Tuesday 30.10.07

THE: FUTURE: LABATORY Lecture - Knights Park, Kingston University

The Future Labatory is a team which has developed an innovative approach to trend forecasting, consumer insight and brand strategy. They ensure that a brand, product or business uses the most relevant and up-to-date trend information and consumer insight tools to better anticipate market needs.

Notes from five discussion topics:

-Consumer Attitudes Audit for 2007/8:

Seasonality is important for a brand or product. Currently, people are more favourable of individual looks whether it be for clothes or furniture etc. 'Experience' is what people are searching for now, with the popularity of Facebook, AOL and MY Space. People below the age of 30 are more likely to add material to the internet compared to those aged above who just 'take' from the internet. 77% of people are most concerned about anti-social behaviour, which is a 62% rise from last season's poll. More people are trying to reduce their carbon footprint by making changes locally to them. In the 1990's, anti-social behaviour was seen by some as cool. Now people are becomming more conservative, rating 'decency' and 'fairness' as the qualities they which to see more of now. Brands need marks to make them 'simple', 'singular', 'asthetic' and 'honest'.

-Slowtopias:

The need to slow down, to retrench, reboot and above all relax in sumptuous and romantic climes.
The quality of travel is becoming poor e.g. increased delays at airports and people finding travelling stressful. Designers are trying to improve the experience. They have looked into 'slowspaces' which are atmospheres created for people to relax and feel calm while making their journey e.g. The longest champagne bar has just been designed for the new Eurostar Terminal at St.Pancras. The Orient Express has become more popular. The Airbus A380 has been designed to be more eco friendly. Foster + Partners have designed a new VirginSpace Port in New Mexico. Embracing eco-luxury forms of travel e.g. new cruises and the return of the airship. 'Experience' is being considdered more.

Jeddah International Airport by Office for Metropolitan Architecture

http://www.dezeen.com/2007/07/page/2/

Airbus A380

Virgin SpacePort, New Mexico by Foster + Partners

-Menaissance: The British Male

In the 1990's there was a 'lad' culture where men didn't want to care and have responsibilities. Now this is changing- they are moving towards 'niche' and 'particular'. The female century is creating a newly confident sophisticated and cosmopolitan male. Pressure from women achieveing higher grades in education and equality being more prominent in society is making the male more aggressive in the workplace and more determined to become dynamic. Men are taking care of their appearance e.g. buying cosmetics etc. Men are inventing more individual looks, and it is now more common for men to be single into their late 20's and early 30's.

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/showcase/mediapractice07/index.php?page=student0012

-Natural Nuclear:

As boundaries begin to blur between craft and innovation, technology and tradition, designers and scientists are creating extraordinary new materials and products. Designer David Ross invented concrete paving slabs which erode away to reveal copper underneath. More hybrid materials and products are being invented. Currently, textiles transform our world more than any other material. Organic is now being questioned if it is really that eco-friendly as people have been led to believe- e.g. producing 100% cotton requires more fields to harvest the crops, therefore more machinery- more pollution. Is it better to think chemical and machine made?

Below: "Erosion Sink" by Gore Design Co. It is made from eco-friendly concrete using a proprietary blend of reclaimed materials and industrial byproducts.

-Global Design Notebook:

Designers are turning into scientists, chemists, illusionists and magicians. Creations are taking on new looks- dripping, bonding, recycled, coated and injected. Athem have designed a building facade in Paris which is reflective and distorted to give an 'Alice in Wonderland' look. Similarly there is the Nendo climbing wall in Tokyo (below) which has taken on a new experience for climbers by using giant mirrors for pieces to grab.

FOCUS WEEK 29.10.07

Monday 29.10.07

NLA

I was quite dissapointed on this visit to the NLA as the exhibitions were being changed around so there weren't many pieces displayed. However I found an exhibit which interested me, which was of four plastic sheets overlayed mapping different features on each. A simple and effective way to represent information singularly and also as a whole.

