Culture Unit By Ranuk Jayasuriya Useful Links: OSC Design Padlets: Directory Culture Set up Deadlines: Sep 9th: Culture - Criteria A - Inquiring & Analysis Oct 8th: Culture - Criteria B - Developing Ideas Nov 12th: Culture - Criteria C - Creating the Solution Dec 2nd: Culture - Criteria D - Evaluation Dec 8th: Culture - Final Design Folder 01. Criteria A A1 - Design Problem (Padlet) I am interested in the american Baseball culture. I am interested in it because there aren't many baseball arenas in Sri Lanka, and not many people talk about it. I have heard many people in school (OSC) talk about american baseball, but I was never able to relate because in Sri Lanka most people talk about cricket and very rarely do you hear any Sri Lankans talking about the next baseball game they are going to watch. American Baseball Baseball in Sri Lanka A1 - Design Problem (Padlet) Facts to prove that Baseball culture is under represented in Sri Lanka: - - There is one baseball “stadium” in Sri Lanka, called Mahinda Rajapaksha Baseball Ground. The ground does not have any professional level seating arrangements. People watch either while standing or bring their own chairs and watch from outside the stadium. When searching up “Baseball Stats in Sri Lanka” you get images and stats of cricket players who play and played for Sri Lanka. Mahinda Rajapaksha Baseball Ground Results when searching up, “Baseball Stats in Sri Lanka.” A2 - Research Priority Topic Research Question Source Type Source High Architecture How much space is required to build a sports arena? Secondary Link High Architecture What materials give the strongest foundation to a building? Secondary Link Medium Architecture What type of structure is a sport arena? Secondary Link High Safety How do you make safe and supported building? Secondary Link Medium Architecture Is there a preferred material, when constructing a building? Secondary Link Low Designs What types of entrance designs are better suited for sports arenas? Old School? Futuristic? Secondary Link Medium Placement & Architecture Does the outer appearance of a building have to be attractive? Secondary Link Medium Architecture Why do some sports stadiums have retractable roofs? Secondary Link Priority Topic Research Question Source Type Source Low Architecture What materials are used when building a retractable roof? Secondary Link Medium Size How big does a baseball field have to be? Secondary Link A3 - Existing product analysis Fenway Park - Boston (Image link) What inspires me about this product: Through this product I can gain the overall idea of what a baseball arena/stadium looks like. Something that inspires in this product is that the grandstand and the seating are for the spectators are extremely close to the field. So, this is something that I can incorporate in my model of the baseball stadium because this would satisfy the customer/user/spectator aspect of the stadium which is a very important part of building a sports arena. What about this product will I try to avoid doing? Something that I would avoid based of the baseball stadium “Fenway Park” is the position of the big screen. It is right behind a part of the seating area which would not be convenient for the spectators when they want to know the score or even watch a replay of the last pitch. The aesthetic of Fenway Park is very odd, the overall shape when looking at it from a birds eye view is close to an oval but from some parts it looks more like an irregular shape. There are many seats inside of the stadium, which is easily seen from outside. This product is used mainly by baseball fans and fans of the Red Sox baseball team as this venue is home to the Red Sox team. There is no particular gender that uses this stadium, as long as you want to watch a game of baseball you are permitted to be inside the stadium. Most customers/spectators come to the stadium searching for some entertainment and a good experience to watch a good game of baseball. They require food, drinks, and seat when they purchase their tickets. This stadium is definitely reusable, after every game the staff that work at the stadium, clean the seats, and pick up trash that has been accidentally left behind by some spectators. Fenway Park is 350,000 square feet and is the 28th biggest stadium in the MLB league. The stadium is surrounded by security guards at each entrance, and bags are checked before entry. Each and every person’s tickets are checked to see if they are valid. The structural stability is also very good as it was planned by well known architects. This stadium is used to host baseball games in the MLB league. Mostly professional baseball players are allowed to perform on the pitch. A3 - Existing product analysis Rogers Center - Toronto (Image Link) What inspires me about this product: The overall shape of this product is something that really caught my eye. I like how it is one whole circle because it makes it look organized and not complicated like other stadiums. What about this product will I try to avoid doing? I would avoid the fact that there is only one big screen in the whole entire stadium because it could be more convenient for some of the spectators if they had one in front of them, other than behind them. The Aesthetic of this stadium is very nice. I like how it is one proper circle and no other different shapes, because this makes it look very pleasing from the outside and even from above the stadium. Also from above, you can see the seating arrangements nicely organized which makes appearance more attractive to others. This stadium is home to the Toronto Blue Jays therefore the fans of this team are most likely to be the customers of this stadium. Again, there is no gender that is allowed to use this stadium, as long as you are a baseball fan, you can enter. This product is recyclable, many people use this place over and over again to watch their favorite baseball teams and players play. This stadium is 339,343 square feet. This stadium also has a very cool option where it has a roof which can be opened and closed according to the weather. The retractable roof is made out of metal. This product is used by the Blue Jay team to play professional baseball and to entertain the spectators watching in the grandstands. A3 - Existing product analysis Nelum Pokuna - Colombo (Image Link) What inspires me about this product: Something that inspires me about this product is the uniqueness behind this building. This tells me that being unique is never off the table and showing your personality or feelings through your job is