A Day in India - The Perennial Plate

Another incredible video from The Perennial Plate documenting three weeks of travelling and eating through India.

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The Bunkie Co.

An interesting development in pre-fabricated buildings, 'The Bunkie' is a collaboration between industrial design firm 608 Design and architects BLDG Workshop. Addressing the need to reduce impact materials in building, The Bunkie adopts CNC detailing from furniture manufacturing for use on a larger scale. Attractive and flexible this product has huge potential.

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Tousuien House - Suppose Design Office

Back in November we posted about a sharp, minimalist concrete house by the Suppose Design Office. Always busy, the practice has completed a new project which again uses stark, tough materials but with a unique translucent shell. The result is a house filled with light during day, which then radiates during night.

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The Skewed - Jonty Hurwitz

Cast from copper and cleverly using rules of reflection and distortion, Jonty Hurwitz carefully plans his sculptures using computer aided design. The images below represent just a small part of an incredible body of work. Much more from the artist, including his biography and reflections on his work can be found here.

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'Welcome to Your New Home, Workers!'

The Dadun Village is the latest development in Lingshui, China. The rows of monochrome, dense housing have been built to  support the working class population within a country which is often criticised for its lack of sympathy to this section of the population. In recent years, The County Housing Security Bureau has been making efforts to create more affordable homes through the construction of low-rent housing. 

Around 3500 villagers have already started to move into the 1029 apartments, each of which measures roughly 253 square metres. This approach suggests a revised approach by the Chinese government; previous developments to support the working populations have been looking like ghost towns due in part to construction workers unable to afford housing, and suggestions of major overvaluing in China's real estate market. The main concern with this development may be a question of if the Bureau will provide an acceptable level of amenities to support its population

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Redcliffe Planning Event

Following on from a previous post this week, the accompanying event (hosted by The Architecture Centre & Arnolfini) is now fully booked. I am amongst those who unfortunately were unable to get a ticket to what will be an incredible debate around an amazing subject. Speakers include the new Bristol Mayor George Ferguson, world renowned European architects Jan Gehl (Copenhagen) and David Mackay (Barcelona), as well as award winning ethical developed Chris Brown from Igloo.

The panel discussion is set to revolve around how Redcliffe Way could potentially be developed into a stand-out piece of new civic space, and will bring together leading urbanists to explore what Bristol can learn from other places, how the history of the city will forge the identity of the new space, and a wider exploration of regeneration and city development.

As I have said the event is now unfortunately fully booked, so if like myself you have been unable to book a place it is unlikely you will be able to get involved. There is however a silver lining! In looking at future events put on by the Architecture Centre I stumbled across a range of talks and events which have been recorded by the organisation and put on the internet for free viewing. The Architecture Centre is a leading regional expert which seeks to champion the creation of better quality neighbourhoods, foster greater public understanding of architecture, and be a positive force in the region's development. The Centre's programme (and recorded lectures and events) is very progressive looking at a variety of issues including the healthy city agenda, sustainability, and community involvement. 

Recorded lectures are available here.

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California Roll House - Violent Volumes

Made from the latest in sustainable materials, the 'California Roll House' is a prefabricated structure from the Korean studio Violent Volumes. The unique form of the building is created through a carbon fibre frame system.

More from the studio can be found here.

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A New Vision for Redcliffe Way, Bristol

Plans have been unveiled for a 'Spanish-style boulevard' to contribute to Bristol's Brunel Mile and link the city's main train station to the historic docks. Redcliffe is one of the oldest of Bristol's city centre districts and the last few years have seen large campaigns to make more of this heritage asset in the face of insensitive highway engineering which has scarred the area through bisecting the area with a four lane highway. Having seen a reduction in traffic volume, it has been suggested that the highway could be downgraded with minimal impact and road pressure. 

The plan is to create a new gateway into the city, as well as provide public space and economic regeneration for the area surrounding St. Mary Redcliffe Church (one of Bristol's most attractive and tallest buildings). This scheme is one which I am particularly interesting in having completed an urban design project on the same area, using the Spanish city of Valencia as inspiration for a pedestrian/cycle path linking various public and green spaces to complete Brunel Mile.  

For those interested part of this project can be found on line here.

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Wall Dogs of New York

An interesting short video by Storyboard about life as a sign painter in New York. Sign painting is a craft with a long history and with deep traditions. While the advent of design software and computer driven sign making machines has led to a decline in traditional sign-writers  the trade is experiencing a slight renaissance due to a recognition from business owners of the value of signs which pay attention to detail and stand out. As Bristol's own Dapper Signs says "good signs ain't cheap, and cheap signs ain't good". 

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Stacking Green - Vo Trong Nghia Architects

Siagon is chaotic city with one of the highest population densities in the world. In response to this an interesting tradition has arisen of using vegetation to provide privacy to those living in the most urban areas, with a large variety of tropical plans and flowers covering balconies, courtyards, and streets.

