British Green Architecture // A Studio Abroad

BRITISH green

ARCHITECTURE

LONDON united kingdom

UNIVERSITY OF

IDAHO

architecture program

july 2-30th 2011

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PASSFIELD ORIENTATION

FREE TIME bartlett exhibition

FREE TIME ST. PAUL’S TOUR

WALKING TOUR LONDON EYE buckingham palace KING’S CROSS TO HORNSEY PASSIVE HOUSE TOUR ANNE THORNE PARK SIR JOHN SOANE MUSEUM LONDON VICTORIA TO HACKBRIDGE BEDZED TOUR HOPKINS NORTH GREENWICH TOUR

LABAN TOUR CHISWICK PARK TOUR FREE TIME FREE TIME

serpentine visit derive: to wander westminster service

ROGER’ S OFFICE FOSTER’S OFFICE

LONDON EUSTON TO KINGS LANGLEY RES TOUR

ALLIES & MORRISON OFFICE

LONDON EUSTON TO MACHYNLLETH BREAKFAST CONSTRUCTION TEA LUNCH CONSTRUCTION TEA MODULES BREAKFAST TESTING TEA LUNCH EXPERIMENTS TEA MODULES BREAKFAST EXPERIMENTS TEA LUNCH EXPERIMENTS TEA MODULES BREAKFAST EXPERIMENTS TEA LUNCH FINALIZING TEA MODULES

DUNCAN ROBERTS LECTURE DINNER DINNER BRUCE LECTURE

BREAKFAST

DINNER WATER LECTURE DINNER SKITS/DANCE

GROUP PRESENTATION/ RESEARCH RESULTS MACHYNLLETH TO LONDON EUSTON

LONDON PADDINGTON TO OXFORD ROAF ECO HOUSE TOUR LUNCH RESTORE BUILDING ST. CATHERINE’S EDWARD CULLINAN OFFICE RICHARD LORCH WALKING TOUR ARUP & ARUP ASSOCIATES ALISON KWOK AT ARUP FORESIGHT SHAKESPEARES GLOBE LONDON KINGS CROSS TO NOTTINGHAM NBBJ OFFICE FREE TIME FREE TIME

TOUR OF JUBILEE CAMPUS oldest pub in the world thames boat tour tate modern

thames archaeology dig hyde park

camden town markets oxford street

OLYMPIC PARK TOUR SERPENTINE PAVILION TOUR AHMM OFFICE GRIMSHAW OFFICE DESIGN CHARETTE-ARUP FORESIGHT CHARETTE PRESENTATIONS CELEBRATION DINNER-ISTANBUL KEW GARDENS LONDON ST. PANCRAS TO HOLYHEAD

molly culberston’s Analysis of London:

BedZed Passivehouse/Anne Thorpe Ecohouse CAT, Thermal Energies Lab Jubilee Campus Serpentine Pavilion Charrette Laban Studios, Restore Stawbale Building O2, London Eye Serpentine Pavilion, Kew Gardens 2012 Olympic Park Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens St. Paul’s Cathedral Thames Barrier, Sainsburies Cameden Market, RES, Chiswick Park Lorch Walking Tour Taxi, Tube, Bus, Walk Boat, Bus, Train, Plane Allies & Morrison, NBBJ Hopkins, Grimshaw AHMM, Edward Cullinan ARUP, Rogers Stirk & Harbour, Foster + Partners

RESIDENTIAL EDUCATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT SERVICE TRANSPORTATION ARCHITECTS

ROAF ECOHOUSE

oxford, england I appreciate the concept behind Sue Roaf using the EcoHouse as an sort of experiment to learn about residential design. Upon entering the dwelling, it was noticeably comfortable (compared to the passive house). Features like the cackle stove, which provides wood burning heat through a radiator/chimney system and the double height passive sun space (shown left), effectively heat the house resulting in its very low energy/gas consumptions. This system is supported by the pv panels on the roof.

