Day in the Life of a CityLAB student: “Barn Roof is Burning” Design Exercise with Brian Baetz
Twice a week we meet with Brian Baetz for our design studies. Our usual design assignment from Brian is a five-page design report due every other week – and in one class, Brian decided to share the “Barn Roof is Burning” design exercise with us. The concept was the exact same as the assignments – re-imagine and re-envision a space for its future uses and needs. However, some fun context is added:
“The barn roof is burning down! However, you still have to finish your design – you only have fifteen minutes to get your design done then run out of the burning barn.”
It was challenging but eye-opening having only 15 minutes and a sense of urgency to come up with and sketch out a full idea. I didn’t have time to worry about having a “good” idea, and had to fully commit to an idea and let my pencil draw the first things that came to mind. I don’t usually view myself as creative or artistic, but at the end of the fifteen minutes I had a full sketch of an idea that I was actually proud of.
The experience was so rewarding that I’ve made it a goal to perform the “Barn Roof is Burning” exercise every day. Practice makes perfect, so I’ve decided to use this fun, low-stakes exercise to keep me energized on my bus ride to class or during some free time to give myself a creative outlet that I didn’t realize I could use. Sometimes I don’t end the fifteen minutes with a complete design, but that’s always a part of the process. It also makes travelling around more fun as I’m always keeping an eye out for new spaces I want to re-imagine and challenge myself with.