Standing Out From the Crowd

For me trawling all the architectural blogs day in day out is fun, it gives me huge motivation to do well in my masters degree and enormous amounts of inspiration. Though there was a certain architectural practice however that kept popping up that is really producing some of the most fantastic residential properties ...

They go by the name of Pitsou Kedem. Their website is

www.pitsou.com

Do check it out.. they've done some pretty cool stuff!

Kevin Mccloud's got the wrong end of the stick...

For all of you that got to see 'Kevin's Grand Design' on channel 4 on Thursday night, what did you think??

For me, fair enough, he was trying to solve a social housing problem, something that has been tried unsuccessfully all over the country.. but i cant bring myself to say that his attempt was any better. If anything the recession that prevented him from selling the 4 bedroom houses privately did him a favour as I don't think anyone would have bought the houses anyway!

Understandably, we do only get to see what is shown on the television, but clearly there were huge issues with management and planning, specification, and basic design... and this is what I'm going to have a rant about now!

First the colours.. and them chimneys. What on earth was he thinking? The houses are going to look so outdated in 5 years!

I did like the central triangle and feel the masterplan of the site does work well. It encourages interaction and in no way limits dwelling numbers.. it is a shame the idea of parking in the rear garden couldn't materialise.. because of an idiot architect that specifies doors with a handle on one side!! I mean really?? And when this issue came up, why on earth did they not change the door rather than re-landscaping the entire site to include parking at the front of the properties??!

However, my biggest bugbear.. was that the houses were static and could in no way be adapted for change. They can't be extended at the back, the front nor in to the loft space... in fact there was no loft space, not even for storage! All them young families he moved in will no doubt be growing over the next few years resulting in a need for more space.. which their new house cannot offer in anyway. They will have to move.. Not very sustainable if you ask me. A HUGE mistake with the development.

This short video shows how architecture can be adapted for growing and shrinking families.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urXM7A1AgAM&feature=related

Please leave you comments.

Ateliers Jean Nouvel

Ateliers Jean Nouvel is one of the largest architectural practices in France. It is the culmination of of a series of practices headed by Jean Nouvel that date back as far as 1970. Someone worth investigating further?? I think so.. Shown earlier on my blog was one of Nouvels most famous designs - the Institute du Monde Arabe in Paris with the adaptive facade, completed in 1987. Since he has continued to push boundaries in design and particularly in the use of light, both natural and artificial be it through a facade system or using other techniques. This is something that interests me a lot..

Sofitel Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

Made up of a 5* hotel with 182 rooms, conference rooms, fitness club, restaurant with panoramic views from the 18th floor, retail area and even a public car park.

Doha Office Tower, Qatar.

A 45 storey office building in Qatar, designed to exceed its surrounding predecessors in remaining crisp, clean and dust-free. The building has an interesting facade that controls light and also acts as a skin.

And the building complete...

I think this last image really shows how well this building is designed when shown next to the surrounding towers... it relates back to something a guest lecturer had referred to. He feels identity is being lost in buildings, each countries vernacular architecture - that was designed that way for a reason - is being lost in these high rises. Across the world high rise have become similar, tall glass boxes that do not succeed in providing natural, sustainable comforts from the user.. unlike our older buildings. This Doha Office Tower however goes some way towards adding some character to an area that has been for so long deprive of any.

My own work...

The time is very close people... my first term at NTU is nearly over! Its been tough but my gosh have I come a long way.. mainly in design and my appreciation for the design process, but also in developing several of my own little niches/ specialisms id like to study further.

Keep you eyes peeled as I'll be posting up very soon some renders of my final 'lifetime' homes design, and also the bespoke house on the hill in Winchester that Ive been working on...

Thanks

London 2012 - Olympic Recycling

The 2012 Olympic Games pose very exciting times for the United Kingdom both on the track and off it. Frequently Olympic hosts spend millions or in the UK’s case, billions, on developing arenas and the necessary infrastructure in order for the event to run smoothly and often more importantly so that the country is shown in the best way to the billions that tune in to watch the games. But my question was ‘what would we do with an 80,000 seat athletic stadium once the games have finished?’… in many cases the stadium and the money it cost to build is surplus to anyone’s needs.


However, the Olympic Park Legacy Company has worked tirelessly to develop a plan for what happens to our facilities when the games are over. Firstly it should be noted that 98% of the new facilities to be used for the games have been built by British companies, equating to 1,400 contracts and an estimated £6 billion worth of business. Secondly, the main Olympic stadium has been designed as ‘two stadiums in one’, essentially a permanent 25,000 seat stadium with a 55,000 seat skyward extension which can be removed when no longer needed.

The Stadium has been designed as a series of components in order to create an adaptable structure, which facilitates deconstruction for the purposes of post-Games requirements and re-use. For example, all the steel was bolted rather than welded and the roof structure has been designed in such a way that it can be removed or adapted in legacy for use with the smaller stadium.

Similar to my previous post, this innovation sends messages to the world, exhibiting sustainability through recycling and adaptable design

A Home for the Homeless by Javier Larraz

Ok.. so this doesnt have much relevance to the previous post.. although I have been working on that.. but this building caught my eye and I had to post it on here. The building was completed in 2010, is located in Navarra, Spain and provides a shelter and food for the homeless.

I love it, and some of the spaces inside are stunning. There is a good use of natural light together with exterior cladding which provides an element of privacy without disturbing the light flow - Something I have been trying to achieve on a residential project @ university.

Please let me know what you think...

Old Vs New

Hello again, not posted in a few days.. been soooo busy with university work! However, we have been briefed of a project that we are due to start after the Christmas break... its goes something along the lines of us choosing a two buildings from different eras with which we then compare a detail to see how materials, technology and knowledge have developed over the years. Reference should be made also to building regs and then the effect they would have had on the older of the buildings.

I have posted a selection of classic buildings that I really like below. It would be interesting to compare two building perhaps by the same architect, preferably who is still 'alive and designing' today to see how his thought process and strategy towards a similar detail has altered over the years... Please post your comments and thoughts.. :)

The Institute du monde Arabe, by Jean Nouvel. Completed 1987.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. By Mies Van Der Rohe. Final part completed 1974.

I know Mies isnt around today but the reason why I chose this building of his to post was because his work here was a modern addition to a neoclassical building built in 1924. Mies's modern style juxtaposed with the old building is something we are seeing more and more of today, even at NTU with the recent refurbishment of Arkwright.

John Hancock Centre, Chicago. By Bruce Graham and Fazlur Khan (of Skidmore, Owens and Merrill). Completed 1970.

One of my favourite buildings in Chicago and one I used to admire everyday on my journey into college at IIT. Cutting edge engineering for its time.. but would it be built that way today?

Marina City (Corn on the Cob buildings!), Chicago. By Bertrand Goldberg. Completed 1964.

Over the next few days I shall be expanding on this collection, before looking in to modern buildings that are shaping the future of construction and architectural technology.