Critical Reflection Document

Below are screenshots from my critical reflection document due tomorrow:

Final Poster and Design Statement

From my feedback from yesterday, I have updated my poster accordingly. I do believe this looks a lot better than it did yesterday. 

Design Statement:

Dance 101

Like to get jiggy wit’ it? A place where one is the teacher and the student.

The purpose of my project is to bring people together and enable further empathy for one another through the medium of dance. Exploring the ideas of bridging the generational gap between the street wise youth culture in Kreuzberg, and their elders. I have adapted the traditional norm of a performance into the form of an exchange in which the action of teaching and learning of dance, both breakdance and traditional Turkish folk dances are the performance. This is so that members of the community share their knowledge of particular dance styles to one another and subsequently become a more cohesive community. I have developed this idea around the large Turkish community in Kreuzberg but that is not the be all and end all. This performance theatre will accommodate for all ages, all cultures, and all levels of experience.

In order to help bring people together, I have been inspired by traditional Ottoman architecture throughout Turkey as a point of familiarity. I have tried to infuse this with contemporary aesthetics and materiality to create an inviting, positive atmosphere. To tie in with the river, laser cut layered pieces will line the interior walls. They portray splashes of water or paint depending on the individual’s perception. 

Trying to add Materials to Interior

As some of my feedback stated, I needed focus on the texture and material within my design. Describing this more through my drawings. Convey the atmosphere that is created. What is the texture and material on the walls. If it is wooden plywood walls, show draw this on my renders.

I have decided to go back to my sketch-up model and continuing on the idea that I want my float to be comprised of laser cut plywood cuts stuck together, and trying to relate it back to the river that it is floating on, I have created forms that emulate 'splashes' to occupy the interior walls. Once I had made this however, they could be interpreted as paint splashes further conveying a street aesthetic. So I suppose this could be a matter of an individual's perception. 

Adding materials in sketch-up:

I have then rendered these with materials and added entourage / lighting to try and create atmosphere. Because I have only had overnight to remodel this, render it and then add entourage, unfortunately my renders aren't as crisp as I would have liked..

Creating Splash Texture for Interior Walls

I have decided to create 'splashes' from laser cut pieces that will line the interior of my walls. To do this I have created a texture that I will 'paint' onto my interior walls in sketch-up and then roughly trace over to give me a basis for the splash forms. Below is my process for making this texture, it could also easily be made into water topography as a way of a stylized render. What I like about this technique is that it is so quick and easy:

My first step was rendering random clouds using the filter drop down box. I have rendered this a couple of times to get a good balance of dark and light clouds. 

The next step was using a crystallized pixellation. I have used a cell size of 25 in order to give pixel-late the clouds into proportionate 'clumps'

The last step is using the filter gallery to add accented edges under the brush stroke dialogue box. Using the parameters of:

Edge Width: 1, Edge Brightness: 0 and Smoothness: 15 creates this really nice texture.

 This texture could then be further edited to emphasise certain parts or erase others etc. But I am going to use it as a base to outline splashes on my wall.

Exploded Laser Cut Diagram

So I have taken the idea of using a laser cutter to create elements of my design a step further. Each individual face is laser cut and glued together to create each individual form in the design. The front facing panel of each plywood panel is then painted to give a stone aesthetic. I have used the section plane tool in sketch up to give the illusion that each plane is separate (so I did not have to redesign this for tomorrow) then I photo-shopped them together.

Each face will be made from wood with only the front faces being painted to give the illusion of stone. Note: Not sure why this image doesn't have a white background like it should..

Technical Drawings and Site-Plan: Post-Feedback

So as stated in the previous post, I received the following feedback regarding my technical drawings and site-plan:

Changing the colour of my building in regards to the other buildings in my site plan. To make it stand out. Focus in more on location plan and outline facilities such as toilets, food outlets etc. Also for my technical drawings, the way sketch-up exports the images, they look quite grey when printed. Therefore I will need to edit these to make them fully white.

I have updated these according which will hopefully increase aesthetic appeal.
Note: It is the upload to Blogger.com that alters some of these colours. They are all share the exact same palette. 

Poster Presentation and Feedback

Feedback:

Firstly, I need to come up with a title for my project instead of having the title of the Spatial Studio. This is because if my work gets sent to OISTAT, they will not know what this means. I also need to think about my text a bit more, in which I need to get rid of the title 'design statement' as this is already clear. I need to look at the brief and adapt what I am going to write in order to be more concise (200 words). I need to write a short written description of my project, my performance to be housed and an explanation of my design concept.

