WEEK 1
11/04/2023 – 14/04/2023
Welcome to the first placement blog post documenting my 7-week placement at The DHaus Company in London. The DHaus office is a smaller office, which is good as hopefully, I will learn a lot from lots of different people and I’m not very good with names!
Before I started the 7 weeks I had to look into the commute as I am getting the train into London every day, which hasn’t been too bad so far! I began the placement on the Tuesday after the Easter Bank holiday. If I’m honest I was so nervous to go into an office where I didn’t know anyone or the type of environment I was going into, however, everyone was so lovely and made me feel very relaxed in the space.
My first day working and learning from DHaus began with a coffee and a catch-up! Daniel and David were so inviting, open to questions and eager to learn more about me and what I know already from being at Uni. They showed me lots of their previous projects and discussed the different digital software used for each project. I spoke to them about which ones I am comfortable using and if I wanted to learn anything in particular, which I do! After this Daniel spoke to me about working on a project involving a back-land site in Barnet, which I am excited about as the owners want to build some housing and it is something I haven't been able to do since being at uni. The space has 3 outhouse buildings and isn’t being used. It has road access so cars can access the plot, however, there is road parking away from the plot so I don’t have to include parking. I spent the day looking at the site survey, finding precedents that could work within the site, and sketching out some maps of the plot.
The rest of the week consisted of experimenting and getting used to using AutoCAD and looking into the survey of the site. DHaus will set up for someone to come out and complete a full survey of the site when they get the opportunity to work on a project. This allows the company to see the specific space they are working with, all the measurements within and an insight into the terrain within the area. The survey maps are sent to the company and they can then start mapping out all the different ideas they have discussed with the clients to see what works. The company does this on AutoCAD for every project so I needed to understand how to use it properly if I wanted to help on specific projects. I remembered some of what I learnt in my first year but needed to refresh my memory, so I watched several YouTube videos to help me re-learn the different keyboard commands and functions.
During the week, I continued working on the back-land site in Barnet. We drew up lots of rough plans on tracing paper, which was helpful as it was a way to eliminate what would work within the space and what wouldn’t. It also meant that it gave me something to go off of when designing the plans on AutoCAD. Throughout the week we ended up eliminating lots of the different initial designs for the site due to different space standards and regulations as well as the general design just not fitting within the space. it was a trial and error process with this space as the plot of land is a strange shape and we are trying to fit three houses on the site.
Overall, I had a really good first week, I was slightly shy but I think that is just nerves and some first-week jitters so hopefully, I can get back to my talkative self next week. I’m really happy to have received the opportunity to get some first-hand experience, so I want to make the most of it and benefit from it.
WEEK 2
17/04/2023 – 21/04/2023
And just like that my first week of placement is complete! Week 2 began with a morning catch-up with Daniel (aka one of the bosses) about what the clients of the back-land site on Cranbrook Road wanted within the plot. At first, we had planned to present three different options to the clients. However, after careful consideration, we realized that one of the options would not provide enough value for their money. Therefore, we decided to remove it. The two options for the site are placing either three thin townhouses or a block of flats. After eliminating the third option for the site, I’ve found it a lot easier to focus on one plan as having three different ones running through my head was making it difficult to focus on specific tasks for each. Anyway, I then spent most of the day on AutoCAD finalizing and cleaning up the plans for the three townhouses.
Now it wouldn’t be a good week if we didn’t have some fun technical difficulties, would it?
During the week AutoCAD decided it didn’t want to open and if it did it would sometimes quit unexpectedly. The software would glitch and take ages to do any of the commands we tried. For most of the week, I worked with it like this until it just got too slow and unbearable. After evaluating the situation, Daniel concluded that it was time to upgrade the software. We were all still relying on the 2013 version of AutoCAD, which explained the sluggish performance and why it was so glitchy! Whilst the issue was being resolved I spent the rest of the week learning how to use Rhino, which is such a fun software and was quite easy to adapt to as all the commands are the same as AutoCAD.
