Site Drawings

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

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:

1. Protect your work surface with newspaper/plastic.
2. On top of the newspaper lay down a sheet of fine plastic net.
3. Firmly pull the fibres apart and lay down the handfuls of silk so that they overlap slightly.
4. Cover the sheet of net to the desired thickness.
5. Place a second sheet of net over the top to stop the fibres moving.
6. Use your hands to work wall paper paste into the fibres. Use firm circular movements to press the paste through the net.
7. 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.
8. Carefully peel off the top layer of net.
9. Leave the fibres to dry either in a warm place or hung on a washing line.
10. 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

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

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

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

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

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.