The Eiffel Tower on the Google Cultural Institute

The latest offering from the wonderful innovators at the Google Cultural Institute has a certain "je ne sais quoi." Paris' most visited monument, The Eiffel Tower has been given the digitial treatment in an exciting new project which, (attention all architects!) educates on the monument's masterful construction.

Three online exhibits blend the Towers's history with an excellent collection of items including rare archival images, photographs from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and even reproductions of the original architect's plans by Gustave Eiffel.

The first exhibit explores the birth of the Eiffel Tower while the second provides step-by-step details of the construction of the monument through a showcase of itemised photographs and sketches. A look at the Tower's inauguration and first few visitors lies in the third exhibit. Its social impact was immediately manifest by the visitors' willingness to climb 1710 steps to reach the top! The Google Street View Team have filmed 360-degree views of the monument's architecture and provide the panoramic views seen over Paris on making the ascent.

Constructed in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was built as a tribute on the 100 year anniversary of the French Revolution. In the same year, Paris held its Exposition Universelle, an exhibition for participating nations to showcase the advancements made in a heavily industrial age. The Tower's construction in two years, two months and five days is still hailed as an architectural achievement and an astonishing feat of French engineering. It remained the highest structure of its kind in the world for 40 years (a tile held today by the Burj Kalifa in Dubai) and continues to attract over 7 million visitors a year. As well as being France's most iconic symbol, this also makes it one of the world's most visited monuments!

We blogged about the marvellous Google Cultural Institute on the GSA Library Art & Design blog when it launched back in October last year. The virtual museum is amassing worldwide acclaim as it gathers momentum with the collections of some prestigious galleries and museums freely accessible to all. This latest project is tremendously exciting for bringing to life the architectural vision of Gustave Eiffel in the late nineteenth century and for the resources capabilities as a valuable educational resource! Vive la Google!

RIBA Online Exhibition for Bedford Lemere & Co.

The latest online exhibition from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) provides a comprehensive platform for exploring the architectural photography of Bedford Lemere & Co. 

'Recording the New' is a plotted history of the establishment, rise and reputation of the photography firm between 1870 and 1930, revealing images from the photography firm's vast portfolio and snapshots of the public archive, held by English Heritage. Based on the exhibition of the same name held at the V&A in 2011, it is a glimpse into the ongoing project by English Heritage to conserve, catalogue and scan their archive of photographs and negatives- one of the largest relating to the photography firm. The aim is to make digital copies of all the images accessible online. 8,000 can already be searched through the English Heritage Archives, providing those impressed by the exhibition with a further avenue for research. 

Formed towards the end of the nineteenth century by founders Bedford Lemere and son Harry, the London-based photography company documented changes to Britain as it teetered uncertainly on the brink of the twentieth century and then advanced into the new technological age. Architect clients and designers commissioned the firm to take photographs of new works from large-scale architectural works to domestic interiors and new urban developments. Today these photographs of now historic settings and features provide a visual record of our heritage. They are also key examples of the period's growing interest in the medium of photography as a means of capturing pioneering change.

GSA Library hold two collections of photographs by Bedford Lemere; one taken of Glasgow City Chambers and another of interiors designed by influential designers including Morris & Co. and Grinling Gibbons. These can be consulted in the Mackintosh Library. The Archives & Collection Centre also keep photographs taken of the Art School in 1910. For an appointment to view either item, visit the Librarians' Office on Level 1 of the Library, or see contact details for the School's archive at this link.

Country Life Release Scottish Castle Articles

For the first time, architecture magazine Country Life are releasing a selection of online articles which examine Scottish castles.The featured castles are Balmoral, Culzean, Glamis and Stirling, with articles also written on the regal setting at Holyroodhouse and the Jacobean romance at Traquair House.

The Library hold an extensive back-run of the weekly Country Life magazine from when it first began in 1897. With the Library refurbishment due to start on Monday, access to printed copies will be limited until mid-September to the pre-1985 issues. There is good news however: a high number of the magazine's recent quality articles are freely accessible through a search of the Country Life website.

Some of these articles are illustrated with quality images forming an impressive online photo gallery. The architecture, gardens and interior design of some of the most desirable and stately country homes in Britain and abroad form an impressive bank of images which could come in useful. For example, we discovered this vintage cover of Country Life from August 3rd 2012 on the Scottish Castles home-page.

Tall Tales: Creative Writing Inspired by Architecture

"Buildings became unusual to me and I realised this oddness was a lot more interesting... I wondered what would happen if I put my work at the service of the unusual."

