Design Process Analyzing
Architecture started from China in a place called “Tang” destiny where it was referred to as carpentry. During these times, architecture was concerned with the building of shelters to protect people from animals and natural disasters. Progressively, people’s needs shifted from the basic shelter building to entail other aspects such as beauty. This need required the carpenter to invent ways of instilling beauty in their work through such as different types of roofing including but not limited to the crown cantilever, calotte, and square roof. Moreover, building changes with social classes as it would be used to capture aspects of particular groups by such as roofing. Carpenters from other regions of the world learned of this artistry from the Tang destiny. With the advancement of the carpentry, the discipline changed to architecture with more inventions being made. Currently, various architects have different styles and opinions on architecture although they do agree on the fact that the exterior part of a building should conform to the landscape of the city. These opinions pertain to the natural joy the building instill to those who stay in it. I chose architecture as my major since am fascinated by the ability of architects to make something virtual to be real. I have been learning architecture for three years so far and am willing to continue doing the same. In this essay, I want to sensitize prospective students of architecture, as their major, on its beauty through my experience when learning during the model making and the reason I choose it.
Steve Jobs highlighted that “design is not just staying in the virtual, but design is how you bring it to the reality.” Design is the process through which the virtual world is made to be real by such as sketching it out and building it into an actual world. When undertaking my projects, I familiarize myself with the requirement and research on my clients on issues pertaining their hobbies, style and personal characters. I then settle down and think of my design by considering how I will make my ideas to reflect my client’s nature after which I sketch the ideas. Occasionally, I do several sketches which give me inspiration and also which help me to improve on my imagination. After sketching the ideas, I then determine ways of making them real.
During one of my classes, arh110, while studying ‘Exploration of Space as Narrative’ we were asked to transform an idea of a specific person to a defined space. This transformation required us to investigate the process of abstraction and the use of narration and investigate movement procession and sequence through space by applying ordering principles. I carefully studied the requirements of the task and later went to see the nearby environment and urban surrounding. I also investigated the background, the job and the story of David Suzuki, the owner of the design. David Suzuki is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. I found out that David Suzuki devoted his life to finding out ways in which human beings and nature can live sustainably, especially by considering the ocean and the human (Suzuki & McConnell, 2007). Such information guided me to make a design representing his idea of balance between nature and human.
Sketching helps me to express my virtual idea to the people. In the case highlighted above, I initially sketch several straight lines to create a canopy shape and some modified curved lines to represent an ocean wave. I then sought advice from my professor regarding my ideas who advised me to use curved lines instead of straight lines. He informed me that straight lines were too strong to represent nature, and it is used to give people a sense of power. On the contrary, curved lines are soft and can provide more natural feelings. Moreover, he advised me to use repetition of the curved lines to create the depth as it would be more interesting and have more connection with nature. Considering David Suzuki’s inspiration of the balance between the human and ocean, I used curved lines to create a sense of an ocean and also changed the height of the line to create a hierarchy of space.
One approach to making the virtual idea into reality is by using the processing model. After deciding on the idea to use for the project, I started to build up my process model that involves change and correction. The process model is important in that it helps a person to express their ideas and process about your inspiration of the final model. Moreover, it also reveals correction or change one may be having about their model making the concept clear. Architects usually use paper or chipboard to build their process because these materials are cheap. I use chipboard for my process model. Such materials allow me to use repetition of the curved lines to create depth to represent the balance between the human of nature for my concept. However, my professor advised me not to build my process model in an isolated manner to the surrounding. Rather, the process model should have some connection with the urban surrounding. Consequently, I created some bridges that are parallel to the urban surrounding. Processing model requires one to think that each decision and correction has a meaning, and you should know the reason you build your model in this way, and then you can turn to build it up as the final model with the good materials.
Presentation is the most important part of architecture since the model created cannot communicate for itself. Therefore, you need to express your ideas clearly and explain each decision you made on your model to your audience and the reason for opting a particular approach over the other and the benefits for the same. During my presentation, I informed my audience that the reason I built my model into the symmetrical curvy shape was to express David Suzuki’s idea of the balance between the ocean and human. I also explained issues pertaining the model such as there was water at the bottom of the model. Such model design would allow people to have an enjoyable walk from the city in my space. Furthermore, they can walk from one side to another using the bridges connecting to the urban surrounding.
Frank Gehry was a famous architect and a master of architecture. He used the processing model in his designs. After getting a project, he would think for a long time about it to ensure perfection. For instance, he started to design the interior of The Walt Disney Concert to allow people to enjoy the experience of walking in the building before designing the exterior as per the landscape of the city.
Architect Zaha Hadid said that if you don’t want your life be hard and tormented, then don’t be an architect. An architect’s life is all about having reasons for the decisions made and you need to question all your work if there are chances of changing it. Moreover, it involves determining whether the model ideas can be made real and whether people will enjoy their experience in the building. However, architecture is about visualizing the beauty in nature and making it a reality. It becomes an obsession that creates a luxurious world to the architects. Architecture involves the artistic work that involves creating a sense of natural happiness to people. It is a passion of seeing joy through the eye of nature that can never be lost once it is obtained. Architecture involves a progressive process of learning people and nature and how the latter can be used to create joy. Architecture allows people to explore the depths of the universe and make them real to other and hence improving our imagination and creative abilities.
References
Suzuki, D. T., Mason, A., & McConnell, A. (2007). The sacred balance: Rediscovering our place in nature, updated & expanded. Vancouver [B.C.: Greystone Books.
