the composition of construction

Binh House /  Vo Trong Nghia Architects

A house that connects people to people and people to nature.

Description provided by the architects: Under the rapid urbanization, cities in Vietnam have diverged far from their origins as low density tropical green space. Newly developed urban areas are losing their connection with nature. Binh house by Vo Trong Nghia Architects (VTN Architects) is one project in the "House for Trees" series, a prototypical housing design, providing green space within high density neighbourhood.

Sharifi-ha House / Nextoffice architects

Viejo House in Chile, by architect Mathias Klotz, is built entirely out of reinforced concrete and steel beams, arranged to solve the project’s constructive and programmatic problems with simplicity and ease. It sits nestled among 50-year-old trees, shrubs and bamboo, creating a house of biophilic design, and making it a truly remarkable modernist home.

Photographs by Roland Halbe.

Sea Gem, Camber Sands, UK. 

Had the amazing opportunity of staying at this gorgeous home two weekends ago. A bit of a monstrosity on the outside but truly luxurious to stay in. The split L-shape of the home and the floor-to-ceiling windows maximise the stunning sea views and give the illusion of actually being on the beach, just with the warmth and comfort of a home.

Exterior of Tokyo Solamachi, Tokyo, Japan.

The National Art Centre, Roppongi, Tokyo, designed by Kisho Kurokawa.

HIDAMARI (The Glass Pyramid), Moerenuma Park, Sapporo, Japan.

So you guys don’t know but I’ve been living in Hokkaido, Japan for the last two months! Unfortunately I’m in a very quiet, snow covered area so I can’t do much architectural photography, but in a month and a little I’ll start travelling so I’ll soon be posting lots about Japanese architecture.

Whilst you’re waiting, here are some of my favourite photos from my trip to Otaru & Sapporo, which we visited during Sapporo’s Yuki Matsuri (Snow Festival). Apologies that only some are building related but I wanted to share some photos with you guys!

A winner in Architizer’s 2016 A+Awards, Cornwall Gardens in Singapore was designed by Chang Architects to accommodate a multi-generation family with space for future additions if the children should marry.

In this new build, plants, water bodies and living spaces have been intergrated into one, centered around a large internal courtyard. At the entrance of the home, a wall that was once prone to leaking has been retained as the base for a new triple-height pond and waterfall space, greeting visitors with tropical rainforest plants and the sound of cascading water.

The setting provides daylighting, natural ventilation, and passive cooling, and promotes general wellbeing. It is a perfect home to bring up children, giving them an appreciation of green living environments.

Photos by Albert Lim K S.

So a lot of universities for architecture in the UK ask for AAA (A level grades) or similar (which is a bit unfair considering how many other skills you need to be a good architect, but there you go). This can be quite daunting when you are predicted lower, or already have lower, grades. The good thing is, most of these universities will ask for portfolios - you can use your portfolio to show your talent and still get accepted into these universities. I had a lot of help from lots of different people (architects, teachers, family and friends), so I have collected their tips and tricks, along with my own, to help you through this laborious process:

THINK OF THESE AS FLEXIBLE GUIDELINES, THIS IS NOT THE ‘BE ALL AND END ALL’. USE YOUR INITIATIVE :)

1. Time. Set aside quite a bit of time for your portfolios. Take things steady, and don’t rush. Most of the universities you apply to will have different portfolio criteria, which means creating several different portfolios. If you rush and skip out important parts, the examiners will be able to tell.

2. Quality. Put in work you’re happy with. Show off your strong points. Try not to weaken your portfolio by adding a page you’re not happy with. An examiner would rather see eight good pages, than twelve slighty above average ones. However, don’t worry about a perspective drawing looking slightly wrong or other minute details, the examiner is not going to penalise you for this.

3. Don’t try to be an architect. Leave out house designs, plans etc. You’re going to learn how to become an architect, they don’t want you trying to be one already. What they want to see is your potential.

4. Show variety! This is really important. Different mediums, different subjects, different processes, etc. They want to see a real mixture of what you can do (since whilst studying you will use a massive mixture of different art styles).

5. Good presentation. Personally, I think this is important. Work looks much better when displayed well, and therefore so will you. Use a nice font, and think how to present your images on the page. Have clear titles and captions.

