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During the development of my project, I have experimented with a new technical style of designing that prior to year 4, I have tended to steer away from and instead focus of the more conceptual aspects of a design. Within this project, the strategy of the ‘pods’ as material interventions inserted into the existing that act to create a sustainable retrofit, was something I investigated both through a narrative and conceptual viewpoint, but also through a discussion of the detailed technical issues that may be experienced.

The technical argument for my project acts as a part of my narrative, creating value to the scheme, instead of a simple afterthought. I believe this may be a result of Resolven Miners Welfare being an existing building that we are retrofitting, with challenges to the fabric instead of the more blank slate site we are usually faced with. After speaking to the members of the community first hand and spending time in the building, my usual route of creating an interesting narrative felt less important than solving the simpler issues, like thermal comfort and cost.

Creating a physical model presenting the connection of the new and old materials and the internal components of both the fabrics, was something I found surprisingly challenging. In order to get to a point where I felt comfortable building the final model, I had to first understand in detail the physical appearance, maintenance, positioning and thermal quality I wanted in this space, which are components that usually I can consider as somewhat separated ideas. Investigating the variations in materially throughout the scheme also allowed me a much more thorough understanding of how the atmosphere of the space was going to feel holistically, which meant when coming to argue the wayfinding strategy for the pod interventions – I understood the experience I was intending to produce.

If I were to repeat the process with more time, I would have continued to physically model the different materiality’s I discuss in my project. I believe these mock ups would have furthered my knowledge of the link between tectonic and atmospheric, being able to physically see and feel the fabric of the different pods. In conclusion the technical investigations in this project allowed me to notice challenges and issues within my proposal that I otherwise wouldn’t have considered, making a more thorough and concise overall design.