MA ISD Charlotte Storrar

Interior Sketch

2010-07-14T17:31:00.000+01:00

Interior Sketch of the First Floor of Create

Sections

2010-07-14T14:52:00.000+01:00

Long Section

Section through Exhibit

Section through Create

Section through Archive

Vertical Facade Elements

2010-07-12T15:53:00.000+01:00

I have introduced a series of vertical elements into my design, these elements form part of the weave and internally work as the buildings structure. I created a regular grid to decide on the spacing of the vertical and horizontal forms, this grid is also expressed on the facade through the vertical panels. I decided that these panels should reflect the 'lost' buildings which I have experimented with weaving and layering over the existing in the past.

Lost Elevation - My imagined elevation of Fournier Street in the 18th Century

Vertical Slices taken from the Lost Elevation - unexpectedly my grid layout meant that all the vertical slices fell in the same places on each building.

Vertical Panels layered over the Existing Elevation

Lost Elevation applied to the Vertical Panels in Sketchup

Development Model

2010-07-12T14:02:00.000+01:00

Progressing from my concept model I have modelled some more developed ideas in sketch up. I have tried to give the woven strips some more logical forms by setting up a grid with a series of columns to 'weave' around. This grid of vertical elements works as the structure of the building as well as forming part of the weave design. I have also used the grid to re-think the circulation of the building, trying to incorporate the main access routes around the new vertical elements.

The vertical elements help to divide the facade and provide structure for the horizontal strips to weave around.

View from the back of the site showing the larger exhibition space with its new column grid and facade.

Plan View

View from Brick Lane. The woven strips add depth to the facade and interact with the landscape of the street.

View from Fournier Street.

Sectional View of Archive.

Sectional View of Exhibit.

Sectional View of Create.

3rd Floor Plan.

Second Floor Plan.

First Floor Plan.

Ground Floor Plan.

Basement Floor Plan.

Plan of Proposed Woven and Structural Elements.

View of the Proposed Woven and Structural Elements including the new circulation.

Concept Sketch Model

2010-06-28T16:17:00.000+01:00

I made a sketch model of my weaving concept using a range of materials. The model just shows the existing facade and how I could slice through. I have incorporated my wallpaper design, a transparent tracing paper and a metal mesh.

Elevational View

Plan View

View from Above

View from Street Level by the Entrance to Exhibit

Street Level View by the Entrance to Archive

Woven Plan Patterns

2010-06-28T11:27:00.000+01:00

After sketching the woven plans I scanned them in and seperated them into layers. I then created images based just on the weaving element of the plan and finally overlayed them all to complete the pattern:

Basment

Ground

First

Second

Third

Final Woven Pattern

Three Dimensional Weaving

2010-06-28T10:58:00.014+01:00

After discussing the weaving experiments and ideas with Ken it was clear that I needed to stop just focusing on the facade of the building and start trying to find a way to link the plan and facade together. Ken suggested that I try thinking about the weaving in a more three dimensional way to try to create a more interesting plan for my building and also express this on the facade. The following plans are sketches of how this might start to work.

I have tried to use the woven strips to create spaces inside the building; they might not be solid walls but a variety of materials similar to those I have been experimenting with in earlier research. They would be varying heights, thicknesses and opacity's depending on the area they were dividing or containing. On the facade they might start to become balcony spaces or simply act as a decorative panel. At street level I have tried to use the material to encourage people into the exhibition space and create a new entrance.

Basement Floor Plan

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

Electronic Wallpaper Animation

2010-06-17T17:45:00.004+01:00

In my initial elevation proposal I used a traditional weaving pattern as the inspiration for the facade on the new 'exhibit' building. To develop this further and following my research into Loop.ph studio's electronic Blumen wallpaper I have decided to try to animate the facade using a simple pattern still based around a traditional weave.

Initial Elevation Proposal

Animation:

The wallpaper would be controlled by sensors and could be influenced by sound within the building. I would like the external facade to express what was happening within the interior of the building, for example, if there was an exhibit on the second floor then the wallpaper pattern would be concentrated around that area. I will create a series of storyboards and animations which will explain this proposal in more detail.

Loop.pH - Electronic Wallpaper

2010-06-17T17:30:00.004+01:00

"Loop.pH is a London based design and research studio that aims to bridge the gap between design and the natural sciences. They specialise in the conception, construction and fabrication of environmentally responsive textiles for the built environment. It is directed by designers Rachel Wingfield and Mathias Gmachl. Rachel is also a Senior Lecturer on the MA Design for Textile Futures course and a Research Fellow at Central Saint Martins, London. Mathias is a Research Associate at the Royal College of Art London. Loop.pH belong to an emerging generation of designers redefining conventions of how, why and with what things are made. Emphasis is placed on learning from both traditional craft based practices alongside the cutting edge of scientific and technological discovery. With a deep understanding of the complexity of ecological systems and natural cycles their approach to design and fabrication values the physical process of making as much as new and established research methodologies and theories. "

Blumen Wallpaper (2004) is an electronic wallpaper. The pattern is controllable through computer software and responds to its environment through a range of sensors.

"Blumen transforms traditional decorative surfaces into a rich, dynamic display of botanical life. It divides and ornaments space and can be seen in a wallpaper format as sliding panels. By working with traditional pattern making we have created an ornate printed design that is at the same time a working electrical circuit using electroluminescent technology. The repeating pattern allows the piece to be cut into smaller sections and even reassembled. The Blumen print is constructed from a number of addressable cells and with the use of various sensors the pattern emerges and develops in response to its environment. Based on the space the panels are presented in, and the characteristics of the sensor used, we develop an animated pattern language described in software. "

Stills from a Movie of Blumen Wallpaper. See the full movie here.

I find this technology really inspiring and have discussed with Pete in previous tutorials how I could animate the facade of the new 'exhibit' space that I have proposed will fill the gap between the corner of Brick Lane and 24-26 Fournier Street. I intend to try animating my own electronic wallpaper based on the weaving patterns which I have been researching.

Weave Collage

2010-06-13T13:36:00.008+01:00

I decided to move my paper weave experiments on by transferring them into photoshop and creating a collage weave pattern. I layered the lost facade over the existing elevation and then created a 10mm grid:

This was the end result:

I can turn layers on and off to create different effects. This image shows the lost facade only:

I then used this weave to create a collage of the elevation. I took the elevational collage which I had done previously (generated from layering the 2 elevations) and layered over my woven facade.

Initial Elevation Collage

Woven Collage

I then started to cut out some of the woven squares to create a less grid like collage:

Weaving Experiments

2010-06-13T12:13:00.007+01:00

I was inspired by my research into architectural weaving and decided to try some weaving of my own. I wanted to find a new way to connect the old 'lost' facade of my site and the current facade. I have already layered the elevations over each other which helped me to create new roof lines and start to think about ways to extend the existing space but it did not really inspire me in terms of the facade or resolve my ideas about the connection between old and new.

Layered elevation of the 'lost' and existing facades

I started to weave the 2 facades by first cutting them both into 2omm strips, one horizontally and one vertically. The vertical strips of the lost facade created my base, I then wove the existing facade through in a simple under and over pattern. This first attempt was a little messy but interesting.

First Weaving Experiment

For the second experiment I used the same method but this time I cut the vertical strips into 10mm pieces but kept the horizontal strips at 20mm. This created a different woven pattern. I think that this weave was more successful.

Second Weaving Experiment

For the next weave I introduced my wallpaper design onto the existing facade. I wanted to try and highlight one facade over the other to make it easier to read and to bring some pattern and colour into the weave. I went back to a square pattern, both strips cut to 20mm. I think this one was very successful because all of the windows and doors etc line up correctly, it is quite neat and easier to read as a piece of architecture.

Third Weaving Experiment

The Bird's Nest Stadium

2010-06-12T11:10:00.007+01:00

The Bird's Nest Stadium has become a famous emblem of the Bejing Olympics. It is a complex woven structure created from steel. The weave is quite open, allowing movement between the strands. The stadium has an inner skin which makes it weather proof.

The woven structure is quite deep, forming an outer skin which people can move through. The outer skin acts as a transitional space between outside and in.

The scale of the woven structure is very large, you imagine it might be like looking at a delicate textile fabric under a microscope.

A view of the facade

It is easy to see why the stadium got the nickname of the 'bird's nest' when you look at images of real birds nests. These natural structures are very beautiful and the thick outer structure gets denser towards the inside edge, creating a strong and comfortable living space.

Architectural Weaving Article

2010-06-12T10:47:00.007+01:00

Taken from Architecture Week by Stephen Kieran and James Timberlake from KieranTimberlake Associates. The article is an excerpt from the book Manual: The Architecture of KieranTimberlake by Stephen Kieran and James Timberlake, 2002.

"Weaving is most often associated with textiles, but it is also relevant to architecture. It is a construct and a craft that can purposefully and aesthetically order building systems. Just as a thread can be pulled from a woven fabric and a new one inserted in its place, so too can building and urban systems be removed, replaced, or added when the whole is conceived as an exposed woven tapestry.

In its ancient usage, weaving creates surfaces and volumes by the regular interlacing of pliable strands — the warp and the woof — passing over and under each other at right angles. Friction at every joint enforces the structure of weaving. No material is completely inert, and under pressure from the environment, all materials deform.

When deformed, many materials are elastic; they retain some memory of their prior state and will strain toward their original plane unless restrained. The bending of the strands, each of which wants to restore itself to a flat position, creates friction, between the threads at each overlap.

This three-dimensional friction among strands above, below, and to each side, restrains the individual segments and forms the stable plane of a textile. In modern architectural usage, fasteners often provide the required friction in place of the deformation of the individual strands of material at work in textiles.

The building block, or cell, of a woven surface is the joint between overlapping materials. Weaving is in essence a continuous joint. In closely spaced weaving, the pattern of intersections becomes both visually and practically subservient to the plane or volume.

Although the joint is normally an event of such physical consequence that it dominates our perception, in a densely woven form, the joint is transformed into a recessive contributor to the overall appearance of surface and shape.

Weaving, however can never be completely closed; it always has space between its strands. While the woven surface separates and contains, it breathes and connects. it is a scrim, a screen that is at once space and surface, Never quite a membrane, but part joint, part surface, part volume, part system, weaving is unique in architecture in being simultaneously open and closed.

Weaving Systems

The association of weaving with volume and system carries the craft into the deepest structures and largest scales of current architecture and urbanism. The integration of a large number of operating systems into buildings is a problem of relatively recent origin.

Indoor plumbing has been common for less than 150 years; widespread electrification and elevators for vertical transportation are little more than a century old; air-conditioning and fire-suppression systems were novelties less than 75 years ago, and today, emergency power, door operators, and security, voice, and data transmission are part of the onslaught of systems that course through our buildings.

The fundamental process and manner of conceiving architecture, however, has changed little. We still tend to organize program and space long before we integrate systems.

Rock Hall, Temple University

What is the depth of the imitative versus the authentic? One is a fictive invention, and the other is a fiction derived from necessity. In Rock Hall, an auditorium of the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University, we use the idea of the room as a musical instrument; the depth of the sound box is represented in the depth of the weave.