AA

I visited 'The Architecture of Critical Graphic Design' exhibition, which was a good inspiration for my design thinking- to develop concepts from abstract ideas. One moving image exhibit illustrated how shapes and lines were drawn on paper with a spray can on a pully string controlled by two people.

FOCUS WEEK 03.2007

Docklands Painting

I started to paint the abstract plan of the docklands, which i had planned out during my previous focus week. I used oils to paint the docks on top of the acrylic background. It took me a few goes to get the right colours. I thought it might have looked better with more rustic colours to suit the urban activity the docks once saw, however these bright and vivid colours represent the hope and excitement i have for the area in the future. I need to wait for the oils to dry before i begin the boarders around the docks and then the last part will be blending different oils for the thames. I'm looking forward to seeing the final product!

The V&A Friday Late ANIMATE

The V&A galleries were animated with workshops, performances and screenings celebrating the art of moving images. Hundreds of visitors took part in exploring several animation techniques including hand-drawn frames and the latest computer technologies.

Urbanism

"A good Urban Design solution can rescue a bad building, but a great building will rarely rescue poor urban design." PAUL FINCH ['Re:urbanism' by Kelvin Campbell and Robert Cowan]

Streets are Essential

"Good streets create good urbanism. Great streets make great cities. Streets are the vital essence of public life, too important to be surrendered to those who manipulate them in the interests of solving specific problems with single solutions. The street must be the focus for decisions about remaking cities." ['Re:urbanism' by Kelvin Campbell and Robert Cowan]

FOCUS WEEK 26.02.07

Monday 26.02.07

Borough Market & Pottersfield Park by Gross Max

After my second visit to Borough Market researching market space use, i walked along the southbank to check the development of Pottersfield Park situated next to Tower Bridge. I took pictures of the areas still under construction to help me in my 'Streetlife' theoretical module.

Tuesday 27.02.07

CityScape Seminars, Earls Court

- Refurbished Buildings Notes:

Seminar taken by Nicholas C Thompson from COLE THOMPSON ANDERS ARCHITECTS. Aiming for low-key architecture with a high environmental impact. There needs to be 450,000 homes to be refurbished each year to be sustainable and reduce carbon emissions by 60%. Challenges for refurbishing existing buildings (i) not perceived as glamorous (ii) subtle intervention (iii) listed building exemptions (iv) The Governments investment programme of building new ‘decent homes’ (social housing) is a wasted opportunity. Refurbishment depends on building type, for example - Historical buildings require certain things such as thermal board, secondary glazing and heat recovery - High-rise buildings: refurbishment vs. demolition.Successful Refurbishments (i) Titanic Mill 1911- conservation of a Grade II Listed building (ii) Kingsdale School 1959- the modern refurbishment by DRMM Architects improved truancy and teacher numbers. (iii) Kynance Café, Cornwall- Owned by the National Trust, a community project, which enhanced the tourist site and increased visitor numbers by 1000 per year. (iv) Cambridge Federation of Women’s Institute- refurbishment of a former pig shed by EllisMiller Architects. (v) Beaufort Court designed by Studio E- the UK’s 1st Public Carbon neutral energy self-sufficient building, including Bio mass cropping using elephant grass and an underground winter heat store. (vi) Conservation of 1950’s office building by REID Architecture (vii) Glastonbury House, London by Cole Thompson Anders Architects http://www.colethompson.co.uk/w_glast_sust.html - Renovation of a block of flats. They managed to renovate all flats with minimum disruption to residents by moving them into temporary vacant flats. The biggest achievement was the environmental impact.

- Sustainable Public Building Notes:

