SEMESTER 01, 2017. THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
DESIGN WORKSHOP JOURNAL P A R T
B :
E X P L O R I N G
D E S I G N
RAYYAN A. ROSLAN
I D E A S
The process of design starts with exploration. The best designers carefully move from one to the other, making sure they spend enough time exploring before locking themselves into a design approach. JARED SPOOL
Written by: RAYYAN A. ROSLAN STUDENT ID 582163 STUDIO 01 TUTOR: KATICA PEDISIC
ARCHITECTURE I N F L U E N C E D F R O M F I L M S 01
Articulation of space Knowledge of narration & filming
Films Architecture & buildings
Abstract diagrams creating plans & forms
Constructs ‘function’ within the space
Considers movement, circulation flow
CAMERIMAGE LODZ CENTRE FRANK GEHRY
02
THE HOTEL LUZERNE JEAN NOUVEL
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DUTCH HOUSE REM KOOLHAAS
Conceptual building design. Images on the building is taken from a film. Designed based on the complex narrative of the film & projected on the building.
Each rooms includes a unique ceiling or wall projections depicting 30 film scenes from Nourel’s personal background. Providing a cinematic experience. Each scene expressed the mood and setting of each rooms.
Ramp was designed based on the complex angle adapted from the scenes of ‘CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI’ (top picture). Influenced from the expressionist films (artistic expression).
T H E
W O R K S
O F
ELEMENTS AND THEMES IN FILMS DESCRIBING THE CHARACTERS OR MEANING OF THE FILM IS ADAPTED AND TRANSLATED INTO THE FORMS OF ARCHITECTURE
ARCHIDIRECTOR CITY
CONCEPT INSPIRED FROM TIM BURTON’S F I L M S K E T C H E S
F I L M S A N D A R C H I T E C T U R E FILMS EXPRESSION THROUGH ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS 01
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SPIRALS & CIRCULAR (BASIC GEOMETRIES)
CURVED LINES AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT
+ SHARP EDGES AND NON-LINEAR FORMS
COMBINATIONS OF ELEMENTS
FORM SUGGEST STRUCTURE TO EACH EMBODIED ELEMENT
ARCHITECTURE IN EACH SCENES ARE BEING ADAPTED TO CONVEY THE SPATIAL EXPERIENCES AND SETTINGS AS PEOPLE MOVE THROUGH THE ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS
PASSAGE WAYS // OZU
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WINDOWS // TARR
THE MONTAGE T H E O R Y GENERATING NEW MEANINGS BY DIFFERENT FRAGMENTS
S E R G E I EISENSTEIN
FILM DIRECTOR / FILM THEORIST PRACTISE OF MONTAGE IN FILM
EXPERIMENTED WITH FILM SCENES THROUGH “LINKAGE” OF RELATED IMAGES
EXPLORED MONTAGE AND REALISED THAT “COLLISION” OF SHOTS CAN BE USED TO MANIPULATE EMOTIONS OF AUDIENCE
CREATED FILM METAPHORS THROUGH HIS THEORY “METHODS OF MONTAGE”
ADAPTS THE JUXTAPOSITION OF TWO INDEPENDENT SHOTS, BRINGING ELEMET OF COLLAGE INTO FILM
METHOD OF MONTAGE IN ARCHITECTURE
SERGEI EISENSTEIN’S METHOD OF MONTAGE
ARCHITECTURE + MONTAGE
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+ Using the same shot (a man smiling) with different images or fragments creates different meanings in each combination or montage
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Highly influences architecture through the idea of movement and narration of spaces.
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Using similar diagrams to Eisenstein’s storyboard depicting different fragments of forms
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Multiplicity in the point of views from the narrative in creating the ‘form’ of the film
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Instead of narrative scenes, architectural elements are created and discussed in each montage
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Storyboard by Eisenstein above describes the montage of different fragments and point of view providing different parts of narrative within just one film
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Combination of complex forms and abstraction with different points of views from the result of the assemblage of each architectural element. Provides information of each phases
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Similar to Architecture: Our perception to architecture is an assemblage of multiple points of views and we make that assemblage in our mind creating each facades the way we want it to be from the ‘montage’ of elements
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Ability to describe a different perspective and point of views on each facades, giving them a unique “storyline” and “meaning” to the overall form of the architectural work
Conceptual design of buildings consisting of different fragments & forms put together creating an entire new idea towards architecture.
