ELIZABETH AUSTIN
SELECTED WORKS
2013-2018
SUPER-EXPOSE(ITION)
ELIZABETH AUSTIN
TRI-ISOTROPIC WOOD
WELCOME HOME
MAGNET MACHINE V02
MAGNET MACHINE V01
DUPLICITY
LINEAR LIVING
SELECTED WORKS
2013-2018
RACHIS
TIDBLET
SUPER-EXPOSE(ITION) ARCHITECTURAL CRITIQUE OF LEISURE IN THE DIGITAL AGE COLLABORATION WITH JACOB HEDAYA Super-Expose(ition) is a proposal designed as a response to the concept of free-time architecture, or leisure spaces, in Manhattan. The project explores the relationship between an omnipresent corporation and the general population through an architectural interface that utilizes spatial illusion and deceptive perception to blur and highlight the complex exchange that both parties participate in. The architectural proposal stems from experimental research that confronts the notions of light, time, projection, flatness, depth, and misreadings. At its core, this body of work is about questioning the means, media, and methods employed by architects. By utilizing the form of a cube in each set of experiments, this base spatial typology can be complexified in the subsequent design process.
EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH: DIGITAL CAMERA OBSCURA// Inspired by several camera-less photography methods, a machine was developed that replaces the camera, capturing code, algorithms, and digital form instead of scenes or portraits in a process that marries analog and digital. Photography is fundamentally time and light, captured by either a digital sensor or film. Camera-less photography takes the camera out of the equation and works directly with the manipulation of lm and photo-paper in an inherently analog way. Conventional techniques typically go through a process where the whole paper is exposed, and then goes through several complete baths. An FDM printer was hacked to expose photo paper with moving light. This process allows for the exposure of small areas. It is both a numerically controlled camera and darkroom, capable of variable localized exposure. By hacking a purpose built machine and replacing two fundamentally efficient processes with an indirect method of producing an image, the machine critiques the efficiency of technology and productive processes. Form and space is digested through this system, providing a new way of seeing. Drawings explore the possibilities of light as an architectural medium in a way that embeds the notion of time. Exposure is controlled by two factors: the amount of light and the duration of exposure. The drawing implications of this are that the further the laser is from the paper, the less powerful and concentrated the light. This dynamic process produces natural line weights in the drawings.
EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH: LENTICULAR(CHITECTURE)// Traditionally, drawings exist in a single (x-y) plane. Introducing a third dimension in a drawing by building off of the mechanics of lenticular images, graphics can be created that act dynamically within a space or on a form. Lenticular images rely on a wavy lens overlaid on top of an image which has been interlaced. This optical device allows the image to change as the viewing angle changes. Using the Digital Camera Obscura, a process was designed that employs three-dimensional interlaced projection: a two-dimensional drawing onto a three-dimensional surface. By coordinating the drawing with the 3D-printed medium, the mechanics of a lenticular lens are employed at a larger scale. The surface was coated in emulsion to map the drawing on the surface as had been previously done with photo paper.
EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH: AUGMENTED FORM(ALITY)// The potentials of light as an ingredient of architecture was analyzed by exploring it as medium that augments and interacts with another material in space and time. Light has the power to augment an onlooker’s perception of form and space in a way that no other architectural material can. It is dynamic, interactive, intimate, and immaterial.The human eye is incapable of truly seeing form or space. What is seen as an object is merely the light reflected off of it. By augmenting the light that is being perceived without changing the form itself, the difference between form and perceived form is muddled. Using a projector with scripted input and a three-dimensional printed object, animations were created that showcased this theory. The perceived form of the object is shifted based on the geometry of light received from the projector.
EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH: PINHOLE ARCHITECTURE// To conclude the experimental research, the potential of these concepts operating within the constraints of conventional architectural methods was explored. To study the possibilities of daylight augmenting interior spaces though thresholds, the mechanics of a pinhole camera lens were exploited. This system works in two parts: a screen and a projection surface which are designed in conjunction with one another. Light becomes the operative component that acts as a catalyst to activate the system. The movement of light throughout the day changes the appearance of the space based on time. Using a hand-held light and a dark-box (covered by the screen), photo-sensitive paper (the projection surface) was exposed to map the augmentation of the screen geometry based on location of light source.
