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Today we find ourselves on the last leg of a truly AMAZING tour! Weary & bleary eyed we left the creature comforts of Casa Camper…on one last adventure!
Weaving the back streets of Barcelona we found our way to Cadaval &Sola-Morales for an intimate and very enjoyable chat with Clara Solà-Morales, who kindly walked us through the design process behind the X-House and several beautiful ‘ephemera’ – temporary installations an exhibits that their practice uses to test their ideas an deep themselves ‘fresh’, a wonderfully inspiring way practice ethos. As with so many practices we have visited along the way iterative modelling having a major role in design evolution and resolution.

Still in the realm of Cadaval &Sola-Morales, Eduardo Cadaval treating us to a tour through the X-house…a great example of the potential that can be realised with the combination of passionate designers, fantastic site and an enthusiastic trusting client!

From being pent up in a cab to traversing the cobbled lane ways by pushbike with the rain falling lightly we made our way to EMBT, where the delightful Autro showed us the ropes! A self professed melting pot of ideas the practice occupies an amazing space from centuries past! With a scattering of the detailing that can be found throughout their work interlaced with original timber panels, Catalan detailing, exquisite models (pic3) and collages at every turn the office speaks greatly of quality of design it aspires to and achieves.

Ricardo Bofill occupy the most enthralling space – brought about via a rather clever ‘negotiation’ with the local government the practice and private residence inhabit the skeletal remnants of a former cement works….spiral stairs winding there way up through the derelict silos, as much vertical courtyard as transportation these wells link the various arms of the practice…the practice showcasing their ability to define amazing awe inspiring space in knowing exactly what elements of the former building to keep and those to strip away.
(Pic 4)

The chance to talk with the College of Architects of Catalonia provided an in-site into the workings of the profession in Barcelona. The final professional body we have had the chance to engage with on the tour across the three countries we have visited…Incredibly telling of the position our industry finds itself in, that the issues facing practices at home are just as prevalent abroad and are equally at the for-front of professional debate & discourse. A very interesting conversation!

Back on the bikes and off for a little down time meandering the back streets and sneaking in a few last sights (a really great way to see the city). Topping off an inspirational day and the official tour with one last meal with the team….paella & cava down near the waterfront, reminiscing about a mind blowing 11days – and that my friends is a wrap!

…adios

Yesterday was a free day and we each spent the day encountering the city in our own way. Today we grouped and visited Sagrada Familia for a tour of the architect’s offices, modeling workshops and most memorably, the construction works.

The workshop evidenced the skills and methods required to realize the building. Alongside recent 3d printed models were fragments of the original models made by Gaudi’s workshop, carefully reassembled to intimate the design intent. It may be incorrect to speak of ‘the original’ as worked in a dynamic manner with the craftspersons, and left an incomplete design, whose documentation was further marred by fire. His apprentices, who inherited the project, and subsequent generations of architects have developed and interpreted the vision and also adapted it to contemporary construction techniques, both as enabling means and as deviations from the initial materials. These recent models showed that process of evolved design.

We then ascended the project by a few twisting stairs and shaky lifts, arriving at the top of the construction site, itself only at the half way mark of the Jesus Nazareth Tower and Towers of the Evangelists. The pictures will tell the story and experiencing this privileged view is difficult to describe with brevity. But amongst this spectacle the story can also be told through smaller means, the workers who we watch as they nimbly traversed the constructed chaos of reinforcement, concrete stumps and fragments of facade. I watched a tiler for a few minutes, carefully applying thin terracotta tiles to the outside of a vault formed between two intersecting curved beams. The project is the work of many hands, over decades, working to realize a hazy and precise vision.

We next travelled to the high-density suburbs to the Parc Nuo Barris by Arriol & Filo. After a languid lunch with the architect, Carmen Filo, we were guided around the Parc. It’s design ambition was to connect the housing communities on either side of former Hospital grounds which featured a 40m change in topography. The design response is a series of inclined and folded embankments, clad in polychromatic brickwork. The typical response may have been a series of ramparts and retaining walls, but Arriol & Filo have sculpted the landscape to allow it to cascade almost naturally, and created a network of paths across the site and views from end to end.

