Briefing about New York

30 Sept '10: Mandar writes:   Today, we all sat and had the deadly duo (DNC and Phil) explain us about the intricacies of designing tall buildings and briefed us about the coursework. I would say you guys are quite lucky for having to aim for a open architectural design project. I have worked on design competitions and its not easy and cheap. You guys have the best opportunity to score brownie points and help build a great portfolio and a CV to aim for a good job once out of the University. So consider this module to be very important.

   DNC and Phil are the best tutors you can possibly have in this country to teach tall buildings design. There are no other universities offering courses to learn the basics of tall buildings design.  The coursework requires lot of reading, data collection, making a number of building models using most innovative materials. So gear up and be very proactive. Its best to plan things well in advance and never have things to work during weekends.   

    Weekends are for going to cities of UK. The country side is the nicest and most charming. Travel as much you can. Join the travel society as they take you to most cities nearby.  Travelling around UK will help you come to terms with the life in UK. 

[Editor's Note: Thanks Mandar for your recommendations. Actually you also wrote a lot of useful tips to the students in an email about preparation for the trip, reading, the right clothes and food for the day, etc. Thankyou for your caring.]

NASA competitions in India

30th Sept: : Mandar writes: Today’s introduction was quite interesting that this year the students will be far more motivated to work on their assignments as they aim for an open competition. The Indians should find it easier as most Indian architecture colleges take part in inter collegiate competitions hosted all across the South Asia. The competition is called NASA. http://www.nasaindia.co.in/
    I myself have taken part in it. Indian students will find it tad too easier to work on this term’s assignment if things are laid in a similar fashion. Not much needs to be changed. The NASA compeition is very similar to our interim reviews. There are judges who are architects and planners and some engineers too and students run powerpoint presentations along with videos. There are various trophies the colleges aim for but sadly none for tall buildings cause most construction sites are meant for developing tier two cities. Only two trophies involve urban renewal.

Presenting the Module

22 Sept'10: We are presenting the design module today. Phil has done a fine powerpoint, describing the site and the Isover competition conditions. We are meeting all the Diploma and Master students and they have to vote for the module.
Here is a reduced PDF of the Semester One design project presentation.Enjoy!

Welcome to MArch STB 2010 !

Monday 20 Sept: Welcome to the new intake of M.Arch Sustainable Tall Buildings!
David NC and Philip Oldfield had a first meeting with the group, asking them about themselves, and where they came from. We put some examples of previous work on the table (which may have been a bit worrying as it was rather good :)
   The photo actually contains more students because some came along to listen and may finish up doing our design module or even switching to STB totally. It's a big commitment doing two design modules in tall buildings followed by a 60 credit dissertation - but the ones we have already tutored in 2009-2010 seem to have enjoyed it!
Nine students are registered, with one on the way from India in a few days time. The design module group is likely to be 30, a mixture of Diploma and Masters students.

Testimonial from a graduate

15 Sept: Savita Poojari of Mumbai+Dubai is one of our first vintage of M.Arch STB graduates, and has written a little testimonial for us about the course:
'Masters in Sustainable Tall Buildings' occupies a very special place in the field of Architectural Education by virtue of being the first of its kind in the whole world. As a precursor to change in the future of Architecture, this course indeed has far reaching significance.
   The sequential manner in which we were gradually exposed to the intricacies of the subject seemed intuitive and at no stage did it alienate the student from the subject. Working in groups with students from across the globe is really an experience to be cherished. We were learning about various regions of the world and how the Climate Culture and Context would affect the tall building sustainability. Our designs through studio work and related interaction became valuable additions to one's knowledge bank.
  The atmosphere in the Studio is lively and fertile with enthusiasm pouring in from all quarters. The uniqueness of the subject and individual flavour imparted by Philip Oldfield and David Nicholson-Cole never fails to inspire enthusiastic responses and participation from students. Exposure to review sessions in which an amazing array of varied ideas/ designs by students are reviewed by distinguished panel, serve as nourishment to the minds thirsty of knowledge! Modules like ARM (Architectural Research Methods), TBI (Tall Buildings Introduction), ATB (Advanced Tall Buildings) and FCT (Facade Technology) with their research based approach give ample impetus for a well rounded growth of students into more responsible proponents of Sustainable Tall building designs.
  Getting to interact and get opinions from stalwarts like Karel Voller, SOM, Rogers, Gensler, Ken Shuttleworth  and Andrew Watts en route, and using these contacts for a part of the dissertation, was surely an elevating experience which will stay with me for the days to come.
   Deftly handling the course with their awareness and knowledge of the subject matter, Philip Oldfield and David Nicholson-Cole really helped us beyond our aspirations. I will end this account of my experiences by wishing all that is best to the students who wish to pursue this course.

New term coming soon

17 Sept '10: We have the new term coming up fast. All our Masters students from the previous year have now handed in dissertations, and we wish them the best of luck during the marking process. We shall find out next Monday how many Sustainable Tall Building students have arrived.
   In the last week, Phil has been notifying parts of the media about our projects using the CTBUH images as a course, and we have a good report on www.inhabit.com about one of the Rotterdam projects.

CTBUH accreditation of the Course

31 Aug: CTBUH have now confirmed their accreditation for the Sustainable Tall Buildings course at Nottingham! Read all about it on the CTBUH news page.