presentation day

Please note we will commence at 9:30 sharp, whoever is first please pin up and be ready to start at 9:30. We have 2 sides of the studio space for pinning up so as soon as one is finished on one side the next person can pin up and be ready to go while we do the other crit. Please be organised amongst yourself to assist with the smooth flow of the day. we are aiming to finish around 3:30-4:00pm latest.
Basically there is 15 minutes per person in total, so about 6 minutes max for verbal presentation and about 9-10 minutes for feedback and discussion. Can I please request someone time the sessions so we dont go off track.

some tips for  DO's and DON'T's for the presentation:

DONT:

1. dont have big titles for the project, with student number and tutor name. keep it small to the side, just name of project on front page and student number small bottom right corner of each page.

2. dont scatter drawings all over the pages randomly. line them up neatly

3. dont have large precedent images, if any. keep them small and together

4. dont have 3D views from mid air. always from person level height

5. dont have random and illogical concept diagrams. keep them to exactly what needs to describe your design

6. dont generate 2D elevations and sections directly from sketchup or Revit. make sure you draw over them to make them look like a proper architectural drawing

7. dont put shadows on plans

8. do not use any standard furniture, draw it yourself as we have discussed throughout the studio

9. do not put borders around pages
10. dont feel nervous (if possible!) the jury have done many crits before and are people I know and have selected because of their experience, insights and strength of feedback so you will benefit greatly from their input. 

DO

1. for a standard across the studio all panels are to be A1 portrait

2. do have neat titles for drawings, around 10 -12 font.

3. do have a clear and logical progression of drawings from overall context, to concept, to plans, elevations and sections.

4.do have clear and legible drawings that make sense
5. do keep it neat and simple
6. do your best!

good luck!

Studio for Thursday 23rd May

Please ensure that for this Thursday you come with massing and elevations as well as a mock presentation panel layout. This means proper drawings, not just a space where a future drawing will be inserted. If you think about the presentation early on it will help you with resolving design issues because you are forced to make decisions.
I will run through some basics of presentation layouts in studio as well, with examples.

To clarify for the final presentation the following from our studio's standpoint will be required;

1. 1:200 or 1:500 roof/site plan showing context
2. any diagrams/explanations of context, precedents, programming, etc
3. minimum 1 x iconic/representative image from eye level from street level that depicts the building in real life with focus on ambiance, materiality etc (no birds eye view will be accepted...you have the physical model).
minimum 1 x internal courtyard view, where applicable to a scheme
minimum 1 x internal of a unit with living room/ internal/external relationships
4. 4 x elevations at 1:100
5. 2 x sections at 1:100 through the main spaces, ie courtyards stepped massing etc.
6.  1 x 1:200 model (TBC/discussed in studio)

Studio feedback

In general it is clear that most people have not really been able to progress the designs much and have got fairly stuck. the single major issue as we saw was the site slope and lack of understanding of how that impacts the ground level design.

in order to resolve this I am asking everyone to produce a section drawn at approximately 4-5m from the east boundary in order to demonstrate and resolve what goes on in that area. You must show if you have program of any kind how it relates to ground level, site slope and the rear boundary. Draw the existing site slope in a dotted line with levels marked 0m, +2m and +4m as averages of the slope which will show how your proposed floor level from the street to the back relates to the slope.

The other biggest issue is that those of you that have a "podium" type arrangement you must have lift access from street level up to the podium and beyond. You CANNOT just send people up a set of stairs and then into a lift. You can have both but not just stairs. A critical aspect of the learning process in apartment design is vertical circulation and how you take people up and down. It cannot be avoided and as such you must demonstrate how and where the entry "lobby" is located FROM street level.

There are only a couple of weeks left in studio and there is lot of work to be done. you MUST come next week with (at 1:100); all plans, elevations, 2 x sections, 1:20 section and views of a 3D model from person level ONLY from street view and any internal courtyard views you may have.

You MUST nominate the following and have them drawn/represented on elevations
1. what the materials are,
2. how you are treating balconies, ie glass, solid, semi solid etc etc
3. how you are dealing with sunshading for north and west facades,

I am also intending to run the coming week's studio a bit differently and to focus on building composition and facade designs. I will mainly use your designs (supplemented with professional examples)  to work on and we will do it as a collective not individually since issues are relevant to all. the program will be:

9:15am - 11am -  the "rules" of building form/composition and facades
11am  - 12:30pm - sections
LUNCH
1:00pm - 3:00pm - individual reviews (approximately 7 minutes each)

It will be a big day so please be focused, attend, contribute and have questions!

Some comments and reflections on last Thursday

In general I think the level of design work is quite good with fair effort being invested by most in the designs

However, there are still some real shortcomings in most designs that having given the list of what NOT to do, a lot of people are still doing them!

