The drawings were, on average, better than ours were at the same stage and better than most of what arrives in the office as a portfolio. The rendering was excellent. The model-making was thin, which is a resourcing problem rather than a teaching one.
The difficulty appeared in the first thirty seconds of each presentation. Asked what the building was for, most students described what it looked like, or what it was near, or what it was made of. Three described what happened inside it, and all three had the strongest projects in the room.
This is not a student failing. It is what happens when a project is developed through images, because an image cannot hold a purpose, only an appearance. We have the same problem in the office whenever we let a render arrive too early.
The most useful ten minutes of the afternoon was spent on a scheme that was, drawing for drawing, the weakest present. The student could say exactly what it was for, in one clause, and every question after that had an answer.
We have asked to run next year session with the drawings turned face down for the first five minutes. The department has, so far, said no.
