Living Architecture Takes Root in Oban

Think of Oban, the sleepy port town in the Scottish Western Highlands, and you'll probably call to mind McCaig's Tower, the folly overlooking the bay that was commissioned by its namesake in 1897 to keep the town's local stonemasons in work. Now, thanks to the feats of German architect Marcel Kalberer, head of the firm Sanfte Strukturen, the town can finally lay claim to two sculptures with real architectural clout.

Nestled in the gardens of the Dunollie Castle estate, the 22ft woven tower and dome are made entirely of live willow branches, sourced from Glasgow. The branches will continue to grow over the coming months, thereby altering the form of the natural structures. Kalberer refers to his designs as "living architecture" due to the botanical and ecological implications behind the architecture and the fact that all of his structures are brought to life by a community of volunteers. The tower, for example, took a week to build and will change gradually with the passing of the seasons. The theory behind the process is to show the value of socially-sustainable buildings and encourage human co-existence with the natural world.

Karlberer has designed a number of green cathedrals, towers and domes from willow branches including 'Auerworld Palace' in Germany which is the world's largest living structure of its kind. The as yet unnamed works on show in Oban are the first examples to be shown in Britain, built on the proceeds of a £5,900 grant from Creative Scotland. Visit them for free if you're making any visits over to the Western Isles, or for more information and further examples of Karlberer's work, read on at the link below:

http://www.sanftestrukturen.de/Weidenbau/Weidenbau.html

Department of Architecture Celebration Event at Strathclyde University

The University of Strathclyde Architecture Department are hosting a joint event with the new Glasgow Society, to celebrate its purpose-built building at 131 Rottenrow and to showcase the works of GSA graduate and sculptor, Charles Anderson. The evening event on 26th March will be split into two parts; the first focused on Charles Anderson's successful career as a professional mural painter and sculptor, and the second on the construction of the architecture school by Fielden and Associates in 1965-66.

Charles Anderson studied Drawing & Painting at the School of Art under Donald Donaldson and Mary Armour, graduating with the Diploma in 1959. The many examples of his sculptural works to be found in Scotland include the Glasgow Charing Cross wall mural and concrete wall sculpture at the entrance to the Strathclyde Architecture School Building the event is being held. The second half of the evening will be led by Professor Frank A. Walker, an academic in the Strathclyde department and John C. Cunningham, another successful GSA graduate who was chief-architect on the Architecture Department project.

The event is bound to be of interest for all who have an interest in 1960's Scottish art and architecture, not least given its apt location in the iconic Strathclyde Architecture School Building.

Anyone interested in attending would be wise to book a place in advance at this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/event/5787048217?ref=emobiem

Imagined Architecture

An illustrated archive of improvised, un-built buildings and sculptures is available to flip through online. 'Drawing Building' is a collaboration between artists Matt Bua and Maximilian Goldfarb who opened the project up to a wide variety of professionals including artists, architects and designers. The suggested categories to entice participants include such titles as 'Microcommunity' 'Misuse' and 'Technosustainable' and the submissions received veer from the eccentric to impossible, whilst always demonstrating great conceptual innovation and a fantastical vision of the future. Drawings are added to the archive as they are received by Bua, an installation artist and Goldfarb who works across artistic mediums. Non-conformist and non-conventional, the contributions here are intended to raise the profile of alternative ways of thinking about the design of the built environment. http://www.drawingbuilding.org/index.html

The Bexhill Job

I'm recently back from a visit to the south of England which included the usual pilgrimage to one of my favourite buildings, the Mendelsohn and Chermayeff De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill. Until 1 October, artist Richard Wilson has a wonderful life-size installation on the roof, inspired by the final scene of a well-known film starring Michael Caine. Thanks to Elaine for the picture; more info. on the installation is at http://www.dlwp.com/event/richard-wilson2.