The sunspace provides a nice aesthetic feature, opening up the six bedroom house vertically; it allows pleasant visual and daylight penetration to the first two levels of the house. As noticed with the passive house, there is some user knowledge needed with the technologies (pv system) and passive design of the house.

hornsey, london Passive house, by Anne Thorne architects, was a great example of a sustainable project that isn’t ‘trying too hard’ to be sustainable. It was my first encounter of a building that really isn’t trying to make a statement, but rather just do a good job at being an efficient dwelling. There are two things that really stand out with this house: 1) its contextual relationship and 2) its conception as a renovation project. It was nice to see, in city with construction cranes dotting the skyline, a renovation project on an existing structure.

With the large amountsof existing buildings in the built environment, renovation is an area that architects need to put more focus on.

When we had a large group in the building, I noticed that the space heated up very quickly and was not comfortable. The passive design/air cycles may only be appropriate for the residents of the house (not a group of students) but this may be an issue if the resident decides to have more people over, besides the family living there.

PASSIVE HOUSE

BED ZED

hackbridge, london The variety of different living groups (3 types of mix between 1-4 bedrooms) are one of BedZed’s most successful aspects. This allows for diverse cross section of users and vital community, considering it’s fairly isolated location.

Other sustainable systems include: passive cooling, passive solar gain on the southern side, thermal mass, and wind cowls for additional ventilation (among others). Beyond those systems, BedZed’s success is continuing residential areas, which to its sustainable appeal.

BedZed obviously can vouge for how well its sustainable systems work (besides its living machine problems), but my critique is how isolated it is. Granted, it is in the fringes of London and with in walking distance of train or bus; being in a small specific, compound-like setting can make the residents inclusive. BedZed needs to be contributing back to the local neighborhood further than giving back to the power grid. There may be issues with the residents’ security, but an option may include allowing more public interaction on site (possiby the brown field) or in the community hall.

aberystwyth, wales Situated in the rural Welsh landscape, CAT is an oasis for the eco-connoisseur. It is a campus of buildings dedicated to the learning and exploration of sustainable buildings, energy, systems, and lifestyle. The buildings include a mixture of rural influences, from the slate quarry that lie beneath them, to an exploration of timber construction, which hasn’t been thought of as material for construcing dwellings. Its location is significantly negative because it isn’t in the vicinity of any major populations: visitors must rely on extensive transportation to get there. The students alone create a fairly large carbon footprint with traveling each month (some traveling from as are as Spain)!

The Wise building is thoughtfully designed--daylighting and ventilation create a comfortable atmosphere, except for the glare issue in the auditorium. Classrooms and communal spaces are filled with natural daylight. The rammed earth barrier arou nd the auditorium adds a texture to the calming space that is illuminated from the skylight above. It was one of my favorite places visited on this trip because of the simple and effective architecture, as well as, the interactive and self learning environment.

CENTER FOR ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY

CAT THERMAL ENERGIES LAB

aberystwyth, wales The week spent at CAT was not one of complete leisure. We grouped with CAT students to explore and run sustainable systems experiments. My group built and tested various thermal mass configurations in respect to a correlation between surface area and efficiency.

The first session was consumed with long hours constructing the test cells; our goal was to make all cells identical. The construction phase was hectic with multiple people doing multiple things (and Al Jazeera filming us). After calibrations of air tightness and consistency in temperature readers, we tested using solar gain. There was a problem with this experiment, we did not allow our cells enough time in the sun to effectively heat the mass inside (we started in the late afternoon.) The next day, our findings showed that the column configuration was the most efficient; the solid mass in the center of the cell tested the worst.

We tryed to repove our hypothesis with a test that ran indoors, which was a test of radiant heat instead of solar gain. Our results came back the same, a configuration of separate masses are more efficient at regulating diurnal change than a solid, isolated mass. The floor configuration experiments ran moderately efficient. The overall lesson learned was how to run experiments. Our gained knowledge of thermal mass was an added bonus. Problems occured in our environment that led to some skewed results, such as failing equipment and interaction from uncooperative weather and humans. However, I walked away with the confidence to conduct my own experiments.

SOLAR GAIN

Cells were exposed to direct solar gain for two hours, then left to release heat over night. We predicted the central mass to perform the best and the columns to do the worst.

BOB: Thermal mass placed on the floor.

BORIS: Central center mass; predicted to the do the best.

SHELLY: Column configuation; predicted to do the worst.

