Jun Da Ling 811977 Final Journal for Design Workshop

Design Workshop Final Journal Jun Da Ling 811977 Tutor: Hamid Amouzad Khalili

INTR OD UC TI ON M

y name is Jun Da and I’m currently in my second year and second semester of the Bachelor of Environments (Architecture) degree. I am 20 years old and also an international student from Malaysia.

This journal is created to reflect and document my personal journey through the subject and how what I learnt can be applied to other subjects as well.

Through this journal is a journey on how I discovered and clarified my design agenda as well as identifying my design processes, etc.

But to be honest, I’ve only enrolled for the subject because it was recommended by my subject planner.

guidance of my tutor.

The following journal is a collection of lecture analysis, excercises and homework for the subject as well as several related items from my design projects to apply what I learned in the Design Workshop Subject FUN FACT: This journal was meant to be a handwritten journal until I found out that apparently my handwriting looks like crap. Also I can’t write in straight lines. So I ended up going back to my roots and creating a digital journal.

I hope you enjoy the content of this journal.

- Jun Da

After finishing the whole subject, I found this subject to be very enjoyable because of the various activities and structure of the tutorials and the

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LEGEND: • BLACK text are information taken from the lecturer, readings or just facts.

• BLUE text are my personal thoughts or reflections upon certain items within the subject.

• RED text are questions or key words that I feel are important to my understanding of the subject.

INTRODUCTION + Topics A: Framing, Designing & Generating Design Ideas

Topics B: Playing with (=exploring) Design Ideas

Topics C: Evaluating Design Ideas + CONCLUSION

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DESIGN WORKSHOP INTRODUCTIONS:

“Designers are driven Not by Knowledge But by Curiosity” Lecture 1 Notes: Plowlight’s Three Frames + 1 • Patterns • Resolution of Forces • Concepts + • Providing Experiences

Generatve Design Ideas • Brainstorming • Synectics • Creative Notebooks

Analytic & Explorative Design Methods • Playing • Prioritizing • Arvitrary Juxtaposing & Superposing

Lecture Reflection:

I think the first lecture didn’t touch too deep on what we were going to do, which was understandable because you don’t want to reveal everything on the first day. But coming from an RMIT architecture foundation background, all these things were known to me already so I found the first lecture not informative but rather a refresh for what I learnt in the past.

But what I found nice about the lecture was that it got me excited for what we were about to learn throughout the subject. The learning outcomes are definately desirable for any architecture student.

I also found the exercises simple and swift, it gets the job done and helps me understand the concepts of design methods more. I particularly enjoy drawing the subject logo from memory.

Themes • TECHNOLOGY (Chosen) - Technical & Material aspects of Design • AMENITY - Functional, Programatic and Operational aspects of Design • POETRY - Aesthetic, Experimental and Symbolic aspects of Design

The theme I chose to work with for the entire semester was technology.

I chose this theme because I wanted to challenge myself in a theme that I am not really comfortable with.

Amenity and Poetry is something I work with a lot in my designs. They are highly emphasised whereas Technology is mostly neglected.

This theme gives me the chance to be more down to earth as I want to incorporate buildings that make more sense to build.

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Exercise: Draw the Subject logo from Memory.

I managed to redraw the logo with a 70% accuracy if I do say so myself? I’m not actualy sure what this exercise was meant for us. But I found that retracing the logo from memory can create many forms of the subject logo due to or foggy memory of it from the 30 seconds of staring at it before attempting to redraw it.

I saw many other forms of it from the people around me.

Some were dead accurate and some were just scribbles on their journals which I found very funny.

Another note was that my retrace was purely in black pen. Some students actually had a magenta pen and coloured the squares in the logo. Some also used red pen. Creating even more complicated forms of the logo.

Logo Retraced by me

Original Design Workshop Logo

Reading: Supporting Creative Work

by Alex Selenitsch Steps on How to be more Creative:

1.

• • • •

Do I do these things often?

Generally A: Studio/ Workstation Setup | In One Place

Collect images and objects of intersecting composition Photographs Print the Photos Build a library of periodicals, pamphlets, books, DVDs, CDs, Websites. This is something I’m lacking in, which is why I think inspirations hit me at a lower rate.

• Make a pin-up space for work in progress, to look at the progresion from all angles. These pin-ups should be spaced for annotations and also big enough fr people to critique • Snacks, refreshments, water.

• Play recorded music or similar sonic ambience. I find this important for myself because particular playlists sets the atmosphre and helps me focus on the idea of the design.

2.

Travelling

• Take tons of photos • Sketch all the time. I also find it important to document your findings that you might forget.

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3.

Generally B: Doing It

• Work on several projects at once. It helps with block and keeps interests up • More drawings • Ask others about your work. I don’t do this very often but I do see the importance of it, the additional perspectives might give you an insight to something you do not know about.

4.

• • • •

Specifically for a Project

Create a file for data gathering Try different media for idea generation/representation Set deadlines for yourself Look for similar projects, precedents.

5.

Later, but sometimes also during the Project

• After a break, reflect on the work again for final changes • Edit and refine the files & work

6.

Always turn every Experience and Observation into an Image

• This is also another area I’m lacking in. It’s important to hotohraph my experience so that I can remenise of the old times where I succeeded or failed.

Reflection:

This is a good guideline that helps me with doing my design projects. It shows me where I’m lacking and justifies it. I should strive to create more consistency with my own process to follow this guideline.

Homework from Workshop 1: The Paper Airplane.

Instructions: Make a paper airplane that would fly the highest.

Analysis: Did it fly the highest?

Elevation drawing of first design

Results: NO.

Observation: the initial design came spiraling out of control and ended up crashing before reaching maximum height.

Research: Why didn’t it fly the highest?

After this collosal failure I began to ask myself questions about the science behind the paper airplane.

• Why makes a paper airplane fly?

• Physics?

First design for exercise • Aerodynamics?

• Force?

The design of a paper airplane affects the distance in which the airplane would fly and its performance.

(Science Buddies, 2013) Initial throw of a paper airplane is the force that propels the plane upwards. This force is called the thrust. While the plane flies, air is moving over and under it causing an uplift force to At the same time, the wind that the plane is going against will occur. slow down the plane and if the plane cannot cut through it, it will fall. Weight can determine the performance of a paper airplane as the heavier it is, the more likely it is harder to stay within the air.

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Conclusion:

The lighter the plane, the higher it would fly. Aerodynamics of the design greatly affects the flight of the plane.

IMPROVEMENTS To improve the initial design, I think the tip fold should be removed because it increases the weight of the plane and disrupts airflow throughout the plane. I also think thinner paper could be used to overall decrease its weight and allowing it to fly higher. Lastly, putting a high amount of force for thrust during the throw could make it fly higher as well.

Reflection This exercise was first very confusing and tricky to wrap my head around. Because I’m thinking why would I possibly need to research the science of paper airplanes when I’m studying Architecture? But this exercise actually helped me develop a simple process of what to do and questions to ask which can help me with my design studio.

Homework from Introduction lecture: Favourite Housing Cases-

1.

Wilkinson House by Robert Harvey Oshatz. Portland, Oregon.

This house case stood out to me because o it’s intergration with nature, the facade seems affected by the environment given the moss and it gives it an extra texture to the design. Whereas the interior is clean and suitable more for living. Having the material as timber works well with the design revolving so much on nature.

2.

Exbury Egg by Stephen Turner

This house case which sits above water is a very interesting concept where an egg shaped facade for this small home acts as the overall supporting structure, but also acts as the functional design for the ability for buoyancy on water. Once again, I find that this house is particularly interesting because of its interaction with water instead of the conventional ground plane.

3.

House Mineral, Tokyo

The House Mineral in Tokyo is a very interesting building because of it’s obvious attempt at making such a disfigured house case. It may seem like that at first but the name of the place, Mineral gives us a little context on its appearance since it looks like an unrefined mineral. But what really strikes me is that this building is placed in the middle of a residential area. The contrast between regular residential houses and this building really creates an interesting interaction between buildings.

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TOPICS A: FRAMING, DESIGNING + GENERATING IDEAS “Genius is 1% Inspiration 99% Perspiration.”

- Thomas Edison A1: Models of Design, Design Thinking, Design Agendas and Designer’s Frame of Reference.

Lecture: Designerly Thinking There are 4 types of learning styles: • ACTIVE: REFLECTIVE • SENSING: INTUITIVE • VISUAL: VERBAL • SEQUENTIAL GLOBAL

What is my learning style?

