Embracing The Future

I have delved more deeply into urban design and architecture during this year of study. My previous study in Birmingham was landscape design. I have a strong interest in ecological design, but I have developed a strong interest in housing and climate in urban design during this study.

Last year our work and tasks were mainly intra-group, and it was very much a test of group communication and coordination. The group members were each specialized in different areas. They were each responsible for their area of expertise. Last year’s focus was also on defining functional areas and identifying building types.

All the projects are individual this year, which is a great challenge for me.

Housing Alternatives

This year’s Housing Alternatives course allowed me to delve more into urban design. They are focusing on the details of the various facilities within site. For example, the capacity of the car park in terms of how many residents there are in a building, as well as the installation of rubbish bins, the design of bicycle parking points and so on. The larger areas have also been designed to focus on climate, sunlight, wind direction, and some ecological details.

This year I have also started researching and learning about new areas such as passive architecture and shared spaces.

Of course, I am only at the beginning; I am still not deep enough into these areas. I am currently involved in the research of light and wind and solar panels for passive architecture, which I will continue to study in-depth in my future work and studies.

Urban design and the use of design codes

This course focuses on designing small areas and presenting the designs through physical 3D models. In completing this course, I studied the National Design Guide in-depth. I learned about dimensional standards for different functions of buildings, historical architectural styles of different periods, and more.

This course was my first time using a physical model to showcase a site design, especially a detailed architectural model. I chose a 3D printer to create the physical building model. I started by creating complex models in Sketch-Up, with details such as window frames, door frames, eaves, seats, etc.

Design thesis

This course is where an individual chooses a research direction for in-depth research and design of a site. The path I chose was Biophilic Design.

In creating these cities, we have neglected the environment vital to the holistic development of the human mind, and it is now well documented that regular contact with nature can; improve mental health. However, most cities are currently failing to do this. My goal is to integrate design into our lives in a cost-effective way. The development of nature does not affect the outcome of social humans.

summaries

Over the past nine months, I have gradually settled into the transition from landscape architect to urban planner. In the process, I have learned a lot of new knowledge. As urban design incorporates many different subjects (social psychology, socio-economics, Biophilic Design, National Design Guide, etc.), I have more to learn. I will continue to know everything about urban design in-depth in the future.