Friday 30 March 2012
Thursday 29 March 2012
My final presentation for Assignment One plus a video
Some of the free software used to process data for my assignment were:
http://www.wordle.net/ - Word cloud tool
http://www.blender.org/ - 3d graphics, animation and rendering tool
http://www.yafaray.org/ - External ray tracing rendering tool
http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/HTML/en/mencoder.html - Command line video tool for adjusting video frame rates / speed
http://www.pitivi.org/ - Video editor
http://www.imagemagick.org - Resizing digital camera photos to 1080p
http://libav.org - Image file to video conversion
A1 panels
A1 panels as handed in, with a couple of mistakes I only noticed after making the pdf. Argh! Oh well, have a good weekend everyone!
Wednesday 28 March 2012
Thursday 22 March 2012
Tuesday 20 March 2012
Monday 19 March 2012
Sunday 18 March 2012
waterfront time lapse
This is a video of the timelapses i shot from friday till sunday, you can see that the only people that use the area for my proposed site (under the bridge at the waterfront) is school children. This could be because that children use their imagination and go exploring in our city
http://vimeo.com/38758891
http://vimeo.com/38758891
Friday 16 March 2012
Thursday 15 March 2012
Soundscape
Assignment one: week one
The story so far:
The focus over the first few days was to identify criteria by which I could select the optimum site for my coffee shop; to record the data; and to attempt to display as much of the outcome as possible in a single, easy to read graphic. It was working pretty well up to a point, but may need revisiting later.
I also identified some emotive, programmatic characteristics of coffee shop inhabitation (the dualities), which I'm beginning to explore this week and which will hopefully help inform the formal and spatial qualities of my design as the project develops.
The focus has now shifted from the urban scale to a small number of establishments, which I'm analysing in greater depth.
So anyway, here's the colourful part:
coffee in the big city
Started off on the more artistic side..looking at feelings of craving, smell relative to my own experiences. I then went on to look at the more theoretical side of things. looking at wind speed, sound levels and light levels around the city. i then looked at thermal imaging, to see how these elements change and develop in relation to each other.
I also collaged photos of the city to get a 3D experience with my findings - putting them into perspective.
I have started to look at programmes within a specific site. around cuba. it would be interesting to see how people move when they are exposed to certain elements and are tempted with the thought of coffee within a tamed environment. it would be interesting to see these relations by analysising the thermal images.
I have looked at four different carfes around this area to get a valid understanding of cafe characteristics and realtionships formed with the people. i have begun looking at movement and activiteis within cafes. and will explore materiality, space, and rituals over the w.e.
'Slice of Heaven'
This site analysis was based upon the idea of Cafes around Wellington being ‘Slices of Heaven’ amidst the busy city life. I analysed and observed the flow of foot traffic around the selected Cafes allocated in the popular city zones, highlighted on the vector map and worked along the axis of Cuba St. and the Wellington Waterfront. While analysing the flow of foot traffic, I also took note of the different people contributing to the flow traffic, creating a typology. The analysis was taken at approximately 4.30pm, a time when people finish work. Business people wearing suits were commonly found around the analysed sites and time.
Most of the selected Cafes that I was collecting data around were filled with professional looking occupants. What I derived from this observation was that people who have worked during the day like to retreat to their preferred Cafes after work. Therefore the Cafes act as a retreat; a place to recuperate from the stresses of the day and conclude their day. The Café acts as their slice of heaven which provides a relaxed, carefree atmosphere were they can forget the troubles of the world and take into delight the goodness of Coffee before returning to their busy lives.
- Ruwarashe Saunyama
Wednesday 14 March 2012
Tuesday 13 March 2012
Interation with city and people
The area that we are studying is actually a very interesting site. There are greatly varied atmospheres within the site. Speaking from the top of Cuba, it's a pretty arty area where lots of artist contributed to. Meanwhile, there are also a lot of boutiques, op-shops, art spaces and so on. Sometimes it's not so official, and gets a bit vague and myterious.