The learning styles I identify with the most are active and sensing.

This is because i normall alternate between these two styles whilst dealing with design. I find myself to be a little two-faced when it comes to designing. These two styles contrast each other, one if based on factual and real info and the other relies more on self knowledge.

During lecture, there was also an explaination on end target learners. Which are people using different learning different strategies under differet learning conditions.

From my reflection above, I am definately an end target learner because I adapt my learning style according to the subject or task I’m faced with. eg. When faced with a design task I adapt to become more active and reflective because that’s what usually gets my creativity to it’s peak. However, sensing and intuitive tyle is used when it comes to poetic writing because I think that using one’s personal instincts an emotion is the best when expressing thought through poems.

Just like there are 4 learning styles, there are also 4 other knowing styles:

4 Knowing Styles

ABSOLUTE KNOWERS: • This knowing style requires the person to want exact details of how to obtain facts required for an assessment. They also need details of what is expected of a student, because of this they tend to treat lecturer’s/ tutor’s remarks as the truth. This style goes hand in hand with active: reflective learning style.

TRANSITIONAL KNOWERS: • The lecturer describes this style similar to hunting, such as if you want something you have to search for it. They can be encouraged to experiment with ideas but need assurance that they are getting close to the correct answer. That is, if they believe the truth exists.

INDEPENDANT KNOWERS: • People who use this style knows that knowledge is open to interpretation and are aware of individual theories, interpretations and experiences. They often search for arguments and rationale in their work to deepen their insight and knowledge.

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CONTEXTUAL KNOWERS • These are independant thinkers. They are also comfortable with judging how ther nowledge and skills may apply to a situation. They have a similar trait to end target learners in which that they can connect concepts to an applied situation I personally find myself more to be an Independant Knower because I always take advice from my lecturer/ tutor as advice but will always seek other perspectives as well. I strongly believe that something I find beautiful such as a building can be extremely ugly to another person. This is highly reflected in my designs because I usually go against the flow.

Types of Designerly Thinking Divergent Thinking: is the complete contrast of convergent thinking. Being that it is many ideas/things leading to one single idea.

Convergent Thinking: is an idea leading to may other related things/ideas. I find this very simillar to brainstorming.

Left brain vs Right Brain: I’ve heard many stereotypes about the both halves of the brain. Left being a more structured and task oriented aspect of yourself. And the right being a more creative, non-linear and emotional oriened one. I don’t think I lean close to any side in particular, but if I had to choose I think I’m more right brained simply because I like freedom within designing and structure takes that away from me.

Design Agenda vs Designers’ Agenda

Design agenda: is an agenda that corresponds to the brief and how the designer chooses to tackle it according to the brief.

Designers’ Agenda: is a personal item that every designer carries with them. A personal style/taste that the designer has develop throughout his life and will bring it with him across all projects.

What is my own designers’ agenda?

Project design ambitions = brief(from client) + design Agenda (responding to the brief) + Designers’ Agenda (your ongoing, evolving designer interests across all projects you do) Keywords for my Designers’ Agenda: Minimal, Simplistic, Geometrical, Organic, Natural

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Exercise:

Designer’s Frames of Reference: These frames of reference play a big role in every designer in which that they influence our designs. Different designs can call for different frames of reference.

Plowright’s Three Frames • Patterns - Geometry, shape • Resolution of forces - Aerodynamic forces, water currents, energy flows, people flows, etc.

• Concepts - underdeveloped area, an abstract idea.

The most important decision in designing is PATIENCE Models of the Design Process: Theory & Experience • Inspiration & Perspiration - ideas & concepts created from other - A good design = never try to do or design the best or the most at first. views.

• Linear, Feedback & cyclic refinement models - a trial and error - Always try to tease out what is possible. (even if it looks strange at first) method when you have not much progression.

• Predesign > Sketch Design > Developd Design > Documentation - Then choose. this is regarded as a professional design method.

• Preperation > Incubation > Illumination > Verification this is a more emotional based method wher meditation, thinking and patience play a large role.

• Generation > Exploration > Evaluation of Ideas This is a more general design route that people take.

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Reading: Drawing Together: Convergent Practices in Architectural Education Specializaton Composers, poets and architects are expected to have their own unique style of work.

They have their own designer’ agenda.

Hybridisation/ Transgression of art is seen as Undesirable or Exciting This view heavily emphasises on the different views/taste that they have towards an artist.

These are just many forms of art.

• These different forms can lead to a discours path where this new path defies the laws of the main branch and transforms into a style of its own.

I start to understand this idea when I look at the transformation and advancement of modern and post modern architecture and art:

The Jump to Reality In the reading, Alex explains how many art forms only started emerging after WW2. Hybrid art practices were beginning to become the norm. This was only posible due to the shift of represented systems to real systems. Art became more broad with the introduction of different physical media items.

This has not completely removed the idea of representation.

“The jump into reality has removed the boundaries between the arts”

-Alex Selenitsch

With the ability to work with physical objects, real spaces and real time grants the artist so much more freedom to work with. This also creates endless combinations and hybridizations of art.

The sort of backlash that this movement caused is that it lessened the works of traditional art and it’s rules and boundaries.

Real Space Concept art in the 60s and 70s emphasised mainly on ideas.

• IDEAS meaning that the artist would work conceptually without thinking of the final outcome but with more writing and quik sketches • This hasn’t changed up till now because we do it all the time in our design projects.

Concept art also suggested that all art sould move to the form of a sculpture.

• Real objects connect to mny different systems of relationships outside of themselves.

• This would mean to me the previos point I made wich was many other people perceives art differently.

WHAT ARE THESE IDEAS IN RELATION TO POETRY? AMENITY? TECHNOLOGY?

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Real Space Art galleries have transformed from a place where works from various artists are brought to, into being a site and space which the artists actually work in.

Well placed art near each other create different hybrids and composition of ideas. This would probably being start of art installations based on the site that the artists work in.

Real Time Real time allowed the exploration of duration • Music was added into art forms • Music can be used to stimulate and create atmosphere. It can also be the contributing factor to understanding specific art forms if used correctly.

• The idea of construction, fabrication, decay and transformation was also introduced with real time art.

Architecture’s relation to real objects, space and time?

“They are essential to architecture - but not always.”

There are certain architects that still work in representation.

• Peter Eisenman • Jogn Hejduk • Micheal Sorkin There are others who push or even break the rules of representational practices, these artists have an arsenal of different practices. The result is a creation of hybrid styles depending on the artist’s background and ideas.

I think the main point from these is that they are all convergent practices, but the creation of hybrid forms seems more divergent. Where many different ideas combine to form one but with specific rules.

Inter vs Multi Architects write, draw, model make, animate, etc to represent an idea/object Most designing consists of different mediums of representation.

• When this happens, a gesamtkunstwek (meaning total art of work) effect appears.

Individual and multidisiplinary work has different obstacles in a sense that they eliminate conventional representational tools, and work with unconventional tools : real time, space, objects.

We should always reflect on other studies and analyse work from past & present.

Reflection This reading has been a goo dhistory lessn on art and how everything evolved through time. It affirms me the importance of working and designing through conventional representation methods as well as using the unconventional ones as a platform of influence. The importance of concepts and ideas are also reinforced as hybrid or colonglomate ideas are speciality of what art has evolved and that we should embrace it.

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Design Thinking

by Brown (IDEO) What is design thinking?

Design thinking is : A methodology that imbues the full spectrum of innovation activities with a human-centered ethos. (Brown) It is in it’s simplest form, the wants, needs and likes/dislikes of people.

Trial and Error Learning from mistakes, this implores you to think more innovatively and outside the box The text seems to have mentioned the needs of people, business and marketing quite often when it comes to design. Which is something I don’t consider very often given that I’m a student still studying and adhering to briefs which has no REAL client.

To work for innovation, ther must be a lot of hard work from trial and error, thus the quote: “Genius is 1% Inspiration. 99% Perspiration.”

Designers Then and Now Back then, designers were merely people who would only make a finished product look aesthetically pleasing through promotional items such as posters, ads and etc.

But now, instead of polishing a finished idea. Designers are to work with the idea from scratch and work with what meets the consumer’s desires.

• This change allowed more non-linear action for the design • This is still evident as designers still do work with the idea from scratch and leave it to the engineers to discover it’s obstacles.

