Design Project

For me it is time for celebration.  Last week I presented my final pieces of assessment for my Master of Architecture.  Here are some images of my final design project.  The proposition was for a trade centre in my home town of Brisbane comprising various function spaces, cafes, restaurants and a commercial office tower.

Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston

One of the things I most love to do when I travel is to visit a city's museums and galleries.  One of the highlights of my trip to Boston was the opportunity to discover the ICA.  The art museum was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and opened in late 2006.  Located at Fan Pier on the waterfront the museum is such a wonderful art space full of light and transparency.  Furthermore, I love a good stair and you can probably tell from my photos that I was a fan of all the stairs at the ICA!  I enjoyed the exhibitions and loved the public space extending out over the water with beautiful views back towards the city.  A must visit if you are ever in Boston.

June Project

This is the latest concept that I finished off while we were in Bilinga.  The project is mixed use including conferencing and exhibition facilities on the lower levels with tenancy space for cafes and retail, office space is located the mid levels with residential apartments on the upper levels.  On another note, Helen just arrived back from Whyalla!

New Farm Homes

We took these photos a couple of weeks ago while in New Farm, just east of Brisbane City.  Helen was looking for a suitable spot for a university project while on the way to lunch at Cafe Bouquiniste.  So many beautiful homes there.  I particularly love the old Queensland worker's cottage in the third, beautifully restored and tucked in behind a big green leafy tree.

Bibliothèque nationale de France

About a year and a half ago I was working with an architect who described this project to me through sketches.  When I realised that it was in Paris and we were to be there I had to go an see it first hand.  It was enormous!  The library consists of four identical towers, or 'book ends', on a flat podium with the public library below facing into a large sunken courtyard.  The towers have floor to ceiling colourless glass facades with timber screens behind which I understand help control the indoor climate and protect the collection.  The podium is mostly timber surface which also appealed to me.  Having experienced the building inside and out I found there to be a harmonious balance between the use of glass, steel, concrete and timber.  The sciences exhibition there was also particularly fascinating.  It included two original globes offered to King Louis XIV which depict the known world and cosmos during the time of his reign.

Queensland Homes

Back to Kirra Beach again today after trying a different offering from the Lady Marmalade menu.  The weather held up and it was a beautiful day on the beach.  I saw a couple of houses today which grabbed my attention.  The top image is of a house along the same street as the cafe in Stones Corner.  A quintessential Queenslander albeit a little rough and tumble but the golden palms at the front stairs and the faded beauty of the house appealed to me.  The second image is of a beach house at Kirra which I just adore.  Simple, blue and white, high ceilings and facing the beach... what's not to love!

Sketch Design

Here are some early sketches of one of my current projects.  The steeply pitched roof over the entry verandah helps identify the entry while the relative informality in the form aims to render the building more comfortable for it's occupants.  For this building we are working with iconic Australian lightweight materials such as corrugated steel, variegated timber batten screens, plywood panelling and glass louvres.

Rosebery House

We went across to West End today to try and source some materials for a new coat rack.  We had no luck but decided to take a look around the area.  I wanted to show James my favourite house in Brisbane but I couldn't remember the directions exactly as it is almost completely concealed from the road and it's been such a long time since I saw it last. I remembered it was at the end of a tiny street leading down towards the Brisbane River. Luckily we managed to stumble our way to it and it was well worth all the wrong turns in the end.  Rosebery House designed by Andresen O'Gorman and built in 1998 has stood its twelve years extraordinarily well.  I remember discovering it in 2003 and it looks even more beautiful today than it did then.  The greenery surrounding the house has grown and embraced it with all its lush foliage. It is like suddenly coming upon a secret treehouse set amongst a rare pocket of tropical rainforest right in the middle of inner Brisbane.  Both times I have been there the house has had a very surreal, suddenly deserted ambience both beautiful and intriguing.

Alila Villas Uluwatu

Well I think it's pretty obvious that this post says "I'm thinking about an overseas holiday."  With our most recent trip abroad being Japan in February 2009 it's time to start planning the next adventure.  All year we have been tempted by photos of beautiful destinations.  Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali is certainly on our must do list.  We first saw this resort in Vogue Living and by coincidence it was only a few weeks back that Helen sat in on a lecture by the architect discussing this project amongst others.


Image sources:
http://www.blogalila.com/
http://www.alilahotels.com/uluwatu/

Brisbane Riverside AM

This week I had a number of early starts at work to squeeze more hours into my day.  I usually find it a struggle to get out of bed in the morning but this week not so.  I really enjoyed my early starts.  Yesterday I took a little extra time on my way to work waiting for the sun to rise so that I could capture our Brisbane backdrop at its best.  It was the beginning of a picture perfect spring day.

Pictured: Brisbane Polo Club, Harry Seidler's Riparian Plaza and the Story Bridge

West End Courtyard

A courtyard garden in Brisbane's West End, also seen last weekend.  While I am not so keen on the architecture the courtyard garden is fantastic!  I'm sure these apartments would be great in Japan but for our hot humid summer I can't imagine they will get much breeze through those tiny windows...

Tropical Courtyard

While out and about last weekend we stopped in at Bowen Hills to look at the site for one of Helen's design projects.  We also took at peek at the courtyard garden of this architectural practice nearby.  The tropical garden makes the space, cushioning the occupants from a bitumen wasteland that surrounds the building.  I'm loving courtyard gardens at the moment and especially ones with plenty of bamboo.

Day One

A hectic day one at Hames Sharley.  After a few glitches setting up my computer it was full steam ahead on project work.  This was a five minute sketch I prepared for one of our newly commissioned projects.  No doubt I will tweak it over and over again in the coming days.

e1027

A couple years ago I sat in on a lecture discussing the life and work of Eileen Gray, an Irish architect (and famous furniture designer) who for many years was forgotten by the design community.  e1027 was a house built by Gray on the French Riviera in 1929.  Inspired by Le Corbusier and the Modernist Movement, Gray's work is beautifully simple and contemporary.  For decades this house has been slowly decaying by the sea but thankfully the French Government stepped in and made it a French National Cultural Monument.  Restoration is expected to be complete in December.


Image sources:
http://e1027.org/
http://blog.ounodesign.com/2008/12/24/eileen-gray-e1027-house/