Rucha Nikam
-Swara Chavan
My interest in interior design and aesthetically beautiful spaces has been constant. Before even joining architecture, the curiosity for space making was there. This course was an opportunity to extend my knowledge about the field through the lens of architecture. In the beginning, there was an inspiration to go beyond the generic pinterest interiors. But as I started grasping and learning the basics and the whole dynamics of how interior works became foremost important as the way of working and the method was very different from the processes that we follow in any architectural project.
The primary intentions were understanding how this field works practically on-site, through the layers of different agencies, and staying up to date with the latest technologies. During architecture school, we learn to visualize and communicate dimensions in millimeters and meters, but when you are buying material or as simple as working out costs, the on-site practices use feets or inches.
How do you communicate your design intention with clients? We strongly drive our designs through conceptual ideas and broader concepts but using the same terms and language to the client doesn't help. That's when photographs/pictures in the form of mood boards come in and form the first and most significant step. This is vital as it is the first visualization and mode of communication with the client, and it constitutes the first impression.
During the process we visited various markets around our neighbourhood and in the known hubs of Mumbai namely, Laxmi industrial estate, Raghuvanshi mills, Santacruz marble market, Lohar chawl, Mangaldas market, and wood markets of Jogeshwari & Byculla. Factors like Finishes, textures, cost, availability, and accessibility were understood by carrying out this survey and collecting samples. This helped in not only the visualization of the aesthetics that we were aiming for but also checking out its availability or where the material can be sourced from i.e. Is it locally available or needs to be exported as it adds to the bill of quantities? Being aware of these cost differences was very important. To have a budget margin, we considered 3500 – 4500/Sq. Ft for a residential project and 4500 – 5000/-Sq. Ft for a commercial one. (material survey of Laxmi Industrial Estate in Andheri West)
Orthographic drawings like plans, sections and construction details are indispensable tools to communicate your design to the client and the workers. 3D renders help in visualizing the entire space together and help in convincing the client. These were realistic renders made using escape where the color and texture of walls, furniture, hardware, flooring, light fixtures, etc were seen.
Some of the take backs from the course were:
Communication with the client and people you are designing with, using all the basic tools of drawings, pictures, etc.
Methods of presenting the project.
Being aware of the costs while making any decisions.
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