SOLAR GAIN RESULTS The control (green) is shown to get hotter and colder the fastest. This is not how we want our other cells to perform. The columns performed against our hypothesis; the columns were able to more evenly gain and release heat. The mass performed the worst by having the greatest temperature swings.

We believed the mass was not able to receive heat long enough to perform at its full potential.

Also, the columns were possibly holding warm air in the space between them. This could be the reason for the even temperature change.

RADIANT HEAT

The cells were left for 17 hours with a cyclical heat source: a timer turned the heat source on and off every four hours to replicate a diurnal cycle. We removed the central mass cell from our experiment because another team was using the same configuration.

We predicted that the floor mass would perform better due to longer heat exposure.

The columns will not be able to regulate the continuous change as well as the mass.

The control box data graph should be representative a wave showing the extreme heat losses and gains.

RADIANT HEAT RESULTS The experiment was not a successful run because of a technical error with the timer on the heaters. We were not able to receive the diurnal representation in our cells. However, our columns still performed better (even in the longer heat exposure). We placed two temp readers in the column cell: one in the front and one in the center to monitor the heat between the columns. The temperature at the front of the columns was the most even, the temperature in the center of the columns was the worst performing.

EXPERIMENT CONCLUSIONS Our hypothesis was incorrect for both experiments. In the other groups central mass experiment, the mass performed close to or better than the column configuration.

This shows that a thick thermal mass is only effective if allowed long exposure, possibly more effective after several years.

Columns, or a mass with the highest surface area is the most effective for immediate heat exchange. Our belief that high surface area would correlate to ineffieciency was incorrect. The more the mass surface has contact with the air, the more it is able to exchange the heat and regulate temperature.

JUBILEE CAMPUS

nottingham, england This campus was a nice change to a city filled with historic castles of stone and mortar. The campus is walkable and the humanily scaled; the warmth of the wood siding to make you feel comfortable while you pass along the pond. As you walk follow the path, you are able to see inside the ground levels of the buildings, even the kitchen in the cafe building where you can see chefs cooking. The consideration of transparency allows for a democratic and secure feeling to the campus.

The library reminded me of Koolhaas’s concept in Seattle with the spiraling stacks. However, I’m not convinced that the scale was appropriate for this attempt. The diameter of the building seemed much to small to allow a continuous flow around the core, rather it felt cramped and dizzying. The green roof was the nicest space in the building, it is too bad it is not accessible to the public. Here your can see the stepping spiral moving around the service core, as well as views of the campus.

You could never guess that this site was used for bicycle manufacturing. It is maturely grown and inhabited with wildlife. The water runoff system blends in naturally with the flow of campus, which leads you to a fountain and seating area apart from the pond. This is what I would classify as a successful sustainable project because it seamlessly grows and doesn’t show its sustainable systems as seperate piece, rather it is cohesive.

wind scoops commons apertures

pond resident

library green roof sketches of jubilee

PAVILION CHARRETTE with arup foresight

mitigate v. adapt We began our charette with an exercise involving Arup’s ‘Drivers of Change’ card set. The cards propose either a problem or solution to environmental problems. Our group narrowed down a stack from 30 to 5 via a discussion about the most applicable issues for a pavilion in London. The resulting problems and solutions inspired the concept for our charette design: mitigation v. adaption. We realized that a temporary pavilion needs to be simplified down to one or two issues that can be easily translated to the public who uses the building.

Our final design relies on the relationship between the inhabitants in the two areas in the pavilion; one space is able to mitigate the problems that correlate with its environment, the other is forced to adapt to this changing form. The main public space, which includes the kitchen and seating areas, is able to grow or shrink according to the users interaction with a central pivoting wall. The users on the other side do not have this luxury. The space they are in grows and shrinks without their consent.

The radial plan allowed us to utilize the site and water usage strategies by providing slopes and inhabitable spaces on the roof. Water can run down the roof slope and be filiterd by the green roof (grass displaced on site from the building’s footprint) or collected via a central pipe at the pivot of the wall. The bulidng is made out of wood to promote reclaimed or sustainbly harvest wood in London; wood is a minority material in the UK.