From a social housing tower that they also designed, we could survey the Parc in its entirety, which also features an aqueduct, fed by groundwater from the nearby hills. The project demonstrated how landscape can serve as urban and social infrastructure. A later visit to their office reinforced their approach to making public spaces in a city where not everyone has a car and where everyone must also live and recreate in the city, not in the sanctuary of a backyard.
AP

Day one of Barcelona called for bike riding through the gridded streets to destination tapas. After indulging in fresh calamari and stuffed capsicum it was onto Igualada Cemetery by Enric Miralles and Carme Pinos. The rolling Spanish landscape was enjoyed by train for 1.5 hours to the industrial town. Nestled into an existing quarry the building sits at one with its surrounding context. The shelved landscape provides a curated experience – from above and within. The cemetery brings into question when a building becomes landscape and when landscape becomes building. Sensitive yet robust. This project provides a clear reminder that architecture needs to be experienced. Quietly sitting. Contemplative. The walled cemetery allows for a new and habitable landscape to exist.

Amy and Mel

Today goes down as the highlight day for me so far. We packed in a huge range of studio and project visits.
From the small emerging office of Studio Octopi to the huge Foster machine. The absolutely stunning Herzog and DeMeuron Tate Modern gallery extension touched our souls, while the opulence and excess of the Chipperfield project brought into question issues of sustainability.

We started the day with a visit to Fosters office where the scale and size of the practice means they can afford a huge amount of resources. The dedicated ‘materials research’ team has a highly organised material library and the enviable ability to prepare comparison data on the embodied energy of any material.

The visit to the new Tate extension was the highlight of the trip so far with John O’Mara from Herzog and DeMeuron giving us a tour of the construction site. The lower level spaces are almost complete and we were able to stand in the oil tanks that have been converted to gallery spaces. The opportunity to experience the beauty of these raw spaces was an emotional moment. Externally we were able to see the beautifully detailed concrete structure and have some insightful discussions about the brick detailing. The brick screen prototype was great to see and we were all inspired by the use of new techniques and custom square bricks.

The director Alex of dRMM generously showed us some of their social housing work and the much published ‘Sliding House’ was great to see. Studio Octopi were next and another trip highlight for me.

The very accommodating directors Chris and James talked us through their elegant and highly considered work. The Stratford kiosk project was a favourite and I am sure that soon we will be seeing their work everywhere. Visiting an emerging practice like this is really beneficial for those of us trying to get our own practices going, Chris and James are at that next step and it was great to discuss their journey with them.

Carmody Groarke were the last practice visit for the day and after a 12 hour non-stop day we enjoyed beers and cheese while looking at their impressive range of projects. Many of the projects show an excellent engagement with production processes that allow them to find efficiencies and to produce inventive outcomes. Their temporary scaffold project on top of a Westfield shopping centre was a favourite and it was interesting to hear that they consider these temporary projects as a product not a building.

All practices visited today place a huge emphasis on physical models and it has been great to see the rigorous testing process of all the projects. It was a big day and one that will be remembered fondly for a long time. The team is weary but totally inspired….. Off to Barcelona tomorrow!!!!
Mel
Look at @MAKE_arch for pics on instagram, or #

Bright eyed and bushy tailed we set out on our second day in London!..and dare I say it, we have even been treated a weeee little sunshine!.
What a day!…covering all ends of the profession, treated to in-depth conversations with some of London’s finest…First cab off the rank CRAB Studio…common threads of the notion of ‘quality’ and the place of craft in the profession were hot topics and eagerly discussed – young emerging minds bouncing our ideas around with seasoned pro in Mark, was an amazing way to start the day, and left our merry little band nattering and ‘pinging’ off the walls as we weaved our way though the streets to Zaha….ah yes Zaha, what an experience, whimsical forms & the chance of getting behind the scenes with a vast array models & concept drawings was incredibly insightful and at a scale that needs to be seen to be believed!….scale being the question left hanging in all our minds….

