Introduction

My name is James Bussey and I study architecture at the University of Kent. All of the work documented in this blog is from my first year at university, the most interesting, inspiring and fun year of my life so far.

Your experience as a new student of University of Kent

When I first came to Kent I was really excited to see what new things I would try and the new people I would meet. I was also apprehensive with regard to who I would be my housemates and how well I would make friends. Of course moving out from home is a very worrying and difficult time but I felt deep down I would get on OK.

We were always made to feel very welcome when we came to university open days and the campus was really nice and exactly what I thought a university campus should look like. I saw Canterbury as a mini version of my home city Norwich, and I saw the campus as being a mini version of the University of East Anglia located 20 minutes from where I live. This meant I already felt at home.

With regards to Kent School of Architecture, I wasn't worried about what it would be like. The big reason I came to Kent as apposed to any other university was because the way they taught and approached the subject suited my personality. I didn't feel like I was unimportant, it seemed they were to encouraging me to apply to them as much as I wanted to be there. This was a very big contrast to certain other universities I had visited.

I was however, apprehensive to see how good everyone else was. I think that I would have struggled if it turned out that everyone was the next Picasso. Everybody seemed really friendly however, they each had strong skills in different areas and I felt I could really relate to them all. I couldn't wait to get stuck into the work. 

Your drawing skills

Before starting university I had completed 4 years of doing graphic design and product design. This meant I was very competent at technical drawing, CAD and the use of typography and how to layout work for presentations. I had always been quite good at drawing but I didn't take art for GCSE or A-Level. This was because I really was not interested in it at the time. I only wanted to draw. I do regret not taking art because I think that is one of the things that would have really helped me now. But I am trying to practice as much as I can toget better and I can already see vast improvements since coming to Kent. My outlook on art has also changed dramatically

Freehand fridays were particularly good. We were sent to a different town in Kent and had to draw a set of buildings as many times each week. Not only did this get us out into the sunshine and allowed us to experience Kent, we were also were practicing key drawing skills. The emphasis was draw what you see, not draw what you think you see. We were set a different medium to use each week and this was one of the best things for me because I was trying charcoal, pastel and ink wash for the first time and I really enjoyed it. 

Life drawing classes were also good. Drawing the human body is my weakest point and being given the opportunity to practice this has been really great. I could see my skills developing even over the course of one session. I have been practicing this more lately and I hope to get really good at it. 

My technical drawing skills have also been honed and fine tuned due to the folio seminars. I am much better at rendering now and understand the concept of isometric and axonometric drawing more clearly.

Your communication skills (both written and crit performance)
 
Written Skills:

I feel that my written skills are quite good. If I am tasked with a written piece, I will tend to write everything that comes to mind and this tends to include a lot of unnecessary information. However I then seem quite capable of cutting out everything that isn't needed and making it concise.

My written skills were really put to the test in the module called House and Housing. I had to write an essay about the construction, design and historical context of the Melnikov House in Moscow. My A-levels were not really essay based subjects so this was a bit of a challenge for me. In the end my score was a bit disappointing but I don't think my essay skills let me down, I think it was more the fact that I didn't interpret the question correctly. I will definitely be putting a lot more time into my next essay in order to improve. 

Verbal Skills

I believe my verbal skills are very good. I am able to communicate ideas very effectively and I am able to discuss the pro's and con's of things easily. I always try not to dominate or talk over people when I am speaking to them.

I have always been very good at presentations and debates and this has helped my crit ability. I am rarely nervous and can clearly communicate what I have to say. When asked questions I am able to quickly formulate a good response and communicate it articulately.

In sixth form I was the Managing Director of an events company called Pinnacle Events. We regularly had to give presentations in front of large groups of business people and students about what we did. We regularly had to speak to clients and negotiate terms and this also helped with my verbal skills.

Your computing skills and confidence

I am very computer literate. I enjoy building and upgrading my PC finding it to be the most cost effective way to get a powerful computer. This has helped me understand the inner workings of the computer. 

I am competent with the use of relatively standard programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Access and have good understanding of IT and systems on a larger scale through doing ICT as an A-level. 

I am also good with more sophisticated programs. My knowledge of Adobe Photoshop is good and I regularly follow online tutorials to learn new skills. My knowledge of Photoshop was so good I found myself teaching my Product Design teacher how to use it.

During my time at sixth form I learnt how to use 2D Design and 3D modelling software such as Solidworks as part of my Product Design course. This fed into learning how to program and use laser cutters, automated lathes and 3D printers.  

I like to write and record music of myself, my band and other local bands and this has made me very competent in the use of audio software such as Cubase and the Native Instruments plugins. 