DRIVERS OF CHANGE MITIGATE V. ADAPT DEFORESTATION PERSONAL CARBON CARBON FINANCE

self sufficiency* microgeneration photovoltaic intelligent buildings demand management distribution efficiency* new product life* water consciousness *

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problems & solutions

where did the building material come from? how did you get here? is passive design enough? does a temporary pavilion need to generate its own energy? does a temporary pavilion need to generate its own energy? how comfortable is passive design?

“A FLUCTUATION OF SPACE THAT RESPONDS TO USER’S ACTIONS AND REACTIONS.” who’s taking your space?

LABAN STUDIOS

greenwich, london I am very excited that I was able to see a Herzog and deMeuron building. The exterior of the building looked like something out of Architecture Record (I’m sure it has been). Walking up to the building, the landscape consumes you with man made hills-you can see the irradescent fragmented box at the end of the path. The interior is celebrated with color and a gentle slope passing through the social spaces: cafe, waiting room, etc. Stark spiral cases and glass voids give contrast to the concrete and colored walls.

Although the lights were on in the main spaces, I believe the space is well daylit. Laban is programmed to alllow visual interest through visual connections to the dance studios and to the exterior of the building.

My major critique is that Laban studios doesn’t have any operable windows besides those in the faculty offices. This seems to be an inconvience in the dance studios, especially when the temperature and humidity rises from practicing dancers. Overall, the open hallway plan allows for adapting uses from the students and faculty , which is beneficial in and education envrionment.

oxford, england The workshop at Restore, in Oxford, was a simple and understated building. The workshop focuses on the support systems for people with mental illnesses; the support systems revolved around gardening or the act of having responsibility for and growing something. It was a nice example of building that doesn’t try to ‘control’ this type of situation, rather it provides the shelter for this to happen. The design was also responsive of the ease of designing/constructing a simple straw bale structure. The stuccoed walls and glass bottle/tile decorations blended seamlessly with the garden workbenches and drying lavender bunches.

The lack of an insulated roof is a major issue with the building. It is a great example of how ‘green’ buildings need all of their elements to be working effectively together to reap the benefits of that design choice.

RESTORE STRAW BALE

02

greenwich, london The 02 is great in it’s design because it is so iconic.

It’s strange, yellow structural legs are impressive and awe-inspiring as they collide with the canvas-like roof. However, I will leave my compliments at that.

The 02 gives the awkward feeling of being inside a quarantine. Sometimes temporary buildings can be successful when they are permanent, this is not one of those buildings. The structure does not inform any of the function of the interior. Thus, commercial spaces are left to form a Disney-esque Main Street with a mash up of restaurants, shopping and fake trees. Sustainable systems were not apparent when I walked through the building, I could only assume that it would require massive amounts of energy to produce concerts, entertainment, and attractions that go on inside this oversized circus tent. Luckily there is a tube stop specific for this location because it is so isolated from central London.

southbank, london

Compared to the 02, the eye is a successful temporary turned permanent structure. This may be because of its lack of ‘building’; instead it has a presence as an attraction. The eye is a fantastic beginning destination for seeing the city in the beginning (of a trip). It allows everyone to see all of central London and get an appreciation for why it is one of the world’s major cities. The eye recently made upgrades to make it more energy and heating efficient. This is good on three parts: 1) it is obviously good to be more efficient, 2) efficiency is essential with over three million visitors per year 3) it can be a great symbol for energy reduction because of its iconic image.

LONDON EYE

SERPENTINE PAVILION

hyde park, london The serpentine pavilion and gallery are one of Hyde park’s many attractions. The fact that both buildings are free of charge, makes them succesful because it allows the park wanderer to come in and experience the spaces. Zumthor’s pavilion was rather simple as compared to previous years, but his direction was back to the focus of what the pavilion was designed for: an architectural experience in the park. Although the experience on the architecture was not the focus, the mood of the architecture gave perception of the park and nature through the black box. The gathering space under the eaves give protection from the rain or sun while providing moments to dwell and have an relate, introspectively, with nature (hortus conclusus). In the times of our exclamations about the environment, this relationship Zumthor poses allows us to reflect on these requests.

“hortus conclusus”

london, england Kew Gardens is serenity in the city. It’s amazing how much space is dedicated to the size of the gardens, especially in respects to London’s housing shortage.

