Review preparation

This Tuesday we will have a second review with Aj, Taylor.
We will see the 2 groups in one afternoon, and therefore will spend 10 minutes maximum per presentation.


The review will be the last before the final one. As time will be short, you have to be extremely well- prepared and strategic about it: how can you guide us to help you?


The purpose of this review is to assess how your design process is going, to guide you and help you move forward.


You are expected to present some of the documents required for the final review:
- researches, references, interpretation of analysis
- plan (extremely important to show the location of your project and its interaction, articulation with the site) / elevation / section at 1:50
- exploded axonometric projection at 1:50
- model(s) at least at scale 1:100
- most importantly, a description through images, sketches and models of your process of design
- renderings
-eventually detailed model at scale 1:50 (if you are at an advanced state)


Work on and present those drawings only if they help showing one or several aspects of your project.
Ask yourself what a plan can show, that an elevation cannot, which aspect of your project can be revealed in section etc.
Drawings produced purely for the sake of fulfilling the requirements, and which do not show a good level of control (of the information displayed) and mastery, are not welcomed!
Again for examples of great and consistent presentations, have a look at the RIBA Medals website.
It is time now to find a name to your project, and to work on its visual/graphic identity.



The order of presentation will be as follows:

Eiab 13.10 - 13.20
_ work on the use of this wooden covering of the façade for the insiders as well (shade/vegetation?/...)
_ variation of the "stripes"(find the appropriate terms to describe your project) size in width, according to dynamics? activities?...
_ hard work on a neat and precise model! + drawings as discussed during tutorial

Grace 13.30 - 13.40
_ you have to interact with the site - use it to your advantage
_ construct and present your architectural alphabet, your language to tell/install the experience
_ what is the experience (in steps?)? what is its purpose? is it flexible?what are the outcomes? loss of control? open to the unexpected?
_ do not restrain your proposal to physical intervention, think about visual and images, motifs and symbols, sounds...
_ techniques of digging / materials / procedures and requirements
_ the experience proposed is not necessarily linear
_ a lot to do!
_ps you will find a lot of projects here if you are interested in underground architecture (this one is quite interesting!)

Enn 13.50 - 14.00
_ time to work seriously!
_ on the system - is it really appropriate to suit your program?
_ you are proposing two new programs, you have to study them and fulfil whatever they require - be more ambitious! RESOLUTION
_ plans/elevations to show where is your project located, how it transforms from one state to another, from one program to another
_ sections to show how those spaces created work inside
_ research on the most appropriate material (lightweight, easy to assemble...)

Geng 14.10 - 14.20
_ process of design according to the sun routes (per day, per year) in plan, show the evolution of design and decision making in several plans
_ sections to show the possible usages of those cylinder-like places you are creating
_ work hard on models
_ elevation to show how your project integrates/plays with the façade behind and to show the activities
_ researches on materials, structural systems
_ references / you can study the Sendai Mediatheque by Toyo Ito / go on Frei Otto's website also to understand structural systems better and for model inspiration / also get more information on the project you use now as a reference, you have a lot to learn from it / a beautifully intriguing shading project by MOS for the PS1: Afterparty / Vasarely Pavilion by Shigeru Ban Architects


Ong 14.30 - 14.40
_ designing architecture is not about producing a big gesture once in a while (especially if you are not talented enough to afford it), it is a process of understanding, addressing questions or problems, discovering, experimenting, learning while making etc.
_ you have a site and a program to deal with - study them
_ you have a material you wish to work with - understand how to

Amy 14.50 - 15.00
_ i would like to see your work in progress!
_ any question?
_ how are the models going?

Cherry 15.10 - 15.20
_ you urgently have to stop producing meaningless work! your layers (of history - memory - and actuality of perception) were interesting, push this forward!
_ it is not about representation but about manipulation(s), about the production of a new meaning
_ the drawings were to be understanding(s) of perception, not architectural technical drawings, no more flat elevation of the façade please!
_ define clearly your proposal for Tuesday

Pun 15.30 - 15.40
_ what is the purpose of the transformation? how does it affect the experience?/changes the usage?/how can the ground state be made interesting - location - sections
_ explain the translation clearly and in details - a classification of the relation between the different degrees of movement of people and the different types of structure/fold is required
_ do renderings of the experience, of the lights, of the dynamism, of the translation (...) inside the structure
_ a lot of study models!
_ exploration/research of possible construction materials and systems
_ please put your work and references on the blog

Ton 15.50 - 16.00
_ choose one program (exhibition?) and build up the mystery, the hints and clues of what is happening inside - this has to be designed!
_ this building up of suspense is a gradual process
_ a maze can be richer than simply made out of walls...
_ work on a section showing how your structures do not block the views and even create interesting/intriguing relations with the façade and the insiders
_ detailed model

Fa 16.10 - 16.20
_ the twin brothers from Starn Studio builds crazy bamboo structures
_ more bamboo references: examples (+scaffolding), generalities and contemporary bamboo architecture (by the way the tower in Moscow was indeed designed by the engineer Shokhov)
_ in parallel to the design of the structure itself, you have to playfully yet seriously design a way of inhabiting this structure as well, according to the different programs you wish it to host + a certain degree of free appropriation of this 3-dimensional territory
_ think about the visual qualities, the layers, the skins
_ reminder: the RAB project by Exyzt

N 16.30 - 16.40
_ do and present your design process as a sculptor would sculpt into a block:
what are the different ways a sculptor can "attack" the matter? how can action relate to a factor and/or a program? what are the qualities of the material chosen (malleable, solid, breaking in parts etc.)?
_ show the process through the different steps
_ be radical with this project, do not modify the ground or any existing features, your project will come entirely from the manipulations of this virtual block
_ research on possible materials

Best 16.50 - 17.00
_ explain in detail the decision-making of what to reflect - criterias
_ then how to reflect - how those reflected elements are transformed and adapted to a new site, another program
_ do not forget that you are outside - this is actually an interesting point in your project
_ creation of new program? list of those activities, sketches and requirements
_ research on structural systems and materials
_ starting now to work on a physical model would help a lot

Golfe 17.10 - 17.20
_ rhino tutorials
_ what are the tension points of your surface? explain how you modify the plane according to the site
_ the work with the recycled materials as to be more than an addition of layers! this is a very important part of your project (understanding each (or several at least) of these materials collected, what can you do with them? references, researches and experimentations are necessary)

Shane 17.30 - 17.40
_ SITE!!! site and program should be the two main guidelines for design decisions - you cannot ignore the site any longer! it will actually help your design a lot
_ we do not expect a final design, but steps towards it:
 make several physical and computer models for different shading strategies
show in plans how you draw the lines of your intervention according to the merge of public and work (private) spaces into the exhibition, and according to the interaction with the site
_ show us different attempts - NOT A FINAL DESIGN
_ what materials will you use? what construction system would be appropriate?
_ go to TCDC to read that book i told you about, ask N who has read it (+ reading list previously posted)


Be ready on time!
Good luck to all!!