PORTFOLIO

One of my university projects that was completed this week was the Future Life brief. This project was about developing a site and create a new site based on making. We first looked at a derelict mill in Preston and found an object to study and draw at A2 size. I started by sketching a few different objects and researching the site as a starting point for the project. I focused on wood and how it had been pushed t breaking point by the elements but it was still strong and stable. I had to make an essence model based on what I thought of the site and what I learned from it. I made a model out of wood that I cut, burned and stuck together to form an unsteady looking structure. It was mainly the bottom of the structure that was burnt and I applied oil to the cracks in the wood to make it look as though the elements and started to destroy it but it was still standing. I did a board to accompany my model to show I arrived with my idea and on it I included a narrative to explain it better.

The second part of the project was based at Preston Bus Station Taxi Rank. It is no longer being used and is a brutalist concrete structure that is being developed into a Youth Zone. Our brief was to turn this taxi rank into a site for making that involved people in the surrounding communities.  I wrote a narrative to explain how why I created the design I did and how it will benefit the users.

I have a passion for upcycling and I studied sustainability in Geography so it is something  am passionate about and I’m very aware of much we need to protect the resources we have. I have a blog post on the materials I decided to include which goes into more depth as to why its important as well. I am in Preston a lot and see many homeless people and it is is an issues which is getting worse. It is a cycle which is hard to break and there are already charities in Preston to help the homeless but I wanted something that would help break homelessness and create a home and community for people. I also wanted the site to benefit as many people as possible so thats why included the aspect of teaching skills. I created another board based on the research on the people that would benefit and the materials as a brief overview.

To begin the designing I put the Taxi Rank plans onto CAD and tried to figure out the best floor plan. I wanted to recreate the flow of the taxi rank as I planned to keep the existing structure as it is and it makes it easier for the public to use. I needed to make sure I had included all the facilities that are needed including toilets, changing rooms and lockers. I wanted to make these clear on the Plans so I did colour zoning, this makes it clear to see the amount of space I have dedicated to the ucpcycling stations, sleeping areas and facilities. I wanted to keep the overall design quite simple as I wanted it be easily adaptable and the focus to be on the materials. 

To show how the space was going to be used in the day and at night time I created two boards with the same visuals but ta different time of the day. I included as much information as possible as to how the site worked so it was clear to understand without having my sketchbooks to show my planning. One of the main features of the site is that it is multi purpose helps the homeless so I wanted to show this as much as possible.

Once I printed off my boards I realised I needed to altar a few things such as the colours on the board. When printed, the colours looked too dark on the visuals and took away from the design so I changed them slightly to be a little less dark. I will also change the positioning of some of the text and make some passages smaller so the page looks more balanced. I might also make the people silhouette rather than in colour so they are less the focus of the visual.

I’m fairly happy with the end boards and model, there are some things I would change to improve the final result but I’m confident I covered everything in the final presentation. I was considering another board to further explain the site so I could have two boards with just visuals that weren’t as crowded. I’ll see what feedback I get back and talk through any changes with my tutor to decide on what I’ll change for definite.