June 2009

Since returning from holiday at the start of June I have been working on finishing another children’s house, preparing to start a community business centre in Aidrie and putting together 2 tenders for architects services.

The completed children’s house in Motherwell is the third we have completed for North Lanarkshire Council and are the result of over 5 years worth of work. The 4th is due for completion in Cumbernauld within the next month and I intend to write about the whole process once this is complete. The programme of work has been quite unique and there is not much written on this type of building in comparison to other types of residential ‘care’ buildings and interest has been shown by other councils looking to develop their own provision to meet the standards set by the Care Commission.

Activity Space, Chldren's House, Motherwell

The tender process for putting a design team together is quite an involved process which is ,more often than not, unsuccessful unfortunately. We do win from time to time but the number we need to enter and the time involved in doing so is disproportionate, time consuming and costly. The process is largely architect led which means there is more time involved putting the right team together, gathering and collating all information and presenting this in a professional manner. No matter how often I try to standardise information to make this process quicker, questions are asked in different ways which means tailoring to suit each individual tender questionnaire.

This whole process is hugely flawed, dfficult for smaller practices to be succcessful, and quite often the tender process is only used through the neccesity of the client to meet funding regulations or legislation when they already know who they really want to work with, the result being, a lot of wasted time and effort from practices that can ill afford the cost in the current climate.

I managed to get up to Dundee to see Balgay Hill, a play by Simon Macallum . The play is an interweave of characters influenced by growing up in Dundee and by the life of local legend  Billy Mackenzie, singer in the Associates. A fascinating way to deal with subject like this without just presenting a biography, Mackenzie’s story is told through the experience of the characters including a Dundonian returning home after yeas in America, a younger student putting together a video for a college project and a teenager looking to make a career in the pop industry.

Labyrinth, Maggie's, Dundee

Took time to have a look at the Frank Ghery designed Maggie’c Centre in the grounds of Ninewell’s hospital. My second Ghery building in the space of a month, I much prefer this more modest building to the extravagant EMP in Seattle. The building sits at the edge of a hill overlooking Dundee and has the recent addition of a lanscaped garden by Arrabella Lennox-Boyd. There is some quite literal reference to Scottish architecture with a Broch like tower breaking through the waves of the roof, but the composition seems to work in creating a welcoming but peaceful building which is immaculately detailed.

Maggie's Dundee, by Frank Ghery

Should have the results of the tenders I submitted during the next month so will hopefully have an upbeat post for July!

Seattle 3, St Ignatius

The morning I was due to leave Seattle after spending just over week there, I took a walk to Seattle University Campus to find The Church of St Ignatius by New York based architect Steven Holl. My journey took me through Freeway Park, designed by Lawrence Halprin’s office under the supervision of Angela Danadjieva, the bark is a brutalist landscape mixed with greenery the purpose of which was to provide a barrier between the financial district and the busy freeway. Reading some of the press on the park it seems to have a poor history of crime, however steps have been taken to clean this reputation up and there was no sign of this the few times I passed through it, there just seemed to be a few office workers taking a break enjoying the sun.

Freeway Park Seattle

I love the concrete and the massing of the sculptures, the way nature is staining the concrete green, being able to climb and jump across the structures with the water flowing below, it seemed like a real haven in the centre of the city.

The very friendly Seattleites that stopped me as I studied my by now well worn map had less of a clue than I did of how to find the Church and being a Sunday morning, probably thought I was a keen church goer rather than a lapsed catholic atheist architect who had got out of his bed for the first time to go to church on a Sunday in 20years!

I had previously only seen Steven Holl’s Sarphatistraat Offices in Amsterdam from behind a fence but have been interested in his sculptural approach to architecture and St Ignatius is an excellent example of his work.

St Ignatius, Seattle University

The chapel was designed as the Jesuit Chapel for Seattle University and is the concept is of ‘7 bottles of light in a stone box’. To get the full effect of the full effect of the light and how it changes I would have had to stay all day. The rooflights also act as a beacon at night.There was no mass on while I was there but I had the opportunity to walk round inside and enjoy the well lit internal space.

