Vikkie's Portfolio

To briefly introduce what this particular subject about right before we address the respective weekly task we have done in 9 weeks’ time. This module is well known as Community Service Initiatives. This particular subject is compulsory for the students in semester 5 in order to graduate which is required to pass as well. In addition, this module is to reveal the students to the real community and work together as a team for architectural, cultural and environment enhancing activities in our communities of different social economic status and social groups.

Students have to decide which category or theme we want to approach with before we moving on to week 2. There was a workshop that is compulsory for the students who take this module in order to give student a better understanding and insight on how to conduct a more organized/ result – driven charity activity. Junior Chamber International, Lead Tropicana Chapter, a non-government organization will be engaged to share their experience in charity work and cooperate with Taylors’ in this particular subject.

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Week 2 - 3

First and foremost, after attending to the workshop each and every group has to find their respective site or choose any organisation that they wish to take part in. Thus, my team and I decided to undertake OCBC project in Kepong which encouraged by the lecturers to show support on this new collaboration with Taylor’s. Hence, the site is located in Kepong. We are free to do anything or building anything in the community area. Unfortunately, we have paid a visit to the community site and we think the site is too wide for us and have no idea which part of the site we should focus on as we have a tight schedule with other subjects as well. Hence, we have made up our mind and gone through a group discussion that in order to help a community why not we be more specific in category of what we selecting. The decision is later on made by majority of my teammates decide to focus on orphanage community service.

 

Week 4

During this week, our schedule is to make contact to an orphan home we found through a list of orphanage in Malaysia online. Therefore, one of our group mate attempts to make a phone call to ‘Rainbow Home’ in order to ask for a visit and also book for a visit in one week time. The person who in charge of the orphan home agree to allow us to visit their orphanage. Therefore, before we pay visit to the orphanage the person in charge told us what they need the most in the home which is a bench. Before going to the actual site, our initial concept development is a folding chair which we name our proposal as ‘Foldi-Furni’.

 

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Week 5

The task and duty on this week is to do a site analysis on the site and talk to the caretaker. After attempting to discuss with the caretakers we have realized our initial idea folding chair is not suitable for the children to us here inasmuch as the children were once being abused before they came to this orphan home. They tend to have an aggressive and violent behavior. Thus, we concern about the kids might use the portable and foldable chair to hurt each other. To avoid the mishaps from happening, we change our initiate idea to something else related to bench but it is not foldable and portable anymore as it is will endanger the kids in the house.

 

Week 6

Within this week, we are planned to finalize and refine the site analysis in order to allow the bench fit well into the site and achieve the site responsive so that the bench is sustainable to the environment. Moreover, we are not merely depending on the physical site analysis but we also approach and conduct the caretaker there in order to comprehend more of the site issue and happening. After deciding to change the initiate concept, we notice that the space has insufficient chairs for outdoor activity in order to accommodate 37 children in the house. Hence, we have discussed among the group we are planning to do an interactive bench to the home of rainbow at the same time providing them additional furniture for the orphanage to interact comfortably when they are having outdoor activities. Also, designing a simple mechanism to avoid injuring children at outdoor.

 

Week 7

In this week, our leader, Jack assigns every one of us with different job scopes. One of the members takes charge of building 3D model, produces orthographic drawings whereas the others have to prepare diagrams and write up for our poster in the upcoming submission for CSI. Hence, my task assigned is follow the write up team and produce a series of diagram in order to show in the poster visually and allow lecturer to understand the board easily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 8

In week 8, our group has planned to complete a 1 to 5 scale model and refine our final design so that when we build our physical model there is no mistake at all and able to proceed smoothly. The reason why we need to accomplish the physical model is because we are going to show this prototype in a way of clarify and able to translate the idea/ concept idealistically that we have to the people in charge in Rainbow home. Hence, to produce a 1 to 5 scale mode, we delegate the job into cutting, sticking and measuring the actual 1 to 1 dimension model.

 

Week 9

This is week is nearly the final week for final submission of CSI poster and video. We have had our last visit to the orphanage home at evening 5pm. We brought along our physical model in order to record a responsive and feedback video from the orphans and caretakers. Furthermore, we have asked a series of questions pertaining to this particular bench we design for them in order to gain various feedback and comments as well as we can briefly explain what this bench is for and how it functions later on.

 

Reflection

Despite of the hardships my group and I have gone through, we still able to accomplish this task successfully in the end.  I am grateful to have encountered such fellow friends together to make this happen and knowing what is the important characters/values we should hold up to when we are doing group project. Without the teammates, I alone can never complete the work on time. Hence, patient, time management and team work are the important values that I have learn throughout the period of this module.

The thought of community service was a bore to me at first before I began to understand and pay more attention on what I have to do in this module. I was dreaded to start my community service. To my surprise it was not a painful experience as I thought It would be. Instead it was a very enjoyable and beneficial experience as I got to involve in helping the orphanage and provide them an additional simple mechanism bench and also participated in designing something that the orphans wish to have to make their outdoor activities more meaningfully. In addition, I have gained critical thinking skill and broaden my knowledge on community service. This module has taught why is community service significant to one inasmuch as community service is to show that we care about our community and will always lend out helping hands to those who in need. Furthermore, it makes us a better person by allowing myself to focus on other things rather than focus on myself. Not only has taught us why it is important but also taught us to be selfish in term of always spreading love and compassionate to others. Throughout this subject I get to understand and learn more about myself and the community as well as how we should always commit to the community and make the community a better place. This module is very important because it is related to giving back to people who need our help using our architectural and cultural knowledge to construct something in order to reduce the difficulties of community. It is a great gift and everyone has the potential to do so. I do enjoy community service because I am getting nothing back from it. It is an opportunity to give your skill and yourself to something else to a period of time. I feel like I am healthy, happy and no reason to not be able to help other people that might not be as fortunate as I am. After doing and completing this community service, I feel good about myself naturally. It is always brighten my day and yet it enlighten others’ day by helping them unconditionally.  Without community service, we could not have a strong quality of life. It is important to the person who serves as well as recipient, it is the way in which we ourselves grown and develop.