DECEPTIVE PERCEPTION// The preceding series of experiments is best summarized as explorations in perception. To architecturalize this research, spatial studies were conducted that tested geometric ideas associated with anamorphic projection and optical illusion. A simplified example of this could be described as a space that visually impermeable, rendering itself as a wall, but in reality is physically permeable through hidden thresholds. Formal instances of deceptive perception became the basis for the final proposal.
SITE// As a testing grounds for this illusionary architecture and the boundaries it both opens and closes, this project infiltrates Google with an architectural intervention. At the moment, their physical presence is a fortress in the urban environment of Manhattan. Google has an omnipresence in the digital world. They are the intermediary between the general population and the internet, but ultimately, the public doesn’t interface with them in a physical way. The site and the project becomes the physical intermediary, while the formal spatial devices charge this intersection.
FINAL PROPOSAL// The proposal carves a public corridor through Google’s Manhattan headquarters, bringing the public in with a series of open amenities. It is Google’s way of giving back while actually taking more. A free cafe, theater, park, archive, bathhouse, and gym populate the corridor in nodes. By using basic typologies of free-time spaces in each node, the public is drawn in and the exchange between the public and Google is spatialized. By employing deceptive perception techniques along the interior avenue, the complexities of this relationship is materialized by manipulating perspective. The formal strategy thickens the threshold between ourselves and Google, providing layers of obscurity, surveillance, and formal misreadings. Instead of locked doors separating the two communities, this thickened space provides a visual and spatial confusion that operates at multiple scales. Both the public and Google can exploit this system.
FINAL PROPOSAL// While the public is not literally exchanging monetary currency for the use of these spaces, the information they are giving up is an exchange in itself. By architecturalizing the dynamic relationship between Google and the public, this project brings architecture into the digital age, in which nothing is free, no space is free, and no time is free.
TRI-ISOTROPIC WOOD RESEARCH FACILITY FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Tri-Isotropic Wood is a project proposal that is born from the notion of challenging the preconceptions of the intrinsic material properties of wood: anisotropic (or directionally dependent), opaque, and rigid. Through a tri-axial kerf-bent system, the anisotropic properties of wood are relieved. By exploring the possibilities of a material addressed in a non-traditional manner, malleable space is created from a rigid material.
MATERIAL RESEARCH// The formal process began with in-depth research into kerf-bending. The slot made by using a saw to cut wood is referred to as a “kerf.� By cutting wood and creating several kerfs, pieces may be bent easier as the thickness of the wood is effectively reduced.
EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH// Based on technical formal research, hands-on experimental research with kerf-bending and wood was conducted. Various patterns were tested for flexibility, tensile strength, and compressive strength. The most successful trials were tri-axial, breaking the linear nature of wood.
GENERATIVE MODELS// Experimental model-making was utilized to explore kerf-bending and tri-axial systems in an architectural context.
FINAL PROPOSAL// Through generative and experimental model-making, a tectonic approach comprised of two systems was devised. A layered tri-axial structure and grid organizes the spatial configuration, while walls build of layers of kerf-bent wood divides and differentiates the spaces. By creating a screening system from layered wood, the opacity of the wood is then challenged. The change in density of layer pattern affects the interior quality of light and visibility. Each side of the walls is layered with bent acrylic to insulate and enclose the interior.
FINAL PROPOSAL// As a research and fabrication facility, the structure functions to further knowledge and push the limitations of additive manufacturing. Sited on the Pratt Institute campus, the university is in the business of creating the next generation of makers and 3D printing is the next generation of making things. The research that would occur in this facility is broken down into a path of five elements: Feedstock, Printing, Post-Processing, Testing + Analysis, and Display + Storage. Each of these sections is broken down into three rooms and all rooms connect through rotating rooms located between each section. This helps keep the laboratories and vented facilities clean. By constructing this facility from a rare material process and tectonic system, researchers and students are inspired to approach materials and methods with a creative state of mind.
