Architecture in Seattle

Seattle Central Library

Seattle Central Library
http://www.archdaily.com/office/oma-lmn

Seattle Central Library is designed by OMA and LMN. OMA is short for the Office of Metropolitan Architecture. LMN is Seattle-based local architecture firm. The design of the building seems to focus on the shape and structure. The unique design of this building is the program. The library no longer serves the purpose of storing books exclusively. It also serves the function for people to access media, internet and audio, which is the new challenge for designing a library. From my point of view, the building emphasizes the flexibility, which allows different function can merge in together. On the other hand, the functionality did not separate the space. Instead, the architects are trying to put certain service areas jointly in a giant space. The experience of walking or escalating the building also emphasize the idea of “Flexibility.”

Olympic Sculpture Park

Olympic Sculpture Park
http://www.archdaily.com/101836/olympic-sculpture-park-weissmanfredi/bb-opening-day

The project is located on the waterfront of Seattle downtown. It is designed by Weiss Manfredi. The project serves as a new urban model for Sculpture parks. The Original site is an oil facility, which has vast land contaminated by oil waste. The new landfill soil comes from the construction of Seattle Art Museum project.

The park elevates up 40 feet top from the site of the water’s edge. From the city to the seashore, the intention is to use a hybrid pedestrian infrastructure to give a different experience for people who was walking the parks. The park is also cross a highway and a trains tracks, the infrastructure interaction is very critical in this project. The architecture uses a descending pavilion to connect all the infrastructure and the pedestrian walking experience.

Space needle

Space Needle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Graham_%26_Company#/media/File:SpaceNeedleQAClose.jpg

It is an observation tower and landmark for the City of Seattle. The original purpose of the tower is to serve as the center for 1962 World’s Fair. The tower used to be the tallest structure on the west coast. Due the weather of Seattle, the Space Needle has the capability to resist 9.1 magnitude earthquake and withstand 200miles per hours wind. It also has 25 lightning rods to resist the danger of lightning bolt.

The design of space needle is a compromise between two people Edward Carlson and John Graham Jr. Mr. Carlson as a business man, he has an idea of giant balloon rising from the ground. However, the Mr. Graham has a sketch of flying saucer. This the reason the two parts of the tower is different. 

Visit of Kurtwood Farm In Vashon Island

That is waiting line for the ferry to Vashon Island

When I arrive the Vashon Island and ready to leave the ferry.

The small downtown of Vashon Island, it is very small. From the residents saying, when the Sunday comes, the town was crowed with people from Seattle to do some running and biking here. 

The entrance of Kurtwood Farm, it is kinda secret space inside this wood. All the farm in Vashon Island is fair small compare to the one I saw in Texas and California. It is similar to Chinese suburban area. 

The sign direct you to Kurtwood, if there is no sign for the farm, i am not be able to find it.

It is the resident building - the loghouse in the farm, due to absence of the Mr.Kurtwood and danger of electric fence I can not able to take photo inside.

The Barn, i think the building behind it is the cooking house and the maybe the cheese cave.

The Tractor, maybe the one he mentioned in his book?

The mainly function for this farm is Cattle, which later I think Mr.Kurtwood write another book called Growing a Beast.

I think this is farm land for some kind of plants.

Growing a Farmer Review Part 2

Raising Animals

Mr. Kurtwood started to raise animals to keep the eternity of pasture. He started from the sheep and goat. The primary difference between the sheep and goat is whether they correspond to human existence. The sheep and cut and friendly which human raise them for lamb meat. Goat is aggressive and a potential troublemaker. Human-less likely raises the goat because they keep breaking out the fence and destroying plants. In pasture business, how you fence the animals and how to use the land is critical for a farmer. A movable fence is a big helper for raising animals, which allow them to move around. In the same time, moving the sheep greatly help the grass consumption in the land. It will assist the farmer to use the pasture land in a more sustainable way. In the same time, due to the efficient way of using the pasture, it also avoids using of the fertilizer.

Later, he introduces cow on his farm, which represents Kurtwood officially become a full-time farmer. The cow needs to be taken care of every day, and he cannot leave the farm. The cow he has is slightly different from the big farm. He raises the Jersey cow, which has very low dairy production. The process of the dairying is also very complicated. He also encounters a death and slaughter of his first cow. It is a disease which has a low curable rate. Mr. Kurtwood has no choice but killing her. By gaining more and more experience, he also gives lots of tips about how to raise the cows, purchase the cow and diary the cow. It is a very fun process when I am first reading this book. I started to think the process of raising is quite enjoyable. The milk as a production which is consumed daily, I have never thought where and how the milk come from. From reading this book, I started to question about where and how is the product is made. The author in somehow convinced me to think more about the food, which potentially increase the fun of eating it and purchasing it. He also takes about a different dairy, the raw milk. In this section, he gives us a glimpse of the relationship between politics and farming.

