Thoughts and opinions on architecture, music and life
Archive for the ‘Architecture’ Category.
According to the Planning Portal, the Home Builders Federation has warned that policy uncertainties could lead to housing shortages. I think the point is, that it could lead to the slowing of mass housing production. This, I would say, is a good thing. Housing suppliers will have to look to the alternatives, which I consider much better: Continue reading ‘Pickles’ Plan for Planning’ »
Anish Kapoor’s ArcelorMittal Orbit doesn’t look as though it will stand up. Why?
It’s all very well designing new age things which look like they won’t stand up so that they look interesting and tug at our inner senses of insecurity and make us feel excited but, honestly… why? Are we trying to continually unnerve the people of Britain and make them feel uncomfortable with the stability of their lives? Are we trying to show to other nations how unstable we are and that it wouldn’t take much to make our entire country come tumbling down if you just know which bit to target? Continue reading ‘Anish Kapoor’s ArcelorMittal Orbit’ »
In a previous article on Eldon Terrace, I commented on the state of repair of two terraced units on Woodhouse Lane, Leeds (or Eldon Terrace, although no such road really exists!) and that well-thought out development approaches would enhance the local area. Well, in this article, I want to give a bit of an update of what’s been happening since then.
Eldon Terrace
I recently went back to researching something that I haven’t really looked into in a while. That is the proposed eco-town developments in the UK. There are 14 sites that have been identified as potential locations for new eco-towns and they are currently at the stage of a communities consultation. However, I’m largley disappointed by their running of it, part of the reason why I have neglected to push much further into the subject recently. Continue reading ‘Eco-Town have your say… or have your click, at least’ »
I usually skip over my online subscription to WAN – World Architecture News newsletter when it comes into my inbox each week, but something caught my eye this time, something that I’m always pleased to see in architecture news – “Dublin skyscraper development refused planning permission by local council”.
The refused proposal was for Jurys Berkeley Court, a multi-use redevelopment that would provide offices, residential apartments and leisure facilities. And oh, here’s a big surprise, both the developer and the architect are “disappointed”. Continue reading ‘Dublin skyscraper refused planning permission’ »
I have found that my course hasn’t put much of an emphasis on CAD skills during the first couple of years, which is a pity, since its such a commonplace tool in modern Architecture and Engineering. I believe it should be taught from the beginning and I’m glad that The University of Leeds is now doing this. However, I’m pleased that I had the opportunity to go to Penn State where I did a course on CAD which really brought me up to speed. They have the most up-to-date software and people with the skills to teach it. So, what did this course include? Well, first of all, the software covered was AutoCAD, Revit Architecture and 3ds Max Design. Continue reading ‘Portfolio: CAD’ »
Ever since I first arrived at Leeds University, these two units on Woodhouse Lane have been derelict and bare. It’s time something was done about it.
The first thing that struck me about the architecture at Penn State when I first arrived was that any building was really really hard to date from its architectural style! Now, this is partly due to the fact that I am not very experienced in the history of architectural styles in the USA, but not exclusively. Continue reading ‘Architecture of Penn State’ »