Design thinking implores people to think INNOVATIVELY Personalities of a Design Thinker Empathy - Multiple perspectives and views. THinking what other people want and do not want.

Intergrative Thinking - The ability to see the salient and contradictory aspects of a problem Optimism - The positibity to persevere even if there are many problems Experimentalism - Ask questions, explore boundaries and thinking outside the box Collaboration - Work along side others to overcome an obstacle.

Do I possess all these qualities?

I don’t think so, I lack empathy. My designs are very much based off my own designers’ agenda and I often ignore the thoughts of others. Which is something I have to improve in to improve as a designer I think.

DESIGN THINKER’S PROCESS

Reflection: The introduction of the design thinking process sets up for a good start and foundation for learning more about the justification for designers. It has definately alter my perspectives in terms of looking at prototyping, research and modelling from a routing into an essential item of a project.

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A2: Design Sprints Lecture: The Product Design Sprints

By Galen Frechette and Linus Tan DESIGN SPRINTS uses design thinking to reduce the inherent risks of successfully bringing products to market.

•

These sprints orient the entire team and aims their efforts at a clear goal.

Design Thinking EPATHY •

Perspectives of the consumer

•

Important to phase 1

CREATIVITY •

Opportunity to discover insights and concepts

•

Collaboration inspires creativity as more ideas lead to more opportunities.

•

Important to phase 2

RATIONALITY •

Use it to fit solutions to the problem through experimentation.

These terms are familiar from the design thinking reading that makes this part a refresher of what I just learnt and also how this ties with the phases of the design sprint. Almost like a sequel to a movie.

The Sprint Phases Each phase represents a day, however this can be manipulated to adapt to the situation.

AIM: To develop a product/prototype that can further our knowledge.

What do these phases mean to me?

Phase 1: UNDERSTAND GOAL: To develop a common understanding of the working context including the client and brief.

WHY: Common understanding will unite everyone’s decision making.

TO DOS: •

Define the business opportunity

•

Discuss short term and long term business goals

•

Father and analyze existing research

•

Capture our analysis of competitive products

OUTCOMES: •

Notes and Documentation capturing the things done above.

•

A plan for the next phase of this sprint.

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Phase 2: DIVERGE GOAL: Generate insights and potential solutions to our customer’s problems WHY: This phase creates items that enables us to evaluate and rationally eliminate options and identify potentially viable options to move forward with.

TO DOS: •

Constantly ask, “how might we…”

•

Generate, develop and communicate new ideas

•

Quick and iterative, individual sketching

•

Group sketching

•

Mindmapping

OUTCOMES: •

A critical path diagram

•

Prototype goals

The usage of the word DIVERGE & CONVERGE paints a clearer picture from what was introduced in the A1 lecture.

Phase 3: CONVERGE GOAL: Take all possibilities exposed from the first two phases, eliminate all non-feasible ideas.

WHY: Not all ideas fits the context of the situation TO DOS: •

Identify the ideas that aim to solve the same problem but in a different ways.

•

Eliminate solutions that can’t be pursued currently

•

Take the good ideas from all this

OUTCOMES: •

The prototype storyboard.

This step is crucial in eliminating mundane ideas and start to concentrate specific good ideas to the design.

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Phase 4: PROTOTYPE GOAL: Build a prototype for testing WHY: A prototype is a low cost way of gaining valuable insight of your product and improvements that needs to be made.

TO DOS: •

Prototype implementation

OUTCOMES: •

A prototype

•

A plan for testing

Of course working with ideas and representations is crucial but what I learned from Alex’s reading is that models and physical forms are also crucial in conveying an idea and this is where it matters.

Phase 5: TEST & LEARN GOAL: Test the prototype with existing, potential customers. From there the feedback will be very valuable in refining your design.

WHY: Your customers will show you the product they want or need.

TO DOS: •

Observe and father feedback from consumers.

OUTCOMES: •

Summary/ report of the learnings from the test.

•

A plan for moving beyond the design sprint

I start to grasp the logic of the design sprint and why it’s named that way because it shortens the amount of time taken for design and goes straight into thinking and troubleshooting. This phase in an architectural context would also be showing your work for critique and obtaining valuable feedback from others to improve upon the concept/design.

Reflection This design sprint has given me an alternative and quicker way of generating ideas and concepts. The idea of a sprint is to run as fast as possible to a destination and this is what I think it has achieved. With a limited time of 5 days or more you are to follow these 5 steps to come up with a concept and refine, develop and prototype. But I think this sprint would only be useful in creating conceptual ideas somewhat of a starting point. I don’t think necessarily you can use it to come up with final designs instantly. You would have to repeat these phases multiple times to effect and refine the final concept/design you desire. I speak of this in terms of architectural studies. Which brings me back to Edison’s quite “1% inspiration, 99% perspiration” where this sprint contradicts that because working hard for innovation takes time whereas this sprints past all that. But ultimately this sprint would be a good way to start conceptualizing, but after there would need to be more development or repetition of steps.

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Integrating Prototyping into your Design Process

By Fred Beecher “There is NO ONE RIGHT WAY to prototype.”

-

Fred Beecher

But when it is done right it can help answer design questions and communicate concepts.

How is this in relation to Alex’s reading?

The Dimensions of Fidelity Fidelity refers to how realistic the prototype is. High-fidelity means it has aspects of both visual and industrial design elements in a physical model.

Visual Fidelity vs Functional Fidelity

There is no such thing as high or low fidelity, it all depends on it’s appropriateness.

How do we integrate this?

A fidelity chart is more of a tactical approach.

How we would do it in architecture would be more strategic. How? 1. Find a small project of interest, develop and prototype it by using the appropriate fidelities.

2. Gain feedback from clients with the prototype and improve design 3. Repeat with future design.

This is a detailed version of the prototyping phase 4 from the design sprint. It affirms the thought processes and the actions of prototyping. However, I find the fidelity chart helpful because it gives me a guideline or framework on deciding what to prototype for my design projects.

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Fidelity Chart

This is a fidelity chart I will most likely use for my future and current design projects such as Digital Deisng and Fabrication and Studio Earth which requires me to think a lot about the functionality as well as design.

A3 Communicating Design Ideas

By Greg Missingham “Diagrams are tools for thinking with, for communicating with a design.”

-Greg When to use Diagrams •

To capture ideas and giving them form

•

Consolidating diverse data as one possibility

•

Exploring options

•

Consolidating diverse outcomes as one project

•

Explaining the Design.

Exercise What diagrams help me to understand and explain my designs?

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Diagrams Chart

I found it ironic and funy how a diagram does a jobof explaining the design of diagrams within designing.

It shows different categories and like the fidelity chart, it deciphers for me what I should create for specific projects.

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Using Design Visuals to Communicate Ideas

By Jeff Parks This reading provides many examples from people or firms that use the design visuals to communicate ideas very effectively.

1.

Daniel Rose said that the idea of “thinking outside the box” Is not possible unless you surround yourself with people of different experiences.

This was a drawing that Daniel did to convey the idea.

Just a little thought from the previous reading.

Perhaps it was a missed opportunity to draw the people outisde the boundary to further express the literacy of “outside the box”? Or could it be too literal.

2.

Ken Hope states that a lot of the visualization tools empower people to communicate ideas more clearly, without having to use words.

3.

Christopher fuller did a live illustration of a dialogue on branding.

This diagram delivers a very strong, promotional message from the company. Not only do they show the companies they’e worked with in the past but they also illustrated teir visions and also a pie chartesque design that promotes their selling pitch. I also like it’s art style, neutral but playful.

It reinforcements of nonbiasery, experimentation and development.

4.

Ken and Rebecca Hope provided a makeover for a company’s presentation slides and transformed it into an infographic.

Clearly the infographic is seen to be a more effective version thanthe slides. The graphics and colours that the original lack provides a more interesting multi-focal point diagram that clearly explains the ideas through thte actions drawn in the infographic. It also looks far less boring.

Before After

Reflection This reading has further improved my overall knowledge of the needs for diagrams and how it can convey designs and ideas very effectively. Graphics can just effectively allow the readers to immediately visualize themselves scenarios they can relate to. I also learned that graphics just do somethings that words cannot.

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Design Workshop Task Sheet: Technology Translation from the Mind to a Visual Perspective Exercise Background Amenity is identified as the function whilst, Poetry is seen as the theme when developing a Design Process.

