Painters'
Lake House

The presentation utilizes excellent renderings, plans, axonometric diagrams and sections to tell a clear story and to communicate a truly high-quality project. Its layout takes advantage of a horizontal split which allows for variations on full-span or smaller images. The diagrams describe the project’s simple formal organization relative to the site and brief. The project would benefit from text that is divided into smaller, more digestible components that are easier to read in print, on screen or in projection. This is especially the case on the first sheet, where the lines of text are long and the print small. The paragraphs here would be more comprehensible if divided into several columns and by individual conceptual points. The site plan on the second sheet could be strengthened with annotative text similar to the section on the final sheet. Such annotation adds a layer of detail and complexity that makes a drawing truly sophisticated and complete. The section on the final sheet would benefit from more varied line weights to describe sectional lines versus projection lines in elevation. As drawn there is very little hierarchy. The colored trees and heavy gray ground, on the contrary, are both graphically interesting and strong, helping to ‘ground’ the lower portion of the image with visual weight located at the base, and ‘float' the top portion of the image with lighter colors to permit the overlay of text.

The presentation layout makes use of a typical two-part division, with rendered images to the left and supporting drawings and text to the right - an easy-to-read organization for the viewing eye. The project uses autumnal colors with an excellent balance and generally a strong level of hierarchy. The quality of the images and the level of detail they communicate is advanced. The rendered images of the longitudinal building elevations on the first and second sheets are quite similar in terms of their content, perspective, scale and, hence, the amount of information they communicate. Given the limited amount of space available on competition sheets to tell a complete story, it is recommended that such entries avoid repeat information. A rendered view of the transversal elevation, in the perpendicular direction, would be a very useful addition to complete one’s understanding of the project. The final sheet is denser than the others, in terms of drawing size and number, and has a weaker color balance and hierarchy. It could be visually strengthened with the use of some color, even if solely for one drawing, such as the well-drawn and detailed enlarged section. In comparison to the other sheets, the text here is also rather disorganized and unrelated to the immediate adjacent imagery.

The presentation makes use of strong visuals in the form of various interior and exterior renderings, plans, sections and diagrams. It does not, however, have a clear overarching principle for layout or organization. The author would benefit from a more rigorous set of rules to guide the composition of the sheets. While the rules can always be broken for variation, a template should set the visual standard. This is important for guiding the reader’s eye so that one is not searching for information differently on each sheet. The enlarged detail section, section II, is not taken from a clear location within the project, as it shows a cantilevered roof component that does not have significance for the image; rather this component relates to information behind the viewer. It is recommended that the author shift this section towards the center of the U-form, or edit the drawing to remove this roof element, for comprehensibility. The rendering related to the plan flexibility with movable canvas walls would benefit from showing a clearer separation of spaces. The use of a short, transparent component of movable wall does not accurately reflect the usefulness of the design to segment spaces for various functions.

This presentation is an excellent example for clean layout and sheet organization. The introductory sheet is especially impactful with its: clear, large yet subtle site plan situating the project within its unique context; an adequate amount of text to introduce the project which is also divided into clear paragraphs and highlights key concepts; and a rendering that cleverly balances architecture with rugged landscape. It is recommended that the second and third sheets, which consist purely of line drawings and text, also follow the guidelines of the first sheet by adding subtle color variation, for example within the trees and plantings to frame the drawings, or within the interiors to focus a reader’s eye. This would further engage the reader and avoid a potentially perceived monotony of the two sequential black and white layouts.The renderings include details such as timber joints that relate directly to the details and communicate a level of analysis and resolution that makes the presentation stand out from its competitors.