My current job at muf
architecture/art has reinforced my interest in the social and political impact
of architecture. Their projects and ethos often revolve around the interaction
between different groups of people, past and present. I feel that the course at
MSA, with its focus on the cultural and technological context of architecture,
will be the most appropriate to channel my curiosities. I am excited by the
thought of delving into the history of infrastructures, utilising this
knowledge to think of innovations for the future. I have also always been
creative and MSA appeals because of the emphasis on the design portfolio.
St Albans Church Tower is my
favourite piece of architecture. It is a solitary Gothic tower, a remnant of a church built by Wren after the Great Fire of London, but
was consequently bombed in both world wars. I am captivated by
this tower not only because of its aesthetics but because it acts as a reminder
for people of the context in which they are walking.
I am keen to learn about
environmental design as it is amongst the most relevant subjects today. I am
proactive in observing and improving my immediate surroundings: I set up an
efficient recycling system in my school lunch room and then for muf
architecture/art. However, after learning about ‘Masdar’ the carbon neutral
city built by Foster and Partners I am also aware of the larger scale
environmental architectural solutions that need to take place for the wellbeing
of future generations.
I recently attended the Richard
Rogers exhibition at the Royal Academy which for me was completely inspiring.
Having just learnt about 'Masdar', I was really interested in Rogers’s answers
to the problems being thrown up by London's expanding population. I
liked that he promoted making the city denser. I noted that this would
encourage communication and make sustainable living more feasible, cycling and
walking would be a more attractive transport option. I agreed that expanding
the city into the greenbelt would mean relying more heavily on cars for
commuting. It would create an impersonal, sprawling environment where human interaction became
more difficult.
A piece of Architecture I would
like to experience in person is 'Torre David' in Caracas. This is an abandoned
office building now lived in by an informal community. Referred to by some as
the 'Vertical Slum', an exhibition by Iwaan Baan showed me that the community
living in this tower was an example of human ingenuity and full of sustainable
innovations. I would love to see for myself the unique culture of this ‘Torre
David’ society as its innovations could be applied to new sustainable cities.
