Starting the Final Project and Visit to the DXB-LAB

Yesterday we met in our project groups to discuss a final project- both the concept and the vehicle. Our group had been thinking about the word swap and its connotations. Our thoughts went towards cards- trading cards, playing cards, flash cards, etc. because they are swapped between people or groups of people, and because they can be flipped over to reveal 2 different sides. We felt that this aesthetic would compliment our mission statement and group name. We decided that last night we would think individually about what we wanted to do more specifically- what kind of cards, what kind of materials, how many, the content of the cards, etc.

After a group critique session we took a trip to DXB-LAB, a very prestigious Dubai based architecture firm that has worked on some of the most famous buildings in the city.
Here are some photos from the presentation.

Through this visit we learned that even an architectural project requires the hands and eyes of many people from many disciplines and many places. Each project at the firm passes through the hands of each architect in the firm as well as many outsourced contractors, model makers, and suppliers internationally. This relates to our project in that they are sharing their own skills and swapping ideas, much like we are doing in our group. We realize now that this kind of global collaboration has become a major part of the design industry.