The metaphor is one of tectonic reality and is drawn from the program. The acoustical requirement of 50 percent absorptive and 50 percent reflective surfaces led to a proscenium that exploits the depth and lightness offered by flat panels. It is a solution that balances the question of imitation versus invention.

The strands in this textile are typically six-inch- (15-centimeter-) wide plywood strips with a two-foot- (60-centimeter-) wide central panel. During design, we built a full-scale panel with a small millworker to test the ability of the plywood to bend and for the necessity of fasteners at points of overlap. An adjustable metal superstructure supports the woven wood panels.

The Shipley School

In our shop, there are no matters of lesser importance. At this new middle school, architecture is structure. It is fire protection, it is codes, it is equipment. It is all design. These systems are inseparable and intrinsic to the problem of designing a school. They are part of the education of children.

Weaving provides a way to navigate what goes over and what goes under. We turn systems engineers into architects, and they turn us into engineers. Sometimes the engineers like the role reversal. Sometimes they go kicking and screaming into the world of woven systems.

We have to trace every pipe and duct. We have to know how large it is, what it is made of, and how it turns. In this small building section, below a balcony walkway, all the building trades had to come to know and work with each other, while coinhabiting three feet four inches (102 centimeters) of common real estate. If one is not willing to become a mechanic, one should not become an architectural weaver.

Sterling Law School, Yale University

We love direct challenges from our architectural ancestors. The blunter the challenge, the better. Our addition for the Sterling Law School Dining Hall comes squarely up against the stone walls and elaborate windows of James Gamble Rogers's 1930s structure.

We sought direct competition with the original wrought-iron metalwork by using stainless-steel and bronze rods and straps, but the new gates in no way cancel the stone craft against which they are juxtaposed. The old stone carving and the new metal gates, while of different ages, are equal crafts.

The fabricator really rose to the task. Consider that every pair of bends in the stainless-steel bar — out, then back to vertical again — had to be made in precisely the right location so as to intersect the 3/4-inch (19-millimeter) bronze bar where the buttonhead fastener, passing through a predrilled hole, would lie flat against it. When asked what he had worked on before these gates, he replied, "Something for the space shuttle."

Viewed in relation to contemporary architecture, weaving is a conceptual and physical armature that accommodates the differential life spans of buildings and urban systems.

At the same time that weaving provides for separation and the differential removal and replacement of elements, it composes and organizes single strands of material into a deliberately visual artifact, insisting upon repetition and pattern in its placement as purpose is translated into orderly artifice. Weaving celebrates the realization that permanence is no longer a prospect nor even a desire of architecture."

Oslo Opera House

2010-06-12T10:35:00.004+01:00

As part of the design for the Oslo Opera House (voted best cultural building 2008) by Norwegian architects Snøhett, local artists were invited to design panels on the building. Textile artists Astrid Løvaas and Kirsten Wagle created aluminium panels based on old weaving techniques, the panels are formed of a series of complex convex and concave shapes. The three dimensional pattern adds depth and interest to the monolithic panels and creates an interesting series of shadows and reflections.

I saw weaving technology similar to their inspiration at the Technical Museum in Berlin. The cards with a series of punched out holes were fed into an automatic weaving machine and this is what created the woven pattern.

Aragon Pavilion

2010-06-12T10:03:00.006+01:00

The Aragon Pavilion by Olano Y Mendo Architects was built for the 2008 Expo in Spain. The form of the building takes its inspiration from the areas traditional basketwork. The facade is formed from a continuous woven surface made from panels of glass and fibreglass reinforced concrete. It becomes more transparent as you move up the building, giving greater privacy at ground level and views over the surrounding landscape from the top level.

Detail of the Facade

Model of the scheme showing the basket-like nature of the main space

View of the Pavilion from ground level

Architectural Weaving

2010-06-12T09:45:00.003+01:00

Following the feedback from the unit 1 assessment I have decided to try and diversify my area of study a little and carry out some more conceptual experiments to help me to generate more interesting forms and textures for my project. Throughout the project I have been interested in pattern design and silk weaving (linked to the historical context of the site), my material experiments have been running parallel to my architectural work on the site and I now need to combine them. Through discussions with Pete I have decided to look at ideas of architectural weaving and how I could weave the old and new contexts of my site as well as the old and new architectures. I have already looked at layering the old 'lost' architecture over the new but now I want to find new ways of combining them which might take this process one step further.

To move the project forward in a more creative and experimental way I am going to look to the current site context as well as the historical. I hope that this will generate new ideas about the site and help me to integrate my social programme. I will also continue to experiment with materials but at a larger scale. For the exhibition I aim to have some 1:1 elements to display which will enhance my architectural drawing. I have started to think about what my exhibition will look like but I think the final design will be very much driven by the scale and nature of the work I produce, however I would like the way I display my work to be linked to my ideas about archiving.

Archive, Create, Exhibit: Program Development

2010-04-28T22:48:00.005+01:00

As part of the unit 1 portfolio submission I have been developing my proposed program for the site and researching examples of archives/collections, artists studios and exhibition spaces. I have also started to sketch initial interior proposals.

The Geffrye Musuem

2010-04-09T13:06:00.007+01:00

While I was around Shorditch and Spitalfields yesterday I popped into the Geffrye Museum. The Geffrye is a museum of domestic interiors since the 15th Century and includes furniture, textiles, wallpaper and also garden design.

Here's what they have to say about it:

"The Geffrye Museum depicts the quintessential style of English middle-class living rooms. Its collections of furniture, textiles, paintings and decorative arts are displayed in a series of period rooms from 1600 to the present day.

The displays lead the visitor on a walk through time, from the 17th century with oak furniture and panelling, past the refined splendour of the Georgian period and the high style of the Victorians, to 20th century modernity as seen in a 1930s flat, a mid-century room in 'contemporary style' and a late-20th century living space in a converted warehouse.

The museum is set in elegant 18^th century almshouses with a contemporary wing surrounded by attractive gardens, which include an award-winning walled herb garden and a series of period gardens."

What was most interesting for me was the historic setting of the museum. The building used to a be a series of almshouses for the Ironmongers Company. The houses are surrounded by gardens, with a large lawn at the front creating an oasis in this busy part of East London. The museum has a contemporary extension at the back which houses the 20th Century wing, restaurant, shop and design studios for visiting schools and art classes.

A postcard of what the original almshouses would have looked like; the front facade remains mostly unchanged.

A view of the modern extension at the back of the museum.

Views of the interior of the extension.

Details of the layout and design of an 18th Century townhouse.

Chris Dyson Architects

2010-04-09T12:43:00.009+01:00

Chris Dyson Architects is based in Spitalfields at number 11 Princelet Street, just around the corner from my site. I first found out about the practice when I visited the Listed Property Building Show whilst doing research for my parents house in Epsom. They had a stand and were advertising their skills in restoring historic buildings, especially Georgian townhouses. I then came across their work again in Period Living magazine. The practice has done a great deal of work in the Spitalfields area and have also restored Huguenot weavers houses, including Chris Dyson's own house and studio building. Their approach to restoration mixes modern materials, furniture and lighting with respect for the existing structure. They have undertaken some quite radical restorations, including the work to their studio at Princelet Street. From the before picture you can see that the building had lost its original windows and loft which the practice decided to replace. The result is a building which looks and is mostly new, although I can't deny that the end result is a huge improvement it is a form of restoration which I am not entirely comfortable with. It has become a copy of the original Georgian building and has therefore lost its authenticity. It also presumes that the original Georgian design has more merit than the additions and changes made by more recent owners, it strips the building of its true history and presents us with a false one; making us believe that this building has remained in tact since the 18th Century when in fact it has undergone many developments over the centuries.

Overall I really like the work that the practice are doing in Spitalfields, they have created some very beautiful spaces and helped to bring life back to the area and the buildings. I particularly like the strong sense of light and space in the buildings, this has been achieved by adding modern glass roof lights and extensions and also by using a lot of white in the interior decoration.

Article from Period Living Magazine:

Pages from a marketing leaflet:

Site Photography

2010-04-09T11:47:00.012+01:00

Yesterday I took advantage of the lovely weather and visited my site. It has been quite a while since I last visited and I have been waiting for the weather to improve before taking photographs. The building work on the mosque directly opposite my site seems to have finished, they have built a minaret on the corner of Fournier Street and Brick Lane but the original building does not seem to have changed. It was very hard to take photographs of the building elevations because the street is so narrow and the buildings so tall. I have created a collage of images which I have tried to stitch together but you can see how difficult it was due to the angle of the photographs:

I also took some pictures of the street and surrounding area:

The Hawksmoor Church at the top of Fournier Street

View from the top of Fournier Street

Typical Houses on Fournier Street

Houses Eleven and Eleven and a Half

The New Minarete at the Fournier Street Mosque

View from the End of Fournier Street

Corner of Brick Lane and Fournier Street

View of My Site

View from the End of Fournier Street looking towards Spitalfields Market

More Pattern Design Experiments

2010-04-07T11:43:00.004+01:00

I have continued to work on pattern designs for use within my proposal. Originally when I started looking at pattern design it was inspired by the 18th Century silk designs from Spitalfields, the delicate floral designs of the period can be seen not just on textiles but also in wallpaper and fashion design. I want to stick with the floral images but find a more contemporary image or way of using pattern in my proposal. I decided that to move my original design on I would begin by recording forget-me-nots in several different media. I am still working on these images but this is what I have done so far:

Painted study of a forget-me-not flower - I used acrylic paint in bright colours to create a bold image of a single flower

Pattern Repeat - I scanned in the painting and created a pattern repeat in the same way that I created my original design only this time I used photoshop instead of cutting it out by hand.

Project Proposal Development - Plans

2010-04-07T11:28:00.007+01:00

Plans from the SketchUp Model:

Project Proposal Development - Sections

2010-04-06T18:24:00.007+01:00

I have continued to work on the SketchUp model I used for my initial proposals, adding depth to the floors and stairs etc. I have also made a few adjustments; after visiting the Technical Museum in Berlin I realised how large some of the weaving machines could be and the space that will be needed to house creative workspaces. I have created a double height space at 1st floor and a mezzanine balcony with access to the roof garden at 2nd in the central creative space. I have also improved the link between archive and create: the link is now at 3rd floor level, in create the 3rd floor will be used for the documentation of work either ready to be exhibited or archived or perhaps both.

I used the model to create a series of sections:

The Technical Museum

2010-03-29T16:46:00.015+01:00

On the last morning I visited the technical museum in Berlin. It is a huge museum, covering lots of technologies, all housed in a former railway station and its sheds. I was there mainly to look at the textile, paper making and printing technologies. There were lots of different weaving machines and mechanisms to look at and it was a really interesting museum. There were a few interactive exhibits and it was possible to see demonstrations of the machines but unfortunatly not on the day I visited.

Some films I made of the interactive weaving exhibits:

The use of the old railways sheds was really interesting and it seemed like all the old mechanical devices had been left in place. The grounds were full of old bits of machines, as well as a couple of windmills!

