We added realistic features to our perspectives to add extra dimension and depth to them. This was enjoyable and brought the project to life, we were confident with the final outcome of the project and we're happy with the feedback we received from the client.

We also created a a model to add another interesting aspect to our scheme.

We created perspectives from a few angles to show the client a good visual understanding of our design we created for him.

I rendered the designs using photoshops, experimenting with the different textures. Creating the visuals was enjoyable and helpful to show the client the design.

Once we sketched what we wanted we started a sketch up model to get a good visual idea of what we wanted

Day 1. We visited the merz barn. It gave us a good understanding of what the client wanted and where to take our designs

Facade design for the building. Materiality, context and alignment of lines are carefully considered.

Exhibition path, with "staircase-shaped " wall for displaying artworks in a more interesting way.

Temporary art space, with movable wall panels, enable the space to be adaptable for all art exhibitions.

"Dark Corner" , exhibition space specially designed for showing historic narrative on the Nazi's degeneration on modernist art. Connected to a minni theatre.

Courtyard designed for exhibition about modernism.

Diplay room designed specifically for displaying the 4 Merzbau experimental models and one 3d Merzbau art piece done by Kurt Schwitters.

Attempting to talk the talk

Final presentation for the Merz Barn Events project. I hope we have been a help to Ian and proposed a suitable set of designs for his vision. It has been an interesting and enjoyable experience working with my first client and to a specific brief. A great two weeks, thank you to our wonderful team!

Presentation delivered, project finished - Great fun to be a part of. Thanks squad.

Pulling it all together! Final morning gathering together our booklets and organising our presentations.

One of the most interesting parts of the project, for me, was interacting with a real client. Some interesting feedback that Ian gave was that although the appearance of the building needs to fit the surroundings due to specific planning regulations, the design should still look original and exciting due to the 'exhibition' nature of the project as a whole.

Final day! Pre-presentation selfie! Really glad I chose Merz 15 for this years events as everyone in the group was really enthusiastic and especially enjoyed interacting with the client.

Day 5
Buzzing for the return of Ian where we presented our ideas to him! We spent the rest of the day trying to create a script and a few slides for our Friday presentation

Day 4
At the start of the second week, we collated our ideas together and I spent the day trying to hack photoshop as I thought this would be a great time to explore it. We worked on polishing up our presentations for Ian the next day.

Day 3
Back in the studio, the residential aspect which was initially 2 static caravans developed into 4 different elements: statics, a bothy, a library and an amphitheatre. I really enjoyed this session brainstorming with the other 3 in my group where we researched precedences and soaked up each others ideas. By the end of this session, we divided up the residential areas (I got the bothy) and we made a site plan of the residential area.

Day 2
Really enjoyed the trip to Windermere but most of all enjoyed meeting Ian who is just inspiringly enthusiastic about the whole concept. His ideas were just forever expanding and developing and his passion was just brilliant.

Day 1
We spent the day being introduced to Kurtschwitters and the concept Ian (the client) had. We split into 3 different project groups and I chose to be in the residential team

Second meeting with the client to discuss our design ideas

Discussing the scheme layout

Sketches of initial ideas

An in hindsight look at our concept layout for the artist residence, comparing it Schwitter's wall installation - the "crazy shapes and juxster positions" defiantly come through.

The whole events experience was amazing, i really enjoyed getting to know what is feels like to work with an actual 'client' and this will be very useful in terms of changing my presentation techniques in the future.

Day 6
Forming the final presentation booklet of the project.

Day 5
Ian came to visit us and review the progress so far, He was very pleased with the schemes we presented to him even though his original vision looked nothing like that.

Timeline corresponding to the plan showing narrative and political context.

Day 4
The space around the museum set out as a journey.
Site plan colour coded.

Day 3
Started to come up with initial ideas of what we see the museum as trying to incorporate them with Ian's original vision. We started to form a floor footprint and making decisions on the all of the materials.

Some photos from the site visit on day 2

Day 2
Site visit of the Merz barn, meeting Ian and Cecilia. The history and significance of Kurt Shwitters was explained and Ian gave us an idea of what he wants from each proposal as a 'client'.

Day 1
Briefing of the project and organizing the site visit for for 12/05 to the lake district, 3 groups were formed for the different outputs that needed to be created - artist accommodation, art shed and the museum.

Front and back elevations of the library. Glass covers the side facing away from the path to let in light while maintaining privacy.

Perspective of the final museum design in context.

Preliminary perspective showing the main exhibition space inside the museum. Visitors would have access to an external seating area which would provide spectacular views of the lake district.

Initial perspective showing the space which would house the Merzbau models. A visual link would be created between the Merz Barn just outside the museum and Schwitters' work on Merzbaus inside the museum.

A preliminary internal perspective showing the relationship between the entrance space and the glazed roof which gives a view to a specific Beech tree at the site.

A sectional perspective looking to show part of the main exhibition space and the relationship between the sloping roof and the other exhibits.