WELCOME HOME REFUGEE MARKETPLACE + CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION
Welcome Home is a proposal for a refugee-oriented market located in San Diego, California. The idea of a refugee-oriented market is that of an intervention that functions both urbanistically and socio-politically. It is that of an architecture that performs as a civic catalyst and initiates the manifestation of a new community ideal.
SITE SELECTION// Embarcadero Marina Park South was selected as the site due to it’s downtown location, making the new construction easily accessible for all communities and in close proximity to other important cultural sites. This park extends into the bay and was infilled in 1975 along with Embarcadero Marina Park North. While the later is heavily used (primarily due to the ease of access from Seaport Village and the city) and in the preliminary process of being updated, the southern park is underutilized despite it’s prime waterfront location. While the entire bayside boardwalk is heavily used, by both tourists and locals alike, this park is often skipped over. There is speculation that this is partially due to its bottleneck access and its sheltered location behind the Convention Center, which isolates it from the rest of the city. It is also the most southern portion of the developed downtown waterfront, bordering a drastic demographic shift. The parks slightly south (Chicano and Ceser Chavez) are utilized almost entirely by the Hispanic population and are decorated with rich cultural murals. The waterfront just south of Embarcadero Marina Park South is mainly employed for industrial and Navy purposes.
PROGRAM HYBRIDIZATION + FORMAL EXPLORATIONS// Due to site and social conditions in the surrounding city, funding and support for a refugee-oriented market would be highly unlikely. As such, Welcome Home is also an alternate version to the currently proposed expansion of the San Diego Convention Center. This hybridized project addresses not only the local government’s fiscal desire for more space to host tourist-attracting events, but also the community’s social need for a place in which to assist and connect with immigrating refugees. The addition of the latter program is the crucial difference between this proposal and the official design scheme.
PROGRAM HYBRIDIZATION + FORMAL EXPLORATIONS// Through site and program, this project brings refugee needs to the forefront of the city’s attention. It gives residents and tourists the space to interact with refugees, fostering an opportunity for cultural education and social empathy. For the refugee population, the building houses services and resources, as well as providing jobs in the marketplace. This project works then, to serve the entire community through a multitude of methods.
FINAL PROPOSAL// The hybridized program requires an extremely large space for conventions, as well as large rooms for smaller conferences. The current convention center expansion proposal calls for approximately a fifty-percent increase in space. The market place is then wrapped around the waterfront face of the structure with an open plaza.
FINAL PROPOSAL// Formally, the project is comprised of nesting sections that increase spatially in both plan and section. The largest portion is open convention center space while the outer smaller portions are marketplace along the waterfront. The intermediary rooms function as “swing-space�, which could serve either of the programatic uses of the building. They can be used for various refugee resources or temporary market expansion spaces. They can also be utilized for conventions when necessary.
FINAL PROPOSAL// The gradual increase in height between spaces provides southern-light and bay views for each section. The shifting creates an occupiable roofscape over the marketplace, accessible from the patios of the existing convention center or the mezzanine level of the new architecture. Service hallways through the swing-space contain restrooms and marketplace storage, while also creating thresholds between the market and large convention space.
MAGNET MACHINE V02 DESIGNING MACHINES THAT DESIGN COLLABORATION WITH FARIDA EL-SOLH A typical design process relies on an arbitrary selection of tools, or software and hardware. These tools are powerful and somewhat accessible. A tool can have productive constraints, but there are hidden biases or agendas authored by the designer of the tool itself. These biases can have a strong influence on the way we design. By becoming the author of one’s own design tools, the designer is able to create their own process and workflow. This project explores this idea through the designing and building of a new device, or machine, that produces physical artifacts to explore an architectural proposal.
