Lux: Where are you from originally, and where are you located now?

AJMJ: I am from Panama City, Panama, and currently I am located in Tokyo.

Lux: What are you doing in Tokyo and what is it you are studying?

AJMJ: I came to Tokyo to study for the Master’s degree in Architecture Design at Tokyo University of Science, as a member of Kojima Laboratory and under the supervision of the architect Kazuhiro Kojima. During the Master’s degree I had the opportunity to collaborate in the project for the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture, and in international competitions for projects to be built in Mexico, Kenya and Estonia.

Tokyo University of Science (Noda Campus)

Kazuhiro Kojima and Fellow Students

Lux: We saw the images of the canteen in the modo Gallery... Do you have a sketch of the early concept design?

AJMJ: Yes, I have some sketches of the early concept as well as screen captures I saved to document the process.

Initial sketch for Canteen

Evolution of the Canteen design

Lux: Tell us about how and where this building might function in a community?

AJMJ: This is one of the spaces I designed for my Master’s degree thesis in Architecture Design. The whole project presents itself as an alternative, in order to create public green spaces in Panama City, with the intention of connecting a local community with a loop circulation network that enables the current activities of the local school to integrate with those of the community. Along this network, spaces of a diverse character with gardens and multi-purpose structures act as the catalyst for different activities. These structures are open, flexible and can be adjusted to a variety of programs, an example being the canteen and the learning spaces for the school, which can also be used as a gathering site for the community, in which people can organize meetings and other related activities. The project is located in a tropical country with a warm-humid climate, where cross-ventilation and solar shading are important requirements to ensure that the interior space does not become warmer than the outside. In order to fulfill those requirements of thermal comfort, the proposed structures blend in with the landscape, and were designed with the idea of adapting to the climate and responding to natural fluids such as sunlight and wind.

Lux: What type of materials could be used to make it? I mean you have people walking on the “roof”!

AJMJ: This undulating structure was conceived as a lightweight structural grillage made of wood, where a green roof system consisting of different layers is placed. The composition of this system includes grass or plants, a growing medium, filter fabric, drainage/storage layer, insulation, an EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) waterproof membrane, protection board and a roof deck.

Lux: What techniques and tools did you use to build it in modo?

AJMJ: In an initial phase I used the sculpting tools of modo to deform the basic mesh to get a feeling of the space and overall shape. After that, I worked with the curve and patch tools to make refinements to the mesh, relying on modo’s subdivision surfaces.

Lux: Tell us about the work you did for the Ho Chi Minh University of Architecture?

AJMJ: For the HUA project (Ho Chi Minh University of Architecture), designed by Kazuhiro Kojima and Kojima Laboratory I was in charge of making 3D models that were used for different purposes. Sunlight studies were conducted based on the 3D model, in order to understand the relationship between the building, solar position and its seasonal variation; these studies helped in the decision of placement of the louvers for shading from the strong sunlight. We made a diagram for explaining the solar position and its seasonal variation in Ho Chi Minh City, where red was used to identify the shadows produced during the summer solstice and blue for the shadows during the winter solstice. We also made a section and an elevation where the building is visualized in its context surrounded by vegetation. These images and diagrams are part of the book “Cultivate”, published for an exhibition featuring the project held at Gallery MA in Tokyo.

Lux: Pls tell how you approach creating the vegetation on that image compared to how you did it on the Canteen images.

AJMJ: For the visualization published in the “Cultivate” book I made a 3D model and clay render using modo, other friends and members of Kojima Laboratory used the resulting image to make a composite using Photoshop to place the building in the site and populate the scene with cutout trees. For the canteen aerial visualization, all the vegetation is 3D with a high amount of polygons, and the scene is populated using the instance feature of modo.

Lux: What was the first 3D software you ever worked with?

AJMJ: I remember that my first 3D model was made using the limited features that AutoCAD 14 was offering at that time. Then I learned ArchiCAD and used that application for 3D modeling and documentation in a place I used to work. My first complete immersion in a 3D environment started with SketchUp, but I always wondered if there was an application that could allow me to work completely in 3D in an intuitive way for creating more complex models, and here comes modo.

Lux: How did you find out about modo?

AJMJ: I found out about modo through a cousin whom I asked about a 3D application that offered the possibility of completely working in a 3D environment like SketchUp, with an intuitive interface and capability for more complex modeling.

Lux: Are other students working with 3D software there? Is this a standard part of learning architecture today at the Master’s level?

AJMJ: From my experience in Japan students rely a lot on physical models and photographs of those models processed with Photoshop. There are others who make incredibly beautiful drawings, and those who work with 3D Modeling applications for presenting visualizations of their designs. I think it depends on how the student wants to present his/her ideas, but I see an interest in the usage of 3D software combined with tools for evaluating parameters like wind flow, sound, thermal comfort and activity.

Lux: Do you consider modo hard to learn?

AJMJ: I consider modo as the most intuitive, and fastest application I have learned so far. I have enjoyed the learning process, and it is always nice to be able to see direct results of what you are creating. The amount of learning material presented as video tutorials makes it even easier, the effort made by the people behind the application and tutorials pays for the user of the application, who can get up to speed on how to use it and start creating right from the beginning.

Lux: What advice do you have for people trying to learn modo?

AJMJ: First explore the application, pay attention to the location of the different tools and make use of the help system and exploration videos prepared for you to understand the layout, tools, work plane and capabilities of modo. I also advise them to watch Video Tutorials prepared by Luxology, members of the community or from sites like 3DGarage and Digital Tutors. Don’t be afraid of asking for help and advice in the Luxology forums, the members of the forum are very helpful, kind and open. Last but not the least, enjoy and love what you do, have fun and create.

Sun Study of a House (In Progress)

Lux: Please feel free to offer your own thoughts about 3D, modo, education, architecture etc.

AJMJ: I believe that we are living in a very interesting time for architecture, the possibility of creating a project in a 3D environment and preparing visualizations, documentation, printing, and assessing how our design responds to fluids such as wind, sound, sunlight and people’s activity is fantastic. This whole process helps us to produce architecture that relates more with nature and people, and also to have more information about how our designs impact the environment. The way we can work for giving shape to our ideas is versatile, allowing us to have a variety of workflows; it is up to ourselves to decide the workflow and use the tools we feel comfortable with. For me modo is a great application for creating, working with the application is intuitive, flexible and enjoyable, allowing me to focus more on designing rather than on trying to find where are the tools located. I have seen more people in the architecture profession getting interested in modo, and I think more improvements are being implemented that will help us work faster and in a more natural way. As an added benefit, Luxology’s SketchUp and Rhino translators are great for people working with those applications who would like to continue adding details in modo and make visualizations.

Micro Pavilion Design Study

Micro Pavilion Site Study

Lux: Thank you for your time and insight.