Konstrukshon CPD Weblog http://blog.konstrukshon.com Construction CPD for the Architectural Technologist Sun, 20 May 2012 08:13:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Architectural Technologist – Creating fear http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-creating-fear/ http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-creating-fear/#comments Sun, 20 May 2012 07:54:19 +0000 scays http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=18235

close up picture of plywood with a veneer coat...

close up picture of plywood with a veneer coat. picture taken by Rotor DB 10:06, 20 January 2007 (UTC) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The daily mail yesterday, had front line headline of Google getting into bed with the government, it sighted several meetings, which , I might add are public knowledge, so hardly clandestine, and tried to link several aids and staff who have gone on to work for google, again hardly surprising. Should I be worried that the government is talking to Google, hardly, they should have so much to offer, and ministers are not really the sort of people who are fully computer literate, ok they might understand some, but recent court cases, both here in the UK and Europe and the USA show that government needs to keep up with the ever changing Internet and what it offers us. Too many companies are trying to form law that stops us reading what we want, or even watching what we want. Bending the government by supplying only what they want them to know. So is it hardly surprising that the government is talking to Google.

So off my high horse and back into construction, I saw this little video on plywood yesterday, just excellent, it surprises me how many students I work with have no idea as to the make up of Plywood, the orientation and strength it derives from it. I specify ply all over the place, and the Wiki house I have mentioned a few times is made from it, did you know it was invented around 3500 B.C. by the Egyptians, this wiki article is not bad, and this article on Structural Plywood fron STTA is good,  the STTA links page is also a good starting point for further reading on the product.

As always I have saved the links I found to my Evernote account and given them so many tags. Overall there is plenty to go at on this subject, from Architecture, construction,boats, remember the mirroe dingy, to chairs and tables. I recon on at least 1/2 hour of research.

 

 

 

 

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]]> http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-creating-fear/feed/ 0 Architectural Technologist – WIFI Vs in-cable systems http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-wifi-vs-in-cable-systems/ http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-wifi-vs-in-cable-systems/#comments Sat, 19 May 2012 07:10:24 +0000 scays http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=18227

Wi-Fi Signal logo

Wi-Fi Signal logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I saw this morning a lead to a new company that has managed to control LED lights over the existing 240 volt AC wiring system, so what you might say, well having been involved in one facia sign and several internal systems where the wiring to control the LED lights was like a pasta dish, this is something to take notice of.

Plus it will not take long for the technology to move into other appliances, why go on about this, should I not be talking about wifi systems instead, well no, wifi is great, but subject to walls and solid mass, were as this in-wire technology seems to me to bypass all of this.

I will keep this an open lead in my research folder within Evernote, to follow this a little longer, but I see this fitting in with wifi quite nicely, as LED lights and equipment become more common. I can also see this fitting in quite nicely with a smart grid application, we will see.

Don’t forget, I will host a tech hangout every Friday at 3 pm, call in to chat, moan,find out something, anything to do with Architectural Technology. follow me on Google + “+stevescaysbrook”


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]]> http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-wifi-vs-in-cable-systems/feed/ 0 Architectural Technologist – News paper and magazine day + Google Doc’s Search http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-news-paper-and-magazine-day-google-docs-search/ http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-news-paper-and-magazine-day-google-docs-search/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 08:34:57 +0000 scays http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=18222

My pile of magazines ans article cuttings has got just to high, so yesterday I went through them to reduce it a little, lots of tech artcicles I thought might be of interest later, were copied into Evernote, together with a couple of companies. Don’t forget, Google searches my, evernote account for things I look for, so I make sure I tag everything. Oh, have you seen the new Google Docs yet, there is a search bar to the right, look for a term and it brings up from your own docs or the web, drag into the article and it paistes and links, realy good.

