So on Tuesday 07 July we delivered our final lecture in the series ‘Reading The City ‘ the final lecture was titled a ‘Mean While City’. We started the series back in January in the City at Gods House. But soon had to move across to a virtual platform, but these proved to be even more popular with over 350 people watching the series overall.

The public lecture series was  focused upon raising public awareness, engagement, and participation in a curated process of re-imagining the public urban realm of Southampton. Contributors where all at the forefront of contemporary urban debate both here in Southampton but also in the UK and provided a diverse and often challenging perspective upon the City of the twenty first century. The over-arching objective was to ensure that place-making in the city can become informed and inspired by contemporary visions of how our experience of urban life is enhanced.

The final lecture did not disappoint, with Carl Turner of Turner works, Thomas Bryans of if_do and Marcos Rosellos of All Design.

We hope to be able to continue to curate a further series in the Autumn / Spring with Go Southampton.

So its RIBA election season and at Studio B.a.d we are delighted to be asked to be supporting and part of Sumita Singha’s election campaign, read all about her manifesto and inspiring story. Please consider voting for Sumita to bring about change at the RIBA!

Election Statement:

The momentous challenges sweeping through our society provide an opportunity to reflect on the RIBA and build on the strengths of the Advancing Architecture Strategic Plan. To respond effectively to these new challenges, the RIBA needs to be well prepared, innovative and inclusive. From my work in the NHS, I come to understand that when each person, campaign and committee is aligned towards the organisational purpose, then challenges can be overcome.

With renewed energy and determination, together with the RIBA’s international reputation, let us make it a global champion that is public facing and fit for the future. Let us #ChangeForArchitects

I have great hopes for the recovery and future of our profession. As the President of the RIBA, I will

• Celebrate the potential of innovation, diversity and collaboration that architecture offers to build a better world
• Create a resilient profession through empathetic leadership, effective communication and participative decision-making

I bring a well-rounded experience to support these goals.

Deep knowledge of the profession

• 30 years of RIBA activities, including professional conduct
• Working with all sizes of practices, in large and small projects
• International and regional perspectives from working in six countries
• Teaching for 30 years, studying at five universities and experience of validation

Activism and campaigning

• Chairing Women in Architecture
• Founder of Architects for Change, the RIBA’s principle Equality Forum
• Trustee of three architecture charities
• Author of four books on architecture and practice
• Success in improving procurement in the NHS

Leadership and objective view of the profession

• Extensive knowledge of organisational culture and context for change
• Experience of crisis and risk management
• Awards in all area of work – from design, business to diversity
• Experience as member of design review panels

 

https://www.ecologicarchitects.com/riba-presidency

 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumitasingha/

We where delighted to be invited by Gemma Barton to judge the Interior Architecture awards 2020. This is the second year now we have been invited to take part, its such an honour to be involved in the school the promotes some of the most imaginative free thinking projects.

Our award is for graduating students undertaking the Interior Architecture course in recognition of narrative and storytelling through excellence in drawings and representation.

This year do not disappoint, we where asked to choose a first and second winner as follows:

    FIRST PRIZE

1. JOHN TORRES – The Hippodrome Cultural Hub – Making of the Circular City

 

A wonderful exploration through current challenges, reimagining cities with a response based on tackling climate change with direct influence from the circular economy, re using the amazing Hipporome building. This project tackles all of the many societal challenges we are facing in towns and cities, with a fantastic meanwhile approach, this has an opportunity to both raise cultural conversation but also educate a place like Brighton in the year of City of culture.

 

There are some quite wonderful drawings, that seek to give glimpses of atmospheres that map a whole series of events over a set programme, in the life of this project. As a proposition, brief and set of outcomes, this project demonstrates a maturity and understanding of real world issues far beyond the expectations at this level, so John is to be congratulated.

 

SECOND PRIZE

2.     Mashaal Baloch – ELYSIUM: The Future of Graveyards

A fantastic journey into the world of celebrating life + death and the future use our digital opportunities. The question is posed ‘How is our presence in digital space changing the way we die’?

This project takes on the challenge of celebrating peoples lives in the digital world, by repurposing an existing former church building, with some quite wonderful components that respond to the defined program, weaving an atmospheric set of light touch floating elements.

It’s a thought provoking and exciting prospect that the digital world is grasped as a means to create both virtual and physical architecture to deliver a future digital graveyard.

 

Take a look at all the work here:

https://architecture-design.brighton.ac.uk

 

There is also a small piece on Dezeen here

https://www.dezeen.com/2020/07/10/university-of-brighton-vdf-school-shows/

Over the past three months, we have all been adapting to the challenges around removed face to face existence and having to deliver the same work + teaching experiences that needed to happen in order for us to survive in business and for our students at Reading school of architecture to complete their undergraduate education. I am hugely honoured that I get to teach in first year at the University in Reading, but I had no idea how our students would rise to the occasion of virtual teaching and learning, to go well beyond all our expectations. I am so very proud of what our students achieved and I have no doubt, that although the challenges where really quite difficult, they will all have learnt about resilience and will come through this time stronger and ready to adapt at what the 21 century throws at them!

Our latest Urban lecture series this month was focused around Gender and sexuality in the Urban realm, with expert guest speakers Ruth Irvine, Amy Scott – Pillow , Dr Phevos Kallitsis and Zoe Berman. Each speaker reflected their own experiences, research and practice within the spaces and places of the built environment. The evening revealed a deep and passionate exploration of the speakers positive and some times challenging experiences to open the important and inclusive conversation and debate about how gender and sexuality must have a wider influence and position with the design conversation for the future space and places within the public realm.

During lockdown we have been adapting like all small design studios and we have found, huge positive benefits in these times. One such benefit is the collective coming together with our collaborators and critical friends. This month we held our first virtual design review with, Gemma Barton, Roger Tyrrell, Andrew Malbon and Stuart Bertie. It was a quite remarkable hour, discussing, sketching, explaining and listening to the thoughts of our critical friends on our new Church entrance cafe extension, which is due for submission for planning in early July. There was a huge leap made in this short, sharp critic of the project, we learnt a great deal about how to review and listen in such an opportunity.