Combination of two different fragments in one facade. Keeping the old facade (traditional) amongst new facade with louvres (modern). Produces a succeful assemblage in architecture from the idea of montage.
MUSIC
MOVEMENT
SHOT 01
SHOT 02
SHOT 03
SHOT 04
SHOT 05
SHOT 06
CONSISTENCY IN HIGH MOVEMENT AND OBSTACLE THROUGH SPACE
ZERO MOVEMENT THROUGH SPACE
SLOW TEMPO AND SOFT LOW TEMPO AND TONE
AS INCRE
MPO E IN TE
MEDIUM TEMPO AND TONE
HIGH TEMPO AND TONE
SHOT 05
A
C O M P I L A T I O N
O F
S H O T S
SHOT 04
- Use technique of storyboarding to communicate & try to utilise the same frames & composition as the shots of your film.
S T O R Y B O A R D SHOT 02
SHOT 03
SHOT 04
SHOT 05
ELEVATION
MOVEMENT
PLAN VIEW
PERSPECTIVE
SHOT 01
SHOT 03
SHOT 02
HIGH MOVEMENT THROUGH OBSTACLES
SHOT 01
03
SHOWER
01 02 03 04 05
PHONE LAPTOP PEN NOTEBOOKS TABLES
06 07 08 09 10
CHAIRS WATER BOTTLE PLATES CARS SHOES
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BEDROOM 04
02
TOILET
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07
KITCHEN
06
DINING AREA
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09 10
01
SKYLIGHTS
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ROOMS WITH EFFICIENT SPACE
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BASKETBALL LOCATED OUTSIDE AND NEAR MIN’S BEDROOM
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SLIDING DOOR FOR ENTRANCE ALLOWING NATURAL VENTILATION
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NATURAL LIGHT THROUGHOUT THE INTERNAL SPACES
LIVING ROOM
Less than 15 minutes
EASY CIRCULATION FLOW
More than 15 minutes
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NO WINDOWS
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ROOMS ARE NARROW AND NEAR TO AREAS WHERE THEY DON’T SPEND TOO MUCH TIME IN
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NOISE LEVEL HIGH
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BASKETBALL AND CARPORT LOCATED RIGHT INSIDE OF THE HOUSE
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KITCHEN & DINING NARROW AND WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO FIT THE 3 OF US AT THE SAME TIME
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CRAMP, TIGHT SPACES, LIMITING EASY CIRCULATION FLOW
FOR TWO ARTIST
PAINTER + SCULPTOR
2 BEDROOMS 2 BATHROOMS SHARED KITCHEN SHARED STUDIO SPACE T
H
E
BLUE + GREY
B
BREAKFAST DINING AREA LIVING ROOM OUTDOOR BATHROOMS
R
I
E
CONCEPT CIRCULAR ROOMS
F
STUDIO SPACE PAINTING SCULPTING OUTDOORS DINING AREA
COLOURS INFLUENCING CREATIVITY
SHARED WORK AREA WITH SEPARATE SPACES FOR PAINTING/SCULPTMAKING
KITCHEN DINING AREA BATHROOMS LIVING ROOM BEDROOMS
This module covering CINEMA & ARCHITECTURE is by far my most favourite learning content in Design Workshop. At the start of Part B, I had a quick read about Cinema + Architecture and i didnt expect this two mediums can be collaborated to form new ideas which is greatly influential to modern day architecture. The knowledge of film/screenplay can be explored into the works of architecture by introducing the methods of montage and assemblage allowing architects to create a new language in their design ideas. It is by exploring and experimentation of ideas that enables designers to create a new language in their works. While doing a personal research to explore further with the concept of montage or assemblage in architecture, I came across works by PHILLIP SCHAERER who creates a conceptual design of buildings by colliding different materials, position of architectural elements and the overall form of the structure to create different meanings on each facades. The top images on the right shows the idea of these aspects of assemblage through SCHAERER’s work of fictional architectures. These works are similar to Filip Dujardin in creating conceptual design ideas. It may not be built but by exploring ideas as such allows architects and designers to broaden their scope of designing and the opportunity to integrate them into future architectural works. Architecture are also featured in all screenplay and films to compliment the overall setting and mood of the narrative. Both mediums plays an important role to describe the experience of users and audience. Communicating architectural elements and the ways users experience it through film allows audience to also have a first hand experience and a better understanding of the quality in the element. I came across a video in VIMEO by NICK JEREMIAH who created a short film about Architecture. In his short film, it depicts the details in each architectural element clearly and the black and white setting allows the audience to focus on the quality of structure and form of the chosen elements. Using film methods as such allows audience to appreciate the details of architecture and it allows designers to realise other potential for improvement as communication of ideas as such is much more engaging and interactive. I would definitely love to experiment further in my future design studios by collaborating the use of film and architecture to communicate my design ideas and also as a part of my design process in creating unique forms towards my building project. It would make my board more engaging, interesting and easier to understand based on the aspect of spatial experience and site analysis. I really look forward to explore more on the design methods I should approach and make use of in my future design studio projects.