In general, from one aspect, it may serve the purpose of marketing his farm. However, I think the writer’s intention is from the way he records his experience as a farmer to show people how the food was grown how the cattle and fowl are raised. The experience is from first subject view, which greatly increase interests of the experience. It is much better than the book which explains the procedures. The purpose for this book is to let me know the process of how food and meat were produced or intrigue the curiosity of people. 

Cool or Cooler?

A sneak peak of the world’s first shifting carbon fiber skateboard

When you walk down the Venice Beach, you see most of the young people skating their boards on a U- Shape ramp. If you stop and watch them playing a while, you may think they are very cool. However, if you see a person walk on a ramp and pull out a small skateboard out his handbag, is that mysterious? When you see a person stretching the board to the skateboard using some mechanism and start to do all the tricks on the ramp, do you think this is cooler than other people?

It is without a doubt that Cano Design is bringing revolution to the skateboard industry. For the first time, three kinds of skateboards are fused together with the simplest, most convenient, and most perfect strategy.

Why is Cool?

Before the Cano Board, Skateboard industry had fixed a range of length for its “Product”. In an article written by Putnam, the longboard is a long skateboard of 42 to 60 inches. Its great performance on rough surface attracts more adults to use the longboards as their primary means of transportation. (Putnam, 1). The regular board is about 30-38 inches in length, and this allows players perform tricks like grinding on the rail. There is also a short board, which is convenient to carry around. Each length has its significant advantages and drawbacks. What are customers going to do when they want a board which fits the tasks of riding and doing the tricks? Maybe, buy two boards? Here is a solution.

After months of researching and experimenting, the Cano Design team breaks skateboard composition down to its significance and brings in the most advanced concepts and technologies. By analyzing skateboarder’s foot positioning, they maintain the two areas for standing and breaks down the middle part into two adjustable structures connecting front and back decks. The team also changes from the cylindrical tube into a rectangular tube for additional standing space when necessary. Additionally, its design is aimed at breaking the traditional skateboards’ limit by inventing the new sliding adjustment system. By changing the position of the front and back decks, Cano Board came up with a brand-new way of skateboarding.

The new design and technologies will bring considerable changes in the skateboard industry and influence the performance of the players positively. Another notable feature of the new design is that each side has three adjustment lengths and can make up to 9 different skateboard lengths, which can perfectly fit the purpose of long-distance riding, performing the tricks and lightweight. The new mechanism in the middle and its lightweight may also make some new tricks possible.

Coolest Parts

Normally, a skateboard has three parts: the deck, the truck, and the wheels. The deck is the actual board, which holds the weight of players and pressure resulting from performing tricks. Most of the decks are made of glue and maple wood with polyurethane coating on the surface.  Some new composite like aluminum, nylon and fiberglass have also been used and explains the existence of different types of the skateboard. Moreover, the three parts are also different depending on the use the skateboard. For example, the angle of the concavity in the board is different from other parts because of the nature of its performance. The different brands also have their significance on the product.

To further increase Board’s portability and rigidity, For Cano Board use 100% high- strength carbon fiber as the material for the decks, which is ten times rigid than maple wood. It also significantly reduces the weight of the board. In the book of “Handbook of Composite Reinforcements”, the author explains that tensile stress for a module of normal carbon fiber is 500 ksi, and its density is 80% less than steel (Stuart 73). Maple wood has 15 ksi, which is one of hardest wood available. For Shifting Mechanism, because of low shear stress on the pattern direction, they use aircraft aluminum instead of carbon fiber to overcome the high impact from doing high-level tricks. A special  switch is also used to make shifting easier and smoother. Quote from the Chief Design in the Cano Design, the use of carbon fiber and aluminum on the board, does not only reduce the weight by 50 percent, but it also increase the strength by roughly 30 percent (Wayne, interview)

Also, they introduced the design concept of a high-performance sports car to make Cano Board superior. It is a piece of art with careful detailing in each part. It is also designed in a manner that allows a player to customize the wheels and grip tapes hence meeting player’s tastes.

Cool Future

One of the concepts inside Cano Design Team is Sustainability. They believe what they create will change the way how people travel. With the help of public transportation, people literally can ride the Cano board wherever they want. The portability and performance will attract more and more people to ride skateboard again. It may also attract some people who normally ride a bike to the workplace.

The launch date is around May 2016. The main marketing methods will be online promoting with offline wholesale. Due to its high price, the primary targets for this product is working class and extreme skateboard players. To reduce the cost of the board, the company will have its initial launch at Crowdfunding platforms Such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo. It will greatly reduce expenses in distribution and advertising, hence making the board cheaper for its customers.