So my pile of mag’s is now none existant, did I see anything of real interest, well one company I used to do a lot with is Warmup, I like to specify underfloor heating into bathrooms and shower areas, its so nice, and the Warmup product was alway top rate, never giving me any problems from clients who installed it. The advert was highlighting a new thermostat, nice,and before you ask, no I am not getting paid to promote this product, it’s just one I have experience with, and got reminded of when I went through the trade mags. The wires fit into the thin layer of adhesive and warm up the tiles nicely, a thermostat link is also bedded into the adhesive to monitor temp, with no special poer supply needed.

I like underfloor heating, its always been a good product to install in a new house, radiators I always find are for ever getting in the way, yet zoned underfloor heating, either Electric, for small areas, or water for larger floor plans, is so easy to install, and control, and any type of construction can be adapted, from solid floors to timber suspended.

There is easily an hour of good CPD here, although I spent far longer, reading, cutting, scanning and tagging in Evernote, but well worth it.

Don’t forget, I will host a tech hangout every Friday at 3 pm, call in to chat, moan,find out something, anything to do with Architectural Technology. follow me on Google + “+stevescaysbrook”


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]]> http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-news-paper-and-magazine-day-google-docs-search/feed/ 0 Architectural Technologist – Golden rectangle, golden ratio, mean ratio and Phi all refer to the shape that is considered the most pleasing and harmonious to the eye. http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-golden-rectangle-golden-ratio-mean-ratio-and-phi-all-refer-to-the-shape-that-is-considered-the-most-pleasing-and-harmonious-to-the-eye/ http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-golden-rectangle-golden-ratio-mean-ratio-and-phi-all-refer-to-the-shape-that-is-considered-the-most-pleasing-and-harmonious-to-the-eye/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 11:08:44 +0000 scays http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=18206

Illustration of how to construct a Kepler's tr...

Illustration of how to construct a Kepler's triangle via a golden rectangle. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s not often I come across a site that I note and go back to a couple of times before I tell the world, most often I just say, hey this is good and move on, but this site I have visited a couple of time over the past month, just to read it again.

The site is all about the divine proportion which goes by a handful of names that all refer to the same rectangular shape. Golden rectangle, golden ratio, mean ratio and Phi, all refer to the shape that is considered the most pleasing and harmonious to the eye.

I can’t say I have used it other than in some windows I designed, and I took the time to read up and use the ratio, a coulpe of Architects I worked for dabbled in it, again using the ratio, but most often It’s just an eye thing, does it look right, and now I know why. It’s surprising how often it comes into life, from my details to my letter box, to my iPhone, to the window in my house.

I am beginning to revisit my old geometry books, for no other reason than I find it fascinating, my father taught me an old poem for remebering the formula to calculate an angle or length of a triangle side:

Some people have curly brown hair till partly bald

s=P/h

c=B/h

t=P/b

s= sign

p=Perpandicular

b=bace

h= hypotenuse

It worked for me, and I showed my students yesterday, although most wanted to do it on the computer, I told them they had lost the skill to do it the right way……….

Don’t forget, I will host a tech hangout every Friday at 3 pm, call in to chat, moan,find out something, anything to do with Architectural Technology. follow me on Google + “+stevescaysbrook”


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]]> http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-golden-rectangle-golden-ratio-mean-ratio-and-phi-all-refer-to-the-shape-that-is-considered-the-most-pleasing-and-harmonious-to-the-eye/feed/ 0 Architectural Technologist – Autocad Love it or hate it http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-autocad-love-it-or-hate-it/ http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-autocad-love-it-or-hate-it/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 06:36:44 +0000 scays http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=18192

AutoCAD

AutoCAD (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I, as many of you might be aware draw with Vectorworks, I have done so for some considerable time, with short intermissions where I worked freelance in practices that used Autocad, this was fine, I got the best of both worlds, I kept up my use of Autocad during the day, and at home I used Vectorworks, but for the past few years I have not used Autocad, simply because I have not done any freelance work in an Autocad office. And here lies the problem, I went to teach some students yesterday, and did not know I needed Autocad, went to load the program and thought, Oooer, what next, luckily I managed to remember enough to get through,

It highlight two problems, one, if you don’t keep using a particular program, you  forget, second, Autocad is not cheap, I went onto the Autodesk site to look at the Mac version and saw it was, well very expensive, to much to buy, just to keep up with it, I have the reader version, and an account with Autodesk, but it’s practice I need to keep up.