PAUL ARDEN
https://vimeo.com/145101111
WHAT
A conclusion reached after consideration
A moment you choose between options
The actions of resolving a question or deciding something
Resolving a question inherent in your project
Selecting a metaphor in your design project
Ability to make decisions quickly
Selecting a design method to employ next
Selecting a scale to focus on the next development stage
Selecting elements to edit or reduce in your design
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HOW
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OUTCOME
THINKING ABOUT THE SITUATION AND HOW YOUR THINKING RELATES TO THE CONTEXT. MAKING A STEP TO APPROACH THE CONTEXT REFLECTING BACK TO HOW YOUR DESIGN DECISION FITS THE SITUATION YOU’RE WORKING ON.
LOOKING AT THE POTENTIAL OF BRINGING PROJECTS FURTHER. WORKING AT MULTIPLE SCALES AND PERSPECTIVES. BROADEN THE IDEA TOWARDS THE METAPHOR IN YOUR DESIGN. EXPLORE OPTIONS TO ACHIEVE THE AIM OF YOUR PROJECT
DELAY RESPONSE AND REFLECT ON THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT. SELECTING THE DESIGN METHODS AND EXPLORE THE WAYS OF PRODUCING YOUR DESIGN. OPENING TO NEW PERSPECTIVES (FIRST IDEA ISN’T NECESSARILY THE BEST OPTION).
FRAMING OF RESEARCH AND TO COMMUNICATE INTERPRETATIONS CLEARLY. UNDERSTANDING YOUR ASSUMPTIONS AND CONDUCT REFLECTIONS IF IT IS LOGICAL. STEPPING BACK AND REVIEW IF THE DESIGN IDEA IS WHAT YOU HAVE INTENDED AND IF IT FITS WITH THE OVERALL INTENTION OF THE PROJECT.
PREVENT FROM REDUCING YOUR SCOPE OF EXPLORING. RECOGNISE ASSUMPTIONS AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS WITH PEERS. GETTING FEEDBACKS ALLOWS MORE OPPORTUNITIES AND OPTIONS FOR YOU TO EXPLORE.
SUPPORT YOUR INTERPRETATION TO SHOW YOUR JOURNEY. BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE YOUR DESIGN PROCESS AND IDEAS, PROVIDING CRITICS AND AUDIENCE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR DESIGN JOURNEY
EXPAND KNOWLEDGE THROUGH RESEARCH. BROADEN YOUR FIELD OF UNDERSTANDING (USE OF PRECEDENTS). REFLECT ON YOUR RESEARCH AND SEEK FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES ON WHAT YOU HAVE DISCOVERED
GET FEEDBACKS FROM PEERS AND CRITICS. IMPROVE ON YOUR VISUAL COMMUNICATION AND DESIGN IDEAS. ASCERTAIN YOUR ASSUMPTIONS AND REFLECT BACK AGAIN IF IT MAKE SENSE AND IF THE DESIGN INTENTION AND IDEAS ARE LOGICAL FOR THE PROJECT.
LOOK FOR PATTERNS IN THE DECISION YOU MAKE AND THE PROCESSES IN YOUR DESIGN IDEAS. ARE THEY ALWAYS THE SAME? STARTING OUT WITH RESEARCH, SITE ANALYSIS? ANY DIFFERENCE BASED ON OTHER PROJECTS? BE AWARE OF THE PATTERNS AND MAKE USE OF THE PREFERRED METHODS
INTEGRATE THESE IN YOUR DESIGN. MAKE SURE WHAT YOU’RE SAYING MATCHES THE DESIGN. INTENTION SHOULD GO PERFECTLY TOGETHER WITH THE DESIGN. ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU KEEP IN TRACK WITH YOUR INTENTION, PLANNING AND DESIGN PROCESSES THROUGHOUT THE DESIGN JOURNEY.
