A Place to Bathe: Hydrotherapy/the Nile Notes

Notes to Ponder:

Hydrotherapy: A method of manipulating water in order to treat diseases, ease pain, and restore health. It is successful because it is a natural way to stimulate the human body’s own healing force.

 Baths are named according to the part of the body to which the fluid is applied, and the mode of its application.

Semicupium- only the lower half of the body is immersed

Pediluvium- Foot Bath

Manuluvium- Hand Bath

Hip- Seat Bath

A hip bath is a specially designed type of bath tub which is intended for the bather to sit upright, as though in a chair.

 Manner of Application:

Immersion- Of the Naked Body

Affusion- Pouring Water over the Body

                   Two types of Affusion:

                         Shower Bath: Water Placed Above the body to flow like rain

                         Spout Bath: Projection of Water with some forces

Ablution: Washing the Skin with a wet Towel, Or Sponge.

 Cold, Hot, and Warm Temperature:

      Cold Water: Cold is stimulating, and it causes superficial blood vessels to constrict. Less Blood Flow to the Organs

      Hot Water: Relaxing, causes blood vessels to dilate, and removes wastes from body tissues.

     Warm Water: Circulatory and Nervous System: Soothing Influence. There is a feeling of ease and well being as well as mental and physical readiness.

     Alternating Temperatures: Increases blood flow and circulation 

Sources: 'Dietetical and Medical Hydrology'

The Nile: The Gift of Egypt 

-The longest river in the World: 6650 Kilometers

-Derived from Greek, Neilos (valley).

 The Importance of the Nile:

It is safe to say that the Nile was the backbone of Ancient Egyptian civilization. Its cycle of flooding not only shaped the land, but the cultivation as well. People were nearly fully dependent on the river and what it had to offer.

Flood Season:

Annually, from July to October, the Nile floods. Topsoil is the product of silt deposits and the cycle of flooding. As the water recedes, nutrient rich soil is left behind, thus providing fertile soil to plant in.

Lifeline:

Among many things, the Nile was used for:

            Agriculture: the fertile strip along the Nile was the only source of suitable soil

            Line of Communication from other Areas

            Transportation

            Drinking Water

            Bathing 

         Religious Purposes

Sources:

Ancient Egypt - Culture

The River Nile Facts

Void of Interruptions: A Place to Dine

Concept:

Every component of this space is tailor made to enhance the dining experience. Surfaces and products have been manipulated, pushed and pulled; to custom fit the needs of human interaction and what dining has to offer.  

Iteration Model: 1":1'-0"

Table:

This table is a marriage of practicality and proximity comfort. Every aspect of the table is designed to submerse the user in the surrounding atmosphere. In an otherwise busy setting, separate eating spaces provide an intimate escape for the party of twelve. The table gives the allusion that is has been manipulated, thus creating voids floating above the base. Six sections constitute the whole, providing each user shares a section. There would be no seating on the end, for it would prohibit the continuation and course of the formed pattern the table generates. The voids are designed for placement of interruptions, in other words, anything that may obstruct the user from interacting with the people around them, as well as the food they are consuming. Silverware, napkins, glasses, anything that is viewed a distraction, may be placed in the voids. The table surface is designed to be simple; it is only fitting that what brings to the table is the décor, the essence of the experience.

Final Model: 1": 1'-0"

Chairs:

The chairs used in the dining space are titled No. 5, by Adnan Serbest. The chairs had to have the same characteristics of, not only the table, but also the space they inhabit. They required simplicity yet function. They called for an understated elegance and appeal to them. The No. 5 chair suits the environment exceedingly well. It has been stripped of all human wants, thus leaving a skeletal form of human needs. The nature of the chair carries itself alone, yet does not compete for dominance with the table; it is a balancing act between the two products.

 Space:

Every aspect of the space takes into account the concept, void of interruptions. This is to say that every component has been manipulated to enhance the interaction and atmosphere of the dining experience. The shape of the space appears to be an enclosed space that has been pulled apart, thus creating voids for pathways between spaces. The voids are wide so that the space does not feel closed off from the spaces beyond. To address the issue of impeding and distracting serving tables, they have been built into the wall, thus creating an open flow around the table. Just the table created voids for interruptions, the serving tables create voids for separation. They allow for food and utensils to be placed in divided spaces, for easy access and convenience.

Both the ceiling and floor plans have been manipulated as well. Where the ceiling provides drop down panels, the floor rises up, creating a trench, or void, around the border of the space. They deviate from initial orientation to further enclose the user. It allows the user to perceive the space on a more personal level. The planes appear to be floating, thus establishing a bond between the characteristics of the table. Where the ceiling created a grid, the floor reflects the same idea, though more subtly. The polished cement floor would have a cross seam, running through the center of the space. The grout would be the same color as the floor. It is a subtle way to bond the floor to the table, to the ceiling, and ultimately to the space.

            To address the idea of a light source that does not distract from dining, track lighting has been placed behind the panels, hiding it from view. Six lights would shine through the void in the panels, illuminating the six sections of the table. Soft lighting in the base of the table shines through the voids. The lighting itself would reflect the same pattern that the table produces. Since these are the main sources of lighting, the space further directs the attention to the focal point of the room, the place to dine.

            Since there are no unnecessary additives to the room, the color on the walls need not be anything but subtle. They are a light yellow cream color. They glow with the lighting and further aid in the luminous nature of the dining experience.

Floor Plan: 1/2":1'-0"

Reflected Ceiling Plan: 1/2":1'-0"

Wall Elevations: 1/2":1'-0"

Wall Section: 1":1'-0" 

FF& E Specifications

 Rather than seen as merely a dining room, this space asks that the viewer analyze the space as a set of interlocking products. It is designed on various scales of products, from the space itself, to the table within, as well as the chairs provided. They work together to establish the environment, and thus create a successful place to dine.

Presentation Board

 

Habitable Wall: Podium

In the last installment of our visual communication project, we were to render the digital version of our 'Habitable Wall' project via Podium. The process involved the addition of light sources and reflective surfaces.  

Exterior View:

Glass Inlay: View Into the Second Level Office 

View Into the Living Space

Living and Office Space Perspective

Second Floor Office Space

Sleeping Space

Exterior View 2

Habitable Wall Walk Through

Habitable Wall in SketchUp

In visual communication, we were asked to capture 5 views of our habitable wall, a project revisited from first year studio. These are not finished views, but they will display the process of editing a 3D model into a digital model, by means of dimensions old pictures...