Structure and Body: Materials, Anthropometric and Ergonomic Exploration1: 1 Bamboo Activity Structure
In groups, we are to design and build a 1:1 structure for a specific action for Project 2. To activate its use, the structure will be placed in a real dormant green space. We will be working with bamboo and must understand its nature and characteristics as well as demonstrate basic construction knowledge. We will investigate construction details such as joints, joinery, and structural quality in conjunction with other supporting materials (rope, steel, tensile fabric). Our design will be developed through a series of workshops, tests, and investigations involving scaled study models, exploring architectural elements and principles (learned from Project 1), and incorporating anthropometry and ergonomics into our 1:1 structure.
Phase 01
"Viewing" was the function assigned to our team. We visited the Kebun Komuniti at USJ2. We took all necessary measurements and spoke with the client - the owner. This helped us to understand more about the site conditions and requirements of client.
Before we start making structures using bamboo, we separate our group into 5 small groups to brainstorm on mockup models. Cheoky, Su Yee, Jiayi and Meesha are my group members. We worked together on designing bamboo models.
During tutorial classes, we share our designs within our bamboo group and vote on the best model.
After decidding the design we want and having same goal in this project, we move on into phase 02.
Phase 02
In this phase, we shuffle our small groups again into different positions for bamboo project which are, drawing team, consrtuction team and structure team. This helps us to distribute the tasks and make the load lesser but in the end we all helping each other to complete the project.
Phase 03
We spent about 2 weeks hands-on working on the bamboo project. We finally completed our bamboo structure after two long, gruelling weeks under the hot sun and cold rains, even working from sunrise to sunset to sunrise again without sleep. It was a very suffer journey, we argued a lot about the design and some of our designs were impossible to build in real life. We changed a lot of the structure to make them better.
The presentation boards and the structure were finally completed. We all get ready for our final step which is a presentation on the day.
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Reflection
In this whole journey, I really learned a lot. I appreciate all the lessons I got from this bamboo project. It was not an easy assignment. I had a lot of blood, sweat, and tears throughout this whole journey. We do our own research on bamboo to understand its strengths and weaknesses. The ways we connect bamboo to another bamboo so they are strong enough to withstand the outdoor weather conditions needed a lot of knowledge. We study a lot about design principles so we can include them in our design to make the structure looks more aesthetic. During the designing and constructing stages, we communicate a lot to clear all the doubts. Communication skills improved a lot in this project. We make sure everyone understands the design and the way to construct our structure. We divide the tasks and arrange the timetable. Everyone needs to improve themselves in the project and we make sure everyone had enough rest time. I am so thankful to have this project in my semester 01. This helps me a lot in future of my architecture journey. I appreciate all the people I met and they do help a lot in this bamboo project. This was an unforgettable memory I had in my life.
