Assignment 3a and 3b

For this assignment, there were two parts. One of the assignment was to do research and a report on ceiling or wall finishes and I decided to do finishes on wall. The second part of the assignment was to do a sample board for our bedroom.

For the first part of the assignment, I had to research and answer a few questions and make them into a report about interior wall finishes. Throughout during the report, I had to find materials that were appropriate to use for wall finishes, different types of joints there is for panelling, types of interior trims and also to estimate and calculate how many wall panels would fit in my living room. Doing this repot has really increased my knowledge about walls, more than I know before. I learnt way more about the different materials you can use on walls, not just the simple ones such as paint and wallpaper. Also, I didn't even know there were many different types of joints and trims you can use, especially the trims, I was very surprised and interested by it. For writing the report itself, I did not really have much trouble writing it as I have written many reports before but overall, I am happy with my report -it looks very neat, tidy, well written, and has all the information needed.

For the second part of the assignment, I had to redesign my bedroom and also collect materials for a sample board for the materials I have used in the redesign bedroom. I choose to do my bedroom here to redesign as it will challenge me because the bedroom was already well designed. For the first infographic board, I had to redesign my bedroom and talk about my new bedroom which I called it 'L’espace Élègant' which means Stylish Space. To show the perspective view and plan view of my new and previous room, I used a programme called 'Sketchup' to produce it. I designed the room how it looked before and also designed my redesign room using this programme to compare it and visualise it better. On the infographic board, we also had to produce a colour scheme and find photos that inspire our room. The photo below is my infographic board for the introduction of my redesigned bedroom. 

The second infographic board contains the sample board, where I had to collect materials for the new materials for the wallpaper, chairs, bed, etc. I really liked redesigning the whole room including the furnitures because it also increased my knowledge on different materials that I could use for designing. I really enjoyed designing the interior of my room because I liked how my redesign room would look like from 'Sketchup' model and also by looking at the colour scheme and the different materials I have changed too. I really hope that I would do more of this in future assignments because this was definitely my favourite assignment to do. The photo below is my infographic sample board.

Tiles Material Library

Assignment 2

For this assignment, we had to get into groups and choose a material that we want to research on and also find the materials for it; my group decided to do tiles. There were two parts that we needed to do for this assignment, one was to collect example tiles and put it in a box and the other part was to make a file which includes information about tiles that needs to come from brochures and leaflets that we have gathered from different companies.

I liked doing this assignment because one, I learnt a lot more about tiles and the different types of tiles and their properties too. Also, I really enjoyed looking around Sunway and going to different companies, talking to them, and collecting the different tiles there is and getting brochures too. It also strengthened my relationship with my group members because it involved us working together and discussing together. I was really fascinated on the tiles that we got to get from the company as one of the tile has a really cool texture and pattern and some were in a really cool shape such as the tile was in a puzzle shape!

Alagaesia

Final Presentation

The final presentation was coming up and we had to present all of our work that we had done for this project to be presented on a presentation board. There were requirements that were needed to be put onto our presentation board such as design principles, transformation, orthographic drawings, our character, and anthropometrics. I had to carefully plan out where on my presentation board I am going to include all these information and make it presentable and neat and easy to read. 

The design of my presentation board I got inspired by my abstract art, having a circle in the middle and lines coming out of the centre circle. I also had to include one colour scheme and I choose to use blue with monochrome colours because my butterfly and my character's costume is blue also. I think the hardest part in the making of my presentation board is doing the transformation and the orthographic drawings. 

I struggled in doing the transformation drawing because I wasn't sure on how to show how my model transformed from my first model to my final model. However I did it by drawing, also using key words such as subtractive transformation and including datums, and also by verbally speaking during my presentation. The other part I did have some trouble with is doing my orthographic drawings. Since my model was very complicated, it was hard, mostly on the oblique and roof drawing, to do an almost perfect drawing to my actual model. At the end, with some rendering and lightweight thickness of my drawings, I am very proud of all of my orthographic drawings and one of my most proudest work I've done with orthographic drawings. 

Coming to the presentation day, I had to pin up my presentation board onto the panel, screwed MDF woods onto the panel to present all my other 5 models I have done, and present my mascot I made and my final model. I was very nervous and very scared when it came to the presentation. I presented to the modulators my ideas, how my model came about, and presented my presentation board. 

