reflections

What do you know now that you didn’t know at the beginning of the semester?

I better understand the design process including how much is involved for each part of the process and how long each part takes.  Especially important to remember is that the design and build take up no time at all compared to how long the building will be occupied (hopefully).

What advice would you give someone who would be taking this class?

Collect e-mails and phone numbers on the first day since communication will be a big stumbling block otherwise.  Knowing everyone’s schedule and availability will also help when coordinating times to meet, but this can be done later as long as contact information is known and used.

Reflections for the semester

I learnt quite a lot from this class. I was kind of conversant with the design process and the players involved but I hadn’t had the opportunity to observe from close quarters the interdisciplinary relationships that exist and how they are all connected. This class gave me the opportunity to see how that happens in the real design process. I had never responded to an RFP so it was a new experience but it had plenty learning moments. Making sure that the design fulfils the client’s requirements, is within code, within the client’s budget and is structurally sound. Acting in the capacity of the designer, allowed me to look at my profession not just as an architecture student but as a practicing professional. I gained fresh perspective of what it means to work in the field and how integrated the designer is at every stage of design.

Advice to anybody taking the class is to document the information and details of each week carefully. If possible start to organize the weekly material in preparation for the book. Most of us were not thinking of the book that we had to put together at the end of the semester so toward the end we had some trouble remembering what we had done earlier, the processes, lessons learnt and the roles that we each played. Working with teammates requires planning, time, patience and effort. Planning to make sure that everyone is on the same page and has the same goal in mind. Time to work together on achieving their purpose and meeting their target, collaboration takes time and teammates have to be willing to dedicate time to each other. Patience is required because tolerance for other teammates’ inadequacies will reduce instances of conflict. Each team member must be willing to commit 100% to making sure that the work gets done efficiently and on time.

“What do I know now that I didn't know at the beginning of the semester that I know now?”

            Prior to my involvement with Community Practice, I thought I had a grasp on how the design world operates, (but I was slightly off mark) and how theoretically easy it should be to communicate with other design professionals (again I was slightly off). But the reason I had underestimated these operations is because I simply have not had the interactions and practice to completely understand the process. My biggest take away from this semester, were all those tangent moments in-between the overarching statement of community practice where I began to understand the political structure of how a progressive architecture firm might operate. If I could digest the semester into categories, the most valuable theory I learned was the art of collaboration, and the many forms and scales it happens. There were moments as an individual working on this project; I had to rely on the production or information of another group member, and the inverse of group members relying on me. The understanding of accountability has made a large impact on how collaboration operates.

“What I would suggest for students taking this class”

            Community practice is a great opportunity to work with classmates and build stronger relationships with the BAC community. The class is designed to explore theories of collaboration, as seen in the structure of the class (4 weeks history lecture, 4 weeks design build, 1 week build, 3 week analysis) from beginning to end, this class covers a lot of ground, and attempts to create an entire composition of the design/build process. To get the most out of what this class has to offer, I would recommend staying on top of your punctuality, actively practice the best and most efficient ways to communicate ideas; email/ phone/ sketching/ models/ diagrams.  And to be successful with this class it is crucial to be loyal to your team members, whereas if you are accountable to provide group members with information, it is best to do so in a timely manner. (which is always harder than it sounds)

Reflection

"What do you know now about the design process that you didn't know before? How will you approach your design and collaborative work differently? What was the most interesting/helpful thing you did this semester? What advice do you have for students who take Community Practice in the future?" 

As I reflect upon this semester’s community pilot lab for gateway, I've found that I've learn how to collaborate design ideas when it comes to working with others. In doing so I believe that we as a team have built a great relationship with one another to reach a positive and agreeable end goal. What I did not know, or more or less get to do frequently as a design student is the opportunity to build and the steps needed in approaching this phase. As I continue through my education here at the BAC, I will see collaborative work as a way to further better my design work and have a better understanding how a client/community could affect my design.

My advice for upcoming students who will be taking community practice in the future is to “Communicate!” and lots of it. Whether it is to brainstorm ideas or asking general questions you will never know until you ask. Another advice would be to manage your time well with the work given to you. As a group, you should be able to contribute and collaborate equally. Don’t forget without communication there is no collaborating, its cooperating!

Reflection

What do you know now that you didn't at the beginning of the semester?

I did not know the process of how a design project is built. I was unaware of the fact who has the most crucial role and how much of a role each player has to participate in. Going into this and finding out that each one of us will be taking on a role and will have to work together to come up with a solution to any problem we might have, I wasn't sure how it was going to work because many of us don't know anything about building construction, codes, government regulatory. We had to work together and the biggest component of figuring out the solution was by communicating.

What advice would you give to someone taking this class?

My advice that I would give to someone taking this class is to communicate. Communication is the biggest factor to this class. Without it you wont get anything done. Do you research for the role because your team depends on you to know the information and make sure you can teach your classmate about your role because they will do the same. This is a design team and as designer we work together through out the entire project from start to finish so contribute the amount of work everyone else is doing.

Mock up!

In class last week, we heard from the Design Team what their answer to the Client's RFP was. As Jeff, Humza, and Jayne were explaining it, we moved into the hallway to better understand how the installation might work...which is when it dawned on us...wouldn't it be easier to understand and figure out how this thing would work if we built a mock-up? So, everyone went in different directions getting materials, and 20 minutes later, we started. An hour later, we had a full-scale mockup in place. We learned a lot about how to do it better the next time - constructionally and practically, but also theoretically - what are we trying to say with this thing?

Stay tuned...the 3rd floor hallway is about to be transformed...

Jeff explains the design team's concept; Yen [the client] listens intently...

Humza, Jeff, and Jayne install the paper, while Ariella and Yen discuss next steps....

Bold Colors