Occulus and Pediment

Occulus and segmental pediment to the remarkable Unitarian Meeting House built in 1711 in a provincial Baroque style with gauged and rubbed brickwork Bury St Edmunds Suffolk East Anglia UK

Arcam

Arcam is the Amsterdam centre of architecture (architectuurcentrum) located at Pris Hendrikkade. It was built in 2003 by R.H. van Zuk.

I love this building, it seems to grow organically out of the ground. It is of the ground and not on the ground.

It is a vibrant and dynamic piece of contemporary architecture which lies at the gateway to the Eastern Docklands (Oostelijk Havengebied). The area consists once consisted of heavy industrial buildings and processes with a raft of artificial peninsulas which were constructed in the late C19th and early C20th.

Today the distinct areas of the Docklands (Abattoir, KNSM, Java, Borneo, Sporenburg, etc) have been regenerated into a vibrant mix of residential, business and cultural activities. The sites are anchored by keynote developments of the highest quality; and even more importantly the whole area is 'synergised' by integrating artistic and cultural elements into the warp and weft of the built fabric. There is a useful architectural guide to the area available via the arcam website.

It notes that the aim of the development ' was that art should not be experienced as a value added on afterwards. In order to integrate art, architecture and urban design successfully, it was decided that the art projects should be included in the early development at an early stage. Moreover, a link up was sought with the areas past and the relationship between art, public space and architecture was stimulated.'

This image is of the bridge linking Sporenburg and Borneo Island.

Both images were taken in June 2005 as part of a project on regeneration

You can view all images taken of this project here.

Lest We Forget

I have a strong attachment to Remembrance Day both my Great Granddad's died in the first world war. They were buried in Abbeville and Rouen in France and we have taken great pride in calling down there to maintain our links, our respect and our identity. I took the photo in 2004 at Oldham Lancashire with the Parish Church in the background.

Frightening Fenestration

Ok, I haven't obviously put this image up as a contender for architectural photograph of the year, but maybe it is a contender for most impolite treatment of a window refurbishment? Some may disagree. I would be interested in your comments. What does this window installation do for the building? Has it taken away any of it character? Does it really matter if we organically grow our buildings phase upon phase, layer upon layer? You could say that the new installation is honest! It tells us that it is contemporary! I put this photo up because behind it there are numerous philosophical questions about our historic environment which need to be answered.

Vertigo

As some might imagine this was one of my most challenging projects. I think that this machine is the highest available. One of my colleagues was carrying out an inspection in Rochdale Town Centre and I went along for the ride. Managed to get some interesting shots of Rochdale Town Hall and Saint Chad's Parish Church - unfortunately the weather wasn't brilliant and neither was the resultant vertigo. I believe that these machines cost several hundred pounds an hour.