Throughout this whole project, I have learnt a lot, the skills that I have gained and also learnt a lot about myself. I told myself not to give up and that I could do this presentation and I did; I also made myself grow and become much more confident in presenting that I was before. Throughout this whole process, I also improved my skills on my drawings, definitely my orthographic drawings, speaking, and model making. I am grateful to have my lectures that taught me and helped me throughout the whole process.

Photos below shows presentation panel, me presenting and final model. 

 

Final Model

After all the small models and transformation models that I've done, the final model was coming up and was due. At first I did struggle on coming up with an idea for my final model. I tested and experimented on different ideas for a couple of days. I did come up with an idea which I made for my final model and for the submission. However i had to change my idea and my model as I did not really meet the requirements of having space, area and volume. I then made another model to try to improve it which still did not meet the requirements

At the end, I kept on approving and approving my model so that my model meets the requirements of having space, area and volume and at the end, I finally came up with an idea that gotten approved and met the requirements. My model was very complicated, I knew it was very hard to draw, but I was really proud of myself for finally making a model after two tries. I then also drew several human figures to put on my model to show the different activities my character can do in different parts of my model and also to show the amount of space my model can work with. 

The photo below shows my final model. 

PRV Site Study

Parahyangan Rumah Villa (PRV)

For this group project, we had to choose a site to study on, focusing on the important elements that the house has and explaining the materials used and the process on how the element is made from beginning to the end. For our site, my group choose to do my house in a village called Parahyangan Rumah Villa (PRV) in Bandung, Indonesia, because I knew i had photos of the whole process already from the beginning of the construction till the end which would be easier for me to the describe the main elements. The main important elements. that my group focused on were: structure, foundation, stairs, suspension and opening. 

The photos below shows my house in Bandung for our chosen site. 

                 

Each individual in my group had to focus on an element but because my group only consisted of me and another person, Darren Ho, we both decided to focus on two elements each. I decided to focus more on openings and suspension. I had plenty of photos to help me describe the process and also from the different technical drawings I got such as elevation, sectional drawings and plan views. I also decided to focus on these two elements because I wanted to know myself more information about my own house and how the openings and suspension works in my house and also I knew I would have to use internet to do research also so I wanted to know more information to gain more knowledge too. 

Openings

The first element I focused on were openings of windows and doors. Firstly the windows are made by making a hole in the wall from the bricks and having a wood lintel used to support the opening. The wood lintel is used to prevent the bricks from falling and keeping the required square shape for the window. Below pictures shows the process from brick wall to putting concrete. 

 

For the window, an aluminium window frame is used and is inserted into the opening in the wall which then they inserted a single paned (normal) glass for the window. For the windows, they can use wood also but aluminium for windows are a better choice because it is more durable, low maintenance, and has a good thermal performance as it can easily achieve heat loss through the windows by 60%. Therefore, this is why the windows are aluminium instead of wood because there are more benefits. The windows uses single paned (normal glass) which has pros and cons about it. It is a good thing that the windows used this glass because it is inexpensive; however it is a very poor insulator. Another material that could replace this is double-paned glass as it a better insulator but it is a bit more expensive.

The types of windows that the house has are awning and picture windows. Awning windows are used to get fresh air in and picture window are used to give appearance and provide natural sunlight in. The pictures below shows the windows with the window frames and glass in the opening. 

 

The same process is done with the openings for the doors. After this, the bricks around the opening for the window/door are then covered in concrete. The wood lintel is used to prevent the bricks from falling and keeping the required square shape for the door, main door and doors inside the house and also the garage door. There are four different types of doors in the house: bi-folding door for the garage, 4 panels sliding door for the door to the garden, double doors for the main door to enter the house and a hinge door for the other doors in the house. 

For the door, they used a wooden frame and inserted in the opening for the doors and then a piece of camphor wood is inserted with joints for the door. There are many advantages of using wooden frame for the doors than other materials. Advantages of using wood frames for the door includes: less maintenance, some likes the natural wood texture and appearance, latches and locks are easily installed, and it is also a natural insulator of heat. However, there are disadvantages of using wood for door such as it absorbs moisture which means it will rot, and also can get infected by termites. Therefore, other materials that are able to be used instead of wood frames for doors are uPVC or aluminium. uPVC is a good alternative as it has low maintenance, good insulator and low cost. Aluminium can also be used as it has an increased strength -strongest material out of the three, and also environmentally friendly.

