Negotiated Design Placement
Table of Contents
Introduction
In this module I am required to produce a piece of development work accompanied with a project with appropriate outcomes. This project should uploaded to my digital design portfolio showcasing the number of skills I have acquired through my development project, these can include sketches, enhancement of skills, challenges, time management and research. This assignment includes numerus outcomes which I will aim to meet during this project beginning with an in-depth SWOT analysis of my chosen method of developing my skills, this assignment must include efforts of time management, appropriate research and design development to be accompanied by prototypes and completed designs with development plus the relevant handover documents.
For this project it was recommended to find a placement opportunity to learn work based skills and find work that way. However, due to the industry I want to go into and the placement opportunities were minimal especially those which I believed could improve on my ability and be greatly beneficial to me, in response to this I was proposed 2 choices choose a group client project with second years or find my own project therefore I have used this module to gain my own client, brief and areas I wish to improve on with an understanding of what’s required to show my developments in this module.
Overview of client brief
As I was unable to source an appropriate placement I took it upon myself to source my own client and brief which I would be able to work on in order to expand my skills and showcase my personal develop. My client brief was to fulfil a number of tasks in order to renovate and visualise their home showcasing the changes and working close with them to produce what they want from the project. The work requested consist of updating their out of date floor plans and then produce a variety of changes to their property with appropriate visualisation to match, this work is in order to show conversions and extensions they would like to take around the property.
These changes consisted of:
Upstairs:
Downstairs:
Background to project
Originally for this Module I was assigned to find and complete a design placement that would benefit my development as a designer, to begin with I was searching for opportunities directly linked to the career path I wanted to follow in architecture and visualisation however after being unable to find anything I continued my search looking for placement in any sort of design company that might be able to teach me about alternate areas of design however nothing came of this therefore, I came to the understanding I was able to do a client project instead therefore I decided to find my own client and project I wished to complete that had room for improvement in order to still fulfil the aim of the module by expanding and developing my skills as a designer.
Aims, Objectives and Goals
In this module I aim to develop my skills in a variety of different areas in order to make me more prepared for the professional world after university, to be prepared for this I have set myself a range of goals and objectives I wish to aim these being developing my skills in software and workplace skills. In the case of software I have researched and came to the understanding that some of the industry standard software’s used by interior designers and architectural include, Revit and 3ds max. However I have found my skills are not to the best standard within these software’s especially 3ds max therefore I will be following tutorials to develop my skills and then applying this knowledge to this project.
In accordance to my workplace developments there are a variety of areas I have looked at, these include knowing how to present and pitch a project to a client and peers but also I have researched in order to further my understanding of the requirements and knowledge requirements an interior designer needs to produce a project as I will be modelling and designing their kitchen space to their wanted and a professional standard which I aim to be checked over by a professional to show me where I have done well and may need further improvement.
For this project I have a range of goals I aim to achieve. These goals include, Producing design sketches, Research kitchen design, Produce Revit models, Produce 3Ds Max models, Twinmotion renders, Gain external feedback, finish the assignment and upload my document to my website portfolio. In order to complete these in time for my submission I have produced a Gantt chart in which I have followed to keep me on track to finishing my goals on time.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
The strengths of choosing my own client project are that it allows me to use my own resources as for instance in this assignment it allows me to use resources and software I would not normally use to expand the range of my skills which may not be as applicable in a placement opportunity, leading on from this another strength of client projects are that it provides me with a relationship with the client as this allows me to network through them and additionally improves my skills of working with clients knowing what they might want and how to provide their vision effectively and accurately, as working in a design company you will be working with clients therefore I consider this a crucial skill to develop. Finally it provides work I can showcase on my portfolio making my portfolio look more appealing to future prospects as they know the skills I possess and that I am used to working with clients and how I handle them.
Weaknesses
One of the most notable weaknesses taking a client project over placement is the workplace experience that you would get from a placement, knowing in greater detail what software companies use and how they work as a business and what would be required from you as a designer. Other weaknesses client projects have include lack of opportunity when networking and resource limitations as working in a company through a placement you are able to grow a greater number of network connections which some could be argued as more valuable than a clients connections and with resource limitations working for a client I am limited to the resources I can get my hands on meanwhile going into a company they might have more advanced resources or software as this was one restriction I did have with this project as I wanted to use corona rendering software however due to financial restrictions I was unable to afford it therefore learn it as a new skill which I possibly could have used through a company if I was on placement.
Opportunities
When working for a client there are a range of opportunities you may be able to receive such as additional work through the client, you may be able to use you client as a reference for your work or they may reference you to other possible clients producing client expansion. However there are alternate opportunities you could gain from a work place placement such as an offering of a job after your placement period if they liked you as you have been integrated into their workflow or additionally with some companies they may provide the opportunities of new technology and market trends you did not know about previously.