The initial sketch plan was developed to account for the specific conditions of the site. Key in the development of the plan was the consideration of a particular tree which had special importance to our client.

On top is a diagram which shows the basic arrangement of the exhibits in the museum, giving space for both the work and the information regarding the political context in which the work was created. Beneath this is the initial sketch plan that was formulated from the diagram.

A site sketch trying to show the point at which you would first see the museum if approaching from the current main building.

Having been split into teams to tackle the different project proposals at the site, we began taking photos of the specific locations in which our proposed buildings would be. The photo above shows the site for the Kurt Schwitters Museum.

A view showing the approach to the last Merzbau experiment by Kurt Schwitters. On the second day we took to the Lake district to meet our client (Ian Hunter) and to view the site on which we would be working.

A couple of quick perspective sketches of the shed design, showing features such as the balcony, mezzanine and exhibition space.

Busy working in studio using Photoshop to render our designs and present our visuals to convey our ideas. Some of our initial images were watercolours and scanning and editing these was a learning curve for some of us less technologically-abled!

Interior perspective ideas include incorporating the abstraction of the primary colours as part of the fabric of the building reflecting Schwitters' ideas and work. Display panels and part of the mezzanine in the exhibition space are show to be coloured in this design.

Our first productive day on the Merz Barn project was marked by our site visit to Windermere in the Lake district. At the site of the barn we met our inspiringly passionate client Ian, who told us more about Kurt Schwitters and his artistic and architectural influence. On our tour round the site, we analysed different zones, took photos and made sketches.

A location and site plan of our museum proposal.

front section of the design proposal with context.

View out of the museum space overlooking the Merz Barn.

An interior perspective looking out towards the birch tree that Ian Hunter wanted. It becomes a central element in the orientation of the building, where a clear view of it is seen upon entry.

Teamwork. Modelling for the perspective. We tried to actually create a more realistic situation so that we can incorporate the human figure in the proposal design.

[Day 6] Finalizing
On the last day before final presentation, we were visited by Ian Hunter, the owner of MERZ Barn. He was satisfied with the project we had, and we have seen some good work from the other subgroups, especially some nice viusals. After the presentation we have decided to make more interior perspectives.

A quick sketch - arial perspective of the Langdale site (NW conner) showing the residence area and denoting the relationship of the it's four component structures. Could definitely use a render though.

"And what would Schwitters think? Doesn't matter! He's dead." - Iain Hunter: The rhetorical question master who is our wonderful client. Possibly my favourite quote of so far. I felt it needed recording for prosperity.

In preparation for the presentations, we formulated a document showing the narrative and process of our design approach. This document discusses how we went from the three initial schemes to our final scheme, and the reasons for certain orientations and placements.

Lake district. Kurt Schwitters. Merz barn. The treasures that this place holds amaze every visitor and passer-by.

Sideways section complete. I wanted to keep it as simple as possible - neutral colours which will emphasize not the surroundings but the design proposal itself.

First try with the section. At least now I know not to put a section on a perspective view - not working.

First and last site plans mapping out the four key parts of the artists residence (static caravans, amphitheater, library and bothy)

Everybody is in a mood for work. Preparing the presentation for the design proposal.

Some initial sketches for the library- exploring different shapes that best fit the landscape

Original yurt library containing about a third of the client's book collection (a new design would need to be more spacious)

The Residences team finalising their site plan.

Getting ready for presentations!

Iain getting excited with the visuals the museum team has prepared!

Next up: the shed team...

The artists' residences team bringing Iain up to date with their progress.

Interior and exterior renders were made for our scheme, showing the atmosphere and ideally the lighting within the exhibition spaces. The rooflights are carefully designed to minimise glare and to protect the photographs presented along the walls of the spaces. They are also orientated as such to bring as much natural light as possible. This space is the main exhibit hall consisting of models in relation to the Merz Barn, and important/iconic photographs during Kurt Schwitter's life.

With the final scheme, we allocated different drawings for each of us to complete within the group, later collating them together into a single presentation alongside the two other schemes. The site drawings show the context which we are designing upon and briefly describes the constraints that we had to work with.

[Day 4] Idea Development
After doing the sketch model, we made a few elevations, sections, and plans. I did an axonometric view of the art shred, which shows the load transfers and the structural properties in fragments and their relations with each other. The axonometric drawing has three different colours, each represents one side facing on different elements.

Day 6 - 20th May
Try to link all our teamwork together into one so that it will be coherent and consistent for the presentation.

Day 5 [Model making]
A test model was created with grey board strips and wood scraps from the wood workshop, in which Kurt Schwitters always did in his famous collages. He used local resources and especially scraps to frame his collages, like the one he did in London in 1940.

In our design, the stitch texture can be made by very thin wood obtained locally near the MERZ Barn, or by very thin steel strips that are welded or bolted by steel angles and channels to the Steel I columns. The texture shields the interior of the art shred from the strong wind and rain in the lake district, it also creates nice light effects on the interior walls, which also can identify places within.