something that is always possible for everyone. What about this product will I try to avoid doing? Something that I would about about this product is the fact that you can see into the building due to the glass exterior. I am not a very big fan of that look because it makes the outside look less aesthetically pleasing. This product is very unique and it is easily seen from the outside. This building is one of the most famous buildings in Sri Lanka due to its special type of architecture and looks from the outside. Due to the fact that it looks like the Nelum flower which stands for Lotus in english catches the eye of anyone walking, driving, cycling past it. This building is used by people interested in theatre and they go there to watch different types of plays and pictures. The age allowed to enter this building depends on the play that they are going to watch, but there is no gender problem. All genders are allowed in. Nelum Pokuna is 14,000 square feet in size. This building is used for theatre and plays. Mostly professional actors from Sri Lanka conduct their plays in this building. This building’s exterior is mainly built by glass, but the insides have the use of wood, metal, and different other materials. A3 - Existing product analysis Altair - Colombo (Image Link) What inspires me about this product? Again, something that inspires me about this product is the uniqueness that is shown through the building. It is evident that some inspiration from another building was taken, but overall the architect has shown their creativity and distinctiveness. What about this product will I try to avoid doing? Something that I would avoid based of this product is the fact that the building is leaning over towards another building. I say this because my project is a little different to what this architect had in mind. The aesthetic of this product is very cool. From the outside you can see that one building is leaning on another building which shows a resemblance to the leaning tower of pisa, but this is done with an apartment complex. This building is used by residents who live in this building. It is home to the users of this product. The height of this building is is 240 meters, and it is one of the biggest residential buildings in Sri Lanka. As said before, this building is used by the residents of the building. It is used as their home. This product is made from cement on the outside and many different materials like wood and metal inside of the building. A4 - Design Brief The design goal for this unit is to make a model of a baseball stadium. I plan on making this by using different materials such as wood, styrofoam, paper, fake grass, metal, etc. My research told me that safety and the convenience of the users of the product is very important. So, while planning my approach to this project, I will have to take that into consideration. I was also able to understand a lot about the different materials used on different types of buildings and structures. Through the questions I asked, I was also able to gain a lot of knowledge on the architecture. Through the existing products I analyzed, I was able to understand what I need to add into my model and things I should try avoid. I got inspiration from the stadium Fenway park which gave me the idea of keeping the seats for the spectators close to the game which again adds on to the customer satisfaction side of building my model. Something I would avoid is the placement of the big TV screen. In some of the stadiums, the TV screen is placed behind a seating area which is not very convenient for the users. This product is mainly for the Sri Lankan people who do not really understand a lot about baseball. They would need this because they can then get a better understanding on the sport which is my main goal at the end of this project. Somethings that need to be considered when making this product is the overall look and aesthetics of the stadium. I can add a lot of unique different parts to make the stadium look different but serve the same purpose. Through my research, I was able to understand what most people look for in a stadium. They would like a modern type of look to it. Some of the constraints when building this is that my skills on digital planning such as Fusion 360 is not very good. I will have to learn a little more about the digital planning and sketching so my planning is detailed and clear when I am in the process of actually creating the solution. I also don't have any experience in creating models which will be a constraint, so I will have to learn and adapt very fast. I don't have any problems with acquiring the materials needed for this project if we are in school as all the material will be given to us. But, if we are still in DLP while in the process of creating the solution then some of the materials I need might be a little hard to obtain. The success criteria when finished building my product would be that it can inform people who don't understand baseball, about the game. They will be able to get a slightly idea of the field and what a baseball arena looks like. The overall aesthetic has to be good, the seating arrangements and small details have to be present. 02. Criteria B B1 - Design Specification Key: YES - Related to Model Topic Specification Point Testing Size The Architectural model will be 300mmx300mmx300mm max. Model Size Size Will stand out compared to the other buildings around. Real Model Size Materials The model will be made out of Styrofoam, Cardboard, Plastic, Paper, fake grass, Real Model aesthetic Materials The actual arena would be made out of concrete, glass, steel, and metal, etc. Model Aesthetic The model will resemble the chosen culture through features and imagery Physical Model Purpose Will be used by baseball fans, to watch baseball Physical Model Materials Plastic will be used as glass for the VIP box section Real Model Aesthetic Customer WIl be used to educate the Sri Lankan community that doesn't know much about baseball Survey Function Allows people of any social class to watch a game of baseball Survey Funcion Provides a comfortable seating area in which people can watch baseball Survey B2 - Initial Ideas B2 - Developed Ideas B2 - Developed Ideas Initial Idea: Developed Idea: The differences in the two pictures, is the fact that the developed idea is more simple mainly because there won't be enough people to sell out the initial idea stadium in Sri Lanka. So, I made the developed idea a little simpler and also because the target audience criteria can be met. B3 - Final Design Choice I chose