DAB510 - Week 2 Reflection

Through week two's lecture, certain questions were raised, along with a more defined brief. What is learning? how can we engage with it? How can space be developed enough to be self learning? is this the future for space? I understand that as architects we can create spaces that function towards teaching from students to teachers but how can space be be learnt?

What does learning mean?

• to gain knowledge or skill by studying, from experience, from being taught etc.

Architects can create spaces for the definition above, but in a "folie" context, i believe learning is achieved through "experience" rather than studying or being taught. In short, a space that can be learnt from. This space can further adapt and individuals can be apart of the folie in how they occupy the space.

Typical design ideologies are to be considered such as context, district, time, season, even, cultural & social factors and is to be displayed in a graphical method of diagrams. The main underlying issues presented in class which we are to identify in depth are as follows

• Tension/Compression
• Heavy/Light
• Solid/Void
• Bright/Dark
• Natural/Artificial
• Soft/Hard
• Comfortable/Disturbing

1. Abstraction - Impression/filter/perception (interaction).
2. Metaphor - Narratives/analogy/comparison.
3. Scale - Point of view/perspective/relationship.

 In the tutorial there was a single tutor with a theoretical background providing more questions rather than answers. Rather than defining the brief and the issue he created more invalid points. The important aspects he provided were that we have to create a problem and resolve it through our folie.

Our group had a few concepts which created a bit of confusion as to what is right. Obviously there was no right answer, though agreed upon my general concept and problem. My problem i set out was, "How do we become more aware of people with disabilities with the general context of Brisbane's culture?" I understand that there are building codes out there to comply with, but this is rather ignorant to understanding the real issue. There is no code to understand there situation or what they're feeling, yet we are to design based on codes that are written in books. Buildings with PWD accessibility is a must in this society so we must change the thinking process behind our designs for the future. For the benefit of the social & cultural issues of Brisbane as an entirety.

PWD is a very broad term in which it classifies all disabilities in one. PWD stands for "People With Disabilities". This can refer to the blind, the partially blind, elderly, paraplegic etc. What they all have in common is due to the fact that they are missing one of there essential senses the other 8 are heightened to compensate.

The 9 senses:

1. Sight
2. Touch
3. Smell
4. Taste
5. Sound
6. Heat
7. Kinisthetic
8. Balance
9. Physiological pain

 Through architecture we learn through experience. My concept revolves around a journey through losing sight partially and become more aware of how essential it is. Initially its a juxtaposed design concept where the exterior is solid geometrically a cube but internally it consists of organic lines. This is the first stage of being blinded by your vision, deceived by your sight. Through the journey you will have to use your sense of touch to guide you to the limited light penetration. Whilst touching your hearing sense will be more in tuned with the sense of kinisthetic being applied to the internal space. You will reach the middle and feel tactile which identify danger to the blind. Through the hump you will use your sense of balance, considering that there is limited light, this will be a difficult task. The moment you exit you’ll be glad to be out. Have an epiphany and re-connect with the world with your heightened senses and acceptance of the blind? 

I found the hardest problem with my design was just situating it on site since its large scale and tying it to the context. My raw concrete is to be tied into the existing debris there from "history". This folie is to create a space where we can understand their situation and how we can relate and communicate with people with disabilities so that "understanding disability is of the past".