Old and New

Yesterday as part of our Adaptive Reuse course we visited St Pancras. We have all been there at least a few times but this time we were taken into the construction site of the new hotel. They are conserving and retrofitting the listed Victorian building. We read articles in preparation for the day describing the controversy surrounding the building. Ever since it was built it seems there has been debate over whether to save it or tear it down. Quite soon after it was built in the mid-late 19th century it was considered gaudy-- a complete disaster. Luckily the tides turned (a few times) and it is now being saved and adapted.

In full gear.... we were given a tour by a true expert on the building and by our professor, Richard Hill who has had a hand in the development of the new spaces.
(his firm is called Richard Griffiths Architects... http://www.rgarchitects.com/) for any of my architect friend readers!



















Today we went to our final series of lectures at the 20th Century society. We had three lectures by architects (and one engineer) They were all presenting "Heroic Conservation Projects." So each presented on important (usually listed) 20th century buildings that were conserved and in most cases "greened."

Possibly the most interesting presentation was given by Patrick Bellew who is a principle at Atelier 10 (a consultancy that does mostly engineering work on environmental design.)
Bellew also teaches at Yale and talked a lot about the Paul Rudolph building on campus where their design students work.
His firm updated the 1964 building by completely redoing the facade and improving the HVAC systems. The building became LEED Gold. It was really awesome to see such a great updated building.

I do architecture

So we have been enjoying our surroundings but we have also been doing a bit of work and learning too!

I've been out to Peckham Rye train station quite a bit and thought I would share a few images. I'm working on a drawing of the facade (the night shot shown below) in order to help get planning permission to unblock some windows, get new windows, and renovate the beautiful dilapidated stair (also shown below) that leads up to platforms and a great old hall that might get to be transformed into a cafe. My measured sketch shows my drawing/ note taking process on site.
(the two photos aren't mine, they were taken by Benny O'Looney)

Bath

We went to Bath on Sunday and I wanted to get a few of the photos up before this week got to busy.
The trip was sponsored by NYU. They bused us out and had a walking tour set up for us. We also went to Jika Jika-- my favorite cafe there! We had a walk around the town and also toured the Roman Baths. It was a beautiful day.

Are you ready for the country?

I’m starting to miss the country! I’m having a hankering to get outside of London. Luckily Sunday (tomorrow) is a day trip to Bath which will have a little calmer feeling than our area of London. We’re also stopping at Stonehenge which is not my favorite just because of the crowds but at least we’ll be out in the fields!

This week was very busy. In addition to our normal classes, I attended an Exhibition about a sustainable school in India, went to a lecture about engineering UK buildings for zero carbon, and also went to a half day conference where a series of architects talked about retrofitting buildings in design as a way to reduce carbon emissions.

All of these events were really interesting. I started to realize how passionate I really am about this type of design in architecture. I am way less interested in new-build and would really like a chance to work to update existing buildings to make them more efficient.

We also did have some fun this week! On Thursday Kathleen and I met up with my friend Allison at a Josh Ritter concert at a big venue called the Barbican. I’m used to a smaller feel for shows like this so it was strange to be sitting in a set seat. Everyone was “polite” and no one was up and dancing. By the end though, Josh got everyone out of their seats. It was fun to see British people listening to folky American music.

Last night 5 of us from the program went out for Mexican food just south east of Reagent’s Park. It was a lot of fun and really good food. Then out to the Marquis (our usual pub) which was seriously hopping on a Friday night. Tons of fun.

Today I’m trying to get some work done this morning. Then I’m going to try out Yoga at the gym where I’m a member (right across from the Marquis!). A couple other girls will be joining me. Then there’s a food market every Saturday in the Brunswick Center, which is an open shopping plaza basically. So Saturday it’s filled with vendors and really good stuff—dumplings, crepes, baked goods, curry, empanadas, paella… really anything you want… all for pretty cheap. AND THEN I’m headed to Peckham Rye train station to work on the drawings for that conservation project (see below!).

