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Wednesday November 9, 2011

On the first day of the conference, we all awoke and made our way down to the lobby where boxed breakfasts were waiting.  The skies were covered in their typical overcast, gray state.  But we were going to explore   We were meant to catch a bus at 7:30 to begin site visits to a number of projects in and around London.  As we waited the 40+ attendees introduced themselves to each other and became familiar with the individuals whom they would be experiencing London with for the next three days.

7:30 came and went, and the conversations, unsurprisingly, went to designing education environments.  I had the great privileged of sitting with Roger Richardson of BCWH Architects, Robert Purcell, and Shula Purcell ofPurcell Architects, PC.  We discussed some of the common issues of designing for public school systems and dealing with retrofitting buildings over 100 years in age.  As we continued to wait for buses that never seemed to come the discussion went from BIM to sustainability and eventually to - of all things - sailing!

After a tiny glitch with scheduling we all boarded buses at 9 and began to make our way to The City Academy, designed by Studio E Architects.  Located in Hackney, the school opened in 2009, it winds its way through the site, with ribbons of colors moving horizontally with the building.

As we entered the building we were greeting by a colorful entryway. Later we were informed that the design of the space is meant to keep the noise of the street out.



The principle, Mark Emmerson, greeted us in the lobby and had some of the school's top students ready to give "these friendly Americans" tours .  My tour guide was Janet, third from left, 9 years old.



Janet took us to the top where we were greeted by a glowing skylight, which I believe, is transparent polymer, that allowed us to view the vibrant  colors of pink and orange that were snaking its way along the top two floors.



The floors were arranged in a way that light traveled all the way down to the entry space 4 floors below.





We were graciously greeted by the passing period when the students of the academy went to/from break in the yard.  Their red coats was a sharp contrast to the white walls and gray skies.



Our tour made its way to basement where we reached the gym.

We left Hackney having been very appreciative of the tour, and the ability to view the school while classes where in session. So of course we were looking forward to our next stop, Stoke Newington School byJestico + Whiles, a 30 minute ride away.

As we drove down Clissold Road and arrived in front of the building, you could hear the oo's and ah's from the bus as everyone seemed to pull their cameras out. We were greeted by a facade made of cor tin steel that had been laid horizontally

We had to pass through a passageway in the middle of the cor tin block to proceed to the entrance. I was stuck how odd we all must have seemed: everyone dressed in dark colors, walking into an elementary school all taking photos of everything and anything.



We made our way to the theater building where we were given a presentation by the architect, Jude Harris, who explained the process of renovating the existing building, and the expansion that became the new entrance of the school.



Harris continued to explain that generally about the addition: they decided to use cor tin to reference back the color of the brick, and they kept the boiler house exposed to be visible alongside the church spire behind it to the southeast.



Our group then split in two, and the tour began.  We first visited the cafeteria, which was a new addition that was built into the courtyard.



The colors in this space are found throughout the project, which reference to the colors found on the iPod, a decision made by the students.  The colors are placed as a way-finding tool between subjects and floors.  Below, Jude Harris explains the pattern of the colors in the ceiling tiles, and how they change from one wing to another to represent different subjects.



Another piece of the addition was to add a bridge connecting the two wings creating the first connection between those two spaces. Previously one had to travel down one flight, over, and up again to reach another classroom.

Following the tour we made a speedy ride back to our hotel where there were buses and members of the BCSE (British Council for School Environments) waiting to visit a lineup of eight schools to see in a collaborative BCSE/AIA-CAE program.

There were four options to choose from, and I decided to choose option D, which was a tour showcasing higher education projects. I felt this would suit me best as I work for a firm (Ayers Saint Gross Architects) whose work is predominantly for universities.

We first visited the City of Westminster College, by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, which just opened earlier this year.



As we entered, we were greeted by a colorfully bright wall! Off to the side of this entry desk, was a passageway leading towards the main atrium.  A college administrator was there to lead us on the tour of his colleges new home.

As we passed the security gate we the space above us opened up as we looked up an atrium where perception and scale were skewed with twists and turns of the floor plates.





In the center of the atrium was a grand staircase which ascended upward at an angle offset from that of the entry corridor.  The wood drastically contrasted with the gray of the concrete surrounding it.  The stairs also provided for a casual sitting space.





As we explored the above floors, we were all surprised to find large open spaces somehow fitting neatly into what we thought were tight confined spaces before we had entered the building. Such as the library and gymnasium.