The Bauhaus Archive

2010-03-29T16:11:00.007+01:00

I had visited the Bauhaus Archive on a previous visit to Berlin but it is always very inspiring to see the innovative new ways in which the school worked and the importance they placed on crafts. They had some nice examples of textile pieces and more interestingly the designs for the textiles. The actual displays in the archive are quite small but I think that they have much more material kept in private storage and they also lend a lot of material to other museums/exhibitions. As well as the permanent collection there was a small exhibition on classic Japanese design which contained some really beautiful objects.

On the way out we picked up these interesting quotes being used as promotional literature to encourage you to become a member of the Archive:

Ampelmann Berlin

2010-03-29T15:31:00.007+01:00

When walking around Berlin you can't help but notice that some of the traffic light symbols are different to other more traditional European ones. The ampel men were an East German invention, designed in 1961 to combat growing levels of road traffic accidents the ampel men were designed by traffic psychologist Karl Peglau who found that the public react quicker to appealing symbols. Soon the ampel men had become part of everyday life, being used in TV advertisement for traffic safety and also in schools and educational videos. When Germany was reunified the West German authorities wanted to get rid of the Ampelmann and replace him with a more standard European style symbol. The only thing that saved the Ampelmann was the designer Markus Heckhausen, he used the symbol in his products, creating glass lights in the shape of the glass men. This raised the profile of the Ampelmann and soon supporters had formed the 'Committee for the Preservation of Ampel Men' and the media were on board. The Ampelmann was saved and now as well as being found in East Germany he can also be found in a few new West German towns directing pedestrians across selected crossings.

In Berlin the Ampelmann is an interesting symbol of the division between East and West. You can often tell which part of the city you are in simply by the traffic lights. The story of the ampel men is a positive one and probably one of the only nationally embraced symbols of old divide. Now the Ampelmann is something of a tourist money making scheme with some of the most clever marketing I have seen. The Ampelmann shop contains every Ampelmann product you could ever want or need, including; pasta, sweets, towels, bottle openers, mugs, bags, clothes, coasters, chopping boards, lights, vases, door stops.....the list is endless! I particularly liked these 2 postcards:

Make Your Own Neues Museum

2010-03-29T15:28:00.002+01:00

I found this postcard in the museum shop, it is plans to make your own 3D model of the Neues Museum. It looks incredibly hard to do at postcard scale but maybe if I find myself at a loose end I will enlarge it to A4 and have a go!

Postcards from the Neues Museum

2010-03-29T15:20:00.010+01:00

The Neues Museum in Ruin

The Museum in 1980

Alterations by David Chipperfield

Illustration by Susanne Mocka

Repaired Paintwork

Visit to the Neues Museum

2010-03-29T13:59:00.012+01:00

My main reason for visiting Berlin was to go to the Neues Museum which has recently been reinvented by David Chipperfield and Julian Harrap Architects. I again focused on the textures, patterns and materials throughout the building as I think it is the attention to detail which really makes this renovation so successful. I really admired the building before I went and had visited an exhibition about it at the Design Museum in London but getting to experience the building first hand really made me appreciate the massive scale of the spaces and the huge amount of work and research which went into the design and restoration of the galleries. I have far too many photos to put up on this blog but I have collected some together in a series and also scanned in some of the postcards I bought.

External Details: Repaired plasterwork is left visible, contemporary materials differentiate between old and new, concrete composite is used throughout, bullet holes litter the facade, new materials create interest through texture, new brick is used where damage was too great to be repaired.

Internal Structure: Floors are repaired where possible, columns are left with damage visible, existing structure sits side by side with new, mosaics are prominent throughout, existing ceilings have been retained and exposed.

Internal Surfaces: Original brickwork is exposed, surfaces vary between old and new, damaged paintwork is left to give a true representation of original colour schemes, existing signage and displays remain from the old museum.

It is clear from the outside of the building where new building has occured, as you can see from this photo the left hand wing is in contemorary brick. This part of the building was too badly damaged to repair.

This change is also evident inside, the new galleries use Chipperfields white concrete composite and exposed brick but keeps the form and proportions of the original building.

A dome had to be replaced internally, the unusual shape had to be modelled using individual timber blocks as bricks. The dome houses a single statue which is lit from the skylight above.

The lighting and design of the display cases in this gallery were beautiful, the objects on display were given importance due to the theatrical setting and were enhanced by the shadows they created.

Some external views of the Museum:

The Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse

2010-03-29T12:51:00.007+01:00

During our stay in Berlin we rented apartments near the corner of Bernauer Strasse. The end wall of the apartment block would have formed part of the inner Berlin wall and was right on the edge of the 'death strip' - the gap between the Soviet controlled East and the French West. A plaque on the side of the building described the capture of Berliners trying to tunnel from West to East. Bernauer Strasse forms part of a large memorial to the wall. As well as the Chapel of Reconciliation (see earlier post) there are large sections of the wall remaining and work is starting on a new developments to a commemorative landscape. The Berlin Wall Memorial was established in 1998 by the Federal Republic of Germany in memory of the city’s division and of the victims of the communist tyranny. The design by the Stuttgart architects Kohlhoff & Kohlhoff preserves sixty meters of the former border strip in their original depth as a physical reminder of the Wall.

Map showing the scale of the division imposed by the wall and the site of the memorial

The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Berlin

2010-03-29T12:21:00.005+01:00

The Saudi Arabian embassy in Berlin was designed by NF Architects, with interior design by Braun & Schlockermann and Partner. The building interested me because of the curved front facade which is clad in a metal fretwork pattern. It evokes the feeling of islamic tile and textile design whilst being very contemporary. It was very difficult to photograph the building because of the very high and imposing fence surrounding it!

The Chapel of Reconciliation

2010-03-29T11:37:00.009+01:00

The Chapel of Reconciliation in Berlin was built on the site of the Church of Reconciliation which was destroyed by the GDR in 1985. The Church of Reconciliation was consecrated in 1894, it was a large neo-gothic structure built for the growing area of Wedding. When the Berlin wall was built in 1961 the outer wall went across the pavement in front of the church and the inner wall just behind it- leaving the wall in Soviet controlled no-mans land. The GDR decided to destroy the church in 1985 because they saw it as a symbol of opposition, the Protestant church was a home for free speech and opponents of the Soviet regime. However when the church was destroyed the images of the collapsing steeple were broadcast around the world causing an outcry against the regime and assuring that the church and all that it stood for passed into legend.

The Demolition of the Church of Reconciliation in 1985

The Chapel of Reconciliation was built to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. The design was by Berlin architects Peter Sassenroth and Rudolf Reitermann. It was built as a place of remembrance and contemplation. The site of the old church was returned to the parish for religious use after the fall of the wall and reunification of Berlin. The foundations of the site were still visible and these foundations anchor the axis of the new oval chapel. The materials used to construct the chapel are very understated and modest. The main inner space is made from rammed, load bearing earth and was the first rammed earth structure to be built in Berlin. When they created the mix for the earth they incorporated rubble from the old church as a symbol of remembrance. The outer space is created by simple timber louvers which create beautiful shadows internally. The bells from the old church were recovered and are now housed in a wooden frame near the entrance to the site, when they are incredibly loud, giving an impression of the once grand church which stood on the isite.

Berlin Photo Series - Pattern, Texture and Surface

2010-03-29T11:30:00.005+01:00

I recently returned from a trip to Berlin, during my time there I took a series of photographs focusing on the pattern, texture and surfaces in the city. All of these images are at a micro scale and I think collectively they give a good view of the city which captures the atomosphere and architecture from a different perspective. I focused on the materials and patterns because these things have become important in my own work. I found the trip really useful and will be posting lots more about Berlin soon!

Cardboard Loom

2010-03-10T16:50:00.007Z

I decided to try and make my own weaving device from cardboard and found a step by step guide to creating your own loom on the blog craftstylish.com. I went to the haberdashery department of John Lewis to get some wool and a suitable needle and found that they sold 100% silk yarn. I bought a grey and white to try out, here are the steps I went through to create my loom:

1. Find a suitable piece of cardboard which isn't corrugated and won't bend and choose a type of yarn to weave with, you will also need a large embroidery or tapestry needle.

2. Mark intervals 1cm part along the 2 ends of the piece of card.

3. Cut along the marks you have made trying to keep the cuts at the same length each time.

4. Thread the yard through the slots, wrapping it around the cut slots and back again until you have a series of lines securely attached. Leave about 10cm of yarn at the ends.

5. Take another length of yarn, thread it onto the needle and start to weave, again leaving a length at the end to secure later. Weave going under and over in one direction and then over and under in the other direction, make sure not to pull the ends too tight and keep pushing the material up to stop it becoming loose or messy.

6.When you are finished you can remove the loops at the ends of the loom, cutting and tying them to form a fringe which can either be sewed down or left as decoration. The other loose ends can be threaded through the material to secure them.

I have not quite finished my piece of material yet but am enjoying the process of weaving, it is quite therapeutic.

Conrad Shawcross - Weaving Installations

2010-03-09T12:05:00.006Z

Nervous System

Conrad Shawcross - Nervous System

Quote from the Saatchi Gallery website about the installation:
"Take an impossible machine design by Rube Goldberg, a contraption built by Heath Robinson, and cross it with a junk sculpture by Jean Tinguely, and you might get something a bit like Conrad Shawcross’s The Nervous System. Ridiculously mammoth, and perilously rickety, Shawcross’s monstrous structure is a testament to Luddite technology.
Handcrafted from oak timber, pieced together like a giant Meccano™ set, The Nervous System
His improbable system of cogs and pulleys constantly churn out a perfectly woven rope. Beyond being an installation in itself, The Nervous System is also an artwork that makes art: the colourful cord pours out of the machine like paint, piling on the floor like an ever-expanding abstract sculpture." is a serious feat of amateur engineering. Mesmerising in its simplistic complexity, Shawcross’s sculpture offers a certain mysticism through making: beyond experiencing this sculpture as an object (with all its creaking noise and grinding movement), it is also a working spinning machine."

Chord

Conrad Shawcross - Chord

Conrad Shawcross - Sketch for Chord

Chord is an installation in the old Kingsway Tram tunnel in central London. The two machines weave yarn together into a thick piece of rope as they move apart down the tunnel. Initially starting out directly opposite each other the two machines will slowly move and rotate, becoming a timeline of the exhibition and attempting to map specific times in its creation.

Quote from Timeout:
"But it isn't the path of London history or even transport history that 'Chord' will be measuring over its four-week installation. It will be recording the path of time and of its own existence. 'The rope that Chord will produce will become a timeline for the exhibition, with every section of it traceable back to the specific duration of time over which it was made', Shawcross explains. 'It acts as a visual metaphor for the fact that we perceive time in a linear way. I'm not an expert on the subject but whether time is actually linear is an ongoing debate within science, so Chord can also be a visual metaphor for weaving all these ideas together. And this strange tunnel under London is the perfect space in which to create this work."

