8th October: After finishing everything, it was time to start model making.

Before starting the model, I gathered the following materials: foam boards (3m,2m) cardboards of different thickness, a cutting mat, scalpel, a metal ruler, a scale ruler acetate, and PVA glue.

I had to get the measurements down right first before starting the cutting process so I measured the dimensions using a scale ruler and cut the 3m foam board first for the outer walls. I then used the thinner foam board for the inner walls. I did this because I wanted to represent the thicker walls as the strong base that holds the house whereas the thinner walls are just partition walls. I cut the foam boards carefully using a metal ruler and a scalpel on a cutting mat. I cut it 3 times down the same line I made with the scalpel to make sure that the scalpel made it all the way through. I did this gently to prevent my hands from shaking and affect the cut with crooked lines. After cutting out the walls, I moved onto furniture.

I started off with the bed as it was the most complex thing in the model. The bed is also connected to the side table as well as the mini garden. I contemplated what materials was best for the bed and ultimately decided to use foam boards as it gave a clear representation of what a bed is supposed to be; soft and comfortable with a blanket and pillows. I even added some plants to the mini garden so that it is easier to differentiate side table and mini garden. At the bottom of the bed, I included drawers for storage space to compromise for the lack of storage room. Once I cut everything out for the bed, I stuck the wall and the bed together which was extremely satisfying as it was almost finished. I stuck everything together using PVA glue and cut out bits of cardboard to slather and spread glue onto the materials so that it is even and no glue can be seen.

Later on, I moved onto making the closet and the vanity table which was relatively easier and took me far lesser time to make. I did have a slight difficulty in making the chair though. My problem with the chair was that it as round and most of the furniture in the model is made out of rectangles and squares. Cutting it was extremely hard as I could not keep a steady hand a cutting a circle. In the end I was not too excited about the chair but at least I tried. I’ll try to cut better circles next time. Once I was done cutting everything, I connected the walls and the furniture again. It was harder to do so this time because the room was small and the walls did not help me as my hand is fat. This did not let me put my tiny furniture well. I then thought of an idea to use a pencil (thin object) to help push it to the right place. The final step was to add the door and the small wall above the door. I made the door open fully because the room felt small. I wanted the door to open up to be able to what was inside the room without looking at it from above.

I am proud to say that I am very satisfied with this model as I’ve never made a model before. In a sense, this was a learning experience for me which I will hopefully get better at. There were a few mishaps when I made the model. For example, I made a few mistakes with calculating the length of the walls/furniture wrongly and had to redo them. It was a bit shameful because I was wasting lots of material when the topic of this project is to create a sustainable apartment. Not to mention, foam (polystyrene) is not sustainable and cannot be degraded into the earth. However, other than this, I am proud of what I made. Hopefully in the future, I will improve on getting my measurements correct.

26th September: The technical drawings were hard for me as I realised what I planned was not in scale. I took very long trying to draw straight lines with the T ruler, scale ruler and the right angled ruler as it felt crooked. I eventually got the hang of it after 3 long hours. I managed to finish the outer walls of the technical drawing after 6 hours. I had to get the measurements right as I triple checked the measurements of the furniture and the walls of the room. My tutor made it look so easy when she showed us how to do the technical drawings.

Adding the inner walls to the house was tough. It was also tough fitting all the furniture in the apartment because I realised what I drew may not have been enough space when it is in scale. A few arrangements had to be made again. I kept asking my client if I could change things and she said yes to the changes however, she also made slight demands like making her double bigger than the standard size. I agreed to her demands but in doing so, I was making my life harder. I managed to do it in the end after a very long time. While others started/were almost finishing their perspective drawings, I was only finishing the technical drawings. When I was done with it, I wanted an opinion from my tutor before I started the perspective drawings. I was advised against the kitchen and the storage room because the kitchen was too small to navigate and the storage room was too small to fit in anything. She suggested I switched my kitchen to the back of the room however, as stated in the brief, my client wanted natural sunlight in her kitchen. I then realised a compromise had to be made between my client and I. So, I made an agreement with her. She allowed me to take the guest toilet and the storage room out, providing that there will be additional storage spaces in the apartment. There would only be one toilet however, there will be a bathtub and a shower. With this, I had to go over my technical drawing and I realised I had to erase everything because the bedroom was taking too much kitchen space; there was only one toilet now and no storage room. I then had to go back to redrawing the schematics of the room.

