a review of research...

As it is the end of my project, I thought I'd would be nice to reflect on the books and articles that have greatly influenced my design choices. The book "Out there : architecture beyond building. Installations" by International Architecture Exhibition., Besky, Alan., Biennale di Venezia introduced me to the curved sculptural work of Zaha Hadid. Her lotus project inspired me to look at my own design and push the boundaries of what could be architecturally achieved. Following this, I researched more into the work of Hadid, and following my tutors advice I looked at her design for the Bach Music Hall in Manchester. I was really impressed with the ring like structures, that surrounded the seating and stage, as they appeared to create an intimate atmosphere and also acted as sound reflectors; something I wanted to replicate within my own design. Another book that I found unusually influential was Catalytic formations : architecture and digital design by Ali Rahim. It features a selection of digitally created architecture forms. The architecture shown in the book is very simple but some exceptionally curved spaces have been created. These provided some inspiration for the additional structures within my design.
There were some other books that I found useful during the course of my masters project:

• Sustainable Olympic design and urban development by Pitts, Adrian C., Liao, Hanwen.
• Guggenheim by Cuito, Aurora.
• Zaha Hadid by Hadid, Zaha., Celant, Germano., Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
• Form + structure : the organisation of interior space by Brooker, Graeme., Stone, Sally, M.A.
• Temporary buildings : the trade-fair stand as a conceptional challenge by Schulte, Karin.
• Temporary urban spaces : concepts for the use of city spaces by Haydn, Florian., Temel, Robert.
• Page layout : inspiration, innovation, information by Walton, Roger.
• Portable architecture : design and technology by Kronenburg, Robert.
• Exhibit design : high impact solutions by Vranckx, Bridget.

the end is here...

Well I am writing this post the day before my final submission...words written, design boards prepared, its is nearly all over!

Its been a very demanding final few weeks, a combination of the Christmas break and the problems of snow have only increased the pressure to complete everything in time. But it is all complete, and I am extremely proud of the work I have been able to achieve. My biggest achievement has been the use of 3D max to produce my visuals and plans of my design, why an achievement? because I only started learning how to use 3D max in October.

I found researching local regeneration projects really interesting and I am keen to build upon the knowledge i have gained within future employment. It has certainly opened my eyes to the real impact design and architecture can have on those that use it. It found it helped me reflect upon my design choices, and what impact they would have on the space and those using it.

Having identified the impact small regeneration project can have on communities, I have proposed a temporary design for tow retail units in Barnsley. The project, named Rendezview, aims to be a popular meeting place. Barnsley' master plan regeneration dreams of encouraging creativity, providing services and becoming an attractive destination, so I have designed my scheme to build upon these aspirations. Rendezview will create a space for aspiring artist to showcase their work within the public eye, and allow the community to have a designated space. I have included below some of the final visuals from my design project:

Looking back over this master's course, it is fair to say that i have had a few ups and downs... but I have enjoyed the experience, as it has enabled me to establish new interests within the design field and has built upon the strengths gained from my BA degree. I hope that the experience gained will help when I look to gain employment within a design practice.

my design...latest ideas

So this is the first real physical design Ive had in a few months....I finally managed to gain access to the two retail units in Barnsley, so spent a Friday morning measuring the space in order to create a basic model.

The ideas behind the design are linked the the Olympics and the five rings. Although they have become slightly distorted and are slowly moving away from that theme...but it was a useful way to begin my design process.

Before I was able to even create this 3D max model, I used a combination of paper and card to develop shapes and ideas that could be then translated into the 3D model. I have included a couple of examples below for you to browse:

Im really pleased with the way my final project is developing and the ideas that being generated. The fact the site is within my local town has also helped me contextualise the project, and draw inspiration from other projects within the area.

I am also beginning to make some progress on the written element of my thesis. I have decided to research into regeneration projects and their affect of communities...this has been partly influenced by the proposed regeneration of Barnsley, which would encompass the site I have chosen for my design project.

Anyway I will update again, probably towards the end of the project when my design is more advanced...

a review of my ideas...

Apologies that I have not been on here for a while but a mixture of holidays and lots of reading has prevented me from writing...

Over the last few weeks, my thesis proposal has dramatically changed, for the better I feel. Here is the current proposal...

"In October 2008, Barnsley Council announced a new partnership with the borough of Newham, hosts of the 2012 London Olympics. A series of cultural and sporting events are planned to bring the Olympic buzz to Barnsley, so in keeping with this partnership I propose to design an adaptive structure promoting the Olympics. By using one of the numerous empty shops in the town centre, I intend to design a space which will be of benefit to the community of Barnsley before and after the Olympics, whilst assisting with the ongoing town regeneration.

In order to produce a worthwhile design that will benefit Barnsley once the Olympics are over, I plan to engage the community of Barnsley by asking for their input into possible ideas for the structure’s use. By using a space of around 400m2, with the possibility to extend onto two floors and into the street-scape, I hope to explore the design in both concept and detail.

Following my previous work looking at sustainable and mobile exhibition spaces, I want to use my final design project to explore this further. By exploring the principles adopted by the 2012 Olympics programme to provide resources that have a legacy, I aim to explore the creation of an exhibition / promotional space in Barnsley, away from the main centres that engage communities in the games; and which after the Olympics have a legacy use for the local community.

