Boathouse 4
Final Major Project - May 2017
The project looks to transform a historic 20th-century boathouse into accommodation for the vulnerable citizens of Portsmouth, Women. It will provide shelter for domestic violence victims as well as boatbuilding space for women who wish to learn new skills which also keeps the character of the building. It will also address other female issues such as counselling for the violence victims, classrooms for the under educated women of Portsmouth and help with childcare.
Out of all my projects, I have enjoyed this one the most, It gave me the chance to work with the laser cutter and resin to make my final model. I also explored various creative routes to help me along, such as sculpture and graphics.
Wedgewood Rooms
3rd year - December 2016
Like all Projects do, this one had its ups and downs. We were given a live client Geoff, who wanted to 'revamp' his music venue. Everything became a little more tricky but exciting from there because we had to impress the tutors and the client, who did not always agree on everything! In my design proposal, I proposed a double bar for two separate music spaces (one for concerts and one for the comedy club), I also abolished their current food service and even designed my own posters for the space.
It was a really fun and fast-paced term, where I improved my photoshop skills and even participated in a live presentation to the client which was photographed for the 2017-18 yearbook.
Royal Garrison Church
2nd year - May 2016
During our first year we initially used hand drawn plans to convey our intentions, but for this project, we started using CAD. After a few tutorials, I got the hang of it! Our brief was to use the existing structure of the church and transform it into something related to food. My final design incorporated 8 seasonal greenhouse pods into each bay. I also added a classroom for local children to learn about eating healthy, and a community cafe for the locals to come and socialise whilst eating produce made from the pods.
I admit I felt way over my head before this project, however, the Garrison church renewed my passion for interior design. I even won the "Most improved award" for my concept.
Coffee Shop
Artist book's
Volunteer work
1st year - May 2015
I found this the hardest unit, mainly because it wasn't easy to change mistakes! With AutoCAD, if you make a line weight mistake, you can easily change it. However, with the hand-rendered drawings, you had to restart! Sometimes you could scratch something away, but most of the time I had to re-do the lot. It was a good lesson, but I prefer the flexibility of Photoshop and AutoCAD.
Our brief for this task was to repurpose a print shop in the popular Albert road, into a coffee shop. My target audience were the 'Coffee morning mothers' who sometimes need a place to go with their children, and relax with other mothers in their position. My overall design proposal was also made from reclaimed timber.
Identity unit - January 2016
Fun, messy, and odd. That is how I would describe this unit. We had to make an "Artist book" which would relate to our brief for the final major project in my final year. This Artist book could be anything, so long as it had a "cover" and "pages". Which really could mean anything. I made over 20 books in the initial experimenting stage, and have included the final 3 to the left, with the final artist book being the nautical book with nautical flowers.
All of my Artist books try to incorporate three keywords, Insertion, Reuse, and Nautical. The books and chest I used for the making were all recycled, and I wanted to insert into each object without destroying the outer shell too much.
Priory school - November 2016
The University offered a wonderful opportunity to volunteer at the local school which I snapped up. I, along with 3 other Interior Designers created our own lesson plans and headed to the school. We split the year 10 class into 3 groups and gave them each a location (Australia, New York and Portsmouth) and career (Architect, Zookeeper and Footballer) and they had to design a house for them.
We encountered many experiences during our time at the Priory school, such as the teenagers becoming rowdy or bored. However, we overcame our issues and had a lot of fun, and it was amazing to see the models they made at the end of the lessons. I Initially took the volunteering role as I wanted to see if I would one day like to become a teacher, and it is still on the cards for the future.
Sketchbook work
Sketchbook's taken from two University projects - The Royal Garrison Church, and the Identity unit for Boathouse 4.
The sketchbooks which we have to complete for some units are often my favourite part! Before University I was a keen scrapbooker and this felt no different. I loved to document my work, doodle and do loads of research. Sometimes my favourite part of a sketchbook is the site analysis or the concept sketches, I love it all!
I have included snippets from my favourite two projects sketchbooks. It has been interesting to see how my work has progressed, and the different ways in which I try to document my research and drawings. I may not need to hand in a sketchbook any longer, but I still think it is a good idea to have one to help keep organised!
Model Making
Models from the final major project - May 2017
As you know, model making is an essential part of any process. During my A-Levels, I took sculpture and loved it! Sculpture was one of the reasons why I chose to do my degree, as I loved to build, craft and make prototypes, which I was told was a major part of the units. The images I have included on the left are snippets primarily from the last two projects, even now I have learned how to work with new materials such as resin, MDF and clear acrylic.
The prototypes and models really helped me push forward with my final design, and inspired me along the way. Whenever I was stuck, I would go back to the prototypes and do some more until I had another idea.
Final Exhibition
June 2017
As part of one of our units, we were required to put together and curate a final exhibition. This was a very exciting opportunity that saw us come together as a class and make something wonderful. My team of four constructed a business card board and yearbook holder from scratch. We built the board and frame from MDF and painted it grey to go alongside the display trays. A set of business cards were made for each individual student which was then attached to the board using pegs.
When we had finished our section we helped construct the stud wall display, painted the exhibition trays and cut the ribbon for the threshold. This was a unique experience that I thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from.