BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE?

I was joined for Thinking Aloud by a mixed group of people which included several architects who had come very specifically to see Mind Into Matter. There were lots of questions about the criteria for selecting the 8 "exemplary buildings" and some debate about the choices of Clouds House, The Royal Mail Sorting Office and The British Embassy, but no alternatives were offered. It would be interesting to hear from any of those present if, having given it some more thought, they might now have their own "wish list" of buildings to be included.

As my interest in architecture has grown over the past few weeks, I've picked up on some projects which have recently been in the news - Masdar, the eco-city in the Abu Dhabi desert, which Sir Norman Foster is currently involved in developing; The Darwin Centre (mentioned in my earlier blog), the Bird's Nest Stadium and "Bubble Building" built for the Beijing Olympics, and just this week, the "Digital Cloud", a huge futuristic steel mesh tower topped by a "cloud" of transluscent bubbles proposed as a tourist attraction for the London 2012 Olympic park.
Are these amazing buildings evolving as a result of new materials, design and building techniques? Is this the way that architecture is going to develop for the 21st century? What did the architects in the group think of these buildings with a big "Wow" factor?

The Digital Cloud proposed for the London 2012 Olympic Park

It was suggested that architects have a responsibility to design buildings for people - not for the "Wow" factor  - a point which was much considered in Alan Powers' selection. And yes, of course, funcionality is key to a successful building - we all know buildings which are a pleasure to be in, and those which are not, but equally, we acknowledge the inspirational effect which amazing buildings can have. But how will architecture develop now that architects are not limited by the need to use brick or stone or timber? Instead, will new designs be limited by environmental issues and the need for careful use of resources, or will these problems lead to new, inspiring and imaginative design solutions.

There were some strong opinions about the influence of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and the design possibilities offered which can not be achieved through traditional drawing methods. There were also strong feelings about the "loss" of drawing skills and the trend towards extravagant design "just because we can". One of the architects explained about the intuitive qualities of drawing and the importance of transforming first thoughts into lines on paper during the earliest parts of the design process, a point which I can appreciate as an artist. I know from experience how very quickly the act of drawing raises questions and highlights problems concerning structure and form. It would be interesting though to hear the other side of these arguments from architects who have been brought up with CAD as an essential tool.

Links:
Masdar - http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/1515/Default.aspx
Bird's Nest Stadium - http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/beijing-birds-nest-stadium-wins-coveted-lubetkin-prize/5205134.article

Bubble Building - http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/02/27/bubble-building-national-swim-center-in-beijing/
The Digital Cloud - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8350770.stm

WALK AND TALK

Gale force winds and torrential rain didn't keep visitors away from the galleries yesterday, and perhaps even encouraged them to stay longer than they might otherwise have done. It was interesting to meet a mixed group of people who had all come to the De La Warr Pavilion with different agendas on Saturday. Some had come to look at the sea being whipped up by the storm, others were there for a day of culture and entertainment - lunch, architecture, Heritage Orchestra and Beardyman.

During our walk through the exhibition we thought about ways in which we explore spaces using all our senses, touching the cold smooth surfaces of the marble used in Tony Fretton's British Embassy and the De La Warr's brass bannisters, imagining the smell of old wood on the staircase at Clouds House, the breeze blowing around the square of the Economist Plaza, the sound of footsteps echoing through the vaulted spaces of St Marys, Wellingborough. I remember how blind friends have told me of their strategies for getting to know their way around buildings by counting their paces between rooms, by listening to changes in the sound of their footsteps or feeling variations in texture under foot and hand.

THE COCOON

During the tours and Thinking Aloud, we've been talking a bit about buildings we like and I've found it hard to identify a personal favourite, however, today I visited The Natural History Museum in London and was reminded how much I love this building. In some ways it is similar to The Oxford Museum, which I also like, with its cathedral-like central hall and ornately carved columns, painted ceiling panels and terracotta panels.