EVALUATING YOUR OWN DESIGN
GRAPHIC DIAGRAMS SHOWING IMPORTANT ASPECTS IN THE DESIGN
REVIEWING SUCCESS RATINGS
REFLECTION ON STRENGTH & WEAKNESSES
EVALUATING SUCCESS RATE
RESEARCH & ANALYSIS
STRENGTH & WEAKNESS
REFLECTION ON REFINING & AREAS OF IMPROVEMENTS
UNDERSTANDING DESIGN PROJECT
INTRO/ BRIEF
DEVELOPMENT STAGES
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STRENGTH & WEAKNESS
FINALISING STAGES
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This idea of communicating design process is mostly conducted in all of my design studio subjects where we individually present our ideas and decisions in design. Feedback were then given which highlights strength & weaknesses and we can then reflect on the options and strategies on refinements and improvements to help us proceed and follow through in our future design journey.
REVIEWING IMPROVEMENTS
DOCUMENTING THE CHOICES AND ACTIONS TAKEN
HIGHLIGHT STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
STRATEGIES TO HELP ON IMPROVEMENTS
S T R U C T U R E
B L O C K I N G S
I D E A P R O C E S S
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T O
E X A M P L E
D E S I G N
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S T U D E N T
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COMBINGING YOUR PAST PROJECTS AND REVIEW THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS IN EACH PROJECT. HIGHLIGHT SIMILAR SUCCESS OR FAILURE RATES. IDENTIFY KEY POINTS THAT MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL OR A FAILED DESIGN ATTEMPT. ELIMINATE THE PROCESSES WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO FAILURES AND FOLLOW THROUGH WITH SUCCESSFUL PATTERN OF CHOICES IN THE DESIGN PROCESS.
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D E S I G N
P
O V E R C O M I N G
“By understanding our decision making, we can better understand our own design agendas and then actively and consciously adjust these as we see fit.”
REFLECTION ON MY DECISION MAKING BIASES
ALLOWS YOU TO SEE THE STEPS YOU TOOK, THE MEDIA AND METHODS THAT YOU USED. (SKETCHING, MODELS, FILMS). ABLE TO MAKE COMPARISON AND SEE THE LOGIC EMERGING FROM THE DESIGN DECISIONS IN THE PROCESS. THE BETTER YOU UNDERSTAND, THE LESS LIKELY YOU WILL GET STUCK IN YOUR DESIGN PROCESS.
THE KINDS OF DECISION BIASES
What is the context/design brief? What are clients/users interest or needs in the context? What is the site conditions and obstacles that I need to consider? Are there any opportunities that allows my design to be developed further in order to improve the requirements set by clients/users? What are the risks I am taking in my design processes?
Have I reflect back on my decisions with reasons to make sure it is on track with my design intention? Does my design intention and processes meets the criteria of the context/brief? Are there any precedents that may help to broaden the scope of my design ideas/decisions? Which aspects of my design processes does not work or what works? Why?
How do I overcome the risks and ensure that it leads to success in my final design?
Have I gained any feedbacks from experts, peers or the public in order for me to get different perspectives of my design?
Are there any other methods or techniques I should explore to identify which are the ones that suits the design best?
From the feedbacks, what are the areas I need to improve on and what ideas am I keeping?
How do I approach the context? What are the strategies I should take and the experimentation I should conduct in my design process? Does the design process I am planning to take reflect back to any weaknesses or strength in my past projects?
MY WEAKEST POINT! HARDLY TAKE RISK IN DECISION MAKING
D I V E R G I N G
&
C O N V E R G I N G
SOLUTION PRINCIPLES PRODUCT IDEA
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CONCEPTS
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DETAILED DEFINITIVE DESIGN
PRELIMINARY DESIGNS
Have I explored enough before making a final decision for my design?
Are there any other aspects I can add on to make the spatial experience better or improve on the metaphor of the design?
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03
ALTERNATIVES
CONSEQUENCES
GOALS
2 OR MORE ALTERNATIVES.
CONSIDERING THE CHANCES OF FAILURES.
