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Final portfolio presentation
Lalita Bellach and 3 OthersKaia NarbunshartIndia Benzan
Cole Krivak
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Abstract Play
Gabe M & Patrick T & Charlie P
Project Summary
In Boston, there are multiple empty or deserted lots that communities don’t use or don’t care about. When spaces go unused, they may become unsafe or simply useless. We aim to turn these unused empty lots into areas that people and communities can use and enjoy while also being safe. On the right is Lederman Park, a site that we are focusing on and are trying to improve.
Lederman Park
Why this site
When selecting a site, we wanted to find a place in a high-traffic area that wasn't currently being used. We also wanted to find a place that already has development around it such as restaurants and other entertainment. After researching places around Boston and Cambridge, we came across Lederman Park, located on Sturrow Drive across from MGH. It sits next to the Charles, meaning it's right next to part of the Charles River path. It already has baseball fields around it in a neighboring park but Lederman itself remains empty and overgrown. It has the potential to become a highly used space as many people drive past it every day or walk by it when they are walking along the Charles.
Location
Cambridge
Boston
Site Visit Summary
Users + Activities
Pedestrians
Parking
Space
Zoning Diagrams
Iteration #1
Zoning Diagrams
Precedents
+
Dimension Drawings
Conceptual Models
Final Models
Final Photos
Reflection
Redesigning spaces such as Lederman Park is essential in our world today since it connects communities and gives forgotten spaces a purpose. If our park design were to be implemented in Lederman Park, a place to play, socialize, or simply walk your dog would be born, benefitting everyone in the area. We learned a lot throughout this project, specifically the architecture process, how to do site research, how to 3D model + print, and how to communicate ideas through sketches and diagrams.
Abstract Play is a architecture project that focuses on connecting the community together. This project was created for an overgrown section of Lederman Park which was across from MGH and next to the museum of science. The park was specifically built around the community and abstraction which gave many ideas and structures for this project. Nonetheless, the final project idea was a layout of the site and a close up of one of the playground areas. The structures in the play area were based off of basic shapes so that the users could choose how to play on them without set rules. This brings a feeling of creativity and independence while also connecting the community.
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Empathize
Collaborate
Sketching and Drawing
NuVu X Kroka is a collaboration between NuVu Innovation School and Kroka Expeditions, a wilderness survival school based in Marlow, NH. The goal of the project was to enhance Kroka's campus while still maintaing a human connection to the world around you. This goal was accomplished through a small-, medium- and large-scale design intervention including: a pulley system with a 8:1 mechanical advantage and a progress capture device to allow one person to easily hoist and reposition boats inside of Kroka's boathouse, a rocket stove with three burners heated by one fire, and blueprints for a solar kiln to reduce the amount of time it takes for Kroka to dry wood.
Iteration
Throughout Open Innovation, I strengthened my sketching and drawing skills, something I am not particularly comfortable with, through dozens of sketches detailing each design intervention and how it would work and fit into the Kroka campus. I also strengthened my iteration, collaboration and empathizing skills through synthesizing client and coach feedback into each revision of the project.
Working directly with a client in this fashion is something that is not only a first for me, but also NuVu, in this project, our group proved that not only could this be done, but we could thrive.
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Ari Sinert, Isa Murray, Schuyler Johnson, Trevor McDonald
Final Presentation | 11.15.2023
Overview | Kroka Expeditions
In a wilderness setting, one always needs to be ready to adapt to the present moment. Kroka values the importance of a developed sense of intuition in combination with leadership skills. The four core principles of intuitive leadership are:
Kroka's curriculum is centered around simplicity, authenticity, gratitude, and cooperation. As much as possible we source our food and gear locally, we engage with communities that we travel through, we value adaptation and mindful decision-making, and we encourage appropriate risk-taking.
-Kroka's Website
Overview | Vision
Goals
Design Constraints
Project Timeline
Visit #1
Initial Proposals
Project Pitch
Visit #2
Secondary Iterations
Zoom w/Client
Visit #3 (Overnight)
Final Presentation
Raising Boats
Efficient Cooking
Wood Drying
Visit #1 | Proposed Issues
Issue
Design Constraints
Boats at Kroka are stored in the boathouse. To pull boats up, two people at each end of the boat are needed and there is no locking mechanism.