From the inside news, the Cano Design Team right now is working with Kia Motor and Aoxin Motor on their next generation board, Canox Skateboard. Aoxin Motor is one of leading company in new energy automobiles. Last year, they launched a massive-produced carbon fiber made an electric car. From this news, we can know that the Canox Skateboard will be electric Car.  By standing on the shoulder of the industry leader, Cano Design will have a cool electric skateboard in the future.

In the future, players can adjust Cano Board to longboard mode, cruise to Starbucks, adjust Cano Board to shortboard mode, and carry it to your future destination.

Work Cited

"Cano-Board." Personal interview of Chief Designer of Cano Design Wayne Ji. 2 Dec. 2015.

Kim, Jang-Kyo. "Handbook of Composite Reinforcements. Edited by Stuart M. Lee, VCH, Weinheim 1993, 715 Pp., Hardcover, DM 236, ISBN 3-527-89632-5." Advanced Materials 5.10 (1993): 776-7. Web.

Putnam, Bob. "LONGER BOARD, RENEWED INTEREST; A Type of Skateboard Called a Longboard has Brought some Adults Back into the Rolling Fold." The St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL): 1. 2009. Web.

"Skateboard." How Skateboard Is Made. How Product Are Made, 14 Feb. 2016. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

Book Review for Growing a Farmer First Half

Book Review for Growing a Farmer First Half

The book detailed describes the author’s story of becoming a farmer. The intention of this book is giving a more vivid image about how the food is growing on a farm. in my opinion, the book is serving the purpose of marketing his product and farms. The book starts from the life before the farm. The author starts his business as a small café owner. The business is good and profitable. The whole idea of the becoming a farmer comes from an apartment hunting incidents. He wants to find a house which has spaces and affordable price, which leads him to the Vashon Island in suburban Seattle. Through the experience with real estate agents, the author seems to have a vision of the previous owner’s life and his blackberry farms.

From the inspiration of “delicious morsels with juicy sweetness” in blackberry farms, the isolation of the commuting between downtown and Vashon Island and his failure of the newly opened restaurant, Mr. Timmermeister decided to become a full-time farmer. Moreover, he also bought the neighboring house to expand his farm. From the experience in the farmers market, the authors know the key success for the beginning of a small farm is the quality vegetables. Therefore, with the help from Matt, the Kurtwood farm for vegetables began. They sell vegetables to local farmers market and CSA subscriptions. The chapter 1 and 2 mainly describes the how the authors become full-time farmers. The following chapter explains the special project on his farm.

Bee-keeping

The first project is bee-keeping. Before he made his bee-keeping dream comes true, he checks the equipment, supply catalogue and city zoning requirements for his property. He started his lesson from an old book-First Lessons in Beekeeping for basic bee-keeping skills and knowledge. It is smart to do a small research before you starting a project. From the magazine and advertisement, he found series supply house for future shopping.

He introduces the serval different types of Bees from his experience of the failure, which shows the reader how hard is the bee-keeping at the beginning of this project. Moreover, the author also emphasizes the importance of weather for farming. The first failure is because of the rainy and cool weather of the Seattle. The second one is because of the transportation in a different weather zone. The success of the bee-keeping project started at the second year with small failure. The success means he will have enough honey for his and his friend. The failure means the production is too low to the market. The honey the author get is light in color and flavor. However, the color difference is due to the different season. From the spring flower, the honey mainly is dark brown. After serious study of the lives of bees, Mr. Timmermeister started to achieve success in his first project.

The most interesting part of the bee-keeping for me is how the farmer changed the hive to get the honey. It is a terrifying process for people who is looking. However, it is also an exciting moment for pouring out the honey from the hive. The key part of this process provides the colony with a new physical hive.

He also gives readers a glimpse of trick and business idea in the bee-keeping project. The thick he gives us is to use the smoke make the bees less interested in stinging. The risk management keeps more than one hives.

Fruit, Apples, Vinegar

In the center of the Kurtwood Farm, there is an orchard. The first fruits tree he planted is apples, which later also can be cider. Part of the reason for growing apples also because of the law registration support for small cider makers. The biggest challenge for this project is restricting animals from the eating the tree and fruits. For the authors, it is a long and hard process to fight with deer’s nears his farm. He tried to build serval fences to prevent the deer’s approach the trees. Finally, with the help of different size of the fence, he is able to harvest apples from the trees. Part of the product will also save for vinegar, which is an essential ingredient for cooking. He also introduced the readers a series byproduct of the apples, the cider, the vinegar, the achohol, and juicy. He also stated a project for Italian Balsamic vinegar procedure. In this chapter, he explains the intention of the farm’s project is to share with a friend not for sale.