Photos below shows the main door, garage door and terrace door after it has been finished constructed. 

Suspension 

The next element that I focused on were suspension -the roof and also the ceilings. In the beginning, I did struggle explaining the suspension because I did not know much information about suspension as much as I do about opening but through looking at the pictures and researching, it helped me understand the suspension in my house. 

There are two types of roof and from looking at my roof, my roof is pitched with the main structural component is a roof truss and the type of truss used is planer truss (2D). The truss of the roof is constructed by joining steel together onto the top and bottom chord and having truss web to support the bottom and top chord together. After, wooden panels are then put on top of the truss and the tiles are then hammered onto the wooden panels. 

The truss of the roof is made out of steel rather than wood and there are advantages of using a steel truss such as is that it is more lightweight, can be manufactured to exact standards and also no risk of insect infestation. However there are also disadvantages of using steel truss as that it is not energy efficient, and also moves more with temperature fluctuations which is dangerous. An alternative material you can use instead of steel is wood for the truss as it is more fire resistant. However it can collapse over time as wood can warp and also can rot and get infested by bugs. Both materials are good to use for roof truss but in my opinion, I think it is good that my house has steel truss. 

The next thing I researched about was the ceiling. The suspension system for the interior of the house are plaster ceiling. It is also a concealed ceiling system and there are wall mounted furnitures such as cabinets in the bedrooms and also electrical fixtures such as lights, A/C and fan. How the ceiling is made from the ground floor of the house to make the second floor of the house is that first, it has plaster boards, then a wooden beam of the house, then wooden panels, concrete filled, steel, concrete filled again and then the marble tiles for the second floor are placed on top. For the plaster boards, reinforcing tape is used in the finishing stages of the plasterboard installation to bridge the gaps between sheets and to strengthen the joints. The reinforcing tape is also used to prevent cracks.




Advantages of using plasterboard for ceiling is that it is not expensive, and also does not harm the environment as no cement or plaster mixture is released to the environment. There are alternative materials however that can be used for the ceiling such as natural timber, concrete with no finish on top, or VJ (vertical joint) timber lining. All these materials are good to use for ceiling if you want appearance but I think plasterboard was a good option for the house as it is less cost effective.  


Reflection

Throughout this whole assignment, I have gained a lot more knowledge about suspension and also about openings of doors and windows. The research that I did myself and also looking at the photos of the house itself is what helped me gain more knowledge. I did struggle a bit here and there because I got a bit confused on some of the processes but with research, using my knowledge and looking at the photos, I figured it out. I enjoyed doing this assignment because I learnt more about the construction of a house and how it was built and also, I get to really understand how my own house was made and what other materials the constructer could have used instead! 

House Model Making

For this project, which lasted for a couple of weeks, we were in a group of 4 and we had to make a model of an apartment space. To help make the model, we were given a floor plan, 3D model of two sections of the house, and sectional elevation views; we had to make the model based on these drawings given to us. In the beginning from looking at all the drawings that we were given, I was very lost and had no idea where to even start making the house. Below shows the floor plan.

Step by step, we planned on what we were going to do. We started making the exterior walls first, what materials to use and sizes of the walls. After doing this, we then did the interior walls. We struggled already from this step because we weren't sure what were the thickness for the interior walls but we did come up with a thickness that worked. After doing this and we got the whole base of the house, we split up the work as a group and we all did different sections, some of us tackled the kitchen, bookshelf, furnitures, etc.

I did the bookshelf wall myself and I am very proud of how it turned out. Honestly, it was a struggle when doing the bookshelf and also took quite some time because I kept getting the measurements wrong and not making the shelves the different heights. However at the end, I did it and I am very proud of that bookshelf wall. I also helped make the furnitures and also gave my ideas to help fix problems that we encountered throughout the whole project.

At the end, we made a really great model that I think our whole group is very proud and happy about, I am definitely proud of it because we put a lot of work onto it. Photos below shows the final house we made.

