FOCUS IV

The Higher Education Learning Academy Assessment: 'Students Supporting Students' @ The New Connaught Rooms, 21/03/2007

Left to right, Kaori, me, Tom and Emma.
Pat Brown the director of Landscape Architecture and the Landscape Interface Studio at Kingston University hosted a workshop named 'Action Learning Sets' with 'us', (Emma, Kaori, Sarah, Tom, Paul and I, all second year landscape students). It was a great experience, made even more interesting as Pat had to leave us in the afternoon. This created a odd situation for the afternoon workshop. Students teaching tutors how to teach students. Maybe that was the whole point? Anyway some of the tutors seemed interested in the learning community that we have in Landscape Interface Studio and how that could be applied to other disciplines. Best phrase of the day "YOYO, FOFO" (your on your own, f**k off and find out).
The Higher Learning Academy here

Shifting Sands 2: Good Design In Seaside Regeneration, 26/03/2007

Heatherwick's East Beach Cafe, Littlehampton. View looking inland.
A day of seminars by various speakers involved in seaside regeneration. There seemed to be two general directions policy and design were going. One was creating sustainable communities that would regenerate an area themselves therefore creating a more vibrant area that would attract more people/wealth. The other was creating 'Icons', these being a symbol of the area that would attract interest/wealth. I believe that an 'Icon' approach is flawed as it potentially creates structure with a short life expectancy that becomes redundant when the community/fashion move on. However it is a lot more complicated to create or more aptly reinvigorate a community. I particularly enjoyed the speakers Mark Cannata, Thomas Heatherwick and Maria Smith.


Bexhill-on Sea, January 2006
Mark Cannata of McAslans architects is involved with the renovation of the De La War Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea. The project has been running for sixteen years now. It is trying to reestablish Bexhill-on-Sea's heyday as a tourist destination. Mark also made some amusing comments on peoples perception of architecture. How certain era's (60's, 70's) had a negative sentiment attached to them.
John McAslans + Partners here


Interior of East Beach cafe. Notice the section lines.
Thomas Heatherwick talked about his new cafe. Still not convinced of the form of the structure. The only factors seemed to be the width of window shutters and a want to create an interesting 'back'? The construction was interesting as it involved sectioning the structure so it could fit inside the steelworkers workshop. It seems to work and hopefully draw some attention to Littlehampton upon completion.
East Beach Cafe here.
Construction pictures here
Thomas Heatherwick Studio here


Maria Smith talked about her studios proposal for Littlehampton, 'The Longest Bench'. A ceramic serpentine form that drapes itself across the existing structure. Very cool indeed.
Studio Weave here

Colchester Charette Costing

My proposal was one of ten chosen by the Colchester North Sea Faring partner in a studio competition, 'Colchester Charette', to be costed. This is my first contact with the delights of the Spon's manuals, only being a second year student. Interesting how going through the costs can highlight areas of a design that one had overlooked or not considered previously. A good exercise and hopefully the proposal will get built!
Precedent images taken from 'Contemporary Public Space Un-Volumetric Architecture' by Aldo Aymonino and Valerio Paolo Mosco, p244, 245, showing structure built by the Cooperativa Amerida.

Helena Rivera: PHD review
Help contribute to her paper here

Blogging tutorials


Dreamweaver

Definitely going to have to spend more time learning this piece of software. However the one day course I attended was a useful introduction.

New Rural Assault Machine

Giant Reign O.
Let the carnage begin...