Pip Adam, a student from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand has taken a novel approach to her Creative Writing PhD thesis by immersing herself in the world of architecture and engineering. 

She shares her experiences of the influence of architecture on the creative-writing process in an article, 'At the Service of the Unusual,' which appears in The Pantograph Punch, an online magazine reporting on arts and culture in New Zealand. 

The article is interesting for its insight into a creative person's attempt to understand and capture the essence of what constitutes a building, and as a fascinating outside perspective on the world of engineering and architecture. Pip describes how a meeting with an architect-friend shifts her focus from the people in her stories to think differently about the ubiquitous university buildings she sees on campus. She enrols in engineering classes at Victoria University School of Architecture and Design and becomes fascinated by the 'rhythm' of buildings and the relationship between individuals and built forms, bravely surrendering herself to the language and philosophy of an alien world!

A philosophically-complex piece of writing that challenges our thoughts and ideas about the building and the creative thought-process around trying to tackle the subject.We particularly enjoyed Pip's humorous observations and easy-to-read, conversational style. Who knew for example, that Dostoevsky, Robert Louis Stevenson, Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer were all engineers!?

Manufacturing Pasts - University of Leicester Learning Resources

A new online resource developed by University of Leicester tells the story of what life was like and how quickly it changed in British industrial cities during the second half of the twentieth century. Manufacturing Pasts is arranged into four major themes: 'Conservation and Urban Regeneration,' 'De-Industrialisation,' 'Factory and Community' and 'Social Life of the Factory.' Each theme links through from the site's main page to a vault of learning resources about the city's industrial history including photographs, maps, architectural drawings, oral history interviews, company publications and newspaper articles.

The great news is that thanks to Creative Commons licencing, the sources are copyright-cleared, easy to access and free to reuse for educational purposes. 

Much like Glasgow, the city of Leicester serves as a strong example of the effects of industrial growth and decline on the transmutable city which challenge architects and urban planners to think imaginatively about the future use of space. This retrospective case study considers the impact of industry on the city and more than that, analyses what happened to the buildings that previously housed and supported Leicester's manufacturing sector. Rather than demolition, can the carcasses of buildings left behind from Leicester's manufacturing past be used to support its commercial future...? 

Pastmap - Free Interactive Mapping Tool

An interactive map which allows anyone to map Scotland's historic environment online has just been launched by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS). 'Pastmap' consolidates information previously held on five heritage-organisation databases into one multi-layered, online space. Visitors to the website can navigate to their area of interest, zoom in on a section, arrange the information into layers, and click on the map's objects for more information.

The visual nature of the site and it's easy-to-use controls means that it will probably appeal to both those with a professional interest and others who may simply take delight in exploring the archaeological and historic features of their local area. A great way to explore local heritage and architectural landmarks from the comfort of your armchair!

Flickr Photostream puts Scotland in the Frame

Modern and historical images from the archive collections at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) have been added to the Flickr photostream where some of the best archive images from their vast collection will continue to trickle through.

RCAHMS collects, records and interprets information on the architectural, industrial, archaeological and maritime heritage of Scotland. It holds an archive of over 18 million items including photographs and albums from the 1840s to the present day, original architects’ drawings, excavation plans, new survey drawings, engravings, sketches, books, manuscripts and maps, offering a unique insight into the special nature of Scotland's places. The archive contains images and information on over 300,000 archaeological and architectural sites across Scotland making it an invaluable resource for some of the best-known, man-made landmarks.

More images can be seen on the Commission's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube account.

Link to the Flickr photostream here and click on the 'detail' of each image for more context.

Walking Heads - City Tours App!

Downloadable audio tours encouraging anyone interested in exploring Glasgow's alternative, low-fi culture on foot are available from the website of Walking Heads, the team responsible for the app's creation and the organisation of walking tours around the city.

Two tours: one, exploring Glasgow's music scene; the other, Edinburgh's comedy circuit, are available as mobile apps for devices including iPhone and Android phones and MP3 players. Radio presenter and DJ Jim Gellatly acts as tour guide on an audio musical odyssey into 100 years of Glasgow's rich musical heritage, stopping along the way at some of the buildings which have coupled as some of the city's favorite music haunts. Among the highlights of architectural interest are the City Halls, The Old Fruitmarket, Barrowlands, King Tut's and The Panoptican.

