Unit A

Unit A is a research-led BSc Architecture Design Studio at the University of East London, led by Carsten Jungfer and Fernanda Palmieri. We work with live-project situations and connect design learning with research through knowledge exchange between students and external partner organisations. Unit A focuses on social-spatial conditions within contested urban contexts and understands architectural design both as a spatial and strategic response to specific socio-spatial contexts.

28/11/2016

Bregenz & Vorarlberg Region Field-trip

>>>BREGENZ  Kunsthaus Bregenz, Vorarlberg Museum, Festspielhaus, Gatekeepers House, Bathhouse Lochau >>>FELDKRICH  Recycling Centre, Montforthaus, River Ill Footbridge >>>LUDESCH Community Centre >>>SANKT GEROLD  Community Centre & Nursery, Riding Arena >>>ALTACH  Islamic Cementery  >>>RÖTHIS  Music House and Cafe >>>DORNBIRN  Cree Life Cycle Tower, Inatura Museum, Prefab Prototype System 3, Nursery, Stadtbad >>>KRUMBACH  Seven Bus Stops >>>HITTISAU  Firestation & Womens’ Museum  >>>ANDELSBUCH  Werkraum, Insurance Building >>>EGG  Nursery

18/11/2016

Site Analysis workshop


02/11/2016

Wood Green: Meanwhile Campus

 See also download links at bottom of page
LINK

Wood Green Meanwhile Project No.1 - Green Rooms

LINK

Haringey Council - Wood Green Regeneration

Link to Haringey Council website Regeneration Wood Green
Have a look at the bottom of the page where you can download e.g. download Consultation Report

PTAL


here is a link to the PTAL Mapping that looks at Access and Transport

26/10/2016

Terry Farrell Industrial Buildings





You will have noticed a range of similar looking industrial buildings with facades that have stepped reflective glazing and brick in the sourrounding area of the Chocolate Factory. The interiors feature a near column free space (for flexibility) and have a surprising section and a spatial quality I didn't expect. The service core is kept to the minimum and is strategically placed. The buildings were designed by Terry Farrell Partnership in the 1980-ties.

20/10/2016

Historic maps

we have uploaded a few historic maps to out unit A dropbox
check them out - it's interesting to look at them trying to figure out what has changed and what features have remained the same....
   

Aerial views ...

here are some links to aerial views, that might be useful in additional to actually having visited site (not a replacement though) when drawing your open space axonometrics to refresh your memory - but be careful: some photos are a little our of date...

if you have a MAC: apple maps does a 3D aerial view, which look a bit wonky like this on the right:


or BING MAPS   Link here
search wood green and zoom in:
top right corner: select option BIRD'S EYE and unselect LABELS (at bottom)
example below:

Software Tutorials on Lynda.com


Via MOODLE you can access for free excellent software tutorials from Lynda.com

How does it work?

1  sign into your Moodle account. 

2 on your Moodle home screen click  LYNDA CAMPUS  (lower right side)

3 login window - use your usual uel log-in details

this is mainly meant for Year 2 students, as progress on your case study buildings is very slow.

We suggest that you (year 2) watch all of the AutoCAD basic drawings skills / AUTOCAD ESSENTIALS  1-10 to get you going making simple 2D line drawings and be able to print. Explore other tools and tutorials afterwards - whatever you really need - search!


later we also recommend to watch tutorials on Adobe Indesign - which you will be using in a few weeks time to create your portfolio and layouting individual sheets.

The Open City, Richard Sennett lecture

Further to your task reading The Open City article by Richard Sennett, here is a link to a lecture he gave on the same topic at Havard Graduate School of Design. (the article can be found here or on our unit A dropbox)

19/10/2016

Tue 18 Oct Lecture on drawing Axonometrics

lecture uploaded to our Unit A dropbox

10/10/2016

Chocolate Factory Open Studios: Fri 11 - Sun 13 Nov 2016


There is an open day event coming up at the Chocolate Factory (which forms part of our study area). Put in your diary. This is a good opportunity to see some of the diversity; there are painters, fashion designers, jewellers, sculptors, ceramists, designer makers, etc.

Chocolate Factory Wood Green N22
Artists Open Studios
Friday 11 November 2016 from 6pm -9pm
Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 November 2016 12pm – 6pm
Admission free. All welcome

N22 artist’s work: www.n22openstudios.com

RIBA Library

In case you want to extend your research of your case study building you could visit the RIBA Library which holds a huge collection of architecture books and drawings.
Access to the library is free. More info see link below.

