I treated Schematic Design like a video game I could blow off. I didn’t practice enough from the PPI Schematic Design Practice Exam Book. I didn’t practice enough from the NCARB Schematic Design practice program. If I had practiced more I would have seen where that copy room could fit earlier.
The two week period between my Site Planning & Design and Schematic Design exams was not enough. Especially since I wasn’t concentrating well on material. I thought I would catch on during the Schematic Design exam. I thought I was staying loose by not getting overly concerned with different plans and alternatives. BIG MISTAKE.
During the building layout vignette, I made the corridors and I’m thinking, “How come these corridors don’t automatically merge like the driveway does in site design?” I figured out 30 minutes later, “Hey you use the ’wall opening’ tool.” After facing a very disconcerting effort in the Interior Layout, this AH HA moment was not a good feeling. What other obvious issues could I have missed?
There is some chance, I passed. If I told you exactly how many pieces of furniture were missing, you’d say no there isn’t. I don’t know the limit on missing items and the importance of certain items. Still you name it, my plan was missing it. I felt confident of failure after the interior layout.
I was missing so much stuff, I remember most of the furniture. Somehow not being able to cram x pieces of furniture into the floor plan emblazoned them in my memory. I have made a sketch of the best solution and listed the furniture I could remember. If need be, I can refer to my sketch 6 months from now. I have more to tell about the building layout experience in the next post.
Perhaps I didn’t treat this like a video game. If I had played the practice program like Pokemon (or Brain Age), I would have done better. I would have played every other day and looked for hints online. I would have trained myself to be ready for the usual problems and more prepared for the complex problems.
PPI
Sketchbook Project