My learning experience.

I love Second Life - it didn't feel as if I was working. It was fun, like a game, but made me think of all these things architecturally...

And from this, I have pretty much come up with my own defintion of what architecture is. Architecture, in the most vague terms possible, is the art of organisation of space by considering form, mass and materials under a continuously fluctuating light source. It is an art that has to be viewed for a long time (that is, it is temporarl not ephermal - though, ephermal moments do exist), it is a solution to problems (such as those urban problems, of sustainability, of a man-made reaction to a physical environment etc), an art that can be a part of someone's life (e.g. it is their house, it is a landmark that distinguishes a town in which you live, it is a place where you have your first kiss, it is a place where you remember your childhood etc), it is an art that is to be shared, to be public rather than be self-absorbed, it is a high-defintion vision of the architect where the desires of patrons are made more detailed, vivid and real. It is also an art that does not stick to one definition, or rather, one which cannot have a definition that is so short.

This definition may be short and incomplete at the moment... But I have seen this task as a serious investigation which has made me think; thus, was not only a useful discovery but also an enjoyable journey.

Final Attempt @ Office in Second Life

Fourth Attempt @ Office in Second Life

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The design has five different holes in which the people can jump into the different floors. One really MAJOR problem with this design is that now, Judy says, we can't have sky boxs - that is, we are not allowed to build in the sky. Hence, it seems like I need to reconsider this whole design so that fits in with the spaces (at the moment, it doesn't seem to fit, because the views are more restricted and collides with other buildings).

Third Attempt @ Office in Second Life

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New architecture office takes into account the 'corridor' interiors of the second attempt. It has been designed so that the form divides the building into 'four'. These four divisions are to create the four rooms for the different magazines and various working spaces and meeting rooms. However, after I have created this design, I realised there were two different major problems:

1. The flow from the first floor to the second floor. I decided to use teleportation as a method of going from top floor to the bottom, because I thought it would improve the digital aspect of my design. However, Judy gave me feedback saying that 'teleport' should involve a greater impact of transporting from one space to a totally different one. I agree on this note, I will have to consider other methods.

2. The division is too extreme in that all the spaces are small rooms, and there are no open spaces. I think I will try and make the bottom floor more spacious and keep the top divided.

Second Attempt @ Office in Second Life

This design was, again, another attempt at getting more used to the Second Life interface as well as a transition into a more serious consideration of the architectural features of my office. The key features of this building are the interior spaces that are aimed to create desirable views whilst providing functional office areas. I tried to create the office in the sky to maximise these fantastic views as one looks out from the inside. 
 However, a few flaws existed with the design in that it did not address much aesthetic consideration of the form - that is, it was a box with a slope end. To this end, I want to try and explore the greater aspects of design form; especially on secondlife where the impossible can exist.

On a side note, I am thinking quite heavily about the 'people' of secondlife. They differ quite greatly from the real world with their abilities of flight, invincibility and their reduced sensitivity towards smell and touch. I think it would be useful for me to keep thinking about these qualities and try and design a building that encompasses these things; and I think I have already started to as I have landed this building in the 'sky' rather than land.

Journals

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Heritage New Zealand: The magazine critically analyzes the inherited aspects of New Zealand - in both architectural and non-architectural  issues. While addressing interesting, inquisitive and knowledgable latest research of both historical and contemporary factual incidents and opinions it is a important source of information for things related to our heritage in New Zealand.

Project Russia & Arkhitekturny vestnik: These Russian magazines have a monthly focus on particular issues concerning solely things architectural, such as masterplanning (urban design), architecture and so on. The articles are based on both international and Russian architects and a critical discussion of their works that display the prevailing contemporary architectural styles and trends of Russia. In addition, many architectural issues, such as environmental problems, that are emerging in the 21st century. As I am not fluent in Russian, these are just inferences based on images.