Wi | 10

When reflecting on this semester and my time spent in studio with Patrick Luaus and Claire Keen I can confidently say that I have grown as a designer, a student, as well as a person. Looking back on my original goals from the begging of the semester I have far exceeded my expectations of my self. One of the biggest goals I wanted to Focus on was Holism or the big picture of what I am designing. This semester I was able to Focus on interiors on a small and large scale. I also focused on finishing’s and furnishings and how the affected the spaces I designed. But most importantly I was able to evaluate how these finishes and spaces affected the overall building envelope.            

This semester also gave me an opportunity to better understand where I stood as a designer. It gave me a chance to re-evaluate what my strengths and weaknesses are.  I found that I am inclined to understand design in floor plans, sections, and elevations, which help me to push my technical drawings to a higher level of detail and accuracy. I was also able to develop my rending skill both by hand as well as digitally.  However I have learned that I fall short of what I expect from my self when it comes to expressing my ideas, weather it be verbally or written.  This semester was also team heavy, forcing me to approach design in a different fashion.  I felt that groups of three were best when approaching issues throughout the design process. This allows for ideas to be generated effectively without become overwhelming.  Even when our groups reached numbers of six and twelve I often found myself dividing the team up into smaller teams of three in order to accomplish task in the most efficient manner.

With this semester also being a writing intensive semester I was afforded the opportunity to develop my writing skills in a design setting. As a design student writing becomes an important tool to express the intent of a design to our peers and instructors.  Not only does strong writing communicate ideas to others but the writer as well. When in the early stages of designing a space writing can be an effective tool to help the designer organized and analyze ideas.

This semester has been a pivotal point in my education. I am confident that the lessons I have learned, as a second year will translate well to my coming years as a student as well as a professional.