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Post date: Oct 13, 2017 3:59:53 PM
This project really taught me about the tools that were available to me in the Fab Lab. I originally though about this project when I learned we had a final project in Modernism, and I decided I wanted to build something in the Fab Lab. I decided to build a model, and researched many different buildings like the Chrysler building and the Empire State building. In the end, I decided on Villa Savoye because it was an interesting building that represented Modernism well. I wasn’t sure how to start the project, but Mr. Digorgio helped me figure out I needed to find a PDF of the floor plans. Luckily, I found the Corel files, and from there I managed to build the walls needed to build my model. I felt kind of uncomfortable about gluing my walls with tacky glue, but in the end I used the glue, - and hot glue in the end - and managed to finish my project. I learned a lot along the way, mainly learning how to turn an idea into the final product and how to solve many different challenges. I especially had trouble with making the project look nice and using the spray paint. I managed to spray paint most of it, but I did mess up spray painting the green part. However, I learned the best way to spray paint, and how to make a project look nice. I used many machines, like the laser cutter and band saw, and put everything together to get the final project.
Today I started by narrowing down my building to the Villa Savoye Model. I researched different models and designs, and found a helpful website. I'm planning to use floor plans to build the base, and see how that works. Then I can use the laser cutter to make the pieces of wood that I need to build it up.
http://villasavoyemodel.blogspot.com/2009/10/floor-plates_07.html
Today I found the rhino model of Villa Savoye and figured out how to import it on Corel Draw. I opened it up on Corel and separated the different layers out. I also decided the scale of the model, which is 1:65.8. I can now start making the sides and walls of the first layer.
I changed the scale to 1:49.2 so it could fit on the laser cutter. I chose that because it was the largest scale that would fit. I printed out my first version but I decided it was too small so I reprinted with a bigger version. Unfortunately I forgot color mapping, so it is less sturdy than I wanted. My next step was to find the height.
My first step was finding the height. I decided that the original was around 2.75 meters, which was around 9 feet. I divided it by my scale to get the height of 2.200563. I then used Corel to make three walls that I have to print out. I also realized that when I printed out the floor, it cut of the end, so I have to reprint the floor as well. I'm ready to see how the walls will work and hold up.
I started making more walls for my prototype and printed 3 out. I first glued them, but then Mr. D told me to wait on gluing them and just get them all printed first. I'm making the rest of them now and will reprint the base and attach the walls.
I printed them out and started marking and labeling my floor outline. I struggled to figure out how I would print my cardboard walls out and then know where to actually place the walls, since they all looked similar. I ended up having to do a complex system of labeling them.
I started gluing them again, and just spent the day finishing making them. I faced some struggles using tacky glue, and it took a while to dry but in the end I finished.
I started making the second floor walls, and also cut out the second floor outline. The way I make the walls is by making a square the size of the sides on Corel and then making it the height of every other wall.
I finished the second walls and printed them out. I have to make sure I don't lose the pieces so I know where everything goes, because I labeled them based on the outline, so where each piece is on the cardboard is where each piece should go on the screen.
I spent 5 hours in a row working on this project. I started by gluing the second walls on and then I printed out the third floor outline. I wasn't sure if I had to cover the top, but I looked at an image of the building and realized I didn't need a roof. I faced a big challenge when I printed out the wall and glued it and realized that I needed windows. I had to tear off the wall and cut out a window. I started by cutting out a big hole, but Mr D. told me that the window was not one, and I realized he was right. I tried spacing them out evenly by 0.1, but the space was so small it made no difference. I then printed again, and it looked very nice. Before I glued, I was trying to find a glue bottle that worked well and none of them were easy to use so I decided to use the hot glue, which made the process go so much faster. I glued on all the walls and then I made the third walls. I cut out the third walls and started to glue them on. One problem I faced was that when I tried to bend the cardboard creases appeared and it didn't glue very well. Since the top had a lot of curves it didn't look as good as I wanted. I ended up gluing all of the walls on and finishing all the walls. Then I decided to make the poles holding the building up, and I used the dowel rods we had. I measured the distance so the pylons would be the right size to fit and then tried using the band saw to cut out the rods. Unfortunately they were uneven, so I decided to use the later cutter. I put a straight line and then put the rods in the laser cutter. It cut them all evenly, but the top of each one was burned. I also needed to know where to put the rods, so I used the outline of the holes on Corel and then moved the floor down on the laser cutter so it would print. It printed black holes on the floor, but some of them were outside of the expected area. Also, the dowel rods on one side were uneven. I glued the rods on and then I finished building it. I learned a lot of different ways to use the laser cutter to my advantage, and I found out how to see the X and Y values for the edges of an object by clicking in the top left.
My last step was spray painting it, and I asked Mr. Gainley to use the white spray paint. I let it dry for a few days, and it looked really good. Unfortunately since this was for a project and there were two colors the only other day I could spray paint it was on the day it was due, so I had to spray paint it really quickly and many of the dowel rods fell off.
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