Architectural concept drawings

 

I recently found these sketches from 2015, and was quite pleasantly surprised that the key idea is easy to understand, it made use of the existing space and tied in neatly with the existing structure. These were conveyed with simple architectural sections and plans, accompanied with several perspective views and images from magazines to describe the intended mood. The project did not make shape, we never really found out why - perhaps it was the wife's pregnancy and imminent birth of their first born, perhaps the client's father did not agree with intervention to the family home. 

In any case, I recall enjoying working on this design and conversations with Sam, who was a good intermediary between the client and us. 

Fast forward 6 years - and another set of schematic sketches this time of a larger project and with another design partner sketching over CAD drawings. The process is similar but I noticed that I did not spend the same amount of time/care in the line work of the sketches - probably because I was talking to Fiona as I drew, trying to record, to confirm what we were agreeing about. These are more like #talkingdrawings, but I want to pay more attention on my drawings - there is more to worry about nowadays, and I have less time. But those are feeble excuses which I can overcome by prioritizing what I spend my time on.

Work sketches from last week 14-21 May

 Architectural Journal entry No. 1 this year - as a record of things that happened at work this week. The first was a 3 hour exercise to see how we can fit 150 people in a new open plan - the client rang up at 1030 'are you in the office, I'll swing by at 11 to talk to you about a new project'. He dropped by, we chatted about raised access flooring, toilet provisions, time frame and when he wanted the first round of layout plans. 'This afternoon, 230 would be perfect'

For many of our houses, we designed the landscape as well - trying to fit the poetic with the utilitarian; laundry can dry out of sight behind a garden wall, the edge of a pool doubles as a bench and base for water spout. I find these sketches very useful as conversation starters with the client.

The end of the living space is enlarged with the introduction of a window seat; to collect people for conversation, without outside views to interrupt the chit chat.

View of the conversation area from the atrium

House Keeping

Sara's sketch of Mikey on the cover

Almost the end of another year, coinciding nicely with the completion of my trusty scribbling pad; one inch thick (and one year long) of unbleached slightly coarse paper, a trove of ideas and promises - some kept, other forgotten (until now).

Here is a cross section of what is inside -

some explanatory 'notes' for the builder 

single storey link between the family home and children's new house

(top) screen doors for the ramp house entry (bottom) breakfast venue earlier that same morning

formatting the local architects' newsletter INTERSECTION for Hui Joo

Here is the link -
http://pamsc.org.my/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/intersection-june-FA-low-res.pdf

folded steel stairs

possibilities for handrail

steel screen for a west wall of a house

internal railing to stop small children from falling out of the second storey window

front gate post + house number + mail-box

floor junction details

sharing ideas for a house with Peng Hui

'minutes' of meeting for a detached house

sharing ideas about an extended family house

sharing ideas with the extended family, and modifying layouts