Architectural Communications

Overall Reflection:
Throughout this course I have developed several skills which are used regularly by architecture students as well as architects. The four week rotation between workshops allowed three skill areas to be focused on which allowed a broader scope of learning. However I often felt that I only started to master a skill when it was time to change. Particularly in the modelling and drawing workshops I felt that if an extra two weeks were present my skills would have developed significantly further.

Overall I enjoyed the three workshops I attended and believe I now have a greater understanding of the mediums used in architectural communications.

James Cristallo

Material Modeling

Submission One: Cardboard House













Level One














Level two














Exterior with roof


Submission Two: Balsa Wood Trasformative Action














During construction














Finished Exterior one














Finished Exterior two


The materials modelling workshop focused on developing skills in accurate modelling of architectural spaces. The workshop involved several tasks with an increasing degree of difficulty. First we were introduced to modelling with cardboard which originally involved creating simple objects such as a cube, then progressing onto a more complicated architecture space such as our own homes. Next we were required to create a balsa model of a house which also incorporated two transformative actions, I chose slicing + separating and addition. I was happy with my final submission, however I believe with a few more weeks in modelling I would have improved my skills a great deal more. Additionally it would have been beneficial if I had completed this workshop before undertaking Architecture in Motion as modelling in that workshop would have been faster and more efficient if I had the knowledge I now do.

Modelling is a vital tool in architecture therefore I am glad I completed this workshop, furthermore I am confidant I will build upon these skills learnt throughout my architectural studies.

Drawing Workshop

Exercise one: Shaded teacups

Exercise two: Perspective House

Final Submission

Drawing Workshop:
The drawing workshop involved creating accurate drawings of an architectural space, in this instance the Rose Seidler House. Overall the workshop provided skills in measuring, precision and composition. The first task involved free hand drawing and rendering of teacups to develop our line work with pencils, next we were introduced to perspective drawing while still considering context and scale. The final submission comprised of a set of drawings of the Rose Seilder House which included plan, elevation, section and perspective drawings.

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My final submission fulfilled all the requirements and displayed the skills which I had learnt in the proceeding 4 weeks of the drawing workshop. My drawings displayed neat line work and practical composition, however my perspective drawing was not ambitious enough meaning the overall composition was slightly brought down. As drawing is a skill all architects and architecture students use on a daily basis I am sure the skills learnt in this workshop will be used and developed in my architectural studies.

Architecture in Motion

Individual Shots from final submission:

Architecture in Motion:
The architecture in motion workshop was initially hard to understand conceptually. The idea of creating a short animation surrounding a space while still conveying its architectural themes was difficult to master in a short period of time. However as the weeks progressed I began to understand how this could be achieved through succinctly incorporating modelling, drawing and photography into a final animation.

My final submission was based around my bedroom and specifically how a room can be seen as an image of the person who lives inside. Hence the animation involved the room coming alive and eventually creating a person. It contained all the necessary elements and flowed well, however the direct link to the architectural space could have been further explored. If I had completed two other workshops first, possibly I would have spent less time on mastering these skills, allowing me to explore the architectural space in more depth.

From this workshop I have seen that creating a short animation is a valid way to communicate your ideas about an architectural space. It achieves this sucessfully as it allows several mediums to come together which would otherwise be difficult. Additionally it provided a conceptual link between modelling and drawing which subsequently proved helpful in latter workshops.