The Paris field trip

The Paris field trip was a brilliant experience. The trip suddenly thrust us into the world of real architecture. We saw famous buildings such as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc De' Triomphe but what was really interesting for me was going off the beaten track to see buildings like the Pantheon and Place Des Vosges. 

Sitting and drawing in public was a new experience for me. A little strange at first but I am now used to it. The French are very keen to have a look at what you are drawing and this was sometimes a little offputting. I expect in a city so passionate about the arts, they were quite disappointed when they looked at what I had drawn. 

I enjoyed experiencing all things Parisien. I tried to make a special effort to try proper French cuisine and sample their wine. Our hotel had connections to local restaurants which gave us special deals which we could not afford to ignore. 

The best thing about the trip however was making all those new friends. We all really got to know each other and become more like a family.

Your experience of team working and willingness to adapt

This skill was highlighted in the hut building excercise for Oasis I. We were tasked in a groups of 3 or 4 to build a hut to sleep in overnight outside the library. This was the first project of the year and I did not know the people that were in my team. Because we were not comfortable with each other, we did not want to share our ideas in case the others thought they were rubbish.

As time progressed we all began to have really good ideas and were able to discuss all sorts of potential avenues of thought. When it came to building the huts we were able to each take on different roles and co-ordinate effectively to produce the final product. 

This was not the case in Caravanserai. Early in the project we were tasked as a group to produce a site model of Stepney farm and the surrounding neighbourhood. We had a large group of 20 so we split the group into sub teams to construct the various elements of the model and I was given the job, along with four others, to produce the church. 

When it came to assembling everything it became clear that people had not done their jobs, and if they had, they had not done them to a good enough standard. It seemed people were content to let somebody else in the group do the work. Our tutor was not impressed and told us to sort the model out within a few days. 

I became the leader of the group, I co-ordinated everybody doing each job and instructed them to be at the studio on a certain day, at a certain time to finish the model. This time it went well and our model was complete. I learnt a lot about how to handle a difficult team but most importantly I learnt that if I want to get something done, I would have to make it happen myself. 

Your experience of time-management

This is one of the most important skills I have been practicing this year and I would still like to be better at it. With so much work spread out over such a long time, you need to be able to work out what needs to be done and by what date. You need to be able to prioritise the most important things and you need to keep to a strict timetable.

I have found setting up a schedule of when I am going to do each task particularly helpful. I allocate an amount of time for each task and try to work in time for breaks. However I find that things always take me substantially longer than they should do. I think it is because I am a perfectionist and spend too long on the really fine details.

Although I believe in the saying "the devil is in the detail", I think the amount of time I spend doing this needs to be reduced if I am going to have a succesful second year.

What I am very good at is putting everything on hold and I find working non-stop for 18 hours a day quite easy. I think this is because of the nature of the work. I get very bored revising or writing essays but I can draw, make, design and think all day long.  

Your experience of reflective learning and blogging

At first I was sceptical about the idea of reflective learning and the MyFolio system but I have seen it is very useful. It is good to record your thoughts and ideas and to reflect on them. It helps to enforce what you have learnt and helps develop you for the next project.

I think it is such a good thing I have set up my own blog on the blogging site Tumblr to record my ideas, work and interesting articles I discover over the summer and my second year.

 Other character building experiences, such as language skills, living away from home, etc

Going to university has been my first real experience of living away from home, cooking, cleaning and generally surviving on my own. At first I did find it a little bit difficult and lonely but when I made new friends I became more confident and began to really enjoy the new freedom I have. I enjoy cooking now and regularly open the cookbook to try and learn great new meals.

I was never really that interested in sport at home but since coming to university I have discovered the importance of excercise and the teamwork and skills associated with team sports. I am also really interested in watching sport as well.. I enjoy watching the rugby and football with my friends. 

Unfortunately my music has been neglected since coming to university. Back home I was in a band that gigged regularly and I had hoped I would set up a band here. Unfortunately, I didn't think I had the time to do this because of how heavy architecture was. This is something I want to change next year because it is something I really love. Perhaps I could form a band with other architecture students so that when it gets to that point in the term when work becomes more time consuming, it would be easier to spend a bit less time playing music to focus on the work.

Finally, I have been appointed as the first year representative in the Kent Architecture Student’s Association (KASA). The society aims to provide a voice for all architecture students at Kent within the school and in the wider university community. We organise events such as life drawing and portfolio clinics as well as lectures by guest architects. I am the only first year student on the committee and I will take a more senior position next year.

 To sum up my webfolio, I have thouroughly enjoyed my first year of architecture at the University of Kent. I couldn't imagine doing it in any other institution or with any other people. I look forward to the future and what next year brings. 

Tags: reflection, webfolio