Lastly, Technology can be seen as the bridge between the two, as it helps create a visual understanding by compiling the function and theme. The Technology exercise – ‘Translation from the Mind to a Visual Perspective’ highlights Technology’s views on how one can link function with theme. Furthermore, Technology is valued as important as the other two teams – Amenity & Poetry, as it would often assist all users to understand what the designer is trying to interpret.

Tools Paper Various Colour Pens/Pencils Purpose The aim of the exercise is to allow designers to explore and identify what they visualize in their mind, and translate them onto paper when given a specific function and theme.

Method Dividing up into a group of three, each individual is assigned to one sensory experience – hearing, sight & smell.

Everyone is then tasked to visualize and sketch what comes into their mind when trying to put together the visualizations of the function and the theme.

However, each designer is given the interpretation of the themes in a different way: •

Hearing – Sound Clip

•

Sight – Image

•

Smell – Description of a relatable Smell

There are 9 different types of Function + Theme. For each Function + Theme, 90 seconds is given for the designer to draw on their paper. Therefore, in total the individual exercise should take 18 minutes (30 seconds to listen to sound clip/look at image/read description of smell and 90 seconds to draw their ideas) Once the designer has completed the 9 drawings, the designers are then tasked to go back into their group and incorporate the best aspects from each of their ideas and create a final drawing for each of the nine Function + Theme. For each Function + Theme, the group should invest 3 minutes to discuss and draw the final drawing.

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The following Functions vs. Themes are: 1. Park vs. Chaotic 2. Office vs. Distorted 3. Bedroom vs. Utopia 4. Library vs. Distractive 5. Car vs. Destructive 6. Corridor vs. Openness 7. Clothing vs. Personal Space 8. Chair vs. Obstacle 9. Human vs. Sinister Chaotic •

Sound Clip

C-32 Noisy Mess •

Image

•

Description of Smell

Smokey from cigarettes, sweaty, musky, mixture of cologne and perfume

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Distorted •

Sound Clip

Low gritty transmission drone •

Image

•

Description of Smell

Mixture of fragrances Utopia •

Sound Clip

8 hour sleep music •

Image

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Distractive •

Sound Clip

Most annoying song in the world •

Image

•

Description of Smell

Delicious food Destructive •

Sound Clip

Halo 2 Theme Song (Electric Guitar) •

Image

•

Description of Smell

Explosive, gun powder smell, smoke

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Openness •

Sound Clip

Relaxing music for Stress Relief •

Image

•

Description of Smell

Smell of a field of grass Personal Space •

Sound Clip

Nintendo Wii – Mii Channel Theme •

Image

•

Description of Smell

Inside a cardboard box

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Obstacle •

Sound Clip

One last obstacle - Newgrounds •

Image

•

Description of Smell

Concrete, dusty Sinister •

Sound Clip

You Idiot – Undertale •

Image

•

Description of Smell

Bad, smoke, alcohol I found this task to be written in quite a rush because it was done shortly during the workshop. But overall i think the task really shows the importance of the theme technology which is translating ideas and thoughts into a more physical form.

RATED AN A BY TUTOR

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Poetry Exercise Like the previous exercise we created, we were given the chance to try an exercise by another group which handled the peotry theme.

We were given 3 colours to think of 3 words and create a storyboard out of it.

Critisms I felt the need for colours to be a little redundant. It overcomplicates the exercise because it has no particular reason for why it’s there.

My group also felt that the story was already set with the blurb they gave us to base it on.

Leaving us to decide the set wth the colours only.

I was expecting a more non-linear exercise where there would be many outcomes. But my group and I did it individually and came up with almost the exact same storyboard.

RATED B BY TUTOR

TOPIC A REFLECTION:

Overall I think I found this topic to be quite stimulating for my journey towards being an architect. I think many things learnt in this topic were always something I just accepted and move on without asking a single question. For now, I’ve been given the clarity and justification for why designers do certain things and this really helps me so much in my course.

I also applied some of the things I learnt into my current subjects and will of course apply it to future ones as well.

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TOPICS B: PLAYING WITH (= EXPLORING) DESIGN IDEAS Topic B: Playing with (= Exploring) Design Ideas B1: Cinema + Architecture Lecture

Exercise: Make a film about Masson Theatre Time: 5 mins Brief: Using your mobile phone, create a short film that includes at least two shots from two different point of views in the theatre. The point of view should demonstrate spatial qualities of the Masson Theatre.

Unfortunately I was unable to do this exercise because I was unable to attend the lecture. But I can imagine how it would have been done. Filming movement through the chairs can give a sense of space because the foreshortening of the chairs gives depth. And a second point of view would be the picture in the slide, the rough texture of the wall again, gives depth and the sense of space within the theatre.

Rem Koolhaas - Prominent architect who started his career as a filmmaker.

- Director of a film school for 6 months and continued his career as an architect after.

- Abilities to narrate and create a story through architecture created through his experiences as a filmmaker.

Architects of Film Peter Greenaway: (Film Director) - He regarded the work and duty of filmmaking similar to architecture - “Movie making and filmmaking is no more and no less than articulation of space” - Which is the same as architecture.

Michelangelo Antonioni: (Film Director, Screenwriter, Editor & Short story Writer) - Regarded his work as architecture of Image/ Pictures Alfred Hitchcock: (Film Director) - He will not make a film if he does not find a proper place/building Homework #1 - Design a façade based on the elements of your favourite filmmaker This is a very quick sketch that was inspired from Tim Burton. One of my favourite filmmakers has a heavy influence in gothic style elements as well as having an obsession with the macabre within his films. This drawing is a gothic styled, distorted castle that I think represents his work.

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Homework #2 1. Make a short film about an architectural element. (Try to convey the spatial experience of the architectural element by your film.)

-

Windows provides the feeling of enclosure with a view from outside the building. This sence can disappear when you approach closely to the building.

-

Doors creates entrance/exits within a certain space that also define spatial qualities.

-

Corridor

-

Ceiling provides shelter and an enclosure at a certain height which gives a sense of space.

-

Balcony is similar to the window in a sense that it is an open space where the interaction between the outside and inside is created.

I chose my room door to make a film about. Because I find that doors convey spatial experiences very well.

As explained above, doors creates a entrance/exit towards or away from a certain space and is what divides spaces. These spaces often are the ones that creates experiences for the user.

2. Design an architectural element that provides an atmosphere similar to the experiences you depicted in your film. Do not copy its form and focus on spatial experience. Use the technique of storyboarding to communicate and try to utilise the same frames and compositions as the shots of your film.

I created a storyboard similar to my film I made in a sense that it is an entrance slowly opening and revealing the next space to explore. The storyboard shows a gate that is rolling itself down to allow entrance through the moat into a castle. The compositions are very similar to the initial film because there are sense of depth within the entrances for both stills.

Sergei Eisenstein - Created the Montage Theory - Montage Theory of Eisenstein means to generating new meanings by using different fragments.

- Creating an assemblage and a new meaning Alfred Hitchcock - Pure cinematics, the assembly of film and how it can be changed to create a different idea.

- Example given was 3 parts of a short film: A) A man looking in a direction B) A woman playing with her child C) The man smiles - If A and B were retained, but B was changed into a woman in a bikini lying down. The perception of the man and his image/character is altered.

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Melbourne School of Design (MSD) - MSD uses the montage theory in a way that two fragments are formed into one idea.

- It is an assemblage of the old and new.

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs -

By Mikio Naruse

-

The experience that the architectural elements are just as important as the form.

-

“You can make a film with a movie camera, but you cannot make a film without a window opening and a person in a wall.

Seigei Eisenstein’s diagram method for Filmmaking - The point of views, actions, scripts and music are laid out in a specific timeline to create this montage view of what the film would look like.

- This method of diagraming was also used by architects such as Bernard Tschumi, however he was more concerned with the architectural elements.

Bernard Tschumi - He works based on the meaning/idea of the architectural montage.

- His diagrams are spatial translation of the architectural space.

Eisenstein’s alternate diagraming method - He creates an axonometric view of the scene and plots the movements and actions of what will happen.

Eisenstein’s Conclusion of Architectural Film - The best way for a person to experience architectural film is to create an uncut experience of the architecture as whole. How we walk through the spaces and how we would go about it in real life.

- The different usage of plan and perspectives from how a person would look at the building.

