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.