we began our final soirée in London-town on a slightly somber note this morning. The excellent company we kept at the RIBA cocktail party the night before, followed by a splendid dinner, served to remind us of what an amazing trip we have all enjoyed together.
Our guide for day Ken Allinson, meets us at our hotel lobby and we out the door punctually on what will be the last of our architectural education of the city. We learn about the history of the city – its urban origins, growth, expansion, polarization and present-day regeneration. We learn that different urban/financial/historic monarchial agendas and generators of the central city centre, west end and east end, contributed in shaping the city we are familiar with today.
A short tube ride takes us into the heart of the city. We start with a colourful mixed use development by Renzo Piano, traipsing through the streets and narrow laneways to discover similar developments showcasing the diversity of the city blocks in congealing residences and office space with respect to the street. The ubiquitous Victorian terrace sometimes give way to more thoughtful approaches to community living. The Brunswick Centre harked back to the Metabolists – its public space treatment of stacked terraces over a retail podium akin to those seen in the Golden Mile Complex in Singapore. A brief by-pass into the British Musuem left us oohing and ahhing at the sensitive intervention of Fosters.
Enter the Barbican and the cameras click non-stop. A social housing development of the 60s is now home to majority of the city’s population.
Elevated walkways, wide podiums, courtyards and an emphasis on a rich living environment. It was like discovery a modern Atlantis, a serene oasis in the middle of bustling London. The surprise is that more of these typologies are not further explored today in cities requiring a response to the isolation of vertical living in cold towers.
Ken’s reputation for brisk walking preceded him and soon we were picking up the pace, heading towards the curtain walled, shiny new buildings (of the financial district) interspersed among the amazing historical gems of London. The Fosters, Rogers, Koolhaas and Grimshaws spring from behind each other… modern London at its glitzy best. we skirt around building security, taking photos of eaves/facades/lobbies/details quicker than the po-po can slap us with charges for ‘public damage’… Or nuisance.
At the end of the tour and on the rooftop of a Nouvel’s piece across the beautiful St Paul’s cathedral, we look out over the rooftops and to the city beyond. Not exactly an Ocean Eleven moment but we all shared the same sentiments in this quiet moment It has been such an adventure and one which stay with us forever. An unspoken bond unites us all and will continue as we take this on with us through the rest of our architectural careers.
Now to the pub.
