such a design is the fact that this structure is attractive and rather organic in form, resembling a four-petal flower. The "flower" would be open in the back, and as the petals moved the opening would be revealed or hidden, allowing the group to control the amount of daylight entering the building.

At this point the addition of a double-skin facade was added to the design. This concept, explained further in the Information/References page, places two layers of glass around the outside of a building, leaving a chimney-like channel which seeps away hot air between them. This idea was integrated into the design because in temperate regions such as ours, limiting daylight is not always a problem. However, these facades, while effective, have a flaw. If the facade is unshaded the air inside continues to head until it is as much as 50 F above ambient temperature, which makes the double skin lose many of its benefits. For example, this facade would usually act as an insulator from excess heat during the summer, but when overheated would instead be contributing excess heat.

Week 2

The group continued to decide on the details of the project. They decided to modify an existing facade plan built in Dubai. The new design will keep the functional aspects, but also allow for a view, which is now often blocked by the structure of the facade. The new design will be much more retractable than the current facade.

When beginning preliminary design sketches the group determined that keeping the hexagonal shape would be the most convenient. Each window of the building would have it's own hexagonal shade. At first the group wanted each leaf of the hexagon to be able to fan out independently, blocking different sections of the windows, etc.

Later the group decided that perhaps the six different solid leaves of the hexagon could be folded in half in three different directions, allowing users to make three different light shelves depending on the angle of the sun. However, they encountered a problem when deciding how the joints would operate.

Week 1

During the first week the group met multiple times to discuss how the project was going to be completed and brainstormed ideas. At these meetings the group set up most of the ground work for later weeks, such as exchanging contact information, creating a blog, and constructing a design proposal. The group also created a timeline, splitting the project up into sections and assigning a completion date for these sections, one such example is that by the end of week 6 a working design will be created and the construction of a prototype will begin. This timeline will allow the group to complete the project within the ten week deadline. By the end of the ten week term the group plans to have a 3D computer model of the design and an actual working prototype. However due to time constraints on the project the group has decided to focus on the mechanical design of the façade, meaning the final design prototype will be manually operated. More information will be give about what will most likely be a hydraulic or electrical operation of the actual façade.