ARCHITECTURE DESIGN II

PROJECT 1

Diagramming Architectural Principles

The first project of this module was a group assignment. We were instructed to choose from a selected list of buildings and produce a set of architectural drawings of our chosen structure, as well as several diagrams which analysed the building in terms of its context, circulation, space planning and so on.

Reflection:

Although this assignment was initially very confusing as to what we were to achieve, looking back now it was essentially a task to look at a completed building and understand how it relates to its surrounding environment, as well as the thought given to how it was built, and then produce a set of analytical diagrams which presented these ideas clearly. In effect we were reverse engineering the building's principles and architectural thought process after it was built.

FINAL PRESENTATION BOARDS

ANALYSIS & PROGRESS

GROUP PRESENTATION SLIDES

PROJECT 2

Designing with Architectural Principles

+ Materiality

If our first project was to reverse engineer architectural principles from a finished structure, this second project was the complete opposite. I paired up with another fellow student to take the architectural principles we had extracted from the last assignment and implement them into the creation of a new architectural folly, with a set of drawings and diagrams to accompany it. It was key to also focus on the materiality of the structure and keep in mind how it would feel to experience our folly in person during its design.

Reflection:

This project was challenging, mainly due to the collaboration involved in getting our structure right. My partner and I had differing views on how the structure would turn out, and the closure of our campus midway due to the pandemic only exacerbated the difficulty of communication and progress, which in turn made us rush for time near the final week of the assignment. Although we pulled through with a finished building at the end, I can't help but wonder how much easier it would have been without any of the outside restrictions.

FINAL PRESENTATION BOARDS

ANALYSIS & PROGRESS

PROJECT 3

Designing with Architectural Principles

+ Materiality + Context + User:
Tropical Solitary Haven

The final project of this module was a culmination of using our understanding of diagramming and materiality in the context of a given site. We were presented with the findings and analysis of the nearby Subang Ria Recreational Park and tasked to create a solitary haven structure for our individual usage (with another partner in mind) to stay in - effectively a shelter with a characteristic use - whilst keeping in mind of the surrounding context to inform our structure's design.

Reflection:

This assignment was a little slow-going at first but eventually I grew to enjoy it a bit more than my previous projects. I felt like I was able to design something I could personally stay in and envision how I might interact with the structure. I learnt that while being given a site context can pose all sorts of restrictions, it can also definitely be taken advantage of to enhance your building's design and make it feel more integrated with its surroundings, effectively creating something unique and beautiful.

FINAL PRESENTATION BOARDS

GROUP SITE ANALYSIS DIAGRAMS

ANALYSIS & PROGRESS

PRESENTATION SLIDES

REFLECTION

I felt like this module was a lot clearer to me as compared to Architectural Design I, probably due to it building upon the basics I had learnt about architectural principle and building structures from the perspective of ergonomics and anthropometry. I learnt more concepts to do with materiality and looking at site context, which helped me to envision my building ideas easier.

Additional takeaways include:

Drawings (still) take a lot of time to do, so plot your time management wisely
Reminders of the typical drawing conventions such as drop points at doors, using contour lines in the correct places
Drawing sections with construction details and joineries as I had a bad habit of not including those

Overall, I feel as if I just crossed the finish line of learning how to build structures designed for the use of an individual or two people. I imagine for AD3 it will be a step up from here and I'll be looking at structures designed for more populated use, and this module certainly provides a foundation to ascend to that next level.