LINK

Cedric Price exhibition at the AA


Exhibition: CEDRIC PRICE WORKS 1952–2003

The installation tells the story of Cedric Price through interviews with a number of people who were close to him; whilst the book brings together, for the first time, all of Price’s projects, articles and talks – aiming to present his munificence as thinker, philosopher and designer. Price was a student at the AA in the 1950s, established his office in London in 1960 and went on to produce some of the most intensely imaginative and experimental architecture of the latter half of the 20thcentury. His work is central in defining the architectural discourse around the emerging post-war themes of mobility and indeterminacy in design.

Coinciding with the publication of Cedric Price Works 1952-2003: A Forward-minded Retrospective by Samantha Hardingham.

AA School of Architecture
36 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3ES
Front Members' Room
19/9/2016 - 29/10/2016
Monday to Friday 10:00-19:00, Saturday 10:00-17:00

05/10/2016

Open House / Agenda Unit A 2016-17


 “Collective society generates space(s) as a social product” and “different building patterns (e.g. houses) [...] are to be understood as configurations of movement and interaction within space” urbanist Sophie Wolfrum proclaims.

The way we are dwelling in the city today has changed, mostly driven by technological advances, which have contributed to a blurring of distinctions between public and private. Todays’ urban life-styles are merging our everyday activities including living, working, interacting, consuming, etc into an understanding of space that can be characterised by co-existences and simultaneity.

Following recent shifts in the political landscape, there is a sense of suspension of a formerly known order, which has contributed to an increase of uncertainty. Set within this contradicting context of pending and ongoing change, this raises interesting questions about the effects on future demand for new types of civic buildings that sustain Londons’ diversity.

This year we will set out to investigate architectures and spatial conditions that are defined through characteristics of openness.

We will explore new forms of spatial design, organisation and construction that will allow adaptable strategies, co-existences of multiple programmes and increased connectivity to propagate hybrid architectures that are coherent product of London as a collective space of open minded citizens.

Wood Green’s cultural quarter will act as study area for the entire year and will become the testing ground for your architectural interventions. The building briefs will evolve around civic programmes and mixed-use and multiple activities including productive spaces for making, cultural consumption and the spectacle in combination with alternative forms of dwelling.

The design proposals at architectural scale will act as contextual ‘adjustments’ within the urban context dealing with a multiplicity of programmatic, spatial and social scenarios.

17/06/2016

RIBA East London Society Architects Degree Prize awarded to Odaine Phipps

Odaine Phipps (unit A) was awarded the RIBA East London Society Architects Degree Prize for his Upper Lea Narrow Boat Terminal project, which proposes an adaptation of the historic canals into a recreational network for residents of Tottenham.  Tutors Carsten Jungfer & Fernanda Palmieri






Best Portfolio Prize in Year 2 awarded to Dhara Bhatt

Dhara Bhatt (unit A) was awarded Best Portfolio Prize in year 2. She designed a Bird Watching & Visitor Centre for Tottenham Marshes near Lockwood Reservoir, set within the context of Walthamstow Wetlands opening in 2017. Tutors Carsten Jungfer & Fernanda Palmieri







Showcase 2016 - unit A





02/06/2016

23/05/2016

UEL 11th place in Guardian League Table

The BSc (Hons) Architecture Course (ARB/RIBA Part 1) at the University of East London has been ranked 11th place in the  Guardian University League Tables 2017. (up from 25th place in the previous year)

LINK

17/04/2016

Interim Crit Fri 15 April


invited panel of guest critics: Beth Kay (Tottenham Regeneration Team, Haringey Council), Felix Xylander-Swannell (Sauerbruch Hutton), Louise Duggan (GLA), Sophia Amend (Allies and Morrison), Tak Hoshino.

24/02/2016

Fri 24 Feb 14.00 Lecture

Please all attend lecture on Friday at 14.00 - I will show and talk about sectional drawings and also about a rather special building by Hugo Häring.

Tutorials as usual from 10.00 onwards

For those who used Lewerentz's Church of St Peter as building precedent from the field-trip to Denmark, I have come across an analysis by Simon Unwin about the building and have uploaded the illustrated article to our unit A dropbox, (see field-trip / sigrud lewerentz / Simon Unwin - Church of St Peter_Sigurd Lewerentz). It is also contained in his book "Twenty buildings every architect should understand", that is well worth reading. (available at the library)

22/02/2016

Jan de Vylder talk





ARCH+ features 40: Jan DE VYLDER from ARCH+ on Vimeo.

