Category: Architecture

Interlace ‘Vertical Village’

Dubbed as a ‘vertical village’ by the architect Ole Scheeren, The Interlace does seem to live up to its name. I spent a couple of days wondering around this ‘village’ photographing it for Landscape Architects ICN Design International Pte Ltd.

I was concentrating on capturing the landscape scheme and trying to put it all into context but the actual building form is so overwhelming that I found myself creating images of the architecture instead. It was a real challenge to stick to the brief. I only wish I had had a few more days to fully capture the whole site. Here are a few images from the shoot.

Update Nov 2015:  This building has won the World Architecture festival 2015 Building Of The Year.

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Resorts World Sentosa

My final project for my Singapore trip and client was Resorts World Sentosa.  I was shooting for Landscape Architects ICN Design International Pte Ltd again and had to focus on the landscaping and people using the spaces.  I had to make repeat visits to try and capture people in the shots due to the crowds being very sporadic and the place looked very barren without them.  Below are a few shots of this weird and wonderful place.

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Goodwood Residences

I was commissioned to photograph Goodwood Residences for Landscape Architects ICN Design International Pte Ltd on a recent trip to Singapore.

The residences are spread over 2.5 hectares which border Goodwood Hill, a tree conservation area and the very busy Bukit Timah Road . By the clever design the main recreation area called the ‘The grand Lawn’ is sheltered from the busy road and therefore creates a relaxing environment for the tenants to enjoy the facilities and views into the tree reserve.

I was required to capture images of the landscaping only but also to capture the wider context of the planting and water features. It was a great project to photograph but couldn’t help thinking about having a swim in the pool the whole time I was there. I also had my complete setup (17mm Tiltshift Lens, camera body, tripod head and tripod) topple over onto the slate floor. Luckily the tripod head took the majority of the impact and both camera and lens were ok. A big relief!!

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Lonetrees

I recently had the pleasure of shooting a new dwelling in Reigate for Christian Froggatt Architects.  I had to concentrate on external images as Christian had limited involvment with the interior decor.  Luckily the weather played its part and we had a beauitful sunny day, however with some rather large trees and the low winter sun, capturing the front face of the house bathed in sun (which it would be in summer) proved to be challenging.  I did my best and hung around all day in hope that I might just get a few seconds of sun peeping through the trees and lighting up the face of the building.  I was out of luck but managed to capture some cool shadows falling accross the elevations.  One of the advantages of shooting in winter is that the sun goes down early and in this case it was around 5pm which was good as it was freezing and I didn’t have to wait long to get the evening shots I needed.  Here are a few images from the shoot.  You can visit Christian’s website here.

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De Beauvoir House

Scott Architects have just completed the renovation and extension of this Victorian Terraced house in the De Beauvoir Conservation area in Hackney, London.  I was lucky enough to have a nice fine day to shoot this house which has been shortlisted for the The Sunday Times British Homes Awards 2013 ‘Small House’ category.

A quote from their website pretty much sums up the renovation….“The sculptural form of the rear extension has resulted from specific responses to the site’s immediate surroundings, while preserving the character of the existing building. The extension is designed to be part of the garden landscaping rather than the main house and this is reflected in the choice of timber cladding and green roof system”.

I pretty much spent the whole afternoon and evening there and the only thing missing was cranking up the barbie and having a beer in the courtyard.

 

 

London Photo Walk

Last weekend I attended an Architectural Photography workshop run by Andy Spain.  Saturday had been the first sunny day in a while but unfortunately Sunday, the day of the workshop, was a bit hazy with high cloud.  I was hoping for blue skies.  Five of us started off near Southwark Cathedral and we did a loop up to the Swiss Re building and back to the New Exchange before a quick break and a look at some of the images we had created.  After our break we headed out again to capture some evening shots of St Paul’s Cathedral and views from the Millennium bridge.  It was a great afternoon and Andy was very generous with his knowledge about photography and his experiences of the business we work in. Here are a few images I made.

First shots across the river with London bridge to the right.

Inside Southwark Cathedral.View of The Shard from London Bridge. Lendenhall Market.The Swiss Re building aka The Gherkin.After a quick break it was off to St Paul’s Cathedral.Looking back towards St Paul’s Cathedral from the Millennium bridge.The Shard again but from the Millennium bridge this time.

Splashpoint Leisure Centre Construction.

Currently under construction and due to finish soon is the new Splashpoint Leisure Centre in the seaside town of Worthing.  After a bit of to-and-fro, I finally made it down to the site on a very cloudy and cold day.  The forecast was for fine spells in the afternoon but they didn’t eventuate.

Wilkinson Eyre Architects designed the new pool complex and it is being constructed by Morgan Sindall.  The complex comprises of a 25 metre six lane pool, a learner/diving pool with a variable depth, indoor leisure pools with hydro slides and an outdoor paddling pool. For the non swimmers a health and fitness centre, café, crèche and what I was told were dance rooms complete the building.

The unique copper cladding was definitely a talking point for many of the contractors on site and lead to a couple interesting conversations regarding the use of the material as a cladding.  I was also bombarded by a few local residents voicing their opinions about the project whilst having a coffee break in a nearby cafe. I guess you can’t please everyone!  I thought it was pretty cool and look forward to seeing what effect the salt air has on the copper cladding a few months from now.

 

 

Docklands – London

Originally I had intended on creating a few images of The Shard from some scoped out vantage points, but with a layer of smog clouding the shot, this proved impossible. It was a beautiful blue-sky day so I headed to London’s docklands to check out the Emirates Airline Cable Car instead.  The cable car, designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects, was finished in June of this year ready for the Olympics and it connects South London to the North from Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Docks.  Located beneath the cable car on the Northern bank is Siemens Urban Sustainability Centre, also known as The Crystal, and also designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects. Awarded a BREEAM Outstanding rating the building incorporates a number of sustainable design and construction elements including high performance glazing, rainwater harvesting, ground source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels to name a few.