A model of the Pan Am Space Clipper ‘Orion’ from Stanley Kubrik’s film 2001 A Space Odyssey. I was 11 when I first saw this film and it still haunts me. The famous docking sequence with Space Station 1 200 miles above the Earth, to Johann Strauss II’s best-known waltz, The Blue Danube and made without CGI is still for me one of the most beautiful things I have ever
We read a great article in the Guardian this week about the growth, design and effectiveness of mindfulness apps from Amy Fleming. Amy writes about ‘Spire’ a wellness tracker that you wear next to abdomen or chest to track breathing. It links to your smart phone or watch and lets you know when you are not breathing correctly and thus feeling stressed. It costs about £300. It doesn’t teach you
Well, work has started on the demolition of 210 flats that from the start of the 1970’s has dominated and turned Flint from one of the UK’s oldest and fascinating, fortified towns to a South London suburb…. the master plan which replaces these blocks with houses on proper streets and lanes will feature here soon…
We just happened to be down in East Manchester looking at a housing site when we chanced upon this little scheme in New Islington, next door to Fat’s Islington Square. Just when you thought UK housing had dropped into some form of stasis this sort of thing pops up and gives you a bit of hope. The first thing to notice is the ambition to make proper streets. The repetition
Can’t help thinking that the latest coalition backed initiative on town centre regeneration, fronted by Mary Portas is little more than window dressing. Which is probably something Mary knows quite a bit about. A whole page in yesterday’s Guardian with Mary sitting in front of what looks like a hastily pinned up wall of action/ideas/connections (just like the lady detectives do in the Bridge and The Killing). But really the
The architectural press lately have been showing photographs of famous architect’s workstations. Well here is mine over at TY. Pantone pens, great fresh rolls of white trash paper, thick black pens and a challenge to design some houses in the woods. Couldn’t be happier!