VARIOUS MATERIALS, METHODS, TECHNIQUES TO CONSIDER FOR THE NEXT PHASE.
TAKING RISKS BASED ON THE ALTERNATIVES.
ELABORATION OR ELIMINATION OF A PARTICULAR CONCEPT
How do I communicate my ideas?
If I am the user of my design, will I be satisfied?
01
EVALUATION & DECISION MAKING
EVALUATION & DECISION MAKING
The diagram above describe how in between each phases, alternative solutions are developed and it is through the evaluation and decision making process between the transitions of the phases that takes place to arrive to the detailed definite design. In all of my design studio projects, decision making is the most crucial part to determine if my design solution meets the brief and it is one of the reasons why I have never taken risks to avoid complications in the final phases!
DESIRED CONSEQUENCES OF THE ACTION WHICH FOLLOWS DECISION.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE BALANCE OF PROFIT OR LOSS.
In evaluating the consequences, one should take into account only one, or rather many, criteria. Another important characteristics of decisions is the measure of uncertainty. In some situations, the consequences depend not only on the chosen alternative, but also on factors outside the control of the decision maker. This is especially in the analysis and structuring of the decision problem and in the choice of the decision method.
SITE ANAYSIS, RESEARCH, EXPLORING ON IDEAS TO IMPROVE SPATIAL EXPERIENCE, CIRCULATION, NATURAL LIGHT & VENTILATION WITHIN THE SPACE OF THE BUILDING.
PRODUCING A SCALE MODEL TO REPRESENT MY DESIGN IDEAS & EXPERIMENTING WITH NATURAL LIGHT. FEEDBACKS WERE GIVEN BY TUTORS TO KEEP MY IDEAS AND REFINE ON SEVERAL ASPECTS.
GENERATING & DEVELOPING IDEAS. ELIMINATION PROCESS TO SUIT WITH DESIGN INTENTION. CONSIDERING THE SIZE OF EACH FUNCTIONS AND LOCATION WITHIN SITE. (VIEWS, NATURAL LIGHT, SPATIAL HIERARCHY)
FINAL STAGES OF MY DESIGN. COMBINING MY DESIGN IDEAS THROUGH HIGH VISUAL FIDELITY BY USING SITE PLAN, DIAGRAMS, SECTIONS AND PERSPECTIVE VIEWS TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF SPATIAL EXPERIENCE TO THE AUDIENCE.
TO PRODUCE A GOOD DESIGN...
TRY TO DO OR TO DESIGN THE BEST OR THE MOST PERFECT
TRY TO TEASE OUT WHAT IS POSSIBLE EVEN IF IT LOOKS VERY STRANGER. THEN CHOOSE YOUR DESIGN.
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TAKE A BREAK
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CHANGING DESIGNER’S FRAME OF REFERENCE
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CHANGING MEDIUM OF WORKING
01
UNSURE OF WHAT A PERFECT ROOM REALLY IS
01
IMAGINATION IS ALOT BUT TO DRAW IT WITHIN 3MIN IS DIFFICULT
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CHANGING WHEN YOU WORK
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SHORT PERIOD OF TIME (3MIN) TO COME OUT WITH AN IDEA
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MIXED UP FEELINGS OF WHAT BEAUTIFUL REALLY IS
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ARBITRARY EXERCISES
03
TRYING TO CONSIDER FUNCTIONAL ASPECT OF A ROOM
03
DISTRACTIONS AND CHANGING OF IDEAS IN THE MIND
06
ARBITRARY TIME PERIODS
01
KINAESTHETIC -
BODY SMART
02
LOGICAL -
NUMBER SMART
PERCEPTUAL BLOCK
03
INTRAPERSONAL -
MYSELF SMART
Cannot see problem or useful information. Lack of knowledge and understanding of the typical brief.
04
VISUAL/SPATIAL -
PICTURE SMART
EMOTIONAL BLOCK
05
LINGUISTIC -
WORD SMART
06
INTERPERSONAL -
PEOPLE SMART
Fear of risk, unable to tolerate ambiguity, prefer to judge not generate. Cannot let go of an idea even if it is not working. No right answers to design making students afraid of taking risks.
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MUSICAL -
MUSIC SMART
CULTURAL BLOCK
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NATURALISTIC -
NATURE SMART
Play is for children, emotions bad/logic good, tradition better than change.
