(Things we're doing and stuff we like)
Every year the Serpentine Gallery chooses an architect who has yet to design a permanent building in the UK to design their summer pavilion.
This year’s Pavilion is by Rem Koolhaas and structural designer Cecil Balmond. The centrepiece of the design is a spectacular ovoid-shaped inflatable canopy, which floats above the Gallery’s lawn.
Made from translucent material, the structure is illuminated from within at night. The canopy can be raised into the air or lowered to cover the amphitheatre below according to the weather.
Unfortunately the Pavilion was not open when I visited but you can bet I will be back there several times before the summer is out and the Pavilion disappears.
The Royal College of Art’s degree show is always inspirational. Representing the crème de la crème of design, previous graduates have included Paul Cocksedge and BarberOsgerby.
I went to the recent show with my team at Camron. One graduate really caught my eye. Caroline Till is a Textile Design Graduate. Her show took renewal as its theme. In a throwaway age, she reuses, rejuvenates, and reinterprets materials to create desirable items.
I was particularly impressed with her re-patterning of old china from charity shops to re-unify collections. Indeed I liked them so much I bought two!
caroline.till@alumni.rca.ac.uk
I was in Shanghai to meet with a new client, the Chinese lighting company Zhongtai who have commissioned a breathtaking new office, showroom and exhibition space by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.
The first thing to hit you about this city – the once named Paris of the East – is the sheer scale of the place. It is much higher rise than Tokyo, with soaring motorways dissecting the landscape. Tucked in between all of these are some beautiful period villas all but hidden by the modern city growing up around them.
Whether it’s a giant elephant (The Sultan’s Elephant event in May) or a small herd of sheep, spectacle is a great way of engaging the masses. The sheep drive from Borough Market to Smithfields marked the launch of the London Architectual Biennale. The animals were accompanied by architect icons Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, and robed members of the Butchers’ Company exercising their right to drive sheep across the City of London’s bridges. There were only about 30 sheep, and they were difficult to see, but the crowds were somehow curious enough to follow them from the South Bank to Smithfields where there was food, information, craft and interactive stalls. A great way of luring people to the area.
I was in Dubai to meet with our new clients, the International Design Initiative. It was my first time in Dubai so I was keen to find out what this city had to offer. Dubai is a city in rapid flux.
Dubai has little in the way of historical architecture but there is a collection of old merchant’s houses in the Bastikya, area. It is an area where the ancient and the new collide and connect to great effect. My favourite find was the contemporary art gallery/guest house/cafe called XVA.
No visit to Dubai is complete without a visit to the Burj al Arab, the worlds only 7 star hotel. Designed by WS Atkins, the hotel was built to resemble the sail of an Arabian dhow. The interior is a riot of clashing colours, dancing fountains and the world’s tallest atrium.
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