More To Explore

MORE TO EXPLORE

U20111

Living next to a busy road has never been boring, there are a lot of activities and places to explore.Though there are a lot more interesting activities taking place in these areas, I tried to capture the landmarks and major activities happening in my neighbourhood. For a better understanding and to provide a greater insight I also compared the activity rates during day and night in those areas. Moreover to make this exercise interesting i have also shown a street view of the most busy road of my neighbourhood. There were many interesting areas to pick but the area which caught my attention the most was the area below because it covers all the major activities that I intended to map. I plotted an area of 690m by 690m on Google Earth app and made a cognitive map of my neighbourhood which showed all the major landmarks, like the police station, malls, garden, temple, bank etc.

Figure 3: The Base of All Maps Note. Different colours representing different kinds of buildings and area

Then I took a tour of my neighbourhood observing different types of buildings, major landmarks and different types of activities happening around. Then I placed the Google Earth image in Autodesk Sketchbook and started tracing it with different line weights, opacity and colour, tracing every tiny little detail from the Google Earth image for my base map. I used different line weights for denoting different types of roads, Highway, primary roads and secondary roads with opacity increasing from secondary road to highway. I used different colors for showing different types of buildings and places, like light grey for bungalows, blue for apartments, yellow for commercial buildings, different shades of black for roads, etc. After tracing all the details of my neighbourhood, I took a new canvas in Autodesk Sketchbook, bigger in size than that of the base map, and placed the basemap on the left hand side and a N symbol for denoting north direction on the bottom right side of base map. Then I used a writing pen tool for writing, heading, name and location of the area on the top right corner with a large font size so that it is easily readable and draws the reader’s attention.

After analysing all the activities throughout the day and drawing conclusions from them, a final map was made using the base map that I prepared. In order to signify the activities and the places I used symbols to address them and to compare the activity rates I designed a symbol with the idea of location symbol used for marking locations and filled different colors to indicated the activity rate during day and night by changing its proportion inside the symbol, to give another dimension to my mapping skills. I also included a street view of the location which is overcrowded throughout the day, to give viewers an idea about the place and also jotted down activities happening in the places I marked in my map. This exercise made me look at my neighbourhood with a different perspective and now I have become more observant and aware of my surroundings . I discovered that most of my neighbourhood consists of residential areas and so many small local shops which I barely noticed. This exercise also enabled me to think creatively regarding mapping and symbol designs and provided me with a sense of achievement and satisfaction with my work and taught me that: “Great Work May Take Time And Patience But Gives Immense Joy When Accomplished”.

READING OBJECTS, WRITING CRAFT R7

Describing Spaces

DESCRIBING SPACES R7

Just as in the first semester we focused on learning to see pieces of furniture and products around as like designers would, this semester we begin to look at spaces around us similarly. Find a built space that you have access to (your home/ block of flats/ a neighbourhood park/ an acquaintance’s work space etc) and something that interests you about it (as a designer!). Capture details of the experience of the space for multiple types of users. Connect these experience to the architectural elements which form it, and with the building materials you are able to identify. Use photographs, plans, sketches to support your description.

Process and Steps:

Step 0 In groups of 4, read through the guidelines, choose one from among the sample texts, read it together and answer the questions:

1. What does the text focus on describing? (the experience of a specific user? The way materials generate a specific experience?

The way form generates a specific experience?) 2. What are the important things the text notes about • Approach to the space (the way you reach/ see/ experience the space when you arrive there) • The boundaries of the space (a house, a building, a room within a building, stairs and corridors in a building, etc) • The way the text talks about each architectural element in the space (form, material, texture, light, colour, sound, etc) • The way the text explains the connection between the elements • The kind of users the text talks about and those the text does not talk about

Step 1 Find a space that allows you to do a detailed description and name the focus of your description. This could be anything like: • A general overall description of a room (you cannot do an overall description of anything larger) • Movement through a larger space/ a building • Changes in light through a space • Different users experiencing a specific space, depending on who they are and their role there (the focus is on the built/ architectural elements, not on the interior design/ furniture) • Specific architectural elements in a larger space (openings, flooring, play of volumes) • Anything else that interests you

Write what interests you in 2 sentences and take enough photographs/ have enough sketches of it to show that you have enough to say.

Step 2 In a group of 5, read/ watch one more text, focusing on the following questions:

1. When the writer looks at the space as a designer, what do they notice? 2. What architectural elements do they talk about? What is important to say about each? 3. How do they connect each architectural element to others around, and to the bigger context? 4. How do they connect aspects of each/ multiple architectural elements to user experience? 5. How do they move from one description aspect to another? 6. What kind of photographs are used to show what they want to focus on?

Write down all the points you find relevant and present them to your peers.

Step 3 Use your experience reading through others’ texts, and all the images you have put together to write the first draft of your description. Make sure you keep in mind the checklist/ sequence below: 1. Naming the space/ building 2. Approach: what does the space present itself like, in relation to context, as one moves towards it? Does it direct movement, stand out, draw attention to itself, merge with the context? Is the approach meandering, direct? 3. Volumes: what is the overall balance of volumes as one nears the space? What does that to do the senses (think light and shadow for sight, the sound of wind through a narrow corridor, the texture of tall doors with wooden panels etc) 4. Plan type with underlying geometry 5. Building elements and materials within the narrower space you have chosen: what is the logic of their location and use? 6. Ornamentation 7. User experience in relation to each one of these. For each of these, make sure you are writing about all your senses.

Step 4 In a group of 5, read/ watch another text and answer the following questions: 1. What are the different aspects the text talks about? 2. In what sequence does it talk about them and how does it connect them? 3. What kind of photographs does the text use?

Individually, also answer these: 1. Does my own description talk about all these aspects (where they are relevant?) 2. What is missing in my description/ flow? 3. Do I need to add photographs?

Use these points for peer feedback as well

Step 5 Go back to your text, incorporate feedback and add content. Rework it so that the sequence allows the reader to feel that they are walking through the space and they are able to experience it the way you want them to. Make sure: 1. Your text does not jump from large to small to large again, without reason. 2. Your photographs focus on specific aspects (the change in flooring as you transition between rooms; the detailing of a baluster; the quality of the kota stone used for the stairs; the specific brick bond used) and your captions name and draw attention to these 3. The users you have thought about are different in terms of age, class/caste, gender, ability, occupation within the space.

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES PROCESS AND PEER LEARNING

DESIGN • Architectural elements • Understanding design in relation to context • Articulating one’s understanding designrelated concerns • Asking questions of the practice of key designers, pertinent to one’s professional field • Acquiring disciplinespecific knowledge through individual and peer group research • Articulating disciplinespecific concerns

• Reading for knowledge • Reading for style • Identifying the workings of structure and style in a given text • Learning through group reading and discussion

READING

WRITING

• Describing material qualities of spaces in relation to user experience • Structuring descriptions of spaces • Connecting title- image- caption- text • Describing spaces through physical qualities and user experience • Providing a descriptive structure/ sequence which enables the reader to imagine the space • Informal peer feedback • Incorporating feedback