










arch451 BEYOND MEGA
mode, the class has been working on a full scale mock-up and digital renderings of SUMO (seen below). At this point the design is being tweaked to accomodate all body sizes, materials are being priced and located, and connection details are being worked out. SUMO is slowly becoming a reality.

large table for everyone to gather around, so it’s been working well. We are continuing our design proposals for the “communication station.” There was a new obstacle to overcome today, one of our group members is in Boston for the weekend. We conducted an experiment and it worked out pretty well. In order to hear the professor she called us and listened in, so we had people communicating with each other from Colorado to South Carolina to Massachusetts. In our meeting we brought scale models into the room to show the professor via web cam. It felt much different than a typical critique i
n the sense that the professor wasn’t physically here holding and analyzing our models. In order for the professor to get a good idea of what the models looked like we had to move them close to the camera. However, the entire meeting went well because we used multiple forms of communication. While we were video chatting, the professor was reviewing our blogs. Prior to the conference we had updated them with sketches, photographs, and renderings of our revised designs. The virtual studio is becoming a believable option to the traditional studio with time, hopefully everything continues to work smoothly as the semester continues. 

sound dampening skin; the front of the cockpit space is to be hinged to allow easy access into the space. In this way we hope to easy but not entirely block sound entering and exiting the space. From Vinnie and Jill's earlier proposal we have advanced the rubber band supports to an elastic fabric sleev
e that would serve as support for the body as well as a translucent skin. The elastic skin would also create a dynamic feel to the entire structure which would also be reflected in the nature of the ribs of the structure. The second position is a reclined sitting position. When the entire structure is laid down,
the back of the chair creates a more relaxed lounge chair.
- Steven Dejonckheere


Based upon the same principles as the elastic material, we also explored the possibility of using fabric within the structure after viewing the project Floating Pavillion by Maki & Associates. The material has the ability to act as a skin when applied to a framework and possesses a similar degree of flexibility as elastic.
their laptops having 15 simultaneous conversations. It seems as though everyone is hesitant to talk while on video and it is hard to interject while the professor is talking due to lag. There were a few more minor issues today involving the connection but restarting Skype solved them. It was another efficient meeting today, however, I’m nervous about future meetings going as smooth, especially when the professor relocates to Genova, Italy. Lag might be much more of an obstacle then.