Along the exterior face of the gym were windows which allowed both light and air in.  I standing at one of the windows, surveying the surrounding context, when a BCSE member approached the same window.  She asked herself "how do you open these?" She was gladly surprised that just by pushing one of the louvers she was able to let a cool breeze come through. "Oh you can just push them!" she said, "Isn't it nice when it's not mechanical!"

As we gathered to leave the gym another BCSE member commented on the natural ventilation components that we were seeing through the building.  Our tour guide gladly explained why they thought it was critical to allow a majority of the spaces naturally ventilated.



As we ascended higher to the top floor, we were able to view the atrium in a different perspective from above.



Just above us was the ceiling of the atrium.  It seemed a lot smaller than it had when we were 6 flights lower, but it was still allowing a great amount of light in.



We went outside, to a terrace reserved for faculty members.  We were told here, about why the building not only terraced backwards, but why after the fourth floor, the west corner was "cut away".  He briefly mentioned it was a move meant to protect the rights of light for the properties northwest of the building.  As an American, I found this simple design move most fascinating! Below you can see how they used the cut away corner as an outdoor deck for the students to use:



We were then shown the student lounge where there were plenty of students utilizing the billiard tables, and seating areas.  It truly felt as a place for the students, somewhere they could relax with their peers and socialize, study, or relax.



We then headed back downstairs ready to leave. Here are some general images of the space, as we made our way back to the bus:

We got back on the bus, and hit some of the afternoon traffic.  We eventually made it to our last tour stop of the day: TheRoyal Veterinary College in Camden.  Unlike our past site visit, this was not a new building.  The building blended in with the surrounding buildings along Royal College Street.  About two years ago the college realized that there was not a place for the students to call their own; a place for them to study, socialize and engage with their peers outside of the classroom.  The only space available was two courtyards inside the figure-8 building.  They hired ArchitecturePLB to enclose one of the courtyards and allow for a common space.

We were told that the roof structure was transparent polymer.  This had been the third building we had visited that day whose roof had been that material.  Our guide, Rubert Cook, the architect and Director of ArchitecturePLB, explained that this roof was chosen due to its light weight, ability to hold snow, ability to allow light in, and the cheap cost to build.



Inside this courtyard they had a "pod" suspended to add both an iconic, visual element to the space, but to also add more seating and public space.  This pod was accessed from the 2nd floor by a small bridge to the very bright and casual lounge. The perforation in the wood (colored to match the original wood color found in the adjacent library) was meant to add a visual connection to what was happening below the space.







The other courtyard was not enclosed, but still re-done.  Seating and planting elements were added, as well as an artistic piece hung above the space.  The art was "something done to energize the space on a very tight budget" Rubert Cook informed us.  A member of the CAE responded with a jovial "sounds familiar!"





We then made our way back to the other side of the building and into the enclosed courtyard.  The cafe was just closing up, but there were a good number of students talking and studying in the space.



Rubert Cook continued to explained how the first group of students to go through the program were graduating later in the year, and how the faculty have greatly expressed how the culture of the class has changed greatly with the addition of the space.  They have told him how the students are more socially engaged with one another and that they are now studying together, and staying after classes are out to go over notes.  He also said it has allowed more students a place to sleep if they are there late at night. Sounds a bit like architecture school!





One element of the courtyard, and school in general, is that it allows for a place to display skeletons and dissected animal parts... just part of the environment of a veterinary college.

We made our way back to the hotel and departed with our BCSE friends whom accompanied us during the tours.  Later that night we attended a BCSE/CAE networking reception held in the Governors Hall at St. Thomas Hospital, which was just across the Thames from The Palace of Westminister.  Ty Goddard, the BCSE Founding Director welcomed everyone to the conference and specifically the social event that night.  He discussed the importance of collaborating between the two organizations and the critical role each organization played in their respective country.

I did not know, but Ty Goddard was leaving the BCSE after five years of service.  "Thank you to everyone who I've worked with.  Even if I had not met you, I've enjoyed working with you" he told the packed room.  He continued to say that "...it is both hard and easy to leave, and that must mean it's time to go."



Following his 10-minute speech, there were another three or four people who spoke in honor of Ty Goddard, as that night was his last night.  Big Ben, just across the river, struck eight o'clock loudly as the speeches continued.



Eventually, Ron Bogle, President and CEO of The American Architectural Foundation, took the floor and presented Ty with a metal of honor on behalf of the AAF for his dedication to architecture over the past five years.

The reception then winded down and the members of the BCSE and CAE slowly departed into the night.  The first day of the CAE fall conference was an extremely successful one.  We were all energized and looking forward to the panel discussions and presentations of the next day.

Click here to read Day 2, Day 3.

**All photos are property of David Leitman, and may not be duplicated without permission.**