So I am at present limited to watching a series of Autocad tutorials on Youtube, there are loads, but it does not satisfy the need to practice and get used to the command line again. The college have student copies so at least one day a week I can open up and practice, if I have time, perhaps thats all I need, we will see. I have a separate project on my CPD list for Autocad, I think it’s time I upped the hours here with some practice and actual drawing time, perhaps with a project or two.

As an addition to todays blog, I went onto Autodesk, and managed to download a student Mac copy of Autocad, I’m a lecturer at Gloucester College so qualify for a free download, nice one Autodesk.

Don’t forget, I will host a tech hangout every Friday at 3 pm, call in to chat, moan,find out something, anything to do with Architectural Technology. follow me on Google + “+stevescaysbrook”


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]]> http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-autocad-love-it-or-hate-it/feed/ 0 Architectural Technologist – University of Ulster http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-university-of-ulster/ http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-university-of-ulster/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:49 +0000 scays http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=18183

Belfast - University of Ulster

Belfast - University of Ulster (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was delighted to see this article recently re the new initiative of Ulster University to set up a new online learning resource  which enables Architectural Technology students to engage in site visits without ever leaving the classroom.

Construct Online, which was developed by David Comiskey and Dr Kenny McCartan, has landed an Innovation in E-Learning Award for Teaching and Learning from the JISC Regional Support Centre for Northern Ireland.

Although I have not seen it, the website is made up of six videos along with a number of quizzes that test students’ knowledge and assess their progress. The videos illustrate many of the theoretical processes associated with constructing a new building from start to finish and enable viewers to follow and study footage filmed on site, without leaving their classrooms.

This is excellent CPD for any Technologist, and I look forward to seeing it live.

Don’t forget, I will host a tech hangout every Friday at 3 pm, call in to chat, moan,find out something, anything to do with Architectural Technology. follow me on Google + “+stevescaysbrook”


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]]> http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-university-of-ulster/feed/ 0 Architectural Technologist – Lack of a skirting board http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-lack-of-a-skirting-board/ http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-lack-of-a-skirting-board/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 08:58:13 +0000 scays http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=18174

An example of a baseboard. Author: Andy Tromme...

An example of a baseboard. Author: Andy Trommer Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andytrommer/133208866/ License: (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The video below done I think by a Japanese Architect, is interesting, not because of the layout, which I must admit to being intriguing, but for the construction and in particular the detailing. The lack of a skirting board is a point that stands out in my mind, how long befor the prestine white walls are marked by cleaning and or shoes going up the rather narrow stairs. Students might want to look at example of detailing where the skirting is missed out and see what I mean. Choose what ever material you like, timber is an obvious example, I have used carpet, glass even stone, to prevent marking of the wall.

Don’t forget, I will host a tech hangout every Friday at 3 pm, call in to chat, moan,find out something, anything to do with Architectural Technology. follow me on Google + “+stevescaysbrook”


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]]> http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-lack-of-a-skirting-board/feed/ 0 Architectural Technologist – Not just work but your next job http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-not-just-work-but-your-next-job/ http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-not-just-work-but-your-next-job/#comments Sun, 13 May 2012 07:02:23 +0000 scays http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=18095

Rebar (for reinforced concrete) Italiano: Arma...

Rebar (for reinforced concrete) Italiano: Armatura in tondino di ferro per colonna cilindrica (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Star gate Universe SGU, the latest spin of the very successful star gate film, is waiting for the third series, well I am, because simply I have been locked into the 1st and 2nd series for the past few weeks, via the SciFi channel, and I have beed hooked on it right from the start.

