Site Diary is a twelve-week module run by the Technical Studies team and it’s a part of the 2nd year BA’s curriculum. The aim behind this project is to introduce the students to the construction site and the site team. The idea is to give students a chance to “witness, record and speculate on the Architect’s role in the construction process”, as well as to help them gain first-hand experience of working on a building site.
Students work in pairs, and are expected to choose their own local building site, communicate with the job architect(s) and / or contractors, and visit the site several times over the duration of the module.
In order to provide the context, give some structure and background to the task, as well as to help students gain understanding of how operations on the site relate to the architect, client, contractor, design team and contracts, a Technical Studies team also runs a series of lectures as a part of this module.
At the end of the module students are required to hand in a document / diary containing the following:
- An overview of the construction project addressing key questions delivered in the lecture series through graphics, text and sketches.
- A structured photo-journal documenting the progress of works during the period of observation addressing a list of set questions.
- Appraisal of the project in terms of Inclusive Design and the use of Digital Technology.
- A time lapse study of part of the building construction sequence, either through a series of drawings, model or animation-scale.
Other creative ways of exploring and describing one’s experience on site are also welcome, such as this short film by Hugo Shackleton, which was part of his submission in May this year.
