CURRICULUM VITAE COLIN MACKENZIE     DA ( Edin ) MCSD

FIRM / EMPLOYER CLIENT LIST /JOB DESCRIPTION PROJECT / DUTIES

DUNDEE UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE MASTERS of DESIGN   MDes DESIGN RESEARCH STUDENT

SEPT 09 – SEPT 2011 RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

ADAMSMITH COLLEGE CURRICULUM HEAD for 3D DESIGN INTERIORS DESIGN LECTURER & TUTOR

OCT93 – PRESENT INTERIORS 3D  DESIGN  & FURNITURE DESIGN COURSE  DEVELOPMENT

CMDC FREELANCE DESIGN CONSULTANT INTERIORS  / EXHIBITION

AUG91 – PRESENT MRS LIZ JOHNSTON PRIVATE CLIENT BARN CONVERSION

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB EDINBURGH DESIGN OF BAR AND FURNITURE

LOGOMOTIVES GRAPHIC PARTNERSHIP OFFICE REFURBISHMENT

KIRKCALDY MUSEUM & ART GALLLERY EXHIBITION DISPLAYS

HAVELOCK EUROPA PLC RETAIL DESIGN PROJECTS

MCCOLL SCOTLAND LTD EDIN EICC PRESENTATION SUITE

COCHRANE MCGREGOR ARCHITECTS  EDINBURGH PROJECT DIRECTOR

OCT87 – SEPT HEWLETT PACKARD DALMENY MEDICAL CENTRE & BANK

HALIFAX BUILDING SOCIETY DESIGN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

L & M SCOTLAND LTD EDINBURGH OFFICE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

MERRILL LYNCH  BANK  LONDON OFFICE SPACE PLANNING

SCOTTISH DEVELOPMENT AGENCY OFFICE SPACE PLANNING

FLETCHER MCNEECE PARTNERSHIP  GLASGOW PROJECT  LEADER  DESIGN

OCT 85 – OCT 87 ARTHUR BELL DISTILLERS PERTH MAJOR OFFICE DEVELOPMENT

EMBASSY HOTELS LIMITED ELLERSLY HOUSE HOTEL EDIN

GOVAN SHIPBUILDERS GLASGOW NORTH SEA FERRY FIT – OUT

ROYAL CRUISE LINE SHIPPING PIREAUS CRUISESHIP INTERIOR SCHEMES

COLIN MACKENZIE DESIGN CONSULTANT FREELANCE DESIGNER

MAR 82 – OCT 85 CARNEGIE DUNFERMLINE TRUST ANDREW CARNEGIE MUSEUM

CONOCO OIL COMPANY ABERDEEN OFFICE SPACE PLANNING

JANET BEVAN INTERNATIONALTEXTILES EXHIBITION STAND @IDILONDON

SCOTTISH ARTS COUNCIL SCI-FI TRAVELLING EXHIBITION

GRAPHIC PARTNERS EDINBURGH EDINBURGH  FRINGE SHOP

STORE DESIGN LIMITED DALGETY BAY  FIFE DESIGNER

OCT 79 – MARCH 82 VARIOUS MAJOR RETAILERS & STORES RETAIL STORE DESIGN

RELDAN SALES LIMITED HARVEYS NICOLS STORE LONDON

CURRICULUM VITAE COLIN MACKENZIE     DA ( Edin ) MCSD

SCHOOL / COLLEGE DESCRIPTION DETAILS QUALIFICATIONS

EDINBURGH COLLEGE OF ART INTERIORS & FURNITURE STUDENT DA (Edin)

SEP 76 -JUNE 1979 INTERIOR DESIGN & FURNITURE DESIGN DIPLOMA in DESIGN & CRAFT

ANDREW GRANT SCHOLARSHIP £500 EURO TRAVELLING BURSARY

LARBERT HIGH SCHOOL STIRLINGSHIRE SECONDARY EDUCATION

AUG 69 –JUNE 1976 HIGHERS ENGLISH C

HIGHER ART B

HIGHER HISTORY C

HIGHER ENGINEERING DRAWING B

CREATIVE INTERESTS

PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO MONTAGE DIGITAL VIDEO FILMING ILLUSTRATION

FREEHAND DRAWING DIGITAL IMAGING CAD AND PHOTOSHOP

TRAVELLING SKETCHBOOKS STAGE SET DESIGN ACTING PAINTING

DESIGN RESEARCH 3D DIORAMA  &  3D DISPLAY CREATION SOURCING

PERSPECTIVE DRAWING TECHNICAL DRAWING SYSTEMS   INTERNET RESEARCH

GENERAL INTERESTS TRAVEL GOLF SWIMMING WALKING FOOTBALL FILM

BOOKS MAGAZINE   REFERENCING READING

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS MCSD Member of Chartered Society of Designers (since 1993 )

TQFE Post Graduate Teaching  Qualification  @ Dundee University (2002)

OTHER PROFESSIONAL ROLES                         CHAIRMAN OF SQA  VALIDATION COMMITTEE  FOR HND FURNITURE FRAMEWORK

( 2006 )