Over the week, I worked on building a 3D model of the three townhouses on Rhino. I started by inserting the AutoCAD plans into Rhino and grouping them to make it easier to move them around. Then for each element of the building, you make a new layer, kind of like in Photoshop. Once I had stacked all the plans I started with the walls as I was still getting the hang of the software and I thought it would help me figure it out faster. After the walls were in the rest of the building just began to follow and by the end of the week, I was looking at a fun-coloured set of townhouses! David helped me loads through the building process and taught me some new commands and tools that made the building process easier. Being on Rhino the past couple of days has been really good, it has been a nice software to learn and I'm really excited to keep using it.
Overall week 2 had been very positive. I think I am settling into the company a bit more now and I feel a lot more comfortable within the space. I am still quite scared to ask many questions however, I'm working on it. Also working in a company is really helping me to gain a better understanding of the design process and everything that goes into a project.
WEEK 3
24/04/2023 – 28/04/2023
Going into week 3 I wanted to have a break from the online software and focus on something else related to the back-land project. So to start the week, I sat and spoke to David about some of the other things they create for the clients during the early stages of a project. The first thing he mentioned was a feasibility report, which is what they send to the clients with the brief they’ve discussed and with some different design options for the space that they can choose and take ideas from.
So this week I focused on creating the feasibility report for the back-land site on Cranbrook Road.
I started by looking at some of the company's previous reports to understand their preferred layout and the designs they like to use for each page. After that, I mapped out each page with a similar design style to the work they had already produced and then began filling in the pages. I carefully selected and included images of the existing site and even chose one to be the cover of the report. Additionally, I utilized Google Earth to capture ariel and surround shots of the site. Finally, I revisited the precedents I found during the first week of my placement and included several of them. The report as a whole kind of reminded me of the beginnings of a design report, which made me feel a lot more confident as I was in my element with creating one.
Throughout the week I continue working on the report, which included lots of pages that required the AutoCAD and Rhino files, as well as some renders of the site. I spoke to David and he helped me start the process of generating a render of the site and its surroundings. To begin that process, I aligned and overlayed an OS map of the area on the land survey, and then imported it into Rhino. After that, I started constructing the surrounding environment to visualize how the proposed building will appear in relation to the existing structures in the vicinity. I drew around all the existing structures and compared them to how they look on Google Earth. I then extruded all the different parts of the buildings to the correct storeys.
Overall I felt like I was productive this week both inside and outside the office. I got through the first half of the feasibility report and I even began learning how to create a render of a site, which is something I wanted to learn about since I first found the company and found the placement. Then outside the office, I’ve started to assemble some of the pages of my report as I’m trying to get better at time management and I want to be on top of it. I’ve also been keeping a journal of the day-to-day so I can go back and look at each week in more detail, as well as remind myself of everything so I can include it in my blog posts and log sheets.
Next week I am a little apprehensive about it as I have an opportunity to sit in on a consultation with a potential new client about a project so hopefully, it goes well.
WEEK 4
01/05/2023 – 05/05/2023
Week 4 began with a bank holiday Monday that was very nice and refreshing. I spent the bank holiday weekend down in Bournemouth with my housemates, which was nice as I don’t get to see them as much as I normally would due to me being in London all week. I really enjoyed seeing them and it made me a lot happier as I've been finding it quite hard being by myself recently. Whilst I was there I managed to be productive and get on with some work. I added some more pages to my report and I finished my log sheet and blog post from the previous week so I uploaded them. In the evening I got the train back home so I could get ready for work on Tuesday.
Going into the office on Tuesday was nice, I got to see everyone again and catch up with them about their weekends. Today was the day of the client consultation so I was nervous going in but everyone was really nice about it and it went really well. During the call, the clients discussed the possibility of potentially renovating the ground floor of their home and extending the building on one side. They had drawn up some plans themselves, which were professional but they did give us a clear understanding of their vision for the space. we then got a virtual tour of their house and explored various options with them, including the cost of designing and surveying the site. After the call, we sat and discussed some of the different options for the space and drafted up some emails to the clients about what their next step would be.
