AR1326: Architectural Construction

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Had my construction exam this morning....well...a friend just asked me, "Is it exciting?" The answer, in all honesty, is:" Absolutely!" I mean, this is the first exam in my life where I'm not supposed to calculate (Accursed maths days in JC...about the only thing keeping me going is Miss Tan..miss her...), or vomit memorised stuff (it's open book), or compose essays,or anything normally done during exams. I'm supposed to juz DRAW. It's like being asked to eat chocolates for examination.
The catch? Designing and architectural drawing is not that easy and I so wish I'm much better at it than I am now. Ufh, I wonder why I should do so well on subjects I treat only as stepping stones (basically everything I took till now, except Biology), but can't do as well as I want to on something I so care about. Curiosity? check. Willingness to learn? check. Passion? check. (Granted, cannot be compared to what some other ppl possess, but if u ask me if I'm passionate about archi, I can hold my head high and answer yes.) Mental stamina? check. Talent in construction and architecture? Uhm....
(Granted, results are not out yet,but gut feeling.....)

Hufh, which one is better : to succeed at something you do for necessity, or to fail at something you love? I remember what Blaise Pascal said about the paradox of lust: "A man can be overwhelmed with desire for a woman, believing that only with her he will be happy, and that he will destroy his career, his family, his reputation, and everything else that brings happiness, in order to get her."
Was I just lusting after Architecture when I put it as First Choice in my course application form?

Too early to get down n get out, though,to resign myself to the fact that I'm mediocre in a field littered with corpses of mediocrity. There's a tiny litle flicker of hope in me, and we know that hope is one of the hardest things to kill in this world (another thing would be cockroaches, but I digress.) Here's to hoping that one day I will deserve to be called an Architect, whatever sacrifice that entails.

Just for the reader's pleasure, here's some questions from the exam paper. One question is supposed to be done in abt 35 mins.

1.Construction requires technical imagination to realize all architectural design intent. Poetics of construction will enhance our delightful experience of the architecture.
Choose a building you are familiar with and explain why you think the construction of its structure, envelope and other building elements have realized the design intention of the building. Support your answer with annotate sketches.

2. Fig 1 (will upload the photo after exam...) shows an RC (reinforced concrete) chalet on a gentle slope. A timber deck is proposed to extend the living space into the open.
Design and draw to appropriate scale the following with key dimensions and annotations:
a. A framing plan showing the columns, beams, or joists. Show the sizes of timber you intend to use.
b. A section XX showing the various connection details. Include your timber railing design. You need not show the door and roof of the chalet.

3.Design a stair with the guidelines as follows:
-ONE timber stringer
-single straight flight
-open riser
-steel railings with timber handrail
-overall clear width of stairs 1.2 m
-safety requirements in compliance with BCA
Design and draw in appropriate scale the following with annotations and key dimensions. You can integrate your answers in one conprehensive diagram.
a. longitudinal section of the proposed staircase showing appropriate no of treads, stringer, and railing (all these r stair terminology..)
b. connection details of stringer with the two different levels
c.connection details of railings and treads with various supports

Interested to take AR1326? ;p