Inside, you feel like you are in another part of the world. It is questionable about how many resources this garden uses to provide so many diverse ecosystems.The greenhouses are crucial for passively heating and cooling the different environments of foliage. In the Princess Conservatory, cooler climates are grouped on the outside and warmer climates are on the interior to retain heat. The alpine house used specialized solar glass for sun exposure in combination with underground cooling tubes to keep the succulents at adequate temperatures.

The gardens are also host to hundreds of scientists who continually study the various ecosystems.

KEW GARDENS

2012 OLYMPIC

PARK

stratford, london It is incredible to witness the process of a complex like this. The whole idea of a city that comes into an area, completely changes it then leaves all with in less than 10 years. London’s concept of the “legacy” is important to the design of the park. Compared to the Beijing Olympics, which had many iconic buildings that were left as iconic ruins after the Olympics, London incorporates deconstructable stuctures into the complex, like the basketball arena. I believe their greatest regeneration accomplishment was implementing a large wetland ecosystem from the brownfields where the Olympics are to be held. The aspect of the athlete’s village allows remnants of the games to be reused with the intent of providing housing. The incredible amounts of energy that are required to put on the games (which is one critique of the supposed ‘sustainable’ systems) allows for energy to be continued to be supplied to the park after the games, thus feeding the legacy. The wetland ecosystem is an interesting image of a fast paced renovation of the environment, completely representative our modern habits; I am curious to see how the regeneration develops over the next ten years.

temporary basketball arena

athlete’s village

veldrome under construction

HYDE PARK

west london, london London is a great city because it has incorporated so much green space into its urban fabric. This comes in the scales of small squares to a large parks like Hyde park or Kensington Gardens. On the infrequent warm and sunny days in London, the cockneys flock to the parks to lay in the grass and soak up the sun. These parks are not only essential for carbon consumption but also sustaining the London’s society; it provides an escape for the city dweller. Hyde park is great in its diversity; there are monuments, attractions, horse arenas and trails, waterways, landscaped grass and natural grass, roadways and sidewalks, food stands, etc. It is active and alive because the people of London are responsive to what is beneficial about the parks.

northbank, london The cathedral is a building type that is historically unique to Europe, especially in the perspective of an American architecture student. St. Paul’s is fairly modern to most european cathedrals, thus it doesn’t have the rich gothic detail like most do.

St. Paul’s acoustic properties are what make this cathedral so special beyond its royal history; from the central dome space to the whispering gallery above, the choir singing that day filled the space with harmony. It is amazing that something so iconic and filled with tourists can keep its original purpose as a religious center for the people of London. It is a curious situation between the ticket collecting counters, the wandering tour guides, the tourists with cameras, the priests, & the faithful mixing in the grand space. It is a mark of the new communal center of the 21st century.

ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL

THAMES BARRIER

thames river, london The Thames barrier is the second largest floodgate in the world. There is a barrier on the north and south banks. The south barrier sits down stream, just beyond Greenwich, from central London. Its actions are responsive to the storm surges that are funneled through the North Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. In the aspect of predicting, the Thames is expected to rise 8 inches in the next 100 years due to global change. Large radial plates swing to meet between the silver fins to protect London from the floodwaters of the Thames. These barriers play a crucial part in protecting London from disaster of which result from climate change or unusual weather patterns.

SAINSBURY’S

greenwich, london

Let me say that if anyone from this group were to be a grocery store expert, I would be the one. After working in a grocery store for over five years and shopping in one for over 22 years, I was very impressed with the daylighting scheme at Sainsbury’s. The long swooping clerestories provide enough daylighting for the whole store. Compared to experiencing the typical flourescents, I did not leave the store with a headache. I wonder about the efficiencies or solutions for handling the departments which require large appliances like industrial ovens or walk in freezers?

That is one thing I did not learn, but for being a groundbreaking sustainable grocery store, Sainsbury’s gets a gold star.

CAMDEN MARKETS camden town, london

Camden town markets are a bustling labryinth in north London.

