Onward!

Hello all! I will continue onward to discuss my research, as promised! First, I would like to explain the catalyst that pushed me towards my topic... One dark and bored night, through some profound internet surfing, I came across a detailed article on Bill Gates' home and all its high-tech glory. Besides its colossal size, there was a plethora of other installments that made this mansion impressive. For instance, there were pressure-sensitive floors that used the person's weight and temperature to detect the identity of the guest, sensors that detected people's moods and played music accordingly, and more sensors that detected body temperatures and adjusted room temperature accordingly. I was thoroughly intrigued by this find and even obsessed enough to watch a 10-minute Youtube tour of Mr. Gates' home. Now, the deeper meaning to justify that tangent...  What lasted with me from this article was the idea of manipulating design and technology of a building to better accommodate humans. What are the exact dynamics between humans and buildings? Design of buildings influence humans somehow...Does it particularly impact human behavior? Thus, I arrived on my new statement of purpose for this project:

I would like to study the new field, Environment-Behavior Studies, and link this to architecture. Incorporating  the study into architecture would enhance the architectural process. As I mentioned before, architects must already implicitly consider the influence of design on the inhabitants and users, but I would like to show what happens when other aspects beyond aesthetic appeal and practicality are explicitly introduced such as EBS and the psychology of design and its impact on people. 

"The common stereotype of architects--sheltered, isolated, geniuses--is not necessarily upheld in the modern world where many heads are needed to assess the plethora of variables presented in designing practical yet innovative architecture."

SCRAPPED. 

 Source of inspiration for my project (thank you Bill!)

WORKSBUREAU: The Start of Something Beautiful

Hello again! Thank you for your commitment in reading not only my first, but second entry! I'd like to continue right where I left off from my last post and share with you the exciting start of my internship. Quickly before I begin, I will clarify the actual nature of my sessions at the firm. My "internship" is actually somewhat of a fusion of an internship and an "externship." An externship is supervised shadowing of a professional in a field for a relatively short period of time. Since I unfortunately do not possess the highly-specialized qualifications of architects (degree in architecture, dexterity with AutoCAD, photoshopping skills-eh..debatable), I will indeed be doing more shadowing, and in the process, will be earning valuable empirical knowledge. The duration of my study will last a little over three months, which is slightly longer than the usual externship, giving my study the additional essence of an internship. Now that I've bored you with semantics, I will recount my intriguing Day 1 and Day 2 at WORKSBUREAU:

Day 1

WORKSBUREAU is the definition of "modern."

As I frantically circle the sleek, angular, wooden building, I ask myself my first research question, "Where is the door?" After I solve this mystery and finally enter the building, I am in a studio that pulsates with a warm ambiance. The soft hues of the wooden building complement the splashes of color in the decor, giving the entire studio a very modern, chic feel. There is a sacred zen in the silent, yet charged atmosphere. The architects work independently and silently, but for a collective purpose, creating an efficient, unified space. If I had been asked to picture my ideal architectural studio, this is probably what I would have described.

The majority of the day was filled with formalities: introductions, tours, and so on--yet I thoroughly enjoyed everything, from the beautiful firm to the wonderful characters. I discovered that each architect was both brilliant and charismatic with a hilarious wit and kind nature. From the first day, I felt integrated into the firm, and I left excited to return for the next round.

Day 2

Architects are intellectual Olympians. 

As I sat in my second day of intern/extern smoothie-ing, I was able to sense more of what an architect's job entailed. Some members of the firm made business calls, while some diagrammed on AutoCAD or collaborated with partners on project details. Architects are masters of both breadth and depth. They must simultaneously be designers, engineers, businessmen, leaders, and intuitively psychologists. For my SRP, I would like to focus on the psychological aspect of design, and divulge explicitly what architects consider implicitly when they create: the impact of design on human behavior and well-being. My final product will hopefully be my own design, and sitting in a beautiful firm that produces beautiful buildings, I feel the beginning of something beautiful coming into creation.

Current project at WORKSBUREAU: KAFD Portal Spas 2014, Saudi Arabia





Disclaimer: Since this is the very beginning, I have heavily detailed my experiences at WORKSBUREAU to allow the readers to see through my eyes my setting for the next three months. Do not fret though--I will be intensely focusing on research, research, research for the majority of the blog. Staaaayyyy tuned~