Reflection:
This project helped me identify what needs to be corrected in a prototype. Refining the research and the product is truly what I learned in Bridge 4, I went back to make some corrections and identify the loose ends of my entire collection of information. Physically I understood what it is to take constructive criticism upon a model and improve it in that matter. Many details had been overlooked in the making of the prototype, however, I started reflecting on the meaning of the project and how to better give context to this piece. Trying to better the narrative of this story I had to truly link my knowledge from seminar into what I was producing in studio, it made me think of the colors to use in that space, how open it should me and to what extend could this whole design remain inclusive. I started thinking of what inclusive means in architecture and which materials could embody that meaning in my model.
Overall the multiple trials and attempts at trying to understand Harlem’s situation made me more empathetic about the environments around me. I learned how to take a place for what it is and identify areas that may be prone to productive and positive growth. There may not always be a problem but there’s always a solution that someone out there may seek and as a designer I learned how to provide a platform on which one won’t be threatened to seek that change they’re looking for.
