final credit review studio 3d

Well today was the final review for the studio 3d 'undergraduate thesis' project. I think it was a generally positive review, they particularly commented on the graphic quality of the presentation. However, there was some criticism, mostly that my presentation didn't reflect the overall scheme but instead focussed on specific points, losing some of the strength of the concept. I think that this is a fair criticism to make and in hindsight I might have made a few different choices with images to correct this.

Overall I'm quite happy with how it went, I think the project is successful and it's something that I'll be happy to have in my portfolio.

last few days

It's Saturday night and the final credit review for the studio 3D project is on Tuesday. I'm just putting together my sheets at the moment. I've decided to include some hand drawings too after looking back at my portfolio so I hope that works out well.

The above image is one of 28 285x285mm squares which make up my wall presentation. This one is a sectional axonometric view of a tower on the river which supports new events which I've introduced on the water and also acts as a beacon, directing people towards the site.

rothesay pavilion

I visited Rothesay on the Isle of Bute today to see the Rothesay Pavilion. It is a good example of waterfront architecture in Scotland. It is in fairly poor condition currently which is sad but it is quite easy to see why this would have been a special building when it was built in 1938. It consists mainly of a circulation block which runs perpendicular to a large hall on the first floor.

I had never been to this building before but I was really impressed by it. It has a very strong character but manages to fit into its surroundings well and really gives the impression of a building designed for function and events.

final interim tomorrow

Tomorrow will be the final interim review for the studio 3D project. It will be my final chance to get feedback about the project before the final credit review at the end of the month. I need to get as much as possible out of this review to put me in a good position to draw up and present my scheme effectively.

I now need to focus my efforts mainly on designing the key buildings of my scheme. I know the constraints that will govern my design and I'm confident that I can develop some interesting designs for these buildings which will work well with the context of the riverside and also with the theory behind my project.

northern designer competition

I have entered the 2009 Northern Designer competition. I decided to enter my urban housing project because of it's strong relation to it's context. I needed to format it in a clear way which meant reducing it down to the key images for the project. Hopefully I've shown the qualities of the project well and have a good chance of being successful in the competition.

photographic study

Today I went to Kilcreggan and Helensburgh to look at some ideas for building by the water. I plan on visiting a number of different towns which are located near bodies of water in order to get an idea of how I might use architecture to connect the city to the river. I would consider todays trip successful in that respect and I have some good ideas of what I might introduce into the project.

competition - the putting lot

I am planning to enter a competition which has some relevance to my current studio project. The brief is to design a hole for a miniature golf course in Brooklyn, NY whcih allows users to engage with ideas of urban sustainability. The design should incorporate reclaimed materials and have a footprint of less than 200 square feet. This should be an interesting opportunity and if my submission is sucessful then it will certainly be an interesting experience to go to New York and put this together.

From the competition website:

TO THE ARTISTS AND ARCHITECTS

We invite you to design a miniature golf hole that examines ideas of urban sustainability. This can be a critique of a current condition, a prediction for the future, or an example of sustainability in the present. It can be anything that you think is relevant to a critical discussion of neighborhood development and urban sustainability in the past, present, or future.

A main consideration in your design of a golf hole should be that it is fun to play. Recreation is a major aspect of the miniature golf course. Its primary purpose is to act as part of a larger course designed to simultaneously educate and entertain.

easter

I am currently in the middle of the easter break. I'm mostly working on putting together my portfolio, which is an interesting exercise. I think it's beneficial to get a bit of distance from the studio project at the moment, that way I can go back to it with a fresh attitude and make sure that it's heading in the right direction. I have a photographic study to do at some point soon which should back up the concept of my scheme and help me to progress with my design.

Also, Peter Zumthor has won the Pritzker Prize which is great. I can't think of any working architect who comes close to Zumthor.

interim review. 27/3/09

The opportunity to present my project to someone new proved to be very helpful, i think the scheme is heading in the right direction and i have a good idea of where to go from here. I think the most important thing for now is to get a good understanding of the programme for the 'hub' building and also to start thinking about how to make it work within the context of the site.

This is the last week before a 2 week break for easter so it is important to make sure that i am well prepared for tutorials on friday so that i am able to go into the break with a clear idea of what work to do and what direction to go in with my scheme.

poster

preparing for next review

Preparing for the next interim review which takes place this friday. We are joined by a tutor from another unit for this review so it will be interesting to have an opportunity to explain my project to someone new and get their feedback.

The key thing is putting together a cohesive presentation which explains the basic thoughts behind my project. With that out of the way I can be more confident when going into more depth with the scheme.

The project is moving forward well and i'm starting to work more on the physical proposals than research now.

barcelona 5 - 8/3/09

Got back from the 3rd year trip to barcelona earlier this week. We got to see a really diverse range of architecture. It was interesting to see how the buildings related to a context that i'm not particularly familiar with. We also got some lectures to help us understand the background of the city and the buildings we were looking at.

tutorial. 3/3/09

Today was a successful tutorial as I now have a clear idea of what direction to go in with this project. The design which I am thinking of at the moment is a hub which services a range of new activities throughout the city. This hub would be located by the river and would form part of a new 'active' riverside. This is a long project and things can change but I am confident that this direction can lead me to an interesting scheme.

The 3rd year trip to Barcelona starts on Thursday. I'm hoping to find some interesting things in the city to help with my project as well as just enjoying the architecture and our history & theory lectures.

interim review. 27/2/09

This review marked the end of the research stage of the studio 3D project. I produced a 36 page booklet containing everything I have looked at so far. We discussed the next stage of the project and I have a clear idea of what direction to move in.

interim

I am currently working on putting everything I have worked on over the last four weeks into an A5 booklet which is to be presented at the next interim review on the 27th. This will act as a self imposed brief for the rest of the studio 3D project.

Interim review. 13/2/09. Video

or view it here.

To play. draughts

Set up a game of draughts on Buchanan Street yesterday to discover how people would react to a new activity being introduced to the street. The feedback was really positive and the whole event went very well. I was surprised by how interested people were and how willing they were to get involved.

This photo is of Lynne and Sandy, who I told I would put on my blog.

Parkour

I did a small investigation on Parkour, looking at urban and extreme sports and their relationship with the city. Took some photographs of a Parkour group who meet at Rottenrow Gardens on Saturdays.

http://www.glasgowparkour.co.uk/

Studio 3D Introduction

Today we had an introduction to the Studio 3D project which can loosely be defined as a performance space within the city centre of Glasgow. We were given presentations by all of the unit tutors and were then able to choose to move unit if we wished. Although some of the other tutors had interesting ideas for the project I chose to stay in my current unit and to work with the framework that we set up during the last three projects.

Studio 3C Feedback + Semester 1 Results

3rd year had a feedback session today with Peter Welsh and Mike Angus, letting us know how they felt about the quality of work across the year. It went well, they seemed pleased with the work and happy with the quality, especially on a difficult project. I also felt that the negative points that they raised didn't really apply to me so I'm happy about that.

I also got my grades for the first semester. I'm very happy with them. I achieved what I wanted to this semester and I hope that trend continues next semester too.

Studio 3C Credit Review

Yesterday was the review for Studio 3A, our urban housing development.

I think the review went well although some issues were raised. I'm happy with how I presented and how my design came across on the sheets.

Symposium

Attended the Building Biographies Symposium at the Lighthouse on Wednesday.

Really interesting talks about regionalism and globalisation and lots of interesting points about contextuality. I think my favourite speaker was Talbot Sweetapple from MacKay Lyons Sweetapple. Mostly just because I've always been interested in their work and their Ghost Lab projects.