I was relatively faster this time. I even recorded my own thoughts as I did not want to forget what went through my mind while taking note of everything. After a few minutes, I managed to get the work done and started my technical drawing again. The furniture layout was going to be similar but I knew I had to make a few changes to make the apartment feel more spacious. I kept in mind that the bedroom still had to be the biggest area in the apartment and drew the lines. I had a meltdown as everyone started building their models already but I didn’t give up and pushed through. I eventually finished and asked my tutor for her opinion once again. Everything was fine except the kitchen area was too narrow to walk into. I did not want to draw again so I suggested making the table go into the wall and come out. The table had to be big because my client is a social person who has many gatherings in her apartment. We were both okay with this idea and I proceeded to finish the technical drawing using my fine line pen (0.3) and photocopied it for my model making. However, I could not start on it yet as I have not started on the other 2 sketches as well as the perspective drawing.

Over the weekend, I managed to finish the 2 sketches with annotations. I modelled the room after the technical drawing as it seemed more practical that way. I also finished the perspective drawing of the bedroom as I wanted to focus on it. It seemed like the most sustainable yet stylish place to me. So with that, I managed to finish it without any hiccups except for the fact that I had never learnt perspective drawing. I had to learn through YouTube and the internet but it did help me in getting my work done. Once I was finished with this, I finally started on my model but I did not get very far.

I would say overall, I was very frustrated that I took a lot of time to figure the technical drawing out but I am glad to say that I understand it very clearly now. Not only that, I’m glad that things turned out they way it is because without it, I would not have designed another layout for the apartment. It made me think things differently compared to the first and second layout I did which seemed quite similar to me now. Although it took me very long to figure it out, I can say it was definitely worth it. I now have to work quickly through my model. I can say that I feel pretty confident now as I now know how to confidently work with a scale ruler.

27th September: To start the development off, zoning and schematic drawings are important to decide the best layout of the room. I was supposed to do 3 layouts and pick the best one out of the 3 but there were more than 4 rooms. I had drawn more than 5 schematic drawings and zoning as it was hard thinking of the best possible location. Planning the apartment was exhausting and it threw my head into a spiral as it clashed with what the client wanted and what sustainability had to offer in terms of designing the apartment.

My client wanted specific areas to have natural lighting in which she spends the most time; her bedroom and the kitchen. It was very demanding as the wet areas (kitchen, bathrooms) had to be connected together to prevent external damages from taking place if one of the pipes burst. Not to mention, the cost of connecting water pipes together is quite expensive. I decided to take a chance by pushing the toilets against the back wall and the kitchen towards the left side of the wall and connect them through a pipe. To avoid complications (pipe bursting), I noted that the water pressure should be decreased. This will not only make it safer for my client whose bedroom is in between the wet areas but also reduce cost. Reducing the cost means that it is energy efficient which uses lesser fossil fuels to be burnt to produce that amount of energy. I deemed this the best schematic drawing and zoning and started the rough furniture layout.

I was asked to make 2 layouts and choose the best one out of the two. With that, I started planning where the furniture should go. I was contemplating putting in carpets but it would only hinder the process as it was just a test to see which furniture would look best in that specific area. I would say I was pretty satisfied with how both layouts turned out. Some rooms were similar but the others were quite different. Both layouts had qualities I really enjoyed but ultimately, I had to decide what was best in terms of sustainability. I picked layout 2 as it seemed to maximise the most natural light coming in through the windows in the apartment. Living in the UK can be tricky as there are different seasons throughout the year. I also picked layout 2 because the traffic flow seemed better than layout 1.

With this, I started to sketch a room out. I only sketched one room during this time because I was very behind. My client wanted many rooms and it was hard planning them out as I had to think of the space too. Therefore, I only got 1 room done which is the living room. The sketch was not very well done as it was very rushed however, I did annotate the sketches thoroughly to make up for the sketch. With sustainability in mind, I annotated my ideas. For example, I even labelled that the lights must be LED lights to save energy. The lights are able to change colours to the colours of the rainbow. The reason this feature is added is because I wanted to give the client a different feel of the living room depending on the colour as she has mirrors. Not to mention, the living room will have plants in it. This is when the client can turn on the any light (red being the best and green the worst) so that the plants can absorb the light and produce oxygen through photosynthesis instead of producing carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) when night falls. I finished this before starting the technical drawings.