Threats
Some threats posed by clients projects include market uncertainty, scope creep and technological risks. When it comes to client projects market uncertainties relate to clients changing their needs which is similar to scope creep as this is when uncontrolled changed or expansions in the project scope make it difficult to be completed. Furthermore with technological risks this can related to challenges you may face with technology being obsolete or flawed, within this project I have suffered technological risks as my pc has not been powerful enough to produce the work I want and additional issues of losing data therefore having to start my work again with no backups.
Time Management
In order to maintain my time management I have chosen to use a Gantt chart as I have found these the most effective in the past as it keeps me on track with my work and lets me know when my deadlines, with it being easy to follow graphically. However I understand that they can be difficult to follow in larger projects as they become too complex and time consuming, however it does provide a high level overview of all the work that must be completed and the deadlines that each task must be met by (Ramos,D. 2021).
Sustainable evaluation
Climate change is a “wicked problem”, this therefore means that it is a social/cultural problem that is difficult or impossible to solve due to its complex and interconnecting nature (Wong, E. 2023). Therefore its important to consider this problem frequently in order to take up the means necessary to at least improve the problem if not solve it. For example, when thinking about sustainability as a process to combat climate change its important to consider the SDG goals set out by the united nations (United nations, N.D). Specifically SDG 12 as it is centred around “responsible consumption and production”.
SDG 12
“Goal 12 is about ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns, which is key to sustain the livelihoods of current and future generations.” (United nations, N.D)
Within this SDG it states that humanities consumption habits are detrimental to the environment therefore we should be taking in considerations what actions we can take to combat this. These include shifting energy supplies to more sustainable choices, combatting food waste and our overall use of resources (). As a result of this I have taken into consideration the ways I can combat these issues within my project.
In order to assist my client to be more sustainable with their conversion I have taken into consideration the appliances they wish to install by suggesting appliances that are more energy efficient than their previous appliances therefore having a lesser impact everyday in comparison to their previous appliances. Adding on to this to be more sustainable with their energy usage different lighting choices have been used in their renovation additionally with the renovation and the implication of large bifold doors and keeping their kitchen window it allows them to make the most of natural lighting therefore leading them to be less reliant on their homes lighting. Finally one consideration to be made in the future that would have benefits on their energy usage would be using their roofs large surface area to maintain solar panels allowing them to sustain their own energy usage as a property.
As a designer I was unsure what choices I could do to combat food wastage therefore I have made a couple of suggestions through my design in order to assist the client to be more sustainable themselves through the use of organisation of space and the idea for the implementation of a space in which they can compose their food therefore not putting it to waste. In order to help through the organisation of space I believed that implementing a space specifically for waste and recycling this would promote the family to take the time and effort to properly recycle their products additionally with their usage of a pantry it allows them to more accurate keep track of their canned, dry and long lasting products/ingredients.
When being a designer our use of resources can be very beneficial to our environmental impact especially in a large renovation like this project. The choice of construction resources and how we dispose of our waste can be very impactful therefore I have suggested a range of options to improve this outcome. Firstly for the choice of construction resources they should be either from recycled/sustainable materials and/or recycled from a previous property this therefore means that the resource consumption of the project would decrease as they would not necessarily be new materials. Additionally as mentioned during/after the renovation the left over resources and appliances should be properly recycled and disposed of allowing other individuals to recycle our waste reducing the amount of waste produced.
With these implementations it allows my project to meet SDG 12’s targets of 12.2 and 12.5 (See Appendix: 2).
4 Pillars of sustainability
When designing and providing property renovations it is important to take into considerations the environmental implications I may have and how to design sustainably to combat negative implications. One method of being sustainable is through the use of the 4 pillars of sustainability, these include. Human sustainability aiming to enhance the quality of life, Social sustainability aiming to build inclusivity, Economic sustainability aiming to promote growth and environmental sustainability aiming to support the planet.
Therefore when it comes down to this project each pillar is used different, in terms of human sustainability it was an important consideration as I wanted to design a space which would make cooking easier, to do this I have researched around the kitchen triangle idea in order to increase the efficiency within the kitchen space additionally I wanted to provide a space in which they can be close with their family, as a result linking to the social sustainability idea within the project as my client wanted to use their space as a hub for the family pulling everyone together as it provides a range of seating areas and opportunities for the families to connect all around the kitchen. When it comes to the economic sustainability in this project there are two views I have taken, firstly, its initial investment of a kitchen provides an economic loss to have all the work done to the property, however I believe it also provides positive economic sustainability as after the initial investment with more modern appliances you would be able to save money in the future through other costs making it a long term investment, additionally I’d see the investment in producing visuals through this project as a positive economic effect as it allows the client to design their kitchen before making the large investment in having the work done.