- Plans give you the size and form of the rooms but it does not give you the experience of how you would move through the spaces.

- Moving the camera with movement give depth to the spaces in the film.

Commonalities - Movement: Journey through spaces. [E]motion/motion. Movement produces emotion.

- Duration: Duration and temporality - Spatial Articulation: Depth, Volume, Masses, Recessed and its relation to Protruded spaces. Relations between certain elements can differ depending on difference in depth.

- Scale: Close-up, Medium shot (Half the body view), Long-shot (Whole body view), Sub-human (Detail of an object), Human, Architectural, Materiality, Furniture, Buildings, Details, Objects, Interiors, Hand, Body, House.

- Peripheral Vision: The perspectives of architecture and how we view the building form certain angles.

- Additional Dimensions: Sounds, etc.

Death of The Architect?

- In the future there will be two types of architects: A) Those who design for a visual experience through virtual reality B) The architects of today - What will be the influence of Virtual Reality in the future of architecture and the perception of space?

Reflection I found this topic to be rather interesting because I have never had any regard for film in architecture whatsover. But the lecture gave me many insights from people who have worked with architecture and film.

This has sparked a new interest for me because I have always enjoyed filming things and to relate that with my career path would be wonderful.

I also found the last point, which is virtual reality removing the needs for conventional architects. I agree that one day it might do so, when the graphics are heavily improved. But as for now VR is only an area which has its surface scratched and has much more potential.

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B2 Design Decisions What is a Design Decision?

Decision: -

a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration

-

the action or process of deciding something or of resolving a question

-

the ability or tendency to make decisions quickly; decisiveness

Design Decision -

A moment you choose between options

-

Resolving a question inherent in your next project

-

Selecting a design method to employ next

-

Selecting to edit and reduce elements in your design

-

Selecting a metaphor for your project

-

Selecting the scale at which you will focus on the stage development.

How to make design decisions?

1. Attack the context: -

Appraise the situation

-

Alter your thinking

-

Approach the context

2. Suspend the judgement -

Delay your response

-

Open opportunities

-

Create new perspectives (your first idea isn’t necessarily the best or THE ONE)

3. Embrace the complexity -

Do not reduce scope, or be aware that you are doing so and why

-

Recognise your assumptions (talking through with others often helps this)

-

Stop your assumptions

4. Search for patterns -

Identify and explain patterns, in your designing or design thinking (is your process always the same?

Why?)

-

I often write poems to further my concept and to create a scenario that explains it well.

5. Deepen the themes -

Develop the potentials to bring design project further

-

Work at multiple scales

-

Interplay ideas with each other

-

Investigate many options to achieve the same aim

6. Sharpen the frames -

Communicate your interpretations clearly

-

Reflect on this – Is this logical? What I intended?

7. Be prepared -

Support your interpretation to show your journey

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1. Create the moment -

Get expert advice

-

Discuss with your peers

-

Ascertain your assumptions

2. Follow through -

Integrate the ideas the design

Thinking about your design thinking Student Examples Task: Reflect on your own design thinking/processes from past projects Visit and document an art gallery of your choice What parallels are evident? What does this tell you about yourself How do I represent my design thinking?

-

Diagrams are a good way of representing design thinking without saying anything

-

Evaluate your design and show the key concepts and ideas within your design.

-

Use success ratings to evaluate yourself and mark yourself in the journals

-

In stages and a linear way, evaluate your design process and note the strength and weaknesses of each of the stages.

-

Compare projects with each other

How do I use my design Journal?

RECORD your design process This lets you: -

See what steps you took

-

See what media you used

-

See the threads of a logic emerging

RECORD your design thinking -

Words

-

Diagrams

-

Flow charts

-

Etc

REFLECT on what you have recorded ASK yourself: -

What was successful?

-

What was not so successful?

-

What other options/techniques could I have used?

-

What other options/techniques could I use now?

-

What does what happened tell me about myself?

-

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RE-ADJUST your plan for moving forward: -

Inform you of your design trajectory

-

Make adjustments to future processes

-

Go back to previous, more successful iterations

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Revisit past projects to see what you did then that might be helpful now

-

Inform you of your design agenda, which may be conscious or unconscious

Types of decisions By understanding our decision making, we can better understand our own design agendas and then actively and consciously adjust these as we see fit.

Which of the decision making biases apply to you?

Action oriented biases Excessive optimism: Overestimate likelihood of positive events, underestimate that of negative ones Overconfidence: Overestimate our skill level, take credit for past positive outcomes without acknowledging role of chance Biases related to perceiving and judging alternatives Confirmation bias: We place extra value on evidence consistent with a favoured belief Anchoring and insufficient adjustment: We root our decisions in an initial value and fail to succinctly adjust our thinking away from that value Groupthink: We strive for consensus at the cost of a realistic appraisal of alternatives Egocentrism: We focus too narrowly on our own perspective Biases related to the framing of alternatives Loss aversion: We feel losses more acutely than gains, which makes us risk-averse Sunk-cost fallacy: We pay attention to historical costs that are not recoverable Escalation of commitment: We invest additional resources in an apparently losing proposition because of the effort, money and time already invested Controllability bias: We believe we can control outcomes more than is actually the case

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Stability biases Status quo bias: We prefer the status quo Present bias: We value immediate rewards very highly and undervalue long term gains Which of these do you identify with?

How do these impact your designing?

I think the biases I identify most with action oriented biases would be excessive optimsm. I often overestimate my abilities in designing such as plan and section drawings and end up struggling in the end. Within the biases related to perceiving and judging alternatives I can relate to egocentrism because I am a very ignorant person in nature. I do not really take other opinions as absolute unless I see the flaw myself, which is something I should improve because a designer should take in all perspectives and judge accordingly. Within biases related to the framing of alternatives is probably loss aversion. I’m very pessimistic, so if I know something is at a loss I would rather avoid it than face it or troubleshoot it. Lastly, in stability biases I am vulnerable to present bias, because I’m a rather impatient person and would like results immediately rather later.

These biases can impact my designing heavily, I should learn to remove these biases and keep an open mind for ideas and concepts. Although I strongly say that the ultimate decision is always up to the designer and the context of brief.

Reflective questions What is my design process? Are there similarities in my process from past studios?

Until now I don’t think I have a clear design process that I use for every studio. Due to different briefs and tasks given in studios. It calls for different types of processes, which is good because I’m learning to create one that fits my style the most.

A similar process I do in all my studios is that I often write poems to further reinforce and drive my concepts. These poems or narratives act as the backbone of my concept as it provides a scenario and also a journey in which the reader can experience. Below is a poem I wrote for studio EARTH to push the concept of abstraction that my design is an abstract of a sunken old fashion 1800s sailing ship.

Lost with all hands.

A distant memory, gone and faded.

Never seen, Never heard.

Taken away so so sudden, Their last words were never even spoken.

What of their treasure? What of their gold?

What of their wives they never told?

No closure, No end But the lost will forever stay in our hearts.

What are key strengths of my design process?

From my processes it is quite clear that I am able to obtain concepts and strengthen them very well.

Usually this is the climax of my design process where I find most inspiration and motivation.

What are my key weaknesses of my design process? How could I improve these? In what circumstance would this be appropriate?

My most key weakness would be following up from conceptual stage to translating it into an architectural form. Most of the key concepts disappear or are not reinforced when translated into a built form. Improvement could be made from trying different media and looking through my old work to troubleshoot the problems. Like the topic B1 where it talks about film and architecture, maybe I should try and explore other ways of translating my ideas and concepts into a built form.

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How does my approach differ from others in studio? What could I learn from their approach? How would this help me in designing?

I do not think my peers utilize poems in studio EARTH. I was the only one who made one to reinforce my concept. I think everyone had good model making skills, they use digital fabrication to create a finely, clean and detailed model whereas I often use my clumsy hands to create a flimsy model that ends up not representing my concept at all. Perhaps sketch models can help me translate my ideas into built form and it’s definately something I will attempt to do more often in the next studio.

Are there key moments in my studio or life experience that have shaped how I think or design?

During Deisigning Environments last semester, it was a task where we had to write a narrative or poem to justify a collage where I started to realize how in touch I am with words through architecture.

What is my design agenda? What motivates me in design? Does this cause me to design in a certain way? Does this limit me in any way?

I think right now there is not a definite reason that motivates me. But for now relating my concepts through narratives is probably what I enjoy the most. This would limit me in a sense that I might not work very literally with ideas rather I would work more abstractly.