Overall, I knew I was behind on schedule. I felt like this was the most time-consuming and difficult process for me as I want to maximise sustainability as well as cater to the client’s need. I realise through this that it is very hard to do both but I believe in taking a longer time planning the layout of the room, the better the outcome.

19 September: To design a environmentally-friendly space for an occupancy for 1-2 people, I first need to understand what global warming is.

I had an idea of what global warming was before starting the research because it is within my subject of interest. I had previously watched documentaries narrated by David Attenborough as he explained how global warming and climate change impacted us. I’ve also read No One is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg, which is about a teenage climate activist who started the first school strike, talk about climate change on platforms. I’ve felt the Earth getting warmer too. In Malaysia, there was a place where the air was cool high up in the mountains. It was so cold to the point where I could see my own breath in front of me very clearly. 10 years later, the need for long sleeves was not necessary and the white puff of air could not be seen in front of me any longer. With these experiences in mind, I first turned towards our place in the Universe.

Earth is located in the Milky Way which is part of the Solar System. This means that Earth is apart of the system where the 8 planets (Pluto is not a planet) revolve around the Sun. 46% of the Sun’s energy strikes the Earth which makes it extremely favourable for living organisms to live in. However, humans are disrupting the natural balance of the Earth through our greed and our daily lifestyle. I always wondered when I was younger how we humans could be the cause of Global Warming. I’ve been taught in schools where they teach me how to profit out of these materials and thrive in businesses whilst spending little to no time telling me what was harmful to our environment. This project gave me the time to research about this issue we have. I honestly wasn’t shocked to find our carbon emissions were increasing, ice sheets melting rapidly, our sea levels rising and our global land-ocean temperature rising. However, I cannot lie when I say it did not hit me hard. We humans are the cause of the phenomenon as we increasingly grow in number. The larger the population, the larger the production of goods which are not sustainable as the cost of making the goods are cheaper. We are increasingly growing in numbers due to the fact that medicine has advanced, providing us with a longer lifespan and a healthier life. To meet the demands of a human, electricity, water, shelter and food must be provided. This is harmful to the environment as we as consumers are contributing to Global Warming whether we realise it or not. To produce electricity, fossil fuels need to be dug out of the ground and burnt creating toxic and harmful air pollutants to be released into the air. Land is constantly cleared to plant Oil Palm trees and for agriculture (meat and produce). In doing so we are wiping out oxygen-giving trees and exterminating the biodiversities of nature which harms the natural balance of the earth as animals and plants are decreasing in numbers everyday. Not only that, we raise our emissions by using transportation (cars, helicopters, planes..) and eat meat which releases methane (a greenhouse gas), consumes water, land and also provides to burning of fossil fuels to keep the animals. The thing about our planet is that the human enhanced greenhouse gasses are trapped within our atmosphere, making the Earth warmer whereas less heat energy escapes into space. Earth will prevail as it always does. Nature will always thrive however, there is only less than 11 years before the downfall of humans. There is a solution to our problems however, we need to take multiple steps into the right direction.

As a human being, I need to play my part in reducing everything; from my clothes to the food I eat. Most clothes which has a material called polyester are massed produced. Polyester is plastic which is not sustainable. Furthermore, when washing the clothes, the washing liquids and tablets contain harmful chemicals that pollute the waters and poison animals living in the water. Giving up meat is hard however, in mass producing different types of animals (to consume), we are also contributing to more greenhouse gasses being trapped in our atmosphere. We can also try using cleaner energy like using solar panels to power the house instead of burning fossil fuels.

As interior designers, I must think of solutions to combat global warming as I cannot kill people. The alternative way would be to cater to people and educate them that our way of life is not sustainable at all. To design a sustainable apartment, I researched about sustainable materials and came across materials like bamboo, recycled steel, concrete, limestone and etc. With these materials in mind, I wanted to search up examples of different interiors which incorporated materials like this. I analysed some interiors and found that most of the utilised the natural lighting of the room which brought in heat from the Sun. They even used sustainable materials such as limestone and recycled steel. With all this research that I had done, I was ready to start designing my client’s apartment based on her personality, family, background and style, I even asked her about the specific designs she wanted in her apartment. It was pretty absurd as she wanted 2 bathrooms; one for herself and the other for her guests which is not very sustainable as she is wasting water in doing so but I had to make due. After this, I had to do a location research to further learn about the apartment. I wrote down the address, height, width, colour and etc of the apartment to give me a better sense of what I am given to maximise efficiency and the sustainability of the apartment.

