Architectural Design Investigation: Stage 2

 

[Published 10/8/22]

EC

I had a lot of EC's this year. Part 2 of this project was one of them. EC stands for extended circumstance. You can apply for one if exam attendance or coursework submission is going to be affected by something outside of your control, such as illness, family issues, et cetera. It was a new experience for me. However, I found out through fellow students that this is normal and (as long as it’s genuine) not too complicated.

I always aimed to complete work in time however due to illness and other complications this was just not possible most of this year. This year has been a hard year and it’s possible that I may have to retake two units next year, however, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is not necessarily a bad thing.

On the brighter side, I took an active role within a society. I completed a lot of high-quality work (60% or above) in most of my hand-ins. Looking back on this year I plan to focus on my final presentation skills next year as I feel that this is key to bringing my work up to 70% level.

 

 Post EC

 Bathroom

After the part one presentation, the tutors said that they were very happy with my work. After looking at other people’s work at that stage I felt that I was at a good place in the design. My tutor asked me to edit the bathroom by the front door. He said that there were issues with noise and privacy. I wasn’t very happy about changing parts of the design at that point, because my weakness in design is the final presentation materials and I wanted to get on with that part of the project. Part two of this project, which focuses on the final presentation parts of the design was worth 80% of the total grade. However, I did look at solutions for this. I think I was to close the project. I did discuss ways of solving this design issue with a colleague, but it just didn’t seem to fit right. Now I’ve gained some space from the project I can see that I could have easily moved some of the rooms around the outside of the building a little bit.

Materials

 

 

The materials were the only thing left to finalise. I researched copper treatments, as I did not want the building to become green. The point of the copper was that it was a hue which was associated with tea and coffee. The treatments provided a range of available hues adding character to the building’s envelope. Part of the required presentation was a 3D digital model. I use the creation of this model to iterate different colour combinations.

Landscape

Though I had a clear idea of what the landscape would look like it needed finalising and I felt that it would benefit from some additional research.

The plan was to use an element of the current site, the trees and an element from the Alice in Wonderland sub-theme, roses. The trees would connect building to the site. Provide a solution to the local flooding issue and global pollution issue. As well as creating a natural boundary around the centre’s gardens (inspired by the Southampton Maggie centre). The rose garden would allow for consistency within the landscape. Allow service users to put their own stamp on the centre. Roses can also be cheaply sourced and grow well in the southern British environment.

 

Presintation Reaserch 

I look through the RIBA presentation awards and analysed some of the layouts and elements.

I learnt the basics of InDesign, as I felt the programme would give my final presentation consistency. Visual consistency (placement grids/common features/fonts) was prevalent in the (above) RIBA presentation research.

Finalising The Presentation

Though I didn’t manage to complete the presentation for the initial deadline I was in the final stages of completing it. I mocked up a digital visual plan final layout. Printing out several times to understand its proportions and physically analyse the layout.

 Model

I was not very pleased with the final model. I felt it could be better quality. However, I did my best and at that stage that was the best of my final modelling ability. I do feel it’s a shame considering my concept models were so successful, but this gives me something to work on next year.

The model itself would have made a great development model. I do feel that if I had been able to I would have used this style of model making to create an interior development model. Around the time which the model was made, I was too ill to attend studio. I feel that my tutors would have been able to advise me on some finishing techniques which would have made the model look a lot more professional.

After EC 

Warmup Exercise

Sometimes knowing how to approach work is daunting. When this happens I tend to begin with a warmup exercise. I listened to an audiobook of Alice through the looking glass. I then created a small picture based on this book. I feel that to onlookers this could be seen as a waste of time. I felt I just needed to start somewhere, and this warmup help me approach the subject again after a large time gap. I hoped to use it in the presentation, but there didn't seem to be a place for it. I chose that particular quote as I was going to link it to time. A concept explored within the Maggie’s brief.

Photoshop Brush

I continue to research presentation techniques. I had seen photoshop brushes being made and felt that adding a custom brushed texture to the map of my site would make it look a lot more professional. I didn’t end up finishing this experimentation, as it took too long. I needed to manage my time efficiently.

Diagrams

I had already created diagrams. Some of these needed editing so that they were not direct copies of items submitted for earlier units. I enjoyed adding the teacups to the Private vs. public diagram. It was a simple photoshop collage which linked the diagram to the main theme. The volume of diagrams is definitely an area which could have been improved on. I think the work that I have done this year on creating diagrams will make it easier to create quality diagrams quickly in future projects.

 

Orthographic Drawings

I continued (from stage I) with the hybrid (digital and hand-drawn) method of creating orthographic drawings. Initially, I had to go back through the original drawings and correct them. I then added entourage and foliage. Finally creating a collage colour background to add atmosphere. The backgrounds were based in different weather showing how the building’s form would act during the ever-changing British weather. I left the inside of the drawings bear so that they would not become over-complicated for the reader.

While creating these drawings I made use of the University library’s printers and scanners. I have my own printer and scanner, but the quality is not as good, and I could definitely see the difference within the work.

 

 

 

 

Rhino Model

A 3D digital model was created on Rhino. Then rendered. After photoshop was used to edit and add context to the images. During the final editing of these images, I enjoyed experimenting and finding new ways to create interesting images.

 

Finle Presentation

Looking back at the presentation there was a lot more information which should have been included. However, by then I was extremely burnt out and just wanted to be able to complete the year. The individual graphic elements on their own are quite successful. Part of the feedback that I received for this presentation was that I could have included copper within the orthographic drawings, as this would have enhanced the communication of the copper sub-theme. Now that I have some distance from the project I see that I could have used monochromatic copper colours to communicate depth and light within the orthographic’s.