Personal Reflections - Roy

1) Main Concept/New Knowledge learnt
I have learnt more about how to use Google Sketchup, especially how to add and manipulate textures and their colours. I have also learnt about what kinds of considerations were taken when designing a floor plan or a building design, like how would the colour of the exterior of a building can affect the surroundings, or how the floor plan can affect the accessibility of certain rooms.

2) Difficulties encountered
I had encountered problems when using Sketchup, like Hidden Geometric Errors that would sometimes cause difficulties in creating walls or lines. This had further caused the problem of applying textures to certain walls, as the Hidden Geometric Errors caused some walls from different rooms to share the same texture. Another problem encountered was the loss of the updated versions of my files when my hard drive was damaged.

3) How did you overcome the difficulties faced?
I had overcome my problems with Sketchup's Hidden Geometric Errors by continuously undoing actions and looking for which action had caused the error. I had overcome the problem with the loss of my files by retrieving the last version of the files that were submitted, and had to find the information inputed in the deleted version of the Journal again.

Longevity: Roy Chua

Project Name: Longevity

Purpose of Building:

The Longevity is designed to allow the elderly to partake in daily exercises with others within the same age group in order to create a strong companionship amongst each other to encourage a more lively exercising experience when using the Longevity.

Concept behind Design:

The Longevity was designed to provide a calm and relaxing atmosphere to allow the elderly to have their daily exercise in a non-stressful environment, allowing the elderly to have a good time and enjoy themselves, encouraging them to return to the building. The Longevity was designed after a tortoise, a symbol of longevity in many cultures. Through this symbolism, the building can represent how exercising can be utilised among the elderly to improve their health.

What makes a good Architectural Design?

A good Architectural Design is considered to be able to suit the current situation and context of the factors of the area around the building. Factors of the area include the population of the people around the area and their age group as well as what kind of aesthetics that the people like.

An example of a good Architectural Design is the Fairbank's University of Alaska Museum of the North. People using this buildings are visitors to the museum looking for Alaska's people, places and wildlife.

People of this kind would like to see a design that can resemble Alaska. The design of the museum is inspired by fire inside ice, as Alaska snows most of the time, and thus the design being inspired by ice and glaciers makes it a suitable design. The design comprise

s of the shape and structure of glaciers. The building's centrepiece is able to cast a warm fire-like glow to resemble fire inside ice.

Sources: http://www.trendir.com/ultra-modern/university-of-alaska-museum-3.jpg

Sources: http://www.trendir.com/ultra-modern/university-of-alaska-museum-2.jpg

What is Architectural Design

1. Dictionary Definition:

Concept that focuses on the components or elements of a structure or system and unifies them into a coherent and functional whole, according to a particular approach in achieving the objective(s) under the given constraints or limitations.

(Source: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/architectural-design.html)

2.

Architectural Design is defined as problem solving by adding value to buildings. This is done by giving the building a simplistic design that can solve the problem. Architectural Design also has to not only solve a problem, but also benefit society.

(Source: http://bluearchitecture.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/what-is-architectural-design/)

3.

Architectural Design is the actual design and layout of spaces. The aspects of architectural design include construction, design and manipulation of light. These are used to create practical and functioning spaces from different materials.

(Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-architecture-design.htm)