Refine assessment / explanation

Hi everyone! Well above are the posters that I submitted last week. Unlike most of you I found it a little bit of a challenge during the Refine project for several reasons but nevertheless I still found it was one of the best ways to finish an archi class.

I chose these images to "sell" my DDI because i felt that the essence of my design of solids and voids, open and closed spaces was in this lane way space that divides the building in half. In this space students would be zipping from their rooms to their class via this lane way - so showing the effectiveness of this space was one of the goals I set myself when I chose to build this section and photograph it.

In heinsite, I probably should have generated other views of the space for the poster like many of you did but I was unsure if that was allowed. Next year I'll just do it because now I wish I did. I could have sold the space even better - probably a more detailed view of the outside student bar would have been good. Next time.

Firstly, I point your attention to the night time image on the left and the winter afternoon shot on the right. I tried to choose the best two images that I took of the model so that I could show a real mood in the model. The night time image was a rather hard picture to take as I was finding it difficult to get the right amount of light into the model. I played with several lighting options and lighting strengths around the model but wasn't generating the right look. In the end I decided to light the corner only, which is where the foyer atrium is and I imagined this area would be well lit throughout the day and in the evening. The shot showed how diffused lighting through frosted or decorative glass might look from the outside lane way. Looking at the image in heinsite, I probably should of added another small light on the other window just to generate stronger light which would have given more shadows thus giving a better feel of the space at night. Overall I'm happy.

The winter afternoon shot is more about generating a diffused atmospheric shot under a cloudy sky to see if the space can still be well lit naturally at this time. The resulting image seems to suggest that it does. While i was designing the DDI, I was acutely aware that this lane way which cuts through the building had to have access to natural light at all times throughout the year. While i was building the model, I made sure that all sides of the building were built around the outdoor space so that a more realistic daytime shot could be taken. In the end, I believe that I succeeded in achieving this through that image.

Finally, the summer afternoon shot. Well I chose to inhabit the image with people because I felt that this image would be the best to advertise the space. I was lucky enough to have great sunlight falling on the model while this image was taken so it really made the space in the model REALLY feel bright and warm.

I really enjoyed taking this shot and generating this final image on photoshop. As you all would be aware (and I mentioned this on the day) that I am a complete novice when it comes to photoshop - and this was only the second time I had ever generated such an image, and I am extremely proud of the final "Money Shot"!!!! The image needed to convey to you guys what the space is all about. To me, this is a busy space, a loud space, a quite space, a friendly space and a transition space. To convey this meant that the image had to be busy and lively but in subtle way because the space can also be relaxing. I used images that suggested movement- people, light and shadows to help create the illusion. Since this is a student accommodation building, I used students to sell the image. Subtle silhouettes in the background blurred, gives a sense of movement and busyness to the space. I gently warmed up the space with light browns, tans, yellows and cream overtones over the base model to further enhance the realism of the space.

Overall, I think it works very well to convey the idea of the open lane way through the building. And from your reaction and comments to me on the day it seems that I was able to impress and convince you that this space and my DDI can work as a REAL BUILDING.