"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." -Confucius The British Library, London The British Museum, The British Library, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Cathedral, Westminster underground station, Big Ben, House of Parliament, Swiss Re Tower, Saint Paul's Cathedral, London information center, One New Change, Lloyd's of London, LSE Student Center, Tate Modern, London City Hall, Evelyn Grace Academy, and National History Museum, all in 3.5 days. Traveling alone this time made it an extremely pleasant experience. It was my trip, my schedule, and my own pace. Thanks to the previous school field trip, I was eager to explore London with an architectural perspective. I was inspired to examine buildings in various ways: how we approach the site and the building, what is the relationship between the structure and the space, what are the details in the structures, how does the lighting come into play as materiality...etc. London has a lot to offer with its rich history and diverse architecture. It is one of the cities that I will come back and visit! The Grand Hall of the British Museum by Sir Norman Foster. Shadow can be seen as a material. Tate Modern by Herzog & De Meuron. The use of lighting to guide people through the space. Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London is my favorite building throughout this trip. This 'sci-fi' building is designed by Richard Rogers, the man who brought Centre Pompidou alive. Similar to the Pompidou Centre, this is also an "inside-out" high tech building with pipes and elevators at the exterior to maximize the interior space for offices. I was impressed with the verticality of the building and the inspiration from Archigram. Quick sketch of Lloyd's of London Evelyn Grace Academy Evelyn Grace Academy is designed by 'starchitect' Zaha Hadid in Brixton, a little distance away from the London center. I decided to visit the building even though it took quite some time to reach since I had heard so many things about the architect and yet never seen her work on site. She stacked four schools on top of each other to create the general form of the building. The overlapping spaces are double height atrium. A very interesting touch of the project is the 100 m running track that goes through the building. I think it is a very creative way to place the program and it adds a signature landscape to the project. The British Library As one of the best British public buildings in the 20th century, the British Library surprised me in many different ways. Right from the start, the library's V shape orientation invites people to the site and encourage social interactions at the courtyard. After the entrance lobby is the multi-floor height atrium (see the picture on the left) with fantastic skylight. As you proceed the library, the space are organized around the landmark bookshelf as if it's the core of knowledge. The design of different levels with visibility really enlarges the space and set an example for public architecture. LSE Student Center This project is relatively recent compare to other buildings I visited. The project is carried out by O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects in 2013. The school needed a new student center since the old one did not have sufficient space. The project did an excellent job on its relationship with the site. It has three different ways to approach and they managed to create a hierarchy between the entrances. The use of materials is also site-specific and innovative. The interior space is centered around the core circulation with great lighting from the perforated brick facade. The main staircase in the LSE student center. Instead of stacking the stairs, the architects shifted each stair in different angles to liberate the space. On-site sketches and notes for the building Childhood dream came true! I finally saw the fossils in the History Museum! Shoutout to friends who helped me through the dark times. God bless y'all.
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AboutThis blog was launched in August, 2015 during my 8th year of studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain. I decided to start this blog and record some of my thoughts and moments. This blog is also dedicate to Richard Fu, a good friend of mine who is now guarding me from above. He inspired me to get out of the comfort zone and be curious about the world. Amig@'s blogs
Check out my brother Will's blog (in Mandarin) to see what he's up to these days (Design, fashion, food, technology, music, film...etc) Check out Kris' website for some high quality photos around the world Archives
September 2023
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