Little City

With my final crit on Friday, I'm going to get model making this week. I like small scale models, perhaps working at 1:500, so these little cities are providing me inspiration as to how I'll make the houses themselves. I expect I'll end up chosing wood, with all the variety in grain and colour, but the clay is so versatile for adding detail. Let's see how it ends up!

Images: 1. maisons en cèdre by spielplatz 2. shelf city by the oak leaves

Little Huts

Over the Christmas break I was blogging about everything and anything, except architecture. I just didn't want to be doing it. Since getting back up to Manchester I have got back in the zone and reinspired! My Architecture and Housing boards on Pinterest are busier than ever, and as a collaborative group our unit is sharing ideas and precedents we've seen. Although they look like little houses this is the Red Bull Music Academy in Madrid by langarita-navarro arquitectos, who are speaking this week in London at the ar+d Emerging Architecture Lecture Series. In an old warehouse, pavilions contain workspaces, recording studios, conference areas and all are temporarial constructed so they can be moved away and reused. I love the use of materials and the green landscape within - inspired!!

Images by Luis Diaz Diaz and Miguel de Guzman via designboom

Roof Tops

I love being able to jump on a train and head up to Landan Town. The other evening Steph and I had dinner at Hush, and it was lush! On the way up I got snapping my Instagram, photographing the cities skyline.

Architectural Graphics

It's late and I should be in bed but my mind is teaming with ideas. Our portfolio deadline is on Friday and I have been wracking my brains to think of the best way to present my work. A3 booklet, half A1 sheets, I just can't decide! Then I came across this graphical image by the architect Kate Macintosh - who was in the film Utopia London which we saw when we first started our studies here in Manchester. I love the almost dirty colour, muted tones and simple fonts. Dan said why not set your portfolio out like an old housing brochure, it is housing I'm doing after all. Here are some great American examples. The mind keep whirring...

Image from Utopia London

Luxury?

Yesterday, the girls and I went up to New Islington to check out one of the two sites which we will be using to investigate our architectural ideas this semester. The one here in North Manchester is the quasi-urban site. It has been the subject of much debate in relation to the regeneration of this part of the city. I don't really understand the place in itself; as you step further and further away from the bustling city centre you are met by a quiet graveyard of red brick warehouses. Past is this developing wasteland, which, though full of potential, I don't see quite working in its current state. Where are the small shops and businesses, the village heart? Anyway, let's see what our investigations bring up. Here's our unit blog: Architecture as Urban Catalyst.

Winding Souk

It's incredible how much we rely on the internet. Since moving up to Manchester we've only been able to get online here and there, but today we got connected! 

It's been a busy week since our course has started. I picked a unit where I can continue studying my interest in housing by looking at courtyard housing around the world. There'll also be a study trip to Fez in a few weeks, so I can go and discover another North African city.

Image by tkarty

Chicken Coop

I am a big fan of chickens and innovative design, so I am in awe of the outcomes of these chicken coops, designed and made by high school students. Arranged by Project H, the organisation "uses the power of design and hands-on building to catalyze communities and public education. I makes me so keen to get back into the studio designing again! See more of their videos here.

Video: Studio H: Design. Build. Transform. (Promo #2) from Project H Design on Vimeo.

Sheep Shack

I've been designing houses for people for the last year, and it's something that I am really keen on and want to do in the long term. Having watched The Secret Life of Buildings last night on C4, it got me thinking again about housing and whether what we're currently designing is up-to-scratch and how we can make it better. It's also about looking at the wider community and how we sustain ourselves. Through my web-wandering I came across this petting farm by 70f. They seem to do a few buildings for agricultural animals, and after all farming is something else I am interested in. So designing homes for creatures on all fours: this could be my calling!

Images by 70f

Bricks & Balconies

This evening I went on a Google maps adventure. Streetview is an architectural student's best friend - when you can't get back to site, you can visit via the world wide web. Every morning I go past two blocks of flats which always catch my eye, but I could only locate them from the railway line, not knowing which street they're on. But I found them!

The first is Bear Lane by Panter Hudspith Architects. I really like the mix of shapes and window sizes all kept consistent by buff brick. The second is O-Central by Space Craft. It's the extruded wooden balconies which I like. Even thoough I feel like I'm not actively researching architecture after a busy day, subconciously I'm absorbing all the time!
Images: 1. via worldarchitecturenews from panter huspidth; and 2. from space craft

Favela Fun

These favelas have had a stripey make-over in Rio! Check out the artists here. I wonder what the people living there think of it - it's so quirky!

Found via Oh Joy!