graham mitchell architects

The practice I work for, graham mitchell architects, recently launched their new website and I am extremely proud to have been instrumental in organising it and especially coercing information from my colleagues. It represents another achievement in the Practice's 10 or so years of work with the launch coinciding with a completed house at the Scottish Housing Expo and number of publicised works. Long may it continue.

Bill.

Poems for a website.

I was recently asked to draft a limerick style of poem to describe my friend Anna to be used on her website. The poem had to try and create an impression of her through descriptive prose without being taken too seriously. I ended up creating a couple of poems, the results of which can be seen below. While not being in any form exemplars of use of the English language, I really enjoyed the creative freedom to explore a new avenue of thought process:

"There is a young lady called Anna,
Whose work offers a lot to admire.
Whether ink on paper,
To designs on a tower,
She certainly is one to aspire."

"There is a young lady from Northampton,
Whose obsession with towers is quite irksome,
Not bad on paper with ink,
Her designs certainly make you think,
She definitely is not one to be outdone."

Bill

Richard Wright

I was in Dundee over the weekend and I decided to pop into the Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) building to see what was happening. Unfortunately my timing was poor as the exhibitions were in a state of transition. However my visit was not in vain as when I was browsing through the catalogues of previous shows I came across the work of Richard Wright.

I find his quiet yet quite radical work extremely fascinating and I wish I been able to visit the exhibition in-situ. The pattern work is memorising and in some cases is visually disturbing which only adds to the interest. It reminds me of kaleidoscopes combined with the detailed filigree on Gothic architecture.

Bill

Patricia Cain

My colleague in the office, Anna, passed on Pat Cain's details the other day. She was really inspired by her detailed and vibrant work that often features meticulous panoramic construction scenes and beautiful washed out cityscapes.

Her portfolio is here.

Bill.

Eilean Donan, Loch Duich.

If you were asked to sum up an image of Scotland that would be recognised internationally, this would be it. This was taken after a long bus ride from Glasgow whereby we quickly jumped off to explore. We were intending on heading straight through to Kyle of Lochalsh but could not resist the charms of this most amazing of settings.

Eilean Donan is a castle that is accessed off the mainland via a small bridged causeway.

Bill.

Signal Box 2 by Herzog & De Meuron.

This design of a signal box by Herzon & De Meuron was one of my first iconic buildings that I really appreciated when I was studying. I saw this on my first trip to Switzerland and the incredible copper finish contrasted with the simple form really inspired me.

Bill.

Bookcover thesis project by Mikey Burton.

Mikey Burton has created a colourful reinterpretation of classic book covers aimed towards pupils at high school. Each book is treated individually and the graphic visualization, although bright and accessible, often presents the darker content of each novel in a stylised way.

Bill.

Boarding school for Handicapped Children by Marte.Marte Architekten.

Just came across this building by Marte.Marte Architekten in this months Detail magazine. As usual the deailing and finish of materials stands out in their qualities. The elegant cuboid form is broken up with the apparent random positioning of two sizes of windows. The façade is further articulated by the panel edges of the form work to the concrete.

Bill.

Paspels School by Valerio Olgiati.

You could not pick a more dramatic site for this small primary school in the Swiss canton of Graubunden. We were based in Chur when we decided to make the trek to Paspels, but luckily enough with the amazing public system in Switzerland we arrived after two trains and a couple of post buses in good time to explore the locale. Valerio Olgiati designed the school in 1998 and the completed building is an excellent example of contemporary rationalist architecture. The off square plan is divided into four class rooms with habitable corridors and a communal space between. Inset strip windows run the length of one side of each classroom to maximise natural daylighting while a small window is placed at the end of the access corridor for ventilation. The plan rotates vertically which defines each class room as individual. Raw poured concrete to the exterior and internal circulation spaces contrasts with a warm timber that clads each room.

Bill.

Stari Most, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Back in the late summer of 2006 when I was on placement year I went to visit my good friend across in his home country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. One particularly hot and dusty day we took a day trip with his family from the capital, Sarajevo, to a town in south west, Mostar. Mostar is known throughout the world for its bridge, the Stari Most, an impressive stone built structure. When the original was completed in the 16th Century, while the country was under Ottoman rule, it was seen as an important step in engineering that was the widest man-made arch in the world. In November 1993 it made the headlines internationally as it was destroyed during the Bosnian War as part of a systematic decimation of the important crossings of the river Neretva. Plans were drawn up after the end of the war to rebuild the bridge and after 3 years of painful and careful reconstruction the bridge was completed in 2004.

It is interesting that this bridge represents so many of man's qualities and frailties. When first complete it was revered around the world for the engineering prowess and became a proud symbol for the town and people who constructed it. As a consequence it was the ultimate motif in the collapse of Bosnian society when it was destroyed. Literally bridging two communities it is now seen as part of a new country, one that is progressive and welcoming.

Bill.

Notre Dame du Haut by Le Corbusier.

I have been scouring my photo collection of all the interesting places and buildings that I have been fortunate to visit over the past 8 years of study and one particular highlight was Le Corbusier's design of a chapel on the outskirts of Ronchamp. It is one of the finest examples of contemporary religious architecture throughout the world and, I think, one of those places that needs to be visited to fully appreciate the quality of space, light and design that is present. I would hazard to say that it should be a pilgrimage of note for all aspiring architecture students.

Bill.

