A collection of photography and words based on the interests of an Architectural Assistant.
I aim to inspire and entertain with writings of all things creative.
Recently I visited Miami as part of my travels. I blindly arrived with a mere knowledge of it's renowned beach culture and party lifestyle but I was amazed to discover it has much more to offer. It is a major port city with a vibrant demographic, hosting an amalgamation of various cultures, it almost felt as though I had left America behind and reached a new destination entirely. But I guess that is part of the wonder about travelling through the USA, each state has it's own cuisine, character and attractions.
Spanish is the primary language spoken by residents, roughly 60 percent,
whilst approx. 30 percent speak English. I have read that there up to 128
languages spoken across the county.
I stayed in North Beach but I was lucky to explore Miami by car and foot (I always like to see what I stumble upon this way)! On numerous occasions throughout my visit to the county, I was able to explore the South Beach area. I was surrounded by the beauty of the Art Deco Historical Quarter with its much loved, architectural delights spreading through Ocean Drive, Washington Ave and Collins Ave. The sun soaks into the forms of the white and pastel-coloured stucco buildings, particularly across the ocean front. There are hundreds of restored historical buildings across the area, unfortunately I was not able to see them all but I would definitely recommend a visit if you are in Miami!
The Art Deco scene first appeared in the 1920s, it then spread across Europe and the USA in the 1930s. Art Deco is the shortened form of Arts Décoratifs, a development of many 20th Century art styles including Cubism, Constructivism, Futurism and Art Nouveau. The influence reached not only architecture but furniture, jewellery, household items, fashion and cars. Painter Paul Cezanne influenced the Cubist movement towards a simplified impression of forms, relying on the use of the cylinder, sphere and cone. This simplified geometry is apparent in it's effect on the Art Deco movement. There were many direct influences upon the style, ranging from lifestyle, art, history and architecture.
Iconic Hotels are spread across Ocean Drive
Pastel coloured buildings with strong forms are noticeable across the area
Life beyond South Beach. I was particularly captivated by the colourful murals of the Wynwood Arts District. An urban utopia of colour, expression and statements for lovers of art. It is often described as an outdoor museum of art, free for all to see, exactly as it should be!
Wynwood Art District. The pavements are adorned
with artistic messages
Wynwood, Artist unknown
The Wynwood Walls - murals encompass the internal courtyards, artwork covers a myriad of once blank walls, breathing life into its' neighbourhood, see http://www.thewynwoodwalls.com/ for more information.
Live Fast Die Fun, Artist unknown
And ofcourse it was every social media fanatics dream, to capture some great photos!
And to end on... something sweet!
Fresh Pineapple sorbet and Fresas Con Crema, Oh Mexico Restaurant in Miami South Beach
This is just a quick post to touch on some of my favourite things from Miami, I found them to be inspirational and I hope they have done the same for you. Thank you for reading!
Adding to Existing Conditions, St Mary's Island C of E School, Chatham, Kent.
Image copyright of CC Studio Architects Ltd.
As part of my professional experience I have had the opportunity to work on a number of different School expansion projects. I have analysed different sites, existing buildings and looked into the potential for development on our local Schools, during a time of which demand for pupil places is increasing. I have gained an appreciation for designing for young children and also I have become aware of successful, sometimes international educational projects.
Forming enclosure around an old oak tree, Bedales School Art and Design Building
by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. Image from Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios website
A series of pitched roofs with lattice timber screens. There is a blurred line
between inside and outside, this softened edge to the building, intends to make it more welcoming on approach. Images from Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Brightly coloured window shutters contrast against the warm red brick building, Gando Primary School by Diébédo Francis Kéré
Clay is readily available in the region, bricks are therefore cheap to produce with
the added advantage of thermal protection against the hot weather.
The overhanging tin roof creates shade.
A dry-stacked brick ceiling encourages cool air to enter the building through
the windows and hot air to leave through the perforations in the ceiling.
Images from kere-architecture.com
Canopies amongst the trees, Mellor Primary School by Sarah Wigglesworth Architects
Image from architectsjournal.co.uk
A collage of timber cladding, image from architectsjournal.co.uk
Braamcamp Freire Secondary School outside Lisbon by Portuguese
Architects CVDB Arquitectos, images from dezeen.com
Bold primary colours breathe life into the concrete facade of this school extension
A series of existing dispersed units are linked into a single building with a centralised courtyard.
The rehabilitation of the school was part of a Portuguese initiative, "Modernisation of
Secondary Schools Programme". Images from dezeen.com
Bin Duong School by Vo Ttrong Nghia. Cage-like balconies create a
breathing facade for the school, protecting classrooms from harsh sunlight
and tropical rain. Image from dezeen.com
And just to finish, here is a small selection of extensions and new buildings I have worked on with CC Studio Architects Ltd as part of my professional experience.