ENVIRONMENTAL BLOCK WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU TURN YOUR SITE PLAN AROUND 90 OR 180 DEGREES AND WORK AWAYS FOR A WHILE? WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU SWICTH PLANS TO ISOMETRIC / AXONOMETRIC / OBLIQUE DRAWINGS? WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU SHIFT 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 SHIFT TO PHYSICAL MODELLING FROM WORDS AND DIAGRAMS?
Lack cooperation, trust; autocratic leader, distractions, lack of support for realization. Negative team environment.
INTELLECTUAL BLOCK Inflexibility, inadequate use of approaches, insufficient and incorrect information.
EXPRESSIVE BLOCK Inappropriate language/mode of approach, inadequate language/mode for expressing or recording of ideas.
Z A H A HADID
LIST-MAKING
CONCEPTUAL ABILITY
LIST-MAKING UTILIZES THE COMPULSIVE SIDE OF MOST OF US IN A WAY THAT MAKES US INTO EXTREMELY PRODUCTIVE CONCEPTUALIZERS.
SET A CHECK LIST THAT YOU CAN APPLY TO THE THINKING PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE NOT BEEN TRAPPED BY BLOCKS.
OBSERVATION
QUESTIONING
JAY CHAN learns to be excited about a new idea and to keep him going in designing creatively, he thinks about his idea all the time - recording it down in a design journal. The excitement is what carries him through the beginnings stages of a project when the vision seems so clear. As the he goes on, the momentum is a little harder to come by and when gets stuck on some details he heads off the problem by creating a MOODBOARD. This is a board where he starts to collect ideas and collaborate them together to form a collage of different images, photos, landscapes, sketches. It serves him well in his design workflow and defines the direction of his project. This is also useful for his future projects as when he get caught once again, he already have a collection of inspiration and ideas to refer back to.
HAND LETTERING ARTIST SAN ANTONIO
SEAN MCCABE finds that the hardest part of a project is just getting started. It is when he builds up pressure on himself to create something amazing from the start and it is by this perception of perfectionalism that makes it difficult to start. He had the problem of worrying about failure which he mentions to break past that in order to get a better chance of doing well in his projects. To gain strength is to overcome your fear and failure was his fear. He mentions “starting out by coming up with worst solution can sometimes help you overcome inertia. The idea is to at least get you started. Don’t even worry about necessarily creating something that you’ll even be able to use. Just get something out there.”
HIS DESIGN PROCESS WHEN CREATING HAND LETTERINGS EXAMPLES OF HIS PERSONAL MOODBOARD
DIRECTOR & ANIMATOR LONDON
JOHNNY KELLY finds that writing things down can be helpful in dealing with his creative blocks. He uses a sketchbook at early stages of every project and ends up writing lists for ever aspect of the brief he is working on. The end results might look a little odd (image bottom left) some of which can be drawings but it is helpful to empty his mind onto the page where he can look at it more objectively and choose which works or ideas is the best. He advises to keep a personal sketchbook on hand and wherever he goes, in case some ideas strikes, he writes it down instantly making himself a collection of ideas in which he can go through when facing a creative block.
SCHOOL OF BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
UNDERMINES THE CREATIVE ENTERPRISE
I was assigned to the AMENITY GROUP and we decided to conduct an exercise that helps students to identify the design problems seen in everyday life. In this way, we are better able to arrive at realistic solutions that will in turn help us to use the same products or space but in a more effective manner. Our tasks relates closely to the function of spaces, objects, concepts rather than the idealistic ideas behind themes such as poetry and technology. Our theme has a central focus of practicality and how one can physically most effectively use the design. We have allowed for freedom of choice when it comes to identifying problems and solutions with a rubric of design decisions to bring the focus back to the practicality and function
In the evaluation and presentation phases, students evaluated their design solutions based on the rubrics they have made and reflected on the decisions towards their final design. Most students identified the lack of space, natural light, circulation, equipments and amenities such as toilets in the MSD and proposed a design which responded to the problems identified. Most students engaged with diagrams to show movement flow and work spaces in the MSD and presented their design solutions through similar methods. No students so far took videos to demonstrate the problems identified which may be useful as expressed in PART B1 where short films/videos of movement of people within the space can actually allow audience to clearly understand the type of spatial experience. This may be due to time constraint but it allows me to reflect on the type of techniques and methods I can adapt in my future design projects to present my ideas and the design problems clearly. This activity is successful in a way to get students engaged in indentifying problems, creating a decision rubrics for themselves as a guide and finally to create a design solution which address the problems.
