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WELCOME

We would like to welcome everyone with an interest in interior design to RISEN. All Rhodec students, and IIDA student and professional members, are particularly encouraged to participate. Enjoy!

JOIN US

This is a public web log and all posts and pages may be read by anyone.

However, we have set up a members-only Forum, for Rhodec IIDA students,called the RISEN CyberCentre.
To join us, simply go to the Forum, sign up and your registration will be processed by the Administrator.

See you there!

Chapter News

Check out the IIDA Sustainable Design Student Competition 2007 - deadline April 2 2007. Prizes include a travel scholarship to USGBC's GreenBuild Conference 2007, cash awards, and consideration for publication in metropolis magazine.

Chapter News Archive

Links

Great Products

For the launch of RISEN, we thought a feature on a new CAD product would fit the bill! Martina MacGreevy from Belgium contributed the following:
I use TurboCAD Professional/Floorplan V10.5 but find that its CAD symbols’ library is pretty poor and I’ve just about imported every free symbol and mesh available on the web. As I’ve only managed to create a simple 3D table in TurboCAD to date, I decided that additional libraries were urgently required. With a budget of EUR 50, and with plenty of 3DS and mesh libraries to choose from, I found it difficult to decide on the best option, so I bought another CAD program. Read on to understand my logic!
The software in question comes from the creators of Chief Architect, and is called Better Homes and Gardens Interior Designer. It retails on Amazon for GBP26.99 (EUR 40) and has a library of 5,000 items.Its main disadvantage is that it is not compatible with the industry standard (3DS, DWG, DXF), so items and objects cannot be exported to or interchanged with AutoCAD, TurboCAD, etc. Materials and finishes, however, may be imported and applied to items.

Interior Designer is not a professional package, but it does enable the user to quickly and simply draw plans and 3D interiors for the residential market.I created my first interior space within a day of using it. Its rendering (Final View with Shadows) is almost non-existent, but the image can be enhanced greatly by using photo manipulation software.In just half an hour, I created a basic interior in Interior Design and rendered it in PhotoShop Elements. Click here to see it.

I think you’ll agree that for under EUR 50, it’s well worth the investment.

Photo Albums

Book of the Month

The Surface Texture Book from Thames & Hudson is a great little book and one that you will carry with you on every project.

The handy A5-size spiral bound book provides colour swatches of over 800 textures and surfaces, and briefly describes the aesthetics of each main category.The swatches are small (up to 9 on a page), but big enough to see the texture and to compare one surface with another.They are great for scanning into CAD drawings or for using as a guide for sketching various textures.

12 surfaces are covered in separate chapters – Carpets & Rugs, Paints, Paper, Textiles, Leather, Wood, Stone, Clay, Glass, Metal, Durables, and Site Surfaces – and each chapter is further divided into subcategories. The chapter on Wood, for example, has subcategories on softwoods, hardwoods, blocks & parquet, antique & reclaimed, decorative finishes, and processed boards. Each swatch references a supplier and a full list of international suppliers is found at the back of the book.

Finally, the author (Cat Martin, a successful architect), provides some practical advice for each surface category, which covers tips on installation and maintenance.The book is available from Thames & Hudson directly, or through Amazon. Prices vary from around 11.00 - 17.00 GBP (17 - 25 EUR).

Contributed by Martina MacGreevy

January Book of the Month - Portfolio Design.

Books

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Sunday, January 22, 2006

RISEN’s San Francisco Design Guide

This month we’re bringing you our San Francisco Design Guide, put together for all students attending the Rhodec Meet in February – and anyone else who’s interested! Here we’ve focused purely on design-oriented activities/sites (and left the rest to the tourist guides). We hope this provides some things of interest to the budding interior designer. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but should provide a starting point for planning your visit to this wonderful city.

Have fun!

Fiona

CyberCentre Director

 

 

DESIGNER RESOURCES

San Francisco Design Center

Open Monday to Friday, the Design Center is comprised of 3 buildings, features more than 100 showrooms, and represents over 2000 manufacturers. A must for the serious interior design student.

SF Mart

This to-the-trade only venue houses 100 showrooms of home furnishings, and holds design events. Check ahead for entry requirements.

SHOPPING DISTRICT

Jackson Square Historic District

This area comprises several streets, with many buildings of note, and shops of interest to the interior designer. It is particularly renowned for its arts and antiques. Whilst here you should also check out the wonderful ‘William Stout Architectural Books’ at 804 Montgomery Street.

MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES

De Young Museum

This museum recently re-opened (in October 2005) to much media attention. The striking new building was designed by the renowned Swiss architecture firm ‘Herzog & de Meuron’ and local firm ‘Fong & Chan Architects’. As well as showcasing art from the 17th to the 20th century, it is worth visiting for the construction alone, including the tower with fabulous views across the city.

SFMOMA

The ‘San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’ is another great place to take in some art in beautiful surroundings. This building, designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, has a minimal yet strong interior, of elegant gray and black striped granite set against white, and good use of light.

Frank Lloyd Wright Building

The ‘Xanadu Gallery’ is housed in the only Frank Lloyd Wright building in San Francisco. This was designed by the architect in 1948, using his spiral ramp idea which caused much attention at the Guggenheim in New York. This gem is well worth a visit.

Legion of Honor

Visitors here will find much to see amongst this large collection of works of art, although probably the best known piece is Rodin’s ‘Thinker’. The attractive building also draws visitors, with its Beaux Arts styling, and proximity to the Golden Gate Bridge.

RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE

Haas-Lilienthal House

This Queen-Anne style home of 1886 is furnished of the Victorian period, and can be toured on certain days.

The Octagon House

Although not open out of season, this solid brick construction, of quirky octagonal shape, can be viewed from the outside.

COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE

Hallidie Building

This was the first glass-curtain wall in North America, so definitely worth a look.

Mills Building and Mills Tower

The original ‘Mills Building’ was built in the Chicago School style of architecture, by the Midwest firm of ‘Burnham and Root’. The ‘Mills Tower’ was then added in 1931.

Bank of America Center

This skyscraper is a dominant feature on the San Francisco skyline, and even had a starring role in a movie – ‘The Towering Inferno’.

Transamerica Pyramid

Designed by William Pereira in 1972, this is the tallest skyscraper in San Francisco, and will be recognized by many for its unusual pyramid shape.

Medical Dental Building

A steel framed building, covered in terracotta, and noted for its ornate interior lobby.

CIVIC ARCHITECTURE

City Hall

This Beaux Arts building, with Baroque dome, has been restored, and is worth visiting for its exterior and interior.

(All Photographs Copyright Fiona Worboys 2006)

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