George Lauder Bursary - Week 3

Monday 15th June

• At the beginning of class, we went over our completed shell projects and presented them to each other.

• It was interesting to see how everyone had interpreted the same task differently and to hear the ideas behind each project. Presenting my own work also gave me the chance to explain how my idea had developed throughout the week.

• After class, I went out for some food before heading back to the accommodation. I was quite tired, so I spent most of the evening relaxing.

Tuesday 16th June

• During class, we had a lecture called The Crisis of Representation: 10 Steps to Win.

• The lecture looked at part of a wider discussion about digital representation and how architecture is communicated through drawings, images, and other forms of media.

• We also had individual critiques on the progress of our work. This gave us the opportunity to discuss our ideas with the lecturer and receive feedback on how they could be developed further.

• After class, I tried Chick-fil-A for the first time. It was another American food place that I had heard a lot about and wanted to try while I was here.

Wednesday 17th June

• We had a guest lecture and discussion about new technologies and sustainable structures.

• It was interesting to hear about how new materials and technologies could be used to respond to environmental issues and influence the way structures are designed.

• We were then introduced to our next project, called Or-E-ent. For this project, we had to use a grid to create a three-dimensional topographical structure. We were given a selection of different grids and began thinking about which one we wanted to use. I started sketching out some early ideas and considering how the grid could be transformed into a landscape rather than remaining completely flat.

• After class, I went to Wendy's, another new food place that I hadn't tried yet. I must say, I thought it was overrated.

Thursday 18th June

• Thursday was mainly spent in the studio developing our ideas for the Orient project. I continued planning how my grid could be turned into a physical model and began thinking about its shape and structure.

• We were also introduced to the next stage of the project, called the Cliffhanger House. This would be connected to our orient models, meaning that we still had to complete the topographical structure while also considering how a habitable space could eventually be incorporated into it.

Friday 19th June

• I collected the materials I needed and began properly constructing the model. This allowed me to test some of the ideas I had been sketching during the week and see how they worked.

• The making process was useful because parts of the design that looked simple on paper became more difficult once I began working with the materials, especially as I don't have much experience with model making.

• I spent a good amount of the day working on the model and making sure I had enough materials to continue with it over the weekend.

• Freya and I then headed to a bar to watch the Scotland vs Morocco game. It was a disappointing 1-0 loss, but we still had a good time.

Saturday 20th June

• I spent part of Saturday continuing to work on the project. I wanted to make enough progress so that I would not be rushing to complete everything before Monday’s class.

• Later in the day, I met up with some of the new friends I had made here. We went for drinks and visited a few different bars.

• We also went to a rooftop bar, which was really nice and gave us a great view over part of the city. It was good to have a break from the project and spend time socialising after another busy week.

Sunday 21st June

• As usual, Sunday was mostly a quiet and relaxing day. I spent some time checking over my model and making sure the work was at a good stage for class on Monday.

• The project was still developing, but I was beginning to understand how the topographical structure and the Cliffhanger House could eventually connect to one another.