Urban Design: Den Haag Square

Here is the presentation I made today for an Urban design of a city square in the heart of The Hague, The Netherlands.

It's time to start blogging again...

Icy water in The Hague

Well, I have quite a lot of news. Monday marks the beginning of GIDE which, if you've seen my other blog that I posted up you'll know it's quite a bit deal. My team's project were selected to go through to the next stage along with 5 others from Dundee, and the same happens for each other school. From Monday we all present and a final winner is selected. Unfortunately I cannot be there to co-present as I am currently studying on exchange in Utrecht, which is about a 45 minute drive from Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Good luck to all those back home who are preparing for GIDE and the arrival of around 120 students from around Europe!

More photo's of Utrecht coming soon!

EcoOffice: Easter Break & Deadlines

Quick update - the current project is going well.

It's now the Easter holidays, although by no means will this be a holiday as the deadline is on the 2nd May.  This means as I now plan into my final decent, I need to make final decisions upon how to present it all. We have been informed that it is not necessary to produce a scale model, but for those of us with presentations lacking a model, we must produce other scaled representations. In this case, I do not intend to build a model as my design has developed into a dense space, making a model too time consuming to do to a standard I would be happy with, not to mention being of little use as it would not be sufficiently viewable. I have chosen to provide plans that will be printed and displayed separately, along with an exploded axonometric, and an isometric showing colour coded departments.

The remainder of our materials fee which is paid annually will be put towards our printing costs, totally 2 A0 sheets, and for a small fee we can opt for a third. As I plan not to make the model, I will continue onto a third presentation sheet.

I am currently battling the baffling realm that is rendering software, which I have a feeling may continue on for some weeks yet.

Planning, I am very good at. Now however, execution is required. Thankfully Carol, our tutor, reassured me on Friday that I am further ahead than I thought I was - and in fact almost finished, so therefore should take a break. Clearly she doesn't know me very well still, because I won't be taking a break from this until it's finished and checked. And checked again. And then edited. And re-exported. And checked.

www.hku.nl

Lastly of my things to update about, I submitted my final application form for the Erasmus exchange programme just over a week ago. I spent a long time getting paranoid over my personal statement and portfolio, in fear I wouldn't do it justice and damaging my chances at such a good opportunity to meet new people and visit new places. I chose to apply to the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, with no second option as I didn't want to travel elsewhere if I were to be unsuccessful in my first choice. But alas, all is done and submitted now so lest not fret about what can not be changed. But I will fret, it's what I do best after all.

Design Studies: Most Verbal Communication is Redundant

HKU - Utrect - I think I'm in love.

Todays lecture was probably the best lecture I have ever been to. Like evar. XD

So far out of the four years I have already spent in University, I have never left a lecture room more psyched to get on with related work than today! Several topics came up, several of which I could discuss for hours, however I shall condense it so as not to cause death by boredom! 

Firstly, I was very intriged with the short pre-lecture, which was about the possibility of student exchange at during my time here at DJCAD. There is a huge variety of places that Dundee University already have contacts with, ranging from a vast amount of institutions throughout Europe, to Australiasia, Canada, The US, and Hong Kong. I'd love to travel vast distances, but unfortunately, being British, I have the multilingual skills of a toad. As far as I am aware, that is none. 

Fortunately however, a lot of courses are infact taught in English (huzzah!) so there is hope for me yet. Erasmus has the benefit of being based within the European colleges and Universities, so obviously there is the EU benefits (no Visas, European healthcare and the opportunity to apply for grants to aid your funds for living and travelling costs) however there is that excitement that fills a lot of us when we think of going to study in the likes of San Deigo or New York. Not unlike a magpie to a penny! I'm a sucker for that American charm and those white, pearly teeth. Damnit.