For the rest of the day, I sat and engaged in conversation with Daniel to learn more about the company. I wanted to know about the origin, the individuals associated with it, as well as Daniel’s favourite projects and designs. In my final report, I am including a company profile so having this discussion really helped me to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
Throughout the remainder of the week, I dedicated my time to working on Rhino to complete the rendering of the surrounding environment. I constructed the neighbouring structures and added roofs to them. Throughout the process, I consistently compared the buildings to their counterparts on Google Earth to ensure a precise and accurate rendering at the end. After constructing all the necessary structures, the next step was to work on the terrain. Although the initial render doesn't require extreme precision, I still needed guidance on how to proceed. Thankfully, Daniel was there to assist me every step of the way, which I truly appreciated as I wasn’t sure what I was doing. Working on the terrain was enjoyable, as I extruded each line to the correct height and connected them using the 'loft' tool. However, later in the week, I encountered some file issues that caused some of the structures to glitch, which meant I had to redo some of them. This was annoying but there’s always going to be some technical difficulties!
In terms of learning, one of the main learning points for me this week was being able to just get on with using Rhino. There were lots of moments when I was doubting myself and I thought I would never get the hang of it, but after the past week I feel a lot more comfortable with it and I can happily construct a building on there. I’m really excited to incorporate and showcase this software in my work in the future.
Overall I think this was one of my favourite weeks so far! I was able to sit in and give my own opinions on a call with a potential client and I’m beginning to understand how DHaus does the renders that appealed to me when I first applied to work with them.
WEEK 5
08/05/2023 – 12/05/2023
Week 5 is done and dusted! Where has the time gone?
We’re starting the week off with another bank holiday, which I spent down in Bournemouth with my housemates and friends. I like spending the weekends back there as it keeps me in the loop with everything and we always end up doing something fun. I still managed to get on with some work for my report and updating my log sheets for the week. Like last week, I got the train back home in the evening so I was ready for work the next day!
I started the week by having a productive morning at work since I was the only one in until the afternoon. I completed several tasks, including uploading my log sheet from the previous week and updating my blog post. Additionally, I worked on a report and began assembling some pages. In the afternoon, I continued building the terrain for the Cranbrook site with guidance from David. He kindly walked me through the steps and was available to answer any questions I had. However, we discovered that we had missed a terrain line, so we had to add it in and re-extrude the edges. Despite this setback, I had a great time and made significant progress on the 3D model.
This week has been quite busy on the work front! I've been juggling various tasks and projects within the office, which kept me on my toes. But, it has been a liberating experience overall.
Throughout the week, I kept working on the 3D model and focused on getting the terrain complete. Once it was partially done, I adjusted the heights of the surrounding structures to match them. This was a bit time-consuming since each building had a different height, but the result looked much better. Unfortunately, Rhino unexpectedly quit and I ended up losing most of the progress I had made. So for the rest of the week, I focused on redoing the work I lost.
I was also given more responsibility in terms of tasks, including helping redesign the layouts of the invoice letters and sample letters that the company sends to its clients. Both letters had a very boring and simple design but since the DHauswebsite has been redesigned, they wanted to update the documents they send out to represent their new format. In order to begin this process, I had to download their new fonts, logos, and buttons. After changing all the writing to the appropriate font, I began adjusting the layout. While some may find this task tedious, I found it to be a great opportunity to design letters that will be sent to the company’s clients. It was an honour to be trusted with such an important task.
Apart from my tasks at work, I am also dedicated to my university assignments. I am pleased with the progress of my report, and I make sure to keep my blog up-to-date with the latest office events. Every Monday, I submit my log sheets promptly and I've been keeping a general journal of my time on placement. I'm very happy with my management skill this term and I feel good about everything so far!
WEEK 6
15/05/2023 – 19/05/2023
Another week has flown by! One more week of placement left :(
Overall week 6 has been more stressful than I thought it would be. I’ve been involved in lots of different areas including redesigning plans, working on AutoCAD and Rhino again, and photoshopping some images for the company shop.
Monday was a good day, I started by adding some finishing touches to my log sheet for the previous week so that I could upload it by noon like every week. I've really enjoyed submitting these each week as it allows me to reflect and re-live the week I’ve just had! After that was uploaded, Daniel and I began working on the feasibility report again. We assessed the plans and realised that the site was too crammed with the three houses. We then started working on fitting two houses on the land. We mapped out some initial designs and then got back onto AutoCAD to start seeing if the new idea for the site would fit and work better with certain building regulations and space standards. After a while, we managed to fit two houses on the site and it was definitely a better choice than trying to fit the three houses.
