Course Refllection

Overall the Architectural Communications course has challenged me as a student to present high quality work to meet demanding expectations. Along the way I have learnt new skills which will be useful to me as both a student architect and professional architect.

Some of my highlights included:

• Making a water bottle out of boxboard.
• Discovering liquid “uhu” and the balsa strip cutter
• Visiting Rose Seidler House for the first time
• Drawing a large circle freehand
• Learning to use watercolours and gouache
• Learning mistakes made in the above mediums were not necessarily mistakes
• Finally mastering the live trace tool in illustrator
• Finishing each workshop

Some of my lowlights included:

• The first week of each workshop where you wonder how you’re going produce what you’re asked to in such a short time.
• Not making my original model a model of half my house, instead of just the basement.
• Realising that from a supposedly viewable distance my lines for my final drawing presentation were not all visible (I’ll do them darker next time).
• Sticking a page into my atlas of colour upside down and having to re-do that page.
• Feeling sick because by my crazy swirly tunnel in my atlas messed with my eyes.

Some challenges I faced included:

• Getting everything done in time
• Staying awake in the early hours of the morning trying to achieve the above
• Trying to break free of the realistic in model making
• Converting construction drawings into drawings with character
• Working out how to transport fragile models and the like to and from uni

I would like to explore many areas of architectural communication further but would especially like to investigate the integration of hand and computer made works. By combining the two, a sense of character from the handmade is infused in the computer made and in turn creates a more refined product. There is also an aspect of efficiency and freedom given by using both which means I can meet deadlines with more ease and less with less stress about ruining something. After all it can be re-printed or photoshoped.

Workshop 3 - Atlas of Colour

The atlas of colour workshop taught me the fundamentals of colour theory and helped me to refine my composition and presentation skills.

Front cover of Atlas



Rear cover of Atlas



Concertina viewed from front



Concertina viewed from rear



Title Page



Contents Page



Exercise 1



Exercise 2


Exercise 3


Exercise 4



Exercise 4 (cont'd)



Exercise 5



Exercise 5 (cont'd)



Exercise 6



Exercise 8



Exercise 9



Exercise 10



Tunnel viewed through Cover



Movie Tunnel

The workshop was very useful as it allowed me to refine my print and digital skills. The physical hands on aspect of each exercise introduce me to a new set of skills and also a methodology of combining digital and non-digital techniques to produce a more refined product. By requiring the use of both the old and new technologies of production in each task, the course helped me to understand that hand created products did not necessarily have to be perfect in every detail. Instead imperfections added character and where a significant mistake was made a digital technology such as Photoshop could come to the rescue. This has given me the confidence to try introducing hand created techniques into what were before solely digitally created presentations in other courses.

Workshop 2 - Drawing Workshop

The drawing workshop taught me to respect the difference between the science like drawings of construction and the freedom of presentation drawings.

House Study Choice: Rose Seidler House

Coffee Cup Hand Drawing Task

Perspective Drawing Exercise

In Landscape Perspective Drawing Task (Rose Seidler House)

Shadow Rendering Exercise

Overall Composition Mock-Up

Left A2 Sheet Mock-Up



Right A2 Sheet Mock-Up



Final Presentation



Final Presentation - Left A2 Sheet



Final Presentation - Right A2 Sheet

The workshop was particularly helpful as it forced me to learn how effective a presentation drawing could be compared to construction drawings. Before the workshop my drawings lacked character as I feared every detail had to be perfect and precise. Now I know that whilst precision is needed breaks in it can create character. I have since used these gained skills both in hand and computer drawn presentations.
The workshop also taught me that line weight is extremely important and that you need to step back from your work and take a look every now and then.

Workshop 1 - Material Modelling

The material modelling workshop was an interesting first-time foray into the world of architectural model making.

During construction of original model



The finished original model from the front



The finished original model from above

The finished modified model from the front

The finished modified model from above

The A2 photo & drawing collage

The workshop taught many useful skills which I have not only used in latter workshops but also in other courses. Some of my less obvious discoveries and learnings included:

• 'Uhu' doesn't only come in a stick


• a balsa stripper can be your best friend


• acetate is never your friend


• models captured in southern light look best in photos


• boxboard doesn't take kindly to being modified