One year down of the MArchD Part 2 course at Oxford Brookes! Time has certainly flown by but it has been one of the most enjoyable years I have had at uni.
I chose to specialise in IARD for my first year International Architectural Regeneration and Design)
The specialisation allowed me to develop a critical understanding of complex and dynamic relationships between the built environment and its economic, social and cultural values. It has exposed me to a new methodology of analysis, how to question and understand analysis and recognising the potential of the existing and how I set about contributing a creative reuse, regeneration or development.
A highlight of the year has to be our trip to Rotterdam where we carried out site analysis within our groups for our chosen design project sites, and also got to have a lot of fun! It was a lot more engaging being away in a new place where you have to question and research a whole lot more than you would have if you were in the UK.
It was the bolding between us students that made the trip and also the rest of the year, it is by far the best way to team build and also make closer friends. Memories like ‘borrowing’ the giant giraffe from the hostel reception and taking it up in the lift to put outside people’s doors still makes me chuckle inside today!
One lecture series which I enjoyed during the first semester was Architecture, Culture and Traditoin, taught by Dr Marcel Vellinga; an anthropologist. His main interests where the anthropology of architecture, tradition and vernacular architecture. His lectures exposed us to a great level of understanding social and culture aspects of architecture and how this foundation of knowledge not only makes us question things more but looking at the people behind the architecture. His lectures contributed to a deeper understand of the social aspects of our Lijnbaan project; not just thinking about how the regeneration project will look and work but transforming an existing building into what the community want and will have a successful future.
I was very fortunate to win the ‘West Waddy ADP Award’ this year at Oxford Brookes for my Lijnbaan design project. As well as winning the award I have also been asked to go into West Waddy ADP to present my project, which I feel slight nervous about but at the same time see this as an excellent opportunity to meet new people within the industry, seeing what their views are of my project but overall seeing how their practice is run. This is no doubt an excellent way to end the year, on a massive high.
Next year of MArchD will no doubt be upon me before I know it and I am going to carry on with the same enthusiasm and passion I have had this year. MArchD is certainly being an excellent course to be on, academical and socially!