MEMBER OF SQA  DESIGN CONSORTIUM FOR 3D DESIGN INTERIORS FRAMEWORK

( 2005)

CM     7 01 2010

CURRICULUM VITAE COLIN MACKENZIE     DA ( Edin ) MCSD

MINDFUL DESIGN PRACTICE MODULE DZ52005

PERSONAL PROFILE

My name is Colin Mackenzie, and most people would describe me as an interior designer, which is what I am by training, but I would call myself a three dimensional designer as I do not feel bound by interior spaces. I have always had a passion for Architecture and Design and I have travelled to many European cities and locations to see the influences that have inspired generations of architects,historians and designers. My father was a signwriter in Central Scotland, and some of my early years were spent with him at his work and occasionally I would be involved in producing art work with him, so I was always drawing and visualising and initially  I wanted to go to art college to study drawing and painting, but once I arrived at Edinburgh College of Art in 1976, I soon realised that my future prospects lay within the School of Design. I seemed to thrive on solving spatial design problems for buildings and interior spaces.

I qualified as a designer from Edinburgh College of Art in the summer of 1979 at the age of 22 and following a Travelling Scholarship after graduation, I began my career as a retail designer with a company called Store Design Limited in Fife, Scotland. Prior to this employment, I was very keen to go off to London,  where I was offered employment with Howard Sant Partnership, but realised that I may not survive on the annual salary offered at that point. My salary in Fife was the same but my I thought that my earnings would go further.

Since then, I have always been based in Scotland and I have worked for and with a wide range of design companies over a career spanning 25 years. Over this design career, I have worked for design consultants, architects, space planning consultants as well as working as an independent designer under freelance contracts including working as a self employed design consultant. The majority of my design career was based on commercial interior design working on projects from offices, retail oulets, cruise ships and ferries, exhibitions and museum projects, but I have also  been involved in design and build projects for houses and building conversions.

The most satisfying projects were the ones where I was directly involved with the end–user client, from the start of a project, which enabled my skills in project design, development and implementation to be brought to the fore. As a designer, the experience of dealing with design briefs directly with clients and the on-site project management elements of my skills were the most rewarding parts of my job.  Feedback from my clients has been generally good.

I have been a design lecturer at Adam Smith College since 1996, initially on part-time contracts, but I am currently a Curriculum Head and Design Lecturer for 3D Design and Interiors, teaching to a wide range of students at HND level and National Qualification level.  My job involves me in the organisation and delivery of design oriented courses which includes a wide range of specific skills, such as interviewing and monitoring the progression of students and their articulation to Higher Education Universities including Dundee University. Some of my former students are now studying 3D Environmental Design at Duncan of Jordanstone Art College, as well as ECA and Glasgow Caledonian University.

The opportunity to study a Masters of Design on a part-time basis over two years, through CPD, Continued Professional Development, partly funded by my employer, has opened up a new approach for me to update and re –engage with my design skills. My reasons for undertaking such a challenge are based on the fact that my original design qualification was not a degree, and I was at a stage in my educational job, that I felt it necessary to develop new ways and methods of working which will enable me to deliver a better product  and new design opportunities to my students at Adam Smith College and perhaps open up design consultancy work for myself.

Studying on a Postgraduate Masters of Design has been established to provide me, as an individual, with a personal development opportunity, which I know will be very challenging in terms of academic standards I hope that the progression journey will enable me to become a more professional designer and give me with new, transferable skills, which will be of great use to me in the remainder of my design career, as an educator and design consultant.                     I feel I will benefit from the experience and so will my employer and my student groups and hopefully, the staff I work with.

MINDFUL DESIGN PRACTICE MODULE DZ52005

DESIGN RESEARCH PROJECT and MINDFUL DESIGN PRACTICE

My proposal for my research project was based on influences connected to but  outwith  my field of experience in design.  I suppose, the fact that I am really a frustrated ‘architect’, I have always had a specific interest in the built environment.      I have a professional interest in architecture and their interior spaces due to my career to date, but the chance to study and expand my design thinking through the MDes course, made me view my interest from a more expansive perspective.

The initial project proposal was for Design Futurism using Transitional Portals, which was about an investigation and development of how we use and access building structures using entrances and exit points. The spatial awareness that we experience subliminally as we transmit through and inside buildings, including exteriors, interiors and spaces between them and around the physicality of the urban environments we use daily was an obtuse idea that I felt needed investigating.

The project really involves investigations into Environmental Psychology , and relates more to Behavioural Science and Human Factors Science and Behaviour, than architectural design.

Sensory perception and how we experience the transmission movements, made me consider that this could be a unique focus of study that would be challenging but I was unclear as to what direction the research design project would go in, and what, if any, benefit or design project output would have to myself or to potential end-users or organisation(s).

The focus of my investigations would be based on the town of Kirkcaldy, where I have lived and worked for the past 25 years. One of the reasons for this was the fact that the town itself is a post industrial urban conurbation, and seems to need an new initiative to develop it in a new way of thinking.