The Reflective Practitioner: How professionals Think in Action. (Schon, D. A., 1983) Ludwig Wittengenstein: -

He used to revisit his first book to explain ideas to people.

-

He realized that he should publish both old and new thoughts together.

-

These thoughts can only be seen correctly by contrast with and against the background of his old way of thinking.

-

Since he started to surround himself with philosophy again, he was forced to revisit great mistakes he made in his first book.

Philosophy of Science: -

Kuhn and Feyerabend

-

Positivism: a philosophical system recognizing only that which can be scientifically verified or which is capable of logical or mathematical proof, and therefore rejecting metaphysics and theism

-

They were not positivistic, in fact, even antipositivistic. By wanting to prove the idea of positivism as a powerful evidence for the validity of their own position

-

Most of the organizational scientist who read Kuhn appeared to be obsessed with the concept of the paradigm

-

Paradigm: a typical example or pattern of something; a pattern or model

-

They were going against this concept and enforcing the importance of their own theories.

-

They never even acknowledged that Kuhn’s argument had undermined the logical foundations of what they thought they were doing.

The importance of Schon’s book: -

This book shows what professional practitioners do and should be doing.

-

The dominant view of what professional practitioners do is embodied in a certain doctrine called “Technical Rationality: Which he identifies as “the Positivist Epistemology of Practice”

-

Here, “professional activity consists in instrumental problem solving made rigorous by the application of scientific theory and technique”.

-

This development of science happened in pure isolation from the world, giving the scientist the possibility of maximizing the rigor of his construction and eliminating any vestiges of uncertainty

-

The role of the practitioner is to supply problems to the researcher and testing the theories that the scientist develops.

-

Practitioners are a subordinate position to scientist

-

Their problems come to seem like matters of detail and application, unworthy of serious intellectual consideration and unlikely to benefit from it in any case.

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Reflection This reading was particularly tough for me to read because of it’s complex usage of english. I felt as though the introduction was a little redundant, but that was before I continued to read. The introduction was a perfect set up for context. This reading shows how reflection for professionals used to be something they thought was useless, but with time became one of the most important processes they use. The ability to learn from mistakes, to relook at what was missed or what was right.

B3: What to do when STUCK Exercise 1: What does “ Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia” mean?

It means the fear of long words.

Warmup for mental blocks Patience in Designing: Remember the Most important lesson…

If you want to surprise yourself, to produce a good design, then…

-

NEVER try to do or to design the best or the most beautiful, the perfect

-

ALWAYS, try to tease out what is possible (even if it looks very strange at first), then choose.

Getting Unstuck -

Take a Break

-

Changing Designer’s Frame of Reference

-

Changing Medium of Working

-

Changing When you Work

-

Arbitrary Exercises

-

Arbitrary Time Periods

Howards Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Claims we have 8 kinds of brains/intelligence.

-

Kinaesthetic – body smart

-

Logical – number smart

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Intrapersonal – myself smart

-

Visual/spatial – picture smart

-

Linguistic – word smart

-

Interpersonal – people smart

-

Musical – music smart

-

Naturalistic – nature smart

To remove a block, work with another skill that you have

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Shifting mode of exploration -

What happens if you turn your site plan around 90 or 180 degrees and work away for awhile? You get a different perspective, because the convention you work with changes and a plan turns into a mere drawing.

-

What happens if you try out a roof architecture rather than a wall architecture, a point-supported rather than a line-supported one or vice versa?

-

What happens if you switch from plans to isometric/axonometric/oblique drawings?

-

What happens if you switch from drawings from above to drawings from below?

-

What happens if you shift for a time to words or diagrams rather than drawings?

-

What happens if you try out thesaurus transformations of key terms in your program

-

What happens if you shift to physical modelling from words, diagrams, or drawings or the other way around?

Adam’s (conceptual blockbusting) List of Kinds of Blocks -

Perceptual – cannot see problem or useful information – eg through stereotyping

-

Emotional - fear of risk, unable to tolerate ambiguity, prefer to judge not generate, cannot relax (cannot let go of an idea)

-

Cultural taboos, play is for children, emotional bad/logic good, tradition better than change

-

Environmental lack cooperation, trust; autocratic leader, distractions, lack of support for realization

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Intellectual inflexibility, inadequate use of approaches, insufficient and/or incorrect information

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Expressive inappropriate language/mode of approach, inadequate language/mode for expressing or recording ideas

EXAMPLES: Minoru Yamasaki, Pruitt Igoe Housing, St Louis: Feburary 1972 -

Social housing project

-

It was regarded very bad, that it should be blown up. (which it was)

-

Types of block?: Cultural

Chapter 7, Conceptual Blockbusting: A Guide to Better Ideas All Kinds of Blockbusters -

Blocks exist because of the achievement-oriented, competitive and compulsive nature of men.

-

But these characteristics also provide a solution for the blocks.

-

People with high motivation and good mental discipline are well sustained that they quickly find ways to become more creative and adapt to certain situations.

A questioning Attitude -

One of the most important trait of a creative person.

-

Knowledge is gained through observation and asking questions.

-

When we grow old, we tend to lose this attitude

-

There are two reasons for losing this attitude

-

1. Because we lose motivation from enquiry. People cannot answer the hard questions due to time, no answer, etc

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-

2. Because we become complacent with our knowledge, as the goal of growing old is to obtain great knowledge, and a question signifies that we do not know something. Which hinders the original goal.

-

The questioning attitude is required in the widest sense to improve creativity. If you just accept facts and move on without asking a single question, you have no reason to innovate.

You cannot see the hidden problems and needs that lie within and these things are the more important characteristics of a creative person.

Thinking Aids -

This attitude is achievable through conscious effort. You only need to start asking questions.

-

An Emotional block can happen because you choose to stick with your knowledge.

-

This block will disappear with easy when you realise that how much we do not actually know.

Fluency and Flexibility of Thinking -

List making is the easiest ways of increasing creativity

-

List-making is often underestimated but it uses the compulsive side of you that implores us to do very productive conceptualizing.

-

Unlike a questioning attitude, this does not require influences in environments to be successful

-

However, creativity in this aspect can be affected by tiredness, quick judgement and stereotyping certain ideas.

-

Achieving one of fluency and flexibility is easy, however our ideas normally follow one aspect and not the other.

Can Architecture Make Us More Creative?

By Jonathan C. Molloy “The most creative spaces are those which hurl us together. It is the human friction that makes the sparks.”

-John Lehrer Can contemporary architecture achieve the same creativity that the traditional did?

MIT’s Radiation lab, building 20 was a horrible and temporary building because it was large and confusing.

It’s spaces were so close to one another without justification and people had to ask for directions because they would get lost.

But has this building achieved the status of a creative space? Because people knew that this building would only last a few years, many users felt free to alter it to fit their needs. Researchers began demolishing walls and attaching things to the roof. One even perforated two storeys to fit his project.

This broadness kept the building going and actually promoted creativity and conceptualization.

“Architecture rather like some music and poetry which can actually be changed by the users, an architecture of improvisation.”

-

Richard Rogers

This building was unconventional in a sense that it was interactive and not static. The terrible planning of the building and the uncare users was what made it successful. Because of this impromptu creative space created, architects which design for creativity can reflect on this building.

Creativity calls for interaction between other people. Historical buildings such as the Agora were very creative spaces because they allowed for human interaction. A “third place” if you would call it, an area away from home or work where people gather for fellowship and to converse.

This building also shows that architects should let the users play around and in fact promotes that you don’t over-plan. Architects cannot predict every single outcome of a building.

How can architecture be done in a way that it fits the needs of users and will resist the future changes that will inevitably undergo?

This question highly depends on the problem and whether or not it is identified.

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TOPICS C: EVALUATING DESIGN IDEAS + CONCLUSION C1 Developing Design Ideas Overall Strategic Matters •

Key Determinants of Design Outcomes

•

Designer’s Frames of Reference

•

Scales of Consideration

SCAMPER – Bob Eberle’s modification of Osborn’s Evaluative Checklist •

Substitute something

•

Combine it with something else.

•

Adapt something to it.

•

Modify or Magnify it.

•

Put it to some other use.

•

Eliminate something

•

Reverse or Rearrange it.

