On Thursday 26th, I got a chance to go to the London Office for Austin-Smith: Lord, which was hugely exciting. There is an international competition ongoing, and as the deadline is very soon, it was essential for Ashley Davies and Rob Firman to check that everything was finalised and up to the standards it should be. The meeting was in total about 4 and a half hours, with lunch in between. The actual meeting was extremely exciting to watch, as it showed the extremely early stages of architecture- there was a brief, and they had to fulfil Stage 1 of this brief, to later hopefully be shortlisted for Stage 2. The design process was intense- there was a storyboard showing how far they had come, and in Stage 2, should they get to it, models are needed to be made, plans further scrutinised, videos and pictures needing to be taken... A lot had to go in with no real knowing that you were even going to get the project.
The Farewell and the Eurostar Train Station
The Farewell and the Eurostar Train Station
I discovered quite a lot about theatre types though, of which I think I will find extremely useful in the future:
Fan Shaped Concert Hall
In this project, this concert hall should be avoided from an acoustic point of view. The lack of lateral reflections is continuous, and the low ceiling is relatively too small to create an acoustic volume to guarantee late reverberation.
Barbican Hall, London
Shoebox Concert Hall
This is the best design for a concert hall, with high ceilings for the quality of air. This type of concert hall dates back extremely late, where it would be used to impress the guest in a dinner. Haydn's early and middle symphonies and Esterhazy's castle in Vienna were made for this concert hall design, ensuring a 'fullness' of sound.
Concertgebouw-Amsterdam
Vineyard Concert Hall
A typical model of a vineyard concert hall is the Berliner Philharmonie. The audience are located behind and to the side of the stage. There is a large wall section, or partial walls, creating 'vineyard terraces'.
Berline Phillharmonic- Berlin
Arena and Amphitheatre
These consist of curved walls, and need to have reflecting walls.
The International Amphitheatre, Chicago
Multipurpose
The multipurpose hall must have ceilings with variable height, acoustic curtains, a variation of acoustic couplings, an increasing/decreasing stage area, and the theatre must be able to remove parts from the stage. As suggested by the name, this concert hall needs to be fit for all purposes.
Perth Concert Hall
The office in London was fascinating, with millions of models to look at, and the discussion about the competition entry proved worthwhile for London, with many suggestions being made about how the designs should change, and it was best to have a view from fresh eyes.
I also got the chance to observe some of the architecture of the train station, with statues of "The Farewell", showing a couple being reunited, and I managed to get some history of the London train station, in which Ashley said it had been refurbished, as originally the train station walls were covered in soot and coal. It really shows that architects aren't just interested in their own work, but others as well.
Coffees are rapidly becoming my every day drink...
The meeting
Austin-Smith:Lord- London Office.
