From this project, I have learnt the importance of time management. From the start of the project, I should have seen it through with full effort from the beginning till the end. While doing the project, I learnt the Principles of Design, how to use colour and shapes in consideration of the design. Looking at all sides of the idea is an important skill in the future, and will benefit me when I grow up and go out to work.

One of the most challenging portions was the time management required. The project ended off close to the EOYs, and dividing time between revision and the project were difficult. More effort should have been put in on my part, in the beginning of the project, to avoid such difficulty. The softwares used also made it more difficult and time consuming, as some faults in the software caused much hair-pulling and teeth-grinding.

I could have spent more time understanding the task and thinking through all of my choices, explaining them clearly in my journal. This would have helped me to avoid the confusion that occurred in the midst of the rushing of the project.

About the design:

I wanted to combine a building and a skate park. I think that the younger generation would not appreciate more unusual designs, or designs with meaning behind them. Thus I designed the building as modern, but adding a twist.  The skate park is a floor of the shopping mall, and it is open air. It serves as an attraction. This is to cater to the younger generation. The shopping mall is small and focusses on higher-end retail shops. I decided to group the shops, so that it is easier for users to find what they want. Also, it has rooms for students to use, to encourage them to meet together and study.

Criteria for Good Design

Utility: Refers to its functions and it's usefulness to the occupiers.

Firmness: Refers to its ability to withstand testing and stress

Delight: Aesthetics, appealing to the users senses. It should have qualities that achieve beauty.

A good design should be creative and unique, and should take into consideration it's surroundings. The structure's environment should also affect the design in terms of function and aesthetics, as well as to some extent, it's structure.

For example, if you were designing a structure in areas where the residents were not earning as much, it would make sense not to build luxury facilities such as country clubs. This would be affecting the function.

What makes a good Architectural Design?

Good architecture should consist of components of Function, Structure and Aesthetics.

A structure with good functions should be usable by many different kinds of people, as usable for different kinds of purposes. It should be easily adaptable to the different uses, and should make use of ALL available space, leaving no areas un-designed.

Structure should be sound and safe, as well as effective and efficient.

A good design should be creative, differentiating it from other buildings with the same uses. This can be done in many different ways, and is up to the architect to set his designs apart from the rest. It should also look good, and easily recognisable.

The aesthetics of the structure should appeal to the users senses, and the looks would be different based on what the building should be used for.

Sources of information:

http://www.urbanspaces.eu/files/Act.3.2.6_Urban_Design-Aspect.pdf

http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/o/ogorman-abc.html

An example of good architectural design would be the IceHotel in Sweden. The IceHotel is creative, as it provides a unique experience for tourists who stay there. It is a hotel that is rebuilt every year, sculpted complete from ice. It has all the facilities of a normal hotel, all made with ice. It is easily recognisable, and looks good. All of it's space is used up. They also make the experience as comfortable as possible, so that one can go through such a unique thing, without the discomfort.

Source of image : http://cultureshoq.com/hotel-icehot

el-jukkasjarvi-sweden/

Definition of architectural design

• Refers to the actual design and layout of spaces. Architecture encompasses many different elements including construction, design, and the manipulation of light as it relates to shadow.
• Architectural design values make up an important part of what influences an architect and designer when they make their design decisions.
• Concept that focuses on the components or elements of astructure or system and unifies them into a coherent andfunctional whole, according to a particular approach in achieving the objective(s) under the given constraints orlimitations. See also behavioral design.
• The overall design or structure of a computer system, including the hardware and the software required to run it, especially the internal structure of the microprocessor.

Sources:

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

Wikipedia

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/architecture