MA Interior Design: Literature & Contextual Review

Here on this page you will find examples of my MA work, I will try to keep this page as updated as possible with most of the work going to be published in pdf format. I hope you enjoy looking and reading about my work and any feedback would be appreciated.

SEMESTER ONE

Within semester one we had to complete a literature and contextual review, within this we had to find a current issues or issues to focus on and then complete research in order to be able to discuss the issues. When completing the research we had to use several different sources and therefore had to find 5 articles from different journals, websites and books. We then had to filter the information and write a literature review (minimum 1500 words), we then also had to find 5 different images and then write about these within are contextual review (minimum 1500 words).

I had several focuses within my review with them all having an underlying issue of residential design. My issues where as follows:

Unusual Conversions: This focused on how there where many disused unique spaces which could be converted into residential dwellings and therefore be given a new lease of life. Within the literature section I focused on the Grand Designs episode of a church conversion in Ireland and expressed my opinion in this. Within the contextual review I focused on a disused reservoir which I believed had the potential to be converted.

Terraced Houses: Within the literature section within this issue I focused on a book I had read about how a terrace house should always look like a terraced house and not be modernised or changed, in which I expressed my opinions. Within the contextual section of the issue I looked at the Grand Designs episode of a Hackney terrace, which converted a typical terraced home into a spacious, open plan, modern property.

Land and Planning: Within this section I looked at the ‘Green Belt’ planning restrictions and how these effect where people want to build, how the law could change and the implications this would have.

Development Schemes: Within this I looked at people designing their own unique homes and how these make visual impact upon our streets. My main focus was Tutti Frutti a Manchester based development which allowed people to design whatever home they wanted on the street within an allocated plot, which in turn left every angle of the street looking different.

Land & Planning: I did two sections on this issue with the second focusing on Brown Field sites and how these can sometimes be eye-sores. I looked out how we could use this sites in connection with further development sites and the restrictions regarding this.

Affordable Houses: Within this section I looked at issues regarding affordable housing and how schemes need to be introduced to promote more affordable homes. My main focus was a design of a affordable home by Rural Studios in America.

Please click on the link to view my Literature & Contextual Review