Tall Building Studio dinner at Nosh 30 May'13

30 May 2013: The entire Tall Building Studio went for an End-of-Semester celebration at Nosh in Beeston. This is a Chinese restaurant for Chinese, very very authentic, and we ate as much as we could for less than ten pounds a head!



It's great to celebrate with students who have worked with such dedication all semester!



At the end of the evening, Amna's husband arrived with her two small children.

Facade technology models emerging 29 May'13

29 May 2013: The designs have been critted and the Design and Technology reports handed in so there is frantic activity to finish some models for the Facade Technology report.

Group Goal! photographing their model that demonstrates the double skin facade to floorplate junction.



Group ATA are working on the ETFE facade for their vertical farming proposal.

People and action at the Crit of 22 may '13

22 May 2013: For the Crit day, we had John Prevc (of Make) and John Ramsay (of UoN) joining DNC and Phil.First we had some videos on show, then we gave each group twice times 40 minutes with parallel panels of crit-tutors.

Big Blend presenting to John Prevc and DNC

Phil and John R with group U-Cube

DNC and John P with group ATA

DNC and John P with group ATA


Phil and John R with Jayanth

Overhead view of the whole crit-space


John P and DNC with group Goal!

A lot of sound on the East wall, but nobody is wailing, we are enjoying the day's work, celebrating the achievements of the semester. Now, another 2 weeks to round off the portfolio, a design and materials report to do, a facade technology report to do. All along, they are thinking about dissertation subjects.


Group Learning Tree explaining to Noura, Phil and John


It's been a tough few weeks and days, and everybody is entitled to take a little rest!


John R and Phil look at group ATA's twin tower

DNC, John P and Noura listening to Jayanth


John Prevc listening to group Zzyzx!


Phil and John Ramsay listening to group Goal!


Close up of the Zzyzx! vertical farm proposal


Zzyzx! celebrating the end of the Crit with DNC hiding behind the farm




We have a talk back to the students at the end (sorry that this is slightly blurred)

It's sad to take the work down so quickly, but the room is needed by others for the following two days. 

Photos of pinned up projects 22 May 2013

22 May 2013: We've had the crit, and there are another 2 weeks to complete these to the personal portfolios. Here are some iPhone captured images of the pin-ups on the wall, I hope to replace these with sharper posters when these are available.

Jayanth working individually produced a hotel and residential tower with a highly visible megabraced frame.


Group Learning Tree have a Vertical Campus. Although the ideal campus probably is horizontal, the point of this research is to work on a way to make a campus work happily when space is really tight in a major city centre location.


Group Goal! (also now calling themselves Folding Tower) have linked twin towers.


Group U-Cube delighted us with an ambitious video and and excellent model of their megastructure with large outriggers as public sky leisure spaces and parks supporting compositions of cubic housing forms.


Group ATA have linked twin towers with offices and residential, topped with a tall vertical farm and a wind farm at the very crown.


Group Big Blend completed their Algae facade mixed use complex with great professionalism and elan - a tall twin-tower with a linking core and algae filled facade panels, and a mini-tall podium block of education and research.


Group Zzyzx! have a twin tower with university, student accommodation, residential, and two vertical farms in half dome shapes.

Two days before crit - days of completion

20 May 2013: It's good to see the students using the studio intensively in the days leading up to their big presentation.

Group ATA finalising their model.


Groups Goal! and U-Cube are finalising their poster designs and video.

Joana Gonzalez visits Tall Building Gonzalez

9 May 2013: Prof Joana Gonzalez used to be a frequent tutor in 2007, 2008 and 2009, and since then has been working with BDSP, the AA School and writing two books. She made a very welcome return in 2013, spending a day with us, looking at every scheme and delivering a lecture. Her specialism is environmental strategy, and the special focus today was the design of facades.

Joana delivered a lecture on facades, particularly the double skin facade. A few years ago she was favourable to it, but since writing her book, she has developed a healthy skepticism about it, particularly in the British climate. As Ken Shuttleworth frequently points out, there is a benefit in returning to 'more Wall than Glass'. This idea can produce more thermally stable buildings and reduce the need for double facades (which are more necessary for fully glazed buildings).


Joana and Noura look at the Learning Tree


Joana and Noura look at the Big Blend


Joana and Noura look at Jay's scheme



Joana and Noura look at ATA


It's been a good day and it's time to get the train home - enough students are left for a group photograph.
Thankyou Joana!

Ken Shuttleworth visits Tall Building Studio 8 May'13

8 May 2013: We had a major triple-table tutoring day. We were honoured to have Ken Shuttleworth (of Make Architects) visiting us for a day. We also had a tutoring day from Jason Seward (head of Fire Engineering at WSP-Genivar) and Akshay Sethi (alumnus of this studio, now working at Gensler and visiting us for the first time). We are getting to the end of the tutoring period of the semester now, so it is important to finalise the designs and ensure that the students are happy to draw up what they have now.



Jason Seward started with a lecture on Fire Engineering



Jason Seward lectures on Fire Engineering. Fresh air pressurisation of core and stair lobbies is a major topic which was explained in detail.



Ken looks at the Zzyzx! design: they made two entirely new models overnight for him!



Akshay Sethi looks at Jayanth's scheme



While waiting for the tutorial, work continues



Jason has a Fire tutorial with Learning Tree



Jason has a Fire tutorial with ATA



Ken's advising the U-Cube group: should something more exciting be done with the crown of the building?

The Zzyzx! group made a larger model of the vertical farm for the FCT hand in, and it's big enough to wear



Akshay's looking at the ATA scheme

Akshay has questions about ATA's core connecting the two main towers



Ken is studying the GOAL! design: the upper part of the twin tower seems oversize, and the podium buildings need jazzing up a bit!



Jason is trying to improve the cores of the Zzyzx! group



Ken studies the Learning Tree



Akshay looks at the GOAL! design



Big Blend are trying to grow algae, and Ken is trying to improve their cores and the slenderness ratio of their towers



Zzyzx! have conjoined twin towers with two different ways of doing the cores, and Akshay is looking for improvements



Jason is rounding off his day's tutoring with a study of the GOAL! design



Ken has some significant suggestions to make for the ATA design: they need a day to decide to take on the challenging new ideas



Akshay with the U-Cube group



Nearly time for the train to London, last moments of tutoring: Ken with GOAL! and Akshay with Big Blend.