You could spend hours there wandering the aisles, crossing paths, being consumed by make shift booths and popping into permanent market buildings. It makes you wonder where the fire escape is in case of emergency (the market is packed with people shoulder to shoulder). The real delight is in the mixture of the goods that are sold there. Each market in London has a something that they are known for; Camden is categorized as selling the ‘weird & unusual.’ Pop culture is a dirty word here; if it’s strange, Camden will sell it. This is a positive example of how I think the masses of people should shop. It’s an organized chaos that brings excitement to a part of life that we lose when we go to strip malls.

RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS

king’s langley, england Renewable Energy Systems (RES) was another good example of a sustainable campus; it reminded me of CAT in multiple ways. As a whole, the system is a great way to promote the sustainable systems that RES provides as a commodity. However, like CAT, the campus is fairly isolated and requires its workers to commute. The building is a great example of repurposing, like the Passive House. The original building already had an intentional focus around the sun (with the purpose of raising chickens). RES tapped into this when they renovated their current office. The horseshoe shape aligns to the east-west access. The tour was beneficial to see the process of the systems that RES utilizes: from solar generation, to the solar store, to pump water to irrigate the corn fields, which ends up as biomass to heat the offices.

west london, london

The concept of “enjoy work” is a great alternative to the usual corporate standards of today. Overall, the campus provides a space for this mentality to be facilitated via the various group activites that Enjoy Work provides (such as geese herding or kite making). However, this atmosphere is not translated into the individual building design.

“Enjoy work” suggest ideas about adaptability and play, even amongst the overall corporate function.

Rogers doesn’t provide this for the people working in the buildings. Although buildings are ‘cohesive’, they are also standardized down to open floor plans and lobbies. The buildings should reflect the attitude of the masterplan, which would reflect the nature of the business’s unique take on a working environment. The high tech facades spotlight the louvers and tension cables.

CHISWICK PARK

ISLINGTON WALKING TOUR

islington, england The urban fabric of Islington provided me with a tour of London that represented the transormations and trends of the 18th century and the industrial revolution. I was disappointed in the fact that we mainly saw the bourgeois townhouses and none of the working areas that would hope to find. However, it was interesting to see how urban planning and modernization can change areas of the city. The concept of bringing cattle and sheep into the center of the city is hard to imagine in London, since it now replaced with a steel and glass business expo. But traces of those times are still visible in the urban framework. Elevated sidewalks dictate today’s building placement because of the functional need to ride horses back then; the industrial canals still remains as infrastructure although they remain for residential needs. London is a city of adaptation, which is crucial in a time with ending resources.

canal boats statue

various findings

townhouses

TAXI

I did not take many taxis besides the vans in Wales. This was only because our location was so rural that bus or taxi or walking was our only options (we did not have cars). This is a good solution for people living in an urban environment who sporadically need long distance transportation or where the bus or tube lines do not reach. Taxis are also beneficial during times when the other forms are non attainable, like after the pubs close.

TUBE

This is by far the most convenient way to get around the city. Being the oldest metro system in the world, the system is fairly well organized. Tube stops are frequent around central London and they can drop you off where you need to go. The only dilemmas are wanting to pay the 1.70, which adds up fast, or wanting to ride during rush hours and the weekends, which cause delays. On average I spent about 20 per week, this influenced me to walk more towards the end of the trip. I question the quality of air in the tube; it is hot, humid, not fresh. With the swarms of people and lack of continuous ventilation, the air quality could not be very high. But the tube stops could be destination points in themselves (to see the varieties in architecture). Hopkins Westminster stop was a favorite with its high tech stainless steel and crossing escalators; I felt like I was in a space station.

BICYCLE

Bikes are an excellent way to get around the city and London offers every chance to do this with the Barclay cycle hire stations. London is currently putting in over 100 million pounds into its biking infastructure to provide more separated routes for the bicyclists. The current infrastructure is problematic and can be dangerous because of its un-segregated bike routes. The best bike system I experienced was in Rotterdam. The bicycle routes were clearly separated from the roadways and were correlated to the traffic light systems. It was clear where the bikes were and where cars were. There was also a lack of bike parking in London. Many of the buildings prohibited bike parking along the many rails in front. This can discourage people from riding their bikes in the first place.

WALK

Walking is the most sustainable, convenient, and cheapest way to get around London. However, it is not the fastest way. I found that by walking, you can see more of the city and experience it in ways that are not possible on the tube. You can stumble across street art or smell some fresh Indian food. London’s routes are not as easy to navigate when the road signs are not posted (which happens often).

