About two months ago I decided what I wanted to do as my long term theme for not only this blog but the other areas of my site. Finally I have the blog theme working. It has taken a lot…
MAKING IT SIMPLE?
Sometimes it is difficult to understand just how much computers have changed our lives. Take architecture. These days the majority of drawings, images and information after the initial stages are produced using computers. All our communication bar the phone passes…
MORE THAN JUST TECHNICAL ADVICE
One of the things that is less apparent to those outside architecture is that we provide more than just a technical or design service. Often we deal with clients who are unfamiliar with the building process, or who are familiar…
IMAGINARY CONSTRUCTION
The last month has been an extremely busy one – hence my lack of writing and of doing pretty much anything else as well! At work I have been preparing a full set of working drawings for some flats with…
EVER THICKER
A side effect of the increasing drive for energy efficiency in houses is that walls just keep getting thicker. As we seem unable to make our heating and fuel supplies more efficient than they already are (and they are pretty…
ALWAYS ANOTHER HOOP
Recently a new requirement has been added to the planning application process. In place of “Design Statements”, that are effectively a written justification of the design of the project, we now have to provide “Design and Access Statements”. These have…
SEEING THE WORLD
Part of architectural training is very subtle. Its effect is that we relearn how to look. Instead of seeing buildings as background we learn to see them as environment. How many non-architects do you know who regularly look above the…
CLIMATE AND ARCHITECTURE
One of the things about the current hot weather is that you notice how much our buildings are designed for a particular climatic range. When designing details we concern ourselves with insulating from the cold and with water penetration to…
THE IMPORTANCE OF SPACE
There was an interesting article on the BBC website today regarding the pressure on personal space at work, caused by property prices and cost cutting. It describes how in order to save money there is a trend to minimise the amount of…
FANZINE THEME DESIGN
Writing on this blog has taken a back seat this week to my latest website design project. For my football blog, I really wanted to have it look like a magazine rather than a standard blog. Having, to a certain extent,…