On top of that the designs are not really being pushed hard enough or have not to date and now that leaves a short time to resolve what the building looks like.

so for this week, please have along with the section worked up parts of the design especially the front façade so we can discuss what it looks like, composition, windows and openings, materiality etc.

the format for the Studio will be at table one on, with the expectation that people sit around and participate and pick up things from other peoples design. I want to keep the timings per person tight because I want to run through after lunch the basics of facades as a mini lecture, using in studio examples.

Please come with lots of ideas and lots of questions!

Studio Task 7

there is some confusion perhaps in the year about the tasks for this week. For our studio I would like us to undertake the following;

1. A 1:20 section is critical at this stage of the design to get you thinking about construction technique, materiality, articulation and how the building comes together. Treat this as a design exercise and not a one off thing. Use it to study your building especially the façade, understanding floor to floor heights, ceiling spaces, services etc. have more than one option in sketch format if you can, it does not have to be some perfectly detailed drawing.

2. Acoustics is important but do not get bogged down in detail. the principles of how to separate private and public spaces from noise is important so thinking and showing that is more relevant than any technical measures at the moment

Studio 18th April structure

The way I would like to run the Studio this Thursday is to have everyone doing a 10 minute presentation of their work. we will do about 5 minutes for presenting with about 5 minutes for feedback, so we need to be very concise and precise. We need to stick to the time frame to allow everyone an equal chance to present with equal feedback. Can i please ask for a timekeeper for each person so we dont lose track of time. Please also keep the flow going so as one person finishes the next is ready to present. I would like to do a pin up to sharpen verbal presentation skills as I know everyone is keen to practice.

remember to keep your work neatly presented and legible, doesn' t need to be fancy, just clear and concise.
Please ensure you attend to all the task requirements without exception.

The main agenda for the day is SELF CRITIQUE. Come prepared with your own reflections of the strengths and weaknesses of your design and clearly articulate them in the presentation. As well offer solutions that you think may be feasible and you would like to explore in order to address issues. make explicit reference to as many of the criteria as possible, ie planning, massing, circulation, apartment layouts and orientation, density, unit types and mixes, commercial premises an its relationship, carparking, privacy, setbacks, views, solar access, etc. In addition can you all participate in the process, critiquing other peoples work only helps us see the issues better in our own work, its a very useful skill to develop.

looking forward......

Reflections for Studio

In the lead up to the next couple of weeks a considerable amount of consideration needs to be be given to a wide variety of factors that affect the design of units. As such and as I have mentioned previously it is important to use the extensive range of precedents and information available out there to assist the process, provide inspiration and give working examples of how to design residential flat buildings.
One of the very big aspects that needs big improvement is for everyone to have a wider reference field and know a lot of architects (the good ones!) to become more literate and versed with architectural expression, presentation, planning, massing, composition and form.
So to kick start I have listed, as a reference and not all specifically for flats, although all have done them, some well known contemporary architects whom you need to become more intimate with their work and ideas. They push boundaries, have strong ideas and strong formal responses to site and context. These are some of the best around currently and are not all mega names (which you should be cautious of anyway!), but produce solid work. Let their work influence you.......just spend some time browsing the net for their work, even enough to enter name in Google and use images to get an overview. Its just a start.....

Alvaro Siza, Eduardo Souto De Moura, Bevk Perovic, Herzog and DeMeuron, Bolles and Wilson, Baumshlager and Eberle, Barkow Leibinger, Elenberg Fraser, Alberto Kalach, Smiljan Radic, Enric Miralles, Carme Pinos, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Josep Llineas, Aires Mateus, Fritz van Dongen, Mecanoo, Mansilla and Tunon.......

and older (mostly dead!); Luis Barragan, Josep Antonio Coderch, Le Corbusier, Meis Van Der Rohe, Alvar Aalto, Hans Sharoun,


Another very good reference point is Arch Daily residential housing section of the website. It has a huge number of very decent building of this type across a wide range of architects. Importantly they have drawings; plans section and elevations all very nicely drawn, with excellent graphics. I cannot state more clearly that what you see on the website in terms of drawings is the norm, that is the standard you need to aim for. As such you can use them as templates, try to get your drawings 'looking' like those by the end of the studio. But you need to start now because the following needs to happen in the process;
1. look very closely at the unit layouts and types including window placement, room locations, types of furniture represented etc.
2. circulation and relationship of unit types to the circulation area
3. building articulation and formal resolution of parts
4. Materiality and expression in different parts of the building, change sin materials etc
5. relationship to context, orientation, private and public areas.

THEN....try to integrate these into your design, try to work with what you see, if something takes your attention or you are grabbed by it, use it and work it in and in that process you have to go through understanding what you are drawing. Because at the moment most of you are exhibiting random thinking, a good building is consistant and cohesive and held 'together' by all of the above aspects.

give it a go and you will see it will be of assistance in the design process.