Reading Response 3: edu-tecture

Bombay Sapphire Distillery in London – Thomas Heatherwick

DOCUMENT

1. Physics – the architect needs to understand the field of physics in order to construct a building that will stand and endure the weather conditions of that area. 
2. Construction – although this field is necessary for the same reason as physics, in the case of this building, construction was more complicated because the glass structures rest on water. An architect needs to understand how to construct in different environments in order to work in a unique environment, especially because they need to be conscious of the dangers of using electricity near water.
3. Urban planning – an architect needs to understand how this building will relate to other buildings around it, and how it relates to the city.
4. Environment and sustainability – an architect needs to take into account how this building affects the health of the environment
5. Surface Structures – in this building, the surface is glass, and the glass bends in a very unique way. An architect needs to understand the flexibility of glass in order to make this building sustainable.
6. Biology – since this particular section of the building is a greenhouse, the architect must understand plant biology in order to construct a successful greenhouse.
7. Economics – since this building is a distillery that offers tours, the architect needs to keep in mind that one of the purposes of this building is to attract customers.
8. Psychology – like any building, an architect needs to understand how spaces have an effect on people’s emotions.

INVENT

My course that would be integrated into the curriculum of an architect would be titled “The Psychology of Drawings”. Because architecture students take studio classes every semester throughout their educational careers, they often forget how architectural plans appear to non-architects. Additionally, the drawings of plans and sections that students create lack the experience that a building conveys. This course will remind students of ways to communicate experience into their drawings by having each class meeting take place in a different building. Students will occasionally sit in typical classrooms, but they will also venture to museums, libraries, monuments and more. In addition to physically experiencing different types of buildings, students will experience buildings across the world via virtual reality sets. In a world where technology is rapidly advancing, I predict that in the near future, architects will no longer present their creations through three-dimensional models; rather, virtual reality projections of buildings will become the norm. Students will be challenged to discover the crucial differences between virtual reality and reality, and they will be tasked to create a virtual reality projection of one of their studio designs that creates the experience they seek.