From being completely uninterested in the "ordinariness" of multi-residential projects and incredibly intimidated by the sheer scale of the project, to gradually developing a deep respect for the intense rigor required in exceptional residential design and completing a multi-layered design that I am proud of, the journey through Epsilon has definitely been a roller coaster ride.

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I learnt so much from the lectures, guest speakers, Instagram, Archdaily, Dezeen, my tutor Hella and my peers. The first precedent study made me understand the scale and proportion of unit typologies, and the joy of elegant structural expressions. The second task challenged me in working together with an equally opiniated team member, which resulted in a fantastically creative outcome where 1+1>2. It was fun to bounce ideas off each other, encourage each other and feel that one is not alone in the discovery of a project. The third and fourth assignments involved a frenzy of idea exploration, distillation and refinement. The 5 guiding focal points of the studio and key prescribed texts really helped me anchor my project and make certain design decisions.

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What worked well

• Listening to music that I love while working helped give me energy and rhythm to keep plotting along.

• Researching what I enjoy - mycelium - was productive as the project became a really enjoyable task.

• My workflow which involves iterating my designed in my sketchbook for a long time, while referring to blocks in Rhino for scale. After the design is finalised, I move onto Rhino to model, and resolve anything new that pops up. This method does not require too much iteration on the computer, which is a space where one can easily get lost in details!

• During the final stretch, zooming with friends was fun and productive as we shared jokes, critical advice and also Rhino tips to each other. It was a really good strategy to make sure one is on track to completion as well.

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What didn't work so well

• The transition between abstract ideas and a concrete design project is always a dark abyss of non-linear progression. This is often where I try out many iterations to avoid being stuck. However, I was frequently questioning my project and feeling frustrated at the apparent lack of progress.

• Researching precedents too much became a distraction and a form of procrastination as I was pulled in newer and newer directions. I found that it is important to have a manifesto to guide the research and decision making.

• My time management deteriorated with each assignment, and it became more possible for me to procrastinate due to the fear of not being able to attain perfection and the fact that my progress was no longer accountable to another person. However, I do think I am learning to be content with a very good rather than a perfect.

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Strengths

I learnt that I was very good as visualising spaces and putting them down in quick sketches. My artistic skills were very useful in composing perspectives, poster layouts, colour coordination, and overall representation. Moreover, I tend to design from inside out from the perspective and scale of people and the experiences I wish to create. Throughout the semester, I improved in being efficient with the drawings I make, so that I do minimum work to have maximum effect.

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Weaknesses

Firstly, improving my time management is a life long endeavour. Another weakness is again my perfectionist instincts, which may lead to a refusal to work on the design. Finally, I can become tunnel-visioned while I design sometimes, which makes me stuck and frustrated. I found that stepping away and re-evaluating the project helped to clear the cache in my brain and re-align my project towards its goal.