Back at Uni

I will be honest here. I forgot about writing. Although I haven't made many significant additions to  my project since last time, I was too busy packing last week and too busy partying this. I did get the chance to sit down and do some hard core AutoCAD yesterday. I also began my presentation sheets and even made a passable attempt at a photo montage. 

Yesterday's work also included me working out the joints for my frame and building it properly on AutoCAD. This was either very simple or my skills are improving significantly! From having my frame built, I could then go on to explode it to show how it all fitted together. 

So, like I said, I am back at uni now and had my introductory lecture this afternoon. We have been given the new brief: to design and (some of us) built a pavilion for Dunham Massey.  We are heading out there next Tuesday to see the house and make some site analysis etc. 

Frame with posts that will eventually support the walls
and the roof.

Plan of the frame showing the holes where the posts sit.

Probably the best bit of news we received today was that, for the time being at least, we don't have to get the A1 poster and film together to present. We simply have to put the work we have done onto a sheet and bring it with us on Tuesday to show to the rest of our group, to give them an idea of our skills etc, as we will be working in groups for this project. Sweet!

And so it begins . . .

Three weeks before I am due to be back in Manchester and I already have work. I shouldn't really be surprised: I am an architecture student after all!

A bit about me. I am from North Wales and after scraping through my A levels (thinking back to results day still gives my shivers) I got into my first and only choice of architecture school. Manchester. Not only choice because it was the only one I liked and wanted to get into and was smart enough to walk in but only choice because no body else wanted me (plenty of stress let me tell you!) I worked my arse off that year and after thinking I had gotten my A in D&T, results day came around and I ended up with a B (due to my coursework being marked down from an A to a C - and I STILL don't know why). This jeopardised my place but in the end I got in and it has been the best thing that has happened to me yet.

So. Year 2. The hardest one apparently. I was told at the end of last year - by a couple of students who had survived 2nd year - to quit if you didn't think you would make it. Brutal. 
I got back from my holiday in the Lake District with my family last Friday only to discover that we have been given the new project brief. It's Tuesday now and I have finally begun.

The Brief

I was thinking about it most of the weekend and getting my thoughts together etc etc. Although I'll admit that I wasted most of Sunday and yesterday playing the Sims (VERY guilty pleasure). But I needed to get a new sketchbook and I need my ordered books to arrive before I could really make a start any way (excuses, excuses). 

This blog is going to be like my design diary (a habit I got into while doing A level D&T). I will record my progress, any ideas I have and hopefully keep up with it! Today (after getting my sketchbooks), I began my project by drawing Lake Windermere. I promise there is method behind the madness! Like I said before, I was on holiday in the Lake District, Bowness-on-Windermere to be exact. And as most people know, the views up there are stunning and inspired many artists, poets, authors etc etc. The brief is to design a 'single space structure' with a specific purpose and having just got back from the most scenic places in the country what better purpose than as a place to sit and enjoy the view, do some sketching, writing, reading, relaxing. Whilst walking last week, we came across Claife Station, a viewing point built at the end of the 18th century for the purpose of enjoying the view out over Lake Windermere. It is now owned by the National Trust and has fallen into disrepair. This is going to be one of my precedents in the way of function and possibly even design. I have already started to research this and came across a video on the National Trust site which could prove to be quite useful.

By default, I think my site is somewhere in the Lake District but I am hoping that my design could be applied to anywhere as a sort of shelter for the arts. 

Tonight I am hoping to finish of a little map of Lake Windermere to get me started on this project. It is already past midnight but ah well. I've got to add some place names and make it into a bit of a site analysis, showing views, titles, orientation etc. My OS map is out on the floor next to my drawing board and pencils. It all looks quite civilised actually!



After that, bit of reading (Pillars of the Earth - it's only taken me all summer but nearly finished now!) and then off to Speke Hall tomorrow. Plan to get plenty of sketching done. 

Signing out!