During the summer, I got the opportunity to undertake work experience at a Manchester based Architecture company. I designed my own home in accordance to a client brief and guidelines, like an architect would - my finished product was an eco-home. I learned many important skills such as BIM and Revit software, technical/architectural drawings and transferable skills such as presenting to clients.
I was first given site context and a client brief; which I condensed into a powerpoint form and noted the key points, as seen above.
I learned about mapping, the importance of location, as well as gaining a greater understanding of the importance of the client - whether that is their needs, hobbies or interests; a good architect takes all of this into consideration.
I then decided on my main design themes of the home, including colour palette, materials used, any inspiration, etc. I chose to design a sustainable but elegant home tailored to the clients needs.
Clad in burned wood, Low Wood house will not overpower the natural surroundings – instead will be an addition to the woodland, offering a subtle but striking eco-home with the connection to nature that is so important to the clients. I connected the layers with a spiralling staircase running through the house.
Featuring an open plan kitchen, three ensuite bedrooms, large windows/ skylights and a top floor art studio, Low wood House will appear elegant and homely whilst still achieving a simple, modern feel. Sustainable woods and materials will be prominent, with a few textured wood accent walls. A black spiral staircase amongst one or two other black staple pieces will match the black cladding exterior.
I used Revit to make a model of my design. It took a while to get the hang of the software however once I learned the basics I found everything else quite easy to get the hang of.
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Additionally, I added some steel poles to help the building structurally, and clad it in timber – as well as a space on the 1st and 2nd floor for the balconies.
