Assignment One findings

Tutor feedback follow up.

Following on from my tutor feedback, it was noted that my tutor would have liked to have seen my research tasks recorded in my learning log. I tend to concentrate on editing my own work for my learning log and forget that the notes and analysis are just as important. With this in mind I have added my paper notes from my A5 sketchbook, I listened to the lectures and made notes which then led me to research of small scale and model villages.

Fig. 1 – Images of my research notes and ideas leading up to Assignment One

My tutor asked me to consider more typical ideas of scales within interiors. I looked at the links she sent me and it got me thinking differently about how to analyse the design. I also attended a Precedent Analysis Workshop and found it really helpful in terms of what to look for and how to pull it apart.

So for example, looking at this image as an educational space, I’m seeing the large space and considering how it fits within its context. The space has been deconstructed from a traditional classroom to a more flexible and simple interior space. It is a large open space broken up into several phases, following the Agile methodology which reflects the proposal of agile and innovative teaching.

The areas were designed to decentralise the teacher figure, placing students as lead characters and control of their own teaching and future. For example, this space doesn’t have 4 sides, all of the walls have spaces to write and design. Teachers in each studio have their desks in different positions and placed between the students’ desks that interaction happens naturally.

For medium scale, this image shows me how the spaces work within the building. You can see here there are individual house shaped buildings within the main building offering private spaces to close the doors to the main area, with glass fronted windows so the individual doesn’t feel completely secluded. There is a floor to ceiling glass window into another space that looks like a main reception area to greet visitors. It is dividing the space but using glass lets it sit comfortably within the building. Thinking on a human scale level helps analyse this space, the open plan area is also utilised with a large table and chairs, maybe used for meetings and catchups with colleagues, or even a place to sit with your laptop without shutting yourself off from the world. The interior is used very cleverly with students and teachers at the very fore front of the design, a perfect example of medium scale.

Lastly, considering small scale within the same space leads me to look at the way the detail of the ceiling shapes have been designed and used, giving you an idea of the necessary but not so exciting parts to a suspended ceiling, the air conditioning units aren’t hidden completely, which I really like, the visitors can learn from this, not every bit of equipment needs to be hidden from view, after all this is an educational space, but by adding suspended shapes in this way gives it a playful feel whilst creating functionality for the light fittings, security cameras etc. By looking at detail drawings also helps me understand how the materials work together, how are they fixed, why this particular material. This process of breaking down the interior space and really picking it apart has helped me understand scale so much more, I will take this process forward into my future assignments.