Design/build and interior design : engaging students in technical development

Abstract

Projects that employ the full-scale fabrication of design proposals have been implemented successfully in various spheres of design education, especially as design/build projects within architectural education. Among the various benefits offered by projects that encourage full-scale fabrication, students are presented with the rare opportunity to engage directly with the physical fabrications of their conceptual imaginings. As a result, these projects offer learning opportunities that go beyond a purely conceptual and intellectual understanding of their surrounding environments and designs. Interior design studios could employ design/build projects with success, yet judging from the lack of relevant research, the benefits of design/build projects within this discipline seem to have been neglected within the discourse of interior design education. This article employs a case study to investigate the learning opportunities, specifically related to the technical development of design, offered by design/build projects in interior design education. The case study refers to a design/build project implemented in the second year interior design studio at the University of Pretoria in response to students’ lack of engagement with the material aspects of their designs. The successes and shortcomings of the project are evaluated using data obtained from questionnaires completed by students. This data was supplemented by the recorded observations of studio lecturers and retrospective design reports. Students’ experiences are discussed under the following four themes: (1) improved confidence; (2) exploration; (3) on-site construction; and (4) design process.

Projekte wat die volskaalse vervaardiging van ontwerp voorstelle aanmoedig, word met sukses in verskeie areas van ontwerpopleiding geimplementeer, veral in die vorm van ontwerp/bou projekte in argitektuur opleiding. Onder die verskeie voordele wat projekte wat volskaalse vervaardiging aanmoedig inhou, word studente die skaars geleentheid gebied om direk betrokke te wees met die fisiese produkte van hul konseptuele beelde. Gevolglik bied sulke projekte leergeleenthede wat verder strek as die blote konseptuele of intellektuele begrip van hul omringende omgewings en ontwerpe. Binne-ontwerp ateljees kan ontwerp/bou projekte met groot sukses aanwend, maar te oordeel aan die gebrek aan relevante navorsing, word die voordele wat ontwerp/bou projekte vir die dissipline inhou, misken in binne-ontwerp opleiding. Aan die hand van ‘n gevallestudie ondersoek hierdie artikel die binne-ontwerp leergeleenthede, spesifiek tot die tegniese ontwikkeling van ontwerp soos verskaf deur ontwerp/bou projekte. Die gevallestudie verwys na ‘n ontwerp/bou projek wat in die tweede jaar binne-ontwerp ateljee by die Universiteit van Pretoria geimplementeer is. Hierdie projek is geimplementeer in antwoord op studente se tekort aan betrokkenheid by die materiele aspekte van hul ontwerpe. Die sukses en tekortkominge van die projek word aan die hand van vraelys data geevalueer. Die data is aangevul deur ateljee dosente se aangetekende waarnemings en retrospektiewe ontwerpverslae. Die ervarings van studente word onder die volgende vier temas bespreek: (1) verbeterde selfvertroue; (2) ondersoeking; (3) konstruksie op terrein; en (4) ontwerpproses.