I can’t believe it has happened again, Heart breaking. This is my original article I wrote on 28th May 2014.
Reading the headlines on Friday evening I was dismayed to hear about the fire at the Glasgow School of Art, one of the most important and historic Art Nouveau buildings in the UK. It has been admired and critically studied by architecture historians the world over, becoming Charles Rennie MacKintosh’s most famous piece of work despite it being designed early in his relatively short career. It was considered a very bold building when constructed, but many now consider that it marked the beginning of modern architecture with its asymmetrical frontage and complete lack of adornment.
Despite its age though, there is one distinct aspect of its design that still remains highly relevant today : it was the overall coherent approach and the completeness of the design that made this design truly special.
If you were to label Mackintosh or the School of Art a brand, everything about the building was completely on message. From the relatively austere brickwork façade on the outside, to the individual details and fittings that appeared inside, every part of the building was designed to complement other parts. For example, there were no standard door handles, or gutters, or light fittings. At least not the ones on show. All these items were individually designed and manufactured for their sole use in the School of Art. Everything looks like it belongs and has been considered from the outset with the design being seen as a complete whole, not just a building made from a collection of parts. Even more special when you realise the budget was a fairly modest one.
I see cars as being very similar. They have a huge part count, but every part must contribute to the overall story which consistently reinforces the brand message. The form, the materials, the execution of every little part must live up to the customer’s expectations. Even down to how a switch feels when pressed. Whilst this isn’t surprising or revolutionary, it’s all too often overlooked, especially in an age where project costs need to be tightly controlled.
I truly hope that the fire hasn’t completely destroyed the school, and that damaged areas can sympathetically restored, so those that haven’t been able to visit can see for themselves the true depth and coherence that is apparent in this masterpiece.
For more information on the GSA, and the restoration work they are now faced with you can visit : www.gsa.ac.uk
Once again we gathered at the Goodwood Racing Circuit, having enjoyed a blast through the Sussex roads as the sun burned off the very early morning mist.
The Goodwood Breakfast Club, if you don’t already know, usually happens on the first Sunday of the summer months, with a different theme each time. This occasion being Supercar Sunday. With the sheer number of supercars on display you are almost blasé as another McLaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini, even De Lorean comes into sight and slightly taken aback when something shows up that you don’t recognise.
Not only is it a great way to catch up with friends and colleagues, but also a great chance to look closely at the beautiful details on these wonderful cars. No prizes for guessing the cars, but have a go anyway.
After walking around the track, a refreshing drink at the ‘The Kennels’ finishes off a thoroughly enjoyable morning.
The Coventry University Automotive Degree Show once again showcased the talented designers who are benefiting from the UK’s leading position of developing highly creative design professionals.
This year the diversity across the projects was a clear strategy from the course, with well resolved concepts for motorcycles, superyachts, commercial vehicles as well as cars. The Contechs’ awards clearly reflected this in their choices too.
Individuals were highlighting their personal experiences / specialisms to differentiate themselves, from gaming inspired solutions, motorsport placement aerodynamics led functionality and one of the hot topics interior psychology, with shared and personal space in the one environment requiring a lot of thought.
However two of my personal favourites were about creating drama by creating voids. Electrical motorcycles have a tendency to look unexciting as the technical interest of a traditional engine is replaced with a plain panel, but Alex Brown managed to open up this space and inject interest with his quick release battery canisters.
Christofer Saetrang achieved the same level of intrigue with his Alfa Milano proposal, the space between the front wheels bringing theatre with glowing brake discs. Other clever details across his car, along with a well-proportioned design, made the Contechs’ judging panel’s job easier in choosing their winner.
The degree show was once again worth visiting, with the students’ willingness to discuss their projects making it a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
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We showed the taxi driver the name of our hotel and he was still none the wiser. Let’s be honest, neither were we.
At this point our bags were being taken from us, “Come with me. He won’t take you he won’t be able to find it, doesn’t have GPS I do, traffic will be light look at my rate card, I will do a deal and charge you 580CNY, see how far it is”.
“Mark, Grab the bags, keep hold of the address and we’ll get it translated over there”. It is easy to forget but something you should always do travelling to China is get the name and address of your destination written in Chinese. Armed with this, we went back to the official taxis. Our ‘saviour’ didn’t look happy but we were on route. As usual it looked busy, chaotic and no quarter was being given by any of the drivers. As we put on our seat belts there was a catch, or rather a lack of one, well the driver didn’t have his on so we should be OK.
Looking around it isn’t quite what you might expect. You will have heard there are many car manufacturers in China, and therefore you may expect the roads to be full of makes you have never heard of, but around Beijing you will recognise most brands with the likes of Ford, Toyota, VW, Audi, and Hyundai filling the motorways. So similar airport journeys in both Great Britain and China!
It is only if you go further from the centre, that the local brands such as Chery or SAIC’s Roewe become more apparent and the further you go the more the balance shifts. This will inform you and help you understand where the wealth is, who is showing off that wealth and their brand awareness for social or business standing.
The taxi driver put his seat belt on, we shared a worried glance that the journey was about to get exciting. Although the horn is weapon number one, and it is a matter of pride to succeed in or prevent someone squeezing into a different lane, there seemed to be no road rage from any of the drivers. With his GPS directing him some 45 minutes later we arrived. We waited with some interest for the usual adding up of the road tolls and meter reading. Total 120, worth the time trying to communicate with the girl at the information desk!
Although a very short visit on this occasion, we did have a day between arriving and our presentation, so we took the opportunity to visit the incredible Great Wall of China and walk along a 4 mile section and back, a great experience.
Then later that day we visited the centre of Beijing to see some of the sites as well as some older parts of town. With a state occasion taking place the level of excitement and security around Tiananmen Square was high, so we made our way to Wangfujing St., walking through the tourist ‘China Town’ with its food outlets displaying live scorpions on skewers and numerous gift stalls with waving porcelain cats. A fantastic day and a nice distraction from the following days design review.
Our presentation went well and we got an opportunity to enjoy a good meal with fellow designers, and exchange views on a number of subjects.
Overall a worthwhile trip and we set off back to the airport as our taxi driver did a good impersonation of Alonso. At drop off, the usual adding up and pointing took place. We handed over the fare, and headed off to check in. As we stood at check in a good 15 minutes after leaving the taxi, I was tapped on the shoulder by our driver. He was placing 10CNY in my hand (£1); he had added up wrong and had spent some time finding us. Refusing to keep it as a tip he put it on our bags, so a shake of the hands and he left. Another insight to this fascinating culture.
China is a very foreign country of extremes, and without visiting difficult to comprehend, but our experiences there are always educational and rewarding.