UK - Day 14

Friday...the day most weekday-working folks look forward to, and where do we go on our Friday? To a business park. There's a reason we've chosen to visit this one, though. Chiswick Park is a great example of sustainable design that reaches past the architecture to human behavior. Every Friday, the Chiswick Enjoy-Work organization has events for all of the employees of the various tenants in the park. They also have countless other benefits for the people who work here. They treat it like a resort and call the people guests, rather than employees or tenants.
The architecture is designed to be flexible with wide open spaces in which all systems run through the floor with interchangeable tiles on the ceiling and floor to adjust the power lighting for whatever tenant leases the space.
The buildings are also designed to respond to the climate with computer-run louvers that move with the sun to provide the best daylight without direct solar gain.
The park is designed with vehicular traffic around the perimeter and pedestrian amenities at the core. A manmade lake and creek is fed by rainwater collected from the buildings' roofs and has created a habitat for fish, birds, butterflies and dragonflies. Some moorhens had just hatched earlier this month and the babies are strutting around with their oversized feet. They are amusing creatures! (I took a video but cannot get it to load on here)
Alongside the creek are simple art sculptures like this circle of reflective pillars:
And, when I look down at the planter, I realize that they've planted vegetables instead of the typical greenery and flowers you see in commercial developments!
Next up, the Victoria and Albert Museum!
In the lobby, we are wow'd by the sight of a Chiuli glass sculpture. I've read about him and even did a design project inspired by his blown glass creations, and this is the first time I've actually seen one in real life! So amazing...
The awe factor doesn't fade as we continue on to the Cast Courts - huge rooms filled with 19th century replicas of amazing sculpture found elsewhere in Europe, such as Trajan's column (split in two here, to fit inside):
The sculptors/restorers at work:
One section of this huge museum is dedicated entirely to architectural drawings and models! It starts with this basic diagram, showing what plan, section, and elevation views of a 3D building are.
There is display case after case of incredibly detailed models. BedZED:
3D section of an office building:
Yes, this really is a handbuilt model - every last tiny detail of it:
Once we've had enough amazement, we walk to Harrod's - the world's most famous department store. I must admit, neither Satara or I are hobby shoppers so we pass right on by just happy with the view into the windows and thinking the crowd out on the sidewalk is enough to keep us from fighting it inside!
We continue on toward our next destination - Foster + Partners architecture firm. We have some time, but have been told it's a little hard to find and realize that our current location isn't even on the map our professor provided for today. We find a random fellow working on a house remodel on a quiet residential street and just ask him for the quickest route to the river because we know we have to cross it to find Fosters. He looks at us like we're crazy and says it is much too far to walk, but if you really want to know...
Well we really do want to know and do not believe it is THAT far of a walk, so we continue on our way in the direction he gestures. Before long, the street names we see pop up on the map in my hand and we know where to go! At this point, we relax and just enjoy our surroundings as we walk. There is a long housing building that catches our eye. Each door along it is painted a different color. This is because it is the only part of the exterior the resident is allowed to alter, and they obviously take advantage of that freedom!
Not much farther up the road, we catch a glimpse of the Albert bridge. Fosters office should be directly across the river on this bridge and we are excited to have made it!
We couldn't help but notice this sign at the beginning of the bridge and think back on lectures in our Structures classes.
Foster + Partners turns a cold shoulder to visitors. When you enter the building, you are greeted not by a receptionist, but by a security guard. Once you get past him, you walk up a long, wide ramp to a preoccupied receptionist, answering a phone ringing nonstop. Once she notices your presence and asks why you're just standing there, she seems perturbed that you are 10 minutes early for your appointment and asks you to please wait off to the side in the bar. The atmosphere here is rather unwelcome. I feel I shouldn't even ask to use their loo, even though we arrived early so we could take care of business before the tour started! Once again, this is a firm that has impressed the world with their designs and practically hand picks all who work here...and I am unimpressed. I guess I'm looking for something other than prestige in my career.