The Economist Building

The Economist Building (1959-64) designed by Alison and Peter Smithson. This complex of three small towers set onto a plaza is located in central London. It's smaller than expected scale gives the plaza and buildings a more humane feeling than similar buildings and urban compositions of much larger scale. The scale is appropriate to the surrounding context of St James and the fossil-rich Portland stone gives the buildings and plaza a more durable quality and atmosphere than concrete buildings of the same period.

I was surprised how much more elegant these buildings are than I had expected. The scale was also surprising being compact enough to create an intimate relationship between the towers and comfortable scale of the plaza and pedestrian routes. The buildings integration with the surrounding context and connection to the surrounding streets also prevents it's plaza from becoming a barren wasteland like so many similar buildings of the 1960's. This probably has more to do with the existing context and location in central London than it does from any particular characteristics of the design.

Lunch at 30 St Mary Axe

Richard, who works in the building, kindly invited Joseph and I up to the top of 30 St Mary Axe for lunch. The building is one of my favorite in London. An exquisitely detailed tower that appears contemporary in a way that fits beautifully in London. The tower's jewel like qualities bring to mind the traditional jewelery and ornament found in the various palaces and galleries of England. It appears as an enormous precious object in the centre of London.

The rooftop bar is located at the top of the tower and crowned by a glass dome. It is a beautiful space with fantastic views of London and it was a fantastic and unexpected opportunity to be in this space as it is not open to the public.

Design Museum London

The Design Museum (1989) designed by Conran Partnership is located in a converted banana warehouse on the south bank of the river Thames. The gallery contains two floor of gallery spaces, a store and a cafe.

Lloyd's of London (again)

Lloyd's of London (1979-1984) designed by Richard Rogers Partnership

Tarling East

Tarling East (2008) designed by S333. Having worked for S333 in Amsterdam for 12 months I was very interested in visiting their first completed project in the UK. The building continues their exploration into alternative solutions to medium density housing and a design approach which involves careful analysis of context.

Tarling east contains 32 dwellings which range from one-bedroom apartments to six-bedroom family homes. The block includes rows of three storey homes which relate to the traditional terrace block and has the horizontality and scale of the brick estates found all over East London. Roof terraces provide generous safe and protected external areas.

The variety of apartment types provides housing for a diverse range of inhabitants, some of which are uncommon in new inner-city residential developments. The obvious attention to the importance of light, sun and garden spaces for the residents add to the amenity of the dwellings.

Elektra House

This small house designed by David Adjaye in 2000 for two artists presents a windowless rectangular façade clad with phenolic resin faced ply. Windows are visible on the white rear façade but reveal a blank wall within the house and provide a view of the sky from the interior.

As the house gives nothing away of it’s interior which, because it is a private house, was I unable to visit. The ground floor is one space with a small kitchen and a small external area. The first floor that is set back from the front and rear façade contains three bedrooms and a bathroom. Natural light is provided by roof lights and in two rooms a window looks onto a blank wall.

LONDON

It is my fourth visit to London and a city which becomes more interesting with each visit. This is not surprising given that London is the largest metropolitan area in the EU covering an area of 1,570 km2 and has been an important settlement for over 2000 years. London’s population of 7,556,900 within Great London and an estimated 14 million in the metropolitan area is diverse with over 300 languages being spoken in the city all served by one of the oldest and most extensive public transport systems in the world.

The major sites and galleries can easily keep you busy for weeks or months and I am hoping to visit some districts and buildings of London I have not seen before and spend some more time in Shoreditch drinking pints and watching the rain.

Dirty House

This house designed by David Adjaye for British Artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster, named the Dirty House (2002), is located in the dirty streets of a slowly gentrifying suburb of East London. The exterior responds to the roughness of the surroundings. The thick brick walls of the existing two-storey warehouse have been painted black, covering the roughness of the construction when viewed from a distance but still visible under the black paint on closer inspection. The highly reflective glazing of two rows of windows, one at ground level fitted flush with the exterior wall and one at the first storey that are set back revealing the thickness of the wall. The windows protect the interior from being visible whilst reflecting the brick facades of the neighbouring buildings, a shiny image of the grimy neighbourhood opposite. The glazing at the upper level that contains the main living area is set back forming a protected and private balcony which is covered by a large white roof.

The work-live house contains two introverted 6m high studio spaces in the existing brick building and a new one storey glass enclosure which is an open bright loft like space that contains a large living area, dining area and kitchen with a large skylight and a more private bedroom and bathroom suite seperated from the open plan living areas by a wall of closets. The interior is a gleaming white space with an introverted quality for the studio spaces and open and light for the living areas.

The interior makes reference to important 20th century artists such as James Turrell and Dan Flavin and pristine white gallery spaces whilst acknowledging and embracing the grittier character of the neighbourhood that is typical of areas artists have inhabited because of the availability of cheap studio space and which are subsequently gentrified. In doing so the Dirty House is not only a functional and well-designed space for living and working but also rich in meaning and references both to the city and contemporary art.