Day 1:
The first day of the design week started on Monday from 9 am morning. We got project brief and it explained what to do for the week. We waited about 1 hour for Chichester and Hazelwick students to arrive so our lecturer could explain about the brief and what to do from today. Our project was to create an eco-cabin in France, which 4 people should be able to stay for about 1 week on holidays or vacation, and also, some of them could be disabled, therefore, we had to create an eco-cabin that is sensory and disability-wise cared. The aim of the project is to learn to co-operate with other people and learn how to create, design and present a building that we made by our self.
The first thing we did after couple of lectures was introducing each other, and talk about what to do and what type of construction do we want to create on the site. At this early stage we just talked about what is eco-cabin and how do we create. Before we left the university of Brighton, we came up with some ideas about the eco-cabin and started to ask out teachers if our ideas are actually do-able. After we had group meeting, we had one more lecture about shipping containers, how good they are and how cheap they are. When we discussed about our eco-cabin with our group, originally we were thinking of a timber-made eco-cabin that has green walls and green roofs, but after we had that lecture, we change our mind and we decided to use shipping containers, as it is very cheap and it can be easily transferred from place to place.
For architectural technology students, we had to create a rough plan of the site until the end of the day, which we sketched, in 1:20 on the plane paper placing all of our ideas.
Day 2:
The second day of the design week started on 9 am morning. On Tuesday, we started our day with group meeting from 9 am.
The Chichester student in our team, tom and Hazlewick students, kiera and semini, stayed at their college and school for Tuesday, so we had only 3 Brighton university students to have a meeting, but we were able to contact them via using application; whatsapp and facetime with our phones.
As me, janavi and will were discussing, first thing we did was to optimize the floor plan that we sketched yesterday. We added and deleted some details of the cabin. At next stage, we considered what options we could have with the amount of budget we got. Our budget was 7k pound for materials (excluding personal expenses). Hazlewick students started to source the facilities that we are going to use on the cabin, for example, water tank, pump, solar panel, kitchen devices, and insulations.
At further stage of the meeting, we came up with a plan that we all agreed, and tom started to work on base outline of the model in his college, preparing for tomorrow.
Day 3:
The third day of the design week started on Wednesday from 8 am morning. At Wednesday we had to go to Chichester college to work on the model and almost finish it off. All the architectural technology students gathered at lobby of cockroft building at between 8 am to 8 : 30 am. Our lecturer, Dr.Poorang bought us a cup of coffee before we got in to train to motivate us for the day. After 1 and half hour, we got out of the train, and we arrived at Chichester, it took only 10 minute to each the Chichester College from station. We were surprised when we looked at the model, because it was huge and a perfect model. The only change we did was to make the angle of the solar panel’s base lower, 45 degree to 30 degree to gain maximum electricity from sunlight. After sometime, we decided to divide the group in half, one group for the research and costing the materials that we are going to use for the cabin, and another group to continue work on the model.
I stayed at 1st floor to help tom progressing the model at first, but then I started to consider about the furniture of the cabin. To maximize the space of the cabin, we decided to create a sofa that can be transformed into bed as well. While tom and William were creating the model, I left them and started to design sofa and bed with help of our lecturer and janavi. The furniture that we designed is placed at very end, left side of the cabin, two 1950 mm wide sofas at each side, facing each other and a same sized table in middle of them. We designed the table in the way that it could be adjusted up and down, so if people wants to sit on it, they should press a button or turn the screw, then the table will lift up. When they want to sleep, with same progress they can move it down and by sliding the cushion/mattress and it transforms into a bed.
Day 4:
The fourth day of the design week started on Thursday from 9 am morning. At Thursday, as we knew tomorrow is the day to present, we had to finish our work by today.
We didn’t have lot of time left; we started to work on our project as soon as we met. William went to his home to draw a new sketch of a new plan that we got advised on; janavi was working on pricing all the materials, research about floor and wall. I first started to work on the insulation, I came up with some option, notably, crushed newspaper insulation and cotton insulation. As our cabin was focused to ecology, I wanted to use crushed newspapers for the insulation, but in UK we couldn’t find any store that sells it, therefore, we chose cotton as insulation.
After we had lunch break, I started to work on poster layout, what to put where, title, headings and subheadings. When I was working on posters, I realised that I didn’t contacted with tom about the furniture. Originally I thought tom is going to make the model of the furniture, but because we didn’t have time and we change our window design at late stage he was busy creating holes in wall to create windows. We miss-communicated and we actually didn’t make the model at the day before the presentation. After i realised we don’t have a model of furniture, I went to workshop, the model studio of the university of Brighton and started to create sofa bed and table.
Day 5:
The final day of the design week started on Friday from 8 am morning. At Friday, janavi and me went to university early so we can meet each other and put everything that we made so far together. First thing we did was to complete the poster. I scan the drawings that William drew and put it on poster and put a picture of our precedent study, furniture, progress of floor plan and some pictures of our model for method of construction. After I have finished that, janavi then started to put writings on posters and she optimised the poster layout as well.
Presentation started, William started to speak at first, and introduced us. William talked about the layout of our design and why we are using pallets cladding. Then janavi explained about our construction’s basic material, placement of windows and etc…
When my turn came, I explained how our sofa bed and table works and what was our precedent study. After our presentation finished, I realised that I didn’t explain about our precedent study of furniture’s design and concept of using pallets.