MUF & then the Archi foundation both sporting an inspiring dedication to the community…Archi Foundation setting an amazing example of independent advocacy of the profession, and a great little lane way intervention with Gibons Rent!

Stanton Williams, these chaps know how to rock and roll, sticking to their guns, with a hands on honest approach!…and models, WOW! fantastic to see a practice of this scale using models, exquisite detail models through to rough & ready massing…fantastic to see! – was a treat….and a common thread in all practices to date, the use of models is really heartening to see and something I’m looking forward to ramp up back home!

Pecha Kucha at the RIBA, & after a few medicinal beverages to steady the nerves…not from fear of public spectical but rather to balance out the copious amount of caffeine consumed…we had the pleasure of showing what 5 kiddy-winks from downunder can do! What an opportunity, amazing fun, a good old chat, righting the wrongs of the world…what a blast and more great times to come!

SH

Check out more images at #duluxstudytour and follow me on instagram or twitter @_seanhumphries

Bleary eyed yet grateful for any sleep that we managed to tuck under our wings on the 13 hour red eye flight from Shanghai, we started the day with Ken Allinson’s 9 hour walking tour. The day was filled ranging from historical references and a general overview of London’s history and evolution to visiting Kings Cross’s very active development site – are you sure that England is in recession?

One of the first projects for the day was Lumen United Reformed Church conceptually addressing issues associated with converting single use buildings into multi functional programmatic buildings to ensure that they are used on a regular basis. The addition of seminar and meeting rooms, common courtyard garden space and a cafe which now sits to the entrance of the congregation space. The line between community centre/cafe/church is blurred making use of a building typology that’s weekly use is minimal at best.

The Barbican containing 2000 apartments and tenancies housing 6000 residents sadly defines an era of concrete craft which we may never witness again. Robust, generous, a community exists defined by the mixed use podium below. We were thrilled to be invited to see a private apartment on the 33rd level within the Shakespeare Tower boasting a spectacular aerial survey of the south to north west of London. The joy of opening ellipse shaped concrete services cupboard doors and custom timber and brass window joinery, large 3m long sliding doors to subdivide kitchen/dining from living. All very good. Just what the architect ordered.

James Santer from AHMM generously showed us through TEA and Shoreditch House which forms a large internal master planning exercise being carried out in a series of existing buildings. The project has been developed over the past 10 years slowly evolving over time providing spaces primarily for advertising, media and technology companies. The alternative work place spaces provide a testing ground for varied work place relationships and models for operation. The large advertising agency Mother was a highlight with the generous warehouse volumes providing spatial opportunities not afforded within the confines of a typical commercial tenancy.

The Shard was up next providing the latest London ‘view’. The seemingly pure form of the Shard is lost once inside. Views out obscured at certain points by facade junctions and overlaps of form. The left over space dedicated to the viewing platforms over 3 levels brings into question the formal gesture taking precedence over use. The floor plates are narrow preventing the space from being used for any other function than that of foot traffic. A spectacular view, yet one leaves wanting more.

In contrast the final highlight for the day was visiting the top of the iconic Foster ‘Gherkin’. Swapping our sneakers for ‘smart’ shoes we made our way up to the apex of the building. The function space elegantly completes the form providing a 360 degree view of London while the curved structure pulls up to a circular skylight. The cathedral like space truly celebrates the act of viewing.

We are a little behind with our blog, but the tour has been so busy, that the down time has been limited…..we have just come off a PPE (personal protective equipment) aka hard hat tour of the Tate modern 02….. More about that, and the last two days, as soon as we slow down…..!!!
Maybe over a curry and a beer tonight.