Thursday 13 October 2011

Reflection for Architectural Design

1. What have you learnt in Semester 2?

I have learnt about how elements such as textures, design, colours affect a building's architecture and how unique is the building. Also, I learnt what are the conditions for it to  have good design.

2. Difficulties Encountered

The software used was difficult to use. Google Sketchup frequently lags when I want to edit my model or navigate around it. This caused time to be wasted when I wanted to do my work. I was also quite unfamiliar with the software.

3. How did you overcome them?

I had to be patient when doing up the model. I had to look around at the functions of the software and learn how to use these functions for my model.

4. How do you think you can do better?

I think I can have better time management when doing this project. I also should have considered more factors in my design when constructing the model, as I had not really thought about the dimension of the model. This made my model to be a little out of proportion.

Thursday 15 September 2011

Project Name

Purpose of Building and the Concept behind the Design


  The building is a recreational centre for the young as well as students. It will be located at Bukit Batok. The purpose of the building is to increase the number of recreation centres in Bukit Batok as the only popular mall in Bukit Batok is West Mall, and it doesn’t have facilities for young children and toddlers.

  This building also serves to people who prefer leisure in a recreation centre. Although there are parks and exercise corner and park connectors in Bukit Batok, I think there are some people who prefer to be at the recreational centre.

  This building has a modern concept to it. Its exterior has bright colours, which supposedly excite people. These colours will make my building stand out more, and has a greater chance of attracting youth.

Thursday 18 August 2011

T3W8 Work (Done by: Eunice, Jit Sheng and Ren Chang)

Q1: Illustrate with examples what would you see in the design of a building that you would consider it to be unique.

-One of a kind

This is a house inside a house, one of the first to be built. inside, is a ancient house restored and another house is built around the ancient house.

-Special

This is a stone house or cave. It is built using the concept of stones, rocks and pebbles. This kind of building style is special and different from others, unordinary

-Special Features

This building may look normal and not very unique, but in fact it is very unique. Its features are special. It is a replica of Earth and can be
self-sustained. This building will also be provided with water recycling and air-purifying (or “self-breathing”) gardens as highlighted components. This living, breathing building operates in a similar fashion to the Earth itself, providing energy, recycling water, and providing sustenance to its occupants.

Q2: Illustrate with examples how does colors affect the look and feel of a building (exterior/interior)?

Yellow, orange and red are associated with the heat of sun and fire; blue, green and violet with the coolness of leaves, sea and the sky. Warm colors seem closer to the viewer than cool colors, but vivid cool colors can overwhelm light and subtle warm colors. Using warm colors for foreground and cool colors for background enhances the perception of depth.

Color is light and light is energy. Scientists have found that actual physiological changes take place in human beings when they are exposed to certain colors. Colors can stimulate, excite, depress, tranquilize, increase appetite and create a feeling of warmth or coolness. This is known as chromodynamics.

This building above is very colourful and is bright. This would make people feel warm and more relaxed here. compared to an all dark and dull coloured house.

Q3: Illustrate with examples how does lights affect the look and feel of a building (exterior/interior)?

-Pale, soft color schemes tend to give the illusion of more space.

-"Cool" colors usually gives the feeling of serenity.

-Wall sconces or a countertop lamp will add warmth.

A wall sconce is the lamps surrounding the frame on the wall.

Q4: Illustrate with examples how does texture affect the look and feel of a building (exterior/interior)?

•Definition of textile: How the surface of an object feels.

This implies that texture is merely a tactile consideration. However, when you see something which feels rough, even if you dont directly touch it, your mind still recalls all of the times in the past when you have touched rough objects, and in a small way you relive those experiences. This means that texture has an effect not only on the way a room feels, but also on the way it looks.


-Concept #1: Weight. Rough, coarse textures make an object feel heavier. Smoother textures will make it feel lighter.

Example: A polished white marble floor will feel lighter than hardwood paneling, even though it is in actuality much heavier.

Tip: Those objects which reflect more light will tend to feel less heavy.


-Concept #2: Shabby chic decorative style - everything is painted the same, and texture is used to create contrast.

