Unit A

Unit A is a research-led BSc Architecture Design Studio at the University of East London, lead by Carsten Jungfer and Fernanda Palmieri. We work with live-project situations and connect design learning with research through knowledge exchange between students and external partner organisations. Unit A focuses on social-spatial conditions within contested urban contexts and understands architectural design both as a spatial and strategic response to specific socio-spatial contexts.

28/10/2014

more casts...



There are 6.5 bags of plaster & the herculite2 labelled with Unit A, on the table in the metal workshop, on which we de-moulded our casts today. This is unit A plaster bought from our material budget and use for you solely!
Please make sure you return any plaster- leftovers again to this pile, and keep an eye it is not consumed by other students or other units. 

27/10/2014

Tue 28 - Junction workshop



Following Friday's visit to a specialist casting workshop in Leyton, we will run a mould-making and casting workshop on Tuesday at school. We have invited Roey Hunt for the day - an opportunity for you to tap into his knowledge and make use of it! We are starting from 10.00 sharp and will finish at the end of the day. Please print and bring your sections (cross and long-section) drawings with you. Important to have those for reference while mould-making.
You may want to bring some timber material for your 'inserts' into the box. We will supply the box however to get things going straight away. The workshop will be done in groups - so the full house attending is essential.

23/10/2014

Fri 24 Oct Casting workshop visit in Leyton

We visited a specialist casting workshop in Leyton, that is run by fabricator and maker Roey Hunt. We participated to the full process by starting to make a plywood mould (negative space), mixing up  plaster and pouring it into the mould. After the plaster was set, we finished by demoulding to reveal a warm, solid plaster object.

Prior to the casting workshop visit, I had many pre-conceived notions concerning techniques of casting and was to some extent a self-proclaimed expert. I was assured I would enter the workshop as a casual observer, but I was wrong! Practically everything I had previously held to be true was mistaken, from the method of mixing plaster, to the setting time (hint: it’s not 40 minutes!). Moreover, the idea that the mould itself could become as important as what you’re trying to cast, and the process of making it was interesting, and this changed the way I now look at the process of casting and model making in general.

Text by Silas Koopmans (year 3)

20/10/2014

Tue 21 Oct | studio workshop 10.00

We will do a workshop on occupation and time and start at 10.00 sharp. We will do a briefing in the morning and expect everybody to attend the entire day.

Please bring in a print-out of your finished sections (full size at 1:200) and the long-section at 1:500 as well as your journey drawing and you site-diary.

Have your drawing equipment and tracing paper / detail paper with you. If you are drawing on computer - bring you laptop, too. 

Please read the text we handed out last week in preparation for tomorrow (Karen Franck), see post below.

Think about what specific activities you observed on your variou site visits. What was going on in the proximity of your section-line / in the area of your fragment? what are people doing? what traces of activities did you encounter? Did something occur? Did you speak to anybody? What different times and days have you visited our study area. What changes have you noticed? some of those questions will become a starting point for tomorrow....

please bring in raw material of those observations. sketches, photographs, scripted conversations, etc....

15/10/2014

Fri 17 Oct | Pin-up in groups from 10.00



Remember to work as a group / speak to each other and produce the drawings collaboratively. Each group will produce three cross sections 1:200 and one long section 1:500.
All four sections should be of coherent quality. Either hand-drawn or CAD. Those should be line drawings!
You will have to go back to visit site to gather more first hand information /  survey your section-line & fragment utilising your site-diary and record details you find.

drawing by Hassan Sheikh

14/10/2014

13/10/2014

Battle of Cable Street

Battle of Cable Street 4 Oct 1936,  The Socialist LINK
Wikipedia LINK

Tue 14 Oct | Section workshop

We will run a SECTION WORKSHOP all day on Tuesday. We are starting at 10.00 in the studio.

Please bring the following: pens / pencils / drawing equipment. a couple of sheets A1 tracing paper. detail paper. SCALE-RULER (important!). masking tape. it could also be useful to bring your computer (w access to more site-visit photographs)

Remember to also bring your site-diary (sketchbook) and your finished JOURNEY DRAWING with you.

11/10/2014

How to travel to Cologne?

We heard some of you are considering flying to Cologne. Just to reiterate: we are recommending travelling by train, remember what our project site is about this year, so experiencing distance, speed and landscape and trans-local conditions is something that will form essential part of your understanding and position for your project this year.... Also there is something special about approaching Cologne by train....something we want you to experience. 

09/10/2014

Cologne hostel booking / payment

We have had confirmation on the hostel front. it's £80 for 4 nights. very cheap that is! We have to move quickly though, to secure the reservation. I will issue you a form on Friday, that you have to take to UEL Cashiers and pay this. You will receive a payment confirmation, that needs to come back to me. Easy.

08/10/2014

Cologne field-trip





field-trip dates:  Fri 14 Nov to Tue 18 Nov

TRANSPORT: 
As usual you have to arrange your own return transport for this trip. Book your own tickets.
We are taking the following trains which you can book as one ticket either via Deutsche Bahn or via Eurostar. The entire return journey should cost about £100. Book as soon as you can - as prices only will go up. You don't have to travel on exactly the same trains as us - but to give you an indication of when we get into Cologne and depart.


14 November    London St Pancras to Brussels Midi          06.50-10.07
                                Brussels Midi to Cologne  (with Deutsche Bahn)  10.25 - 12.15

(we know that there is not much time for changing trains - we think we'll be OK as we travel light / small lugguage) Alternatively from the DB trains you can take the Thalis train (different company!) from Brussels to Cologne which gives you a bit more time to change platforms, but arrives a bit later in the afternoon. Which is OK - we want to see one of two small things in central Cologne that afternoon)

18 November    Cologne to Brussels Midi                              15.43 - 17.35
                         Brussels Midi to London St Pancras             18.56 - 19.57

You may decide to stay a bit longer afterwards by yourself, if you want. There won't be a tutorial on Fri 21 Nov as those days are used for the trip.

Remember that you are responsible to check your personal VISA requirements, depending on your passport. In case you need a visa - sort this ASAP - as this may take time. You will travel through BELGIUM and into GERMANY.  


HOSTEL

We are in the process to make a reservation for all of us in the local youth-hostel in Cologne.
It will cost about 25€ per night / person - approx 100€ for the 4 nights. Rooms will be dormitories and with boys and girls in separate rooms. what else!

We will put up a list in the studio for the accommodation booking / reservation - which you should put you name down if you want to stay in the hostel. So far we know. More precise info to follow on the hostel.

You may also organise and sleep elsewhere. However we like the idea of all of us staying in the same place (we have always done it that way)  - as we are also planning to do a few seminars / drawing workshops at the end of the day. So it's handy.


Things we will see / draft itinerary Cologne:

Cologne Cathedral + Gerhard Richter window

Domplatte (City Reconstruction / Infrastructure), Schwarz

Kolumba Museum, Peter Zumthor / G Böhm

Museum for Applied Arts, 1957 by Rudolf Schwarz

Bensberg City Hall, G Böhm

Gürzenich, Rudolf Schwarz

Wallraf-Richard Museum, OM Ungers

OM Ungers Houses 1 and 2


Outside Cologne:

Wuppertal Schwebebahn

Essen: Zeche Zollverein / OMA + others

Bruder Klaus Kapelle, P Zumthor

Neviges Church, G Böhm

Fri 10 Oct Tutorials / Studio

group tutorials from 10.00 onwards all day.
sign-up on the day
bring your drawing + site diary (sketchbook) and key photos printed out.
work in studio on your drawing

02/10/2014