1:50 Structural Axonometric Section

I am currently studying at The Mackintosh School of Architecture, at the Glasgow School of Art. I am working on a project for the Scottish Literary Institute, an architectural intervention in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, for discussions about literature and the city.

Stone Bench

+ Here are a handful of the images of the project 'Stone Bench' I designed, alongside a fellow graduate, which won a national design competition. I worked along side stone masons, engineers and contractors, producing the necessary drawings to deliver the project, and in late October 2012, the project was officially unveiled by the Sheriff of London. Its been a great achievement for myself being involved in every stage of the project heavily, and it is a great honour to have a small part of London that I have designed.

+

As part of [op]era I have been working alongside another fellow graduate on a large residential tower project, based in the war torn regions of Chechnya.

[op]era's involvement in the project was the design of a modular caisson system, where a system of interlocking modules could be used in multiple levels for different uses, to provide refugees in the area with shelter and the typologies of the city they have lost due to war.

+

Liverpool John Moores graduates Chris Dove and Craig Mitchell have won a commission to design and build their project, ‘Stone Bench’ which will create new architectural conditions and with it a new public space on Cheapside, near St Paul’s Cathedral, Central London.

The pair founded their studio; [op]era in 2010, and take part in architectural competitions of vastly varying scale. “We have always been inspired by the playfulness of making, and working in 3D. As a studio we take inspiration from these experiments and qualities on a small scale, and apply them to architectural conditions.”

“We are really excited to have won this national competition. Designing ‘Stone Bench’ is something we are both extremely passionate about, and the idea to create an object that will form a new public gathering point in London is something we are incredibly proud of.”

“We also feel the chance to work with such an exciting material, Portland Stone, is something that we as young designers always aim to do, working on with quality building materials that can have a positive effect on the context in which the intervention will sit.”

Stone Bench will sit on an enlarged public highway on Cheapside, opposite St Paul’s Cathedral and Jean Nouvel’s One New Change, and will be constructed over summer 2012, being officially unveiled by the Lord Mayor of London in October.

For more information on [op]era’s work, and to follow the process of ‘Stone Bench’ from its conceptual stages through to construction:

http://operaarchitecture.tumblr.com/

http://www.facebook.com/operaeia

+

A few photographs from my trip down to Portland/Weymouth for the shortlisting process of the bench design [op]era have been working on.

+

The design submission for the Stone Bench went on to make the top 4 in this nationwide competition, and has been shortlisted.

The winning team will work closely with stone masons, and have their design constructed out of portland stone on Cheapside, opposite St Paul's Cathedral in Central London.

Photographs and drawings still to come from the visit to the quarry, and a workshop with the stone masons.

Basin

Basin is a project reusing an abandoned water tower or basin on the roof of an office building in Central London. The idea was to treat the ferrous metal of its skin, and strip it down to the raw material. The skin would then be perforated with a series of incisions, differing in size and shape, to allow for experimental lighting conditions inside the basin, as well as allowing for different light to be emitted from it at night.

Basin is a place for experimental photography and exhibitions, and allows the basin to perform in a completely different way than its functional history.

Stone Bench Lighting?

Stone Bench Competition Entry

Images from [op]era's submission for the Stone Bench Design Competition 2012

+

Chris Dove along with fellow graduate Craig Mitchell have formed design studio [op]era.

The pair have previous experience working together, being shortlisted and finishing runners up for the Deutschebank award for Architecture 2011 for the humanitarian relief project based in Japan to combat the effects of the Tsunami.

-

"Human communities depend upon a diversity of talent, not a singular conception of ability."

Sir Ken Robinson

+

+

+

-

"Never delegate understanding"

Charles Eames

+

+

+

+

Flight of the Waterbird

The Lakes Waterbird was Britain's first seaplane, a vessel that can take off from and land on water. Reading into this pioneering piece of aviation history became the focus of a competition entry to design an airport.

The Water Terminal was a small, experimental project, with the idea to create a terminal of travel.

The water terminal is part of a question into the increasing commercial nature of air travel and the airport of the 21st century, and focussed on the idea of creating small terminals for travel, rather than large scale commercial airports.

The project focussed on the idea of low tech solutions to energy consumption of the airport, making use of the natural elements of the river and the coastline.

Liverpool Design Festival: Made in Liverpool Exhibition

Photographs taken from an iPhone on the opening night of the Made In Liverpool Exhibition, part of Liverpool Design Festival.






Photographs taken from an iPhone on the opening night of the Made In Liverpool Exhibition, part of Liverpool Design Festival.

Liverpool Design Festival: Made in Liverpool Exhibition

Made in Liverpool is an exhibition about the built fabric of Liverpool, and the future of it's designers, artists, architects and photographers. Supported by The RIBA, it is part of the Liverpool Design Festival, a collection of exhibitions, shows and workshops dedicated to showcasing local designers and their work.

'standing on the cast iron shore' a project looking at architecture of the uncompleted and fragmented, was exhibited in this multi disciplinary exhibition.