MACHINE DEVELOPMENT// Magnet Machine v02 is a manually operated instrument that utilizes four moving sheets embedded with magnets to manipulate a fifth flexible sheet embedded with magnets. Through the use of a pulley system, the four manipulating trays move in counterposition to one another in relationship to the fifth stationary tray in the center of the machine. By shifting the four exterior sheets toward the center, the flexible sheet is engaged. This sheet is then distorted by moving the four outer trays back away from the center of the machine.
MACHINE OUTPUT// In order to grant flexibility to the center stationary sheet, patterns were laser-cut into it, reminiscent of traditional kerf-bending. The development of several patterns led to sheets that performed drastically differently. The machine output is largely dependent on three variables: cut pattern of the flexible sheet, arrangement and orientation of magnets embedded in the flexible sheet, and arrangement and orientation of magnets embedded in the manipulating sheets. The movement distances of the four manipulating sheets also has an effect on the intensity of the resultant form produced by the machine
ARCHITECTURAL INTERPRETATION: PLAZA CANOPY// The first proposal imagines the fluctuating surface generated by the machine as a pavilion canopy. The observed artifact would cover a public plaza or an open field and serve as shade on a sunny day. Because of the change in z-axis height, the structure would be self-supporting, yet remain a singular surface.
ARCHITECTURAL INTERPRETATION: OBSERVATION DECK// The second portrayal envisions the machine output as an architectural intervention on an archeological site. The modified surface acts as a raised pathway from which to view the ruins and artifacts without directly intervening on the precious site. Beyond creating a method of innocuous tourism, the structure serves to shelter and further preserve the relics below.
ARCHITECTURAL INTERPRETATION: WATERFRONT PARK// The final interpretation of the machine-manipulated surface presents as a mediation between water and land in a multiprogramatic boardwalk, pier, dock, and sea bath inspired by the river-side interventions of Copenhagen. Extending from a park located in south Brooklyn, the superimposed surface serves the community by creating accessibility to the water for a myriad of activities. Declined ramps allow for boat and kayak launching, while inclined ramps lead to viewing, fishing, sunbathing, and diving platforms. Recessed areas create protected swimming enclosures with a range of depths, including shallow pools for children and the disabled. Overall, the architectural intervention creates a public space for environmental interaction within the urban context.
MAGNET MACHINE V01 DESIGNING MACHINES THAT DESIGN COLLABORATION WITH FARIDA EL-SOLH A typical design process relies on an arbitrary selection of tools, or software and hardware. These tools are powerful and somewhat accessible. A tool can have productive constraints, but there are hidden biases or agendas authored by the designer of the tool itself. These biases can have a strong influence on the way we design. By becoming the author of one’s own design tools, the designer is able to create their own process and workflow. This project explores this idea through the designing and building of a new device, or machine, that produces physical artifacts to explore an architectural proposal.
MACHINE DEVELOPMENT// Through research into prototypical drawing machines, several experiments into designing devices were carried out. Inspired by analog drawing machines that use pendulums as their source of power and direction, such as the harmonograph, a box-framed housing and pendulum was created. In order to continuously develop and alter the machine, it was designed as a modular system with laser-cut masonite panels that could easily be rearranged and reassembled. Through several iterations of parts and construction methods, Magnet Machine v01 was developed from this modular housing and various storebought and 3D-printed hardware. The resulting device consists of an interchangeable tray suspended beneath a swinging pendulum weighted at the bottom with masonite rings and supported by a removable gimbal joint.
MACHINE OUTPUT// Magnet Machine v01 utilizes a bed of magnets laid out in various arrangements on trays with specifically oriented polarities to divert a magnetized pendulum. By releasing the pendulum from differing points, variable results were achieved from the same bed arrangement. By changing the bed arrangement and pattern of magnets, the path of the pendulum from the same release point was altered dramatically.
MACHINE OUTPUT// In each experiment, either four, eight, or twelve circular weights were used at the bottom of the pendulum, changing the intensity of the effect the magnets had on the motion of the pendulum. In order to record the trajectory, movement, and speed of each release, a small light was attached to the top of the pendulum. Long exposure photographs taken from the top of the machine then captured the information of each trial, creating dynamic drawings with light.