Concept Plans

2010-03-08T09:15:00.007Z

Below are some hand sketched plans showing the basic proposal for my site:

Basement Plan

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

Roof Plan

Initial Concept Layout

2010-03-04T10:23:00.009Z

I have been working on the initial concept layout for my proposal. An important part of the proposal is the process of moving between the buildings and the circulation within them. This was a challenge to solve as space was limited, especially in the new Exhibit building which is only about 2.5 metres wide. I knew I wanted to keep the Archive space separate and more private than Create or Exhibit so this has its own entrance and circulation core. I have left the floor levels as existing except for the top floor which is now double height with a mezzanine to take advantage of the raised roof line. I was happy for the boundary of Create and Exhibit to be broken down slightly and had originally thought this might be in the form of viewing balconies and spaces for observation but when looking at the plans I found that the best solution was for them to share a central circulation space. I have proposed a new external lift on the rear elevation and a new staircase internally. I have removed the ground floor in Create, except for a small entrance area, which creates a large double height volume at basement level. I see this space being used for weaving and large scale work. The other floors will have smaller, more private rooms for individual work. The new attic space created by the raised roof will be used for the teaching of traditional weaving techniques, there will be demonstrations viewable from the exhibit space. There is a discreet link between Archive and Create at 2nd floor level, this will be a private link for use by researchers working in the individual creative spaces. I have used a sketch up model to try to explain the concept in the easiest way possible. I am currently working up more detailed CAD plans and after I am happy with these I will move on to adding elevational detail.

Axo View of the Sketch Up Model

Basement Floor Plan

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

Roof Plan

Weaving Patterns

2010-03-01T20:00:00.006Z

During my research I found an old book in the library on weaving patterns. It contained some diagrams of traditional weaves and examples of woven fabric. I really liked the geometric patterns and used them as inspiration for the facade of the exhibition space on my initial project proposal.

Weaving Patterns

Example of woven fabric

Loom

I have also been researching how to make my own loom and have found lots of examples on blogs which I can try. I am hoping that by experimenting with my own weaves and patterns I will be able to generate some material ideas for the facade of the building and for use as fabric internally.

I found an example were woven fabric has inspired a facade design in the book Patterns in Design, Art and Architecture. The project by Hild und K is a private house in Germany.

Initial Project Proposal

2010-03-01T19:22:00.008Z

I have started to play with some ideas for my project proposal and created a sketch up model to show volume and a collage that starts to look at the facade design. Alongside this I am developing the programme and researching archives and weaving technology.

View From Fornier Street

View from Fornier Street

View from Fornier Street and the Corner of Brick Lane

Plan

View From Seven Stars Yard

Axo View

Facade Collage

Pattern in Architecture

2010-02-23T09:44:00.011Z

Since the decline in the popularity of modernist architecture and its strict ideas on pure form decoration and the use of pattern within architecture has been flourishing. Once reserved only for interior decoration pattern has started to be integrated into the fabric of buildings; in cladding systems and also through the use of materials.

Klein Dytham Architects - Japan
The Leaf Chapel

This small wedding chapel sits in the grounds of a hotel in the leafy area near the Japanese Alps. It is formed of 2 leaves which overlap, the outer leaf is pierced with 4700 holes each filled with an acrylic lens. The pattern is meant to represent the lace on a brides veil and when the wedding ceremony is finished the leaf opens up to reveal the landscape beyond.

Claesson Koivisto Rune - Japan
Sfera Building

The Sfera Building is a cultural centre in the old part of Kyoto. The architects were inspired by the traditional use of bamboo screening to create a contemporary screen of their own. They picked cherry leaves from a local tree and laid them on to a light box in their office, they then photographed the leaves which formed the basis of the screen pattern. Using computer design they manipulated the image into a series of punched holes. The final screen was made from pierced titanium panels which appear almost transparent when lit internally at night and create decorative shadows during the day.

My Own Experiments

I had already been playing with the idea of a pierced surface pattern after looking at the work of Atelier Domino and experimented by using a pin and white paper to recreate my pattern design.

The left hand image is the original and on the right I have inverted it to more clearly show the design.

Design with light shining through it.

As well as the 2 examples of pierced hole facades in the Leaf Chapel and Sfera Building I was also inspired by the work of Tord Boontje.

Little Flowers Falling - Laser Cut Design.

My own photograph of my 'Garland' light and the beautiful shadows it creates.

Maison Folie by Nox

2010-02-17T10:27:00.007Z

The Maison Folie in Lille is a cultural centre and arts complex on the site of an old textile factory. The project included the renovation of the existing industrial buildings and a new performance space - the 'Salle de Spectacle'. Lille was once famous for its textile industry and is where many of the Hugeunot silk weavers who settled in Spitalfields would have learnt their trade. French textile fashions hugely influenced the British style and French fabrics were incredibly popular until new trade laws limited imports. The Maison Folie complex consisted of several buildings ranging in scale, Nox architects worked with this layout to create a city style landscape 'a city within a city'. The programme required flexibility for all the different functions and changing exhibitions. The landscape aimed to link all of these functions and create a space for interaction. Nox wanted to create a lasting image of the site and would also link the old to the new, they created a street facade with a 'luminous skin' which appears to shimmer during the day and night.

External Images showing the range of buildings and the new facade linking the old and new.

Plan showing the new landscape scheme.

The internal design for the foyer continues the external forms. The influence of the buildings past as a textile factory is evident in the fluid shapes and spaces created.

New elevation during the day. The facade is made up of bent vertical lines in a complex pattern which animate the building as the sun moves through the sky and as you move past.

New elevation at night. At night it appears to glow and seems almost holographic.

Nox's work is very reliant on computers to aid the design process, this is clear in the complex forms created in their schemes. I think the Maison Folie project is successful, I prefer it to some of their other schemes because the use to the complex fluid forms is limited to one facade and the original buildings have been treated respectfully. The facade does succeed in linking the old and the new and is a very different approach to those I have looked at so far. The new 'skin' appears to float in front of the old building, it does not detract from the architecture of the industrial warehouses but adds to the landscape of the area.

New Buildings in Old Settings

2010-02-15T10:33:00.012Z

"A living art does not restore the works of the past, but continues them." August Rodin, 1910

"Merely to call a stop to the new and hold together the old can never be regarded as an attractive strategy for the future...We still need a new architecture, but one with a 'memory' just like its inhabitants have their power of recollection." Charles Moore, 1975

"Tradition does not mean preserving ashes, but keeping a flame alight." Jean Jaures, 1910

Alte Pinakothek
Munich 1946-1957, Hans Dollgast

The Alte Pinakothekis a museum of 19th Century Art in Munich, it was built by the King of Bavaria in 1826 and designed by the architect Leo von Klenze. At the time it was very modern and became a model for new art galleries in Rome, St Petersburg, Brussels and Kassel. It was badly damaged during second world war and rebuilt by Hans Dollgast between 1946 and 1957. Dollgast used simple materials such as rubble bricks, tubular steel and concrete to rebuild the galleries. The bare leaves the 'wounds' of war on the facade.

Top: Elevation for the new facade. Middle: Rebuilt facade in 1977 shows the exposed brickwork and simple style of construction. Bottom: Original facade in 1927

Original grand staircase removed from long southern side and new modern staircase built to increase space in the galleries. This staircase shows a strong resemblance in style and idea to the Chipperfield intervention at the Neues Museum.

David Chipperfield's staircase in the newly refurbished Neues Museum.

The exposed brickwork on the facade acts as a reminder of the buildings war damaged past.

The facade of the Neues Museum showing a similar use of exposed brickwork.

Hans Dollgast intended the history of the building to be visible through the use of materials and the treatment of the facade. The interior spaces were given a contemporary make-over but referenced the traditional style. This approach to the alteration of a historic site was clearly an inspiration to David Chipperfield when working on the Neues Museum. Apart from the obvious similarities in the past and situation of both buildings they are also linked through the use of materials and contemporary interventions applied by both architects. I think Chipperfield's Neues Museum probably takes the approach further and is more successful in the interior.

Museum Castelvecchio
Verona 1958 - 1961, Carlo Scarpa

Carlo Scarpa's addition of a museum to the historical complex of the Castle of Verona shows a different approach to the alteration of historic space. The external elevations remain almost exactly the same, only the interior is really changed. There is a marked contrast between old and new and as with the Alte Pinakothek the use of materials is crucial to this contrast. Scarpa's new additions are in steel and reinforced concrete whereas the original building is brick and masonry. The new additions form a 'second skin' which creates a tension between new and old.

External Images and Plan

Internal Details - Scarpa designed the doors and windows, he was influenced by oriental art and this can be seen in the beautiful lattice work.

The equestrian statue of Cangrande (orginally part of a family tomb) forms the centre piece of the sculpture gallery and Scarpa's work. It is one of the most interesting pieces of 14th Century sculpture in Europe and its prominence in the museum reflects this.

Pattern Design Experiment

2010-02-11T22:56:00.006Z

I decided to experiment with designing my own wallpaper or fabric pattern. I wanted it to be a repeating pattern that could be used over a large surface area so I researched how to create a repeat design and found this really helpful step by step guide at Design Sponge Online.

1. First I created a design on a centre of a piece of paper. I used a forget-me-not floral motif inspired by the silk designs of Anna Maria Garthwaite. I made sure that none of the design touched the outer edges of the paper. After sketching it with pencil I used a fine black pen to ink over it.

2. Then following the step by step guide I cut the image in half vertically and flipped the 2 sides so the drawing was on the outer 2 edges. I then taped the 2 halves carefully back together. I repeated this process cutting it in half horizontally and flipping it again so the drawing was on the 4 corners.

3. In the white space left in the middle of the page I drew another sprig of flowers - completing the design.

4. After I had the completed sheet I scanned it into my computer and used photoshop to colour it up. After I had the completed design I was able to tile it to create a wallpaper.

Timerous Beasties

2010-02-11T10:24:00.010Z

Timorous Beasties is a design studio set up in Glasgow in 1990 by Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons, they are noted for their 'surreal and provocative' wallpaper and textile designs. There work has been described as "William Morris on acid" and mixes the traditional medium of wallpaper with very contemporary images. A good example of this would be their London Toile. Toile is a traditional wallpaper usually depicting a scene of rural idle, in their London Toile Timorous Beasties depict the modern London skyline in bright, vivid colours:

Timorous Beasties use both hand printing and machine techniques to experiment with their designs and much of their work is done in their Glasgow studio. They have also collaborated on a wide range of projects in different media. In 2007 they were invited by Maxalot of be part of an exhibition in the Hague. Maxalot showcases contemporary graphic design as an art-form and allows designers to work outside of the usual client boundaries. In the Hague Timorous Beasties projected traditional Toile images against a Damask backdrop on to the city hall. The projection was 30x30 metres.

In 2008 they were commissioned by a private donor to design new drapes for the stage in the main concert hall of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. The design is hand printed on to velvet and the drapes were 20 metres wide by 9 metres high.

In 2009 they were invited by Metropolitan Works to exhibit with 9 other artists, designers, jewelers and architects to showcase the technology available. Metropolitan Works provides technology, training and workspaces for the creative industries. The exhibition was the first time that Timorous Beasties had used laser cutting technology. They used the laser cutter to etch designs on to the surface of bricks. The 2 tessellating designs are both scenic, one showing a windfarm and the other urban wildlife in the city.

