Sheppard Robson's Design For Manchester Eye Hospital

Image courtesy of Sheppard Robson

Images have just emerged for the design of an extension and refurbishment to Manchester's Eye Hospital, situated on Oxford Road. The design looks to link the current grade 2 listed building with a new contemporary structure directly behind, the two will then be joined by a large glass atrium.

The £21million project generates are beautifully crafted facade which takes elements of the old victorian hospital brickwork, and works it in to a matching stencil detailing. The new build looks to revolve around a centre for bio-medical research, which includes laboratory space, offices, cliniacal testing wards, teaching facilities and other specialist space. 100,00 sq ft in total will be added to eye hospital.

Image Courtesy of Sheppard Robson

The design follows a recent flurry of new builds within the oxford road health campus. Recently St Mary's hospital was demolished to reveal the recently built children's hospital, and current ground works are taking place.

Overall Sheppard Robson's design works well as a modern approach to a traditional style, helping to keep to the Mancunian masonry style, but with a modernist twist.

The Next Step

Only a crisis can bring change, and we are not in a crisis, yet.

The green way of life has been present for decades. An imminent and possibly devastating problem sits on our horizon. We are all aware of it, we discuss it daily, money is poured into it, and endless hypothetical solutions are devised, except we are still the same. We have become comfortable and carefree. Of course our society is changing, and companies worldwide are parading their green credentials, and a fight against carbon emissions. We all recycle, some of us grow our own food, and the odd house is decorated in solar panels, a step in the direction, yes, but still no overall change. 40 years ago recycling wasn’t popular, and companies hadn’t heard of climate change, but 40 years ago not everyone regularly flew abroad, or owned electronics made 1,000s of miles away, nor did they buy fruit from the other side of the world. We have a problem in ourselves that needs to be addressed before we can progress, a problem of sustainability.

Our definition of the word has become tainted, we see it as a direct approach to climate change not as a way of life. At the root of being sustainable is following the rule that one must meet it’s needs without effecting the needs and resources of future generations. Climate change is one element in a much larger equation of being sustainable. A relationship needs to be generated that enforces the present with a respect for the future, only then can we achieve targets, and successfully stop climate change.

Carbon neutrality is the final goal, but not a means to achieve it, that is done by carbon negative. To only achieve neutrality is to only care about the present, disregarding the past and what effects we did create. Take for example government targets for all new houses to be carbon neutral from 2016, then overlay the fact that at current rates 0.8% of homes are new builds a year, thus equating to 125 years to replace just the homes we currently have with carbon neutral ones. How is it that carbon neutrality can be sold as a positive change? The change needs to happen to those new builds and existing ones. The adaptation of the old and the negative carbon of the new will help us achieve neutrality more efficiently, benefitting the present whilst repairing the past’s damage for a sustainable future.

We face a drastic change, but that change needs to occur in order for us to become sustainable, but how can we change a society comfortable with the way they are. Ideas and schemes need to accommodate for the majority’s reservation against change and help to develop achievable and practical solutions to our non-sustainable way of life.

Below is a scheme I generated with the help of Manchester City Council’s data on their green spaces spread across the city. It looks at taking the next step towards sustainable life, focusing on food production. In no way is it groundbreaking or revolutionary, rather a little more of something that has been around for over a thousand years. Food production in the UK only meets 2/3s of our demand. We therefore import from other countries at an economic and carbon cost. Why don’t we become a sustainable food producing country? If we were to generate all the food we needed, in a sustainable manner, the current costs would be eradicated and food would become cheaper.

Allotments: the next step. We have them already, they are in demand, they cost little to both maintain and use, and they generate ample food. My scheme simply expands the amount of allotments present in Manchester. By occupying 2/3s of the Green space in Manchester an annual saving of £1,809,392 is made, plus the rental cost of provides the council with a substantial financial reason to do so. As for the residents of Manchester they receive the benefit of cheap food for themselves, and an opportunity to trade with others to generate extra income. All round the scheme works, makes sense economically, and is an achievable next step towards a sustainable country.

If you have nay further questions about my work or this scheme in particular feel free to contact me at lookupmanchester@gmail.com.

Part 1 Year Out: Diary Entry 2

WAITING.

Occasional articles refer to a practice I am yet to contact, I immediately write an email, attach my CV, send, and then wait. The quick rush and thought of an opportunity is almost simultaneously diminished as I return to waiting for any reply that may come my way.