I came across this lecture by Flemish Architect Jan DeVylder and think this could be useful to watch in relation to where you currently are in your design process. He talks about how ideas are translated at various scales (from furniture to small buildings) into architectural proposals. It would be great if you could also start to think about materials, thresholds and the construction (structural aspect) of your proposal. 30 min. enjoy.

1:2000 Model of London


Upon visiting the Building Centre, I got to see interesting information in the style of an exhibition about London as a 'Built City'. The best feature for me personally was the large interactive 1:2000 scale model of Central London. The model details the London landscape with roads, bridges, viaducts, parks and almost every building that is currently built, plus ones that are proposed, approved or under construction. As an interactive model, a video presentation about London as a built City plays on a nearby screen and the model illuminates itself with statistical information from the video. The model includes parts of north and south London and a long stretch of east to west London (including our UEL Docklands campus). The southern portion of the River Lea (Thames - Olympic Site), unfortunately is all that is present on the model, however I believe that the model should still be experienced first hand.

Also present at the Building Centre is statistical information about London as a whole focusing on roads, bridges, traffic, public transport, commuting in Greater London, population, green spaces and future plans for the city, highlighting certain areas that have the feasibility to be improved. Around the model, are details on the wall about each London borough focusing on each local council's plans for their boroughs in the form of redevelopments. There is plenty of useful information on the boroughs that are relevant to our River Lea project (Haringey, Hackney, Waltham Forest etc.) focusing on potential growth areas, future infrastructure and architectural visions. While I was there, coincidentally members of the public were meeting inside the building Centre for a speech presentation given by members of the Greater London Authority I believe, about plans for London (in this case - cycling) and were open for debate over their proposals. This was on a Friday around 12pm and heard that there was going to be another meeting the Friday after, which could mean that visiting on a Friday especially could give you the chance of seeing and even engaging in a speech about future plans for London.

The Building Centre is located at 26 Store St, Fitzrovia, London WC1E 7BT just off of Tottenham Court Road and is open to the public from Monday - Saturday. Visit their website for any further information.

Further info on this can be found on unit A dropbox, LINK here

written by Jonan Momodu, 19 Feb 2016

17/02/2016

mapping drawings

LINK

04/02/2016

Fri 5 Feb Open Jury 10.00 Unit A



















Like in previous years, the Open Jury and Lectures takes places in the AVA Building at the University of East London, from 4 - 5 February 2016.

  The public event welcomes all students, members of staff and people who are interested in architectural studies. It is a unique opportunity to see work in progress and to share the diversity of Architecture at UEL.  

This year again, the Open Jury and Lectures is organised in such a way that it is like a two day ‘mid-term exhibition‘, with individual design Units presenting work in progress.



27/01/2016

Fri 29 Jan - 10.00 Charrette re-cap / 14.00 Lecture

Friday is a full day in the studio for reflecting on all the work you have produced during the last 3 Charrette workshops.

We will start (with your own tutors again) at 10.00 and will do this through tutorials in small groups.
It is critical that you bring all your work from the charrettes with you and have reflected on key design moves you made.

Should you have missed one workshop - it is essential that you catch up on this work. ESPECIALLY charrette No. 2 SPATIAL SEQUENCE MODEL. Everybody needs to have a sequence model by Friday + the other outcomes from No.1 + No.3

Please have model-making tools as well as drawing tools with you to work in the studio. 

14.00 Lecture

I will show and talk about two architectural projects that are relating in a particular way to their urban context / landscape. This should be pretty relevant to your designs and thinking about your proposals at this stage. Attendance critical!





20/01/2016

Fri 22 Jan 10.00 Charrette No.2 - Spatial Sequence Model


















What to to bring :

-1:200 cross section through your project site printed out e.g. on A1 sized sheet. A simple line drawing is sufficient.

-model making tools: cutter, cutting mat, scissors, ruler, scale ruler, masking tape, wood-glue, etc.

-some coloured / textured paper / card for highlighting (bulk of model making material will be provided by school!)

Make sure you on time for the 10.00 introduction to the workshop, which will be critical for prodcuing outcome on the day.

Tue 19 Jan Charrette No.1 Massing




more photos on our unit A dropbox
LINK

18/01/2016