Peacocks Among the Ruins

I first came across the work of Timorous Beasties when I was researching the history of wallpaper in the library. I came across a catalogue for an exhibition that they co-curated at the DCA (Dundee Contemporary Arts). Peacocks Among the Ruins focused on the prevalence of plant and animal motifs in interior design dating back to the 18th century. It featured historical designs and the latest in contemporary wallpaper and fabric designs. Timorous Beasties created several new artworks for the show but also designed the installations and positioned the objects in the gallery. The exhibition was largely chronological, taking the viewer back in time from an opening contemporary scene to they delicate designs of the 18th century.

Flock of Flocks by Timorous Beasties - Flocked wallpaper decorated with 'Devil Damask Flock' produced in Gothic black-on-black. Birds are silhouetted at various stages of flight as if they have just been disturbed. The makeshift birdwatching hide constructed from wooden crates and raised off the ground like a tree house is by Dutch designer Jurgen Bey.

View of the first gallery. The boards propped up against the wall show a selection of classic designs by Timorous Beasties and re-issued historical designs from Cole & Son. The boards are decorated on both sides so they can be turned during the show.

Lampshades by Timorous Beasties. The 20 cylindrical lampshades are decorated with samples from a 1970s Sanderson wallpaper book. The prints are applied on the inside of the shades giving an almost ghostly appearance and reinforcing the fact that they are reproductions. Up close they have an almost cartoon like quality due to the garish patterns and vivid colours.

Eaglemountain by Universal Everything. Universal Everything are a British graphic design company, the work was initially envisaged as a single artwork but was produced as a digitally printed wallpaper to be fixed straight to the wall.

Horse Lamp by Front. Front is an all female Swedish design group, better suited to public spaces this work is controversial but also rooted in history and takes as precedence griffin table legs and lion newel posts.

With the advent of Modernism naturalism was outlawed, it was seen as too literal and unimaginative or dismissed as sentimental kitsch. In fact surface decoration of any kind has been looked down upon by architects since Modernism introduced the pure white forms we are so familiar with. However the tide seems to be turning and there are many designers now embracing decoration and bold natural motifs. I have already looked at the history of silk design and seen the importance that naturalism played in 18th century textile design and therefor also in wallpaper design. I think it is important to incorporate craft and decoration into architecture to avoid ending up with a sterile environment. Traditionally an architect would design the building and the interior designer would worry about the surface decoration. I would like pattern and surface to be key to the my design and integrated from an early stage rather than just applied as an after thought.

The Influence of Textiles on Early Wallpaper Design

2010-02-10T10:14:00.006Z

The first examples of wallpaper date from the 15th Century and were used not only on walls but also to decorate ceilings and some items of furniture. At this time wallpaper was produced as small single sheets which could be used alone or joined to make a pattern. England led the way in the development of wallpaper and by 1700 had invented the role of wallpaper still common today. The length of 12 yards or approximately 10 metres is still a standard length for wallpaper today and the common width of 21 inches (56.5 cm) was the width of the silk which inspired many of the designs.

Wallpaper replaced fabric hangings and tapestries as a popular wall covering, although paper was expensive it was cheaper to reproduce a fabric design on paper and either hang it or paste it on to the wall. Early papers imitated textiles - mostly embroidery but also printed fabrics and lace. I was surprised to learnt whilst researching these papers that some of the best examples come from Epsom in Surrey, my home town and specifically from a house called The Shrubbery. The Shrubbery was demolished due to vandalism but it once stood on South Street, the same street that I live on now, it was also built in 1680, around the same time as the house that I live in and used for my initial project.

"Many examples of these early papers have been found at Epsom in Surrey, which was not only a spa own but was a place where wealthy merchants from London liked to live. The papers could even have been made there." The Papered Wall: The history, patterns and techniques of wallpaper.

The Shrubbery in Epsom - demolished due to vandalism, the site is now a roundabout.

Example of early 18th Century wallpaper from Epsom: Pre-joined single sheets grounded in yellow and stencilled and block-printed in various colours.

The V&A is home to most examples of early wallpaper; including some of the Epsom papers. You can search their collection for wallpapers from a specific time and place and it will bring up an information sheet detailing where and when it was found and any details about the origins or manufacture that are available. One of the papers in the V&A Collection is from Uppark in Sussex. It is an 18th Century design and depicts a 'spare and delicate pattern of trailing blue flowers with a simple cable border, closely resembling the embroidery of Spitalfields silk patterns.'

London was important in both the manufacture of silk and wallpaper. One of the most well known and technically advances wallpaper warehouses in London was located in Aldermanbury - just the other side of Liverpool street to Fournier Street, in the heart of the City of London. Spitalfields is approximately 1 mile away which further strengthens the links between the fabric and wallpaper trades.

Atelier Domino

2010-02-09T12:21:00.007Z

London based studio Atelier Domino focuses on hand-crafted art and design and particularly on pattern in interiors. The studio was set up by Ana Araujo and Willem de Bruijn, Ana trained as an architect in Brazil and has just finished a PhD on the themes of Pattern at UCL. During my review last week we discussed the importance of pattern to the design and I am widening my research to not only include silk pattern design but also the history and use of wallpaper in interiors. Atelier Domino's work is very relevant to my research and the many ways that they have reproduced patterns is inspiring.

Gravedure is a project at a home for elderly people in Belgium, it started as a wallpaper commission but then became a series of 'surface interventions' including wallpaper, curtains, ceiling tiles, furniture and uniforms. The inspiration came from the history of tapestry weaving and Flemish textiles in the area, this directly links to the research that I have been doing on the silk weaving industry in Spitalfields.

Tapestry Weaving

Tapestry design

Reproduction of design as a raised surface

Finished Product

Design embossed on to paper

The work of Atelier Domino has inspired me to try and design a pattern which could be repeated in a range of media throughout my project. I am going to do more research into the trends and fashions in fabric and wallpaper during the 18th Century which I will help me to gather a range of sources to work from.

My Lightbulb Moment!

2010-02-07T18:36:00.004Z

After struggling with what the program for my proposal should be for several weeks I had a bit of a 'light bulb' moment yesterday and came up with this proposal:

The main idea is that you would move through the 3 buildings (number 22, 24-26 and what is currently the gap at what would have been number 28) following the research and design process.

Number 22: This would be an archive collection of materials relating to Spitalfields and the silk trade in London during the 18th and 19th Century. It would be a place where artists and designers could come to learn about the area and specifically the silk industry. It would be the most private of the 3 spaces but still accessible to the local community.

Number 24-28: This would be a workshop and creative space with enough room for traditional weaving to be taught and with smaller rooms available for experimenting with ideas and techniques learnt at the archive. It would be semi private/public with a more transparent facade and viewing platforms. Artists will be able to interact with the community.

New building: The new building in the 'gap' will be a public space for the exhibiting and selling of work made in the neighbouring workshop space. It will be a very transparent building encouraging the local community to become part of the design process and also attracting new visitors to the area. It will be a space where ideas and techniques learnt through the research and making process can be shared.

I think the circulation of the buildings will be very important as I really want it to reflect the research and design process. The role that research, especially historical research, plays in the design process really interests me and I think this can be seen through the projects that I have looked at for inspiration. I found the 6A project at Raven Row so interesting because all of their decisions about form and material were based on research they had done into the buildings history and material techniques (such as the burnt wood). I have tried to approach this project in the same way; the historical research that I did into Spitalfields led me to discover the importance of the silk trade to Fournier Street and since then I have been experimenting with silk as a material which I will hopefully use in the making of my work and as a part of the final design proposal.

I do not yet want to worry too much about what form the buildings will take but think that this is an important step forward as it will allow me to focus my research and move on with the project.

Layering History

2010-02-07T11:49:00.004Z

During my review with Ken and Pete they suggested that it would be interesting to layer my 'lost' elevation of Fournier Street with the current elevation. I have used photoshop to do this quickly, fading out the 'lost' elevation so it appears as a ghostly memory behind the current elevation.

Layered Elevation

I am hoping that by experimenting with the layering of the elevations it will inspire me when I am thinking about what form my design will take and what the facade of the buildings should look like. I would not be re-creating the originals but I would like there to be a trace of what the site might have looked like when it was first built.

Fournier Street's 'Lost' Buildings

2010-02-05T10:15:00.005Z

I was inspired by Jonanthan Glancy's book 'Lost Buildings' to imagine what Fournier Street might have looked like before the original houses at numbers 22, 24, 26 and 28 were demolished. I used other houses on the street as inspiration and also the information I had gathered from historic site research. 22-28 were built as a later addition to the street, they do not appear on the original drawings or on the survey as they had been demolished before it was taken. They were on a 96 year lease granted by Wood and Michell in May 1728 to Samuel Worrall who started to build straight away. If they were demolished after the lease ran out they would have been gone by 1824, by this time the silk trade was declining so it is likely that the houses had become run down or were empty. I think numbers 22-28 Fournier Street would have been less grand than some of their neighbours and would have been slightly narrower. I have used the simpler, arched door with fanlight from houses further up the street and larger square windows. They would probably still have had attic spaces for weaving so I have included windows in the roof.

22-28 Fournier Street as I imagine they would have looked in the 1700's

22-28 Fournier Street as they look today

Lost Buildings

2010-02-04T19:18:00.007Z

Jonathan Glancey's latest book 'Lost Buildings' is about buildings that have been 'lost' due for different reasons. It covers buildings lost in myth, dreams, peace and war, political losses, acts of God, self-destruction and buildings that were never built. It is a really interesting book with beautiful images including fantasy drawings, architects plans, painting and photography.

One of my favourite sections 'Lost in Dreams' covers things such as biblical buildings, the Space Hilton Hotel from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and Toad Hall from Wind in the Willows.

Buildings in Berlin feature quite a lot in the book as many have been lost through war or been demolished during the decades after. One building which has recently been demolished and caused quite a lot of controversy was the Palast der Republik (1973-76) which was home to the communist GDR government. It was a huge steel, glass and concrete building which was seen as a communist icon. The site of the Palast der Replublik was once home to the Stadtschloss, a medieval castle which was home to the Prussian Kaisers, this was also demolished for political reasons after World War One and the end of Imperial Germany. The Palast der Republik was abandonded in 1990 after the fall of the wall and was uninhabited for over a decade due to problems with asbestos. It was finally demolished in 2006. Many Berliners did not want the building demolished despite its political controversy. It was a distinctive part of the Berlin cityscape and could have had future uses. Plans to rebuild the Stadtschloss now that the Palast has been demolished have met with outrage.

The Palast der Republik in 1976

The Foyer

Site Drawings

2010-02-04T17:54:00.008Z

I have used information gathered from planning applications, photographs and site visits to draw a set of plans and an elevation of my proposed site. I found this process useful and researching the site was very interesting. There have been several planning applications relating to the gap between the corner of Brick Lane and 24-26 Fournier Street, an application to turn 24-26 into offices and a proposal to demolish number 28 and build a modern townhouse in its place. I have tried to be as accurate as possible but somethings were impossible to measure or get drawings of so I have had to use photographs to copy a few details.

Silk Paper Making

2010-02-04T17:18:00.007Z

I have experimented with several ways of making a
material from the cleaned and natural throwsters waste. I found a book in the library about how to use different types of silk fibres to make paper (Handmade Silk Paper by Kath Russon, Search Press, 1999) and have been using the technique from the book to make paper for my site model.