MACHINE OUTPUT// Due to the force inflicted upon the pendulum by the magnets, the results differ immensely from traditional pendulum-based drawing machines. The following matrices document diverse possible outputs and the impact of each of the four variables presented by the machine: magnet tray arrangement, release point, release direction, and number of weights used.
ARCHITECTURAL INTERPRETATION// In order to understand machine output as architecture, one of the long exposure photographs was interpreted as a section. By positioning it on a ground plane and adding people and context, a sense of scale emerges. The main concentration of light is understood as an enclosed space at the center of the structure while the looping rings become a series of external ramps.
DUPLICITY COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CREW BOATHOUSE COLLABORATION WITH ASHLEY KATZ Duplicity is a formal project conceived from external views of the building, rather than outlooks observed from within. As a boathouse, the function of the structure is truly to service the transition between land and water. Thus, the crucial experience of the building is not contained within its walls, but in the interim moments immediately proceeding and succeeding its physical occupation.
SITE CIRCULATION ANALYSIS// Located on the Hudson River on the extreme north west edge of Manhattan, the site sits on the coastline recessed from street-level and adjacent to Inwood Hill Park. The primary function of the boathouse is to store rowing shells while not in use. The shells are extremely long and must be frequently moved in a complex serious of maneuvers, to the existing dock for practice or to a truck for transportation to regattas. Consequently, their storage location and direction is incredibly vital to the efficiency and efficacy of the boathouse as a structure. Due to the irregular shape of the site and critical dependance of shell mobility, the potentials of boat circulation were analyzed through drawing to inform the optimal placement of this unconditioned housing.
GENERATIVE FORM// Duplicity was generated through a multi-part strategy that primarily addresses two opposing views of the site. These dual perspectives manifest within the opening sequence of the procession of use of this architecture. The initial introduction to the boathouse begins as a decent down a hill from the main roadway, wherein one observes the structure at a sheer angle from above. The alternate view of the boathouse occurs while disembarking from the building via boat, as rowing is a rear-facing sport. This perspective transpires at a conversely abrupt angle, while gazing upward at the structure from a seated position on the sunken water.
GENERATIVE FORM// Originating from a radial grid derived from the pre-existing site conditions, the form functions to confront both opposing views experienced through a series of bending, twisting, and lifting operations. By sweeping a serious of merging surfaces along the panorama of each perspective, the structure becomes soft and continuous, obscuring it’s interruption of the natural landscape. The smooth evolution of faces and edges creates an architecture that behaves as a facilitator to the transition from land to water, rather than as an imposing edifice.
FINAL PROPOSAL// Programmatically, the boathouse exists to store rowing shells, provide locker rooms for the crew, house an indoor gym for winter training, and accommodate banquets and other team events. While the structure stands as an extended fragment of Columbia University’s campus, the boathouse also serves the local community through the same programatic functions. The main entrance exists where the building emerges from the ground as the structure is approached from the roadway. The lower level contains a lobby and locker rooms, as well as a separated boat shed where the building touches back down on the opposite end.
FINAL PROPOSAL// From the lobby, occupants can move up a monumental staircase to the upper level, where a sweeping gym with views of the Hudson River is backed by variously programmed rooms. The coastal edge of the structure is home to a ramped platform that inclines with the bridging of the building to an outdoor deck on the second level. Due to the formal lifting operation of the architecture, boats, people, and cars can move through the site with ease. Structurally, the building is supported through a series of individually unique space-frame trusses aligned to the generative radial grid. Because Duplicity is derived from site-specific views and program-specific circulation, the architecture emerges as a form both useful and unique.
LINEAR LIVING PRATT INSTITUTE GRADUATE DORMITORY
Linear Living is an experiment at the crossroads of dormitory and apartment style living. The project prompt calls for a 110-bed housing facility for Pratt Institute graduate students located on Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
FORMAL EXPLORATIONS// Abiding by all local building code and zoning laws, the compact site size affords minimal excess space for extreme formal operations. Thus, the building massing was conceived through one major manipulation. By rotating each floor-plate gradually from the back of the site, a twisting form emerges, resulting in a structure with a hill-like condition on one side and a cliff-like condition on the mirrored face. An applied facade then blurs the stepped transition between each floor. Based on initial studies of viewing cone facades forms, the envelope uses folded panels to smooth the sloped exterior and creates a checkerboard pattern between alternating bedroom windows and balconies. The following images document preliminary studies of facade-application to formal massing.