this design as it represents the baseball culture. It portrays the baseball culture through the use of big entrances, high ceilings, and high walls. This design also fulfils all of the design Specification points, due to the fact that I constructed my specification points while thinking about the features and requirements of a Baseball field. My research suggests that doing a simple exterior of a baseball field could perhaps be easier when in the process of criteria C because there won't be huge grandstands, and player change rooms. The developed idea that I have at the moment, connects to my success criteria, and it also contributes to reaching my goal, which is spreading awareness about the under-represented baseball culture in Sri Lanka. Through the feedback my peers gave me, it really supports my design choice. They said that my drawings and developed ideas really connect to the culture and the way it baseball is presented. B4 - Final Design Drawings 03. Criteria C C1 - Planning (Initial Fusion 360 Playaround) C1 - Planning (Padlet Planning) C1 - Planning (Padlet Planning) C1 - Planning (Improvement) Start of unit: After refining skills: C1 - Planning (Digital and Physical) * Measurements in mm C2 & 3- Process and Skills C2 & 3 - Process and Skills Important skills of carefully using the blade to cut the building foam enough to create a curved stadium wall was used in order to make this stage. C2 & 3 - Process and Skills Measurements for important parts of the stardium. This skill of making the terrace/hill in front of the stadium was particularly hard because a slope was required for it to be accurate. Therefore, precise and good cuts had to be made in order to reach that goal. The process of making the hill was extremely hard because, although I planned to use a utensil to find a way to cut in a diagonal manner, it wasn't working very well, therefore, I had to eyeball the cut, in which I succeeded. FInal Product VIP Box Hill/terrace Player Pavilion C4 - Changes I did end up making a couple changes to what I originally planned. One of the main changes was the materials I said I was going to use in my padlet plan. I initially said I will use materials like cardboard, paper, etc. This did not end up happening, because I had access to more advanced material like professional building foam, blades, hot glue and hot wires. Due to this reason, the plan that I put in my initial padlet plan, was changed because I did not know the materials that were available for us to use, when we were in DLP. I also limited the amount of aspects of the stadium I would add. In my initial drawings, I had sketches of wall embedded dugouts, and more advanced aspects of a professional sporting stadium. I ended up making a big pavilion in which both teams would sit and watch the match from. I also ended up not adding in my scoreboard, as I did not have enough time, and also due to the fact that I realised it doesnt show a lot of technical skill skill which I feel I am required to portray* C4 - Changes (1 example of Changes) Initial thoughts and Plans Ending design of dugout/pavilion 04. Criteria d D1 - Testing Methods Question I put on my story: Response: D1 - Testing Methods (Feedback from Professional Architect) Corporate/VIP box planner place Corporate box not present in sketch* Safety Mesh A close family architect named Lalith Gallage, a very close friend to both my parents, is who I asked for feedback from on my model. He gave me a very rough sketch as to what he thought could be done better. He said that it would be better to have two seperate dugouts for the two different teams. This will then move the Corporate/VIP box. He proposed that it would be best to move it right above the entrance, giving it a very prestigious and expensive look. He said this was inspired by the structural design at the Lord’s Cricket ground, where the media box looks like a capsule watching from further above the pitch/court. He also said, to add in a safety mesh above the stadium to stop any balls from going out of the ground and possibly injuring someone or something. D2 - Evaluation Topic Specification Point Testing Success? Size The Architectural model will be 300mmx300mmx300mm max. Model Size Yes Size Will stand out compared to the other buildings around. Real Model Size Yes Materials The model will be made out of Styrofoam, Cardboard, Plastic, Paper, fake grass, Real Model aesthetic Yes Materials The actual arena would be made out of concrete, glass, steel, and metal, etc. Model Yes Aesthetic The model will resemble the chosen culture through features and imagery Physical Model Yes Purpose Will be used by baseball fans, to watch baseball Physical Model Yes Materials Plastic will be used as glass for the VIP box section Real Model Aesthetic Yes Customer WIl be used to educate the Sri Lankan community that doesn't know much about baseball Survey Yes D2 - Evaluation Topic Specification Point Testing Success? Function Allows people of any social class to watch a game of baseball Survey Yes Funcion Provides a comfortable seating area in which people can watch baseball Survey Yes D3 - Improvements For this part of my portfolio, we can look back to the drawing a real architect gave me in order to improve my physical model of a baseball stadium. I think that the corporate box in which I added very close to the ground is a safety hazard due to the fact that there is glass present, and if a baseball player accidentally hits or throws the ball towards that direction, the people inside and people on the outside can possibly get injured. Therefore, to improve this aspect, I could move the VIP box to the top of the entrance, and have two separate dugouts for the two different teams. This will then allow for more free playing of baseball, and also have the two teams that are playing, separated from each other due to the different dugout plan as well. Inspiration for improvement D4 - Impact I think that through my model, people of Sri Lanka who look at it, can gain a better understanding of what baseball culture is, and the differences it has between the more common and famous sports like cricket and football. They would be to understand the uniqueness each sport has, and in this case, they would understand it about baseball. Also, people with a keen eye, could see that there are also some similarities between cricket and baseball based of what they would see when looking at my model. Overall, I think that throughout this unit, I have showed the baseball culture through the use of features, and aesthetic of a baseball field/stadium.
