Dash Creative

A study of how the materiality and design of a space affects interpreted sound intensity and comfort in restaurant settings.

Subject of this study is Brawler's Deli on Pearl Street in Buffalo. The Deli is in the lower level of a four story bar and restaurant, with limited natural light and hard brick and wood surfaces.

One hundred survey's were passed out to customers during and after meals to gauge how the design, layout and materiality of the space effected overall privacy and clarity in conversation, general noise level, and comfort for each customer. All surveys were scaled 1 to 5.

A second survey of the space, focusing on layout and volume created the ability to produce a three dimensional model with Rhinoceros, a modeling and design program. This allowed a larger team to analyze and understand the results of the data in retrospect to the space.

The deli is pretty family friendly, and suprisingly the majority of customers were 25 years of age and younger. The number of times each customer returned to the deli was equally split between lees than once and year, about once a year, three times a year and six or more times a year. Just under 50% percent of customers found the noise level to be tolerable but not ideal, which was about the same from ease of conversation in the space. This is most likely a result of the restaurant rarely being packed, being that their hours of operation are from 7am-3pm Monday-Sunday. Most customers find themselves very comfortable in the cozy downstairs deli.

A detailed axonometric portion of the Menefee Cabin by Clark + Menefee Architect, highlights the building's structure and material characteristics.

The drawing was developed from a set of architectural plans, sections, elevations and details from the original construction documents of the project as part of Construction Technology at the University at Buffalo.

A detailed axonometric portion of Miller Hull's Kitsap County Administration Building, highlighting sustainable design and building's structure and material characteristics.

The drawing was developed from a set of architectural plans, sections, elevations and details from the original construction documents of the project as part of Construction Technology at the University at Buffalo.

"Miller Hull designed the 70,000 s.f. Kitsap County Administration Building located on the government campus in Port Orchard, WA. The steep site is a natural for taking advantage of rainwater collection. Cisterns hold collected runoff for irrigation use in the dry season. Storm water runoff is reduced by the utilization of green roofs and generously landscaped areas. Native plantings allow for reduced irrigation needs.

A number of factors help keep building energy use down. Heat gain is minimized through the use of deep overhangs at glazing openings, earth sheltering, and thermal mass. Also, a large portion of the building's glazing is north facing. The narrow footprint and skylights bring daylight even into the earth sheltered spaces reducing artificial lighting needs. The mechanical system uses an under-floor distribution system which saves energy, allows fine tuned control and provides flexibility for future modifications. The stepping green roofs have higher insulation values than typical roofing systems.

Recycled content materials include carpet, gypsum wall board, rubber flooring, concrete, and acoustic ceiling tile. Access to fresh air is allowed via a mechanical system which emails the staff when the operable windows may be opened due to indoor/outdoor temperature conditions."

Imagine the future of consumerism. Everything you buy can be customized to fit your body without even leaving the house.

As an experiment, teams of two worked together using the Kinect, for XBOX 360 gaming device, to gather three dimensional data of the body. In conjunction with KScan3D software, which easily converts the Kinect's data into a 3D mesh, one singular form was complied out of 25-75 scans on average. The number of scans varied greatly and was dependent on each individual's height, pose and prop if needed. The idea was to challenge the typical form of a chair and push ergonomics in this area to new heights. 

Using ZBrush, a secondary software, the scans could be modified, patched in areas that were missing data, and smoothed. Using triangulation methods, ZBrush is able to produce a solid three dimensional product that will 3D print and can be used for prototyping in later stages of development.

The first set of images shows a 360 degree view of myself suspended on a sawhorse. These are examples of the raw files the Kinect produces when using KScan3D software.

The second set of images are of Nicholas Martin and the three dimensional cast or mold of his chosen pose, resulting in a more traditional chair form.

In the last set of images, our team was able to manipulate the 'legs' of the chair to form a self-supporting structure that fit to Nicholas' body in ZBrush. Everything about the final form was derived from the body without additional structural elements found in traditional chairs.

An eclectic collection of various works of my art, in varying mediums, that have been produced over the course of a decade.