Communication with client
In order to produce the product appropriate for my client I have taken the curtesy to communicate frequently with my client throughout the project through a range of conversations and visual showcases in order to gain the necessary feedback to properly portray their idea through my visuals and planning.
During the first initial consolation with my client I began asking what they would like me to do for them as a designer in which they produced their desire to convert their property and focus on a kitchen conversion to create their dream home with a large open plan family kitchen. To do this I broke it down into a number of steps in which I explained to the client how I was going to proceed. Firstly updating their floor plans as they were out of date, secondly redesigning their floor plans with their proposed changes. Once I thought I was finished with this stage I presented my work to the client in order to gain feedback and double check if any features were missing, with this I additionally produced a range of external comparison visuals with my Revit models, as this allowed my client to how it would look externally as well as internally.
The next stage in my design process I began sketching out proposed floor plans for the kitchen in order to showcase where appliances would go and how their kitchen could look. After these iterative sketches I presented them to my client in which I was presented effective feedback in which they stated they did not want an island in their design therefore I redesigned the preferred sketch into something which perfectly suited their wants. Finally to finish off this stage I done a final perspective sketch to begin more accurately showcasing how their kitchen would look and feel.
Leading on from this I began the next stage in my design development which was modelling in which I modelled out how the kitchen would start to look, showcasing appliances, workplaces and the kitchen zones (Kitchen space, dining space, bar space). In this stage the communication consisted of the sort of design aesthetic they wished for, this in turn let me design their kitchen to the correct aesthetic before rendering it through twinmotion.
For the final stage of production I took my 3d model of their kitchen and began rendering the scene, during this process I began experimenting with different colour combinations in order to match my clients desired colour palette in which they stated the want for a light work top and cabinets preferably green or blue. Therefore I began working with the idea of green cabinets in mind however after showcasing the colour I choose it was mentioned they wanted a darker shade of green to the point where the colour can only been seen in specific lighting.
Final renders
Exterior Renders
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Interior Renders
Daytime
Evening
Night time
Development renders
In order to produce the best visual i could i continuously re-rendered my models until I was content with the outcome, the links below will showcase this iterative process.
Skills enhanced
Sketching
In previous projects I have not sketched to an appropriate amount therefore I wanted to try include more in this project to showcase more iterations of design ideas and quickly being able to produce basic plans for the client and to showcase my processes through the designing stage. Additionally to improve my skills I completed a few sketches using drawing methods to enhance the appearance of my sketches, this was done with the sketches of flowers showcased below.
Revit
In Revit I believe that my skills within the software have improved greatly as there are a variety of different features I know now which help with my overall work flow. These include how to use and edit families into my models, how to produce accurate roofing and stairs. I know the use of attaching walls to the ceiling, the use of terrain topography (See appendix: 3)and how it works in Revit and finally how to incorporate and import Revit into 3ds max improving my workflow (See appendix: 4).
3Ds Max
Previously I have severely struggled with the use and concept of 3Ds Max therefore I wanted to dedicate a large amount of time on this project learning the software as I am aware it’s an industry standard. As a result of this I used a variety of tutorials to try and help learn until I came to a basic understanding of how everything work therefore allowed me to produce the interior details within 3Ds Max something which I don’t believe would have been possible before. (To find the tutorials I learnt from (See Appendix: 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9)).
Twinmotion
In order to improve the outcome of my designs I have looked at improving my rendering skills in the software twinmotion as previously I believed my visuals were not up to the best condition I could produce, I have done this through following a range of tutorials looking at improving my use of lighting and HDR environments, to find the tutorials I learnt from (See Appendix: 12) . Additionally on top of this with my advancements in the software 3ds max this allows me to produce more advanced and realistic 3d models which in turn produced more realistic visuals when it came to rendered through twinmotion. (To see additional tutorials used (See Appendix: 10, 11 and 13))
Comparison to previous work
With my developments in software I thought a good way to showcase my developments and the skills I have learnt by making comparisons, to some of my previous work produced.
As you can see in these images the quality in my renders has been on a constant incline improving with each project however I believe the work I have produced in this project is by far of a greater quality and closer to my ideal level of visuals, this being photo-realistic. In order to improve on this further I believe I will continue the steps I have been taking by improving both my 3d models quality and the quality of my renders, looking into more detail about the use of lighting and higher quality materials to be applied to my models.
Kitchen design research
In order to be prepared for this project and progress through it to an appropriate level I took it upon myself to research some areas present in kitchen design, visualised by the mind maps below. For further reading on this research see Appendix: 14
External feedback
In order to help with my personal development I have taken it upon myself to get in contact with a variety of individuals that I believe to be beneficial to this development, this includes two kitchen renovation companies. For these individuals I have summarised my design process and presented it to them in order to be provided with both positive and negative feedback so I know where I need to improve and continue working on with my upcoming projects.