Sogn Benedtg Chapel by Peter Zumthor.

I don't think Peter Zumthor needs any introduction to someone who has studied architecture as he is so widely respected. His architecture is an entirely sensual experience that is underpinned by an appreciation of the local craftsman that work in the region. Materials, space and light and their close relationships are explored in detail and the finalised building is piece of art. I have been lucky enough to explore the above building (a small chapel built for a remote hill side village in Switzerland) in both winter and summer, and despite the extreme differences in weather conditions the building still sits grounded and understated, quietly providing its function in a beautiful way.

Bill.

Stu Loxley.

Not sure who introduced me to Stu's work but I don't think it matters as I think it is great. I love the soft tonal quality of his work. He does a lot of studies of what may be classed as mundane objects or scenes, but I think this just adds to his understated and quiet output.

Bill.

Space Invaders.

Ross over at iwasjustthinking1984 introduced me to Space Invaders a wee while ago now. They are a collective (maybe) of artist(s) who place ceramic tiles in obscure locations throughout cities around the world. The image printed on these tiles is based on the alien form from the famous video game of the same name. This idea is quite interesting as the finished product does not "vandalise" property in the same way that graffiti is perceived to do and can removed relatively easily. It also taps into the current trend of quirky artistic movements whereby discovering the art is almost more of the cultural high than the piece of art itself. Space Invaders have turned a really simple idea into a global game, a bit like a contemporary version of the I-Spy books which I always seemed to have a copy of when I was younger.

Bill.

Holiday home by fnp architekten.

In response to my friend's blog, iwasjustthinking1984, I have decided to post a fine example of modern architecture that works within the confines of an existing building. Admittedly the existing building is small, but it does show that the creative thought process fnp architekten went through has achieved, with a confident client believing in them, an excellent building with what could have been perceived as redundant site.

Bill.

Public debate over the future of Union Terrace Gardens.

I attended a public debate at the Salvation Army Citadel building in Aberdeen last night where a local MSP, Frank Dornan, had organised a discussion over the proposals in Union Terrace Gardens. All sides where represented; Tom Smith (ACSEF) and Sir Ian Wood presented their controversial proposals to deck over the gardens, Elly Rothnie (Peacocks) and Edgar Gonzalez discussed the smaller, less invasive Peacock scheme, David McClean offered an impartial, non biased architectural view of the Gardens and their history, and finally Allan Garvie, former head of the Shire Planning department presented a technical appraisal of the planning system.

It was a really interesting debate, with all parties representing their views eloquently. To be honest I do not support Sir Ian Wood's vision, but I can see how generous he is being especially with his contribution to our economy in the North East. I struggle to understand how misguided he is though; I feel that his idea is about 30 years out of date. We have learned from the terrible planning mistakes that our Towns and City councils have made in the past though concreting over public parks, and it seems that the only person who has not learned, or who is refusing to change their mind, is Sir Ian Wood.

The 300 strong audience (about 80% who were against the ACSEF backed idea) were encouraged to ask factual questions, but as expected there were a lot of passionate and emotional speakers who offered statements rather than queries. This meant that a lot of the debate was taken up by rather inept and repetitive points which detracted from the organisers intention.. Nevertheless I was extremely proud to see so many people turn up and make their views known. I ended up leaving the meeting with a lot more respect for Sir Ian as he conducted himself very well in the face of such adversity, and he did not have to turn up at all. I am glad that all of us are looking towards the future and that we share the same vision. Let's hope some form of sensitive compromise can be reached.

I will comment on my views of the two schemes at a later date, the above was a quick review of last night's proceedings.

Bill.

Tagging Iconicity no. 1

I am working on a series of canvases based on architectural inspired graffiti. My intention is to try and distill an iconic structure or building down to the very core elements that makes it a landmark. My hope is that this simply replicated design can be readily recognisable by anyone, yet is still pleasing to view. This is my first in a proposed series and is a work in progress. I hope to produce a couple of finished pieces at the weekend. The above images show the progress of cutting out the stencil from a template that I drew earlier.

Bill.

Coffee House in Rubislaw Terrace Gardens

A bit of blatant advertising here as our practice is working with an inspired client to produce an sensitive contemporary design for a coffee house in formal Georgian gardens in the west end of Aberdeen. We have submitted plans to the council for the 2nd time now on this site and a petition has been set up to gauge the public's interest in what we have proposed.

Bill.

Amber Wilson @ Kilau.

Last week I was fortunate enough to go and watch one of my friends play an intimate gig at an excellent coffee house (Kilau) in the centre of Aberdeen. Amber Wilson plays acoustically and is only accompained by her beautiful and delicate voice with piercing lyrics. I would highly recommend checking out some of her stuff on Myspace.

Bill.

The Lightbox Gallery in Woking.

My mum just called me from Woking train station to tell me that she has just been to the most amazing art gallery she has been into recently, the Lightbox Gallery in Woking. It makes me proud when I hear a member of the "uneducated public" (meant entirely inoffensively) describing contemporary architecture in such a positive manner. She loved the clean simple design and the large spaces lit by a combination of subtle natural sky light and modern fittings.

Bill.

Art exhibition at Queen's Cross Church, Aberdeen.

This should be an interesting place to visit. Queen's Cross Church in the west end of Aberdeen is hosting an exhibition over the next few evenings with all the art work available to buy and the proceeds going to charity.

Bill.