Monday 14 September 2015

WD - Amendments and Transmittals


This text relates to the document transmittal form/ amendments to drawings.

All WD printouts that I now request should include the area that has been amended, (revision cloud), the updated titleblock, and an accompanying document transmittal form.

This is a transmittal form you can use. [LINK]

Wednesday 9 September 2015

Office Admin [Complete Mindmap]

Once complete I will replace this image.
This is where it stands prior to the week 7 Lecture.
Remember this sheet was blank 10 weeks ago.



I'm also trying to make this interactive so all the additional text appears as mouse rollover. stay tuned (if I get it to work).

Monday 7 September 2015

WD Notes.

Might be at home looking after a sick kiddie, but I'm working.
Here's a quick note on window and door tagging.

Thursday 3 September 2015

Design Studio

Today's discussion was all about architectural tectonics.
Here is an elaboration of the points I was making in class.
The emphasis we have placed this year has been on design as form making. The sculptural aspects of the 3D object.
After last week's preliminary presentations, many of the submissions have now reached a point where the form of the building has moved from nebulous arrangement of spaces to nearly realised object.
Design now needs to take a more nuanced approach.

MATERIALS:
Consider carefully now, the materials palette which the group is proposing for the building.
If it is brick consider whether the building dimensions are to brick module. What colour, and manufacturing process has been used, is it wire cut, pressed? How are they to be laid, traditional or robotic.
As I said the analogy is like a painter intuitively understanding the media. How the oils can be mixed, on the palette, with what variety and combination of tools they can be applied to the canvas, (if indeed it is that media),  and how they can be blended once applied. Then there is the composition of the image etc.
ELEMENTS:
Do not ignore structure. Students informing me, that all the walls are loadbearing, have forgotten about flexibility of internal spaces, (open narratives) or appropriate material selections, or typical construction types. Load bearing pre-cast concrete is not suitable for the scale or budget of this project.

the way in which particular architectural elements are used is one of the chief means by which a building can be made to convey meaning. Consequently, the articulation of these elements, such as in the rendering of a wall, the spacing and particular style of windows or choice of roof cladding material, can vary dramatically. Reading Architecture - a visual lexicon

Please revisit the work of Sam Mockbee and Rural Studio. Watch again the documentary 'Citizen Architect' (available via RMIT Library). I am not trying to create clones of that aesthetic, but the pragmatic approach to form and use of material is exemplified in the design process.

Suggestion Box

I'm trying to improve my teaching practice, so feel free to drop an anonymous suggestion in the course suggestion box. The link to the page is located in the top right hand corner of this blog page. Even if critical, please keep it constructive and civil.

Addenda:
A big thank you to the first suggestion post. 
I have been working on a series of mini history lectures with the thought of rolling them out into design studios for quite some time. It may be difficult to implement some form of grading to them, as it would be inequitable across all groups; but that does not mean the content can't be made available.
Perhaps a focus on individual architects, rather than just time periods, may be a starting point.
Have thought of video recording some for upload also.
Food for thought.