Degree is finished, amazingly gained a first, something yet to reveal it’s true benefit, still to graduate, and undoubtedly waiting. I have countless lists of architects, ones for Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Scotland, London, and all others. The lists contain contact details for each one, and the current status. The lists probably amount to around 250 practices, each one has a flurried “sent” written next to their name, reminding me that I have contacted them. The lists fill my desktop and as I sit waiting emails begin to come through. Although the majority of them are straightforward “ Thank you for sending your CV, unfortunately…” they are still replies none the less, and may qualms about the existence of architects are resolved.

Something that people keep asking me is whether the perpetual rejection is demoralising, the answer; no. I’ve always known that finding a job would be hard and all I can do is carry on searching. So as replies trickle in to my email box I simply acknowledge them, happy for the polite reply, briefly seeing a secretary’s name, or sometimes a directors and updating their status on one of my many lists. All you can do is try,

The most frustrating part of job searching process isn’t the waiting, or in fact the rejection, it’s the not knowing. I resorted to moving back in with my parents, as it seemed the most financially sensible option, and pursued my life in Leeds. I do not mind the return to my old pre-university life, rather if someone could just tell me what my future beholds. It could be that in a weeks time I get offered an interview, then a job and suddenly find myself living in London. Where I live, or the practice, I don’t mind just someone please tell me.

Out of nowhere I received a phone call from a firm, inviting me down for an interview. At last an opportunity. However the date they wished to see me I couldn’t make and the lady on the phone politely said she would call me the next day with a new date. Looking back I should have taken the original set day then and there, but I asked to change it, and again I started to wait. She didn’t call back the next day, or in fact the day after that, nor the next. I tried calling her but she wasn’t in. I began to give up, but thankfully at 5:30pm on a Friday she rang. She apologised and set about arranging a new date.

The date set was my graduation, and the day before I went on a 2 week holiday. But I couldn’t say no again. I attended my graduation ceremony, threw my mortarboard and then jumped on a train to Birmingham. Arrived in a city I had only ever driven past, and entered the Bullring immediately outside the station. Thankfully the practice was situated near by and their rather prominent logo helped me to discover their office.

The interview went well, I think. They spoke, I spoke. We casually discussed each other’s approaches to architecture, what we were interested in, and was finally given a tour of their practice. They said they would let me know once I returned from my holiday. When asked how it went, as I returned back home, I replied; “Really well”. The truth is I don’t know, it was my first, I have no precedent to go against, and I received no feedback. I guess all I can do is, well wait.

Part 1 year Out Diary: Entry 1

The exact date of when i finished my first degree has already escaped my head, or perhaps it wasn't there in the first place, the countless deadlined accumilating in a final exhibition has managed to remove my sense of time, and the unknown factor of each submission confuses me as to when my degree actually did terminate, all I know is that it now has.

The degree show 2 weeks away is something of a full stop to my 3 years at manchester School of Architecture, climaxing in what I hope to be employment. 2 weeks of no deadlines, 2 weeks of freedom, possibly. Or 2 weeks to make a head start on my future career. Although is it a head start? I endlessly asked myself and those around me when to start applying for Part 1 jobs. Christmas, Easter, just before portfolio submission, or once deadlines are finished. The answer I still don't know. In hindsight maybe at Easter, or just after, but then you don't have al your finished, and probably best, work, an essential section of one's CV. In reality there is no correct time to begin the search, just be aware of when it's best for you, as the added pressure of employment amidst final year deadlines can be a lot to handle.

I decided after the Synoptic. All work was finished and I could spend my time solely on my future. The CV was the first on the list. I already had one of sorts, although it included my year 6 SAT's results, and my previous employment looked to promote my 3 year stint as a paperboy, something practices aren't particularly looking for. A new CV was needed. The design was first. Architecture is design, if you can design a building to the most precise detail, but your CV was done on Microsoft Word and uses Comic Sans as a font, the bin will be where it will reside. M

y design is coherent with with my portfolio work and follows a simple hierarchy layout designed on InDesign. As for the content this is where you have to strict, concise and ruthless. My cousin, who is coincidentally an architect, has seen countless CVs come through her office. She quickly scans the pages before making a decision in a matter of seconds. The document is a foot in the door, keep it simple and to the point, don't be afraid to not include previous jobs if they bare no relation to architecture, but remember you can always bring it up in an interview, where they make a decision about you.

