Frog Up or Down

  From Pencil to Pixels: Unlocking Decades of Construction Wisdom on My New Blog - Looking at Pinterest Good morning everyone! Inspired by my friend and editor Jon Pickup's success with Blogger, and with the Mitchells Rewrite project in full swing, I've launched a new site dedicated to sharing the deeper insights, processes, and expertise that go into great construction documentation. You might be familiar with my work through the extensive visual library I’ve curated over several years on Pinterest, focusing on building and construction: ( https://uk.pinterest.com/stephenscaysbro/ ) While my Pinterest board offers the inspiration and visual context, my new Blogger site is where we dive into the how and why . Why You Should Visit My New Construction Blog This site is a deep dive into the areas I’m most passionate about, turning theory into practical application: The Art of Documentation: We'll explore the essential techniques of draughtsmanship —from the foundational use ...

I watch listen and read about AI with interest, not because I understand it, but more, I need to understand it, simply because I can see how our building will at some point integrate AI into its fundamental running, So often we design and detail building in the vain hope that the client and subsequent owners will run the building as we envisaged, clean it as we want and occupy it in the way he told us in the brief. But in reality, this is never quite to way, Clients don't understand, or can't afford it, or simply think they know best !! AI will, if used correctly, run the building as we envisaged, and adapt as life depicts, understand new owners and shout loudly when they abuse the design. To this end, I listen to a podcast and also read Lex Fridman's articles on the subject, his latest podcast and one I have listened to twice is a conversation he has with  Alex Garland, this link takes you to a page with almost every podcast player, choose your poison. But the vid...

This morning as I walked from the station to the University, I was listening, as I mostly do this time of the morning, to a podcast, I have a backlog at present to go through, but this mornings joy was a podcast on Data, a subject I am particularly interested in. I currently run a course entitled IDD, or Integrated Digital Design., which for the most part looks at how data at a simple level is added and used in the design, my data page on Scays.co.uk is dedicated to this with a series of slide presentations and gets regular updates. But this morning my attention was drawn to the bus stop I was walking past, and the way old paper time tables have now been replaced with digital time tables, ok so I have written about this before, so I started to ponder this subject, can I access this data in the same way I can with similar data like the training for trains running on the Dorridge Chiltern line. The more I look into this subject the more I find new items to ponder, like AI, my nex...

One of the points I raised in my professorial speech was the way the algorithms we use now, and we will use in the future, are generated and written. Whether we like it or not, data is going to become a huge part of the Technologists day to day work. For many of us it's going to be the generation of the core base that will eventually generate so much more data, plus the use of external data, that together with the data we helped to generate, will form the backdrop to much of the oldschool work we have traditionally done like detailing, spec writing etc. We as technologists might under stand the construction but few of us understand the way the algorithms are written and to be truthful, the answers they give yet alone the deeper use of the data we genrerate. Ok the low level use at the contract stage is our first stab in the way some of this data can be used, but take it just a little further, and, we hand over to computer programmers who, are not so well versed in construc...

In about five weeks, or on the 20th June 2016, all the region CIAT CPD officers will meet in City Road, London, to discuss CPD. As yet I have seen no agenda, but you know me, thats not going to stop me making a list of things I want to talk about, from manufacturers presentations, to real study time, to reading lists, to note taking to building up some sort of personal archive of information. to just an electronic record system. I also want to discus the way BIM seems to be taking hold of CAD, not that thats a bad thing, just the way the "CAD" bit is being dropped and I hear only I am going to BIM this up, not CAD or draw it up. Yet BIM surely should be on the list as it will and is affecting the way we draw, and also with it huge potential for data rules base, or internal / external algorithms, and how it will be shared via IFC. Evernote, or anything similar, is there anything!, should surely be discussed, as the personal archive I mentioned before. Is there a place...

I am a massive fan of podcast, they are usually the audio versions but some like Leo La Ports Twit shows I often take as the lite video version. I am appalled that so much is made of strict manufacturer lectures,  have aired my feelings on this in many of my blogs, and just recently at the Region 5 meet. Its to ridged and inflexible, perhaps another way is to listen to the many podcasts that are available, My list stretches from History, through to Technology, touching on a little social, and a lot of global news both general , and political, the SA elections at present are a real interest. But Tech news for computing is probably my favourite at the moment with Twit tv blogs, I like This week in Google, even though I have gone away from them back to Apple, and Triangulation. a show that looks at the greats of computing. The FT is my business new blog, and I also like the Guardian, although I don't buy the paper, the podcast is not bad. I don't have to make a specif...

