Whilst we were gone from CAT, we tried out ways to collaborate, share research and work as a team whilst being scattered across the country, Ben set up a wiki, and George set up a dropbox. We are now looking into ways to better organise the communications, after getting lost in the multiple mass of emails circulating around. Getting stuck into our design project, we agreed groups for site analysis, organised by Kirsty, we each researched one subject – Jodie and I looked at Sewage – As a year group we created a detailed book of information, something that would have been difficult to achieve alone.
Back up the slate quarry in Powys, Alison and Trish took us through a 360 degree review to share initial designs for the housing project in Machynlleth. Not a traditional pin-up, we had 2mins each to present, followed by posting feedback on peers work, leading to much discussion around central topics, “If you don’t create a reason for young people to stay in a town (such as employment and amenities) then what’s the point in building affordable housing? It seems logical to create ‘reasons to stay’ as a first priority, as housing will naturally follow this” -Charlotte on community housing. We had the privilege to speak to the dynamic, interesting and knowledgeable client of the project site, sustainable local butcher Will Lloyd Williams, who gave us a new understanding of the site in addition to turning the project into a competition with prizes.
Our lectures, shared with the MSc students, began with architectural practice; Pat Borer who described his obsession with L-shaped plans, amongst other endeavours “…these buildings are made of sticks and what they do is bring in the nature…” The talks continued on a theme of thermal comfort, full of analysis, regulations, equations and design reactions because “…If you don’t know about it, you can’t tell people what to do about it.” – Francis Hill. The tutors devised a way of really making us understand all this by a full-on day of practical workshops. My group started out in the sauna, to see how our bodies react to heat – Jason pointing his surface temperature laser all over the place to prove it – followed by a very quick dip in the 9 degree Celsius reservoir, our surface temperatures dropped by 30 degrees! Refreshed we attended Tim and Alison’s workshop to think about how a building reacts to its environment to achieve thermal comfort. The afternoon brought a U-value seminar and gadget session, devising mini-experiments using tools to measure humidity, surface temperature, core temperature, lux-levels, CO2 levels, etc…
Spooky Saturday Night; Halloween came early to CAT. Some had come prepared with skeleton suits; others raided Mach’s charity stores for vampire attire. Some dressed in plastic, handcuffed themselves together and shuffled around claiming to be carbon dioxide…good ale, good dancing, great friends…
The dancing always takes place in the lobby space outside the rammed-earth lecture theatre, and for many reasons it’s my favourite space in the WISE building. What could have been a corridor between teaching places, bar, courtyard, theatre and bedrooms, Pat Borer and David Lea decided to merge these separate spaces together on the turning axis of the plan, creating a shared-use space that flows. The curved triangular space has light coming in from 3 directions, two on the horizontal as well as from above trickling down the staircase; one side is completely fronted by the calming drop-pool courtyard bringing the experience of outside within. From what I’ve seen so far, (and I’ve only been to CAT a total of five times now,) events occurring in this space include but are not limited to: degree show exhibitions, waiting for interviews, photography for student cards, drawing classes, day group seminar sessions, drinking, DJ and dancing, many people working quietly on laptops, tug of war games, lining up for lectures, experiments of many kinds, a luxury transition space from public to private, moving up to the rooms, people sitting quietly with a sketch book thinking… And the amazing thing is that for each and every one, the atmosphere adjusts and suits perfectly.
Sunday’s lectures concluded the week with Part-L talks whilst nursing sore heads before all falling asleep on the train home. The weight of the work to be done in the 4 weeks before our return looming, next session we need to be ready for hand-ins and presentations.
