Architecture and beyond
The competition was to come up with a proposal for a section of temporary site hoarding. I decided to draw an abstract timeline highlighting events, people and buildings of the South Bank. I didn’t spend as much time on my entry as I should have, and not surprisingly I didn’t win..
Psychogeographic mapping techniques and styles can produce dramatic visuals which give an understanding of an area, and can be great as part of site research. The work below of Frank Dresme and Guy Debord is very powerful, and of course very eye catching. This approach to mapping can be very playful, and can show just about any possible distraction that may take a pedestrian off a path. Pschogeographic Mapping has links to the Situationist International (SI) movement.
Changing the scale of drawing can often be problematic, but using a simple chart like the one above, it is quite simple. If you are using software that scales using a factor of 1.0 as 100%, then simply adjust the figures above accordingly so for example, 10% is 0.1 and 200% is 2.0. Getting to grips with scales and moving between them takes a bit of practice, and I’ve found that when getting confused about the adjustment needed, writing down some basic calculations and figures often helps a great deal.
Sometimes it can be very useful to have some additional data inside an AutoCAD drawing, so how do I insert an Excel spreadsheet into AutoCAD? It is pretty straightforward to set up and if done correctly, data that is inserted will automatically update when the original spreadsheet is updated within Excel.
Firstly, open the desired spreadsheet then select the data you want and copy it to clipboard.
In AutoCAD go to Edit > Paste Special
In the dialog box, select Paste Link, then as Microsoft Office Excel Worksheet. If the radio bottom is grayed out and un-selectable, as below, then the data currently on the clipboard is unsuitable.
Then click OK. The formatting of the original data should remain, and the data inserted will update inline with any updates made to the external Excel spreadsheet. This means that you won’t need to worry about updating two sets of documents if changes need to be made.
If you found this useful, why not check out some of my other AutoCAD posts?
– How do I add a .CTB file to AutoCAD?
– How to keep your XREF layers frozen
The range of fitness centres, gyms and other places to work out is incredibly vast. There are many people who cannot afford expensive equipment and gym memberships, who make do with what they can find around them. There are also people who will pay anything to receive the best equipment, service and surroundings. Below is a selection of rather unique places to do some exercise:
10. Muscle Beach, Venice, Ca.
Known world wide, Muscle Beach is located on the beach in Santa Monica, and is partly responsible for the boom in physical fitness.
09. Hydropark Outdoor Gym, Kiev, Ukraine
Another outdoor gym, although rather different to Venice Beach. The equipment in Hydropark Outdoor Gym looks like it has seen better days, most of it is from the Soviet era, but it still receives many visitors.
08. Beach Side Hut Gym, Dumaguete, Phillippines
A simple space to work out, but offering a fantastic view.
07. EXOS (formerly Athletes Performance), Phoenix, AZ
A vast centre frequented by professional athletes. The facilities are divided between training and recovery.
06. Peak Performance, NY, NY
A huge gym in Manhattan, considered to be one of the top ten gyms in America.
05. Temple Gym, Birmingham, UK
It may not look like much, but this gym was founded by the legendary Dorian Yates.
04. Hotel ICON, Hong Kong
A simple workout space, but a phenomenal view of the Hong Kong skyline.
03. London 2012 Olympic Athlete Training Centre
The olympic athletes staying in London for the 2012 games needed the best facilities. Besides the free weights rooms pictured above, there was also a huge cardio centre and many social, games and relaxation rooms.
02. The Sports Center at Chelsea Piers, NY, NY
Another huge Manhattan gym. The facilities on offer here are some of the best available.
01. Gold’s Gym, Venice, Ca.
The absolute Mecca of bodybuilding, Gold’s Gym!
Jamie Strong 