framework for the implementation of a virtual design studio model in ...

‘leisure’ theme arose including: a white water canoeing installation; an eco-
waterfront and green network along the Ely River; a beach and outdoor pool
and a mega-leisure project with attractions.
Pecha Kucka
Pecha Kucka presentations serve to give the group a snapshot of each participant.
They were quick, brief introductions of cultural and academic background. The
purpose of the Pecha Kucka presentation was for students to affiliate themselves
with others, based not on gender, age or ethnicity, but on particular philosophies
and ideas. The presentations were quick, short and were designed to give the
group some brief information about each student without them sounding longwinded
and boring.
The Brief
With assistance from the tutors, the students were required to produce their own
brief. Implied by the project name: Cardiff Chimera 2020 , the students had to
devise appropriate outcomes for the problems facing Cardiff. Prof. Goodwin
visualised the emergence of the Chimera 2020 through a collective process of
reflection, intensive studio sessions and multiplicity of participants.
Goodwin’s use of multi-disciplinary practitioners for lectures and tutorship
(typified in Post-modernist multi-disciplinary studios) formed the core of this
project as practitioners’ personal histories, expertise and spatial intelligence were
vital ingredients in the Chimera project. Students speculated the scale, territory
and content of the territory of their choice were then required to express their
vision through a physical mode, in this case: presentation. The presentations
served as a tool to form groups. According to Prof. Goodwin, ‘once the groups
were decided the multi-disciplinary process begins.’
At this point, the studio encouraged the use of metaphor and philosophical
background as key tools. The initial presentations included drawings, data,
photographs, performance and digital display which aimed to capture the essence
of Cardiff’s direction as a developing city. Due to the volume of ideas, feedback
and discussion were reserved for studio tuition and interaction at a later date. In
accordance with the studio’s PEST analysis approach, the students were asked to
explore Cardiff and think metaphorically in terms of what the city needs. The
students’ political beliefs had to be established early on to provide a solid basis for
their contributions.
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