But what has this to do with Architecture and the technologist, simple really, I love the story lines, the graphics, even the space ship Destiny, but it’s the architectural detailing that gets me, some times it’s just plain bad, or does not make sense, so the point of this is, and I might have said this before, the work we do in detailing, does not stop in the real world. Even space ships, and off world building need to look the part. So if your looking for work, try spreading you sights a little from the main stream Architecture to,,,, SciFi film, after all some one is designing the sets, it might as well be you.
So here is the part we as technologist could play, designing the sets and buildings used. Take for instance rooms supposedly deep underground, falling apart, constructed one supposes of reinforced concrete that has no reinforcement, beams that fall and also seem to have no reinforcement or are not tied into the structure. staircases that have no handrails, and seem to appear for no other reason than to attract a falling body.

 

Don’t forget, I will host a tech hangout every Friday at 3 pm, call in to chat, moan,find out something, anything to do with Architectural Technology. follow me on Google + “+stevescaysbrook”


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]]> http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-not-just-work-but-your-next-job/feed/ 0 Architectural Technologist – Moleskin http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-moleskin/ http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-moleskin/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 08:28:58 +0000 scays http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=18081

moleskin sketch

moleskin sketch (Photo credit: Scays)

I have a problem in that my last moleskin is getting full, I have made all sorts of notes, details, sketches and references, that I need to protect, so for the last few days, I have been scanning my notes by page and often by section, I have been doing this with my iPhone, I have a very good scanner program that turns anything I scan into a PDF which I can send direct to my Evernote account, I can then tag and move them into the correct section file. I have taken to using different colours to make up sections details of even when I write to make a reference point, the scanning does not pick this up, so I take photos of the page and send these.

I make notes in the moleskin that the page is copied and in evernote.  So what next, well I need a new moleskin, my current one is a plain paper red edition, but I fancy a black one again just to make it different.

I use the moleskin as its always with me, I suppose my mobile iPhone is mostly with me, but pencil and paper is so natural, and with this system I get the best of both world, thinking on paper, and storing and referencing my notes on the computer in a system that spans all my online experience. I also use an A4 binder in front of my laptop, for much the same thing, as I used to use a day book for, making notes re telephone conversations, workings I make whilst drawing, thought notes almost anything that comes to mind, these are also transfered to my Evernote account, tagged and further notes added as required, well if I can remember. My iPad is so cool, it allows me to do everything I do on paper and so much more, and I do use it for this purpose, but paper just comes back as well, a natural thought process.

And as a last thought, Google now searches my evernote account and shows anything relevant in my searches.

Don’t forget, I will host a tech hangout every Friday at 3 pm, call in to chat, moan,find out something, anything to do with Architectural Technology. follow me on Google + “+stevescaysbrook”


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]]> http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-moleskin/feed/ 0 Architectural Technologist – OpenlyLocal http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-openlylocal/ http://blog.konstrukshon.com/architectural-technologist-openlylocal/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 07:45:16 +0000 scays http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=18066

Evernote listed in search in Google

Evernote listed in search in Google (Photo credit: Scays)

I saw this as a google+ note from Stuart Chalmers, followed it up and found a most interesting site. Basically, OpenlyLocal,is a web site that crawls local government web sites to show you data that you might never have thought to look for, or is hidden away, lots to read and compare, but its the link to an open database of UK planning applications, that took my eye, they seem to have had a few problems with the way all the councils write their respective sites, but from reading the article they, Openlylocal, might just have solved it. They are also asking for help, writing Scrapers, rather than read here what it’s all about, go to the site and read for your self, but above all, if your a programer ,,,,,,,,,,help out.

I tend to think there is good CPD here, not the site, but the content it holds, and we can access via the site. It’s not construction info but business info, for instance look at my local council  Solihull, and the number of construction related big spenders

Don’t forget, I will host a tech hangout every Friday at 3 pm, call in to chat, moan,find out something, anything to do with Architectural Technology. follow me on Google + “+stevescaysbrook”


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