How to Make Silk Paper:

Protect your work surface with newspaper/plastic.
On top of the newspaper lay down a sheet of fine plastic net.
Firmly pull the fibres apart and lay down the handfuls of silk so that they overlap slightly.
Cover the sheet of net to the desired thickness.
Place a second sheet of net over the top to stop the fibres moving.
Use your hands to work wall paper paste into the fibres. Use firm circular movements to press the paste through the net.
Turn over the 2 sheets of net and do the same on the reverse to make sure that all the fibres are soaked in the paste.
Carefully peel off the top layer of net.
Leave the fibres to dry either in a warm place or hung on a washing line.
Once the fibres are totally dry you can peel them away from the net and you are left with the finished paper.

Examples of silk paper made from hand dyed throwsters waste:

I also learnt from the book that it is possible to create objects from the paper when it is wet. The wet fibres can be carefully shaped around molds in a similar way to paper mache. You can also shape dry paper by dampening it with a water spray.

I decided to use this process to make my site model. I had been trying to decide for a while what materials to use to create the model as I didn't want to just use foam board or MDF as I felt that these materials did not accurately represent the atmosphere and varied textures of the area. I eventually decided to use layered cardboard to make the main buildings and then silk paper to make the 2 buildings that I am planning on using for my project. I liked the idea of the cardboard as it was completely recycled from boxes that I had in my house and the material had a history, a previous use that makes it more interesting than the very precise and white architectural models that you see so often. For the silk models I created molds from left over grey board, wrapped them in clingfilm and then draped the wet silk fibres over. I then left them to dry overnight before removing the molds.

City Short: Berlin

2010-02-04T13:13:00.003Z

This film from Wallpaper magazine features artists and architects from Berlin discussing the city; it's potential as a creative space and the opportunities for designers to make their mark on both the environment and the history of the city. Carson Chan from PROGRAM describes the city as a 'free space' where the lack of an established structure makes it easy for anyone to find a space for their work and an audience. He thinks it is this freedom which attracts creative industries to Berlin and makes it a unique place to work. Wolfram Putz from GRAFT believes it is the 'unfinished narrative' which draws people to the city, the story of growth is continuing and it is exciting to feel like you could be a part of that story. I think the idea of the 'unfinished narrative' is really interesting. I think that some cities do feel as though their stories have finished, maybe due to the fact that they are so protected from development that they can't move forward or grow anymore. Parts of London also feel like this; the older, wealthier areas such as Mayfair, Chelsea and Kensington have not changed for decades and are unlikely to do so in the future. I think that is the interesting thing about the East End of London, it has constantly been in flux with the waves of immigrants that have settled there and it is continuing to grow and develop today.

Candida Hofer

2010-01-20T17:04:00.007Z

Candida Hofer is an architectural photographer who specialises in photographing historical public and semi public spaces. Since 1980 she has been photographing spaces without people, this can make her work seem a little detached but allows her to focus on the detail or the space, revealing patterns and repeated forms. The lack of people also draws the viewers attention to things that are out of place or might otherwise have gone unnoticed. I came across her work in the David Chipperfield exhibition at the Design Museum, she has taken some very beautiful pictures of the Neues Museum. There are several books of her work and she has exhibited all over the world. She was born in Germany in 1944 and studied under Bernd and Hilla Becher who were most well known for their photos of industrial buildings.

Theatre In Napoli, 2009

The Metropolitan Opera in New York, 2005

The New National Gallery in Berlin, 2002

The Neues Museum in Berlin, 2009

Ballet Studio in Hamburg, 2000

Silk Designs of the 18C

2010-01-20T15:52:00.008Z

As well as experimenting with the natural waste from silk I also want to look at the design of the patterns which were popular during the time of the French silk weavers in Spitalfields. I found several books in the library about the subject but the most interesting and useful one is from the V&A and is called 'Silk Designs of the Eighteenth Century'. The V&A has a huge collection of silk patterns and sample books from the early 17th Century to the collapse of the London silk market in 1830.

Silk Designed by James Leman 1708/9
In the early 1700's English design was influenced by French fashion. Chinoiserie was popular and the strong reds and yellows were due to particular types of metal thread that were widely available.

36: Silk design by James Leman 1719, 37: One of Anna Maria Gaithwaite's collection of 'Patterns not my Own' 1720

Silk Design by Anna Maria Gaithwaite 1740
As you can see the fashion for images of nature remained popular but by the 1730's designs were becoming more 3-Dimensional, this was possible due to a shading technique called 'points rentres' developed by the French in 1732.

Silk Design by Anna Maria Gaithwaite 1744
The work of Anna Maria Gaithwaite and James Leman helped to develop this distinctly English style of silk.

Samples from the order book of an unknown French Merchant from the early 1760's.
By 1760 the influence of French design returned with typical designs combining silk/lace/ribbon with floral motifs to create a stylised trompe-loeil effect.

Waistcoat woven by Maize and Steer 1789.
By the late 1700's patterns had become much more geometric and abstract, neo-classical stripes and rosettes of formal flowers were popular, colours were predominately pastels although dramatic darker shades were also popular for a few years.

I don't know yet how or if I will incoporate pattern into my own designs but it is something that interests me and I think that as I am looking at other aspects of the silk trade this is a good place to start.

Spaces and Narrations Lecture 1: Tom Emmerson, 6A Architects

2010-01-19T09:45:00.007Z

Yesterday's Spaces and Narrations lecture was from Tom Emmerson of 6A Architects. He started the practice with Stephanie Macdonald after they studied together at the RCA and it is now one of the leading young architecture practices in the country. Their work ranges in scale from installations and exhibition design to larger commercial and residential projects. The project that interested me the most was their conversion of 2 Georgian townhouses in Spitalfield's into a contemporary arts centre.

Exterior of the Houses - originally built in 1690 the facade and shop fronts were added in the mid 1700's by a Huguenot silk merchant and it was altered again in the 1830's when the windows were dropped on the first floor and an iron railing added. This railing has not survived but inspired the use of cast iron cladding on the back facade.

Raven Row consists of a modern gallery space in a newly built basement and refurbished historical rooms on the upper levels. Much of the building's interiors were destroyed by a fire but their damaged remains were left and they were able to restore them. Also a complete intact interior was discovered in Chicago, it had been sold to an American in the 20's and had survived in storage. The interior was returned to the building and painstakingly pieced back together over 6 weeks.

An example of a reconstructed Rococo interior.

This fireplace is part on the original house from 1690.

The materials used throughout the building such as the charred timbers on the roof lights and the cast iron on the back facade were inspired by the buildings history as well as being practical. The burning to the timber actually stops it deteriorating further and strangely protects it from catching fire again. The cast iron was more durable to wear and tear so was used at street level.

The details such as the stair and door knob were inspired by materials and form found in the building. The stair is based on an 18C cantilevered stair but was formed out of concrete instead of stone to give it a contemporary twist and the handrail is based on the shape of the existing stair.

The door knob has a thumb print in which gives it a very tactile quality.

From Waterloo to Shad Thames: A Foggy Walk along the Southbank

2010-01-19T09:01:00.011Z

Yesterday I spent my afternoon walking along the Southbank from Waterloo station to the Design Museum on Shad Thames. My walk took me past the Oxo Tower, the Tate Modern, Clink Street and the remains of Winchester Palace, The Golden Hind, Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge, More London Place, Tower Bridge and through the converted warehouse development on Shad Thames. It was a very foggy day as you can see from the photos below but still a really interesting walk. I stopped at the Tate to see Miroslaw Balka's How It Is installation which was impressive in scale but I thought slightly disappointing once you were inside.

Along the Southbank walk it is easy to see how London has changed from an industrial city reliant on the Thames for success to a modern commercial centre and tourist destination. The converted warehouses of the Oxo Tower Wharf and Shad Thames are now luxury apartments, restaurants and boutiques. I think that the Oxo Wharf has been a very successful project, it was developed in the 1990's after facing demolition in the 70's and 80's. The architects were Liftschutz Davidson who won the RIBA award for Architecture for the project in 1997. I found the walk inspiring and I think that some of the projects such as the Tate Modern and Oxo Tower will be useful in my research.

The Design Museum

My final stop along the Southbank was the Design Museum to see the exhibition on David Chipperfield Architects. I was aware of his work before this project but it was only when I researched the Neues Museum that I became really interested in the practice. The exhibition explores Chipperfield's increasing interest in historical work and his sensitivity to architectural history and memory. I thought the exhibition was very good and it had a lot of information on the Neues Museum as well as an interview with David Chipperfield about the design of the project and the approach they took to restoration. The line drawings on the wall are graphically very strong but simple and represent the essence of his designs. I also really enjoyed the models on display and thought that they really added to the photography and drawings.

Silk Weaving

2010-01-12T11:58:00.005Z

Silk weaving started in Spitalfield's with the arrival of the French Huguenot refugee's, silk weaving existed in London before this time but not on the scale that occurred from 1685 onwards. Money was raised to help the newly arrived immigrants who came with nothing but their knowledge of their occupation. This quote from the editor of Stow's Survey of London shows how highly the skills of the silk weavers were regarded:

'Here they have found quiet and security, and settled themselves in their several trades and occupations; weavers especially. Whereby God's blessing surely is not only brought upon the parish by receiving poor strangers, but also a great advantage hath accrued to the whole nation by the rich manufactures of weaving silks and stuffs and camlets, which art they brought along with them. And this benefit also to the neighbourhood, that these strangers may serve for patterns of thrift, honesty, industry, and sobriety as well.'

The silk weavers mainly came from Lyon and Tours where the best quality silks were imported from, soon though the skills of the London silk weavers meant that some of the best silks in Europe were being manufactured in Britain. The refugees passed on their skills to local people and the area thrived. This is a drawing by William Hogarth from 1738 called Noon depicting the rich and godly French Huguenot's with the British residence of Spitalfield's.

In 1721 silk weaving was described as one of the countries main branches of manufacture. Parliament raised the tax on imported goods to further encourage the growth of local industry and in 1764 after protests from weavers they also reduced the import duty on raw silk and prohibited the importing of silk ribbons, stockings and gloves.

In Fournier Street many of the houses were owned by wealthy silk weavers. The looms would be in the generous roof spaces and the family would live below. To stop the noise of the looms from travelling through the house the weavers would stuff the spaces between the floorboards with silk throwsters waste. Throwsters waste is the virgin silk fibres that are discarded during the reeling process. When reeling the silk cocoons the fibres can become tangled and they have to be cut from the machine. This tangled fibres are still soft and lustrous but not any use for weaving. In modern crafts throwsters waste can be used to make felt, silk paper and as a quilting material. It comes either in it's natural state; still coated in the sericin gum from the cocoon or it can be cleaned. In it's clean state it can be spun to form silk yarn. I bought some of the cleaned throwsters waste:

I also pressed some of the fibres to try and create a material, it was quite successful but I think that it would unravel over time so I have decided to purchase some the uncleaned, natural waste to try and create a silk paper.