UNIT DESIGN// The unit arrangement broadens daily contact between residents while avoiding a typical dorm-style paired roommate living situation. With a private bedroom for each resident, individuality and independence are held in high esteem. Linear Living comes into play with the introduction of semi-private living spaces, or kitchens, washrooms, and living rooms. Each resident shares a kitchen with a neighboring student, while separately sharing a living room and washroom with the opposite adjacent resident. These peripheral students then each share another living space with the student residing in the unit in the opposing direction. This results in a building-length row of private bedrooms separated by living spaces that each serve the two residents of the immediately adjoining bedrooms. The capping rooms of each row are designed to be handicap accessible, each having one shared living space and one private living space to further accommodate disabled students. This contiguous pattern serves to maximize privacy while also increasing the space available to each resident. In part, this scheme was devised to foster positive roommate relationships and experiences by bracketing each student with two different roommates with whom they share different amenities. Because of this, interactions between each pair of neighbors can occur as frequently or infrequently as desired.
FINAL PROPOSAL// This project addresses architecture in an extensive manner by taking into account zoning restrictions, local building code regarding minimum spatial and sunlight requirements, egress access and function, structural stability, and plumbing and HVAC feasibility.
FINAL PROPOSAL// The result is a comprehensive proposal for a compact dormitory building for graduate students attending Pratt Institute. Linear Living also addresses the social-concerns and quality of life of residents by employing an innovative unit design
FINAL PROPOSAL// Additionally, the prominent twisting gesture of the structure serves the students as a community by creating a dynamic envelope that encourages interaction between residents utilizing their balconies. Ultimately, Linear Living challenges the notion of the traditional housing facility through form and spatial organization.
RACHIS WAVE HILL ACADEMY + VISITOR CENTER
Rachis refers to a spinal condition from which a secondary system stems. This can be referenced in botony, such as a grass bearing stalks at short intervals. In anatomy, the rachis is seen in the spines and ribcages of many animals, as well as in the structure of feathers. This project interprets and assesses the rachis as a formal architectural element.
FORMAL CONCEPTION// The project scheme was generated through material studies of zip-ties anchored in foam. By threading several along a singular tie, a spine is formed. By manipulating the anchoring point and length of each secondary tie, the main spine is distorted and supported. The repetition of the subsidiary elements along anchoring arcs creates enclosure through the accumulation of the curvilinear members.
SITE ANALYSIS// The project is located in the Bronx at Wave Hill: an expansive park, botanical garden, and nature center. As the name suggests, the 28-acre estate occupies an extremely undulating and steep plot of geography, positioned on the slopes overlooking the Hudson River. Because of the extreme topographical conditions of the site, the environmental constraints were analyzed as a means to generate the intervening architecture from the particular specifications. By considering not only the contour profiles of the landscape, but also the grade of slope and location of existing agricultural elements, the implemented structure coexists harmoniously.
FINAL PROPOSAL// Rachis was designed by applying the formal typology identified through experimentation with spinal zip-tie models at an architectural scale. With anchoring curves based on site analysis of topographical and environmental conditions, the construction was created to be a structurally self-supporting system comprised of a main spinal cross and a secondary set of load-bearing branching members.
FINAL PROPOSAL// This enclosure acts a trellis structure, from which vines and other flora can climb and grow upon. Nested within these penetrable partitions, two glass buildings contain classrooms, lecture halls, research labs, and display facilities. As an academy and visitor center for the siting park, the rachis-derived external skin functions to surround inhabitants with the botany they are studying, while the underlying skin creates a conditioned interior space that operates as a protective but visually-permeable shelter to harbor visitors and researchers through their exploration.
