Principles and Practices, Project Management

Week 1

Web Development

I had no experience about web development before I started the fab academy. It has been interesting and fun to learn. All over the web there are hundreds of resources, to learn how to make web pages. Youtube channels, virtual academy’s, etc. I began with the HTML & CSS code's academy course. With a step to step methodology it's easier for a beginner to start learning the basics of web programming. In the process to make the webpage I decided to use a template for more understanding of the web page components. I hope to keep developing this skills and in a near future start a webpage from scratch. The text editor that i used was Sublime Text highly recommend.

I also find useful this tool integrated in the adobe suite that allows you to save images for the web, keeping good resolution with low weight following Neil's recommendation. You can get more info following this tutorial.

  • >File
  • >Save for web
  • >Pic file format and resolution
  • >Save

Final Project Proposal

My primary interest is responsive architectural systems, the fab academy is a great opportunity to explore, some kind of systems that goes behind of facade elements. In the last decades there is an increasing concern in sustainability, energy saving, and climatic change. As response to all this concerns, the new trends in kinetic architecture and domotic architecture are taking an important role nowadays.

A building envelope must transcend its role as a simple protective wrapper and “understand” all the forces that act in itself (climatic, information, human agents) and response in the best way. Sensors, actuators, “smart materials” allows a new experience where the architecture adapts to humans..

Firts of all it’s important to begin to recognize the difference between several terms like “smart”, “intelligent”, “interactive”, “adaptive” or “responsive”, they are all different and we commonly use them interchangeably. In my research process I find a few projects that involve human inputs. It’s all about the experience and how architecture elements like walls, ceilings, floors, divisions, etc. can interact with the users in the space.

// One Hundred and Eight / / Hexi - Responsive Wall / / Megafon Pavillion Case / / Hyposurface //

Wave_Interactive Facade / What it is / Function

My project is an interactive “box” called “wave”. Interactive is more referred to installations, with public participation. An active human input to initial the response. The main idea is that the “wave” reacts when someone move his hand above the element. Trough motion sensors the signals are sent to the actuators, to begin the response.

There are many questions to be solved, but, for begin… how the element will move? What kind of sensors should I use? I began searching about motion and some mechanical movements to realize how the system could work. Servomotors are an option but, stepper motors could give me the torque that I probably need. The microcontroller could be one of these references PIC 16F84 – PIC 16F877A boot are advance and have lots of functions. I’m in the search of what kind of motion sensor and how many of them should I use.

Image.// 507movements.com//

Project Management

Neil’s advices in project management have lot relevance in these first weeks in the goal to achieve all the assignments in time. Spiral development refers to work in parallel, trying to advance in several topics at the same time removing the dependency in what we know. It’s important to plan carefully the time we will spend in each activity and STOP! when it is necessary to continue with the next one. Do not spend the whole week designing something that you don’t know if it’s going to work.

THEORICAL SEARCH
  • Types of Motion
  • Mechanical Movements
  • Reference Projects
  • Resposive elements
  • Sketchs

RESEARCH + BASIC IDEA
  • Actuators
  • Sensors
  • Electronics
  • 2D-3D drawings

FIRST PROTOTYPE
  • Computer Controlled Cutting and Machining
  • Electronics Production
  • Testing

PROGRAMING + CONTROL
  • Initial programing
  • Testing

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
  • Interface and application programing
  • Mobile App Controller

FINAL PROTOTYPE
  • Project Presentation
  • Conclusions
  • Final Report

    • Project Management / GanttProject

    GanttProject is a very intuitive software for project management with 2 principal windows. The first one is for adding new tasks and tracking the progress and the other one lets you assign the people for each task. You can easy add a new task and change its properties like time duration, color, etc. It is very useful to track everyday progress.