Tag: Westminster Architecture Society

PLAYweek, Thursday 15 – Friday 16 February: Call for Workshops & Events

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

CALL for WORKSHOPS & EVENTS

It should be noted that children at play are not playing about: their games should be seen as their most serious-minded activity. ( Montaigne 1580 )

Introduction

PLAYweek is organised by the Department of Architecture and the Westminster Architecture Society, WAS.

It is a creative and disruptive 2-day event that cuts across the ‘dip-drip’ of the Department’s week-by-week teaching to suggest new and playful ways of working.

This year, things are a little different:

  • Thursday 15 February, there will be an all school crit, with mixed student, staff and guest panels looking at work drawn from across the school.
  • Friday 16 February, we will run one-day intensive workshops – which students and staff are free to propose, run, and take part in.

Aims

  • To hold an all school event
  • To enable students and staff to see a cross-section of the ongoing work of the Department
  • To test out innovative ideas through short, intensive workshops
  • To give students and staff the opportunity to explore an area of interest which they would normally not have the time, or freedom, to investigate

Friday workshop proposals

All students and staff can make a proposal for a workshop or event – and teams may include people drawn from outside the Department

Workshops can include traditional workshop activities, as well as performances and lectures, walks, seminars and film-showings – or any other form of activity. They can take place on or off-campus, and include people from outside the Department.

For more details on how to submit a proposal please go here.

Featured image from last year’s Tensegrity workshop, lead by Geoff Morrow, Gavin Weber, Will McLean, Pete Silver and Scott Batty.

Westminster Architecture Society Talks: AWMA Studio, Hubb – 30th January, 18:00, Robin Evans Room

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

AWMA Studio‘s Mohammed Rahmany, recent FABE graduate, will give a talk about his practice’s project Hubb, which was built as a part of the Brixton Design Trail and has been widely publicised. In his talk, Mohammed will also us give an insight into the crowdfunding projects, and what does it mean to set up a practice as a recent graduate.

When: Tuesday, 30th January, 18:00

Where: Robin Evans Room

All welcome!

DS23’s Crista Popescu Reflects on Angela Brady’s Lecture at the Alumni Lecture Series, WAS

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

On Tuesday 24th October, Angela Brady, the Co-Founder of Brady Mallalieu Architects, past president of RIBA (2011-2013) currently a Design Council CABE ‘Built Environment Expert’ as well as President of the Architects Benevolent Society,  launched the Alumni Lecture Series organised by Westminster Architecture Society, and gave a talk titled “What it Takes to Design Great Social Spaces.”

Crista Popescu, MArch DS23 student and the president of the Westminster Architecture Society, reflected on Angela Brady’s visit in her recent blog post.

Read an excerpt from her blog below or the full text here.

Her talk focused on how to build “sociable” buildings, as in making sure that today’s high density housing and office buildings offer suitable opportunity for users to meet and socialise. BradyMallalieu designed buildings seem to do just that, with social spaces usually being decided on by consultations with community groups. Their buildings have an elegant appearance, despite using robust materials and detailing.

Some of the things that dwelt in my mind were related to their approach to practice. In Mastmaker Rd project, the practice offered the client an alternative brief that included tenure homes, having an obvious impact on the community that can now afford to buy and live in the new development. At Ivy Hall the architects brought the community together to consider the feasibility of a community centre integrated in the already planned rented social housing development. For the St. Catherine’s Foyer, they put forward the idea to Dublin City Council  although it hasn’t been done yet in Ireland (see foyer.net to read more about the concept). In all these projects, the architects took initiative to improve on the brief as much as they could. It’s a skill to know how to approach the client and the community and understand the specific politics/circumstances of the situation and – most importantly – navigate around it so as to negotiate in your favor.

You can also watch the talk in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx1crxO1V9c&feature=youtu.be

Angela Brady “What It Takes To Design Great Social Spaces” – WAS Alumni Lecture Series, Tuesday 24th October, 18:00, M416

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The pressures of proposing new models that not only fulfil an aesthetic brief, but also are environmentally friendly, keep up with technology, economy, and other restraints falls mainly on the architects. Buildings can strongly influence our welfare and general happiness, be it where we live, work, or play. Join us to hear from Angela Brady about the social life of buildings and how architects can design to encourage interaction in communities in the changing contemporary urban context.

Where: Robin Evans Room (M416), Marylebone Campus

When: Tuesday 24th October, 6pm

Speaker: Angela Brady, Co-Founder of Brady Mallalieu Architects OBE PPRIBA FRIAI

Angela is co-founder and director of the award winning private practice Brady Mallalieu Architects Ltd, with Robin Mallalieu. Their design studio specialises in contemporary sustainable architecture and their buildings prioritise occupiers’ wellbeing whilst still maintaining remarkable elegance and style.

Past President of RIBA (2011-2013), and currently a Design Council CABE ‘Built Environment Expert’ as well as President of the Architects Benevolent Society, Angela reaches a wide public audience as a professional TV broadcaster, promoting architecture on TV and radio. Angela also publishes articles in books, magazines, and Twitter as well and runs design workshops in schools and galleries as a STEMnet ambassador.

RSVP: https://your.westminster.ac.uk/form/design-great-social-spaces

WAS Symposium: Negotiation in Architecture, 27th March, 17:00, M416

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Negotiation in Architecture will be an open floor discussion with a distinguished panel. The aim is to look at the issues regarding negotiating design decisions which will lead to a debate on the current and possible future role of the architect within the construction industry.

The event will take place on the 27th March at 17:00 in Robin Evans Room (M416), Marylebone Campus, University of Westminster.

More information on speakers soon to follow.

WAS Open Lecture: “James Stirling: Inspiring Places and Spaces” by Alan Berman, 3rd April,13:00, M416

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The Westminster Architecture Society is pleased to announce the last Open Lecture of the term. James Stirling: Inspiring Places and Spaces will complement the month-long events held by the RIBA to honour Stirling’s contribution to modern architecture in anticipation of the eponymous annual Stirling Prize.

The lecture will take place on 3rd April, 13:00 in Robin Evans Room (M416), Marylebone Campus, University of Westminster.

Alan Berman is founder of Berman Guedes Stretton Architects and also works at Studio Berman. Alan gives the architecture lecture series at Wolfson College, University of Oxford, and is a lecturer at University of Liverpool. He edited Jim Stirling and the Red Trilogy: Three Radical Buildings and Stirling+Wilford American Buildings.