Chak Lam Yau BENV1010- Communication in the Built Environment 2020

My first iteration of the new room has the addition of an ensuite and more space. However, I still feel that I could be a bit more experimental in the form.

Bold shadows created with harsh light

Instead of approaching the design as a room renovation, I wanted to design a contemporary studio/micro-home that revolves around the original college room layout. I took to Pinterest to search for some quick inspiration in which I collated some interesting ideas.

The scale of the house makes reference to the original dimensions of the dorm room as I enjoy designing within small spaces as it is more challenging. I wanted the overall plan of the house to be quite open but also have more intimate spaces without it being too claustrophobic. Creating a mezzanine would be a great way to connect spaces above and below.

Modelling my college room

To create a model of my college room, I first had to try understand the space I'm living in. Fortunately, my room takes a very basic form which provides me with a comfortable design to build upon. Out of the multiple room types that exist in the college building, I was put into what is known as a 'fresher box' (room A) but with the luxury of a single balcony. To measure my room, I used a combination of a metre stick, a ruler, and educated guesses.

Room A- Fresher Box w/ single balcony, Room B- Ensuite Room w/ shared balcony

Paper:

Using the dimensions I had measured, I sketched out the deconstructed box with tabs on each side to use as a connector. Once I was finished with the drawing, I used a blade and ruler to gently score along the seams of folds and accurately cut out the shape. As I didn't have any glue at the time, I had to use tape to assemble the room which did not work well as I had to secure the outside even after taping on the tabs.

The paper creates interesting shades of white and grey when it interacts with the sunlight. It is also very cheap and accessible. However, I found the paper quite flimsy and clumsy to work with especially when dealing with more intricate structures. Additionally, the paper is very thin and has little to no thickness, making the model look very plain.

Cardboard:

I really prefer using a material that is more solid and can support a decent load. The card model is stronger and has more mass and structure than the paper one.

I cut out the pieces with their tabs but with this particular cardboard, I had to find alternative solutions to connect the pieces as the thickness of the cardboard was restricting me from folding the tabs perpendicular to its surface. Therefore, I still had to use tape to secure some of the corners.

Fusion 360- Shapes and Assemblies:

The transition space that I chose is the lobby/foyer of my college in which I will represent in three rectangular prisms. Below is a street-view of the foyer taken off google maps.

Fusion 360 model assembly:

Three rectangular prisms make up this structure; the walkway, the foyer, and the corridor. The walkway is also boxed shaped but it is hollowed out creating a gradual transition space from the open outdoors to the shade, then from indoors to eventually the narrow corridor.