It is done.........

Deadline was last friday. Am now putting all my research on to a seperate blog.

Once again...

....I have forgotten to update this!

The 1:100 model is nearing completion and the 1:50 floor plates need to be assembled.

Spraying the brick work proved to be more difficult than expected. First the finish was atrocious, then to bright, third time lucky it worked! The veneer sprayed up nicely too. By thinning the paint alot and building up in layers, then just sanding it back very slightly, I managed to achieve a nice aged wood look without it looking flat like plastic.

Oops.........

........ive forgotten to update this. 1:100 scale model is coming along, made a mistake with the roof measurements but that has been sorted, pieces have been cut and are being sprayed and assembled. Putting together some of my test pieces has helped me correct any mistakes.

Test model :

1:50 is ready to cut, taken a while to work out how it will go together. The conservatory is causing some trouble.

Week later........

The horns have been finished. They were made with a silicone mould and used fast cast. I painted them with acrylic and put a small piece of wire in the back to help them stand up.

Pieces are ready for the 1:100 building and have finally worked out the pieces for the 1:50 building.

Laser cutting.....

Yesterday I tried out laser cutting the wood cladding. It worked really well and so now I just have to tweak a couple of the drawings and can cut the proper ones (and get the grain in the venner going the right way this time!)

The antlers ive repaired are now ready to mould and cast.

Horns.......

Freashly cut this morning from an old deer skull I now have some antlers with which I can create the ones for the photo. They have been chewed by something so I am using milliput to repair them and have used milliput to get the texture so it saves me having to sulpt so much of the detail.

Staring at the screen.....

After what seems like days my Rhino drawings are complete! After sorting out the measurements from the plans and working out sizes for cutting the materials I have all the drawings done and am ready for the laser cutter. Im using this to get good edges and to etch the detail of the wood and slate.

I am also making a pair of horns for a Photography student as a side project. I have aquired a pair of antlers and am repairing the chewed sections and will use them to cast the ends to make some small ones.

After my coffee I will be ready to go.....

Rhino drawings for the laser cutter are pretty much done. Now I just need to remember how to use the machine.

I havent been able to find a silver grey veneer so I am going to stain the wood with very thin cellulose paint. Have done some samples, and it takes a while but the colour builds up quite nicely and still leaves the wood grain visable.

Darker sample was primer just to see how that worked.

card model

Just to get my head round things I used the plans to make a quick card model.

It begins......

Well actually it started last week.

Modern day living has become very wastefull and this is having an impact on the environment. There have been many ways designed to combat this in the home, installing solar panels, proper insulation etc. If we built houses with these automatically this could reduce waste and cost. Another impact is importing the materials to build the houses in the first place. By sourcing local materials this can cut down on fuel used. Timber from controlled forests helps to maintain the environment.
Roderick James Architects have designed four different Aspirational Timber Homes, each can be changed to the clients needs, that make the best use of local timber. The buildings can have features such as solar panels, wood burners and rainwater harvesters included into the design. Two of these designs have already been built in the New Forest.

After contacting RJA I am going to make a 1:100 scale model of a new build in Beaulieu that can be used to help with negotiations with the planners, based on the Aspirational Home designs and a 1:50 scale interior model.
I will use acrylic for the structure and wood veneer for the timber panelling. I want to use the laser cutter for the outer cladding as this gives accurate edges and a more professional finish.

I intend to research into some other housing projects and the benefits they are designed to create. I am going to look further into the RJA homes and the building methods with the materials as well as the energy saving technologies used such as the insulation of the entire house.
During this project I hope to improve my time management by setting realistic deadlines and following them. My research will also give me a better understanding of sustainable design.