St Ignatius Interior

Holl’s treatment of the internal plasterwork catches the light and enhances the sculptural form of the building and everypart of the interior is swathed in natural light although where the light is coming from is not immediately obvious.

It is hard to describe a space like this as religious spaces, when successful, create a certain atmosphere that is extremely difficult to capture in a photograph. Although off the beaten tourist track in Seattle, it is only a short and pleasant walk from the main centre and worth a trip out for anyone interested in architecture or church buildings.

door detail

For more on St Ignatius and Steven Holl go to http://bit.ly/vEpIR

usa trip – Seattle 2

Seattle Public Library is a real stand out building among Seattle’s financial district tower-blocks. It’s cantilevering projections and distinctive grid structure contribute to it’s strong and imposing street prescence. I took advantage of the free architectural tour provided by the library which takes about an hour and it was interesting to hear how successful and well used the library is(Thanks to Don).

It is said that Joshua Ramus, a former Seattleite, working for Dutch Architect Rem Koolhaas was contacted by his mother who noticed the advertisement for the competition to design Seattle’s new Public Library, which they entered and subsequently having sold their concept to the board, won against stiff competition from New York architect Steven Holl and another firm that I haven’t been able to get the name of. OMA then teamed up with local architects LMN to facilitate delivery of the project. There is a wealth of information on the building on the library web-site at http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=branch_central_building&branchID=1.

The huge amount of glazing makes the natural light and the views out of the building quite breathtaking. The sequence of spaces that you move through while travelling through the building is reflect the varying uses with the meeting rooms at the centre of the building coloured a deep red colour, they are almost like the inner heart of the building and each of the escalators a distinctive yellow green signalling the vertical circulation.

The system of storing the books in the library in a giant spirl allows the collection to expand without disruption to the Dewey Decimal based system and formed a major part in the development of the form of the internal layout of the building.

Not being the usual type of building that tourists would visit being a library, I would recommend taking a look inside to anyone visiting Seattle. It is a public building and is free to everyone to go in and walk around. There is a shop selling card board cut out models of the building and many other interesting bits and pieces as well as a coffee shop which there is no shortage of in Seattle.

On leaving the lobby of my hotel one morning, someone asked the doorman if there was a Starbucks nearby, the doorman and I started laughing while the guy looked at us strangely, he wasn’t joking! Like anywhere in central Seattle you can’t walk 100yards without seeing a Starbucks!

USA Trip-Seattle 1

EMP, Seattle

Being a huge music fan and an architect I was eagerly anticipating my visit to Frank Ghery’s Experience Music Project in the Seattle. Early in art school I had been influenced by Ghery’s aerospace museum in Los Angeles while designing a museum project near Glasgow University and was blown away by  an amazing carved timber model for the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum which was on public display in Princes Square in Glasgow. I recall at the time wondering how on Earth they could ever build something like this and if they ever actually would!

I tend not to pay too much attention to architectural criticism of buildings and prefer to make up my own mind about them by visiting and experiencing them in the use they are designed for and this is precisely what I did.

There is no doubt that the external  form of the EMP has an immediate impact whether approaching on foot or by the monorail (built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair) that the building wraps around. Ghery’s ability to form shapes that defy gravity and create sensuous shapes has been proved elsewhere and is evident in parts of the facade of this building, however, to be blunt the building fails in some fundamental areas.

On eventually finding the main entrance to the building which is located in what I would describe as the ‘arse end’, there is a lack of natural light in the huge entrance area that you enter into which is provided with a shabby looking cafe which sells terrible pizza and not much else. The exhibits and music experience element of the building are good fun for all ages and I indulged in some of the hans on guitar, drums and even mixing exhibits, but the building itself adds nothing to this, they could have been housed in a warehouse with the same effect. It felt like the whole idea of form and function has been disregarded entirely.

