Ohio UniversityInterior Architecture ProgramMatthew Ziff, Associate Professor, Interior Architecture Area ChairArchitect, NCIDQFall Quarter 2010Writing DOES matter, and IS relevant, in the Interior Architecture major, and in the world of professional designing. As designers, we write letters to clients, reports for agencies, and descriptive statements for publications and announcements. All good designers produce good written documents.
Basic principles of good paper writing
1. Writing and speaking are different. When we speak, we understand because of multiple signals, not all of them linguistic.
"Jeet yet?" and "Clo tha dor" makes sense to us when we hear them, but do not make sense when we read them.
2. Writing is a form of communication. The primary requirement of writing is clarity.
There are two components that produce clarity:
1. the content, or information, being conveyed in the paper needs to be accurate, truthful, and must make sense.
2. the way the content is presented, the organization of the paper, and the writing quality, need to make sense.
To write clearly, you must read every sentence you have written and then ask yourself:
Is this a complete sentence? Does it make sense, and does it 'say' what I am trying to say?
Is every word in this sentence clear and unambiguous in meaning?
Is the sentence a dead end, or does it call for additional information and explanation?
3. Clarity is necessary, but not sufficient for a good paper. In addition to clarity, there must be meaningful content. You must 'have something to say'.
Having something to say is a result of having interest in the subject, and knowledge of the subject. If you have nothing to say about a subject then it is likely that you lack either interest, or knowledge, or both. To increase what you have to say about a subject, you need to learn more about it.
4. Writing takes time, and mental focus.
To write a good paper you must have something to say,
and you must organize what you wish to say.
A typical paper needs to be organized into main topic areas, beginning with an introduction.
Next you must support those main topic areas with informative supporting details.
Supporting information/details need to be validated by reference to the source of the information,(footnotes), unless it is public domain/commonly known information.
Finally you must provide a conclusion that sums up and reinforces the overall direction or thesis of the paper.
Never submit your first draft of a paper: good writers ALWAYS write, and re-write, sometimes many times.
Working hard, on anything, is almost never, by itself, sufficient for it to turn out well. You must also bring mental focus to the task of writing a paper.
Working hard is, on the other hand, almost always required to make anything turn out well. If you work hard on a paper, make sure that your work is well directed. If you work hard on a paper and it turns out badly, then you either did not work hard enough on it, or your work was misdirected, or somehow avoided important aspects of the paper.
There are many web sites that offer useful information about writing
A good grammar site:
http://englishplus.com/grammar/stylcont.htm
This site presents a very clear guide to writing a basic essay:
http://members.tripod.com/~lklivingston/essay/index.html
Another essay writing site:
http://www.powa.org/thesfrms.htm
Ohio university has a writing center where you can take papers to be reviewed and critiqued. Taking advantage of this facility will make you a better writer!
Writing Guide
1. Write using simple, active sentences.
2. Make sure that every sentence is a complete sentence.
3. Make sure that every sentence says something that makes sense.
4. Do not make statements that are so broad that they do not mean anything.
5. Do not use overblown, hyperbolic, language. Be clear, direct, and matter of fact.
6. Do not state the obvious.
"Glue is an adhesive that is used to stick things together."
7. Make sure that what you are writing is factually true, or at least is possible to be known.
"Wood is the oldest material known to man." There is no way of knowing this, and therefore the truth/fasity of the statement is impossible to determine, and the statements is therefore meaningless.
8. Cite references
Some examples of writing that needs to be revised and rethought:
"Stainless steel has evolved over the years and has been used as a solution for a wider variety of circumstances."
"Glass brings many qualities to a space and is becoming more widely used."
"Many buildings around the world contain brick."
"Throughout the years glass has progressed as a material and has expanded its uses."
"The uses and functions for glass are endless."
"There is an endless variety of construction materials available to build with."
"Brick's success started to spread, gaining popularity in major cities such as ancient Rome where individuals not only applied
the technology but also made improvements in manufacturing and by new techniques of bonding."
"Typically brick is used for commercial, institutional and residential design."
"There is continuous potential for creativity when using terazzo, if good funding is available."
"When architectural repairs in Britain began nearly 50 years ago, Portland cement was widely used."
"Patricia Steward of Visual Interiors used a lime wash for a couple in Santa Fe."
"Glass is a very diverse product. It has no limitations."
"The versatility of laminated glass is irreplaceable."
"Constructing with glass blocks brings many different aspects to the project."
"It is very light in weight, so titanium enforces fewer burdens on a structure."
"Some of the greatest architectural achievements created by such famous designers as.....have used glass in various ways to create spaces as dramatic and unique as the designers themselves."
"As time has passed, applications for wood have altered."
"Wood is a very beautiful material when correctly applied to a space."
"Granite has been used for many years by other cultures such as Egyptians and Arabians."
"...allowing us to develop visually interesting spaces that prove to be more than occupiable."
Some examples of clear and reasonable writing: each sentence says something in a clear manner.
"The first glass factory in colonial America was built in 1608."
"Workmanship and efficiency are the two main factors in good bricklaying."
"This structure was the first of its kind in that it created long span glass structures from smaller pieces, using the traditional bolted connections to join the pieces together."
"Louis Comfort Tiffany began working with glass around 1875 with a particular interest in opalescent glass and eventually began the first Tiffany Glass Company in 1885."
"As well as being used for buildings, travertine is also used in constructing monuments, memorials, and sculptures."
"Titanium has great strength, and is light in weight."
"During the day the building looks like an iceberg because of the amount of glass used, and at night the building lets light out onto the busy streets of Tokyo."
"Composites are distinct materials combined to produce structural and functional characteristics not present in any of the individual components."
"Bricks are simple yet durable materials and so is the method of making them."
"Architecturally, glass plays a major role in connecting the occupants of a space to the outdoors."