Barcelona

Question: What do you do if you have loads of assignments that you haven't started, Xmas presents to buy and a million and one other things to do?

Answer: Go to Barcelona

Anyway that is the approach I decide to take on the 21st. Got back late on the 23rd, and have been in denial about pre-mentioned things ever since!
So, to ease my conscience I have decided to post a blog, which I have decided is a form of guilt free procrastination. To prove my time in Spain wasn't a complete waste of time I am posting some images of the Jardi Botanic, which some of you may have seen on the study tour. It is still as impressive as ever, and the best thing about it on this visit is that many of the mediterranean plants were still in flower, the sun was shining and there was not a soul there, apart from myself and boyf....fantastic



























































Hope everyone had a great Christmas, cos lets face it the first half of 2006 is going to be a challenge (to say the least)

Hadlow Concept

I am definitely someone who needs a concept or theme to inspire a design...I don't know whether this is a strength or a weakness? Anyway, so I have been trying to come up with something to inspire my Masterplan. As yet I have not taken this inspiration past the conceptual stage, as I am using the party season to procrastinate alot.....so this blogging is a direct response to my guilt. Anyway...looking at the aerial images I got from Multimap, you can see how the campus sits in the landscape. I was actually quite suprised at how beautiful the area looks from the air, so decided it would be nice to use this patchwork of fields as a conceptual theme.
I tried to think of other things that are reminiscent of a patchwork so as to explore the qualities, and found the following images....from rice paddy's, salt farms, architecture, mud flats and stained glass. Even Mondrian shares some of the qualities.
So now I just have to figure what parts of this concept I want to take through to the design...watch this space












































Raina

Miracle on the Tube

Garden Designers Breaking Down Barriers

On my way home tonight, with conceptual model from sketch design 4 in tow. Got on a busy commuter train from Charing Cross and took a seat. The passenger next to me asked what my model was, and I replied 'a conceptual model' conversation from other fellow passengers then ensued, as we discussed what this meant. Then one woman asked me if my model had been made by a child (ouch) I said 'no, by me'....oh how we laughed! Anyway, I came to the conclusion that this interlude on the tube home was not a Christmas miracle, just the power of model making. I say more conceptual models on the tube,promoting well being, conversation and eye contact between Londoners.

Some commuters in need of a concept

Melbourne

Well continuing along my patriotic theme, I thought I would post some photos of my last trip home in June. The following photos were taken in Melbourne. A fantastic city, who embraces the new. Some of Australias more interesting modern architecture can be found here. All very inspiring of course!


This is a water feature at Federation Square. Very difficult to photograph. It was a wall about 2.5m high and 5m long. Its surface is of slate which is "ridged" with a zig-zag pattern (hard to describe) water cascades down it and the ridges cause the water to create patterns as the water molecules cling to the slate, making their way down to the base. Hopefully these photos show what I mean.


















Cor-ten steel at Melbourne University. This continued along the front of the whole building. I guess the only problem with it is that the shapes that protrude outwards, shelter the surface underneath, giving that kind of 'urinal' effect, when it rains....but I still like it





Finally, one of my favorites. This gate was the entrance to a residential property squeezed between two shops, on a busy shopping street. I love the detailing on it, with one bird flying off the gate onto the shop wall.















Just noticed that my blog looks different in Explorer, as I publish on Safari...how annoying. Hope it all makes sense to you explorer users out there