Maggie’s friend Mike just got into town so maybe I’ll try to meet up with him this evening.

My Pants Are So "Pigeon" (from sitting on the ground to eat)

This past Monday we had a potluck dinner at Briana's flat in Chelsea. She has more room than any of us so we cooked in our kitchens and took our dishes to her house on the tube! We decided on a southern theme for some reason so I did "fried potato balls" that I found on a Paula Dean recipe site. Very delicious!

This week went really well. Through our independent study professor we were introduced to the Westminster Libraries which are smaller than the Royal Institute of British Architecture which is the other library we visited last month. We also had our first "Economics of Reuse" class with our professor who owns a very large sustainable development firm called URBED. It seems like we're going to get a lot of good information about revamping urban areas through adaptive reuse.

On Tuesday evening about 6 of us had a private tour (there would have been more NYU undergrads but it was raining slightly so everyone bailed) of Soho. It was great! We really got to see how close the Soho neighborhood is to ours. We learned that the name 'Soho' comes from when the rich brits used the area for duck hunting. They would yell "soho" when they released their dogs to retrieve the ducks. London was really a collection of small towns with a lot of open green space we are learning. There wasn't much "city" beyond the actual "city of london." We also learned that there are a lot of French living in Soho because many Hugenot's came to settle there as it was protestant.
Kathleen, Kirsten and Marlee- NYU girls


The highlight of this week was going to the Peckham Rye station with Benny O'Looney! --young-ish architect who went to Yale. He is big into conservation (the British word for our "preservation"). We met up on Wednesday morning where he gave me a tour of the town, where he lives and works. He told me all about the work he and the Peckham council are trying to do to save and restore the station. He bought me a "tea and bacon sandwich" at a local hole-in-the-wall and he gave me a bunch a surveying materials: a large sketchbook and triangle for drafting on site, colored pencils and a big measuring tape. It was so nice! Friday afternoon I met up with him to do some surveying. We did it together, he's working on the plan and I 'm working on an elevation. Then I should be able to do the work in CAD from home and he'll compile a report and request for funds to do things like refit windows etc.


Peckham Rye Station
















Rooftop bar at the top of a parking garage-- a design project for architecture students. all the wood is recycled scaffolding wood. Benny took me here after our work at Peckham Rye.



This weekend we went to "Open House" which is when the city opens it's doors to a lot of places that are normally closed off. We didn't do anything too famous but went to some cool converted architecture spaces. More on that later.

Last a group of the girls went out to a club called "The Social" it was small an intimate but had fun people and good songs. We did a lot of dancing.

And today we went to Shorditch for the weekly flower markets. Very beautiful and amazing how much was there. I'll write more once we go back and actually bring my camera buy some flowers.















This just reminded me of Chris and Zach from last semester.

pics of The Princess Louise... as promised

Emma and Kirsten!



Kathleen and me... blurry but cute.



Kirsten in our individual pub room



our girls.... Andi, Sarah, Kirstin.



awesome details, etched glass etc

one real week of school done

So our first "real" week of school did not start out real at all. We had an all day sketching tour of St. Pancras station and the surrounding area with a practicing architect and NYU-L professor, Benedict O'Looney.
This was a once in a lifetime experience, not only because Benny will not be our regular professor but also just because of the wealth of information he had to share with us about the development of the St. Pancras brown field site. We also spent a lot of time in the British library sketching the alto-esque interior. I was really cool to see Benny's professional-looking, watercolored sketchbook and to see some first time sketchers try it out.

Wednesday we had our first class at the john soane house. Our classroom is literally one of his drawing rooms. This one in particular is where his prodigy student, Joseph Michael Gandy did a lot of his work in the early 19th century. Our professor of our adaptive re-use course will meet us there for class every Wednesday and we have to guard the door and not let anyone un-authorized in because above our heads, in soanes other offices, libraries upstairs are tons of famous paintings and original architectural drawings by soane. It's a pretty cool place to be.