Riverside Primary School, Rainham, Kent.
Image copyright of CC Studio Architects Ltd
This year's RIBA Stirling Prize has been awarded to dRMM - led by Architects Alex de Rijke, Philip Marsh and Sadie Morgan for their project, Hastings Pier.
The Stirling Prize identifies the UK's best new building, each year, it is now in it's 22nd year. Past winners of the award include Caruso St John Architects, AHMM, Haworth Tompkins and Stanton Williams to name a few examples! Each practice is well established in their own right, with a portfolio of successful projects to be proud of.
The judging criteria includes design vision, innovation, originality, capacity to stimulate, engage, delight occupants/visitors, accessibility, sustainability, client satisfaction and how fit the building is for it's purpose.
The nominees for this year are:
Barretts Grove by Amin Taha + Groupwork for Nick Grant, Image from Dezeen.com
The British Museum World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre by Rogers Stirk + Partners for the British Museum, Image from archdaily.com
City of Glasgow College - City Campus by Reiach and Hall Architects
and Michael Laird Architects for City of Glasgow College,
Image from architectsjournal.co.uk
Command of the Oceans by Baynes and Mitchell Architects for Chatham Historic Dockyard, Image from dezeen.com
Hastings Pier by dRMM for Hastings Pier Charity, Image from architectsjournal.co.uk
Photography Studio by 6a architects for Juergen Teller LTD, Image from 6a Architects
The Hastings Pier originally opened in 1872, it was closed to the public in 2006 over fears of safety and it was largely destroyed by a horrific fire in 2010. Hastings Pier Charity invited a host of architects to submit designs for a redevelopment of the once attractive structure.
A neglected piece of history, image from http://www.urban75.org/blog
dRMM won the design competition and began a collaboration with the charity, which lasted 7 years. A crowdfunding campaign raised £590,000 towards the £14.2 million restoration project, whilst the remainder of the funds came from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The crowdfunding element is particularly interesting, as this is what urged the title of the People's Pier to the project, the community has a sense of ownership over the redevelopment.
The Pavilion, Image from archdaily.com
The deck, Image from dRMM
The Pier has been transformed from a ruin, a century-old pier, into a beacon of community spirit and a flexible community space. The layout consists largely of an empty deck with a small pavilion at the centre and a staircase leads onto the rooftop. There is a sympathetic quality to the details of the project, reclaimed timber planks from the original deck have been used to clad the pavilion in a diagonal pattern. Remaining timbers were used to create furniture as part of a local employment initiative.
Old and New, Image from architectsjournal.co.uk
The Pavilion has been placed at the centre of the deck, as opposed to the end, the Pavilion is a mere element of a larger concept. This is a celebration of old and new, the original iron structure stands at the edge of the pier, to be admired.
Enjoy the view, Image from architectsjournal.co.uk
The form of the pier is not without great function, the large protruding deck is a stage to an endless amount of possibilities for "relaxation, contemplation and play", as quoted by Maria Ludkin from Hastings Pier Charity. It's a 21st Century solution for a seaside town, in need of regeneration. To finish, here is a short film released by the AJ, in conversation with dRMM's Alex de Rijke:
The Serpentine Pavilion 2017, designed by Burkinabe Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré, own photographs.
This years structure has been commisioned by Kéré, the 17th Architect to do so. In previous years pavilions have been designed by BIG, Sou Fujimoto, Herzog and de Meuron, Peter Zumthor and Jean Nouvel. The pavilions are erected every summer outside the Serpentine Gallery.
The pavilion is an oval form reminiscent of a tree,
with a blue wall enclosing the space beneath it
The rich tone of the blue and the lightness of the timber sets itself in contrast
against the backdrop of the brick wall of the Serpentine gallery
The design is based around the idea of a village tree, it offers a place of gathering and shelter. Kéré refers to his native in his design in the colours he chooses as well as the form. The pavilion is enclosed by a blue wall, blue being a colour traditionally worn by young men when meeting prospective wives in Kéré's village of Gando, Burkina Faso. He chose blue as a nod to this tradition, "I wanted to present myself, my architecture, in blue - it is a great place, and if you have the chance to do something like I did here you come with your best colour, you show yourself from your best side. This is indigo blue".
A sea of blue encompasses this communal space, interior photograph of the pavilion.
The light floods through the tunnel at the centre of the structure.