It's not been an easy few weeks, so much to do and so little time, the blog had to go on hold for a while, whilst I caught up. But thats it, I am back , I hope without interruption for a while. Todays photo is on all the blogs I run, although this is my main outlet for writing, the others are also used, so please use the list below to take a gander ever now and them  I think I may have mentioned it previously, the old archive is back up in all its glory, (  Konstrukshon CPD Archive  All the blogs from the old site ) I have also swapped back to Mac Mail, and most things Mac, not because I do not like Google, but because was just a little tired of the slight conflict you get, trying to run a Mac whilst using some of Google products, Its a waste of good resources, so I am back to Mac. Old construction is still a major interest, I have joined a group called AEEBC  ( The Association of European Building Experts ) to help write a book on the subjects, we had the f...

Work just seemed to take over in the last few weeks, it looked a little scares for a while, then suddenly I have a lot of paperwork and reading to do, a couple of small jobs came in and I decide that my love afar with Google gmail was coming to an end. It started as all relationships, full on and lots to talk, but in recent months things have not being going well, I wanted more, so I looked back and decided to take another look at Apples Mail program. I wrote this up in an earlier blog, I had made some mistakes and now needed to sort these out once and for all,,,, it took a while, but I am glad to say I have got it sorted, and a big thank you to Apples Tech support, just excellent, and something Google just does not have. Back to construction, and a few ideas for papers have piled up in my note book, so I need to look these over some will be downgraded to a blog, some I will keep and expand. I took a look at Google Earth this week, mostly because I am updating my presentation no...

A single large construction  project is going to collect a lot of data throughout the design and construction phase of its life culminating with all the data it will collect during its operational life of say 60 years. but the types of data can easily be split split into 6 different types of data. When we look at all the data we generate for a building you might just look at it all and think we are entering the world of Big Data , but here we have to be a little careful on the word "big" as we compare different uses of the word Big, when we look at the  2560 terabytes of data that retailer Walmart collects every hour by capturing customer transactions, and the vast size of all the videos on /youtube although spread over many servers its estimated to be in the several Exabytes , by comparison Birmingham city Council in 2007 had 7 terabyte of storage just for there immediate data only storage needs for  roughly 35,000 staff, this probable That this doubled every...

I am a massive fan of Time Lapse video, I think its an excellent way to teach construction, the number of site videos out there is well worth trawling. But this video is all about weather, and shadow, its effect on a building and how the building deals with it, although the last part is so up the the lecturer to explain, I take my students on a walk though the old Birmingham to show this. But for the mean time, take a look at how the weather creeps in, and brightens up, plus the shadows.

Over the next few weeks as we head for the poles on the 5th May 2016, we are going to get some pressure from both sides to vote one way or the other. Foe me its not a simple yes or no, I have many questions, and all I can say at present is I am errring on the Exit side, mostly because of the way law is added to the UK by none elected people, and who I have no control over,,,,,,  but I will change my side several times in the weeks to come, so before I final head one way or the other I need to ask some questions, research some facts and read a little, But one area I have been asked is, will an exist affect the UK Architectural Technology Market. The simple answer is I have no real idea, I have a gut feel and its more the labour market for site more than anything else, but perhaps we need to sit and think things through a little. So my starting list of items to consider looks like this : Exit We loose a wide pool of general contractor labour Some materials might be mo...

You might well take some time from modern construction methods and Architecture, to view this video on the BauHaus movement. I have long been fascinated by the ethos and the way it was set up and funded, sadly the outcome in terms of actual construction was not as good as you might expect, but its so worth the time to watch. I have watched this twice now, which together with my past reading, I have made my private notes in Evernote. Should we aspire to this again, I think not, but the example of some of the thought process and idealism yes, a greater understanding of materials and a more hands on approach to the physical use and assembly of materials, yes. The Bauhaus which operated from  operated from 1919 to 1933, and closed by the Nazis rise in power,   was first founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar. In spite of its name, and the fact that its founder was an architect, the Bauhaus during the first years of its existence did not have an architecture department. ...