Classes of Strategy for Developing Design Ideas •

•

Cloning Design Ideas -

Repetition

-

Sets

-

Series

-

Variations on a theme

-

Other Multiplications

Decomposing Design Ideas -

Hierarchic Decomposition

-

Fracturing

-

Fractals

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•

•

•

Forms of Counter Balance -

Dialectic or Opposition

-

Suites (Recognizing &/or developing the idea(s) as part of a set of complementary elements)

-

Scores + Counterpoint (= musical composition)

-

Narrative

Elaborating and Embellishing Design Ideas -

Building on hints in the ideas (intellectual doodling)

-

Mutating an idea

-

Morphing the idea (= continuous rather than stepwise Mutation)

Grafting Design Ideas -

•

Adding quite different ideas to the root idea(s)

Sequential Enrichment -

Unfolding an idea

-

Stepwise, higher resolution

Reflection: The lecture helped me a lot with how I can develop my designs to the next stages. Like I explained in topic B, my biggest weakness would be my development on how to translate my narratives into architectural forms. I also wrote about how my egocentrism with narratives might cause me to not have other methods of developing my concepts. These are ways that I can use to develop or find new concepts.

Workshop exercise.

Design Brief: Boutique Retail Pop Up Students are to design a boutique for a retail item of their choosing. This is to be popup store which will be located somewhere within the Melbourne Central shopping centre. The boutique must include: •

Display space for the item(s)

•

A cashier/payment area

•

Must be able to enclosed securely for when the boutique is closed

Theme related tasks. Choose two.

Technology: Design a RUBRIC that corresponds to your own taste.

Amenity: Create a functional set of furniture •

Profound on a second scale, add a client and needs

•

Refine the chair based on that

•

Climate & cultural context

Poetry: Artline the last movie you saw and document the spatial articulation. Use this to explore user experience.

My group chose to do Technology and Poetry as our theme related task.

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RUBRIC

This rubric is heavily inspired from the rubric we receive for the subject’s journal submissions. That being there is a scale bar at the top to determine the successfulness of each aspect and given criterion to ease judgement. However, my group’s rubric is too influenced by the rubrics we receive from university that we are not exposed to any other types.

Poetry exercise and brainstorming.

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Plans of the boutique

Initial plan drawing

By taking the elements from the film, my group created a boutique based on it. We used converging thinking to come up with associated terms and diverging thinking to create one full concept. And from the movie split we created a confusing, distorted space that has circulation but retains it’s non-linearity through spaces.

Developed plan drawing.

We started in an initial plan drawing that we wanted it to have maze-like experience, but due to a maze only having one end we had to manipulate spaces to form maze-like properties but having a circulation of experience to adhere to be brief.

Perspective drawing of eye 1

Perspective drawing of eye 2

Perspective draw

Experience and pathing

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Development We were satisfied with what the plan turned out to be given the short time we were given to work on this project. However, we wanted to further our concept of confusion and distortion by created certain elevated and tilted floors for each section. Giving the illusion that the room is moving and we represented all this through a series of perspective drawings below, and to give a sense of where the view is from we created a pathway from start to end ontop of the plan itself.

Reflection This little workshop exercise was really fun and interesting. Once again, working with film and architecture has seen to work wonders for myself because I love films. This exercise also helped with applying what we learnt in the lecture to develop concepts and how things from the start of the subject such as converging and diverging thinking helped here as well. From topics b, we also learnt to decide what drawings would represent our concept the best, and of course perspective to give a 3 dimensional spatial experience as well as a plan to show the tre concept of the design.

Largest Scale Middle Scale Smallest Scale

Technology

Amenity

Poetry

Documentation & Publication

Interaction with the site & how it will affect the culture

Conceptual ideas

Homework.

Plan & Sections Site Analysis Perspective Drawings (Social Demographics) Design Agenda Technology Amenity Brief

Largest Materials Scale Detail

Middle Scale

Poetry

Documentation Interaction with Conceptual ideas &Experience ofthe site & how it will Personal Style Publication affect the culture SpeciďŹ c Areas Plan & Sections Site Analysis Perspective Drawings (Social Demographics) Brief

Design Agenda

wing of eye 3

Smallest Scale

Materials Detail

Experience of SpeciďŹ c Areas

Personal Style

Techonology: Tools, Structure, Materials, Construction & Organisation Amenity: Culturally & Socially, What & Why & How, Functioning Poetry: Delight, Interest, Culturally & Personally, Why

Techonology: Tools, Structure, Materials, Construction & Org

Amenity: Culturally & Socially, What & Why & How, Functioni Poetry: Delight, Interest, Culturally & Personally, Why

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C2: Evaluation + Assessment Evaluation + Decision analysis methods •

Checklists

•

Performance Specifications

•

SWOT analyses

•

Decision Trees

•

De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats

•

Value Management

•

Post-Occupancy Evaluation

•

Delphi Method

•

Trade-Off Games

•

Decision Matrices

•

Computer-supported Decision System

Remember that ALL of these things can be used in many different ways for specific decisions.

Bases of Choice Between known alternatives …

•

Let the Market decide

•

Arbitrary procedure

•

Compare with accepted Canon

•

Develop universally valid set of criteria

•

Develop criteria based on the differences between items to be compared

•

Judge each work against its own intentions

De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats

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Delphi Method •

Can be either a forecasting technique OR a decision-making technique

•

An iterative group method for coming to a consensus decision on very difficult issue(s)

•

Time taken depends on group size and the contentiousness of the issue(s)

•

Groups own the decision, having participated painstakingly in it.

•

Group size small for forecasting, as large as necessary or possible for decisions 1. Each participant records their position on the matter(s), with or without supporting argument and/or evidence 2. Recorder/ supervisor reports all positions to group, noting percentages of support and arguments, evidence – without identifying who supports what 3. After reading that material, each participant records new position 4. Process iterated until consensus reached.

Trade-off Games •

Can be within a group, between groups or carried out by individuals

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Need a system of tokens – indicating the options between which choices must be taken

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Needs a basis for comparative value of options OR of variables.

1. Play is conducted either until team(s) agree to stop or, better, within a specified time 2. Feedback on the consequences of choices made 3. Sometimes: replay either on new or same bases 4. Iterate Steps until consensus reached or time runs out

Decision Matrices Commonly: collective decision tool, given finite number of known alternatives.

Manipulatable features: •

The field of options from which choice must be made

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Criteria – a priori versus those suggested by the field

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Scoring and scoring methods

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Weighting Criteria.

Criticism •

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Attoe’s Model -

Normative Criticism – belief in externam principles, norms, standards

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Doctrinal, ideological

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Interpretative Criticism – tries to get you to adopt critic’s point of view

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Advocatory criticism

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Surrogate experience

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Descriptive Criticism – tries to be factual

The Critic’s Intent -

Provide surrogate experience

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Point to antecedents: sources, allusions, alternatives, parallels

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Explainations through doctrines, theories and etc.

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Provides a new work of art

The Critic’s Focus -

Before the Work

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•

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Ecological & geographical context

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Historical, History of ideas, genealogy

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Socio-political, economic

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Legislative context

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Biography of the author(s)

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The client, the task, the brief

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Repertoire of current Disciplinary interests

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On the work itself

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The creation, design process

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Form, geometry, archi-tectonics

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Subject matter, references, tone of voice

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Presentation

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After the Work

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Consequences, impact, derivatives

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Reception – by client, peers, public

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Production

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Marketing

The Critical Situation

Self-criticism -

Analysis

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Designing, thinking

Client Lay criticism -

The man in the street

Expert criticism -

Peers

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Critics, historians

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Consultants

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Authorities

Exercise • Take 5 minutes and write down how you think your designs are assessed I think academically, my designs should all be assessed through a certain rubric that is given for the project that allows critiques to determine which level of success I have achieved with a certain design. But for a designers’ agenda, I think that judgement comes very loosely across everyone becaue not everyone has the same preferences in architecture. But I do think most studio leaders have a certain neutrality when it comes to giving feedback to us.

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Assessing Student Designs Criteria •

Project-Based

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Authority-Based (= Indirectly Student-Based)

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Directly Student-based

Studio Design Project Measures of Complexity: •

Scale

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Programmatic Complexity

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Range of issues addressed

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Range of scales addressed

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Intellectual ambition

Students Commonly assessed on •

Communication (Drawings, models, diagrams, reports, speaking & fielding questions)

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Against studio expectations (did they play the studio’s game?)

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Against themselves (stretching their capabilities, improving the subtlety or depth of understanding, design skills or coping with greater complexity.