The town has over the last few years has had sporadic urban schemes that have either been constructed in specific areas to comply with Fife Council’s Local Development Plan, or Master Plans that were aimed at revitalising the town’s prospects.  New Business and Retail Parks have been built  outwith the town centre which has had an adverse effect on retailing in the traditional High Street.  The town looks a bit disjointed although there are always new developments.

Improvements have been made to the townscape within the town, including landscaping and  pedestrianization of parts of the main street, but these have required to be updated due to factors such as vandalism and deterioration of the fixtures and installations.  Artworks and sculptures have been introduced to reflect historical pastimes but are located in odd locations.

Current global trends such as Transition Towns, green maps and car-free cities, are just some of the initiatives that are being developed, could have an influence on how my own project may develop and some of the design methods that are being adopted by design practitioners during the masters of design programme can have an influence in the eventual design solution. Concepts such as  sustainable communities and ecological factors are also getting towns and cities to re-invent themselves. All of these elements could be influential in developing my project.

At the moment, my research project requires more focus by narrowing down the possibilities for a practicable outcome.

Potential stakeholders will come from a wide range of organisations including, Fife Council Departments including Planning, Town Centre Manager; Local Councillors; Kirkcaldy Town Centre Management, Kirkcaldy Civic Society, Chamber of Commerce, Adam Smith College, Property Agents, Developers of Proposed Regeneration Sites, Professional Design Companies and local Business Forums.

The aim of my project would be to act as a proposed linking mechanism between all of the potential developments, which may identify a common transitional element or form or design process that may enable an overview of coordination of efforts into a tangible yet practical solution for one or several  initiatives. It may be that the project will involve more than one interested organisation or department.

MINDFUL DESIGN PRACTICE MODULE DZ52005

Overall, the project aims to provide a design solution which will meet potential stakeholders requirements, but ultimately, to enhance the town centre’s urban improvement that is of benefit to the general public and visitors who live and work within Kirkcaldy.

Potential areas of research development for the project could be:

• WAYFINDING SIGNAGE SOLUTIONS

• ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS

• PUBLIC LIGHTING SOLUTIONS

• INTERACTIVE PUBLIC ART INSTALLATIONS

• STREET SHELTER FORMS

• DIGITAL INFORMATION POINTS

• HISTORICAL INFORMATION PATHWAYS

or  another undiscovered requirement.

The timescale for research, fact finding methods, and stakeholder investigations, will be planned over a period from now, in early 2010, with a direction for developing the project being focused by the end of March 2010. Any contact with potential stakeholders will have been developed by this stage after which Semester 3 between April and September 2010, will be used to develop project work in more detail in association and / or in conjunction with identified stakeholder group(s).As I am studying the Masters over a two year period, the absolute final developed solution(s) will be enhanced and completed by April – July 2011. Time allocation and project management will be paramount in developing the research project in conjunction with all the other design modules involved in the Master of Design course.

The design methods for carrying out the research and development will include:

• Interviews with potential stakeholders to identify needs and opportunities for the project.

• Research into comparable projects from various locations in the UK and Europe.

• Recording of transitional spaces using photography, moving images and sound recording.

• Public and Business Questionnaires to gather direct fact-finding.

• Stakeholder analysis.

• Visualisation of findings using hand drawn and digital methods to illustrate proposed solutions.

• Modelmaking and prototyping of 3d elements that may be developed at later stages.

• Critical analysis of fact finding including methods such as:  POINT ANALYSIS

• Focus groups from a variety of potential stakeholders and  interested parties within the town centre.

My project adviser has been identified as Jason Nelson, from 3D Environmental Design at Dundee University, who has very informative and  interesting viewpoints on the essence of the built environment. Jason comes from an Art and Interactive Media background so his input should be invaluable to me in managing and directing my project.I still have to identify an expert for my project and I hope to identify someone from an Urban Town Planning Organisation or discuss my project with Dr Nigel Johnson, Research Chair of Interactive Arts ( CIA ), who has done extensive research and projects on Soundscapes and Digital Gateways which use LED technologies.   I was inspired by his presentation at his lecture on Tuesday 10 November 2009.An alternative expert may be one of the stakeholders involved with my project. Sunil Varu is the Town Centre Manager in Kirkcaldy, who has been involved with the developments within the town centre or the last 5 years. He is really the pivot point in my research list of stakeholders. Discussions with him will open up a wider consultancy with other parties. In summary, my vision form research project is create a design solution or system or service, which will enable my design skills to  develop in conjunction with a recognised client / stakeholder / end user to provide a solution or a design initiative to enhance an urban townscape.

MINDFUL DESIGN PRACTICE MODULE DZ52005

TIMESCALE PROGRAMME FOR DESIGN RESEARCH PROJECT

SESSION 2009 – 10

SEPT 09     OCT 09     NOV 09    DEC 09     JAN 10      FEB 10      MAR 10     APR 10     MAY 10     JUNE 10       JULY 10         AUG10         SEPT 10

SESSION 2010 -11

SEPT 10     OCT 10     NOV 10    DEC 10     JAN 11      FEB 11      MAR 11    APR 11     MAY 11     JUNE 11       JULY 11         AUG11         SEPT 11