Seminar taken by David Lloyd Jones from STUDIO E. Covered areas in health, sports, recreation, learning, retail, government and culture. Sustainable Public Buildings (i) Portcullis House by Michael Hopkins and Partners 2001 provides Select Committee, conference and meeting facilities for all MPs. (ii) Palestra House, Southwark by SMC ALSOP Architects- The LCCA and the London Development Agency are based in Palestra House, where solar PV and 14 micro-wind turbines have been installed on the roof to provide renewable energy for its operations. (iii) Larmenier and Sacred Heart Primary School by Studio E Architects preserved two 150 year old plane tress. The two-story building responds to its environment, incorporating the Fibonacci "golden mean" as a symbol for its young community - the mathematics of nature within the structure of their building. (iv) GLA by Foster and Partners- The building has poor public access and doesn’t fit in with the surrounding environment. (v) Scottish Parliament Building (vi) Welsh Assembly Building by Richard Rogers Partnership (vii) Jubilee Library by Bennetts Associates http://www.bennettsassociates.com/ – a good example of a sustainable building, utilising natural ventilation and daylight. (vii) National Memorial Arboretum by Architype- “The buildings which constitute the National Memorial Arboretum draw on architectural ideas from the past, whilst demonstrating an ecologically sustainable future. They express an intimate relationship with the trees of the Arboretum and the National Forest, being constructed largely of timber from sustainable sources in the UK.” Source http://www.architype.co.uk/arboretum.html (viii) Evelina Children’s Hospital by Hopkins Architects- Designed around the needs of the whole family. There are no conventional wards, children are operated in the ‘forest’ and nursed on the ‘beach’. Each department is themed. The hospital has fresh air, sunshine and boasts fantastic views over the River Thames.

Wednesday 28.02.07

NLA Public City

-‘How Movement Makes Places’ Notes:

Lecture taken by Bill Hiller. Ideas of urban networks using ‘Space Syntax’ theory for small and large-scale areas. Self organisation- Movement is the heart of the place, movement is the attraction. Tokyo City was looked at as an example. All cities are made up of small numbers of long lines and large numbers of short lines (fractural quality). Longer lines are more likely to meet in a straight join. The background space is usually a patchwork of small lines (streets). Central routes are more likely to be used as well as the central area (the focus of accessibility). The smaller degree of angle is the most successful path people take. Projects which solved the problem of public movement (i) The redesigned Trafalgar Square. The steps on the north of the square provide a shortcut across the square instead of people walking around the whole interchange crossing several roads to travel south of the site. (ii) Millenium Bridge- creates heart to heart area connection from either side of the Thames River. (iii) Covent Garden- The successful mixed use of space for vehicles and pedestrians. Movement can be affected by tourism, local city workers- each creating different movement. The London Southbank is aiming to bring the different movement together to try and use the space in the same way. (iv) The conversion of a Parisian freeway into a boulevard creates a transition from no activity to multiple activity e.g. The Champs Elysees. (v) The Barbican, London- Its signature culture is the yellow lines- There should be no need for signs if a city is designed well for the public- signs should be the last resort.

Albion Gallery

Architect David Adjaye created a Pavillion called Horizon, inspired by the landscape, terrain and the ancient Aswan stone of Egypt.

TATE Modern

Artist Fiona Rae

A few months ago i visited the TATE and was drawn to a vivacious painting called 'Night Vision' by Fiona Rae. The painting uses acrylic and oil paint to create a contrast in texture, abstract colourful rectangles bleeding organic paintstrokes against a matt black background. She describes it as a machine breaking and the ink running from the blocks. I related the composition to buildings in a landscape, which led me to develop my own painting, which reflects my interests in the London Docklands.

Thursday 01.03.07

(...continued) Using a map i created previously of the Docklands, i have zoomed in to a section of the map including the Isle of Dogs and Surrey Quays, which in one sense represents my university life living in Surrey. The River Thames will flow accross the canvas using the bleeding ink concept from Fiona Rae's artpiece and will also run from the docks to show their relationship to the river when they played the main part in forming the shipping industry throughtout the 1800's until the mid 1900's. This link shows you Fiona Rae's 'Night Vision': http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?cgroupid=999999961&workid=26392&searchid=9112 This is the vision of my painting when it is completed:

Friday 02.03.07

RIBA

NLA

Great London Authority City Hall & Southbank Walk

Another walk along the Southbank took me to the Scoop and City Hall. I went to the top of the GLA to observe the city from a different perspective. It also gave me a chance to get a birds eye view of Pottersfield Park. You can get a clear understanding of the spaces and layout of the park when viewed from above, shown in my following pictures.