Serpentine Pavilion 2016

By Bjark Ingels Group (BIG).

 

Serpentine Pavilion 2013-2015

2015: selgascano

Just out of the blue I decided to go to the pavilion at 6 am on Sunday to have a quick look at this year’s pavilion. It was not a planned visit so I only had my mobile phone to take photos with.

A few photos from the last two pavilions are also added below.

 

2014: Smiljan Radić

2013: Sou Fujimoto

Southbank Center

Some photographs from my recent trip to the Southbank Center.

 
  
  

Serpentine Pavilion 2012 Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei

So I finally went to go to this year’s pavilion to take some photos and see how it compares to the other past pavilions. All in all I think it was ok but nowhere near as good as last year’s Zumthor effort.

The design is essentially made up from tracings from previous pavilions and the basic idea was to have a kind of sunken space that reveals the history of the site, almost like an archaeological excavation. Internally, the space is made from cork and is carved to create stepped seating areas all over the place. Above is a large disc which sits slightly off centre with water pool on top.

I sat there for a while to see how people were reacting to it and using it. On the whole it seemed like they were mostly confused, not exactly sure where to sit. The oval shape creates a space that looks inwards so no views to anything outside. People, therefore, predictably were sitting there watching each other. I suppose if you had a person sitting somewhere in the middle giving a talk then it would work better. I think it’s something they’re planning to do later on.

Also, on this sunny day, the space underneath was really dark. There were lights attached to the bottom of the disc that covers the pavilion that helped a bit. I don’t know if they were part of the initial design but to me they looked like an afterthought.

As I was about to leave I heard someone stumble on the opposite end of where I was sitting. It was an old man, probably in his 80’s. Some people next to him went to help him up. As he got up, after a good few minutes, he turned to them and said, “too many steps”.

I did enjoy being there but I think what he said summed it up pretty well.

Short video I took with my mobile phone.

Photo’s taken in the park!

All images are clickable.

Wildlife Wide Web

That’s not even a remotely funny title.

Just some random photos I took this morning. I wish there were more people there to give some scale. Instead it was quiet, foggy and very cold.

There was only a cyclist and he stopped briefly to have a chat with me and to light up a cigarette! Yes, a cigarette. No, I don’t really get it either.

Peter Zumthor Pavilion

  
 
 
  

I finally had time to go visit the Peter Zumthor pavilion in Hyde Park and it really did not disappoint. I had read a number of negative reactions by experts who said that it did not live up to the expectations. I completely disagree.

As I was approaching it my initial reaction was that it reminded me of the monolith in the film 2001. Somehow you were not supposed to come close to it but for some reason it did feel inviting. Maybe it was the wavy pathway leading into the 6 openings that puts you inside a thin long corridor that frames the entire rectangular structure. Or maybe it was the number of children there who was playing hide and seek and running in and out of the doorways that made it seem fun.

When I entered I was struck by just how dark it looked esepecially on day like today! It was difficult to see anything and I had to give it a minute for my eyes to adjust. I was actually very surprised later on by my own photos when I noticed all the detail that was hidden. As you go around this corridor there were I think two openings that take you inside where you see a hidden garden with seating all around, and again, lots of families and friends chatting away and enjoying the flowers and plants (By Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf). I remember seeing an interview by Zumthor where he said that he gave Oudolf complete freedom to do whatever he wanted without instruction and the result was this wild, varied mass of plants. I think it really contrasts well with the clean and minimalist approach taken by Zumthor.

So yes, in short, it was great!

Reflections

This is a short project I did in my first year studying architecture where we were told to find our own site and to investigate some kind of ‘boundary condition’.

So, a site anywhere in London! Anywhere you say? Well, I ended up choosing my living room and the door to the terrace. It just meant that I could be on ‘site’ a lot more and work a lot harder, I’m sure you understand. Nothing to do with not wanting to travel far or anything!

 

Initial idea, and two photos – one taken during the day and one at night.

