BRIEFING
The Ground We Stand On Jun Huang
finds beauty in his walk to work
My journey to work in Central London consists of three parts: driving, a short train journey, and then a walk to office. I normally choose walking over tube or bus so that I can connect with nature, experience life at a slower pace and compose poems and designs in my mind while exercising. For someone who rarely watches films, the walk is a series of unexpected reality shows. From time to time, thoughts come and go like mountain spring flows.
Apart from springtime when I walk through Marylebone Gardens for the spectacular cherry blossom, Upper Montagu Street is the first section of real urban walk in the “city wall” of Marylebone Road. Open, calm and intimate this plain, good streetscape
leads to the first highlight, Montagu Square, where John Lennon lived in 1968. I enjoy walking along this green route in all seasons, embraced by tree canopies, watching falling leaves drifting by the windows. Colder days see me turn east on Upper Montagu Street into Crawford Street, following the warmth offered by the morning sun. The corner flower shop always opens early, sending scents into the colourful street. fine, I carry on and turn left Wigmore Street, the grandest en route. As wide as the equally cosmopolitan Baker Street, it is much more charming despite fewer trees, thanks to its sophisticated streetscape and high quality of architecture. The Edwardian Baroque Debenhams Building is perhaps one of the most beautiful buildings in London. Carrying on eastwards to Dorset Street, Chiltern Street cannot be missed. This elegant street has a distinctive character of red brick frontages, classic proportions and a mix of boutique shops: it is probably the prettiest in London at 8:30 in the morning.
Manchester Square is the milestone. Despite the cars all around, this small but nicely preserved Georgian square, anchored by the delightful Wallace Museum, feels like a destination. Its circular garden is filled with mature plane, lime, magnolia and cherry trees. Scale is the true master here and harmony is the result. In Duke Street lives my secret pet, a crawling crocodile on the steps of Lacoste Boutique that few would notice. Checking that the crocodile is
I always walk down Welbeck Street to Henrietta Place, which then leads to Cavendish Square. Why don’t I avoid this chaotic little street packed with scaffolding, trucks, builders and bacon and diesel mixed air? Perhaps I need some chaotic excitement for a change before getting into a day of real life, or I just couldn’t resist the utopian scene from this end of Henrietta Place looking east – two rows of great white buildings complemented by bold green clouds. My office block rises proudly above all, shooting into the blue sky.
Jun Huang is the Design Partner of Wei Yang & Partners, a London based award-winning practice driven by a commitment to promoting design excellence, creating truly sustainable environments and liveable cities.
31