One of the problems I see in placing Sensors within any element, is the life of the sensors battery battery thats powering it. if we are to place sensors deep in the construction, then replacing then when the battery is down might be difficult. This technology called "Ambient Back Scatter"is based on the ambient power in the signals in the air, it just might be the way to power the sensors for the life of the buildings. Well worth looking at, there are several papers on the subject, just look at Google Scholar , and search for Ambient Back Scatter.

I have just added an old 1966 television program from Youtube to the first post in this set of articles on Walter Segal , this time however, I thought I would separate Walters work with this video looking at his designs from a different perspective. This link will take you to the Google Map, there is a lot of tree cover, but the site is there to be seen.

Grand Designs produced this program in 2014, its an up to date view of construction the Walter Segal Way, the construction, but more the people involved, and the problems. But excellent all the sane.

If you have followed my blog for the past few years, it will come as no surprise to learn of my fascination with the Architect Walter Segal . I first came into contact with him and his method of timber frame building as a Tech guy in Dow Construction Products, we got involved with making a new updated version with Styrofoam as the loose core insulation not quilt, at the centre of Alternative Technology mid wales. The Architect Jon Broom was the designers at the time, he worked with Walter, and although runs his own practice in London, he still has strong ties to the method Walter devised. The AJ at about the same time printed a booklet attached to the AJ, it looked at the way he viewd materials, the method of layout, and his tartan grid that aided layout design by looking at the material sizes. I still have a copy and if you want a pdf for research, please let me know I send a link to down load it. Recently I recieved an email from the the AA about an affordable Housinr ...

This is an article I made some time back and it was saved to my Evernote account via ifTTT, I thought I might reblog it. I went through some of my saved details this morning, well I have been doing it for about a week now, looking through saved scraps I have made, from Skirting’s, to Screws, to plasterboard details, to this detail pitched eaves-1,  I found of a pitched roof eaves detail, I can’t remember where I found it, but its not bad, the ventilation is there, the insulation in the right place, the cold bridging has been almost removed, I might not use the small batten at the ceiling edge, but as a detail it works. So often I have saved details and come back to then years later, wondering whats so special about this, well from now on I save things like this into Evernote , with a small detailed description, perhaps if I can remember where I got it, or if I was the creator, pertinent notes on constructi...

Do we as Technologist really need to follow the Paris Climate Talks, the answer has to be yes on several levels, one we are probably more qualified than many of the people, who attended the meet, and decided or tried to decide, how we should tackle the problem, and secondly we can easily influence a lot of the problems by our detailing, specification and general design, plus its not a country problem, its a global problem, and we should take an interest. So whats the best way to take note, well the article on the Huffinton Post by I think Eric Mann, is a dam good start, its a good intro into both the issues at stake, and the very political problems, plus the general misunderstanding on the measurements, I suggest reading up on the Global temperture, the Nasa site is a good start, then try Roy Spencer  and NOAA  and finaly the Wiki Global Warming Page , if a tad frightening. More sites The Engineer Then I suggest you take a look at any Passive Haus design page...

This week, I shall take some of my students to the top of a carpark roof to view a construction site below, its the ideal way to watch a site in daily operation, see the way the site is laid out and where and why construction is started. We take with us the gantt chart and look for items that should be completed and whats just started. I wanted to add a time lapse video, but it just got messy, so the photo is all I can do, except it will be the same photo spot and on each Friday, so given enough photos I can make a nice time lape video. There is so much to be learned by just sitting and watching, shadow, rain its worth the time to observe, and see how it interacts with your details. I like to touch and feel, old details, even on the surface there is still things to learn, drip details, overhangs, change of material, and in an old city ike Birmingham, there are detail example that have been working well for over 100 years. So often details are the result of committees, groups...

I have for some time kept my cpd records via a spreadsheet, but over the last year, mostly due to teaching commitments, I have not kept it up, but as I have a little more time, I am back, and have started to fill in my records again. Its an important job, you do need to keep a track of what, when and why, and where you got the information, I tend to store so much of what I read in Evernote, its just so easy to click the elephant and store a web page, or use my iPhone to scan in a page or article. I wrote a detailed article on the spreadsheet make up some time back, take a look at my personal page for details, and also you can see the sheet with up to date hours as I type. I have several projects on the go, and my paper to finish, so lots to go at So Christmas is creeping up, and I still have loads to do, most of my presents are done, first time ever, normally I am rushing about, but this year for some reason its all done, thanks to Amazon I must state. Todays photo a small s...