PLANNED DECAY

Thought this article was interesting - as we have discussed landscape design as a part of the proposal.

Here Piet Oudolf, a great plantsman, discusses his ideas of planned decay - "For Mr. Oudolf, the real test of a well-composed garden is not how nicely it blooms but how beautifully it decomposes."

HERE'S THE ARTICLE
AND SOME IMAGES
AND HERE IS A LINK FOR THE NYC HIGH-LINE HE COLLABORATED ON

REPRESENTATION: FINAL REVIEWS

Diller & Scofidio
OMA / Rem Koolhaas
Will Alsop

IBSTOCK BRICK FACTORY VISIT: BIRMINGHAM AND WALSALL

We visited the Ibstock brick factory in Staffordshire where blue bricks are made. These bricks are also called engineering bricks as they have a very hard surface and a high crushing strength. The bricks are made from the local red clay to which a small amount of Manganese (Mn) is added. When fired in the long "drive-through" kiln at about 1120 degrees C in a low-oxygen atmosphere (induced by adding carbon monoxide) they turn into deep blue coloured bricks.

IBSTOCK BRICKS WEBSITE
WALSALL ART GALLERY WEBSITE

IBSTOCK BRICK FACTORY VISIT: LEICESTER AND COVENTRY

Our visit to the Ibstock brick factory, Leicester included a tour of the factory, the CAD drawing office and a visit to the test laboratory to watch bricks being crushed . We saw the mass production of standard bricks and also hand made specials and were able to experience the journey of the material from quarry to finished brick.

The next stop was Coventry Cathedral by Basil Spence: a repository for works by artists such as Graham Sutherland, John Piper, Jacob Epstein and Elizabeth Frinck.

IBSTOCK BRICKS WEBSITE
COVENTRY CATHEDRAL WEBSITE

BERLIN, CHRISTMAS 2007

I went to Berlin for 4 days during Christmas and it was amazing.
The Coldweather matched the mood and atmosphere of Berlin.
The sky was always grey so the buildings were highlighted even
more then usual. Out of all Renzo Piano, Daniel Libeskind,
Foster, Grimshaw, Mies van de Rohe, Zaha Hadid, Santiago
Calatrava, Grunten/Erst Architects, Murphy/Jahn, Peter
Eisenmann, and others my favourite design of space was Frank
Gehry's DG Bank building on Pariser Platz. It was full of energy
and Movement. It was an awesome trip.

Tommy Pniewski

BUILDING FOR FEBRUARY

Museum of Modern Art, Cologne
BD ARTICLE
0lll GALLERY WEBSITE
ARCHITECT PROFILE
Please note Peter Zumthor and Atelier Zumthor does not have a website!

IBSTOCK BRICK FACTORY VISIT: BRISTOL

Units 3 + 4 visited the Ibstock Brick Factory in Almondsbury near Bristol. Upon arrival Chris, Mia and Jason from Ibstock warmly welcomed us to the factory. First we were given a presentation about inspirational brick building techniques that was then followed by a tour of the factory itself.

The tour took in the brick processing areas (pictured) as well as the furnace monitoring room, a rare glimpse inside the furnace, selection area and hand made specials. We also found out that this factory is unique, as its location sits about three geological seams enabling the production of a variety of brick finishes!

The group then went on to the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol - a refurbishment of an old tea warehouse undertaken by David Chipperfield Architects. The exhibition spaces were being prepared for their next opening so we had a good wonder around the bookshop and circulation routes that led to the other community used spaces. This was followed by a walk around the new regeneration area, taking in the boats and other eccentric architectures of the dockside.

IBSTOCK BRICKS WEBSITE
ARNOLFINI GALLERY
DAVID CHIPPERFIELD ARCHITECTS

238 HANDS IN 1800 SECONDS

First intervention on site: a web woven in string among the trees.

OPEN HOUSE PROJECT: SITE VISIT

Meeting on a sunny day in Angel and Greyhound Meadow, noticing the shadows and birdsong.

THE LIGHTHOUSE

The Lighthouse is Scotland’s centre for Architecture and Design. There are three temporary exhibition galleries and a permanent Mackintosh exhibition. The Mackintosh centre incorporates technology, original objects and an illuminated wall with Mackintosh’s contribution to architecture and design. The Mackintosh Tower provides magnificent views across the city of Glasgow. The centre also offers temporal exhibitions, displays and events related to architecture.

I had the opportunity to see “Gillespie, Kidd & Coia: Architecture 1956-87”, an installation by Stuart Haygarth, an exhibition on a model of a sustainable house, contemporary furniture and accessories by Vitra and the main part of my visit, the Mackintosh Interpretation Centre, where visitors can get a detail understanding of one of the most influential architects. If anyone is around Glasgow I strongly recommend a visit to The Lighthouse.

Carlos Lora Yunen

BRICK FACTORY VISITS

ANYONE INTERESTED?

This one looks very interesting and they are asking for a multitude of different formats for entry so even though the hand-in is in April... a small thought and action might be a neat project... let me know if anyone is up for it... many hands make light work and all that.

COMPETITION WEBSITE
ONE OF THE JUDGES BLOGS

BUILDING FOR JANUARY

This is a new one for the blog... thought it might be good to put up a building of the month? What do you think... has anyone been there?
ARCHITECTS WEBSITE
HERE'S THE LINK

MOMA OXFORD

thought this looks interesting... has any one been? local activities might useful for the next semester?
here is the link

BREAKING THE RULES

The arrival of railways, aeroplanes and automobiles gave us more than cheap holidays, and a exhibition at the British Library shows how advances in mass transportation helped unleash visionary artistic and political ideas across Europe. This comprehensive exhibition is at the British Library from Nov 9-Mar 30.
Here's the link