My idea was to look at inside and outside space through my terrace door, and more specifically through the glass boundary through reflections. As the day progresses light outside gets darker of course and as a result the view towards the outside terrace and the sculpture I put there is gradually replaced with the reflected view of the inside of the room, where I was there taking photos every 15 minutes.

My interest was really to do with seeing the glass as a 2d space where the two opposite ends combine. I wanted to imagine what that flat space would look like if you were to expand it. That’s the final image which shows this hybrid space. Unfortunately, that’s the only image I could find so it will have to do. So, essentially, the end result is a collision of the two worlds on either side of the glass.

  
Sample of sketches that I made during the day. There was a set of about 40 different photos and drawings I think.

and another panel.

Just a walk in the park

Well I say park but it really felt more like a forest. This is my first time there and I was really surprised by how much variety it had. There was something a bit different at almost every turn.

Painting – Portobello Road

This is the oil painting I did a few years ago, which my friend later tried to sell in Portobello Road market.

Walk in the park

Walking by the Serpentine.

Snow in Hyde Park

 

It’s snowing in London as you can see. As predicted we’ve come to a standstill which happens every year. It’s the wrong sort of snow apparently. I went to the park to have a look and basically got jumped on by animals. Pigeons and squirrels got closer and closer to me because they thought I had food. Then one of them literally ran up my leg! the photo of that moment is right at the bottom. I got up and walked away slowly and they ran after me. The last photo below if you look carefully you can see the bench I was sitting on in the distance, that’s how far they followed me!

 

3 buildings I like

   
I must have walked down this street about 456 times I think over the years but never really stopped to have a proper look. That’s what I’m like sometimes, I either have tunnel vision or my head up in the clouds day dreaming and not paying attention to anything around me.

Yesterday however I suddenly decided to look around a bit. These 3 buildings situated in the same immediate area, a Parish Church (Victorian Gothic style and built in 1882 I found out recently), a Greek Orthodox Cathedral (1879) and a Synagogue (1877, and Grade 1 listed apparently) are simply beautiful and very distinct and amazingly all built around the same time! I can’t believe how I missed them especially considering that I have always loved these kind of buildings.

Autumn in Hyde Park

 
 
I went a little bit mental today photographing everything in sight! There were lots of things I tried to capture, including some of the wildlife. Honestly there were so many squirrels running around and nobody batted an eyelid. How they are not scary to people? Is it the fluffy tail? I remember someone saying that squirrels are basically rats, but with really good PR!

That’s how they get away with it.

Apart from that Anish Kapoor had a few interesting installations – the mirrors you see there, which were fun. And of course lots of nice trees.

My favourite photo today? Well, it has to be the one with the swan in the pond with its bum in the air.

 

On the way to the V&A

 

I am thinking of entering a competition to design a new gallery space for the Victoria and Albert Museum. On the way to site I took some photos of the Royal College of Art, Albert Hall, Imperial College and the V&A.

Photos I took this morning

Testing out my new SLR camera.

2 photos and an Installation

 
First photo taken in Paris. It think that’s where Edith Piaf lived if I remember correctly. And the other taken in London of the Southbank.

 
A proposed installation in central London. School project.

Serpentine Pavilion (Nouvel)

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Photos taken (with my old camera) during a brief trip to the Serpentine gallery to see the Nouvel pavilion.

House in central London

I worked with an architect on this project. The existing building had unique features that we wanted to retain while at the same time attempting to redeign the interior into a 6 bedroom house. We needed to show clients what it would could look if it was converted into a house. I built models and made a couple of presentations to express the size of the property and tried to highlight what made it different to other buildings in the area.

House in Kensington

I worked jointly on a new build with an architect here in london. The design was to house a family of four with the addition of optional office space below. I was responsible for the initial survey and the development of the concept from initial ideas we had up to the final design that was submitted for planning.

 
Models I made to further develop the idea.

 
Back elevation and the provider/divider.