Down to Cuba mall, it feels a lot more in the sun, everythings is alive and breathing here, full of energy and vitality, where the most people involve in public life and the greatest occupants flows occurs.
When the journey continues to waterfront, since the public space surrounded by City Library, Wellington Town Hall, Micheal Fowler Centre, etc. is planned and constructed by city council, coperating with architects and artists. It is the official image of the whole city, linking the beautiful shore line at the waterfront.
Here is my understanding of Wellington as a Coffee Space in terms of distribution of certain types of people, age groups and in what locations/surroundings the cafés are embedded. My reasoning for subsequently focusing on Cuba Mall is that it is the main axis through the space and also has the highest interface of coffee houses to people due to the fact that it is a pedestrian zone.
Additionally while my mind was spinning around thoughts about layout, coffee program and how much I would actually need a good coffee right now the following idea popped into my head.
Latte Macciato is my favourite coffee and has quite a skill requiring technique to it for achieving those layers. Really advanced pros in coffee making manage up to four different layers ... its all about how slowly and precisely you let the foamed milk flow into the coffee....
Anyway... We'll see where all this goes later.
Latte Macciato is my favourite coffee and has quite a skill requiring technique to it for achieving those layers. Really advanced pros in coffee making manage up to four different layers ... its all about how slowly and precisely you let the foamed milk flow into the coffee....
Anyway... We'll see where all this goes later.
Peope on a cuba axis
I found that the A axis is much busier than the B, especially around the cuba pedestrian mall, acting as a very public space, while the A and B converged at the waterfront (as did the physical paths).
I also found that during lunch time was a peak flow time, with the difference between A and B at maximum. At night, the A flow was lower but the B flow did not change as significantly, remaining at a 'low hum' day and night.
(on the graph, colours represent different times, fill or cross points the sites A or B)
And of course, this post couldn't have been possible without:
Here's my first week's analysis of Cafes in this rad city we call home.
So far I've only been to cafes around the pedestrian parts of Cuba St, but over the next few days I'd like to check out a few around Civic Square. Cuba St cafes can seem like hipster mating-grounds, whereas with its proximity to the Library, Town Hall, Michael Fowler Centre and Art Gallery, I think there will be quite a different cross-section of people there.
(click the map below for a full-size version)
James Schollum
So far I've only been to cafes around the pedestrian parts of Cuba St, but over the next few days I'd like to check out a few around Civic Square. Cuba St cafes can seem like hipster mating-grounds, whereas with its proximity to the Library, Town Hall, Michael Fowler Centre and Art Gallery, I think there will be quite a different cross-section of people there.
(click the map below for a full-size version)
James Schollum
Sunday 11 March 2012
Did somebody mention tea?
At Martha's Pantry (276 Cuba Street Te Aro, Wellington 6011), High Tea is available. This is an experience to be enjoyed, mostly by women, and is a social under-taking. The soft tones of the single main room set the tone for the occasion. The staff are super friendly and will do their best to find a space for you even on a packed sunday afternoon. Everything is (sickeningly) cute and feminine. It'd take a brave man to face this womens safe haven but it isn't an experience to be missed if you like tiny sandwiches and tiny cupcakes. High Tea at Martha's is $25pp. Bookings in advance are suggested.
For the assignment: This is a great place to observe how the specific program of a place can draw customers in. Keywords for me from this place were: decor, inter-action, connection, intimacy, femininity, delight and family.
For the assignment: This is a great place to observe how the specific program of a place can draw customers in. Keywords for me from this place were: decor, inter-action, connection, intimacy, femininity, delight and family.
There is a heart in my hot chocolate and two chocolate hearts beside it. D'aww!
Tiny cupcakes!! (Terrible photo of someone elses table taken on the sly)
This keeps your tea warm while you chit-chat the afternoon away.
Friday 9 March 2012
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