The reason why I’m passionate about this research is because humans have impacted the earth negatively and I want to be part of the change that help people change their ways for the better. It is one of the reasons why I wanted to be an interior designer. Overall, I felt like this process was necessary for me to progress and think about ways to benefit my client as well as the environment, making the designs as environmentally friendly as possible and help reduce their carbon footprint.

4th October 2019

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27th September 2019

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12 September: We were given a task for the first week. That task was to present our designs regarding Inclusive Environment Design.

When I was first presented with Inclusive Environment Design, I was partially confused. I knew what every single word meant but I did not know what they meant put together. It was later explained that I fully understood it. It meant design for everybody: blind, physically disabled, pregnant people, elderly and etc. To further understand this, I actually researched about the meaning of Inclusive Environment Design. I did this because I wanted to be crystal clear to prevent misunderstandings from arising as I present. Once I was done with this, I started predicting the problems different types of people have in their lives.

I’ve actually never thought about what these kinds of people go through daily. They require an extra helping hand. These small things that improve disabled people are very subtly incorporated into design which is what I found very fascinating. I started delving right into people’s problems. For example, I thought about discrimination against women who need to breastfeed in public. People have made public toilets for parents to change their baby’s diapers however, barely anyone has thought about a public breastfeeding room where women can safely feed their child without being heavily judged. In addition to the types of problems people face daily, blind people have a huge disadvantage as they do not have sight. Blind people have to rely on their other senses like touch, smell and hear. These are just my take to their daily lives. To better understand these people, I had to be one of these people.

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Prior to my research, we were all asked to go out of the class are record what it was like being blind and physically disabled. I found out through this process that these were their problems: the blind could not see, the physically disabled could not hold anything as their fingers could not bend. I found that they could not do simple day to day things that would have been easy for an abled person. I carried further research on the outside and found that the doors were hard to open for a disabled person. Blind people have it hard as there are many pot holes in the middle of the road. It has made me more aware that designers should not just be about aesthetics but also practicality.

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My main focus was towards blind people. Not just fully blind people but people who have colour blindness as well. I did extended research (secondary) from the internet and found some solutions to their problems. For example, I found that people who have colour blindness can see textures and patterns better than colour. The colours that seem good together might not look good to them. For blind people, it has to be about the feel as they navigate. Sound cannot really be used because there will be background noise that will hinder their listening. I found a really good idea by So & So Studios about floor textures. They had 2 different textures: Majority of the house has a smooth texture (polished & varnished wood), the navigation route has a slightly rougher texture so that the blind can differentiate. It is the same with the multiple circles on the street when crossing the pedestrian. It is for the blind to cross on. It was a brilliant idea I must say. Aimed at blind people, I sketched out a few ideas.

I wanted to create something that was out of the box yet something that is still practical. The first sketch I did, is a door which seems like a scroll. A scroll is easy to pull down yet, it is hard to pull something up so, I implemented a click mechanism (inspiration from banner pens) where you’ll have to pull the string lightly and the material will roll upwards again. At first, I didn’t know what the material would be cause no metal is malleable enough to roll that much. Then, a thought occurred to me: spider silk. Spider silk is strong yet it acts like a type of fabric. Spider silk is actually stronger than steel. I also added some patterns on the scroll for blind people to differentiate door with wall.

The next design is inspired by a hand fan which requires opening up. Hand fans are folded to be closed and whipped out to be open. I added some hinges so that the fan door can close easier. The materials for this door would be made out of stainless steel because it has a different texture to the walls. In addition to that, I would paint a chrome colour to give an old object, a new, modern feel. It’s also shiny so that the blind who can perceive light can see the door. For those who can’t perceive light, I added a rough line on the floor to stop them in their tracks, indicating for them to search for the button of the door. I made both doors wide and tall enough for physically disabled people on wheelchairs, crutches, obese and tall people so that they can easily access it. I did not want the doors to be pushed because pushing is a hassle for most people with physical disabilities to use. A button and a pulley is so much more easier than a push of door. I was quite proud of myself for thinking about these designs as I wanted the practicality of a room to mirror the aesthetics.

