LAURA GIBSON
Architecture & Design
CONSTRUCTION AS ALCHEMY
Project 1 - Celebrating the Art of Brickwork
The first task in Construction as Alchemy was to design a single skin brick wall. This brick wall is to be placed near the playground in Fawkner Park, Melbourne. This assignment utilised skills regarding knowledge of constructability, research and drawing conventions. As my first major assignment utilizing proper drawing conventions, I enjoyed the precision and time that it takes to complete the drawings in Rhino, Illustrator and Indesign. It is satisfying to watch a project come together, and I can imagine that throughout my career this satisfaction will build as I was my designs being built in actuality.
The brick wall taught many valuable lessons. Firstly, I learnt the rules of thumb regarding wall stability which heavily influences all elements of the construction process. However, the most important lesson I learnt was to back my work up. After losing the only copy of the assignment only hours before it was due, I did not submit my original brick wall which would have scored a better mark. However, I did learn about both curved and angular brick wall construction after completing two brick walls. In the coming months I plan to redesign this brick wall following the feedback I recieved after the first submission, particularly regarding constructability.
Project 2 - Relaxation Deck
The second project in Construction as Alchemy was to design a deck that compliments your brick wall. I decided to make the deck follow the shape of my brick wall, and also to follow the same 90 degree angles that are seen in my wall. This project involved using the Timber Queensland Technical Data Sheet to research the most efficient span and size for both joists and bearers. The decking boards that were used in this project are F14 35x120.
Similar to the brick wall, this project required precise skills in drawing. I was careful to make all of the line weights consistent and accurate throughout all pages of the drawings. My favourite drawings to create are the hero perspectives, because I find it fulfilling to see the design in crisp, neat linework. I would really like to improve my Rhino and 3D drawing skills in the following months, as at some times throughout the process I had to redraw some aspects because I was too rushed with the Rhino drawing. However, I find Rhino a useful tool towards creating drawings of accurate scale, and I enjoy moving around the drawing to see what it would look like amongst the real site. Furthermore, I would like to improve the stepping on the deck, as they are not quite the right height and size that was requested. I also need to make the deck about 70mm lower to the ground. Here, I learnt the importance of reading the brief very carefully, and in future projects I aim to understand the project entirely at every stage of the process.
Project 3 - Seat Design and Detailing
The seat assignment required us to research materials and construction details on our own, unlike the other assessments from this subject. It also required us to acknowledge finer details at a 1:5 scale. I enjoyed working at a smaller scale, which I also found challenging as it required a much closer attention to detail. Throughout this task, I thought closely about the original deck and wall design. In future, I want to edit the wall so that it ties in closer with the deck and vice versa. I am looking forward to receiving feedback for the seat assignment.
Oval Pavilion Drawings
The Oval Pavilion Drawings Set were a great way to learn about different design concepts, particularly in architectural drawings. I constantly referred to the drawing set throughout the semester when creating my own drawings as they were helpful in understand basic conventions such as symbols for different materials and page layout. The Oval Pavilion is an intricately designed building with large gestures that combine different materials. However, the building is also carefully designed at a smaller scale to take into account joining materials and small details.