week 12: Conflict

The conflicts that I found most difficult in the proposal was that the limited resources. Not all of our group members had powerful computers to run unreal. This became an obstacle we had to find a way of getting around. Though we had the labs, but these labs were mostly full with tutorial classes when we wanted to use the spare time allocated to us throughout the day. Also it was difficult because the Unreal software was only in two of the labs at university.
We had very little conflict within our group, but we did have ‘disagreements or different ideas’ in the group. Though I think we used this in a positive manner because these allowed us to explore further opportunities and find solutions to the problem which in turn pushed us to be more creative.
In terms of imagery when I think of the conflict within our group, I think of a proken link or faces of confusion because we can have different ideas. But soon after this image disappears and my imagery changes to a group of people working together at our desks, like in an office situation.
I think one conflict that occurred in terms of our physical site could have been the high slope of the site. This made the site very difficult to build much on it. I feel that the designers have found a solution to the problem by making the house multi-levelled with solid foundations. This also solved any problems of the view to the sea being blocked by neighbours on the blocks in front.
I think the areas of our proposal that require more attention are the ‘homeliness’ of the design. We have most definitely thought about how we are going to do it, but I think achieving these things in unreal might be more difficult than in reality. Often you have an idea of what you imagine something to look like only to find that when you try to reproduce it in a ‘virtual environment’ that it does not have the same effect. This can be particularly evident in things like the lighting, atmosphere, mood and feeling of a space.



Figure 1: 'Conflict'

Figure 2: 'Conflict Management'


Figure 1. ‘Conflict’ courtesy of < http://peace-talk.com/db3/00218/peace-talk.com/_uimages/Conflict>( accessed 5th June 2008)
Figure 2. ‘Conflict Management’ courtesy of <http://www.teal.org.uk/images/diversity.gif>( accessed 5th June 2008)

Week 11: Planning

‘The Plan is the Generator’

This quote was stated by Le Corbusier in relation to his view on special design. He refers to it in an art gallery he designed in Paris called ‘Villa La Roche’ which was multi-levelled and careful consideration of the spaces was impeccable. (Villa La Roche, Paris. Simon Glynn (1998-2006)

Le Corbusier had a great interest in the study of the cosmos. (Menin, S & Samuel, F ,2002)
Many believe that the universe has a sense of ‘order’ as oppose to a universe in existence by chaos or random chance.
Corbusier related this to his design where he tried to reflect the origin of the design separating humans from the machines. (Menin, S & Samuel, F ,2002)

When Le Corbusier stated ‘the plan is the generator’ he was relating it to the need for a sense of structure. ‘Without a plan, you have lack of order, and wilfulness.’ (Corbusier, L & Etchells, F. (1986)


In terms of architecture a plan is a necessity to complete a given project and influence its direction.
Within the architectural collaborative team the architect is the ‘planner’ if he chooses not to take on this role there can be no conceptual plan. (Martienssen, H, 1974)

In terms of the construction process within architecture, the plan is what defines the spaces and elements that are placed within a structure. It controls the volume, size, location and the relationship between one space and another. (Cohen,J-L & Corbusier ,L (Date Unkown)
Subjectively, it could be considered as a means for an architect to express his design. An architect knows exactly what they want to achieve and the plans are a way to communicate this to colleagues.
To generate could be considered as to develop, most obviously it is the what generates the construction of the structure and a plan achieves this.


The plan generates a response aesthetically, a 2D plan is meant to determine visually the end product of the structure the architect intended. (Martienssen, H, 1974) This is not always the case, and the plan can be misleading as it does not show every detail and the context, nor can it plan capture and the mood atmosphere of the design the architect wanted. (Martienssen, H, 1974)
A plan is the creation of an idea, even if it is developed further it is simply a guideline to give structure and it can be changed during the built process.

