Where to start with a Design Dissertation

You know what, one of the things that I absolutely hate is formal writing - can you tell?! I know I’m not naturally good at it and to be honest hate reading, don’t enjoy research topics endlessly and how do you state a reference?!

Some of you may feel the same way… It took me a while and a great tutor to really understand how to approach my dissertation and by the end of it, thinking of the actual subject was the most difficult part!

Lets kick off with a bit of background of how we did our ‘design dissertation’. Essentially we had to pick a topic/question/statement which we could research, write 5000 words and make into a website.

I’ll be straight with you here is mine: MANIPULATIVE ARCHITECTURE

Using a Green Roof on your home

Many large commercial properties now take advantage of installing a green roof - this is mainly due to the expanse of roof they have, which obviously means they gain greatly from it. One example of this is the Newton building at Nottingham Trent University that has approximately 2,500sqm worth of sedum varieties that have become an ecosystem for insects and larger wildlife…

But how can a Green Roof really help us and our homes?

Getting the most out of your Lectures

Well sometimes you have to just sit in a big room and listen to someone speak for a few hours.. Sounds familiar right? Like something you’ve done your whole life throughout school..

Now here is the fundamental change. YOU have chosen to study this. YOU have paid to be here. Supposedly you want to learn this stuff. But I was right there feeling the exact same - I did not want to go to (what I believed to be) the most boring set up a class can be.

To be honest with you I’m not that great at listening and taking notes, especially when it is on technical information. The end of the day I am very slow at reading and if I write fast I definitely can’t read my own writing a week later.

Using a Rainwater Harvesting System for your home

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Top Tips for your Final Year at Interior Architecture University

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Pros and Cons of Compact Living

We’ve already started talking about the idea of compact or ‘tiny’ living and how there are some great examples of how to do it well out there.. If you haven’t seen those yet jump back for a minute and have a look at An Intro to Compact Living, Compact Living vs. My living Space and Hacks for Living in a Tiny Space … I promise they’re not long and super easy reads!

Right, now we’re back and all caught up let’s be frank…

First of all ‘Compact Living’ is not going to suit everyone. I’ve got to hazard a guess and say most people are forced into it. One great example is your room in university halls - but they are intentionally designed to work for what you typically need.

Following this idea let’s jump straight into the pro’s and con’s for the people that are considering downsizing...

Applying to a Student Placement Job

This is one of the main reasons I chose my uni and why I have had such a range of experience in different sectors to this date. My placement year made me. If you get a decent placement job with some good people it can seriously set you up for final year and potentially later on! In fact quite a few graduates I know have since gone back to their placement company for full time work…

Which means you need to put in some effort and enthusiasm when finding and applying to companies.

Using Solar Panels on your Home

A relatively simple way to introduce renewable energy into new and existing homes…

By now we’ve all heard of solar power, whether it’s powering your little garden lights or your home the concept is still pretty much the same.

Solar Panels (or Photovoltaics/PV) take the sun’s energy (renewable energy) and then convert it into electricity that we can use to heat or light our homes. Traditionally solar panels are installed on the roof however they have been known to also be installed in gardens, green roofs and smaller outbuildings.

My Go To Website Resources for Interior Architecture & Design

Lots of links!

That’s about it here is lots of links to things that may be helpful and otherwise take you a few hours to find on your own…

Using Air Purifying elements in your home

Property and HomeKayleigh Nobbs31 May 2020Okay Kayleighinterior architecture, architecture, design, sustainability, tiny home, simple living, compact living, self build, refresh, things, recommendationsComment

5 Simple Tools so you can Ace Architectural Models

I’m just going to give you a really quick run down of the key tools I use for creating architectural models with nearly any standard material. Usually I would opt for a foam-board or card base material as they are reasonably cheap and easiest to manipulate.

Here’s what I learnt from creating what felt like a million models over 3 years…

Hacks for Living in a Tiny Space

Of course not! As we already talked about when looking at an introduction to compact living there are some key things that you do need to consider when downsizing or living in a small space..

Everything can be multi-functional - Furniture choices are key.
Keep it light and airy - Don’t over-do it on lots of colours.
Integrate some soft edges in the space e.g. round table.
Make sure you have sufficient storage - As they say, out of sight out of mind…
Introduce plants into the place - bring the outside in.

Top 5 Software Skills to Aid your Interior Design Career

So here are my suggestions for great go to software that will help you throughout your career. Remember there are LOADS of options for similar programmes so… I’ll just show you some of the main ones that I know or feel are most relevant for the industry right now.

Best Practical Skills to acquire for a Self-Build Home

As we’ve already talked about in Introduction to Self-build let’s take a look at some skills that you might want to start learning before jumping in! You can get a basic introduction to all of these skills/practices through some online research however when it comes to perfecting your skills or more complicated trade do consider taking a course or using professionals.

Tips for Studying at Home

Really simple things to give a try in any flat or house if you need to bang out a load of work whilst at home.. whether its technical drawings, writing your dissertation or creating some visuals…

Compact Living vs. My Living Space

As we’ve already talked about throughout the minimalism series and property posts the spaces we are living in are progressively becoming smaller and smaller. Likely this is due to the fact that there is more demand for home and lets face it no more land to really build on.

Top 5 Skills for Interior Architecture & Design

So here are the top ones that I have learnt over the years… Some of them may come into use more than others however they all act as a base core skill which you end up using in many different scenarios.

Sustainable Living by Sustainable Design

As more and more people are realising the importance of becoming more sustainable in todays world we need to realise that it really is not as easy as it might sound.

Now to achieve the best sustainable living circumstance on a daily basis it really needs to be accompanied by some integrated sustainable design. Some of you might not see the difference between the two but one can very easily influence the other…

Sustainable Design focuses on integrating sustainable energy into everyday life as well as creating physical objects that are less wasteful and more durable for the long term.

10 Ways to Make the Most of your Design Course

Seriously we pay £9k a year to then be given by most universities a long materials list, book list, supplies list, excursion fees list… on and on the lists go… for 3 years!

Now there’s no real way to combat these things but from my time at uni one main thing I learned is that you have to make the most of the actual facilities and people that your university offers. I mean, at the end of the day surely that should have been one of the main reasons why you opted for that uni in the first place, right?!

Introduction to Self-Build

With Self-Build it’s not really about the biggest, most extravagant or most expensive house, it’s about creating a space for yourself, by yourself.

Now don’t get me wrong I know there are specialist trades that I would definitely reply on in this situation such as plumbers and electricians however with houses being so expensive and people becoming more demanding knowing what they want many people are turning towards self-build as an option.

Self-Build is the idea that you have a good input of planning, designing and building your home/renovation/extension. Hopefully by you being involved in the process and contributing to actual building works not only do you end up with a home you love but you also gain some knowledge on the way.