In unit C we are currently being encouraged to develop our personal style as well as a medium in which we enjoy working in. My biggest inspiration is Ellie Sampson, who is an architectural model maker who specialises in paper models. Her illustrative style and dramatic colour choices create lively models which beautifully capture scenes within architectural spaces. – Emily James

11th October 2019

Me and some university friends visited the Olafur Eliasson exhibition at the Tate Modern in London in October last year. His works captured indescribable atmospheres that used a manipulation of light to generate these ethereal reactions.

Eliasson’s work completely engaged the user, who’s response and perspective of his work would generate the art itself. My particular favourite was a long room with soft bright lights which was filled with fog. the fog removed any perspective points and so you were unable to know which direction you were going or where the walls and floors stopped and started, leaving you in a floating-like state. In theory this sounds frightening but due to the peaceful nature of the lights and soft sounds of peoples footprints it was actually very relaxing. – Emily James

25th November 2019 – Royal Academy of Arts

I was lucky enough to be given free tickets to a student showing of Antony Gormley’s exhibition at the royal academy of arts at the end of last year, which was one of the most amazing exhibitions I have ever seen. Gormley has a way of using objects to manipulate and distort space, creating atmospheric works for the viewer to journey around and experience close up and amongst his pieces.

A theme throughout his works which kept popping up for me was weightlessness. Gormley uses heavy materials such as steel within his work but suspends them in ways which make them appear almost weightless, which is successful in generating a powerful atmosphere. This is an element I would love to explore within my architectural studies. – Emily James

For my cities and culture module I wrote an essay on the communities formed by the idea that Jericho is separate from Oxford and possibly an unintentional enclave.

Jericho has the appearance of separation from the rest of Oxford. An enclave. It seems quieter and more remote as people don’t regularly pass through it. I explored this feeling of detachment and examined whether it creates stronger communities within or whether it makes the residents feel isolated. Residents have said that people in Jericho don’t want to leave. Are they happy or do they feel segregated? Perhaps they prefer/enjoy the secluded nature of the area. Maybe the tight, inclusive community is the key factor.- Ella

The sims has been around for 20 years now and it has always been in my life. My first experience of the game was in the early 2000’s, when I would be instructed by my older cousins that I was only allowed to sit on the to watch them play. That wasn’t enough for me and so I convinced my Mum that the only thing in the world my brother wanted was the first sims game for his birthday. He had a disappointing birthday that year but I was the happiest girl in the world and that’s where the addiction began.

I have gone through sims 1,2,3 AND 4 (2 and 3 by far are the best) but I have come to the realisation that escaping reality through a life simulation game is perhaps not the most productive or healthy way of living. This was particularly apparent as I was trying to avoid my technology coursework by trying to graduate my sim, as I watched her study for her final exams I thought ‘hang on….why is this non-existent simulation getting better grades than me and why am I helping her achieve that and not helping myself??’ The irony of it all made me go cold turkey on the sims for a while. So that’s my story so far. My name is Emily, and I am a sims addict. I have been off the game for a few weeks now and the road to recovery is looking bright.. until sims 5 comes out – Emily James

Foster and partners drone port potential was first talked about in 2015 and the theory is still being talked about today. The idea is that where there is a lack of roads, drones can have use. The proposal was that there would be drone ports in Africa where aid would be needed and the drones can bring the aid where cars cannot. -Ella https://www.fosterandpartners.com/news/videos/droneport/

As a student studying to become an architect one day, one thing that really baffles me is how someone who has the design skills to create functional spaces that can enhance peoples life experiences would choose to purposefully make life difficult for those already struggling. From divisions in benches to spikes in sheltered areas, it feels completely unnecessary for designers to choose to make life so uncomfortable for people who desire to seek rest within an unoccupied space. Not only is anti-homeless architecture cruel, a complete eyesore, but it makes functionality of spaces undesirable for all other users. For example larger people may need to take up more space than allocated by the bench designer and so are also prevented from using the bench making its function therefore completely worthless. As a future designer I hope that one day I will be able to create public spaces which can create welcoming and safe sanctuaries for those most vulnerable, rather than turning them away into a perpetual cycle of feeling unwanted and unseen. – Emily James

As part of our ‘Cities, Society and Culture’ module I wrote a chapter of a joint book on the success of heterogeneous areas within cities and assessed their success.

When Navigating around an urban context people pick up on a city’s distinguishing elements, the arrangement of which produces varying effects on the observer. The resulting quality of a city’s spatial field rests on its contrasts, therefore more heterogeneous cities produce more meaningful sequences.

Jericho is an area in Oxford which is a brilliant demonstration for the success of a heterogeneous area. This is achieved through its contrasting scales in architecture, the large scales such as the Blavatnik school of government and Freud, a church renovated into a bar/club draws in people from the centre mixed with the smaller scales of vernacular architecture filled with residence creates a balance of people and different urban experiences within the area making it feel fun, desirable and trendy. – Emily James

This youtube tutorial really helped me take the step from 2D drawings to 3D modelling in Rhino. It really helps to express your design ideas and bring them to life. -Ella https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqotuhPejiA

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is a building I find particularly beautiful. Its a nice change from the sky scrapers and steel in the rest of the city. Inside the building the architect Jean Nouvel created it to be like light coming through a palm tree. Here are some pictures: -Ella

The dome almost floats above the building and makes the building feel light and airy. The dapple light created from the palm tree inspired ceiling creates a calm ambiance.