TIDBLET TABLET SYSTEM PRODUCT DESIGN + SALES KIOSK CANOPY COLLABORATION WITH ASHLEY KATZ TidBlet is a project that focuses on representation through both product and architectural design in the ever evolving digital age. The process began with the rebranding of two tech companies, Bluetooth and Adobe, and the 3D-modeling of two products that are platforms for these companies’ digital interfaces. It was then imagined that these companies were collaborators in a new tech product to further both of their agendas in their rebranding efforts. These new products were conceived of, designed, and 3D-modeled. To complete the project, an experiential sales kiosk for the new product was then created in order to bridge the gap between product and architectural design.
REBRANDING + EXISITING PRODUCT REPRESENTATION: ADOBE// Adobe offers a vast variety of softwares and applications geared toward developing and engaging concepts. The rebranding efforts are focused on consistently revolutionizing the way people interact with their work and innovating for the sake of their ideas. Because technology is constantly becoming more mobile, the future of the company lies in converting their existing desktop software to be fullyfunctional on a tablet or phone. Because of this, an iPad was modeled as the prospective interface for the company’s products.
REBRANDING + EXISITING PRODUCT REPRESENTATION: BLUETOOTH// Bluetooth is all about making information accessible through connectivity. The technology can be used in a myriad of ways to simplify everyday life. The rebranding efforts are focused of humanizing the technology and relating it to the haptic. A Bluetooth-enabled portable Jambox speaker was modeled to highlight the versatility of Bluetooth technology in improving and streamlining the lives of users.
TABLET SYSTEM PRODUCT DESIGN// One of most prominent limitations of mobile technology today is size. While there are so many variations of tablets on the market, the scale of each product affects its usability, range of functions, and portability. Large tablets are inconvenient for traveling and daily use. However, small tablets do not allow users to comfortably share screens or work efficiently. No one likes being trapped without an appropriate sized tablet or constantly switching between devices to suit their immediate needs.Introducing the TidBlet, a comprehensive modular tablet system to enable all digital needs. This is a new type of tablet dedicated to expediting connectivity and innovating the capabilities of mobile design. With the TidBlet, each tablet universe is controlled by a main square unit with a prominent front button. This 3Ă—3 inch mini-pad can be attached to any number of similar units, ranging in scale from 3Ă—3 inches to 21Ă—21 inches. This flexibility allows for absolutely any size tablet or screen desired, providing users with the ability to utilize their tablets the way they need. Each component is connected via Bluetooth, so there is never any need to transfer files from one device to another. By simply snapping Tids together, the display will enlarge. The under-form highlights the modular nature of this organization as users add more Tids to their TidBlets.
TABLET SYSTEM PRODUCT DESIGN// The TidBlet is not just a tablet. It transforms from a pocket-device to a large-screen TV in seconds. There is no more need to bounce around between screens when working, socializing, or relaxing. This snappy mini-console means that conversations or video viewing can be continued from room to room, expanding the screen when needed and scaling down on the go. Each collection of Tids may be stored between all of the spaces that are frequented, whether that is across the house or across the country. If a user is watching TV and sees a recipe to try, they can snap off a medium Tid combination and bring it to the kitchen to test immediately. Then they can grab a smaller Tid and head to the store for all of the ingredients they’re missing. Users can bring a book-sized Tid combination on the train to brainstorm during their commute. They can then simply snap it to the Tids at their desk to keep working with more space to let their ideas evolve. Beyond facilitating seamless connectivity for personal needs, the TidBlet creates an efficient workflow in a professional or academic environment. A singular TidBlet system can be easily broken down into its components and shared with a group, such as a design team, project committee, or audience of a presentation. With the Tidblet, people can move around their home, office, or city without worrying about the size or mobility of their technology.
SALES KIOSK CANOPY// The TidBlet Kiosk at Higgins Hall is a design for a temporary structure to be installed in the front courtyard of Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture. With minimal touchdown points, the canopy hangs over a corner of the exterior space. Comprised of ruled surafaces, the structure functions to create a shelter and designation for the display and sale of the TidBlet.