(You can take a virtual tour of the Natural History Museum architecture at http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/history-architecture/architectural-tour/index.html)

While thinking about Mind Into Matter and reading a bit about contemporary architecture, it has dawned on me how much architecture is changing in the 21st century with revolutionary use of new materials and design techniques, and an emphasis on sustainability. One of the things I really enjoy about architecture in London is the way new and old exist so successfully side by side. I was amazed to visit the newly opened glass walled building which houses The Cocoon today, to step out of the ornate halls of the original building into the huge glass atrium of The Darwin Centre and travel up in the glass lift which gives fantastic new views of the exterior of the original building.

"Outside the Natural History Museum, the new Darwin Centre is shown here from the Wildlife Gardenadjacent to the historic Waterhouse building. it's clear how the new building links the Grade I listed Victorian Waterhouse building and Museum gardens, bringing together the old, the organic and the new." http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/history-architecture/architecture-darwin-centre/architectural-slideshow/index.html

SHELTER

This morning's weather made me think of Alan Power's talk yesterday in which he mentioned one of the most basic of our physical needs - the need for shelter. Alongside this thought is the notion that is reflected throughout the exhibition, that no matter what grand visions an architect might have, ultimately his or her buildings are for people to inhabit and must fulfil certain functions.

What a pleasure to be indoors in a safe, warm and dry place.

PERSONAL TIMELINES

At Thinking Aloud this week, we were discussing two of the group's fascination with and passion for architecture. It was difficult, they said, to pin down exactly what fuelled this fascination, but they listed several things which contributed to it. One of those things was the way in which architecture reflects social and cultural history.

Alan Powers' throughly informative timeline, running down the centre of the gallery offers some surprising information. Visitors to the gallery have added their own ideas of important events to a more personal timeline folder in the resource area of the gallery.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

It's great to explore an exhibition with an enthusiastic group of Walk and Talkers who point out something new to look at and think about each time.

Yesterday I particularly enjoyed the insight given by Nigel Green's contemporary photographs of the buildings, commissioned specially for the exhibition. His glimpse through a half open door into a splendid room at The Reform Club reminded us all of the uneasy relationship between public and private, with the tantalising view of  a place accessible only to a private membership. The notion of public and private came up again as we talked about Nigel's image of light flooding through the windows onto the landing and staircase at Clouds House. One of the group recalled childhood visits to a relatives home where, behind one of the closed doors on the landing (through which one would never dream of going), there was an aged aunt who had long since taken to her bed and was never seen - a strange experience which I can recall from my childhood too.

As we left the exhibition, the final discussion was about the photographs of Tony Fretton's British Embassy in Warsaw. The beautiful reflections of sky, trees and surrounding green areas belie the bomb-proof glass in the front skin of the building,  the strangely "trapped" green inner courtyards, the office furniture arranged in precise military rows, the hostile spiked metal railings shutting off the outdoor passageways all acting as reminders of the times we live in.

Thinking Aloud comments from the group:

a favourite building - The Lowry, Manchester (pictured right)
most disliked building - County Hall, Lewes
why they love architecture - the "wow" factor and
"Architecture is frozen music" (quote: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

SPECIAL THINKING

The idea of architects as special thinkers is still going round in my mind. What is a special thinker? Are we all special thinkers in our own way? Or does that de-value the notion of being a special thinker.

Referring to my constant companion, I Googled "special thinkers" and found that The Economic Club of Chicago was holding a Special Thinkers Forum to "address the questions and principles of complex adaptive systems and their lessons for business". Other "special thinkers" are portrayed as visionaries such as Will Marre, who, Google tells me, is founder of the "American Dream Project" purportedly a special thinker with "... a new vision for improving life at personal, local and national levels".

Architects, it seems, are a combination of many things - business man, mathematician, artist, philosopher,  visionary and more. Alan Powers mentioned in his talk yesterday the Victorian architect A W Pugin, who believed that architects had a moral and social remit to change the world, a responsibility which continues to be taken seriously in the light of our changing planet and the challenge to re-think the way we live and use our planet's resources.