Constructed on a plot 4m wide and 20m deep, 'Stacking Green' in a house designed by Vo Trong Nghia Architects using these principles of a green facade to protect from sunlight, street noise and pollution. The house is constructed in a typical tube style, however both the front and back facades are entirely composed of layers of concrete planters. The use of interior walls has been limited in order to maintain both fluency and access to the green facade.   

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Sealight Pavilion - Monash University of Architecture

A combined effort of students and established architects have come together to create this simple but stunning pavilion at the Victoria Harbour, Melbourne. The main slanted tower is cantilevered, allowing the structure to dip down into the water and giving an incredible view over the docklands. The structures are made from reclaimed Australian wood. 

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The London Underground - 150th Anniversary

This week marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of the London Underground, the world's first subway system. To celebrate Vintag.es have complied a series of photographs (from the National Railway Museum) showing the construction of the Metropolitan line circa 1861.

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Views from The Shard

On the first of February, London's anticipated landmark 'The Shard' is set to open its doors to the public. In anticipation both a website and series of photographs have been released to promote the event. The building (which stands at 1016 ft) has been described as the only place within the city in which you can view the entire city, with the spectacular 360 degree panorama spanning 40 miles across the capital.  

Official website: theviewfromtheshard.com

More pictures and commentary.

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Grotta Palazzese - Cliff-side Restaurant

The recent chilly weather in the UK has got many thinking about winter sun and the (on the horizon) summer holidays. I recently stumbled across this cracker of a hotel in the Italian town of Polignano a Mare, in the province of Bari. Undoubtedly the stand out attraction is the hotel's restaurant set within the vaulted limestone cliff face. 

 

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The ABC of Architecture

A short animation from Andrea Stinga & Federico Gonzalez giving an alphebetical list of some of the world's most influential architects and their most important buildings.

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The Bristol Budget

Last November architect George Ferguson was democratically selected as Bristol's first Elected Mayor. The appointment was greeted as a progressive step for Bristol and was supported by many in both the construction and creative industries. The Mayor's budget (released earlier today) is the first effective political action Ferguson has taken and while he has been significantly welcomed in his new position the latest actions are likely to attract considerable backlash. 

The probable headline will be the planned budget cuts amounting to £35m, largely coming from a cull of local authority jobs (around 300), a cutting of funding for 32 Police Community Support Officers, raising council tax, and scrapping plans for both a new recycling centre and community swimming pool.    

Also likely to attract criticism is the way in which the Elected Mayor has released the details of the Budget. Having leaked details to the press, both the direction and budget were only revealed to the democratically elected councillors through the media rather than Ferguson directly. The council's Liberal Democrat leader Tim Kent has condemned this as both a "shambolic way top handle such an important budget... [and a] disregard for the democratic process and the city's wards councillors". In a similar manner acting Labour leader Ron Stone has suggested that "the mayor's new ways are aimed at bypassing any input or critique we may have... An effective opposition is recognised as a sign of a healthy democracy". 

Despite the opposition to both the content and manner of the proposals it is important to remember the constraints in which the Elected Mayor is working. Facing a considerable 'budget hole' there is limited room to maneuver and Ferguson defends the proposals as a means to protect the most vulnerable in Bristol. The reality of the situation is that within the current economic situation no proposal would be both effective and well supported. It is argued that the budget makes cuts where cuts are necessary, and while the proposals may not be as progressive as hoped perhaps they will enable growth within coming years and (hopefully) when Ferguson is in a position to guide Bristol forward. Ferguson himself states that: " I ask you to bear with me as I do my very best to make sure that Bristol prospers in the future. The important thing is that we bring jobs to the city, that we make the transport work, that we make the city much more connected than it is".

More on the budget can be found on the Bristol City Council website.

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Jessica Drenk - Pencil Sculptures

Using one of the most manufactured and reproduced artistic materials, American artist Jessica Drenk creates sculptures looking to imitate forms found in the natural world. The pieces below are sculpted through gluing a mass of pencils together then using a belt sander to create organic shapes, textures and patterns.

"Manufactured goods appear as natural objects, something functional becomes decorative, a simple material is made complex, and the commonplace becomes unique".

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Ernest Zacharevic

Despite the recent flux of posts about street art we have to send out a mention to Malaysian based Ernest Zacharevic. Relying on the interaction between physical objects within the street scape and painted murals, Zacharevic has travelled intentionally  both showcasing his work and finding new spots. 

Below is a selection of work however he also features prominently in the new StreetArt Notebook George Town.

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OaKoAk - Urban Interventions

Following on from our post showcasing Aakash Nihalani's Mathmatical Street Art last week, we have a new treat for you. Hailing from St. Etienne, OaKoAk uses the crumbing streets and cracked pavements as a background to his paintings, stencils and stickers.

Above is just a small selection of his work, with tons more on his blog.

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Paula Scher - Designing In and With Perspective

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