Wooden additions
Came across this building on an excursion out and about yesterday. Love the wooden additions (ie terrace and balcony) that have been made to this old warehouse!
Archive for the ‘Cutting edge’ Category
Cool wooden additions
Sunday, July 25th, 2010What a fantastically cool rivet look – on a rock!
Thursday, June 10th, 2010
Rivets on a rock
Yes, just noticed too that this is the second time in the last couple of days that I’m using the word rock(s) in the heading. Sorry about the lack of eloquence and mental staleness. I’ll try to make it up some other time, I mean normally my vocabulary just blows everyone’s mind 
.
But to the point – the above use of what looks like stainless steel rivets decorating that rock must be fairly unique. To someone so inclined they could be perfect gadgets for practising one’s climbing technique. If it wasn’t for their perfectly smooth roundness and as such not providing any room to grip. Or maybe there’s a braille script going on I don’t know about.
From a design perspective though – the visual impact those rivets make is sooo super cool! Whoever came up with that idea must have had some mighty brainwave. So simple, yet so effective.
Clapham Manor Primary School – cool hybrid architecture
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
The RIBA Award winning polychromatic extension of Clapham Manor Primary School
You know how you sometimes read something and you get that ‘have-to-check-that-out-for-myself’ feeling? No? Well, to me that happens quite regularly, the last time just the other day when I read in the Guardian about Clapham Manor Primary School winning a RIBA Award for
“buildings that have high architectural standards and make a substantial contribution to the local environment”.
In the Clapham Manor Primary School case, it was the multicoloured glass extension that had cought the jury’s eyes. As it did mine when I saw the photo in the paper. Mixing old and funky new architecture blending it into a unique hybrid is just up my street.
Photos in newspapers and other media can often be a tease though – ever heard of Photoshop? So off I went to have a look to see if media and real life matched up.
Via bycycle I made my way through a rather charming suburbia and almost stumbled across the school facing Grafton Square. Looking through the closed gates, however, I saw no sign of a multicoloured extension. Fortunately I only had to roll around to the entrance on Belmont Road to get a full frontal view of it.
And was really impressed – the glass and colours work unbelievably well with the structure of the “old” school! Having a major weakness for colours I love how the tones shift from bright blueish/greenish in the front to warmer orangey/yellowish ones in the back. The glass panels are practical too – according to e-architect.co.uk some are actually upholstered on the inside enabling pupils to display their work there.
The need for more space was the chief driver for building the extension. That could probably have been achieved using a much less extravagant design. It’s great to note, however, that there has been an ambition to create something innovative that has visually given the school a new identitiy.
Sharp angles!
Monday, April 26th, 2010
Sharp angle
These angles are sharp! Ouch is one word that comes to mind – better watch that balloon. But also sharp in a distinct, clear-cut and crisp sense. The office block is nothing spectacular but the angles add an unusual edge to it.
In another image the protruding angle sections look almost gravity defying. Can imagine they are great for meeting purposes with the massive windows being (in)appropriate for taking in the surroundings if things are getting boring.
Not that people working here would fall victim to that feeling very often. The building in question is the home of Lindholmen Science Park in Gothenburg, Sweden – lots of exciting things going on there!