First attempt at office

So I began my office by trying to find a suitable place in the land of Putahi, finally deciding on a level piece of land where my design could be wheelchair accessible. The floor I placed level with the ground floor for easy access, allowing it to stick out over a dip in the land.

Firstly I started with a circle which i flattened to create the ground floor plan. I decided to go with the circular shape for movement where their would be no awkward corners that would be hard to manoeuvre out of. I decided then to go for a natural walnut wood for a sustainable design with smooth floors.

To allow people to know when they have entered my office space, I then included two scripts; one that shows a welcome message of 'Welcome to the office', which is activated when an avatar comes within 3 metres. The second announces an avatar's arrival by playing a sound. This would be for the benefit of visually impaired or death people.

Next I created a central column made out of concrete for the base of the office, as well as a base for the office desk. this construction would provide stability and strength. to further enhance this I created evenly spaced columns to surround the outside of the circle for added support, as well as a frame for a handrail and roof. To highlight this detail in the construction, I lit the ground floor from below to highlight this feature.

I then established a roof that would add visual interest to the design, highlighting the framing and construction of the office. It was also made out of the same texture for consistency for those who are visually impaired, also for sustainable purposes.

For safety purposes, a handrail was added to surround the circular perimeter, and to also provide a sense of placement. The handrail is intened to visually stand out due to lighting contrast and has been designed at a similar level and same texture as the desk surface. The desk has been placed to surround the inner column for easy accessibility, plus it provides an ample amount of desk space. Originally I thought of making the table top of the desk lay on top of the circular column to provide fruther desk space. However I deemed this unnessacry as people would not be able to reach the centre of the desk anyway, especially people in wheelchairs. For storage I could possibly place something around the outer edges of the office, as I cannot place them under the desk as they would interfere with leg space.

Once I had created an opening in the handrail, so that my office was accessible, I moved on to closing up the exterior face with glass pannels that would allow for light to come into the building as a sustainable approach, as well as create amazing 360degrees views.

At the moment there are gaps between the roofing system and the glass windows for ventalation and to enhance the indoor-outdoor flow, however I may change this for a sealed office but at the moment the open spaces create interesting geometric shapes with the roof.

Inside the office

So there you have it. My first attempt at creating my architectural office space. I intend to develop and change it as new ideas and inspirations come, but this is my first general idea.

Metropolis

This magazine I found to be a good place to look for different ideas and inspiration, as it shows all the latest in designs, technology, architecture and products. It describes the magazine as examining "contemporary life through design - architecture, interior desig, product design, graphic design, crafts, planning, and preservation".

Due to this broad range of topics, I was having difficulty in trying to decide how I could effectively educate visoters to my office about this magazine, until I found the answer looking at me from every page. This magazine is almost like a shopping list for all designers, as almost every page occupies a large advertisement of a new product or design ranging in any of the above mentioned categories. While the journal "DETAIL" contains mostly writing with a few small images, this magazine has been designed for visual impact as their are large glossy pictures of designs of every page. It is very aesthetically pleasing and describes new procuts and designs through the use of visuals instead of written text.

With Architecture being a creative subject, I then thought, that I could educate visoters about the style of this magazine and how it is so effective through the use of large visuals throughout the office that would be eye-catching as well as informative. To make it informative I will combine it with my idea to educate people about the "DETAIL" magazine by using images that contain important architectural works, the history of architecure, 21st century architecture, and images that really define the meaning of architecture. For this I'm going to need to do some serious researching in the Architectural Library.

Detail: Zeitschrift fur Architektur und Baudetail

For this journal I switched to the English version as shown, so that I could understand the purpose or meaning of the journal.

I discovered that it is a review of architecture and construction details with a discussion board, reports, documentation, technology and products that are available.

It focuses on the construction and detail involved within amazing design accomplishments, and praises them for this detail. Each new edition also has a main focus it builds on, like the Volume 2010, 1, focused on the relationship between old and new buildings.

The documentation part of this magazine show various design accomplishments but also uses formal drawings like cross-sections to show the detail in important elements of a design.

From this journal, construction details receive an added element of design and creativity, that usually escapes it as simply the mathematics of the building. I have learnt the importance of the construction as a design feature.

This journal has educated me about the detail and construction of a building or design through detailed formal drawings that an architect would draw to see how and if it would function, and for builders and developers to use as a reference. I believe I could educate the important meaning of these formal drawings as references in my office space, by showing the detail and construction in an office; the main components of an Architectural Office Space and how it functions.

Access by Design

This journal I found to be a fascinating read, as it makes an architect or designer acknowledge the accessibility within their design for people suffering from disabilities.

The main focus of the journal is 'accessible design for disabled people' and which environments manage to be accessible, and which fail to do so, and why.

For my design I should consider wheelchair access routes as well as ramps rather than stairs. There is also the possibility of having platform lifts by the stairs. Routes have to be understandable and easy to navigate to users with mobility, hearing and visual impairments and learning difficulties.

Maneuvering areas and ramps are vital for easy access and circulation space. Plus hand rails could be used for added support where the ends would be textured to signal their ending. Sliding doors or power assisted doors that open automatically allow for people with disabilities to access areas easily.

For visually impaired people I should consider the use of audio devices as well as the technique of lighting. General areas could be illuminated as well as concentrating the light at low-level to highlight paths and provide directional way-guiding information. Risers and stairs could also be lit to show the potential hazard. Visual systems would also help those with hearing disabilities.

Improved signage would also help, along with the colour contrast to provide tactile descriptions and colour contrasted controls or parts in the space where consistency could be used to indicate similarities and changes (points of hazard).

Two other things I should consider is the height of the desk, so that it is accessible for wheelchair users, as well as people who suffer from vertigo where maybe an important design feature would be to have the office on ground level.

In today's modern society, nobody should feel disadvantaged. The aspirations of disabled people to live independently within the community is achievable through careful planning of the accessibility of a design. To achieve this for my office, I could try to have a consultation with a few people who suffer from disabilities in order to design an efficient office space that they would deem accessible.

I have come to learn the importance of why places must be accessible for people with disabilities to remove discrimination and to allow those people to participate within society. Therefore to educate my colleagues about the importance of access, I shall attempt to make my office space aware of accessible design where any person would be able to access my design easily and comfortably by including some of these necessary steps.

Assignment 2: The Virtual Practice

This blog serves the purpose of documenting the construction of my virtual architecture office. It will show the journey, from concept ideas to the final design, and establish how my office will also function to educate people about three journals from the Architecture Library.

The three given journals I have been given are:

1. Access by Design


2. Detail: Zeitschrift fur Architektur und Baudetail


3. Metropolis

To begin my documentation I went to the Architecture Library and accessed these journals to find out what they are trying to educate their readers about or the purpose of each journal.

My findings are detailed in the next few blogs.