The first task is interesting which shows how technology aids with designing as it fastens the process with accuracy in creating shapes and patterns.
The second task is similar to the first as it demonstrates the efficiency of using technology to create a rendered drawing or a high visual fidelity in presentations.
We were instructed to draw circles and to get them close to perfect. It was a rather difficult to create perfect circles with no tools in hand and in average, we were only able to get 2 circles close to perfect out of the rest of all attempts.
I did not have any laptop with me during that time and was told to create a rainforest with 10 different animals by hand. Sketching has been a tool I used most of the time in all of my design studio projects but to create a realistic render is almost impossible as I do not have the capability to achieve such quality!
The group then demonstrates how this can be easily done with the aid of technology through Rhino and Grasshopper as multiple circles are created within seconds which also allows you to set the sizes, spaces and patterns with accuracy. This is a good reflection on how technology aids designing in the modern world, however, hand sketches is also helpful in delivering quick presentations of ideas and developing design ideas. This is similar to my experience in design studio Water, as initially I thought of doing everything by hand. It was easy to develop ideas through sketches but I faced difficulty trying to create complex form with accuracy when refining my final design. Therefore, I decided to learn CAD programs for the final design which actually helps me so much in creating a rendered presentation to clearly demonstrate my ideas with accuracy and detailed information.
Technology on the other hand allows a detailed render of the rainforest and the animals within a short period of time as I took longer than those who are doing it with CAD programs like photoshop and illustrator. In my own opinion, there are aspects where technology might be helpful based on creating realistic renders, accuracy in shapes and patterns, however hand drawn sketches enables a designer to quickly brainstorm, present their ideas and to develop their ideas through repeated refinements which is much more convenient through traditional methods of sketching. Therefore, I only used technology for final renderings to produce a high visual fidelity in my presentations in order to make it engaging and clear in my demonstration of the design solutions.
The second task is rather interactive. The POETRY group played a song by Bruno Mars and we were told to move around the class to the song and keep in mind of the traces of our movement.
In TASK 01, a poem was played for us from a scene of the movie Insterstellar. We were then instructed to pick a word and design a spaceship to describe the chosen word. I was lost at the start of the exercise at first as it was pretty difficult to design a spaceship based on a poem that uses words of emotions. It then came to me to reflect on the use of montage as demonstrated in CINEMA & ARCHITECTURE in part B1 of this module and to create a design with a metaphorical meaning behind it. This actually helps with the task as I could then further develop the design of my spaceship and setting the chosen word as a theme in my design. This technique can probably be adapted in my future design studio projects to create unique artistic design by thinking of the different approaches available in my design processes. Whenever I get stuck in a design phase, options like this may give a light to move forward towards the direction of my design solution.
Once the music is stopped, we were told to trace back our steps and I used a diagram to show the area of the classroom with two tables to show the obstacle I have to circulate around. After tracing our steps, we were told to design a pavilion for dancing based on our traces. My idea was to use the form of my traces and to extrude it upwards to create a shaded pavilion with an open space where there is no movement. Within 5 minutes I sketched a perspective view and a plan view to show the negative spaces and the extrusion of my traces to form the shaded area for dancing in the pavilion. I feel like this task is similar to the first one in a sense that it got us engaged in a design which involves creating and adapting a theme or metaphor to describe in our design ideas. I enjoy exercises like this as it involves creative thinking and to also consider the functional aspect of the overall form. It is similar to Designing Environments, which is much more conceptual as we were told to create a short story about anything and then to create a Pavilion from our short story but to consider a function for people to meet. It allows us to think about different methods, techniques and approaches in our design phase to develop such design ideas.
This is by far my favourite task of them all. It requires us to create a sentence leading to our story and pass to the next person for them to continue the story for us. We have 10 seconds for each boxes and it is somewhat similar to the crazy nine exercise where we do not think too much and just write down whatever that comes up in our head. This reveals the creativity side of our individuality and how fast we can come up with an idea. Once we got back our storyboards, we were then required to draw something to demonstrate the sentence. Again, engaging us in a sense of metaphor in our drawings and designing which makes it a good practise for us to quickly come up with ideas based on montage and assemblage.
PAULA SCHER