Accumulated Research and How it was Applied: Modernism was an initial part of my research that contributed to my deeper thinking further within the middle stages of the project. The particular influential ideas that I took note of were: -"The notion that "Form follows function" - "Simplicity and clarity of forms and elimination of "unnecessary detail" - "Visual expression of structure (as opposed to the hiding of structural elements)" There was one main factor of modernism I did change however - "Particularly in International Style modernism, a visual emphasis on horizontal and vertical lines." I decided to not apply this aspect of modernism and take on more of a organic architectural approach due to the fact that I have often worked with modernism architecture in the past and therefore it would not be challenging nor necessarily reflect originality. Seeking challenge and difference is what allows for people to grow, and while sticking to where I was comfortable may have been an enticing path, I felt that I should broaden my horizons and essentially deliberately struggle. The teachers often stated to not be afraid of failure and towards the end of my work was when it kicked in that I was truly afraid of failure but pulled it together fortunately. As the ideas surrounding modernism supported the middle to later stages of progression for the project, organic architecture was most beneficial for the start of the project. This was crucial during the conceptual stages where I had to produce different ideas and build upon them - "be inspired by nature and be sustainable, healthy, conserving, and diverse" - through the context of what I was designing I felt that this principle was appropriate to apply especially the ideas of 'diverse' and 'sustainable,' key to the functionality of the outcome. I also read that the design should "follow the flows and be flexible and adaptable," my personal understanding leading me to believe that the design should work smoothly into the environment while being deliberate and purposeful, in essence being able to "satisfy social, physical, and spiritual needs." Lastly I took into consideration the idea while trying to produce an array of concepts "celebrate the spirit of youth, play and surprise," thus I freely explored form and took inspiration from nature such as mushrooms (seeing how they sprout out and shelter the body), vines (Intertwining, divergent, rigid/fluid, grows to absorb sunlight more efficiently) and seashells (curvature, natural flow, hollow, gradual size change). As I progressed through the project, it came to a point where it was quintessential to initiate in the process in the side of practical things. Though typically at school I would work with pencil and pen, digital means were also at times something that would enhance the presentation of work, as machinery can often accomplish outcomes that the human touch lacks in or would take an excessive amount of time to achieve similar results. I had occasionally used google sketch-up but nothing more sophisticated and therefore I felt limited in terms of what I could do. I wanted to expand my work beyond and therefore attempted to learn how to apply curves - one of the long lasting and central problems to this project - to my work. While I have worked with some curvature, having an object that is almost entirely curved makes it incredibly difficult to draw and get proportions right as a pose to a linear, horizontal and vertical lined structure. Although these resources helped to some extent in terms of understanding the tools around google sketchup and whatnot I found myself still wasting an excessive amount of time, therefore working with my strengths and passing this onto my group mate Jonathan who had more experience in this area.
After securing my ideas with the design, there was a shift in research towards materials. Thankfully due to the nature of design choice, there were not that many different materials involved. 'Sustainability' and 'reliability' sprung to mind especially after research on organic architecture, suggesting that I should choose materials that will last well and also be suitable for COLAB. While I look at modernized wooden flooring I found that it was not the most durable material, though color scheme wise it really worked in well which was a shame. Stone flooring was very resistant to harsh environmental factors, whether it be in the workshop with the tools etc. and also a material that had little tendency to reflect. Largely because of durability it was the choice of material that would not get stained so easily and affected by the work that goes on within COLAB. Triple glazed windows with steel lining were also desirable material choices. This was because triple glazed windows were extremely effective in keeping sound out, in addition to insulation suitable for the conditions of New Zealand (not particularly the warmest place to live). This triple glazed glass would be used in composition along with galvanized steel lining for the majority of the exterior for the buildings. Lastly research went towards any extra ways in which I could enhance the learning environment and influence students to collaborate a more a frequent basis. One of the really conventional and smart ideas i found was the MooreCo; Sharewall - http://thisbigcity.net/five-sustainable-building-materials-that-could-transform-construction/- the idea behind this is a whiteboard like material that is applicable to any surface curved or not. I think this would influence students to draw on them and share ideas and perhaps build more of a bond between different classes, encouraging them to join and share their ideas with one another. I also looked at suitable lighting and felt that 'Axo Lighting' was styled quite nicely as they were relatively big panes of lights spread out over a surface rather than lots of little lights. That in mind, the building does naturally obtain a lot of lighting through transparency and the share amount of glass within the construction. I think it was really beneficial looking into house/building appliances as this led to a collection of smart and innovative ways to enhance the purpose of the construction.
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