6. Not just school work. Include your own work, done outside of the classroom (unless your artwork is really good and you can get away with it!). I wasn’t happy with the art I had done in school, so almost all of my portfolio contained work I had done in my own time (all around the time I had to submit portfolios). Also something to keep in mind - the work you do now will be better than the work you did a year ago (I wouldn’t recommend using GSCE work).

8. Page order. Not too important but something you will think about. Just think sensibly, make your work flow.

9. Ask for help. Don’t be afraid to ask people for help, ideas or feedback. Feel free to message me for anything, I’d love to help! Another good thing is to try and find people’s portfolios to look at, and draw inspiration / take tips from them (not copy).

10. Have faith in yourself! Believe you can do it and then you can!!

Extra help on what you might want to include:

What examiners might like to see (based off what architects, teachers, tutors & universities have told me):

Life drawing - examiners might like to see one or two pieces, don’t worry about accuracy, it can be an interesting continuous line drawing. I recommend going to a few classes and choosing the best/most interesting.

Buildings / Perspective drawings - you will be drawing lots of buildings after all. Don’t flood your portfolio in them, but I would definitely recommend doing at least two, possibly one (again, stick with what you’re good at, it doesn’t need to be a traditional method of drawing).

Work experience - if you did some work experience at an architect’s office, and you made something (e.g. made a model, built a chair), put it in! Even if it’s not the best thing you’ve ever created, show your processes.

3D work - To show your process and design thoughts. Doesn’t need to be anything amazing. For example, I used cardboard to create random connecting shapes and experimented with light and shadow, which I captured through photography.

Photography - I would definitely include some good and/or interesting photographs, preferably of something architecture related (although not necessary I guess). For example, a series of photographs of a particular building, or a series of something common among several buildings.

Your strengths. As I have mentioned before, show off! Show the examiners what you’re best at, how creative you are, what you will bring to the university.

Making portfolios is a long and stressful process, but definitely worth it. Even with good grades, if you’ve got a crap portfolio the examiner might be less inclined to give you an offer. I worked my arse off for my portfolios,  got 4/5 of my offers (the fifth didn’t ask for a portfolio), missed my needed grades by quite a bit but still got accepted into my first choice - hard work pays off!

I really really hope this helps and I wish you all the bestest of luck. Please don’t hesitate to ask further questions, I will also be happy to give out my portfolios if you would like to see them.

Tip: Having good photos of what you create is important. Here are some beautiful pictures from a finished renovation of an Edwardian home in West London, designed by Andy Martin Architecture. They focus on particular details within the house, with shape, line and colour as focal points. As a result, the photos are really a work of art in themselves, and both the building and architect appear as even more impressive.

Photos taken from the architect’s website.

A stunning example of a modern Brutalist building. Ero Architects completely changed the building’s exterior, not only to maximise sunlight and space, but to create an attractive façade that would catch the eye of those walking past. Windows were randomly placed and rotated on an exterior of textured concrete, and greenery was dotted across the windowsills. This has created a building of the Brutal variety, and of extremely attractive design.

Photographs by Deed Studio.

APLES green design & build redesign homes for those living in cramped and badly ventilated townhouses in urban Vietnam. Their aim is to create cool, open and comfortable living environments that also have unique beauty.

For this home, the plants, trees and fuid transitions between each space enable natural airflow, whilst also creating visually beautiful scenes, the visibility expanded by open doorways and glass doors. The pool on the first floor plays an important factor in cooling hot air in the house as well as providing enjoyable swimming space. The brick latticework across the house and the descorative concrete roof combine, allowing the heat to escape whilst also letting in natural light without direct sun.

This combination of natural light, soothing materials, inviting spaces and a healthy living environment, allows individuals to live and own houses that in the past could only be experienced in luxury resorts and villas.

Photographs by Hiroyuki Oki.

An absolutely beautiful renovation and addition to a traditional Victorian house in Toronto. Using both industrial and natural materials, designers +tongtong were able to accentuate re-imagined architectural qualities, whilst creating extending, unmistakably contemporary spaces that transition seamlessly into one another.

Photographs by Lisa Petrole.

‘Split House’, by BKK Architects, was designed to make the most of the available views while also ensuring privacy from neighbouring properties. Thus, with its geometry and timber slats, it creates unique shielded spaces that also have strong spacial connections with its surroundings, making this an outstanding home.