Thursday we had an introduction to the RIBA-- the Royal Institute of British Architecture. It's a beautiful building just south of Regents Park and it is full of different types of resources for us. The library there is one that will surely be a great study spot for us. We have also been given memberships to the AA which is closer and more exclusive... more on that once we actually go there.

Kathleen and I checked out our gym on the Univeristy of London campus and later that same day we had our first BREEAM course-- the UK equivalent of LEED. It was great to start on some more of the environmental/technical aspects of our degree. -- but LONG day. (oh because that morning, before the RIBA introduction I had already been to Whitechapel and back to check out an apartment for Dave) He will be here this month!

Friday I spent trying to find boots on Oxford street-- so many tourists-- not too fun. I did finally find something even though my feet are larger than any British female person. The largest size they have is an 8 (US equivalent is a 10) and I needed a 9 (US equivalent 11).

AND finally, last night we went out to the Princess Louise, one of the oldest pubs in London. It still has little compartment rooms that come up to the bar. I have pictures which I will put up later.

For now we are headed to Borough Market and the Thames River Festival!

a tour and a tea

Today was our first academic day. We had a private tour of Sir John Soane's House. Soane was a famous 19th-century architect and his house is kept as he left it (with a lot of work, for the most part) He bought three traditional English row houses in a row and changed and linked the interiors to his taste. What is left is a maze of amazing inferior spaces brilliantly lit by skylights that house relics and paintings that he collected for his and his students' benefit during his lifetime.

We were incredibly lucky because we had private tour with the deputy director of the museum for about two hours. The house is closed on Monday so it was even better. There were two other parties in the house though. One was doing a photoshoot for a catalog and another group was moving a "small" (huge) Canaletto painting from the house to the British Museum to be part of an upcoming Canaletto show.... yea...

So we felt pretty special. In addition we are to have one of the Soane rooms as our classroom for our studies. It is the first time that the Museum is working in conjunction with a university and we are the first to use the space.



This is our group outside the Soane this morning.


This afternoon a group of us girls went for tea. We decided it was time for us to do tea! Kathleen had researched and found a great affordable tea place called Bea's of Bloomsbury just a couple blocks away from us.

Today was our first rainy day so it was just what we needed. They did incredible scones and cupcakes. We're all feeling a little overwhelmed now by all the sweets but we have an hour break before our "inaugural lecture" this evening. The lecture to be followed by a wine reception where we will meet a few of our professors.


Bea's of Bloomsbury!


Kirsten


delicious!



Marlee and Kathleen

Day... 6... feels like 25.

Here are a few more pictures and a little update on today.


Kathleen, my roommate eating lunch in front of our grocery store at the Brunswick center. 5 mins from our dorm.



self explanatory



The white building is the NYU in London headquarters in Bedford Square!

Today I met Dave's friend Allison at her UK church, Holy Trinity Bromton. It is really easy to get to for me because it's on the Picadilly line. It only took about ten minutes and then maybe a 7 minute walk in a great neighborhood, past herrods. I really liked the church because it's in a traditional old church building even though the service seems a little "newer." We went an 11:30 service which had alot of families but the message was really great. Allison and I might go to their newcomer events or even to some of the student stuff.

Afterwards I checked out a house in Brockley where Dave is thinking of living. I had to take the British rail but it wasn't too far. The family was really nice. One of the sons of the house who is moving out to get married met me in his pj's. The family was really welcoming and they keep a beautiful, colorful home with lots of young people (students or young proffesionals) coming in and out, staying in various spare rooms.
It was a fun atmosphere.

Later i came back to relax in my little dorm. I felt a little lonely, for the first time and wished I had some of my friends here from last semester to grab a pint with.