‘A plan may be copied or derived or adapted. But the men who lay the bricks do not create it much more than a
typesetter creates literature; and yet there is a difference. Eric Gill (in Art,1934) (Martienssen, H, 1974)




References:

Book:

Menin, S & Samuel, F (2002) Nature and Space: Aalto and Le Corbusier. Routledge: Architecture Modern.
URL:


Cohen,J-L & Corbusier ,L (Date Unkown) Le Corbusier, 1887-1965: The Lynricism or Arhcitecture in the Machine Age. Taschen
URL:http://books.google.com.au/books?id=O9XWb4g6o7AC&pg=PA25&lpg=PA25&dq=Le+Corbusier+and+the+plan+is+the+generator%E2%80%99+&source=web&ots=jMFA31uCni&sig=WDigXl5LZyxQMpeU3hesV69NqXs&hl=en (retrieved 23 May 2008)

Corbusier, L & Etchells, F. (1986) Towards a New Architecture. Dover Publications republication of 1931
URL: http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/1060000/1052890/p40-nobel.pdf?key1=1052890&key2=7311671121&coll=GUIDE&dl=GUIDE&CFID=29441334&CFTOKEN=86251574(retrieved 23 May 2008)




Websites:

Villa La Roche, Paris. Simon Glynn (1998-2006) Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret 1925
Retrieved on 23 of May 2008 at:
URL: http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/laroche/index.htm


Journal:

Martienssen, H, 1974 " Asthetics of the plan, ed. ", 14 , pp. 283-289, accessed 23 May 2008 from Oxford Journals, doi:10.1093/bjaesthetics/14.4.283

Week 10: Remuneration

The most valuable learning outcome I would take away from the course would be planning the time needed to complete the job and prioritise the tasks in terms of importance. There have been times where I have not used my time wisely. For example, for each presentation Chivonda and I prepare the images and animations for the presentations. But one particular Saturday we spent all day putting together the images and animations and the animation we spent the most time on we did not use in the end.
I am not sure exactly what the hourly rates are for each individual task required for the fabrication project. When I looked at some hourly rates for 3d Visualiser on Career One it worked out to be between $25-40 an hour. The lowest rate was based on a 3d Visualiser with experience between 1-2 years and the higher hourly rate obviously for a more experienced person. The annual salary was therefore between $50,000-$80,000. (Career One Job Website, 2008)
I found a company called Archiform who special in everything graphic, from fly-throughs, modelling, coloured floor plans to virtual tours at the minimum. This company worked out the renderings based on the size of the home/building.
A rendered front exterior image of a home 250 square metres will cost the client $700 and for 550 square metres $1,000. For videos with special effects and live footage mixed with a 3d Virtual reality presentation it would cost the client $5000. (Archiform, date unknown ‘A’)
For a fly through animation of an apartment with up to 3 bedrooms will cost around the $7,000 mark. (Archiform, date unknown ‘B’)

A person’s characteristics and personality can contribute to remuneration. Their willingness, determination, good communication and patience to meet the deadlines and a positive mindset that helps deliver good quality work that is worthy of reward. If each member within the collaborative team has these qualities and the same goal then this also helps contribute. Some examples of non monetary remuneration could be:
-The reward of completing the job
- Better your skills and confidence
- Doing a job to gain experience
- Doing a project that will develop your knowledge further
- Producing work for a portfolio or for an award so that you can be recognised

When I broke down the Fabrication project and studio tasks in terms of hours I tried to work out the total pay.
Blog Entries: 2 Hrs per week for 10weeks at $25 = $500
Fabrication: 3hrs per week for 10 weeks at $25 = 750
Presentation: 4hrs per week for 10weeks at $25 = $1000
I came up with a total payment forecast of $2250 but I feel that, that is too low and perhaps I miscounted the number of hours spent on a task.
I chose the lowest rate of $25 per hour to work out my forecast because I am still a student. Though, I have heard that the rate of pay for a visualiser could be $30 at the minimum to $50 per hour.
In an office environment this sort of project would be done in a much shorter time frame at this price.
If I had the choice and worked for myself I would charge around $50 per hour as I have had some experience; doing a job for visualisation at a much smaller scale, a terrace home in Surry Hills. Joe and I were paid a very low rate of $20 an hour. It was not enough for the amount of over time we put into it, the rest we declared as ‘student investment time’ or experience. I would never do this again.
I think so far the fabrication project could be worth around $3500.

