MSA Portfolio- Statement

 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.