Luckily some of my new friends came back from an excursion of their own and they did grab a pint with me at the Marquis Cornwalis.... where I am a regular ;)

Tomorrow should be great! It's our first real academic day. We get a private tour of the John Soane Museum-- which is one of my favorite London spots (that I have visited). Later in the day we will have an inaugural lecture with all of the graduate students and then a reception where we will meet our professors, mostly professors of the practice.

walk through russell square to school


holding the camera out my window

looking out the window

my street, my building on the right

our dorm room- kathleen putting on shoes

It's Saturday

Two days ago we had an orientation at 6 Bedford Square which is the NYU in London headquarters. We met Mosette Broderick, the program coordinator who will be returning to New York next week. We also met our "go to" woman while were here who is in charge of our program. Everything sounds great and I like the people (girls mostly!) in my program. There are 14 of us.

My classes are: Adaptive Reuse of Buildings in a Green World (which will be both semesters), Aspects of Architectural and Urban Development (this course changes 4 times this semester: structures and materials, landscape design, the v+ a museum, history of interiors), Economics of Reuse (which will be both semesters), BREEAM training (which will completely prepare us to come home and take the LEED Certification exam in the states-- which is the new green thing you need on your resume), and an Independent Study (this course revolves around us choosing lectures that are happening in the city through different societies, universities, and councils according to our interests. Then we meet with a professor and write for him I think.)

We will also be able to participate in 1 or 2 day a week internships (not payed but good experience). I think we will do this second semester though. it's up to us.

Yesterday (Friday) We had another group orientation- I finally walked to school (the study center) alone from our dorm. It took me only 5 minutes. We walked around our neighborhood a little more and got a lot more information from Mosette.
After this we checked out the University of London Gym which is in their student center and has a very nice pool. We get the best deals at this gym because we are temporary ULU students. Access to the pool and to any class (yoga, spinning etc) is included with membership. So I think I will buy a membership soon!

After our Orientation Kathleen and I decided to take the bus for the first time. We knew it was cheaper but figuring out where the buses go is confusing. We found the 91 bus which leaves from right outside our dorm and heads south. We wanted to go to the Portrait Gallery and to a little art supply shop I thought I remembered nearby. It turns out our bus stop is one with the electronic arrival times for certain bus numbers, so that's great. We got on the 91 and took it all the way to Trafalgar. Sitting on the top is quite an experience. We really like where we are living.

We saw a great little exhibition at the portrait gallery-- it was a contest, no photographs. There was some really cool stuff. Then I found my art supply store and everything was on sale for back to school. I bought a sketchbook and was very proud of our outing. We found out some information about free concerts at lunch in the crypt of St Martins and we think we might go on Mondays or Fridays when we don't have class.

We went out last night. There is a great pub about 2 minutes from us called the Marquis Cornwallis. Kathleen and I had been scoping it out. All types of people frequent it and it looked really great. We had been for a cheap-ish dinner one night but brought our friends from the program there last night. It was so fun and we stayed till they closed- which is at midnight. We failed to meet one British person but ended up meeting a Czech guy, a French guy and a few Irish people. One of whom turned out to own the place. It was definitely interesting and we got some free limoncelo (random?)

I guess that's all for now. We are going on a free bus tour of the city (provided by the university).

Day 3

I arrived in London late. At 9:30 am on Tuesday morning. I was expected at 7:30 meaning my flight out had been delayed. I had spent the previous evening, which felt like eons ago, in the virgin atlantic lounge drinking what they call "vrigin readheads." Something to do with campari and champagne.

Anyway. Since Tuesday I have met Kathleen, my godsend of a roommate, and begun to settle in. Together we've come out of jetlag by forced march through the National Gallery, we've survived a move of 5 suitcases 2 backpacks and 2 purses from a hotel to our dorm on foot, we've gone out with friends to a traditional English pub that mysteriously serves thai food, we've oreinteered and pioneered. We have a coffee shop we like, a favorite residential square and we're trying to become locals a corner pub that's totally out of our league.

Tomorrow's missions include: setting up a bank account, getting to know our classmates and going out to a club that resides in a converted horse stable.

cheers from Woburn Place!