Sorry for the belated posting. I have taken on new challenges back in London after spending nearly 10 years in Nottingham. It is now time to move back to London and re-engage with exciting practice, research and teaching activities. Watch this space!

Herman Hertzberger to receive the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture

The internationally acclaimed Dutch architect Herman Hertzberger has been named today (Tuesday 6 December 2011) as the recipient of one of the world’s most prestigious architecture prizes, the Royal Gold Medal.

You can read more HERE

Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs

If you want to learn the sucess secrets of Steve Jobs, read more HERE.

Atmosphere by Peter Zumthor

"...... Not only are you learning the fundamentals of architectural design but how people react within space and what design factors contribute to your understanding of the space. Also the book illustrates some images of projects so it is short, informative, interesting by justifying the essay itself.
A must read for all architecture students and people alike!"

Read more about this book HERE

Thinking Architecture By Peter Zumthor

"I believe that this book is based on a series of lectures ....... I think however that it is a key text for architcture students and architects alike, giving some insight into where Zumthor obtains his inspiration for creating truly individual and inspiring buildings. In a world of throwaway gestures where architecture is becoming (or has become?) equally shallow, this book is a timely reminder of the quiet power of architecture to resist this cultural move toward surface and iconoclasm". Comments on this book from Gary T. I echo  Gary's comments and I would recommend this book for the readers who are interested in the poetics in architecture.

Read more about this book HERE

The Monastery of Sainte-Marie de La Tourette

“Create a silent dwelling for one hundred bodies and one hundred hearts”.Such was the prayer that Father Marie-Alain Couturier offered up to Le Corbusier whom he regarded as “the greatest living architect”.
More information about this building can be found HERE

                                          Photo: arcspace

Renzo Piano's Understated Convent Opens in the Shadow of Le Corbusier's Ronchamp Chapel

After the initial fervent opposition from the architectural community, Renzo Piano's convent on the grounds of the Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, France, is finally complete.
The convent sits in the shadow of a highly-lauded design by Le Corbusier, an architectural legend so venerated in his own right that the Fondation Le Corbusier, the organization devoted to preserving his work, vehemently opposed anything being built on the chapel's grounds. Starchitects like Richard Meier joined the opposition, while, as if it were a Pritzker Prize winner showdown, the likes of Tadao Ando supported the new convent. 
Commissioned by the Association Oeuvre Notre Dame du Haut, Piano was ultimately able to erect the building, with a mission to preserve Le Corbusier's structure and finish the job with a mere $14 million, raised through a combination of local government funding, donations, and the sale of the nuns' former convent in Besançon, which their order had inhabited for 800 years. The new structure, barely visible, is nestled into the hillside, greeting visitors with an outward facing zinc and glass façade. More information about this buildin can be found HERE.

                                                       The patio and sewing room

                                                       Photo by Michel Denancé

You can also read Jonathan Glancey 's article about this building HERE. Enjoy!