In addition to considering the Olympic plans, I also intend to research into previous urban regeneration schemes to establish ideas and designs that have proved successful. By evaluating schemes used across the world and for various uses, I will gain an insight into what temporary ideas are already available and discover where my design fits."

So I am currently attempting to contact Barnsley Council to gain copies of plans and access to a shop within the town...It is taking a bit longer than I expected however I do have a back-up plan available if it does take much longer. I am conscious that this delay is preventing me begin the design project however I have been reading a really interesting book called "Temporary Urban Spaces: Concepts for the use of city spaces" by F Haydn & R Temel. It has some good essays by a variety of people involved in regeneration, and is definitely got me thinking about what my design project will entail.

Once I have some more news on the project, I will let you know...anyway back to some reading!

back to the project...

Hello all, I am back from my summer break and with the first talk about our thesis' looming on Monday...I felt I should fill you in on my thoughts over the summer in regards to my thesis topic.


You may recall from a previous post, what I had suggested as a possible topic for my thesis...I intend to expand my current knowledge of temporary structures, however I would like to look at the carbon footprint of temporary structure used for different events such as music festivals, retail stores, exhibitions, and installations and compare them to their permanent counterparts to determine how eco-friendly they are and if not, what measure need to be taken to ensure that they are.

Since this statement I have been reading some interesting essays from 'Mobile: The Art of Portable Architecture', and some statements really got me thinking... Andrei Codrescu pointed out that in this modern society, permanent homes have no stability and no permanence, as houses are often pulled down and replaced with newer models. It appears the old family homes containing memories and nostalgia are no more...they have been destroyed and updated, removing the memories as well. The permanent home is impermanent. In contrast it is the moving home that offers a family base and a sense of stability, and appears to be more permanent. Having read another essay within 'Mobile: The Art of Portable Architecture' by Jennifer Siegal, I discovered she runs a company focused on mobile designs: http://www.designmobile.com/.

Now while I am interested in portable architecture, the portable home is not an area I wish to research and develop, however I believe many of the qualities and thoughts within portable homes apply with portable commercial spaces, an area of interest for many years. I will continue to work my way through 'Mobile: The Art of Portable Architecture' in order to gain more insightful knowledge on mobile architecture.

New Designers...

I almost forgot to mention that on Thursday, myself and a group of fellow MA students went down to London for the day to visit the New Designers conference.

I was really impressed with the quality of work on show, especially after I seeing the work exhibited last year. I have to admit I was most impressed with the furniture pieces from a variety of universities, the standard of work was extremely hard - I was almost unable to believe that the designers had only just graduated.

After spending around 3 1/2 hours at New Designers, a small group of us decided to head to Hyde Park and the Serpentine's new summer pavilion. This years pavilion has been designed by Kazuyo Sejima & Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA. If I am honest, I was a little disappointed with the pavilion as I purposely refrained from looking at any images of it prior to the visit. I felt that compared to previous pavilions this lacked something, it wasn't as architecturally pronounced as previous ones. Despite this I did appreciate the design of the pavilion and the use of light reflecting materials which helped to blend it with the surrounding park.

reading list for this module...

I have identified below all the articles and book that I have read and explored for inspiration for this design project.

• Kotnik, J. (2008) Container Architecture. Barcelona: Links International
• Vranckx, B. (2006) Exhibit Design: High Impact Solutions. New York: Collins Design; Publishers Group UK.
• Kronenburg, R. (2008) Portable Architecture: Design and Technology. Berlin: Birkhauser.
• Lowther, C. Nuijink, C. & Williams, M. (2008) Grand Stand 2: Design for Trade Fair Shows, More than 500m². Berlin: Gestalten.
• Mollerup, P. (2006) Collapsibles: A design album of space-saving objects. London: Thames & Hudson
• Siegal, J. (2002) Mobile: The art of portable architecture. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
• Lefteri, C. (2006) Materials for Inspirational Design. Switzerland: Rotovision.
• Spankie, R. (2009) Basics Interior Architecture 3: Drawing out the Interior. Switzerland: AVA Publishing.
• Project Orange. (2003) Catalogue: Project Orange Architecture & Design. London: Black Dog Publishing
• Richardson, L. D. Bishop, M. & Jones, E. (1992) Techniques of Investigation: An introduction to research methods. Cambridge: NEC Print.
• Klanten, R. & Feireiss, L. (2009) Space Craft 2: More fleeting architecture and hideouts. Berlin: Gestalten.
• Garcia, M. (2007) Architextiles. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd for Architectural Design.
• Braddock Clarke, S. E. & O'Mahony, M. (2007) Techno Textiles 2: Revolutionary fabrics for fashion and design. London: Thames & Hudson.
• Walton, R. (2000) Page Layout: Inspiration, Innovation, Information. Dusseldorf: Nippan.
• Architectural Design, Volumes 78 & 79.
• Design Week, Volume 23.
• Live Design, Volume 42.
• Blueprint, Number 271.
• Frame, Numbers 59 & 61.
• Dalsouple
• VitroHue
• Modern Bamboo
• Eco Fibres
• HP Touchsmart
• Dell