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Self-assessment (of achievements and limitations of their projects – particularly important in graduate school.)

Authority-Based Assessment •

Achieving Learning Objectives of the subject

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“accepted standards”

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School expectations

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Developing Degree’s Graduate attributes

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University Graduate Attributes

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Minimum standards for degrees

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Standards for professional entry

Key indicators to assess student outcomes in studio (ALTC study 2009) CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN STUDIO TEACHING Studio project assessment •

Dimensions of assessment

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Differences of emphasis

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Detailed dimensions of assessment

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Principles for application of the indicators.

Dimensions of assessment •

Product(content knowledge)

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Student (personal development)

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Process (reflective skills)

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Reflection: I think this is an aspect I never touched on in my journey through architecture. Well, conciously. Of course assesment grading is what comes to mind when doing designs because as students we want to achieve the highest mark possible within the studio. But I never really thought on how outside academic boundaries how people assessed other’s work. How professional critiques assess buildings and their designs.

This lecture has given me that understanding, of how people assess other’s work. It’s also given me an insight on how to understand what my studio leader’s thinking when assessing my own designs. Which gives me more questions to ask myself and how to get the best possible results from it.

C3: Design Communication Selling ideas Students often focus on the designing of the conceptual idea that they forget the selling point of the whole thing which is the presentation and its ability to communicate ideas towards the crits.

Questions to ask yourself before finalizing the design are •

What is the studio agenda?

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Why are you doing this presentation?

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Eg. What is the purpose for studio EARTH Presentations are done to convey conceptual ideas and the journey from start to end and how the concept has transformed into an architectural form

Who are you presenting it to?

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In what software or medium are you presenting it to? (models, powerpoint, video, etc.)

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How much do your audience know about your project and how much you have to tell them?

Why are you doing these drawings?

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Interim presentation for architecture where potential strangers might be examining your work.

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These drawings also contribute to your folio to get a job, for a competition and to demonstrate the progression of the studios.

Presentation + Communication 1. What is your design position?

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How are you framing your design as a solution to your interpretation of the studio’s agenda.

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Grab audiences attention and enable them to analylize the project in your terms

2. Narrative: a form of story telling -

To guide your image and technique selection, your layout of pages and verbal communication.

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Know your big idea

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The layout of the presentations represents a predetermined storyline

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It also communicates your design concept and shows it in a logical sequence

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Narratives share insights into the creative process that the audience may not detect from design solution.

3. Knowing your concept -

And using your graphics to illustrate

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Support it with an insightful title, annotation, repetitive colour coding and use familiar symbols

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Through conceptual drawings you can use things such as diagrams to advance the process of an idea. Complex ideas also have to be made explicit, doing this requires a language of abstraction.

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It’s also important to show the process of concept to reality

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WHAT IS THE BIG IDEA THAT THE DESIGN IS TESTING?

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1. ttUse of precedent -

Research to support and justify the outcomes

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It illustrates the reason of innovation, history and knowledge.

2. Three levels of communication -

Visual Scanning

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Three levels of communication: 1. First overall impression (entire composition) 2. Main image on the page 3. Secondary detail to support your idea (both written + graphic)

3. Presentation techniques_2d, 3d+ graphics -

Explore your options, expand your skills through inspiration from other presentation techniques.

4. The observer – how the eye works -

The eye detects movement and change, it seeks the greatest visual interest.

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Why do we add diagrams? Diagrams can be used to express design concepts and simplifying ideas as well. I am reminded the importance of diagrams from topics A.

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Opportunities and threats diagram

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Existing conditions of site diagram

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Juxtapose by having a text that explains the concept. Followed by a diagram of the idea with the actual plan of the outcome together.

5. Laying out the page -

What is your first impression you are creating?

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What is the focus of each page?

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What are your big idea that you are testing with this design?

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What presentation skills do you have/want to develop?

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What drawings will best communicate your design?

6. Talking to your pages -

Focus on things that cannot be visually scanned by audience

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Set the scene

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Focus on relationships between different pages

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Use your voice and gestures to highlight

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Engage the audience

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Sound passionate about the project

- Do not start with an apology or highlight a problem.

Reflection: This is a very detailed explaination of what us student should know in every studio. It’s true that I spend so much time on the development of the design itself that I neglect the presentation and selling pitch. The layout of the board is what I probably spend the least time in, which is evident from a mock-up presentation below.

But this lecture has given me guidelines on how to time myself accordingly and to prepare for presentations.

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Mock-up Presentation reflection based on lecture.

The presentation board presented is for studio earth. For that studio they gave us the freedom of designing our own layout for the presentation. But as you can see, not much thought has been given as to the storytelling of the overall concept. This was highly due to me having to alter many ideas of my design and to adhere to the context that I neglected the processes of creating a proper presentation board.

Time management is an important aspect that I need to grasp in order to successfully follow all the design processes that I need to do.

CONCLUSION CONCLUSION Mastering Your Design Process

By Stephanie Liddicoat Exploration of different aspects of the Design process •

Video/ Cinematography

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Physical Models

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Photography

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Usage of narrative

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Understanding the users

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Artistic media/diagramming

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Exploration of technology

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Exploration of wearable space

Video/ Cinematography How can we use video/ cinematography in our design?

Explaination of a task: Students from a masters program are to consider a building that haunts their memory and represent that experience through film.

This task helped to isolate aspects of experience that were important, fear. This also explored ways of representing space and experience and through that it informs us an understanding of architectural strategies to create an experience.

And from there you can develop and implement it in your own design project.

Physical Models Physical models are created to convey abstract concept and to clarify key themes.

Photography Photography is a way to explore different types of media, emotion, translucency, colour, materiality, depth and etc. Photography can also help to define materiality and light of the final design and how it is related to the experience.

Usage of Narratives Narratives can be used to describe spatial experiences and can be repeated for each key space within a certain scheme. The arrangement of the narrative follows the order in which you experience the spaces. It also helps clarify user experience without the use of graphics.

Artistic Media/ Diagramming Through storyboarding and diagramming. A narrative of sorts is formed to understand user journey. It also provides clarity to spatial aspects.

Diagramming can be used as a means to explain separate details of a large site within one set of diagrams.

This separation allows the design to be developed in more detail.

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Understanding the users How can you put yourself in the shoes of the user?

What is a day in their life?

What are their needs, wants, desires?

How does this impact your design?

Initial and precedent research help clarify the needs, wants and desires of a particular demographic as we can see how other designers achieved what we couldn’t. Mapping through diagrams and physical models also help clarify concepts to the users.

Through storyboarding and diagramming. A narrative of sorts is formed to understand user journey. It also provides clarity to spatial aspects.

Diagramming can be used as a means to explain separate details of a large site within one set of diagrams.

This separation allows the design to be developed in more detail.

Exploration of Technology Digital designs can be created through technology to help us have a better grasp on our designs. Technology apps allow us to map physical models with ease and manipulate the data found. Analysing the data and reinterpreting them inside the digital realm.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Diagram your processes.

Examine past projects and see the successes and failures.

Consider strategies to apply next time at those identified weak points Consider how you define success in a design process. Which projects you loved? Hated?

CONCLUSION Where to from here?

There is no definite design process, it is something for myself to explore. Always have a question to ask and keep a decision diary. Get creative by experimenting with different media, materials, settings. And always remember to document the work done through film, photos, renders and even paintings.

Reflection and Learning Outcomes of the Subject.

It actually feels a little sad that this subject has come to an end. Simply because that there were so many things that were explored throughout the semester. This final lecture has summarized what we have learned so far and manages to really refresh my mind of how open and broad the world of architecture is. It has also reminded me to never stop developing my skills, my techniques and my designers’ agenda.

With this subject, it has taught me many skills, terminology and methods that I brought over to my other studios and subjects, mainly studio EARTH and Digital Design and Fabrication. Without doubt that I will continue using these skils in future projects and subjects.

I think an aspect I would like to start developing will be the implementation of video/cinematography or film in architecture. I particularly enjoyed B1 because I had never used the medium of video to portray architectural elements and never saw the effectiveness of it.

Furthermore, I also found my weaknesses and my strengths. That being conceptual ideas come out really fast is my strength however turning these concepts into architectural forms is always the hardest challenge for myself.

Overall, I think this subject has enabled me to explore the world of architecture and it’s many forms through experimentation and development.

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