Saturday, May 8, 2010

Autonomous: My Design Process

For a project we've had since the beginning of the semester, we had to somehow document out design process. I chose to document it professionally in the form of a book, rather than doing something that would take up more space that I couldn't easily carry around if i needed it for show.

A Step by Step Production

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A guide to my design and the steps I took to get there.


Exploration
This is the first step to my design process. Analyzing the assignment and getting out all my thoughts. I typically do this in my head and make little notes or bullet points like i showed here. When I get down all my thoughts, I can later edit them and take out the bad and keep the good. Also by doing this, I can really let my thoughts flow and transform. For this project, I knew I wanted to design some sort of hotel or residency. I started out with this and thinking about who might stay there and where it would be located. I eventually came up with the idea that I wanted to make a residency condominium with apartment space. This complex would be for young professionals in a big city.

Produce
In this step, I take a final idea I had from exploration and brainstorm it. I produce more ideas and expand them to further develop the topic of interest. I considered what the residents would need, as well as what they might want. They need things like work space, parking, laundry, and anything else a professional might need. They may want things for relaxation such as a pool, spa, gym, etc. and also a restaurant in the complex and maybe a rooftop deck and courtyard.

Organize
Next, I take my thoughts from produce and organize them by deciding what I definitely want to include in the space. Some of these are pool, spa, gym, outdoor space, roof space, restaurant, bar, conference/meeting area, and a coffee shop. Another thing I noted is my final decision to have the top floors be for the condos, a few middle floors for any apartments, and the bottom floor be for the public spaces.

Inspiration
Now that I knew what I wanted to do, it was time to do research and find inspiration. Here, I showed a few things that I specifically did research on, roof top decks and courtyards. I really liked the use of fire pits that are shown in both of these inspiration photos.

Experiment
This is one of the most important stages in my process. I like to draw thumbnails to transfer my ideas from words to drawings. Through this, I can experiment with my different ideas to see what works and what doesn't work. I experimented with what would happen if i put the pool on the roof as opposed to in the courtyard. And experimented with the same two spaces for the lounge and fire pit.
Edit
Next, I look at my thumbnails and decide what I liked and what worked for my design concept. I decided that the pool would be better on the roof because there is the most sunlight up there/ The courtyard would be best for the lounge and fire pit because the walls would not only block the wind from blowing out the fire, but also they would keep the warmth in. Having the lounge in the courtyard, it can be easily accessed by many different parts of the complex.

Present
My next step is to make a final showing of my idea. This can come in many formats - here, I showed it in perspective drawings of a few spaces. The space shown here would be the courtyard lounge. With warm colors and several fire pits to complete the look, this space is great for young professionals as a place to relax from a long day at work.

Here is the rooftop pool and bar. Another space that would be a great amenity for young professionals and focuses around the concept of relaxation. A rooftop space like this is unique and luxurious, especially with a full bar included.

This is a glimpse at the restaurant with a dance floor and stage.

Finally, the coffee shop which looks out into the courtyard with access so a resident can take their coffee and sit out by the fire pit.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Final Presentation Reflection

There were several things I learned before, during, and after the presentation of our final project. One thing specifically is preparation. I am usually nervous when I present and end up stumbling over my words. This time, I wasn’t nervous and felt like I could communicate my thoughts to the audience well. I think a lot of it has to do with the way I prepared. I thought about what I wanted to say prior to the day I presented. I didn’t want to make a script that I could read off of. But rather have some guidelines in my head of points I wanted to make. This helped me a lot because I knew what I wanted to say next, instead of thinking on my feet completely. Another thing I did was spend a lot of time constructing my board prior to the presentation. I felt very confident in my design, as well as my board. I am also in love with my design! I think this definitely helps make a successful presentation – loving the design you present. I was really excited to share my design with everyone. Of course, I do think I can still improve on my communication skills.

Aside from myself, I also learned from other students’ presentations. One thing I learned is that it’s extremely noticeable when people don’t put time and effort in their projects. It shows when they aren’t prepared and looks unprofessional. On a positive note, it also shows when people put everything into their project. While it may take long nights at the studio, it definitely pays off on the final product. Another thing I learned is that speech and communication can make or break a presentation. I think it really helps to have your friends smile at you to help break the ice once you get up to present. Another thing that goes along with being prepared is the set up and layout of the boards. Good organization and the ability to tell a story through the layout is a necessity. People may not be able to make the presentation and just look at your board at a later time. It is important for it to be easily understood by anyone.