The next design would be an elevator in a library. There are hard to reach places in a library which is quite infuriating. I myself am short and require assistance all the time to reach something that is so high on top of a shelf. This elevator that I made is accessible to short people as well as people on wheelchairs. The whole thing would be made out of glass save for the floor which would probably be of an anti-slip material so that no one slips when they get down. My inspiration for this elevator was the lift from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that goes left, right, up and down. With a joystick, they can move in which ever direction they want according to where the book is. I have also created an opening in the glass for them to reach the books they want.

Overall, this experience was a real eye-opener as it opened my eyes to not only normal people but with disabilities. I will improve myself my opening up to crazy ideas and have more sketches because I know I am more capable than this. I will also try to improve on my quick sketches.

9 August: With the project coming to an end, I am proud of myself for taking on this task. It was not an easy journey. Many times I have crossed a dead end and ended up not knowing what to do but through the help of my tutors and the tutorials they gave, my perseverance grew stronger instead of it being dimmed down.

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I have a total of 10 research-worthy people, each to which has one or more visual responses. I have a deep sense of respect for them now as each and everyone of them are trying to help make the world a better a place, changing one person at a time. It honestly takes a lot of heart and determination to go through waste, wash it and make it into something extraordinary. Even for them to care about the environment is impactful to me. Before going into this project, I was one of those people that didn’t really know anything about what the planet is going through right now but after this, I have gained a greater knowledge about it. When I started thinking and gained valuable information through the process, I started becoming more and more passionate about doing this project. So much so that I was still doing artist research and responses even in the last week of hand in. I finished all the artist research on the 7th of August and started making my final outcome.

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I have sketched some rooms out on the iPad but I really felt the need to make a room. I want people to see it and see all the hard work these people put into trying to save our planet despite the oppression from people who are currently sitting on their high horses not giving a care that the world is going to end. In less than 12 years, the youths of today will NOT have a future of we don’t do something. These people have influenced me to become a better person for the sake of the planet. I have stopped using plastic bottles and have even stopped using single plastic use. I collected a baffling amount of plastic around me. I can only imagine how the landfill sites look like. I have even included links in the Bibliography related to people who are trying to make a difference and break the stigma of saving the world and reusing bits as weak.

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Although the final outcome does not feature all of the artists I’ve researched (which is a shame), I admire every single one of them. Because of them, I have reduced my meat intake and have started eating more vegetables. I encourage everyone to do the same. Of course it’s hard to change but one person can make a serious difference. Politicians and businessmen should be heavily blamed as well for allowing these horrid things to be continued so I suggest boycotting them will work effectively. The most powerful voice always belong to the people.

Overall, I’m proud of my work even if it may have a few mishaps along the way. This project has changed me for the better and I will continue to live sustainably.

20th July: I went to Letchworth to visit Broadway Gallery. I was hesitant going at first as I didn’t want to wake up early but I knew it was crucial to my work. After taking a look at the gallery, I’m extremely glad I went.

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The walk to the gallery is very convenient as it is near the train station. With that, I went into the gallery. At first glance, it doesn’t look like munch however, as I got close to the details, it took my breath away. I first took photos of the place so I could get it over and done with as I get to experience the gallery without being distracted.

I took a close look around, looking at everything, even the words. At one point, her weaving moved me to tears. I cried for the planet, the animals living in the sea, humanity being ignorant and the fact that Lois Walpole put in so much effort into this exhibition for there to be no one. I went on a Sunday yet there was no one there except me walking around. I can still hear the floor creaking as the sound of my footsteps touch the ground. It made the mood very solemn which is what I like about the exhibition but I can’t help but feel sad when I wandered the room. I stayed there for an entire 2 hours. I really do recommend coming here to just look see at the place.

With my primary research done, I’ve created responses to her wall of fishing nets. I did the same thing with unused thread. I also did a response to when she went to the beach to collect materials to work with. I tried to give off a vibe being at the beach with lots of material to be collected.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed the exhibition. It opened my eyes to newer techniques and philosophies. I wish more people would discover this gem. The exhibition is free now.