2 week break!

I’ve completed yet another term in architecture school, although one term isn’t such a big deal compared to the Whole Thing. Year 2′s have been given one project to work on the entire year; this time, going through the Real stages of how a project would go if we were to be working in a Real firm. So that includes the stages of Client’s Brief to conceptual designing, DC submission, BP submission, design development,  micro design & detailing etc.

Well that’s for the yearlong project. I’ve haven’t mention how much journal we have to keep for History & Theory (HTA), and Materials & Archi Technology (MAT). But we aren’t force to do all those journals; it solely depends on how much time you have on your hands and the energy to keep in touch with new ideas, magazines, research and design technology related.

I’m trying my best to keep a good journal! But well, I believe in a balance lifestyle so that includes total crash-in-bed/movies/books/music when I go back Home 8)

Now comes the interesting part, the 2010 year 2 project brief! We were asked to design a SOHO-style studio apartment for the inhabitants of Redhill/Queenstown. 5 storeys high, and all the Sustainability issues considered (the one Sg’s government is so gung-ho about to keep the garden city concept), using precast technology.

What we’ve done so far from the start of the first term to this two week term break:

1. Modular workshop: In this group project we were made to play with modular forms are come up with a model. Later on photoshoped into objects of three different scales: A building, furniture, and a fashion accessory.

2. Site analysis – went down to Alexandra road for site visit cum my long desired lunch@IKEA. Usual stuffs for the tangible experiences; as for the intangible experiences we wrote some poems, talked to the local people who stayed in that area, and interviewed some to study their living patterns around the area.

3. Coming up with design intention, concepts, are the design itself – required much research and reading! Thanks to HTA, I’ve managed to read up about the metropolitan man and his desire for individuality amongst the huge crowd. I’m working on that idea to come up with the design; oh wait, my chosen client is an Artist, a painter! Well it isn’t so much of a SOHO now, I believe that this guy paints more than he uses his computer. Still, I like working on this client for the concept

4. Keith made us throw in all the service requirements after all those grueling lectures concerning layers and layers of CAD drawings and countless regulations. And those fireman boundaries. But design regulations are essential, no blaming regulations for lousy design. Mr Goh said you can blame it for a lousy designer :B

5. We went through some critiques, and I handed-in my interim essay on The Quest for Utopia. Got me channeling through the school library 3 to 4 times a day to find my books. Apparently the good books were out on loan D; still, I reserved it hoping I can get it for the final submission. One all-nighter because I was writing real slowly – too much scattered thoughts to lay down, unorganized. It wasn’t at all perfect, but that’s what happens when you run to the library the week of submission. Learned my lesson x)

And, I’m really, seriously getting interested in urban planning.

Well, that’s all for the first term of year 2. Cheers!