Behind the Times

Wow.... I just realized how long it has been since we updated. Admittedly we have had internet from the pub down the street, but usually we only spend about 20 minutes catching up on emails, then they must close (suppose it is those long days we are spending). I guess I will update on everything since then.

Let's see....

On the 7th of July we headed to CAT which is the Center for Alternative Technology which is located in Machynlleth (still can't pronouce it, though I gather it's very throaty). We spent from Tuesday to Saturday there, where we were living at a "hippie camp." We lived in one of their eco dorms where all the water was heated by the sun or a fire in the fireplace, all the electricity came from solar panels, wind turbines, or a hydro system. All in all it was really cool, though we were not prepared for the boonies. We had been told to bring nicer clothes for our trip.... and here we needed hiking boots and clothes we could trash if necessary.

While we were there I spent a couple days learning about hempcrete construction as well as specifying materials located on site for a new building they will be soon building. Corey on the other hand participated in a daylighting module where he studying a space, then suggested improvements for the lighting situation. The major downside to the whole trip was that we were only served vegetarian food, which would have been alright, except a lot of it wasn't very good.
Corey has most of the pictures from the week on his camera, but here is one of me and a couple of the other girls in our hempcrete making gear (outfits 1pound from the thrift store). And since lime is a bit toxic (the binder in the hempcrete) we had to wear some awesome protective gear.

We also learned the rules to Cricket.... and then played a modified version out at the beach.... Corey played a bit...


The last night that we were in Wales they took us all to a place to sing Kareoke. While I didn't join in on the fun (trust me no one needs to hear me sing) Corey did... and sang some Backstreet Boys with the other guys on the trip.... they got a bit into it.

When we got back to London, we checked back into Passfield Hall... sadly our room isn't nearly as good as the first time, though still quite spacious. The morning of the 13th we were able to meet with a guy named Sam who was one of the architects that helped designed the Serpentine Pavilion. It was quite interesting to talk to the architect of it, since most of what we know is put out by the gallery itself.

A quick brief on the pavilion, every year they commission an architect who hasn't ever done a project in UK to design a temporary structure for their lawn. The structure stands for about 4 months, then is deconstructed, and some rich person has bought it, and has it as an art piece for their lawn. This year it was based on clouds... quite cool all in all.Later that day we went to Beaufort Court, which is a reuse of a historic egg farm.... which used to be used to make Ovaltine.... interesting really.

This day was quite busy as in the evening we visited Grimshaw's office. It was very cool, and both Corey and I would have worked there.... also seems you can get your US architecture license if you work there, which would be cool.... if only they were hiring.

The next day we traveled to Oxford, where we toured Sue Roaf's Eco House. I've been there before, so I don't have much to say about it, other than it performs wonderfully with a small Scandinavian fireplace and natural ventilation.
The house itself looks quite normal (especially for the area) from the front.... and really internally.... it just performs much better.

We also toured Oxford university. Which was cool, (and it only cost 3000 pounds a year to go there if you are a UK resident) but also very traditional. Ball gowns for dinner and robes for classes.... It seemed great, though that sounds like a lot of getting prissed up for me.

The next day we walked around Greenwich.... which was kinda alright, but not very interesting. That evening we toured Laban, which is London's school for contemporary dance. I guess considered the primo dance school of the UK. It's quite interesting, though the bright colors bother the eyes after a while.

The next day we went to Chiswick Park.... where the motto is "enjoy work" and that's what they do. They overlying company provides everything for everyone. They rent out games if your kids must be with you, they rent bikes for your lunch break, they bring in fun activities on Fridays, and pretty much anything you can imagine... all for free to the employees of the buildings. The companies do have to pay a small fee... but overall their employees are more productive because of their environments, so all in all they are saving money. While this is an unoccupied space, it is quite nice. and provides excellent daylight to everyone (no flash).

Later that day we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where we looked at the architecture collection. Many amazing drawings done by great architects. There was also a fashion show going on, but I could only hold Corey's attention for so long (otherwise I wouldn't have left the fashion show).

Lastly that day we went to Norman Foster's office. He is considered one of the greatest architects of his time.... though all in all he is crap. They allowed us into two parts of the office (one more than the last time I went) the entry doors... and just up the stairs (next to the entry). They are so secretive they won't tell anyone about what they have done or what they are working on... We got a brief talk on a building that has been open since 2002.... and it was less than we could read in books. They are basically jerks..... and Foster runs an awful sweatshop. Obviously they wouldn't let us take pictures (we might let out their architectural secrets from the lobby)

Over the weekend we spent in Brighton, where I went on my study abroad a few years back. It was great, even though I didn't see any of my friends.... apparently one of my friends was getting married... so everyone was gone. I sadly don't have many pictures cause Corey took them. But it was windy as usual, and beautiful. We came back Sunday night, and got a bit delayed because someone trespassed on the line two stops away (i.e. someone got severly electricuted because they thought it was a good idea to cross the tracks, even though they are live).

We came back and CJ (my friend from Applebees) was in town, so we hung out a bit and he crashed in our room. The next day we walked around a museum about the docks... a bit boring.... then headed to Camden Town (where all the cheap venders are..... it's really fun) At the end of the day we went to As You Like It at the Globe Theatre. The first half was really good, but we had to stand, and sadly my knees couldn't stand anymore so we went home. But I heard the end was quite good as well. We instead slept and more importantly weren't standing.

Finally we are to today.... Somehow I've gotten through all that quite quick (considering what is going on). Today we went to have lunch with the architect Anne Thorne, then toured a project of the firms. They are big into sustainability, as well as socially concious. So we toured a social housing project they did call Angell Town. It was cool, and didn't feel like the projects, even though it was.
Otherwise, Corey and I are doing well... we've been having a good time, seeing the sites. It is a bit bittersweet that we are coming home in a week and a half. There are things we need to do and would like to get back to, but at the same time it would be nice to stay here for a while longer. And as I say goodbye for the day (and it shouldn't take this long to post again) I shall leave you with a great picture...