For the rest of the week, we focused on getting the plans drawn up on AutoCAD and a model made on Rhino so that we could finish the feasibility report and get it sent off to the clients. Daniel worked on the Ground floor while I tackled the first floor. Both houses have an open-plan kitchen and living area, along with a W/C, on the ground floor. The first floor of each property offers 2 bedrooms, a study, and a main bathroom. The main bedroom in each house comes with an ensuite, complete with a tub and built-in wardrobes for storage. Additionally, both houses have enclosed front and back gardens, as well as bin and bike storage.
After we finished the plans on AutoCAD it was straight onto Rhino to create the model. We kept the surrounding buildings from last week exactly the same as they didn’t need to be changed or updated. The process of constructing the model for the site went much faster this time, which I think is because I now know what I’m doing compared to when I was still figuring out all the different commands and how to work the software.
Once the Rhino file was complete Daniel changed a couple of parts to make it in the style of the company and we assembled the report on InDesign and adjusted the information to match the design of the building. the feasibility report is a rough plan of what the company would do with the site. The clients can pick and choose things that they like and dislike once the report is sent out.
I spent the rest of the week doing some editing on Photoshop. The DHaus Company have an online shop where they sell their Dtable and a lot of different prints of the properties they have worked on. During the week I worked on updating the shop images and editing the prints into different coloured frames. They have lots of prints so it took me some time to get through but I really enjoyed doing it.
WEEK 7
22/05/2023 – 26/05/2023
It’s the final week of placement and what a whirlwind it’s been.
Week 7 has involved bringing together all the different skills I have developed throughout the placement. It has been one of the best experiences I have had the pleasure of doing and I can not wait for the future and what it will bring!
To start the final week off, I went on a site visit to a townhouse in Holborn, London. The building was originally used as offices however, the owner of the property wants to sell it as a luxury townhouse. The property is currently worth £3 million but with planning it could be anything up from £3.5 million. It is made up of 5 floors and has a roof terrace looking over London. Daniel and I looked around the site and took images of each floor. We discussed the historic value of the property as certain elements of the building must remain the same, one being part of the staircase, as it is from the original decorum. After the site visit, we headed back to the office to start working on some initial zonings and arrangements for the space.
For the rest of the week, we discussed the different ideas for the space as it is a large building to fill and organise. We did some initial plans on my iPad and paper so that it was easier to see the building’s potential. When beginning this process we ran into some issues due to the stairs not being able to move or change until past the second floor. The lift is also in a very central location within the building and restricts the potential layouts for each floor. We spent ages trying to make the lift work in the building but after some deliberation, we decided to try and design the space without the lift to make the space more open as well as, make the flow of the building better.
Towards the end of the week, we had some rough plans for the building and were waiting on scheduling a meeting with the other developers on the project. Sadly I finished placement on Friday the meeting was getting booked for the following week. I asked Daniel if he would keep me in the loop with the design process and the outcome of the building once everyone has collaborated on it.
My overall experience at DHaus has been nothing short of amazing. During these seven weeks, I have gained a wealth of knowledge, experience, and skills that have exceeded my expectations. I was able to learn a new software and furthered my skills in another. I have taken on more responsibilities and improved my confidence to express my ideas and ask questions. The experience has given me an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of how this industry operates and the various components that contribute to the development of a project or idea.
I would have liked to see further into the design process with one of the projects I helped with but due to the length of the placement, I wasn’t able to. I also would’ve liked to sit in with some more of the meetings with clients but there could be another opportunity for me to do that in the future. The experience has also made me realise how much I enjoy learning new things as well as, renovating and decorating them.
Going into my final year at Uni, I’m excited and scared to see what it brings and I can not wait to utilise the skills I’ve learnt during placement on my future projects. A huge thank you to DHaus for giving me a fantastic opportunity and to everyone that made my placement so amazing. I will continue to stay in contact with the guys at DHaus as I would love to possibly return to see the final outcomes of the projects I’ve got to learn and help with!