I presume that the architectural rational for the building is linked to the music of Hendrix, Cobain etc. and, yes, I can see where this is expressed. For me though, this is far to literal and indulgent. To create architecture that parallels Hendrix and Cobain you can’t go for the worlds  ‘most sought after/desired/succesful’ architect. As much as I admire bold architecture, I think Paul Allen and Bill Gates could have invested in something, or someone, a bit more risky, a bit more like the local librarian did………….

Facade Detail

John Lautner: Between Heaven and Earth

I visited the excellent Lautner exhibition at the Lighthouse in glasgow. Lautner, without me knowing who he was, influenced me from an early age due to the use of his building in Diamonds are Forever and they have featured in many films and tv shows including Less than Zero, The Big Lebowski, lethal Weapon 2 and Body Double(check this for more http://www.johnlautner.org/wp/?p=32). Marbrisa or the Arango house was a huge influence on my end of year project during 1st year at Art School where we were to design a residence and recording studio on a clifftop overlooking the West Coast of Scotland (Craignish). I recall Isi Metzstein describing it at the most modern elevation he had seen all day however slated it for its open terraces being impractical in this location mocking with ‘What are they going to do there?Play ping-pong”. I always thought that if Isi even gave you the time to look through your drawings and provide an in depth critisism then there you must have done something right and his technique certainly prepares for reality.

John Lautner, Arango House, Acapulco, photographed by Julius Shulman

The exhibition is well worth the visit and I believe at this point it is its only European Destination after being shown in Los Angeles. There are some amazing models however I was more impressed by the original drawings on show. Having spanned a generation in an office that had one computer that took up a whole room, no mobile phones and a haze of smoke to a fully computerised age(I still have 1 drawing board in the office that I still frequently use), I am fully appreciative of the skill involved in the concept and construction drawings on show. I still believe that a line drawn by hand has more meaning  to the designer in the design proces than lines duplicated/copied/pasted on the computer.

The buildings of Lautner when used in film are generally used as the home of a gangster/drug dealer/villain. I see this as a positive in that they are so impressive and futuristic that they portray success and vision. I wonder how Lautner felt about Mel gibson destrying one with his pick up truck!

The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Design Architecture and the City is recommended as a destination for anyone visiting Glasgow. there are various design and architecture exhibitions on at all times and there is the permanent Mackintosh Interpretation Centre based there also.

The Lautner Exhibition runs until 26 July 2009

April 2009

April seemed to pass really quickly. It has been a busy month with the prospect of some nice new work and some current projects nearing completion. Two Children’s Houses in Motherwell and Cumbernauld are due for completion in June and the practice is busy ensuring everything goes to plan.

I also found time to put together a poster advertising the Glasgow Institute of Architects annual lecture featuring Professor Andy MacMillan and David Mackay of Barcelona based MBM Architects. The event featured two short films, one an interview with Andy and Isi Metzstein on their work with Gillespie Kidd and Coia, the other covering work by MBM, followed by a discussion revolving around cities. I first visited Barcelona in 1993 shortly after the olympics were held there, which was when I first discovered the architecture of Enric Miralles and was lucky enough to travel to Igualada cemetry and meet the architect himself. I visited the olympic harbour development masterplanned by MBM which was a bit of a ghost town as it hadn’t been fully occupied since the olympics but was impressed with transformation to the area. Barcelona remains one of my favorite destinations to date.

I turned 38 in April, so still think I am termed as a ‘young architect’, two years left to get into the 40 under 40 list!