Issue
Design Constraints
Most meals at Kroka camps require three pots, and currently, they don't have a stove that can do that while surviving the weather conditions at Kroka.
Issue
Design Constraints
Kroka goes through about 30 chords of wood a year and it is stored in large cylinders that are exposed to the elements. Floods and winters can often wipe out a lot of wood.
Visit #1 | Issue Analysis
Proposal #1 | Pulley System
System 1 - 7:1 w/Winch - 28:1
System 2 - 2:1 w/Winch - 8:1
System 3 - 4:1 w/Winch - 16:1
Mechanical Advantage
Proposal #2 | Rocket Stove
Proposal #3 | Kiln Research
Underlying Research
Major Takeaways
Blueprints for Solar Kiln
Post-Proposal Changes
Raising Boats
Efficient Cooking
Wood Drying
Result
Next Steps
Kroka is satisfied with the proposed pulley system, and is excited to see the effectiveness of the implemented system.
Result
Next Steps
Kroka is on board with the creation of a rocket stove on it's campus. During our second visit, they will show us two potential sites and the available materials.
Result
Next Steps
Kroka is open to building a solar kiln in the future, but is unable to physically commit to such a large-scale project presently.
Visit #2 | Overview
Overview
After our first visit, we had finished a pulley system plan, and started brainstorming for a final rocket stove prototype. In order to progress our rocket stove prototype, we needed to find and assess available materials as well as potential sites.
Objectives
Visit #2 | Pulley Implementation
Visit #2 | Stove Site Analysis
Site 1 - Pizza Oven Location
Site 2 - Staff Village
Pros -
Cons -
Pros -
Cons -
Visit #2 | Material Analysis
Available Materials
Material Constraints
Visit #3 | Overnight Stay
Overview
Having finished our first pulley prototype, we were eager to improve and finalize it. In addition, the schematics for the rocket stove were complete. Our third visit was planned over two days, where we would help with farm chores alongside our project work.
Objectives
Visit #3 | Life At Kroka
Visit #3 | Life At Kroka
Visit #3 | Fixing Pulleys
Visit #3 | Stove Construction
Conclusion & Analysis
Raising Boats
Efficient Cooking
Wood Drying
Result
Next Steps
The pulley system and wench were installed successfully. Currently, the gear ratio is 8:1, allowing one person to raise the boat. The current prototype is missing a progress capture device.
Result
Next Steps
Due to the lack of heat-resistant material we were unable to create a permanent structure. Created working prototype with the available materials.
Result
Next Steps
Kroka is open to building a solar kiln in the future, but is unable to commit to such a large-scale project presently.
Final Reflections
Reflections
Skills Built
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Project Statement
Unerasable is a series of monuments celebrating the solidarity, defiance, and resilience inherent to the queer experience. Using street art aesthetically inspired by the radical queer movements of the 1970s, Unerasable reclaims space for the parts of queer experience that have been buried for public view. Thus making the impact of queer people Unerasable.
Starting Point
Sketches
Early Exploration
Precedents
Kara Walker
We like the provocative/disruptive energy as well as the aesthetic
Gay Community News
Community driven newspaper that provokes action and showcases solidarity
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The Rag
Prototype 1
Rapid Prototype 2
Site Analysis
Fag Räg Printing House
The Haymarket Bar
Nuvu Innovation School
Feedback Sessions
1) What/Who's story are we telling
2) Unmarketable stories
3) Hone in on our scope (Resilience, Defiance, Solidarity)
4) The History Project is a incredibly valuable resource
Sythesizing Feedback & New project direction
1) What/Who's story are we telling
2) Unmarketable stories
3) Hone in on our scope (Resilience, Defiance, Solidarity)
4) The History Project is a incredibly valuable resource
Site Decision
Research
Plaque Development
Final photos
Jasmine -
Unerasable is a series of monuments celebrating the solidarity, defiance, and resilience that the queer experience holds. We are using silhouettes aesthetically inspired by the work of Kara Walker. We are telling stories that are too ugly to be marketable, thus making these unmarketable stories hidden. We are bringing them back and making them unerasable
By Kody, Bridget and Zahra
Kody White, November 2023
Pass-through takes place in big, crumbling house in Vermont or New Hampshire over the course of two days in October 2023. The denizens of the house - a woman named Catherine, her two children and mother in law - fight frequently as they try to collectively come to terms with the death of Catherine's erratic husband two years prior. They rarely talk about him and have not cleaned out his office yet at the start, but when they do a whole lot of unwelcome feelings and memories will be coming at the family very quickly.