Tom Howley
The feedback I received from Fiona Aitken at Tom Howley I would consider very positive and useful, when it came to this project Fiona believed that I had produced a good first attempt for a kitchen design making good use of the light and dark colour scheme. She commended the use of space and separation of spaces into their distinctive zones additionally, how I had visualised the space being used. On the other hand to this there were some points that she had presented to me to be considered in future projects including, the proximity between the dinner table chairs and bar stools allowing enough room for individuals to move through however added the space wasn’t too big of a problem as it wasn’t particularly a walk way of use.
Additionally she mentioned about the American style fridge freezer not having enough space as the doors would require more than 90degrees to open and allow the draws to be pulled out as well as the left high cabinet door not having enough space to open fully henceforth, they suggested the possible solution of moving the kitchen to utility door over to the left giving both areas more space to open. In accordance to these there were some points mentioned that may not be necessary with this client but frequently they are preferred is the introduction of a counter in the pantry for electrical appliances, Periodically customers prefer eye level ovens rather than under the counter ones and finally often clients like the space between the sink and hob as prep space but in correlation to this project the prep space was situated elsewhere.
Harvey Jones
On top of this I received feedback from the kitchen company Harvey Jones by Graham leach one of their lead designers. To begin with Graham commented on the good visuals with my renders, Great use of the birds eye view of the kitchen layout, additionally with the use of sketches to showcase the usage below the counter space. Some critiques presented were similar to Fiona moving the American fridge freezer to allow its doors to open fully and a concern about the amount of storage for a larger family living in the property. In accordance to this a handful of suggestions were made with the inclusion of more wall cabinets where possible and with the movement of the fridge an idea of cabinet surrounds and updating the corner cabinets high and low to L shaped corner cabinets to allow an extra amount of storage space. Additionally with these designs it may be easier to reach the backs of the cabinets as it opens outwards.
Reflective process report
Bottomley et al. (2019, p.23)
In this assignment I took it upon my myself to find myself a client project in which I have had to produce a variety of kitchen visuals for a list of renovations they wish to make to their property. Throughout this project I felt as if this was the best course of action for me personally, this being over taking a placement as I allowed me to hit a greater number of my NLT aims. In this project it has allowed me to focus on some of the key areas I believe I needed to improve in to be ready for after university work, additionally to this it also gave me the opportunity to learn about a different career path this being within the industry of kitchen design. As a result of this I found it was a good experience as it allowed me to develop my skills in a range of techniques especially in the case of 3d and rendering to a level which I am a lot more happy with and getting closer to my ideal work standard being to the photo realistic level. As mentioned in this project I have learnt about the areas of kitchen design which has been a new career path I can look into, I have learnt about a range of features and ideas key to producing an efficient kitchen layout and additionally I have learnt about the different methods in which I can get into the industry professionally these being as an assistant in a smaller bespoke kitchen company or by going into the larger retail sector such as wren to learn the necessary skills to progress to bespoke kitchens. However I believe I could have researched and learnt about more features and considerations to be taken when designing a kitchen for a client. When referring to the 3d work I have produced in this project I conclude that I have made efforts to improve my skills in my selected 3d and rendering software’s, this can be seen by the comparisons to my previous work however there is still room to improve therefore I will continue following the process I have been of improving both my skills in Twinmotion and the quality of my 3d models. If a project with this arose again I would take it on again in order to add the experience to my portfolio following a similar process to the one taken in this project however as mentioned there would be a few aspects I would change, this includes further improvements to my models and skills in Twinmotion focusing on lighting and the implication of extra features to make the scene more realistic such as the implementation of plug sockets. Additionally I would like to research and implement advanced kitchen design ideas such as the direction and installation of plumbing and heading. I also believe that I should have included more technical drawings showcasing dimensions and how parts would work together.
Conclusion
In conclusion I believe I have accurately and effectively met both the requirements of the assignment and project, I have accurately showcased my development work through the process of a client project accompanied by the necessary processes used and references to my influences to progress. I have also included my live CV active on my website with updated placement documents. I have produced reflections throughout the production of my project and additional comparisons to my previous work showcasing the skills I have learnt and the developments I have made, supported by the research to show. In this project in order to showcase my time management I have produced an effective Gantt chart that I have followed as I find these are the best form of time management for me to follow.
However, there are a few factors I will be taking into consideration with my projects in the future. One of these factors I have noticed and shall take into consideration is the implementation of plug sockets into my renders as this will add another level of realism and consideration to my projects. Additionally to this is the use of backups as I have suffered a variety of technical difficulties that meant I had to recomplete therefore having backups and more frequent saving will decrease the chances of this happening.
Assignment documents
Handover documents