The CV was finished, and now the task of applying. Unsurprisingly there aren't many jobs at the moment. About 7 appear on both the RIBA Appointments site and BD Online Jobs section. In my searches I have come across several other advertised positions, but they appeared directly on their own site. So the next thing to do is send your CV with a covering letter to whoever you can find, and now is not the time to be picky. A job is better than no job and the type and location of firm should be irrelevant. As for how to contact the practices I used various ways.

Firstly firms that I knew of, and of whom I particularly liked their work, I sent hardcopies with individual covering letters. This is expensive however. Roughly costing £2 per copy (including postage). The rest I sent by email. Something I don't particularly like to have done but time and money is of the essence. As for who to contact you have to utilise the available information from journals/ articles/ magazines. Always use RIBA's "find an architect" here you can search all cities for chartered architects. Contact information is provided and is probably the best source. However when you begin to search London the list explodes and another source has to be found. Here I turned to the AJ. It's newstream gives a vast source of architects that have recently won competitions or schemes, meaning they have work and now maybe the time to send a CV. The site also has the AJ100, a list of 100 architects with the greatest turnover last year Back. Other sources are those featured in awards and nominations, and by all means ask people you know, a personal attachment is unbelievably useful.

To the End of Year Show. In previous years it is where local architects would come and traditionally leave their business card on the work of which they liked most, with the opportunity of a job at the end. Times however have changed and very few are present at my year's show. BDP being the exception, they lay a few cards out on people's work and are planning on hiring 6 people this year. The night ends and although a great send off, and joyful night, a job is no closer than before. Proving that the CV and personal correspondence is the most beneficial. All I can do now is wait.

The Future

LOOKUP Manchester has just entered it's second year of existence, miraculously the blog has excelled beyond what I ever thought it could. With a little help from fellow students and a city full of architecture it has managed to position itself in the blogging culture, both nationally and internationally.

Most readers of the blog are occasional internet trawlers looking for specifics on architectural news. However there are a few loyal followers out there, and this year I hope for that group to expand. Our team looks to grow, already new members are appearing and anymore who wish to get involved need but contact me.

I have just finished my 3rd year, and successfully graduated with a BA Arch degree. Resulting in my future being uncertain. Currently on the prowl for any available architecture work, I have come to realise a missing tangent of an architecture degree. What is a Year Out? As much as the 7 year course is profoundly unified and the initial transition between architectural university life and architectural practicing life seems rather abrupt and significantly different, especially the initial months. Therefore I plan to document my 1st year out as a RIBA Part 1 Student right here on this blog. Hopefully it will be a useful tool for those in my position and for the future students whom find themselves initially unsure by their future.

As it currently stands I am yet to find work, something I never hoped for but an inevitability I was expecting. However all is not lost and I still believe employment is achievable. I plan to write an entry every 2 weeks portraying my experiences in the real world.

by Jack Penford Baker

3rd Year MSA Student's Exhibition

Opening this friday, the 18th of June 2010, is Manchester School of Architecture's 3rd Year Degree Show. The work on show summarises a year long project that each student has completed. The exhibition opens at 6:00pm in the Chatham building on the MMU All Saints Campus.

Jack Stewart's Work

The Exhibition is spread over 2 floors and contains student work from each of the 5 units currently taught in third year. Each unit is devised by groups of tutors, and then picked by the students at the start of the year. SYNC offers a look to the future of sustainability, structures evolve from nature, resulting in new and innovative forms. Continuity in Architecture, run by Sally Stone, is the child of the BA Unit by the same name. Here history and context stand as the biggest influence in the student's designs. U + L expands the student's approach to possibility, realising schemes that look to drastically change the built environment with influences from today's society.

Jack Penford Baker's Work

Other units in the show include Emerging Topographies and Making Public Space, help to cement the MSA's position at the forefront of future architecture. The exhibition itself is a great opportunity for younger years to get a feel for the units taught, and a chance for the BA students to see what their future competition are producing.

Last Years Exhibition

Although a public exhibition, the main purpose is for architect firms to see the work on show and hopefully decide to employ the majority. Times are difficult at the moment thus making this exhibition a crucial event for prospectus employees and employers.

Ben Hale's Work

The show opens at 6:00pm this friday, and will be open till the following wednesday. I urge people to take a look at whats on show and spread the word about the future of architecture.