I really like the natural properties of the throwsters waste, it is very soft but also very strong and I would like to find a way to incorporate it into my project. For now I am going to continue to experiment with it.

Wrapped Reichstag by Christo and Jeanne-Claude

2010-01-05T15:20:00.009Z

The wrapping of the Reichstag by Christo and Jeanne-Claude took 24 years to complete after fierce debates surrounding the fate of the building. When it was finally wrapped in 1995 it was to celebrate a new era of German parliament and a new era for the building. Foster and Partners were commisioned in 1993 to restore the building and propose a new design for the destroyed cupola. By wrapping it in fabric the artists allowed people to appreciate the scale and beauty of the building without the prejudice of political opinion or historical knowledge. It drew attention to the building for new and positive reasons and it once again became the centre of the city.

Time-lapse video of the wrapping process:

Site Analysis

2010-01-05T12:49:00.005Z

View Larger Map

Satellite Image of Fournier Street and the Surrounding Area.

Site plan showing the site and surrounding buildings.

Site Plan showing listed buildings in the area.

Famous Residents

2010-01-04T16:21:00.014Z

Many famous people now own houses on Fournier Street. Here are a few of their views on the area and how it has changed:

Gilbert and George's Eastenders - Alistair McKay for the Evening Standard (31.01.07) talking to Gilbert and George

"Fournier Street was occupied by buttonmakers, furriers and hat-makers, and the area was Jewish. "The front doors were open all day," says George. "All the windows were open, so people would speak to each other from one side of the street to the other. Extraordinary antique behaviour. "This area has been everything. It's been a Roman cemetery, it's been part of the hospital for the returning Crusaders. It's been a manufacturing base for guns which, curiously, was staffed entirely by Germans. "In between the Jews and the Bangladeshis, it was briefly Maltese, then Somali. It was extraordinary when it was Maltese because they all had Alsatian dogs, they kept ferrets, they played cards all day."

"To explore this further, Gilbert and George take me on a tour. The first stop is the mosque on the corner of Fournier Street and Brick Lane. "That was the synagogue when we were students," says George. "The posh synagogue at that." "It was a French church," says Gilbert. "A Huguenot church. They tried to convert Jewish people to Christianity. It didn't work." Facing the end of the street is the BanglaCity cash-and-carry, where we pause to admire some tumblers. "This section of the design is like a hand grenade," says George. "And this is like the butt of a revolver. Somehow or other it's found its way into glassware. We wondered where these were from, and we looked underneath - Saudi Arabia."

Me and My Home: A House with History - Caroline Wingfield for the Independent talking to John Nicolson.

"The room in the basement, which is now the kitchen, was completely underground and I've restored it back to its original proportions. There was a staircase that came down from the shop above, but it was really just a tunnel that you could barely crawl in. It had originally been a room, and the fireplace is still there. We think it was used to dye silk and they would use the chimney for ventilation. The strange thing is that because they were very poor, the people who lived in the house didn't, as we would do, renovate by ripping everything out and replacing, they renovated by enclosing. So each new generation built walls across the walls and ceilings over the ceilings, floors on top of floors. So the whole thing gradually became like a Russian doll, all boxed in, and it was much smaller when I came than it is now. What I did was peel off layers: plastic wood, then hardboard, then metal sheeting, then layers of wallpaper and finally you got to the original panelling."

"The Huguenots used to hide horseshoes round the house and I've found four so far. After the discoveries, I decided to leave a time capsule in the house myself. I thought to myself, 'What would I like to find?' I thought I'd like to find who was in the house, what they thought about their period, what they thought about the house, where they came from, what their families' names were, what they thought about social attitudes at the time. When you think what this house has been through, it's been through wars and famine, through the Jacobite rising of 1745 - that was happening when this house was 30. I would love to know what the people living here thought about these big issues. So I put in some pictures of the way the house was before I renovated it and now, wrote about the job of renovating it, wrote about my job. I then wrapped it in plastic and put it in a wooden box. They'd have to do major work to find it, but if they did major work, they would find it."

At Home in the 18th Century - Caroline McGhie for the Telegraph talking to Dan Cruickshank

"All these streets were derelict in the early 1970s," he says. "The houses were gaunt, open to the sky and the street. I walked into this house over a pile of rubble and through that window." He points to the black shutters at the back of the house. It was incredible. Perfect. With rain pouring into buckets on the top floor. The families had left their furniture. The whole street was up for demolition. The fact that houses were listed meant nothing."

"Indeed the City Fringe is now so sought-after that it is no longer thought of as East London but as Central London. "No one used to live in these areas apart from council tenants," says David Salvi of Hurford Salvi Carr. "But now it is one of the most fashionable places to live and work. It's where the young artists and designers are plying their trade." In his time he has seen the Fringe take off like a Mexican wave, starting with Clerkenwell in the early 1990s, then Shoreditch and Spitalfields, followed by Borough and Bermondsey."

"More money is being spent on them, but they are empty. These people come and go and don't make a community."

24-28 Fournier Street

2010-01-04T14:46:00.007Z

24-28 Fournier Street is the site I have chosen for my project this year. Fournier Street links Brick Lane to Spitalfield's Market and contains some of the best examples of Georgian townhouse architecture in London. The beginning of Fournier Street is marked by the imposing Christ Church Spitalfields, built by Hawksmoor in 1714 and completed in 1729. The church faces Commercial Street and towards the City of London. At the other end of Fournier Street is Brick Lane and the thriving Bangladeshi community.

Survey of Fournier Street from 1870. Image courtesy of British History Online.

Fournier Street was the last street to be built on the Wood and Michell Estate, a 96 year licence was granted to Samuel Worrell who began building the houses in 1728. In the early 1700's London was home to a lot of French Huguenots who had fled to England to escape persecution by the French King Louis IX, by 1710 there were around 50,000 Huguenots living in England and half of these in London. The east end had cheap rents and the large houses on Fournier Street had excellent loft spaces ideal for small industry,the Huguenots were attracted to the area and soon set up prosperous silk weaving businesses. Until the 1800's the silk trade continued to do well but with increases in travel and trade silk was soon available cheaper from India and the area quickly declined. The rich Huguenots moved out to the suburbs of London or to the surrounding country and the area fell into decline. In the late 1800's persecuted Jews fled from Eastern Europe and settled in England, again they were attracted to Spitalfields by low prices. The Huguenot Church became a Synagogue and the grand houses were subdivided to form smaller dwellings. By 1905 the Jewish immigration prompted the first 'Alien Act' to limit immigration and by the the 1930's the antifascist movement had installed fear in the Jewish population of East London. Soon the Jewish population also moved away from the area and were replaced by other immigrants from Africa, India and Bangladesh. The synagogue on Fournier Street was converted once again, this time into a Mosque. The Bangladeshi community because very strong and now 68% of the areas population is Bangladeshi, earning it the nickname Banglatown. Spitafields has got closer and closer to the wealth of the City, Spitalfield's market is now an upmarket shopping destination for City workers and tourists and the bars and pubs attract people from all over London. The shadow of the city can be felt in Fournier Street, with the high rise, modern buildings clearly visible. Fournier Street feels almost like an oasis, untouched by modern development. The only visible change is the colour of the front doors and wooden shutters, now all fashionable shades of plum and mustard yellow. The uniqueness of Fournier Street has made it very desirable, many famous faces have made it their home although this means that security is tight and the street has lost it's community atmosphere. Amongst the famous inhabitants are the artists Gilbert and George and the architectural historian Dan Cruickshank. Both rescued their houses from demolition in the 60's and 70's when post-war development destroyed large parts of London's history.

24 to 28 Fournier Street is at the end where it meets Brick Lane, opposite the Mosque. 24 to 26 is relatively modern warehouse style building which has recently been converted into offices. 28 is a gap between this modern building and 54 Brick Lane. The gap extends all the way back to Seven Stars Yard. It is currently being used as a garage and kitchen area for the restaurants on Brick Lane.

An Image of the site taken from Google Street View

The yard at the back of the site is named after the pub it backs on to, The Seven Stars. This pub is now derelict, the pub has been there since 1711 and was rebuilt in 1937, it closed down in 2002. Numbers 24-28 were demolished before the street became part of a Conservation area, all other buildings on the street are now listed, including 54 Brick Lane which forms the corner.

I do not yet know exactly what I want to put on the site but I do want to continue my work on recording memory and history in buildings which I started with my earlier castings. I intend to design a new intervention for the gap (number 28) and also to propose alterations to 24-26. I want to use this historically interesting and unique street to explore my ideas on alteration, restoration and preservation. I hope that this will link into my research ideas and help me to understand the difficulties of designing in a historical context.

Neues Musuem - Berlin

2009-12-18T11:46:00.009Z

The Neues Museum in Berlin has opened to critical acclaim and the praise it is recieving is all down to the beautiful and painstaking renovation carried out by David Chipperfield Architects, in collaboration with conservation specialists Julian Harrap. The museum was designed by Friedrich August Steuler and built between 1841 and 1849. It's structure and contents were sensational at the time, the incredibly lightweight structure used the latest technology and was very innovative. The museum was damaged in 2 bombing raids during the Second World War and was left as a ruin in East Berlin. It was only after the Berlin wall was removed that any care was taken of the building and in 1997 David Chipperfield won the competition to rebuild it. This was not without controversy as many felt that such an important German building should not be left in the hands of a British Architect. There was also many differing opinions about the fate of the building, many wanted it restored to it's original design while others thought it should be replaced with a modernist structure. Chipperfield has not gone for either of these options but has managed to retain the buildings integrity by restoring original art work whilst also adding modern alterations.

The Ruined Building

The new central staircase and main hub of the museum. The staircase has caused a lot of controversy because of it's bold form and use of concrete. When describing the design on their website the architects say that "the new reflects the lost without imitating it". I think this has been successful, the stair has enhanced the original space and the scale, proportion and symmetry of the intervention echoes the past design without becoming a copy.

Restored Frescoes. When restoring the building the Architects worked to the principles set out in the Venice Charter and respected the historical structure in its different states of preservation. As you can see from the image above any damage to the fresco has been carefully restored with modern materials but no attempt at recreating the original artwork has been made. The damage to the building and its past as a ruin is clearly visible.

Modern alterations are bold yet simple and reflect the buildings grandeur.

Damage to Columns. This image shows how the damage to the building has been left exposed and not covered by new plaster or brickwork.

Restored Ceiling. Another example of the restoration approach used throughout the building.

The layering of old and new is what makes this building so interesting. If you knew nothing of the museums history you would still understand the spaces and be able to read its tumultuous past through the fabric of the building. The craftsmanship and the quality of the architectural detailing shines through and provides a stunning backdrop for the pieces on show as well as being artwork in their own right. Each room has been treated individually but yet they all come together to form a series of coherent spaces which are clearly legible. The modern additions are not over bearing or intrusive, although they are typical of Chipperfield's style they have been clearly considered and designed with the history of the building in mind.

New V&A Day-Lit Gallery - Construction Images

2009-12-18T11:07:00.011Z

The images below are all from an article on BD Online about the MUMA Refurbishment of the V&A's Medieval and Renaissance Galleries, focusing on the creation of a new day-lit space between 2 buildings.