Example: Off white walls with elegant moldings and textured finishes


•How to use textures in Interior Design

(Texture 1)

Texture 1 uses the concept of putting a texture onto a plain-coloured wall. This makes the wall look more interesting.

(Texture 2)

Texture 2 uses a wood to create a wall. This is different from a normal wall, because of the texture used. It is rougher than a normal painted wall, so it looks more rugged.

•How to use textures in Exterior Design

(Texture 4)

(Texture 5)

(Texture 6)

The above 3 pictures show some of the different textures used for the outside of the building. They are of different smoothness, and thus will create different feels for the building in question. For example, Texture 4 has a more elegant feel because of the smoothness of the texture, while Texture 5 and 6 will have a more rugged feel because of the roughness of the texture.


http://greenbuildings-in-the-world.blogspot.com/2010/11/sustainable-technosphere-in-dubais.html

http://www.bsc.edu/campus/residence/lakeview/green.cfm

http://greenbuildings-in-the-world.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-02-07T03%3A54%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=7

http://www.trendir.com/house-design/natural-home-design-ideas-stone-cave-house.html

http://www.trendir.com/house-design/a-home-inside-of-a-home.html

http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=19382&ca=29

http://residenceideas.com/snail-home-design/unique-building-snail-design-in-mexico5

http://homedesignelegant.com/category/home-office/

http://www.decorating-vacation-property-for-profit.com/bedroom-color-schemes.html

http://freshome.com/2011/07/01/how-stunning-wall-sconces-can-brighten-your-home/

http://interiordec.about.com/od/bathroommakeovers/a/a_smallbathbig.htm

http://findservicesinyourtown.com/three-types-of-lighting-and-how-they-affect-the-look-and-feel-of-your-home/

http://www.sitepoint.com/elements-of-design-texture/

http://photo-junction.blogspot.com/2011/02/interior-design-texture-photos.html

http://www.easterncorner.com/interior-design/Texture.htm

http://www.3dexport.com/items/2009/10/07/19395/19264/house07p1sh.jpg

http://www.ehow.com/how_6116774_spray-stucco-concrete.html

http://www.free-stockphotos.com/download-free-ancient-wall-images/

Thursday 14 July 2011

Group Consolidation

Criterias of good architectural design

Aesthetic aspect

-Should look simple, yet beautiful. Materials used should not be excessively decorative. Building a complex building is useless if it is an eyesore.

Environmental aspect

-Due to the environmental issues, the building should be sustainable and environmentally.

Space aspect

-Small countries like Singapore have lass space, so the building should be multi-functional to save space.

Examples of good architectural design

Eg. ADM in NTU. Good architectural design, the building has unique shape. Environmentally friendly, as grass is used to cover the rooftop to lower the temperature of the building and surrounding area. The rooftop is also a functional area for celebration of festivals like Lantern Festivals.


Group Members: Daniel Pei (11), Tan Jing Heng (20), Wee Ren Chang (21)

Thursday 7 July 2011

What makes a good Architectural Design?

-Materials: The structure that is designed must be not be excessively decorative. The materials used should influence the form it is is used for.

-Simplicity: Its aesthetics should be without considerable/excessive ornaments, simple geometry etc.

-Artistic and Self expression: Ones creativity and imagination

-Regionalism design value: The building or structure should be designed in accordance with the characteristics of the specific place, aimed to achieve visual harmony between a building and its surroundings.

Example: Pinnacle@Duxton

Materials: The materials used were appropriate to house people. The materials were also used and innovated with to solve the problem of housing.

Simplicity: The buildings have simple geometry, ie they are rectangular shaped only. The building only uses trees and greenery for decorations, which is not only simple, but environmentally friendly.

Artistic, Self expression: The design was inspired by circuit boards. The design portrays creativity and is unique.

Design Value: Surrounding buildings are that of high rise buildings, which does not really make the Pinnacle stand out from the surrounding buildings. Comparatively, the Pinnacle was not placed in another housing estate (eg. clementi) as the building would stand out.

Information/picture taken from:

Thursday 30 June 2011

What is Architectural Design?

Wikipedia: It is the design of buildings or urban landscapes.


Britannica Dictionary: It is the art and technique of designing and building.


Oxford Dictionary: The art or practice of designing and constructing buildings.