The pavilion is constructed with blue stained wood, it is arranged in triangular panels. The panels are arranged to create a decorative pattern. Natural light travels through the perforations in the walls and lights up the central space.
The opening at the centre of the pavilion directs rain into the central
courtyard, creating a waterfall.
The timber slatted roof overhangs, to create small gathering spaces beneath.
The pavilion is intentionally different from every angle, although it seems circular, there are many views to explore and it is worth a visit!
Assemble Studio's design for Limborough Gardens, images from assemblestudio.co.uk
Collages made up of both photo-realistic and sketchy elements, a fun series of images, playful and conceptual yet they still give an idea of how the gardens will slot into the estate. This is a community project, which is aiming to provide residents with enjoyable spaces to cherish and develop.
It seems these days there are a number of different ways to fill out our drawings, we have a licence to express ourselves and be free in the way we represent space. In this post I would like to share some of the ways artists and architects alike have used human forms to create a new dimension within their work.
Competition winner SANAA, design for a Budapest museum, images from dezeen.com
These images are a mixture of rendered and photo-realistic elements. The people are almost drawn as a series of ants, the wider landscape and the connection to the rest of the city is the focal point. Each public building relies heavily upon it's footfall and from these representations I can gauge the significance of the museum's civic presence in Budapest.
At times I have struggled to understand what I want to show, how I will create it and what the eventual outcome will look like. I have dabbled with painting, sketching, model-making, screen-printing and now rendering too. Over the past few weeks, the topic of best representing my ideas in a 3D image has been resonating on my mind. I have been creating a number of spatial representations for my professional work and it is now that I am understanding what I do and don't like. Forming projects in BIM software has helped and I cannot recommend it enough as you can move through a model, place it into context and select the most relevant views.
Herzog and De Meuron's design for a library in Israel,
images taken from dezeen.com
These representations are atmospheric, detailed and bright. The reflections, the green in the foreground and the cutout people enhance the views of this building, each image appears to be light and evocative.
Some of us have little input into the design of architectural space, so graphic is everything. We control the colour palette we utilise, the style we create and the layering of textures, activities and ofcourse the people we include. This sometimes means we watch hours of tutorials to achieve those desired effects!
A photomontage between old and new, it almost looks real!
Royal Academy of the Arts Masterplan, David Chipperfield Architects
The best way to sell our scheme is to create images and drawings filled with scenography. We evoke emotion, we set the scene and create the beginnings of a new place through these images. It helps to imagine how one may make best of use a new gallery, courtyard, public square, entrance or home extension if we show people doing everyday things.
Retail design and display proposal for the V&A museum by Bureau de Change.
A montage of silhouettes and forms, this style leaves much to the imagination., particularly for a project which is designed as an installation against a backdrop of something more permanent. Alternatively when the proposal has not been finalised, this is also a good technique to employ.
The placement of human figures in our drawings, presents a sense of scale. We immediately grasp how it would feel to be that person, walking through that park, gallery or wherever else the artist is taking you.
Brent Civic Centre, WWM, images taken from pinterest.com
Human Rights Action Centre by WWM. A variation of collages and sketches created by Witherford Watson Mann. I enjoy the use of line, colour and opacity in these drawings. The images are exciting and break free from the norm of creating renderings of buildings which may or may not ever come into fruition.
London Almshouse, a project based upon sociability for the elderly, WWM. An animate and vivid drawing, which captures the earthy tones of the view, with layering of shadows, trees, objects and ofcourse people. Ironically this image has a youthfulness about it.
But hang on a minute...which person should I use in my drawing? Should it be an animate figure, an outline, a silhouette or a cutout, the list continues as we are forever evolving our drawing styles. I am sure we all know what we do and don't like graphically, so that's part and parcel of the selection process. We know if something is too obtrusive, distracting or too loud against the backdrop of our projects, so this aids the process. What do we aim to achieve from this image? It truly varies from practice to practice and person to person, do we want to create a photo-realistic effect, is it more of an artistic collage or is it rendered down to a tee?
And a few more...
Kvosin Hotel, DRDH Architects. The building, the figures in the public square, grass and the
sky are painterly, each element is part of this beautiful composed view.
School in Riaz, TEd'Arquitectes. I particularly like the colour palette, textured graphic
and the hot air balloons in the distance!
Baptist Church, Allies and Morrison. A sketchy and colourful set of figures blend into the streetscape.
8th Street Market, AHMM. This scheme is for the re-purposing of an underused warehouse. There is a clarity to the visualisation, the people are using the space as a backdrop to their daily lives.
I hope you enjoyed flicking through the images on this post today, if you have any comments then please do contact me and do not forget to follow and share! All the best guys!