References:
Websites:
Career One Website (2008) 3D Architectural Visualisation Job. Retrieved on 18th of April 2008 at: URL: http://mycareer.com.au/jobs/brisbane/construction-architecture/drafting/6168888++d+architectural+visualisation+d+max+high+end+work+brisbane.aspx?style=enhanced

Archiform (date unknown ‘A’) TV Commercials and Video Production Australia. Retrieved on 18th of April 2008 at: URL: http://video-production.archiform3d.com/prices-video-australia.php

Archiform (date Unknown ‘B’) TV Commercials and Video Production Australia. Retrieved on 18th of April 2008 at: URL: http://video-production.archiform3d.com/prices-video-australia.php

Week 9: 'Context'

Context could be related to the ‘working environment’ of the project or the ‘content’ of the project for example, the function of the ‘unbuilt building’ and how its elements relate to its content. When thinking about the physical context of the project the surrounding of the building needs to be considered. In what context will the building be placed? How does the building itself reflect this? For example its, style, orientation, shape and placement. All of these can be considered in terms of context.

I think our building does represent its intended context the style of the home represents a modern day beach home, open in planning to take in its surroundings; the ocean on one side and the mountain views on the other. The building is multi-levelled, with large balconies at the front and pitched high above its surroundings so the design of the building has been carefully thought out to take this into consideration.

The setting of the construction of the unbuilt building has been both at the university labs and from our individual computers from home.

I am not sure I agree that using UT3 to influence the project is the best option. Our group B, I feel has agreed to take the opposite approach. To use UT3 to represent the building, that is its functionality and surroundings to be as realistic as possible. I think elements could be changed without interfering with the buildings context too much. Perhaps, different building materials and colours could be chosen while maintaining the original environment and context.

I suppose the context is important in terms of architectural examples is because it is important in terms of design. An Architect cannot design a building efficiently without knowing its context.
In terms of the context of our workmanship, I would say that Azize is our group leader. She organises a lot and generally we run our ideas past her, if we’re not sure. Azize presented the group with details of the unbuilt building for example the plans and Cettina is a good presenter.
Jeff, predominantly does a lot of the video editing and some UT3 stuff, possibly the environment mapping to come. Chivonda and I have been working on the materials for the model in 3ds max and doing the director animations for each presentation and starting to consider interior colour schemes and designs such as settings and furniture.

Week 8: Record Blog

Record’ can mean to ‘protect’ or ‘document’ findings, results from a progress of work.
This is constantly used in any work force, particularly for protection and security reasons of documents and plans within an Architectural office. If an architect runs into problems with a builder or engineer for example the plans are a record of what was done and what is to be done in terms of alterations and additions. This can then be communicated across all disciplines.
I read an interesting report that I felt was relevant to the topic ‘record’ though in a different profession. This report refers to the significance of ‘documentation’ and ‘recording’ results and findings within the hospital system. Documentation and record regardless of profession have the same importance.

The common motto being ‘If you did not document it, it was not done.’ (Oram, no date)
After all a record means to ‘give written information that is proof or support of something that has been done or observed.’ This becomes a legal document. (Oram, no date)
As I commented earlier, record is to protect, to provide this information gives you a certain level of legal protection.
You are entirely responsible for the noting, so it must be a legible and accurate observation of what the client wants and for peace of mind for yourself. (Oram, no date)
The purpose of documentation particularly in the medical industry is to show ‘what was done, when it was done, who did it, how it was done, how the client tolerated it.’ (Oram, no date)
These kinds of recordings are similar to the details found on plans in the title block.
The report goes on to explain ‘care plans’ in the medical industry. These are regarded as written documentation of a patient’s situation. It involves the nurse; predicting/observing diagnosis, predicting interventions, predicting outcomes. (Oram, no date)

This principle could also be important for recording and documenting a working process in the architectural collaborative process. A similar plan can be devised to record and plan the project, plan for problems, and plan for the outcome through observation. These can be recorded either in written form or electronic form. In doing this you can begin to save a lot of time in the present and the future if legal problems shall arise.
The following images are tools used in many architectural firms for storing written documents, records, reports and plans that may be useful for the future should a legal documentation be required.



Figure 1. Verti plan



Figure 2. Hang- a- plan




References:

Oram,M, no date, ‘Keys to Documentation’, accessed 04 May 2008, <http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:dkL09nfoxXoJ:excellenceinlearning.net/courses/111.doc+Why+is+record+and+documentation+so+important%3F&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4>
Images:
Figure 1. Verti plan courtesy of <http://www.elitebuilt.com.au/vertiplan/index.html>
Figure 2. Hang-a-plan <http://www.office365.co.uk/Artists-Graphics-Supplies/600210-Arnos-Hang-A.htm>

Week 6 Homework 'Intent'

Intent could be considered as ones ideas about a project or their interpretation of a brief and what its aims are towards a particular project. It can define what a person might do or achieve throughout their working process.