It is beneficial to know where you are going before hand, unless you are going for a wander. If the tube becomes too expensive, walking is the best way to go.

BOAT

Boat transportation is a great alternative for avoiding the roadways and sidewalks of London. However, the service stops are limited for a major public transportation network; the locations are restricted to the Thames, which runs through central London. London already has a system of canals that was once used by industrial shippers but is now used by people traveling/living by house boat. If there were a smaller scale system to get people around by the canals, this could be successful public transportation effort. However, I believe the goal at this point is to keep cleaning the Thames (which was polluted from its industrial past). Possibly in the next ten years, the implementation of more water transportation will be obtainable.

BUS

The double decker buses maybe iconic to London, but they were not the best way to get around the city, especially if you are quite unfamiliar with the location and getting around. It is very difficult to see or prepare for getting off the bus at the right stops. I rode the bus in Wales (which only involved two stops), in Greenwich, Nottingham, and Oxford. In all of these occasions I depended on someone else to direct me to get off (usually Bruce). I believe if I took more time to utilize the buses in London as a transportation device I would have had a better experience with it. The bus rides do provide you with the ability to see the city while commuting, opposed to the tube where you miraculously appear in your location after your ride.

TRAIN

The train was essential for our trips out of and back to London. They are a cheap and easy way to get around Great Britain and Europe.

They do not require anywhere near the effort that airports require and can take you to many small towns between the larger hubs of GB. Furthermore, they are always on time (to the dot) however you cannot always use your ticket for any travel times, unless bought for that intent.

PLANE

This is not a common form of transporation around the city or the greater of London and neighboring cities, but it is common for the people of London to travel else where (London is a metropolis). I personally hate flying and I don’t see it as the best way to get around England or northern Europe because of the availability of trains. The entire procedure is much more exhausting and you are limited to how much you can travel with. It is also very taxing on our envrionment; it creates a very large carbon footprint. Planes are not be the best option to choose, unless you are limited with time (trains can take longer),

ALLIES & MORRISON

Allies and Morrison had a good variety with in their firm in respects to project size. A & M undertake architecture and master planning projects.

The detail in every project, of any size, is obvious. Their design philosophy is manifested in their office building where consideration was given to not only their building but the existing and future buildings around them.

My favorite projects are a tie between the wooden barn and greenwich planetarium. These projects represented to me a sensibility to not only the environment, but the specific sites they are designing on.

They do not limit it this to nature. Instead, it creates a relationship between inhabitants, environment, and a place beyond earth.

NBBJ

I was disappointed that we were only presented with one project, knowing that NBBJ is a worldwide firm. However, it was nice to receive the detailed version the project from design development to post occupancy.

The project Crysta presented was limited by its site constrictions (being on a campus). However, NBBJ did not handicap the building because of this. Instead, they exploited the site restrictions into a clear, form focused building. I am intrigued by the wood cladding they chose because of its aging properties (it ages well away from its finish) and the way wood contrasts with in campus setting (usually brick or stone).

The building also provides moments for the student to escape beyond themsleves through elevated viewing areas or glazed viewing rooms.

HOPKINS

I liked the tour of this more than others because of the journey the architects took us through. In a round about way we saw the design process to material mock ups to a glimpse of the wood shop to final boards and presentation. Their office building was unique because of the adaptation the applied from a different building that used the same structural system. Reflecting back on the firm visits, I see why it is important that your office represents the character of your firm’s work and design philosophy. Hopkins’ office was interesting that it represented 90’s high tech aesthetics but also portrayed adaptability through there office layout with multiple buildings; the structure also represented this through its modularity. Hopkins has since moved from their original design intentions to design that is more representative of the modern times (the velodrome for instance).

GRIMSHAW

I will state in this paragraph (which applies to the others as well) that it was very impressive visiting all of these big name firms. That being said, my process of understanding the firms was dependent partly on their presentation and part observation. Grimshaw had one of the best firm cultures that I could observe.

The office is laid out around a central space that encourages the large firm to meet and converse during moments of the day, be it lunch or tea time. The office includes an open plan with secluded spaces and tables to ‘meet in the middle’ to discuss the current projects. I witnessed a cohesive group dynamic.