              

              

              

              

I really enjoyed doing this project because I like making houses, designing them and also building using materials. I would love to do something like this again in the future during the course. I also learnt many different skills throughout the whole process that I will definitely bring forward for future projects.

Roman Jungle Arch Infographic Board

After our whole project was finished, as a group, we had to design an infographic board documenting the whole process in the making of our arch, improvements on our arch for next time and our group reflection. This last thing we did as a group did make our relationship with each other stronger as we discussed what to include on the board and also the layout. We then had to do a presentation on our board in front of the whole class; this also strengthened our group as we split the work and we all talked about different sections on our board.

Overall, the whole project was very fun as we got to design and play with materials and also improved my communicating skills, leadership skills and also improve my relationship with my group members.

Floor Plan

This class I learnt how to draw a floor plan. This is the first time I have drawn a floor plan before and I did struggle a bit in the beginning as it was a bit confusing since there were many things I had to consider and draw. However at the end, I did the floor plan drawing which I am actually very happy about because it looks like a floor plan that can easily be read.

I am also very happy that I got to learn how to draw a floor plan since it is very important to know how to draw it as an interior architecture student. One of the confusing parts about drawing the floor plan was remembering the symbols and drawing the symbols itself and putting it in the right place on the floor plan. However, after doing this assignment, I now know how to use these symbols properly.

Orthographic Projection

For this class, we learnt about orthographic projection and how to use this drawing technique and also do a work ourselves to practice. Before this class, I already knew how to do orthographic projection and the layout of it too. However after this class, it really did improve my skill on doing orthographic projection and now, I know how to use this drawing technique much more better and more confident also then before I learnt this in class.

Overall, I am happy with my work that I produced for this assignment but I know that I can improve it much better such as caring more for small details and also using different line weights. I did not struggle as much doing this assignment because I have done this before but I could have cared more for small details to improve my work for next time.

I also learnt about the title block and adding borders for all of my assignment and that I have to have a title block and borders for each of my assignment that I submit for this class. I did two assignments for orthographic projection drawing.

3D Transformation - Model Making

The next part of the project was to make models that is inspired by our composed drawing and from our 2D abstraction. I had a total of 4 models by the end of this project, most of them I tried my best to not loose my keywords that I have chosen to take forward throughout the project. One other thing that we had to consider when we are doing our models is hierarchy; I had to make sure that there is a hierarchy shown in every model. For all the models, I used art card because it is the easiest material to play with and shape with.

The first model I had to do was just a composition of 6 boxes that is inspired by my 2D abstraction. This first model and composing the boxes was not that hard because I already knew, from looking at my 2D abstract, where and how I was going to compose the boxes. The photos below shows my 1st model. The hierarchy is the tall, centre rectangle that has other boxes surrounding it.



The 2nd model was using methods such as subtractive or additive transformation and I used subtractive transformation, meaning that I cut from the 6 boxes from my first model into a different shape. I made most of the shapes curved but still keeping the hierarchy and also making sure I am using my keywords into the model. The photos below shows my 2nd model, using subtractive transformation.



The 3rd model is another transformation of my previous model. For this model, we had to consider more things such as the context of our model and also whether our model is geometric or organic. I have chosen to do my model as geometric and the context I used were hanging and sunken -sunken shown from the top of the model looking down. I still have kept all of my keywords that I have used and also the hierarchy. This model I struggled a bit because I got really lost on how to transform the model from the previous one but at the end, I did do a model which I  am proud about. I used balsa wood and string to make my model hang above the ground.

For the 4th and final model, we had to transform again but this time only one context and also considering another context but the context is a situation based around our butterfly. I have chosen to do sunken as my only context and for my context situation, I did it based on a butterfly's cocoon and when the butterfly is getting out of the cocoon. Therefore the shape of the model itself is a bit like the shape of a cocoon. I have tried to keep the keywords for this model too. Furthermore, I also had to add opening to create space for my character to do activities and to enter and exit. This model I also struggle with coming up with ideas but I do like my model at the end, especially the different shapes it has, but I could have done better. 

                                          

                                   

After all this, we then had to do a visual progress on A3 paper, documenting this whole process throughout the project, including pictures of our models too.