This was the existing lightwell which was only discovered after MUMA had been appointed to do the refurbishment. The project was initially much smaller but on discovery of this lightwell MUMA proposed a more ambitious project which was backed by the museum.

This is a visualisation of the space by MUMA. I like the almost ghostly quality of the image and the way light is represented.

The glass roof under construction. The roof cost 1.1 million and was an engineering challenge. It sits 14m above floor level and 73 glass beams span between the 2 buildings. The roof undulates as the pitch and length of the beams change, the roof slope varies between 19 and 39 degrees.

The glass beams appear to disappear into the brickwork, there are no obvious connections to distract the eye and the roof appears to float.

V&A Medieval and Renaissance Galleries

2009-12-18T10:11:00.012Z

The newly refurbished Medieval and Renaissance Galleries have just opened at the V&A Museum in South Kensington. The architects were MUMA (McInnes Usher McKnight), a young architecture practice based in London. The refurbishment has taken 7 years to complete and includes the entire south east wing of the museum as well as a new day-lit gallery in the space between 2 buildings. I visited the galleries briefly on Tuesday and hope to return to spend some more time photographing the new alterations on Monday. Below are a few snaps I took on my first visit:

The New Central Staircase

The Bonita Trust Study Area

Staircase to the New Day-lit Gallery

New Glass Roof

Detail

The refurbishment of the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries is just one part of the V&A's larger Future Plan. The aim of Future Plan is to bring the V&A into the 21st century, improving facilities, such as the cafe which was also refurbished by MUMA and completed in 2006, galleries, including Ceramics (Stanton Williams) and Jewellery (Eva Jiricna Architects Ltd), and also new contemporary exhibition space by Block Architecture. The Medieval and Renaissance Galleries form a large part of this plan and have improved circulation throughout the building by introducing a central staircase and lift which for the first time links all 6 levels of the museum. I think my favourite part of the refurbishment is the new day-lit gallery which uses the previously wasted space between 2 buildings. A glass roof has been added to make the space internal but the history of the space is very clear and easily read. The curved wall of the adjacent gallery has been used to create a seating space to admire the large scale pieces on display. These include a facade of a building which survived the Great Fire of London and a spiral staircase.

I think the refurbishment is succesful and the new displays are beautifully designed (also my MUMA), the lighting scheme is particularly interesting and lighting has been used throughout the galleries to create different atmospheres. The new alterations are obvious and do not try to blend in with the existing building or to compete with it. The subtle use of modern materials; including polished concrete, glass and steel, has created a contemporary space which complements the existing architecture.

Derelict London

2009-12-03T10:39:00.003Z

Derelict London is a website set up by Paul Talling as a photographic portrait of a different side of London. It is a collection of images of derelict or ruined buildings throughout London; some people have also contributed memories of the buildings or pleas to save them from demolition. Derelict London is also now a book. It is a fascinating record of these buildings and areas of London where regeneration has yet to take effect or that have simply been forgotten. It also provides a different view of the city that we are so used to seeing and brings to light the plight of some of these wonderful buildings. All his images are copyrighted so I couldn't include any on the blog but please visit his website, there is a lot of inspiration for sites!

Cambridge Science Park

2009-11-26T10:23:00.008Z

This is a project that I did whilst working for Aros Architects that has just completed. I was involved with designing and detailing the reception, atrium and common parts refurbishment. The reception scheme involved new flooring, lighting and soft seating as well as a new reception desk and decorative panel which is made from transparent fins coated in dichroic film. The images below are courtesy of Collins Construction and Aros Architects.

Quay 2c

2009-11-26T09:51:00.008Z

Yesterday we went on a studio visit to Quay 2c which is a multi disciplinary practice based in Peckham. The practice was set up by Ken Taylor and Julia Manheim. They live and work in Quay House which was the project they set the studio up around. It was once a milk depot and industrial site with a one storey traditional shed structure and milk yard, they got planning permission for a much larger dwelling which mirrors the proportions of the semi detached period properties on the rest of the road. They were inspired by the seaside and aimed to use as much of the existing structure as possible. Throughout the building you can see evidence of materials being recycled and original structure being retained. They lived in the building during all the work and budget was a key issue.

Spaces and Narrations Crit

2009-11-26T09:37:00.003Z

The week before the crit went very quickly but I was happy with what I achieved in the time and spent Thursday afternoon pinning up and preparing for Friday so I felt quite relaxed when it came to presenting my work. I did continue with the exhibition theme deciding to make it an exhibition about memory and the history of the everyday. Below is what I presented:

The large fireplace piece was the part I was happiest with. The wax casts were also quite successful when the main studio lights were turned off. If I had more time I would have improved the way that I made and presented some of the work but considering the time span of the project I was pleased with how it turned out. The feedback I got was good and I thought the way the crits were structured by Robin and Pete was excellent as it meant that we did not run over our allotted time and everyone got a chance to discuss the work being presented. The feedback sheets were also very helpful in focusing our presentations and recording the group discussions. There was a lot of interesting work up in the studio and it was really nice to see what everyone had been making. I was really impressed with the scale of some of the work and the quality of what people had made. There was also a lot of variety in what people presented which made it interesting to watch.

Group Tutorial

2009-11-13T17:36:00.003Z

Today we had a group tutorial with Pete and Ken. Our work had to be pinned up on the wall for discussion by 10 am. I spent quite a long time this week mounting and presenting my work in preperation for next weeks crit, I also experimented with the idea of mounting some of my work like museum pieces. Below is an image of the work I pinned up:

The tutorial went well and I got some very usefull feedback which included ideas about how to present the work next week. I have decided to present the work as a museum 'exhibition'. As part of the brief we had to write a 300 word text to accompany our 2D and 3D outcomes, my text is going to be in the form of an exhibition guide. I am happy with this idea and think that it will fulfill the brief and help me to explore my research concerns in greater detail. It was decided that the centre piece of the exhibition would be a larger mold of the fireplace assembled on the wall of the gallery with a selection of wax casts that I will light from behind to make them appear almost ghostly. These 3D outcomes will the presented along with my initial set of photographs of the house. I am now setting up a layout for my exhibition guide and trying to think of some names.

Timeline

2009-11-12T11:15:00.003Z

Yesterday I made a new mold of an exposed brick fireplace surround. The bricks are in the proccess of being stripped back and still have a layer of very old cream paint on them. I wasn't sure how this mold was going to work as some of the brick had been filled in and some was very damaged. The mold did not come off in one piece, it broke where the brick was damaged but you can clearly see where a concrete filler has been used and where there is paint on the bricks:

I left this mold in a warm place to dry and photographed it every half an hour. The weather was very bad and the light went quite early so several of the later photos are taken under artificial light. I then put these photographs onto a timeline to map the drying process:

Experimenting with Molding

2009-11-12T09:54:00.006Z

My first molds were just impressions in plasticine, the plasticine picked up the detail of the surfaces well and picked up some dust and paint but it did not really give any feeling for the space:

After attending an introduction to the workshop I became interested in using alginate, a natural molding material used by dentists to take impressions of patients teeth. It is a completely natural and non harmful method of molding and is often used for casting body parts for prosthetics. My first mold was of a cast iron fireplace. The mold did not come off in one piece as it stuck to the paint on the fireplace and in some places has pulled off the paint altogether. I left the mold on a sheet of paper after photographing it and noticed that within a few hours it had started to dry out and curl up. This is an image of the mold after I first removed it from the fireplace and also when it had dried:

I continued to experiment with molding different areas of the house, some were more successful than others. I think the wood carving worked best as the mold stayed in one piece and picked up all the detail but I think the ones that have fallen apart and picked up some of paint and dust are the more interesting:

I would like to document the proccess of the molds drying and try to capture an element of time passing. I also want to try casting one of the molds and am thinking about using wax to do this. At my tutorial we also discussed using film or audio to add another dimension to the molds, I haven't decided exactly how I want to do this yet but I like the idea of recording the sounds of the house.

Spaces, Narrations and Representations

2009-11-09T11:50:00.012Z

Introductory Project Weeks 1-6 The brief for this project was to collect 5 references which relate to our research concerns and represent spatial sequences in different media. The references were:

1. A short spatial sequence from a film
2. A spatial sequence from a novel or book (max 300 words)
3. An architectural sequence from a building we have visited.
4. A painting, abstract of figurative that establishes a relationship between the spectator and the virtual space of the painting.
5.A spatial sequence from a piece of sculpture or installation art.

We spent the first week of the project discussing our research concerns in small groups and had to come up with 6 words that described our ideas. My 6 words were: alteration, intervention, evolution, ownership, context and memory

I have quite clear ideas about what I want to research and explore during the year so found it quite easy to pick my words and find my examples. I am interested in the evolution of our built environment; the disused and forgotten spaces within cities and our treatment of historic buildings. With these ideas in mind I quickly decided on a piece of sculpture: after researching the artist my ideas developed and I found a piece a piece of text in a novel and a film sequence. The architectural sequence was inspired my a building I had visited whilst on holiday in the summer and the painting by the Turner Prize exhibition at the Tate Britain.

My final 5 references were:

1. Scene 1, The Old Steel Works from 'The Full Monty' by Peter Cattaneo.

2. Time Passes from The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf:

" Nothing stirred in the drawing-room or in the dining-room or on the staircase. Only through the rusty hinges and swollen sea-moistened woodwork certain airs, detached from the body of the wind (the house was ramshackle after all) crept round corners and ventured indoors. Almost one might imagine them, as they entered the drawing-room, questioning and wondering, toying with the flap of hanging wallpaper, asking, would it hang much longer, when would it fall? Then smoothly brushing the walls, they passed on musingly as if asking the red and yellow roses on the wallpaper whether they would fade and questioning (gently, for there was time at their disposal) the torn letters in the wastepaper basket, the flowers, the books, all of which were now open to them and asking: Were they allies? Were they enemies? How long would they endure?"

3. The Danish Jewish Museum by Daniel Libeskind.

4. Richard Wright - No Title, Installation from the Gagosian Gallery NY 2005

5. House by Rachel Whiteread, London 1993

After finding our 5 examples we then had to use them to create a spatial sequence of our own in both a 2D and 3D format. It was quite a difficult leap to move from analysing the references to creating our own piece of work and I initially found it difficult to see where I could go with my idea. After some group discussions and further research I decided to look at the idea of negative space and casting, this was mainly influenced by my sculpture reference; House by Rachel Whiteread. I still did not know what I wanted to cast though but decided to buy some plastacine and experiment with it in my own house. This led to a series of 3 small impressions of a fireplace surround, wooden carving and a brick pattern. I liked the impressions so much I decided to photograph some of the more interesting and unusual parts of the house and presented the images with the impressions at a tutorial.

The tutorial went well and after discussing the ideas with Ken (course director) I decided to continue using my house as a subject for the project. I moved from London into the house in Epsom, Surrey in August and it is currently being refurbished. It is a grade 2 listed Georgian cottage (built around 1660) with a later Victorian extention which used to be a shop but is now part of the house. All the alterations over the years have a created a rich history which is very visable throughout the building. It is these memories which I would like to capture through my molding.