Their projects contain dynamic and structural formal explorations.

Grimshaw is not afraid of the advancing technology of computer science; they are able to translate the hand drawn process to built forms that relate to the nature of the projects and site restrictions.

AHMM

AHMM is a firm that dealt with a wide variety of projects. Their willingness to be diverse has allowed them to succeed and be flexible, especially in rough economic times. Like the other firms, I was pleased to see that ‘sustainability’ was not the main focus of their focus, rather it is automatically included in the design process of each building.

Their model making team was one of the most impressive that I saw in London. It was obvious that AHMM holds there team to high standards and this reflected in the quality work that they produce.

EDWARD CULLINAN Edward Cullinan architects has the capability of being diverse enough to evolve to the varying restraints of multiple projects.

Their projects have lighthearted nature (also seen in their representation of the sun in their diagrams). I believe their intent for design revolves around the rich atmosphere of people’s lives.

ARUP

associates, foresight, & engineers Arup is unique to the other firms that we visited because of the fact that it is part of a larger, much larger whole and it began as an engineering firm.

The grandness of their business has allowed for a large interdisciplinary interaction amongst Arup. This may be good or bad depending on your opinions of interdisciplined work. I believe they were one of the best groups for outlining their design philosophy: “Who do we design for?....a building that is not iconic for the state of being iconic.” I think it is extremely beneficial that the engineers have architecture sensibilities (as shown through the discussion of the various serpentine pavilions). This is also true of Arup foresight, they are taking on aspects of not only built environment to understand our current global situations. This is not only manifested in architecture, but economics, agriculture, and many other economies.

ROGERS + PARTNERS

{rogers, stirk, & harbour}

This firm was very intimidating to visit; one for its status level and two, for its extreme hard working atmosphere. The tension in the studio air was heavy; it may be possible that there was an impending deadline? Roger’s models are one of the most impressive things about the firm, and there extensive model shop reflects their standards for quality. It was amusing to see how the different firm offices reflected the firm styles (because they were designed by the architect), Roger’s had this one nailed down as well with the incorporation of a café adjacent to the office. It is perfect opportunity to wine and dine your clients before showing them your 1 billion quid building.

FOSTER + PARTNERS You can tell that the leader of this firm is of celebrity status. The office was flashy in an expensive water pitcher and desk chair kind of way. For being as well known as they are, it was refreshing to see an open office plan where Norman himself is not closed off in his own office, but merely on a stage to the corner of studio. There was an air of discipline and hard work but still the allowance for collaboration and flexibility.

The technology in Foster’s model shop and computers allow for quick productions of their many iterations. Many model studies, printed in plastic, were scattered around the office. This exhibits the offices persistence to finding the best possible way to design a certain project. This strategy, although mentioned to us, was not seen in many of the offices we visited. I believe the technology, which comes along with a firm’s monetary success, allows for this design proces to happen. However, we are told that this a good process to go through. I agree, but I don’t think that producing multiple plastic models in a high energy 3D printer is a considerate thing to do, for the environment and for the relationship of the designer and his process.

3D printers sever the connection we as architects have from building things.

london is...

....one of my favorite cities, top two, easily. I think there is something about the way it operates that intrigues me.

From the markets to the many parks to the multitude of museums and notable architecture, you never cease to explore or be inspired. London is on the road of the ‘green’ highway, but compared to some other cities in Europe that I visited, they are not driving in the fast lane. However, they operate better than from what I’ve seen in America. One reason is the strict environmental standards that architects, and their projects, are held responsible for. The requirement of POE results and BREEAM ratings are examples of this.

London also has a very successful public transportation system; the tube is easy to operate and fairly inexpensive, compared to parking. It is not as giving for bicyclists, but the city is working on this (possibly by the 2012 olympics) by building a separate bike infrastructure.

My favorite building/s were the Westminster Abbey (during service), the Wise building at CAT, and Camden Town markets, along with many others. These buildngs spoke to me particularly with their relationship to the people using their space and the materials that they are made of.

CONCLUSIONS

“End of your Journey�

by : josephina, a girl on the train from london to holyhead.