Secondly, I need to either remove my drawing list or make this less of a feature. This is taking up too much revenue on my page currently that could be better used by my images. If I remove it completely I need to write what the drawing is next to each image. Add more annotations too. For example, my exploded balustrade, write what each layer will be like. 

Thirdly, decrease the size of the site plan, and text box. These are too dominant on the page and are distracting from my images. Focus in more on location plan and outline facilities such as toilets, food outlets etc. 

Change the colour of my building in regards to the other buildings in my site plan. Make it stand out. Also for my technical drawings, the way sketch-up exports the images, they look quite grey when printed. Therefore I will need to edit these to make them fully white.

Lastly, but most importantly, focus on the texture and material within my design. Describe this more through my drawings. Convey the atmosphere that is created. What is the texture and material on the walls. If it is wooden plywood walls, show draw this on my renders - develop slats? Make my 'hero' images larger. 

Design Statement for Poster

Design Statement:

To create a performance in forming common ground between my two target demographics - the Turkish youth culture of Kreuzberg and their elders. I have adapted the traditional norm of a performance into the form of an exchange in which the action of teaching and learning of dance, both breakdance and traditional Turkish folklore is the performance. The purpose for this is to create empathy between my demographics and subsequently enable them to better understand each other to become a more cohesive community.

Bringing people together is my focus therefore I have tried to incorporate a traditional Turkish style architecture with a contemporary street aesthetic inspired interior. As my exploded isometric diagram suggests, the structure will be made of plywood with a painted texture to emulate stone. This is trying to play on the idea that my float is temporary, but it feels like it could be permanent.

Hero Images

So I have tried to add a sense of materiality and atmosphere into my images in photoshop before tomorrows presentation. I have run out of time to change it now, but I am unsure about the black and white toned hero images. I do not think that it expresses the right atmosphere within my design. I am pretty sure I am going to get told to change this after presentation tomorrow.

Site Map 1:1000

So I have gone onto google.maps and screenshot the holzmarkt site and surrounding areas and have resized it to be exactly 1:1000 scale like the brief specifies. I have then used Adobe Illustrator to create the line work so that it is crisp and will complement my technical drawings.

Post-Feedback - Purposeful 'Fakeness'

As Jen suggested yesterday to improve my design I could explore the idea of a purposeful 'fakeness' to it in which I could make only the front facing sides to each part of my design (for example the balustrade) have the aesthetic of stone. I have taken Danielle's idea that I could create an exploded isometric to explain this further. So before presentation tomorrow, I have gone back to sketch-up and have shown how elements (for example the balustrade) will work. The front half of the balustrade will be crafted from wood and then painted with to convey a stone texture and materialism. This will be backed by plywood to express this 'fakeness'. 

Feedback with Jen

So today I have booked in a time within Jen's office hours to get some feedback in how my project is progressing. She liked the isometric, crisp way of expressing my model in as it gave an insight into how the space would be experienced both internally and externally.

What I need to look at and change my design accordingly before Thursday is in the form of materiality. I have made my float have a sort of marbled stone finish to try and emulate the architectural materiality throughout the Ottoman Empire. However it is creating the sense of permanency rather than a 'temporary float' as the brief specifies. I have considered this in which I had thought that my structure would be made from plywood and prefabricated and then put together onsite, but I hadn't considered how the stone finish could be applied.

Jen has offered the idea that my design could have a purposeful 'fakeness' to it in which I could make only the front facing sides to each part of my design (for example the balustrade) have the aesthetic of stone. The back face could resemble the plywood to tie back in with the street aesthetic of breakdancing. Danielle has offered a good idea to further this in which I could create an isometric 'exploded' view of the different layers of materials to help visualise this idea.

I will need to Photoshop some materials onto my renders as well to help make my design more realistic. But other than that I am good to go for Thursday. I don't have a potential layout for my poster so I could not present that, but I should be fine in this regard.

She has also asked me, for my technical drawings, to get rid of the windows as they are distracting and well, just not working. Redo my technical drawings without the windows in them. 

Technical Drawings and Adding Entourage

So I have exported views from sketch-up to act as my technical drawings to save time. I am quite pleased with the crispness that this produces and I believe it will create a sense of professionalism on my poster. 

Adding Entourage:

I have added entourage to give a sense of scale within my space, but also to express how the space will be used and interacted with. This is another thing I can show Jen today for feedback and see if she likes the isometric view of expressing my design.