MEASURED DRAWINGS
The subject aims to develop an understanding of the principles of building preservation/conservation and the methods of recording it in three documentation methods; measured drawings, written documentation and photographic documentation. The ideas of application and management of architectural historic documentation will be presented as part of the overall knowledge of building preservation/conservation. For measured drawings, students are to document historically and architecturally significant buildings in the form of as-built drawings. The task requires students in a group that involve field works consisting of measuring techniques such as photographing, sketching, using of theodolite and measuring tapes. The outcomes of the subject are collection of plans, sections, elevations, details and axonometric views / models; complemented with a report that explains about the background, history, concept, style construction techniques and ornamentation of the building.
Project 1: On-site Observation Journal
Task:
This project is an on-site exercise where students have to document the physical and the immediate context of the site. It can be from an element as broad as the urban planning itself down to the smallest detail of the ornaments used in the building.
Journal
Project 2: Report, Photo Book
Task:
The report is an additional document that accompanies the set of drawings for the building that is measured during the semester. It will elaborate on the significance of the building measured from various aspects such as architectural, historical and cultural. Students are required to prepare a report and photo book.
Report, Photo Book
Project 3: Measured Drawing & Model
Task:
The project will be carried out throughout the semester where students will be assigned to measure and document a historical / architecturally significant or heritage building and translate all the data into a set of drawings. Each group will have to only measure one particular building assigned by the course coordinator. Apart from doing the measuring exercise on site, students will also need to do additional research in order to fully understand the architectural and cultural attributes of the building. The model will provide additional physical information of the building.
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From this semester, I have learnt about spatial poetics, which the creation of feeling and emotion that the person will experience when travelling through a space. This is indeed is an important aspect of architecture and in my opinion, this aspects separates a building from architecture. Architecture can be all buildings, but not all buildings can be architecture. The quality of an architectural space is not merely a visual perception quality as it is usually assumed. The judgement of environmental character is a complex multi-sensory fusion of countless factors which are immediately and unconsciously interpreted and grasped as an overall atmosphere, ambience, feeling or mood. As Tony Hiss mentioned in his book, 'The experience of space', <<simultaneous perception, the system that we use to experience our surroundings>>. An architectural experience is multi-sensory in its essence. This interestingly, is the normal way we observe our surroundings, with all the senses at once. So thus, the need and importance of spatial poetics in architecture.
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Besides poetics, i guess this semester was mainly us students struggling to transition from manual work to digitalized submissions, i.e boards, renderings, models. It was fun and interesting learning new software and applying it here (though it involved a lot of exasperation due to computer crashing). But it was good (I guess). The final presentation was okay, just the accessor suggested to perhaps use an axonometric drawing instead to allow better understanding of spaces, instead of the sections. I agree with the accessor on that aspect. Well, what is done is done. Now the submission is over, time to hone my software skills and finding my presentation board and imagery style.
Reflection