‘participants work intensely with one another, observing and understanding each other’s moves, the reasoning behind them and the intentions’(Kvan 2000)

Though each person in the collaborative process could have a slightly different Intent towards approaching an idea, and therefore multiple ideas are a result of personal Intent.

So it is important that each member is informed of the others thoughts and design process, so that the work load can be distributed evenly. (Kvan 2000)

‘Part of the problem with the term ‘‘collaborative act’’ is that the activities that are undertaken in such acts may vary in intent and degrees of participation.’ (Kvan 2000)

Intent could be something that drives a project for example, a client expressing their particular intentions towards a project proposal or brief.
When the proposal is given to different disciplines it becomes clear to each member in the collaborative process what their intention should be and what approach they as an expertise in their field should take.

‘The participants have been engaged to work together because each has a particular expertise that can be contributed to the solution process.’ (Kvan 2000)

Intent means the will to do something, so each member must be on the same track and employees use their intent to encourage the collaborative process. Without this intent the collaborative process is unsuccessful and unnecessarily difficult.

'Collaborative success can therefore be said to be achieved when we have accomplished something in a group which could not be accomplished by an individual.' (Kvan 2000)

Figure 1: Intent Diagram


This image outlines the concepts of intent in a collaborative process. It could help members of the collaborative process by assisting members with their jobs by breaking down the project to create goals and assess any problems that may arise in the project and find solutions.


References:


Kvan, T 2000, ‘Collaborative Design: What is it?’ Representations of South Africa in the Sydney Morning Herald since the inauguration of Thabo Mbeki as president’, Automation in Construction, Volume 09, Issue 04, July 2000, accessed 24th April 2007, < http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V20-406WD6W-B&_user=37161&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000004218&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=37161&md5=ba1f1b8959897bc20b306b9cd1bfee4b>

Image:

Figure 1: Intent Diagram. Greg Balanko-Dickson: Small Business Coaching & Transitions, 2007. Retrieved on the 24th April 2007 at URL: <http://www.smallbusinesstransitions.com/category/transitions/fertilization/>

Week 5: 'Knowledge' Post

Knowledge: 'All that a person knows..All that is known' (Oxford University Press, 1995)

Knowledge is important in the collaborative process, because it is needed for the different disciplines in an architectural office. Knowledge could be what is considered to be what defines us and makes each of us different, to bring different skills to the collaborative process. These skills do not exist unless there is some sort of underlying knowledge and tasks can not be delegated to different disciplines without. Knowledge is something that can be derived from many different areas of life and in the work space. This can be from personal experiences, for others through education by reading facts and information that assist the growth of knowledge. (Oxford University Press, 1995)

The benefit of knowledge is that it can make someone have a particular 'expertise' that another can not. Through knowledge brings understanding. (Oxford University Press, 1995) This is useful in the collaborative process so that each team member has an understanding of the tasks at hand. Knowledge must be gained and not given. This could be through a particular experience, training or study that allows one to constantly be learning and expand their knowledge. This can bring great confidence to the collaborative team as this means the task can be successfully achieved.




Figure 1: Knowledge Diagram (Oxford University Press, 1995)
The image above is significant because each circle represents something different.
The ideas circle represents your own emotional experiences that you can bring to the circle. This could be 'emotional intelligence'. Intelligence could also be considered as a form of knowledge. Where a person has the ability to 'understand' another colleague and how to connect with them on a professional level.
The second circle represents the knowledge that you have with other people, for example, work experiences gained through a mentor that you learn from to acquire the knowledge you have.
The third circle, I think refers to your own knowledge gained through individual or perhaps personal experiences that influence your own thoughts on a matter or part of the collaborative process. This could be knowledge gained through your own background or the cultural experiences you have been exposed to in life that may help develop knowledge that allows you to relate to others.


References:
Book: Oxford University Press (1995) The Australian Study Dictionary/Thesaurus. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Image:
Figure 1: Knowledge Diagram. Martin Roell: E- Business Consultant, 2004.Retrieved on the 21st April at URL: http://www.roell.net/publikationen/distributedkm.shtml