Reviews

On Tuesday myself, Ed and Rick had an interim review with Bob following our usual meeting with Steve in the morning. There were some interesting points to come out of these discussions and Steve's feedback on my document so far:

• My booklet contained information and the initial development of 'A Pattern Language', as developed by Christopher Alexander, but discussions with Bob brought up some potential problems. This methodology has been around for a couple of decades (in fact Bob knows it very well as he studied it as a student!) and has never really taken off as a major method of design. I have to question whether it's entirely relevant, although my thoughts are that it is extremely interesting and is something I'd like to give a modern interpretation. There is a risk that it becomes a formulaic pattern for the components of the design; it would be down to my own creative intuition to prevent that.

• 'Well Being' has many strands of meaning, therefore it is necessary to examine what it might mean in relation to spirituality, noise and light for example.

• Bernard Tschumi, in Architecture & Disjunction, says about "... the actions and events that take place within the social and political realm of architecture." and that in "...contemporary urban society, any cause-and-effect relationship between form, use and function, and socio-economic structure has become both impossible and obsolete." He argues that architecture has become a means to stabilise and institutionalise society, meaning architecture has become "the artful building of spaces" rather than responding to events or program. I'm still getting to grips with his writings but I think he's suggesting that architecture should be about the program of events and activities. This may not necessarily mean that one building is sufficient for many activities and that it requires each to be considered and developed in the most relevant manner. Here's the trusted Wikipedia comments on Tschumi:

  [His] approach unfolded along two lines in his architectural practice: first, by exposing the conventionally defined connections between architectural sequences and the spaces, programs, and movement which produce and reiterate these sequences; and second, by inventing new associations between space and the events that 'take place' within it through processes of defamiliarization, de-structuring, superimposition, and cross programming.

  If anyone has read Tschumi or has any thoughts, I'd be delighted if you would leave some comments.

• Does the school site need something tall, a beacon? Could this be a clock tower or similar?

• Is it really relevant to develop the grassed area and hard sports surface as I am currently intending to? Would it make more sense to develop on the school forecourt, maybe over the existing area even? I should examine dual use of the existing school building. Are there facilities there that are capable of taking some of the activities of my proposal? The land to the South-East of the site may be better utilised for growing food, etc.

So, a lot to do then. We've set ourselves a target of having the feasibility stage finished by the 10th of February, so time to crack on once I've tidied up a few bits in the booklet.