Week One
To start week one I presented my project proposal to the group and completed my project proposal, this allowed me to set out a clear plan of what I am to do over the next ten weeks. I struggled with the actual presenting side of my Project Proposal and I feel on reflection if I had conveyed my ideas in a more confident manner they would have come across more clearly to the audience, although I do think my idea for my project is strong and has potential to innovate design as a whole. I‘m intrigued as to how I will develop this project over the next few weeks and how my plans may change when I complete further research. The research I completed for my project proposal was very new to me and I am really interested in the concept of renewable design. I hope to spend next week planning the primary research I hope to carry out in week three and also collect additional secondary research; I’d be interested to find out more about the designer's designs that I spoke about in my Project Proposal and I’ve also been given some names of other sustainable designers which would be relevant to my project so I’ll collect research on them as well.
Week Two
This week I visited Bicton Botanical Gardens to study some of the botany they have there. I collected my research through drawing some of the plants I saw; I also too my camera so that I could photograph what I saw around me. Once I got home from Bicton I changed the brightness of my photographs slightly to make the plant's textures more visible. I've also created some digital boards to reflect on my trip.
Frei Otto's work really interested me so I've also done some further research on him, particularly his work where he mimics the structure of a spider web in his roof design.
This past week has allowed me to explore the idea of biomimicry in architecture. I feel this is now something I'd like to make a focus point for my design process. Next week I hope to be able to find further secondary research and other designers that display biomimicry in their work. I plan to go on another trip to collect primary research although currently I'm unsure of where that be, I will do some further artist/designer research to help me decide.
Week Three
While off from college with covid-19, I watched a series by David Attenborough called Natural Curiosities, one episode called ‘strange parents’ was about seahorses and the way they parent their young, watching this I noticed their very unique skin texture, it reminded me of the textures that are starting to be seen in modern architecture nowadays. This sparked the idea that it would be interesting to attempt to mimic this texture in roof design. Developing on from this idea I’ve experimented with drawing the seahorses themselves and researched architects who have mimicked nature in their work, one of these being Frei Otto who designed a roof design which was based on the structure of a money spiders web. Although I wasn’t able to complete any substantial work due to being ill, I was able to discover a new pathway I could take with my project. For the next few weeks I’m going to focus solely on the roof design and then see if I’d like to develop a whole house from that, by doing this I feel I’ll be able to cover all areas of the design and create a really strong plan/idea. I hope to develop my drawings further next week and try and create a potential design and then I’ll start to experiment with materials and processes.
Week Four
Unfortunately, this week I was unwell again which meant I missed out on the making week we did in class, this was a shame as I’d looked forward to making some basic prototypes of my idea, I hope I’ll be able to do this as soon as I’m well enough. Not being able to go in this week meant I also wasn’t able to convert my sketches into 3D prints so I’m going to have to slightly adjust my plan to cater to this setback. Next week I aim to use my time wisely to ensure I can make up for the time I have lost. I am planning a research trip to look at seahorses and marine life in more detail.
Week Five
This week I took a trip to the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth to try and study the seahorses. Unfortunately, my trip didn't go exactly as planned when I got to the aquarium I found that the seahorses were not on display. Instead, I used the time to look at the other marine life so this didn't prevent me from doing some useful research. I looked at the fish scales and saw a correlation between how the fish scales were laid out and some mathematical patterns. Before taking the train home I visited The Box, Museum & Art Gallery; I found some interesting models which gave me some ideas for how I would approach making the model of my final design.
Following the aquarium trip, I developed a series of drawings and initial roof designs. Next week I will do more research on how the roof will actually work and on techniques and materials.
Week Six
Having developed a series of designs from my aquarium trip and my research into seahorses, I'm really interested in the idea of mimicking the texture of a seahorse's skin in my roof design. I've done research into heat absorption and have discovered that a textured surface absorbs more heat than a flat surface. I have also started to consider potential materials that would be suitable for making my design if it were to be built in the future. I have discovered there is a new energy-generating technology that uses piezoelectric materials that generate energy from the vibrations that raindrops make. I would like to explore using this type of technology for my roof; in a high rainfall area it could be a really effective way of harnessing energy from a sustainable, natural source.
Later in the week, I made a series of roofing prototype models to explore different ways I could emulate the seahorse's skin. This week I have been focussing on the design of the roof. After completing the prototypes (pictures inserted below) I selected the one I will use for my final design, then sketched up the body of my building design in preparation for making the model of my final piece next week.
Week Seven
After deciding which prototype I would follow for my final piece, I started building my model. The construction was painstaking and took a lot of time as every angle had to be exactly 130 degrees. I used a protractor and checked my measurements as I went along to ensure I did this accurately. I also struggled with it due to it being such a delicate structure and had to get used to using the hot glue gun which is not easy to control for precision work; I did some practice pieces first to develop my technique. After finishing the roof part of my model I decided to paint the whole thing white. I sampled using spray paint and acrylic, choosing the spray paint for my final piece as it gave a lighter, smoother finish.
Although originally I had planned to design a whole building, given the time constraints I have decided that rather than risk diluting my design ideas and maybe not answering my original brief, it is best to focus on the roof structure for my final piece. To ensure my whole concept can be understood I have done a series of sketches to illustrate how my finished building would look in situ.
I have thought about how to display my final piece so as to most effectively communicate my ideas and design development.
Week Eight
This week I have put together the display of my final piece. I have chosen to light my space with a small clip-on LED spotlight so that I am able to direct the light onto my work, with the intent of making shadows on my roof texture, I was pleased with the outcome. The light also dr and ew the viewer's eye to the roof area of my model. I have also used an audio element to provide an immersive experience with the sound of rainwater playing through headphones.
I painted my display area white to be cohesive with the other student's work in the studio. This is the colour I would have chosen anyway as it is clean and shows my model off to good effect. I have also been working on completing my evaluation and written work so that I effectively communicate how I approached this project; how I solved problems and how I encountered the process of critical analysis and reflection that led to my final outcome. I need to ensure that every aspect of the blog is complete and handed in ready for hand-in on Monday 6 June 2022.
Week Nine
I completed the project and handed in my blog on Monday 6 June 2022. If I had more time I would like to develop my idea further and get into more detail with the design of the whole building. Overall I feel I have created the starting point for what could be an interesting and innovative design and met my original design proposal.
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