Outline
Kody White, November 2023
Kody White, November 2023
Pass-through takes place in big, crumbling house in Vermont or New Hampshire over the course of two days in October 2023. The denizens of the house - a woman named Catherine, her two children and mother in law - fight frequently as they try to collectively come to terms with the death of Catherine's erratic husband two years prior. They rarely talk about him and have not cleaned out his office yet at the start, but when they do a whole lot of unwelcome feelings and memories will be coming at the family very quickly.
Express
Collaboration
Material Exploration
Material exploration:
Many structures, installations, and buildings are built without consideration for nature and the impact on the environment. With this project, we hope to experiment with smart materials behaviors and their reaction to natural factors in the environment to create more sustainable installations. The project started with background research and data collecting and eventually lead to us choosing memory alloy as the material of focus. Memory alloy is an alloy that can be deformed when cold but return to its original pre de-formed form when it's heated to its activation temperature. Electricity and fire were the two main methods we used to activate and reshape the memory alloy.
will include more when we finish the first prototype.
Research
I have been working on a material science research paper before this studio, so I was really excited to physically experiment and play with some materials. I learned a lot of new information because of the amount of research we have done, including new smart materials and architecture envelopes. We encountered some challenges when ordering the materials, which lead us to only focus on memory alloy. During the experiments, we had some great collaboration and experience and help us learn more about the material and physics (the electricity aspect we were using). Overall, I really enjoyed the project and learned a lot of new information. If I have more time in the future, I hope to continue this project and spend more time on the design aspect of the project.
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Habit of Mind
Habit of Mind
Core Skill
Project Paragraph
Growth Paragraph
Image 2
Core Skill
We started the project focused on building an electric gokart to continue on a previous OI of mine, that idea was shut down due to space so we shifted to an electric scooter/bike, that idea also got shut down due to lack of time( a problem i had been saying and suggesting solutitions for from the beggining most of which were ignored). So we shifted to a small scale model and getting the smaller electronics woring with a chain drive mechanism. We wanted a full scale working model origionally but we had to shift to a small scale version which we ended up not getting running together but we have some electronics working seperately and a nonworking frame model. In the end i liked the chain drive gear we got woriking with the motor i just with we could have done bigger scale.
I learned a decent ammount about the smaller scale electronics but that knolege doesnt really transfer to larger scale so i didnt learn the main things i wanted to learn about . I had been wanting to learn about working with, programing and assembling the larger components which are very different so i wasnt able to get the knolege or skills i wanted to from the studio. During the studio i was focused on some frame fabrication and getting the gear drive and motor setup working
Habit of Mind
Habit of Mind
Core Skill
Project Paragraph
Growth Paragraph
Image 2
Core Skill
In this studio we focused on sushi, we found sushi interesting for many reasons but some of the big ones were why/how it evolved to its current status as such a expensive fancy food while still having a prominent cheaper side to the food with grocery store sushi, quick takeout etc. We were also interested in the americanization of it (sushi pizza, sushi burritos, sushi nachos, all of that) it and through that how sushi is one of the few foods like it to keep one of its original names.
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Collaborate
Envision
Digital Fabrication
Project Paragraph
Growth Paragraph
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
Giving & Receiving Feedback
NusVu is an innovative website designed to create a more functional communication line with students and coaches. This project is intended for students to share their individual work they are proud of, announce clubs or events, get advice from previous students, and to connect with coaches.
I wasn't very focused on personal growth this studio. I was more focused on just making things work without regard for much else, which I always am so that's not really an area I needed to grow in. I'm slightly worried that, due to my constant exhaustion this studio, I was not performing adequately in my communication or cooperation. Beyond that, though, I believe the web design itself to have progressed to my standards.