Sheffield Univeristy School of Architecture Live Project Assignment 3 Live Project 01- A critical Self-Appraisal of the Live Project

Transcription

1 Sheffield Univeristy School of Architecture Live Project 2009 ARC555 - Management and Practice Assignment 3 Live Project 01- A critical Self-Appraisal of the Live Project Empty Quarter Action Project Co-ordinator: Carolyn Butterworth

2 Introduction: The live project was a six weeks project. The empty shops live project 01 which is nine of us who were involved in. Seven of us are MARCH students who did their undegraduate in the university of sheffield excluded one of them; she is an overseas student. However, the rest of the nine are MAAD students, who are international students. Surprisingly, just arrived one day before the start of the course, so it was slightly difficult to communicate or get used to this new atmosphere from the first day in the group. One day after, which was the first meeting with the client who are the sheffield city council members, was held in an empty shop in the city centre in Sheffield. This was a starting point for us to know and conceive the requirements of this project. We had a quick walk around the city centre and we have been introduced to the main parts and areas where we are going to work on. This essay will discuss how the live project has been reflected on management issues relative to live project s experience. The live project lasts in six weeks. The essay will be classified into three main parts those of; two weeks of each part explaining, first, how have we been distributed and communicated as a group with others and with the clients. Second, how did we manage the consultations and communicate with the public under the approval of the sheffield city council legislation. Also will clarify the briefing process and how our work is been classified and been detailed and handed-in to them. 1

3 The first two weeks after we had sat with the clients, we met as a group and been introduced to others. After doing so, we started all of us from scratch to write and chart our requirements that we got from the clients in a piece of paper and sticked it on the wall. This starting point was quite effective for us to summarise what we had got from the clients and recapping the requirements. Doing a timetable after that was very beneficial to increase the level of awareness with the time we have and the aspects which have to be covered within the limited time. In the same week which was the first one, Carolyn who was our tutor showed us previous successful finalised live projects which were done by other students in the previous years in the school. This step gave us a better vision to organise our work. Moreover, it gave us a significant future vision of how our project supposed to look like at the end. After the first two weeks, the eight of us started to be positioned for the right jobs in the group to work more effectively come out with something much stronger than to be just working randomly. For example, a chairman has been defined from the way he talks and his well-leading to the group with a bright way. He led us in terms of the vague and broad work that was not very clear to the group to conceive more and try to clarify some key words that we came up with. He did this to be as an issue to be discussed for the next meeting to have something to discuss on it and have more feedback to start to go deeply in the next weeks. Organising the meetings is one of the most significant factors in the teamwork; this was organized by a member of our group which was very crucial for our group. Moreover, an agenda was also prepared by this member and distributed among the clients which makes a kind of leading and outlining it. By the end of this week, we realised that each one is a part of the project. This means that the first two or three weeks in the project was very important to have such as two leader members who were ; one leading the group and the other is leading the clients meetings, because this leads to have a richness distribution of our jobs probably. Assimilator Accomodator and executor Clients meeting Giving requirements Then Preparing and outlining Group meeting Converger Diverger 2

4 Nevertheless, the first few weeks were still vague and the requirements were not comprehensive plus it was a general brief until we had a meeting which was in the fourth week with the clients. This step moved us forward in the brief process because the clients gave us a structure and a framework to follow until the following meeting. The clients narrowed down the vast amount of information that we got about the general brief into three main elements those of; Now, during and after. The clients required to design three kind of proposals in three different times and periods in the city centre. Doing so made us to split into three smaller groups. This period can be called design period which was more detailed work than before. Moving from the preparation or the outline brief to the more detailed brief was adopted by the clients and the agenda which was prepared before the meeting by the clients organiser member. Not only taking feedback or a strong framework from clients was the most important part, but also the way of communicating with them was crucial. For example, first, giving the importance and listening to the clients until the end of the conversation. Second, the time of responding is quite effective to be appropriate. Third, summarising what have been said in the whole meeting at the end of it because of two main reasons that we or I in particular as an international student and not a native speaker; to check that we understood everything probably and the second reason is giving them the sense of that we got everything well from them. General Brief Client meeting Now During After Group meeting moving from the general brief to the detailed brief and design stage. 3

5 The last two weeks we got deeper into the design proposals. We started at looking how our proposals can fit and inhabit within the context. Doing consultations and events to engage and get closer to the community were very beneficial to understand people response to the design. Not only just designing a proposal that looks relevant in context, but also engaging people towards these proposals and make them participate. So doing so and testing the context with the response of publicity was very significant (shown in figure at right top). After that which was the last stage with the clients, they looked at the sustainable issues in terms of economically, environmental and social issues. For example, the clients gave us a criteria of materials to be used and followed throughout our designing proposals such as some specific materials were unused and waste from demolished buildings in Sheffield. This also gave us a kind of criteria and framework in our design; moreover, its a kind of saving money economically and helping the environment with the respect of the social aspects. Doing so let us to achieve an important part in dealing with the clients and sustainability achievement in the project. Live project members Public Finally, we had to think about the exhibition installment and how can it be prepared in terms of printing out our proposals and many other things. Besides that we realised that we have another job to be done in few days before the reviews, which is installing the whole exhibition for the fifteen live projects and not just our own space as their must be fifteen spaces; each space for a live project. This creates a double load for the group in terms of setting meetings with the school live projects group. Se we spilt out to smaller groups which are probably into two people. After that we spread the jobs over us to be much quicker to manage to finish before the reviews. This was one of the things that went wrong or did not work in this project as we focused more in installing the exhibition for more than ninety students rather than to focus more on our proposals. If this was prepared from the beginning of the module or the project, it would not have happened this situation as this might have been considered in our timetable. 1:1 physically contact Consultations 4

6 Conclusion: To sum up, communicating with the clients and the strategy that we followed was really effective and important to the project. Besides, moving from stage to another; from the general brief process to the detailed one after several meetings with the clients were done by them. They also played a crucial role in pushing and structuring the project from the preparation period to the design period. Everything was running quite smooth because of the timetable that we made in the start of the project and the well-distrubition of the group in the right effective jobs. This leads to a more effective and successful work. In my point of view, I felt in the first two weeks of the project I was struggling to understand everything either in the clients meetings or the group meeting as the way of work is slightly different than my country. However, the members of the group were kind to explain and repeat most of time especially at the end of each session, we do a small summary to check that all of us and not just me, that we did not miss something. Good experience has gained in terms of communicating with different cultures and languages since my arrival. Few days ago we have handed our final proposals over the council members. I felt that I did participate well with the group. The impression of the clients towards our work were really surprising to me. The interesting thing is that they may consider several ideas which we came up with to the clients and we did make sure that they are enable and pleased to contact us anytime eve after that meeting. Good relationship was achieved with clients. Finally, I felt that it was not just a university academic project, but also felt with a professional participation practice which might benefit me later either I worked in my country or anywhere else. The hand over proposals to the clients 5