Technical Studies Lecture

Philibert de l'Orme's "The bad and good architect", 1567

French architect Philibert de l'Orme was one of the great masters of the French Renaissance. In the final pages of his treatise Le premier tome de l’architecture of 1567 he featured two illustrations entitled "The bad and good architect."  The illustrations serve as a manifesto and communicate the ideals of their author.

"Whereas the bad architect wanders in a barren landscape dominated by a gloomy medieval castle, the good architect enjoys the pleasures of the garden.  Beautiful buildings rise on each side, their ornaments echoing the productions of nature.... Revealingly, in addition to lacking hands because he does not know how to make something useful, the bad architect has no recognisable features; he is deprived of eyes, nose, mouth and ears, whereas the good architect has a visage.  The latter is moreover, engaged in a dialogue with a young disiciple who turns his face towards him.  With their windows wide open like eyes surveying the scene, the nearby buildings seem to look on this conversation with benevolence."

-from Ornament: The Politics of Architecture and Subjectivity by Antoine Picon

'Disobedient Objects' at the V & A 26 July- 1 February

"From a Suffragette tea service to protest robots, this exhibition is the first to examine the powerful role of objects in movements for social change. It demonstrates how political activism drives a wealth of design ingenuity and collective creativity that defy standard definitions of art and design. Disobedient Objects focuses on the period from the late 1970s to now, a time that has brought new technologies and political challenges. On display are arts of rebellion from around the world that illuminate the role of making in grassroots movements for social change: finely woven banners; defaced currency; changing designs for barricades and blockades; political video games; an inflatable general assembly to facilitate consensus decision-making; experimental activist-bicycles; and textiles bearing witness to political murders."

at the Victoria and Albert Museum
10.00 to 17.45 daily

more info here.
10.00 to 22.00 Friday

'Everything is made of something' 

Mark Miodownik, director, The Institute of Making, University College London, and author of 'Stuff Matters'

' Materials are at the heart of every company I visit and it is hard not to conclude that although Google and Twitter may dominate technology headlines, and cosmologists may be most popular with the media, materials transformation is still what makes the world go around. Starting next week in a new series of columns for Observer Tech Monthly I am going to tell the story of stuff. Each month I will pick a different material and uncover the human needs and desires that brought it into being, and decode the materials science and engineering behind it.

..there is more to materials than the science. Those who make things all have a different understanding of the practical, emotional and sensual aspect of their materials. For instance, we know the sounds of the doors in our houses, and can distinguish between someone leaving or entering from the subtle differences in keys rattling and hinges creaking. As a child I could always tell whether it was my mother or my father coming up the stairs, from the subtle differences in the sound of the creaky stairs. These acoustic personalities of buildings are often overlooked during the design process. Carpet makes a room feel warmer but also changes the acoustic signature of the room. The clickity-clack of high heels and the party they announce are muted; the squeak of rubber tennis soles and the sport they anticipate is banished; the comforting solid thump of sensible shoes on their way to work is no longer proclaimed. Installing carpet is a kind of auditory gag, which may of course be used intentionally for that purpose such as when designers want to create a sense of intimacy and calm. It is this diversity of material knowledge that I intend to capture in these columns.'

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/14/story-of-materials-human-civilisation-mark-miodownik

Bartlett B Pro Show 24-28 September

a celebration of the work of students from The Bartlett School of Architecture's post-professional Masters programmes.

Opening party

Tuesday 23 September, 19.00

Speeches and awards from 19.30

Exhibition open to the public 

24 – 27 September 10.00 – 18.00

28 September 10.00 – 14.00

Venue

The Royal Ear Hospital

21 Capper Street, London WC1E 2QG

Front, left image: Team Filamentrics [Zeeshan Ahmed, Yichao Chen, Nan Jiang, Yiwei Wang], MArch GAD, RC4, ‘SpaceWires’, Rendering. Front, right image: Team Physa [Mingjie Fan, Shihong Sun, Nan Yang, Kai Kai Zhou], MArch UD, RC16, ‘Bio-Digital Futures, The Copper Corridor’

PG2014 Exhibition at University of Westminster 12-19 Sept 2014

PG2014

 

THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE INVITES YOU TO PG2014:

An exhibition of thesis projects from the MA Architecture; MA Architecture and Digital Media; MA Architecture Cultural Identity and Globalisation and MA Interior Design

 

PREVIEW

Friday 12 September

6 – 9pm

 

UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER

35 Marylebone Road

London

NW1 5LS

 

EXHIBITION CONTINUES DAILY

Saturday 13 September

to Friday 19 September

9am – 9pm

Chelsea College of Arts Postgraduate Summer Show 2014. 5 - 12 September 2014

Catch the Chelsea College of Arts Postgraduate Summer Show, featuring work by graduating students from the MA Interior & Spatial Design course.

Location:
Chelsea College of Arts
16 John Islip Street, London
SW1P 4JU

more info here.

Staircase in Mallorca by Studio Mishin Architectural Bureau

Photo: Quintin Lake Photography

"A sculptural staircase in the form of irregularly perforated copper panels is the central element of Villa Mallorca. The staircase leads over three storeys and creates a visual link to the copper details throughout the interior and exterior of the building."

Photo: Quintin Lake Photography

from DETAIL.

'Bounce below' in an abandoned slate mine in Wales

"Giant trampolines inside a mammoth slate quarry cavern are the latest tourist attraction tipped to bring thousands of thrill seeking tourists to the region.

Bounce Below will open next month at Llechwedd in Blaenau Ffestiniog – the world’s first facility of this kind. The caverns, twice the size of St Paul’s Cathedral, will be lit up in a light show while visitors bounce on giant trampolines linked by a 60ft long slide."

From here and here.

OPEN 2014 on until 4th July

Date:
13 June 2014 - 4 July 2014
Time: 9.00am - 9.00pm
Location: 35 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS - View map

OPEN2014 is the end of year exhibition for:
Architecture BA Honours
Interior Architecture BA Honours
Master of Architecture (MArch) RIBA Part II

OPEN2014 is part of the London Festival of Architecture 2014

All welcome. Entry is free, no need to book.

Thanks to Christina Diamandi for the photograph of the Interior Architecture contribution to the exhibition.

IA Graduates at 'Free Range'. Brick Lane July 10-14

Bartlett Summer Show. 27 June - 5 July

Opening night and party

Friday 27 June
18.00 –  01.00
Official show opening by Michael Webb
19.00

Venue

Main Quadrangle and Slade Galleries of UCL, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT

Open to the public

Friday 27 June, 18.00 – 22.00
Saturday 28 June, 10.00 – 20.30
Sunday 29 June, 10.00 – 17.30
Monday 30 June, 10.00 – 20.30
Tuesday 1 July, 10.30 – 16.30
Wednesday 2 July, 10.00 – 16.30
Thursday 3 July, 10.00 – 20.30
Friday 4 July, 10.00 – 20.30
Saturday 5 July, 10.00 – 20.30