Week 8 review of final major project

Review of final major project 

The final outcome of my project represents deconstructivism and in a way reconstruction. The reconstruction or recreation of the aesthetics of two old buildings not necessarily by the act of reconstructing the whole structures itself but through the use of parasitic architecture to create a post modern look evoking some form of chaos in an organised manner. This is partly shown through the colours I have chosen to use in my model- the white creamy look mirroring that neat and organised visual while having that strong red copper and rose gold wire completely contrasting that clearness. The range of sizes of the wire balls also contributes in creating that chaotic look as it is creating a distinct structure. 

The fact that the shape formed by the wire is a ball, already contrasts a lot to the rectangular shape of these estate houses making it look different from the usual and that way it stands out.  

The idea behind this project also comes from the regeneration of the area I live in- West Hendon. The whole area is being regenerated hence for this project I have decided to focus on three buildings surrounding Telford Road, regenerating two older looking buildings next to each other to reflect the deconstructivism style as shown in my model to suit the taller building which was just finished constructed last year.

The methods I have used to show how my learning has affected this project is by writing things down on my blog such as research of other architects who have explored deconstructivism like Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, Peter Eisenman and Rem Koolhaas as well as putting them down on my sketchbook and having small responses/ideas inspired by them next to their work to show what I have taken in from their work, that way developing ideas for myself. I have also used my FMP timetable and plan to see what I have to do and when I have to do them. This has helped with the development of this project as I was able to present my work in my sketchbook and blog in a good orderly way which makes sense and also helps me clear out my ideas.  

One of the targets I set myself was to be able to think outside the box (in a more open and expressive way) in order to come up with more playful ideas. I feel like this was achieved for example when I generated ideas by starting with random starting points e.g paper engineering which meant I was able to explore different paper forms, curves and straight angles. 

I also set myself a target to work on a site based project and I kept to that by focusing on a specific site- Telford road in West Hendon. 

I also met the deconstructivist style in my visual ideas throughout the project by exploring fragmentation, expressionism, angles and curves.  

Was firstly looking at existing deconstructivist architecture structures and parasitic forms by other architects such as Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid which had a lot of influence on my initial ideas but then I had to search for things which had more of a connection and relevance with my site, so I thought of parasites and insects which may live on in estate buildings ( the two old buildings next to each other I was working on are estate buildings). Thus I researched some parasites and insects as part of my development and carefully looked at the form, details, colours and patterns of these parasites and insects to create a really intriguing parasitic structure. For my final idea I decided to take the curvy form and pattern of lice, bed bugs and parasite worms (the movement of worms) to develop an unusual wire ball.     

The idea that parasites live of the host and are attached to something connects with the idea of parasitic architecture. 

Playing with the form of wire developed the idea 

I found that talking to people outside art courses helped me in looking at my work from an outsider's perspective and that way I could be more open about the way I look at my ideas. For example when I asked other people outside this course what my work made them feel and what they thought about it, they were able to give me interesting replies- e.g made them feel some sort of chaos when looking at my model. 

Other advice I took on board from the one to one tutorials were where to place the parasitic e.g attached to a corner of the building. They also advised me on what materials I could use for my model making- mount board and wire . Evaluation groups also helped ease the decision of using of wire for the structure of the parasitic. Evaluation groups also helped me develop my sketchbook and ideas through the group review e.g what architects and things/places to research. 

Things I would change about my approach would be to firstly improve my time management, that way I would have had more time to experiment with more structures, e.g playing with surfaces more and using the 3D printer to create quick prototypes. 

I would have also liked to explore the area I was working on a bit more such as the history of the area. 

Skills I have developed was learning how to use the laser cutter and how to control it to have better finishes on different materials e.g less burnt signs on mount board. This means that for future models I will have better and neater finishes. I have also learnt how to use other machinery like the zunde, thus for future model making I can make use of other machinery and not just the laser cutter. Another skill I have developed within this course is how to use scale modelling and how to work with a site.