VIRTUALLY BUILDING: I’m back this semester delivering building technology lectures but in an unconventional manner. No slides, no bullet points, no 2D images taken from text books, no “typical” details…
Instead, each week students are required to construct parts of a "real" building. We work from the bottom of the foundation trench to the ridge of a house across the semester. We don’t isolate typical details because they never really work on site or resolve the majority of the construction that tends to be atypical. We therefore “build”/ include EVERYTHING. Every reinforcement bar and support chair in the strip footing trench, every sheet and turn in damp proofing membranes, every lintel, every joist and joist hanger, every nail in the joist hangers, everything. Each week the students who attend the lecture receive a digital 3D model SketchUp file with a kit of pre-made 1:1 scale components on a virtual wooden pallet. They must assemble these parts to complete the relevant zone.
In my recent posts I have shown teaching exercises at TU Dublin that embrace experiential learning and value in-person and hand-made approaches. These are essential. However, it is also vital that we provide world-class digital learning resources and experiences too. When I say real building above, I mean virtually a real building of course.
*A key introduction this year*, is that we have invited tradespeople to “supervise” the digital construction work as it progresses to bring realism, economy, and buildability to the process. Last week, I was grateful that my colleague, Stephen Gallagher, from the TU Dublin Brick & Stone Apprenticeship workshops joined me in the lecture to point out the natural errors that us designers make. I moved the parts (blocks) into place while Stephen advised us on best practice. This resulted in a near perfect solid block rising wall as can be seen in the pictures shown here. We then moved on to the below ground drainage where, rather than dealing with schematic diagrams of dotted lines and symbols, we “laid” pipes to full scale with falls and connected them to appliances.
It’s important to make sure the software doesn’t get in the way and we leverage it to focus on the principle being explored. This means students only need to arrange the materials provided by moving them from the pallet to the construction zone. Modification and copying of the parts is discouraged generally to take the focus away from digital application commands.
As we move up through the construction from week to week, I’ll post progress here…