Feilden Clegg And Bradley's Observatory Gets The Green Light

Feilden Clegg and Bradley presence in the north of england has exploded over the past few years. They seem to be first choice for universities, which is unsurprising as Broadcasting Place, which they designed for Leeds Metropolitan University, recently won a regional RIBA award. Other projects in and around Manchester include the new Business School and an extension to Chatham, neighbouring MMU buildings.

News appeared in the month of march about a new visitor centre designed by FCB at the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire. The design looks to create a new tourist hotspot in the countryside. Already a world famous observatory, the visitor centre hopes to generate £26 million over the next decade in the area. Initial funding has now been granted by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and the Northwest European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), a further £600,000 has been added by the University Of Manchester. Now that funding is secured work plans to start immediately, and is pencilled in for a 2011 finish.

A relatively minimal design with regards to the complex mechanical radar dishes in the vicinity, but overall a complimenting idea. FCB presence in the UK is becoming a formidable force, a welcoming sight as their quality and fresh designs help to elevate architecture in the country.

all images copyright of Feilden Clegg and Bradley

Can Aesthetics Improve Social Disorder

Approach From Chorlton Road - Image Copyright of 2e

News has just arrived that Manchester based 2E architects have landed the job of re-cladding 4 existing residential tower blocks on Chorlton Road, at the edge of Mancunian Way. The designs look to clad 3 in a dark chocolate terracotta on 3 facades and a rust proof metal facia on the last facade. The other tower, St Georges, smaller in size, will be cladding with a much lighter shade of terracotta on all four sides. The designs bring a refreshing look to the rather dated and typical looking tower blocks.

St Georges Tower Design, Image Copyright to 2e

As much as this news offers a face lift to a centralised area of Manchester, it brings the question of whether it is suitable. Tower blocks sprung up throughout the UK post World War 2 as an idealistic view on future living. Terrace housing was replaced with cities in the sky. People flocked to the new builds and a time of prosperity blossomed. 20 years later and deterioration began to appear. A lot of occupants left for a better life in houses where the concrete corridors were replaced for a traditional house with a garden of their own. The buildings slowly gained a bad reputation and their presence in modern society has begun to be questioned.

Society has changed, the ideas behind tower blocks have become outdated and a different approach to mass residential living is needed. Or perhaps there is no problem, maybe a a building's physical existence has direct correlation to the bad reputation. Maybe 2E's facelift will give the towers the change they have needed. A building's visual appearance overweighs that of it's function with regards to public opinion. Tower blocks used to flourish, so why can't they now?

Hopefully the design will work and become a precedent for all future council's to look at before they jump to demolition. It certainly offers a more sustainable approach to buildings. Why demolish and rebuild, when you can improve what is already there.

Reflective Room

The Courtyard Project is a collaborative project involving The Manchester Museum and 5th Year Architecture students from the Re_Map and Prototype studio units at Manchester School of Architecture.

A competition invited the students to design an environment within the Courtyard space at The Manchester Museum to align with the summer programme and exhibitions. A shortlist of five proposals were selected and developed further, a summary of which will be exhibited at the Museum from March 2010.

The Museum have selected Reflective Room to be taken forward and the project will be constructed in the Courtyard in June 2010. The student design team from the Prototype unit is led by Matthew Mills and will be assisted by unit tutors Nick Tyson and Ming Chung, along with Neil Thomas of Atelier One.

The Reflective Room will be fabricated and assembled by all students involved in the project in collaboration with technical assistance from Manchester Metropolitan University, The University of Manchester and The Manchester Museum.

Follow the progress of the project here: http://reflectiveroom2010.wordpress.com/

£1 Billion Manchester City Expansion Proposed

image copyright of Neil Sowerby

Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour plans for a £1 Billion expansion to the current stadium. The plans look to incorporate new leisure facilities whilst a new training facility will also be included. It is believed that New York based Rafael Vinoly has been appointed as the chief architect, however early reports suggested that Manchester based BDP are also involved, as to what level it is unknown.

image copyright to Emily Zoladz | The Grand Rapids Press

Perhaps the most intriguing part to this development is that the development will be connected to the current regeneration of Ancoats next door. Now known as New Islington the area has rapidly grown in the past decade, however there are still a vast amount of vacant properties, around 14%. This news may boost the desirability of the area, and draw in the much needed occupants.

No designs have been revealed and are unlikely to for sometime, but the once chosen site for a super casino may now get it's americanised leisure complex it once lost out on. However it's acceptance by the public is yet to be heard, and an interesting debate will surely unfold in the coming months, and indeed years.