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collaborative work ?
Before collaborative work, it may be better to define ‘collaboration’. In my opinion, if a process cannot be conducted without a team consisting of members that have interdependicies to every group member, then we say that's collaboration and the expected outcome wouldn't be achieved with success otherwise.
Now we can better understand collobarative work, " it requires a higher sense of working together in order to achieve a holistic creative result. It is a far more demanding activity, more difficult to establish and sustain, than simply completing a project as a team. I suspect that we collaborate far less often than we pretend to".(1)
1. Kvan, Thomas. "Collaborative Design: What Is It?" Automation in Construction 9.4 (2000): 409-15. Web.
That was the first time that I have to collaborate in a design process with the persons that I havent met before. An exhibition space is expected from us to design at the area behind the faculty of architecture building named Taskisla. We as a team consisting of four members (Burcu, Zeynep, Hulya and me) wondered the project area and took a few pictures of the site. Then, went back to studio and share our thoughts on the site and how to locate required spaces on the project area. We tried to compromise on site plan, and we are nearly agreed on the location of the spaces on the site. Eventually we decided to meet on the upcoming days before the course day to improve the project.
17.02.16
weekly reflective journals
24.02.16
26.02.16
Up to this week, we couldnt get together. By the way I am working as a research assiatant at the faculty, and all the week I am there and have time to study on the project. But I am exceptional from this aspect and it was nearly impossible to meet to improve the project. At least, I have tried to do some skecthes on spatial organizations.
On studio time, we all agreed on the spaces and their funcional relationships. Then we tried to compromise on site plan, but that was not possible, because I havent agreed with other members on major design decisions. I didnt want to change the site's topography and thought the spaces on ploties with promenades connecting them. However we had to made our decision so I had to agree with them. Eventually we all agreed on a compact canopy that gathers spaces beneath itself and leaved the studio to meet on upcoming days.
Today, we were going to meet but only Burcu and me could get together, other team members had some health or business related issues. We as a two, tried to compromise on site plan, building orientation, spatial organization and pedestrian-vehicle link to the site. After a while, we agreed on all these issues and started to make a model (scale: 1/500). I have cut isohips of the topography and lastly changed the model to fit the the building on it. Burcu cut the spaces and the canopy that will gather them beneath itself. The model making process was really helpful to see some opportinutes to improve the project and develop advanced design ideas, with the aid of the model, we agreed to make the spaces cut the canopy and elevate to some distance to create a feeling of flexibility and make each space unique. After 6 hours of study, we leaved with deciding to meet to make 1/200 scale model and the last changes.
02.03.16
Today, we all got together, eventually we all agreed on site plan, building orientation, spatial organization and pedestrian-vehicle link to the site. Burcu and me started to make the physical models (scale: 1/500-1/200). I have cut isohips of the topography and lastly changed the model to fit the the building on it. Burcu cut the spaces and the ramp that will link two different levels of topography. 1/200 scale physical model was very diffucult to prepare and really challenging for us. But we did our best and tried to use our time efficiently. Now, we are much more adapted to each other and we behave a bit faster in so many steps.
When we are working on the model, other two members of us dealed with the technical drawings and sheet design with discussing me and Burcu in all required steps and we agreed in everything. After 10 hours of study, at 3 am near the late night, we leaved with deciding to meet to do the last changes and project presentation on 1:30 pm.
09.03.16
We were introduced a new software and a game environment named SecondLife. My first impression was very positive that it allows everyhing not possible in the reallife i.e. flying or building everything within seconds. During the lecture time we tried to built a building like structure by using pre-given dimensions, it was very helpful to understand the basics of this environment.
After now, we were team of two: burcu and me. Today we were given the requirement list for the High-rise Tower project. My teammate couldn't attend the class, but we communicated before the class and during the breaks of lecture. So a distal collaboration was needed for this time, however we met after the lecture before the next class.
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I have tried to set a main idea to start the design process in the SecondLife environment, but I think I couldn't notice the features of that environment completely, so my form trials were very concrete and were assembling reallife like structures. It was not forbidden but to use the software's capabilities was a must indeed.
16.03.16
We thought that there is no physical restriction in SecondLife environment, so the high-rise definition is a bit controversial. For this reason, we decided to take high-rise as a horizontally located building on a virtual "space" environment. As we took the space as an environment, we had to re-evaluate the given requirement list i.e. café is not appropriate anymore in this context, so we took it as a gathering space.
23.03.16
My teammate couldn't attend the class, but we communicated before the class and during the breaks of the lecture. So a distal collaboration was needed for this time again, however we met after the lecture before the jury week.
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I have tried to complete the 3d model in the SecondLife and checked some scripts for interactive surfaces and furniture.
30.03.16
We presented our 2nd assignment that we designed in the SecondLife environment.
https://vidafuturaespai.wordpress.com/2nd-assignment-in-2nd-life-environment/
06.04.16
Today is the workshop day. A tutor has come to present the basics of the Grasshopper plugin of Rhinoceros Software. During the lecture time, we have tried to create some 3d patterns and a tower with too many floors, and have learnt how to prepare them for fabrication i.e. giving thicknesses, boolean pieces from eachother.
13.04.16
I haven't attended this lecture, however I have communicated with my teammate before the lecture and during the breaks of class. On the other hand, we met two times until the next lecture.
20.04.16
At last week, Istanbul Technical University’s Main Campus located in Maslak was given as a project area in which we had to decide on an exact location to design the pavilion. At this point, area in front of the Central Lecture Hall (Merkezi Derslik Binası) was a good choice because it’s very near the most used pedestrian ways and the social buildings.
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Today, we decided to take the requirement list as if, then create a compact building. However our form trials were not successful enough, the lecturers advised to not strictly think on the requirement list.
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27.04.16
Pavilion as a project theme made us directly think that the design should reflect the ITU’s idendity which is mostly matched with hexagonal coming from the honey bee (honeycomb). So we tried to use repetition of the hexagonals in an intelligent way that the surfaces will be responsive to the environmental components such as sun and wind.
04.05.16
We created an amphitheater-like landscape around the shell we created to make it socially responsive too. Lastly, taking some hotspots as a reference, i.e. The Library and the Central Lecture Building itself, we bended the shell sharply.
11.05.16
Jury Week...
18.05.16
A
ABOUT ME
Ilker Karadag
02.2015- Istanbul Technical University - Building Sciences Doctorate Program
12.2013- METU - Department of Architecture, Building Sciences Graduate Program
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