Reflection
Virtual Project (14036120) BE1341 – Virtual Project Assignment 001
Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................... 0 Incubation ..................................................................................................................... 2 Concept development .............................................................................................. 2 Design Development .................................................................................................. 2 Detailed design ............................................................................................................ 3
Reflection
Final Communication .................................................................................................. 3
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D Incubation I remember thinking that this part of the project is just going through the motions before getting to the real design work. Something that’s necessary but nothing too important in the whole scheme of the project. However after completing this section and moving on to the initial design stage it really hit me how useful this section has been. While some of my choices that informed my design were personal preference on aesthetics or layouts, nearly all of my ideas came from this stage. For instance, going to the site and being hit by strong winds and icy rain coming off the sea helped me to realise how having the main entrance to Boulmer lifeboat station on the front of the building could be a bad idea. In future, I believe I will step into this stage and start the project which much a greater appreciation for these steps.
Concept development This is a stage I tend to spend a lot of time on, yet seem to get nowhere fast. I have spent countless hours of hastily drawing lines and shapes on sketch up hoping for a brainwave that would help me see the whole project clearly, doubting my abilities and if I’m suitable for the course at all. This was also the case on the Living Pod project. However, each wrong model and drawing has helped me get closer to the real design that I feel is right. I probably learned just as much important information in regards to what I didn’t want to do, or couldn’t do in this stage. Getting more frustrated did have the added benefit of becoming more skilled at Sketchup, trying new plug ins and techniques in the hopes of finding that one design that clicked for me. When I did find my design, I had explored so many avenues and possible construction techniques and materials that the actually design development was made easier.
Design Development I feel this is probably the stage I most enjoy. Once the annoying part of finding a design to focus on is over, I worked hard developing the ideas I had come up with. In regards to my designs on Boulmer, this was the stage I realised that all the answers were essentially in front of me from my experiences during the incubation stage. For me, having a solid set of ideas that I can clearly evaluate, analyse and build my knowledge on was one of the most satisfying parts of the project. I moved from Sketchup to Revit at this stage, which helps me to visualise my ideas much better than Sketchup can. Revit has been a skill I have been trying to hone all year but have not since felt comfortable using it until this project. Learning Revit and being able to apply it to my own design has been very compelling and a vital strength I will be able to take in to the industry when I get a job in an architecture firm. 2
Virtual Project
Detailed design After clearly organising, developing and truly understanding my designs I set to work detailing them. This is a skill I possess when drawing by hand, more so than digitally as I came to realise. I consulted a lot of online guidance and text books to try and figure out how to put key beams into Revit or align my line weights in AutoCad. While this was frustrating, it has at least helped me to see where I need to improve and where there are gaps in my knowledge.
Final Communication
Reflection
I used Revit to present my work because of its good rendering power. This is the first project I have actually understood how to render and had a Revit model worth rendering. Leaning this skill in James’ workshops has been very valuable to me as it is something I have tried to learn in the past and didn’t do very well at so I felt that I had accomplished something. This model will be an example I will use in my portfolio, and I hope to improve on my skills and produce more images and models of this nature and quality.
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