Conflict

One may think that conflict is best avoided, and that peace will always be more beneficial. It is my belief that this is not the case. This does not mean that there should be fights amongst group members, disagreements, threats or anything of the sort. Conflict is defined as “to come into collision or disagreement; be contradictory, at variance, or in opposition; clash”. The most important part of understanding conflict is acknowledging conflict in its different forms.

None of the above necessarily means violence or even assumes negativity. They simply mean that there are two opposing views. In the context of our collaborative project, opposing views have always been healthy. In our first decision making process as a group, a conflict had already arisen. Were we to choose the difficult, organic-looking Zaha Hadid building? Or were we to choose the much more geometric Harry Seidler building? This may have caused our group problems, but our methods of conflict resolution ensured that we dealt with the situation in the most productive way. One could go so far as to say that the conflict was more beneficial to our group than if we had not discussed this clash at all.

William Ellery Channing said “Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.” This is an excellent quote for our group to remember whenever a conflict arises, because it means we do not fear conflict, we welcome it knowing that we will learn and grow from every conflict that arises, provided we deal with it with open minds and a responsible attitude.

Planning

In the words of Winston Churchill, “Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.”

Plans are simply lists of objectives towards fulfillment and completion. Planning. It is the thinking ahead, the anticipation of what’s to come and the willingness to adapt as circumstances change. It is maintaining a plan, ensuring that one stays relatively on course towards completion. It is the organization (and often re-organisation), prioritization and fulfillment of minor tasks culminating in the fulfillment of the endeavour and as such is essential in collaborative or individual pursuits in any line of work.

Planning is quite flexible and ever-changing as it adapts to progress, or lack of progress, towards completion. Good planning is indicative of this fluidity; the progression from one task flows into the next while it is swerves along with the ever changing currents.

Our group developed an overall plan that outlines our goals throughout the semester. Given that the plan defined which tasks each person had to accomplish and by what date, we were all able to gain a full enough understanding to develop our own individual plans to manage our time effectively. As mentioned before plans are adaptable, and whether the adaptation is a result of poor time management or a change in circumstance, a good plan can be revised. This re-iterative process is a key function of a plan, and what sets it apart from a mere direction, and giving it a role more along the lines of a steering wheel.

Good planning reaps rewards, poor planning impends failure. It is very important to plan all along the way during a collaborative project like ours.

Remuneration

Remuneration can come in many shapes and forms. First impressions imply that one is being paid, and in general this is true. In the workplace of an architect for example, any services or goods, be they design drawings, council approvals or mere opinions, there is a dollar amount required to entitle the client to this.

Remuneration comes from the Latin word remunerationem which means “a repaying, recompense” and repayment can often be in the form of funds. “Recompense” leads us on to another form of remuneration, a form of remuneration more applicable to our course, and in the context of design collaboration studio. It is said that one good deed deserves another. It is ironic that as a student, our deed as that we pay the university. The resultant remuneration from the university is that it provides is with a learning environment and an education. As Confucius said, “Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness”.

Most of the time remuneration is earned, often with the performance directly affecting the amount of remuneration. A solid effort from our group in producing a model that is superior to the Falling Water model will be amply remunerated with an HD+, provided those providing the remuneration are happy. A poor effort remunerated with an F. This is not always the case, and the act of remuneration is a common place for conflict to arise, due to differing views in the appropriate amount of remuneration for a given piece of work. Records, in the form of contracts, are a good way of settling the remuneration process well before conflict arises.

In some way or another, all actions we take return some form of remuneration, if not in the form of physical remuneration of money or other tangible rewards, then at the very least in experience and knowledge gained. This is the most significant remuneration of participating in this collaborative project.

Context

When working in a collaborative group it helps to look outside the box, or so to speak. In a project such as ours, one may think that the crux of the task is to build a model that betters the Half-Life 2 Falling Water model. This may indeed be the case, but a thorough understanding of context can really help to achieve this goal.

Context is defined as “the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc”. When applied to our course, context has a few applications that stand out. Firstly there is the context of the brief. We are working in groups of 4 or 5, in a university environment. Having established this, the context is an atmosphere of learning, co-operation and exploration. When approaching the production of the UT3 model, we know this is an educational exercise; one that encourages us to try new things, ask for help, push our boundaries.

The model itself has a context. The physical context, or the site, plays a major role in the perception of the space. It is extremely clear that Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water is heavily reliant on its context to provide the intended feeling of the space. The name itself is a reference to the river and waterfall that runs beneath the dwelling. The experience of the space in Half-Life 2 is heavily impacted by both the visual imagery of the water, as well as the inherent sound of falling water. Rocks, trees and sky really put this building in its place.

Context is nothing with the “particular event, situation, etc” that it surrounds, but this surrounding provides a deeper understanding of anything it touches.