This weekend I travelled to the seaside town of Margate, Kent to visit the Turner Contemporary art gallery designed by David Chipperfield. The gallery opened in 2011 and has been criticised for being “alien, brutal and bleak.” The building cost £17.5m, and was it was hoped that it would aid the regeneration of the town.
At the start of each year of study we are asked to set out our academic intent for the year ahead:
During my first year of study, my methodology is to challenge the concepts of ‘time’ and ‘place’ from the perspective of Architecture.
Everybody experiences architecture, be it consciously or sub-consciously, however those experiences can vary greatly with both ‘time’ and ‘place’. I aim to explore and interrogate the role of ‘affordance’ through Architecture.
This methodology originates from a deep personal interest in a range of current architectural issues, including my view of how architecture is ‘consumed’ in today’s society. A prime example of our modern-day consumption of architecture includes the concept of ‘background architecture’.
Additionally, there exists in cities around the world redundant and abandoned places and architecture; their affordances may have evolved from the positive to the negative. With the concept of time and place at the forefront of my studies, I aim to unpick the role of architecture today. Buildings were once built to survive for a millennium and I am eager to explore whether this notion is relevant in a modern, twenty-first century society.
It is my intention for the methodology above to be the theoretical thread through each of the four components of my first-year studies:
Design
Experiment with the way that Architecture transverse ‘time’ and ‘place’.
Culture
Explore the prevalence and dynamism of Architecture throughout history, linking this understanding to the future.
Technology
Question the affordance of past, present and future technologies and the impact that they have had/can have on Architecture.
Professional
Consider the impact that Architectural Management and Practice have had on Design, Culture and Technology through time, and how this can be explored in the future.
I’ve gone through the course reading list (all 12 pages of it!) and ordered a few books to start prepping for the P3 Professional Studies exam which is on the 9th May 2020. I’m starting early to get ahead; having gone through the past exam questions provided by Brookes, it’s clear that it’s going to be a case of learn it myself first and then revise. We’ve been given five broad subject areas but no key topics to focus on so I’m going to try to identify what I’m likely to be asked and make revision notes. I definitely want to pass first time round so that I’m not retaking it in October, when I’ll undoubtedly be focusing on D4.
15 weeks and counting…
A House For Essex is a purpose-built holiday home which tells the story of the fictional Essex character Julie Cope. The building is the realisation of a partnership between contemporary British artist Grayson Perry and architect Charles Holland, from the now-disbanded London studio FAT Architecture. A House For Essex is situated down a private lane in the rural village of Wrabness, on the North Essex Coast.
Welcome to my blog for documenting my research, precedents, technology and theory towards my RIBA Studio Diploma course. I have never blogged before, so hope that my page will develop with time as I learn more about using WordPress.
A little bit about me. My name is Jake Tharp, and I am currently based in Colchester, Essex. I have worked in practice for 14 months as part of a small design team working on commercial and reisdential projects. As the practice is small, it is a really hands-on position and I work across RIBA Stages 1-4. I am very excited to begin my Part 2 studies with RIBA Studio/Oxford Brookes so that I can develop my knowledge and abilities in the subject.
De Novo/From the beginning. 