Make your slideshow interactive with page links November 5, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Didactic.add a comment
A slideshow is typically a one-dimensional presentation tool — a series of images that the presenter advances while she talks. But what if a slideshow could be more like a website — an interactive, multi-dimensional tool for exploring complex or layered information? It turns out that it’s not hard to add page links and other interactive elements. I’ll show how to use Adobe InDesign CS3 to create an interactive PDF, although similar effects are possible in PowerPoint.
The background: here at the GCCDS, we wanted to create a slideshow that would display a ‘matrix’ of ideas: three aspects of our practice as they apply to five different groups involved in our work. We also wanted the presenter or another viewer to be able to explore the relationships within the matrix in a non-linear fashion. Our first thought was a web site, but that didn’t fit our requirements. We needed some way to link between pages in a PDF. You’ve seen presentations where the presenter could click on a URL and have a web page open in a separate window. But we found that the same tool can be used for more subtle effects: linking to another page in the same presentation, for instance.
Building Systems Guide June 17, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Architecture, Construction, Didactic.Tags: building systems
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Recently, the GCCDS has been researching a variety of building systems and their applications to architecture on the coast. We have looked at everything from whole-building systems (such as structural insulated panels or insulated concrete forms) to individual components (floor finishes, insulation types, etc). For each system, we attempt to analyze its advantages and disadvantages in many areas, including strength, thermal performance, ease of construction, environmental impact, and affordability.
Even when we are finished, our research will only partially cover the vast number of building systems and products that are available. With our guide, we hope to compare a variety of the most common and most promising systems in a way that is useful and easy to understand. If you have experience with any building technologies that we should include, or have ideas for useful ways to present and share this information, let me know.
Information about building systems is not always easily accessible. ToolBase is one site that does a great job collecting information about different systems, but if superior building technologies are to become more widespread, we need more tools for sharing that information. In particular, we need ways of sharing information on the regional level. Throughout the Gulf Coast and the deep South, there are major climate factors and other issues that affect buildings. These include long summers with high temperatures and humidity, seasonal threats from hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding, mold and insects, expansive wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas, high levels of poverty and inequality, and more. The GCCDS is committed to seeking regionally appropriate design solutions for the Gulf Coast. Keep an eye on our website or this blog for more!
Della on Elevated Housing March 15, 2008
Posted by Vincent in Architecture, Didactic.add a comment
Della, our friend up at the University of Minnesota, has compiled some useful observations on elevated housing as part of her M. Arch thesis.
Designing for Hurricanes and Floods March 9, 2008
Posted by Vincent in Architecture, Didactic.add a comment
A general overview of some of the things we do here in Biloxi to mitigate the risk of building houses in a hurricane-prone area. By no means a comprehensive guide.
Elevation. The house’s finished floor should be above the expected flood elevation. The building codes here currently go by the city’s maps, but FEMA has issued new Base Flood Elevation maps which are typically higher than the city’s. So, if your property is 12 feet above sea level, and FEMA’s maps show a flood elevation on your property of 17 feet, you would need to elevate approximately 5 feet to meet FEMA’s recommendations.
Foundations. Since many of our houses are elevated, we do very little slab-on-grade construction. Options include steel-reinforced concrete block piers, pressure-treated posts set into concrete footings, or poured concrete columns. A simple and effective system that we have recently begun to use extensively is to drive pressure-treated piles into the ground. Depending on the system used and the height above ground, some foundations may require bracing.
Framing. One of the keys to hurricane-resistant construction is good uplift connections. Every vertical connection is important: the columns are tied to the footings by steel reinforcement, the floor joists are bolted to the columns, etcetera. This way the house cannot be simply lifted off its foundation by the floodwaters or wind, as many were in Katrina. In the wall, a 1/2″ shear siding (OSB or similar) extending from the bottom of the rim joist to the top plate creates a good uplift connection. Additionally, some studs will be secured vertically with steel straps.
Shear walls. The shear siding mentioned above also helps prevent shearing or racking caused by a high wind force coming from one direction. Building codes limit the number and location of openings in the exterior walls of a house so they can function effectively as shear walls. In some houses, especially longer ones, an additional interior shear wall may be added.
Windows, etc. One danger of hurricanes is their propensity for throwing debris around at high velocity. Having a window break is very bad because it ruptures the building’s envelope and allows wind and destructive pressure differences to go to work on the inside. Windows should therefore be chosen for good impact resistance. Hurricane shutters are a good idea too, although they are expensive and I rarely see them used.
Roof. Rafter ties at each rafter provide an uplift connection between the wall and roof. The roofing material should obviously be well fastened. Large overhangs and things like covered porches can create problems if the wind is able to get underneath and exert a strong upward force. In this case, it may be possible to use columns (strapped to the roof and floor/foundation) to provide vertical reinforcement. Alternatively, some portions of the roof could be designed to blow away without taking the rest with them, acting as sacrificial lambs for the house.
More information can be found online, including at Wikipedia.