March

March has been a good month. The weather is improving after what has felt like a very dark 6 months and new work is coming in and buildings are still coming out the ground. There seems to be a spirit of lets just get on with things unil the banks and the government get their act together. I spent the last recession in local government employment while still studying at Glasgow School of Art and was generally unnaffected although I wote to around 30 practices in 1996 and received 6 replies with only one offer of an interview which I was unsuccesful in due to the fact I was still studying part time. Luckily I was kept on by the council after reorganisation and was able to complete my studies. I think the effect of the current situation will  be felt by local government in the next 12 months. My practice has worked on council projects for over the past 5 years and I have concerns over the level of work that will be available practices like mine over the next few years as most may be kept in-house even with the savings that using term providers such as I can  bring in terms of fees. The other difficulty is that companies may compete against us at loss leading rates, totally unsustainable and something that local goernment should be wary of if overlooking local businesses and the benifits this brings in favor of dicounted rates from bigger players.

I have been criticised a lot for basing my company outside the city centre and dealing with more ‘provincial’ projects, however, I have over the past 20years, having lived and worked in the area, developed an understanding of the social, physical and political landscape of the area and hope this brings some added value.

Took the opportunity to view the BBC building in Glasgow. Being not overly keen on the exterior I was impressed by the internal space seen in the picture below. It is an impressive space and one that would probably be unfeasible in a purely commercial orientated building due to the loss of floor area by creating an atrium, however, you can see from the image, that a space like this can bring a huge inprovement to the working environment. It would be interesting to know how well it works on a practical level.

BBC Glasgow

I have booked a trip to Seattle in May which, although I have travelled a fair bit over the years, will be my first 2 weeks off for nearly 5 years since I went to New Zealand in 2004! Really looking forward to it.

38 in April, I never shy away from birthdays but beining to see the 40 in my sights……

Margate Football Club

Further to an earlier post regarding our work at Margate Football Club, the planning application to Thanet Council for a medical centre was refused which has put the development on hold. In the meantime I am continuing to work with the club to seek other opportunities.

Football clubs cannot survive on football alone in this day and age and, with the support of the fans, the community, the developer and the local authority the club can hopefully have a modest sized stadium they can be proud of with some long term sustainability to allow the team to develop without the background financial pressures that plague most clubs in this day and age. Everyone involved in the redevelopment has done so with the best intentions and at huge risk. I wish the club and everyone involved every success for the future and I am sure that the current setback will be overcome.

February

Having dropped 2 staff in February I have found myself twice as busy. There is work ot there but there are more companes fighting harder for it. Our project to refurbish and extend a church to create a community based business centre will hit site soon and the demolition contract has already started.

Internal Works Commence at Wellwynd

In between real work I produced a poster for a display of uniforms of The Royal Scottish Regiment to be held in Edinburgh. The exhibition is being organised by Miliary Heritage Scotland, an organisation established to promote the creation of a Military Heritage Museum somewhere in Scotland.

poster

Caught the Watchmen, which i thought was really good and true to the graphic novel. Saw Educating Rita at the Citizens which was a lot better than I expected. Not done much more culturally over February and the poor weather is curbing much photography outdoors. plan to get much more done in March with the lighter nights and get fit!

January

January has been a difficult month for the majority of the construction industry. The government has promised a lot but I have me reservations on how increasing spending on NHS, schools and capital programmes will anyone who is not already established in these areas. I have filled in many tenders over the years but never get past the pre-qualification when it comes to certain types of building. Housing Association tenders always ask for experiance of social housing carried out over the past 3 years. The answer-none, immediately knocking us out of contention. The problem is always ‘how do you get experiance when no one will give you a project to start with?’. In my now 20years working in architecture I can hardly think of a building type I haven’t worked on and really would wish architects abilities were judged more on the quality of the buildings they produce and not the size of the practice, the number of or type of jobs they have done and their ability to tick boxes on how many meaningless policy documents their office holds.

No matter what the building type is, architects should (and most do) have the ability to tackle any brief presented to them.

Glenbank Road and Meadowside House submited for Scottish Design Awards this week, so fingers crossed.

Managed a trip to Culloden. Unfortunately the visitors centre (designed by Gareth Hoskins)was shut for the winter, however, the great weather conditions and the lack of tourists made it perfect to take some pics. Well worth a visit.

Cullden Visitors Centre

Trying to get a decent holiday this year has become a priority for sorting out in February!