The group occasionally run attended tours which are guided by two irreverent guides and receive rave reviews. Keep an eye on the website for details of forthcoming tours which take you off the beaten track in an exploration of some of the history cemented in Glasgow's buildings.
http://www.walkingheads.net/tours/

New online resource from NLS - 'Gazetteers of Scotland,' 1803-1901

Gazetteers are listings of geographic names which provide historic information about towns, cities and their features. These topographical encyclopedias have traditionally been consulted in paper-form by researchers interested in the local history of places and their antiquities. Now, thanks to a digital project by the National Library of Scotland (NLS), it is possible to browse and search 20 volumes of the most popular descriptive gazetteers of 19th-century Scotland, covering towns, counties, parishes and glens online.

The gazetteers are housed in NLS' digital library which can be accessed at the link below. The text from the paper copies has been transcribed making it possible to search by keyword using the search engine in the left-hand margin. You might find detailed historical and geographical descriptions about Scotland's principal antique buildings and estates useful - search either by name, or alphabetically, by the area in which you know them to be built. Some old illustrations and maps took our fancy...
http://digital.nls.uk/gallery.cfm

'Scotia depicta' - Digital Library Materials

The National Library of Scotland (NLS) have just digitised 'Scotia depicta,' a book containing illustrated plates of nineteenth century Scotland's most picturesque landscapes, buildings, cities and towns. A search by town shows that plates of Edinburgh dominate the content, however we found this charming image of Glasgow's Royal Infirmary using a broad search. (Click on 'Browse and search' and select Subject/ content to search by structure or building type).

The plates were etched by James Fittler (appointed engraver to King George III) from drawings by John Claude Nattes. A brief blurb is given for each one, helping to give context to what are quite extraordinary depictions of a bygone time.

If this inspires you, NLS's full digital gallery can be viewed here for free. The photographs of old Edinburgh from the 1920s and those of the Forth and Tay Bridges under construction are of interest as, undoubtedly, so too is the access to high-resolution zoomable images of over 48,000 maps of Scotland.
http://digital.nls.uk/scotia-depicta/pageturner.cfm?id=74465058

Charles Jencks' Desert Island Discs

For those not able to attend the recent Charles Jencks' event at the Mitchell Library, it is still possible to listen to the famed architect in conversation with Kirsty Young as part of Radio 4's popular Desert Island Discs series. The forty-five minute run-through of Jencks' musical cherrypickings can be accessed on BBC iPlayer. The title of the show seems apt given Jencks' career in creating idyllic, and iconic, landscapes. Listen to the music that sculpted his career whilst speculating how he would have formed his own cosmic environment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01k9n81/Desert_Island_Discs_Charles_Jencks/

Architecture on UCL Lunch Hour Lectures

University College London's (UCL) 'Lunch Hour Lectures' are worth keeping an eye on for topics on architecture. The lectures take place at the university each day between 1pm and 2pm, are streamed live online, and can be watched from 2 weeks after the event on the website or via UCL's YouTube channel. The lectures can also be downloaded from iTunes U. 

The content covers the entire scope of research areas in UCL and is exceptionally varied as a result. There is the odd architectural gem to be discovered however, such as 'The Metaphysics of Concrete' from February 2012 which looks at the Western world's growing consumption of concrete as building material and questions of design to which such consumption inevitably give rise. 

The link to this particular lecture is given below. We'll continue to blog about others of interest to GSA students in future.

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lhl/streamed/

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lhl/Spring2012/09_21022012

GSA Building Plans on VLE

Exclusive to GSA staff and students are the drawing plans for the School's campus which can be found on the VLE. A commonly sought, but little known resource, the plans show the floor layout of the existing campus buildings. To access, log into Blackboard, and select the 'Course Catalogue' tab. From here, select the 'Support Services' folder and click on the link to GSA Estates. The 'Building Drawings' button contains detailed plans for the Mackintosh, and all subsequent buildings constructed on the Garnethill campus. Drawings of the Foulis Building and Newbery Tower are there to be analysed which may make for interesting comparison against the new Steven Holl building. Plans for the new build are not yet on the VLE. We'll blog about it if they become available! https://vle.gsa.ac.uk/

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

CONTEMPORIST

 

 

CONTEMPORIST, as this modestly written blog states, is a celebration of contemporary culture focused on architecture, design, art and travel. The emphasis here is on lavish visuals with the blog publishing one large picture of some avant-garde piece of design each day. An important stream of news on innovative building design is readily available by visiting the link http://www.contemporist.com/category/art/ .

PLEA Conference Proceedings

Conference proceedings for PLEA 'Passive and Low Energy Architecture' are available through the organisation's website http://plea-arch.org/ including an overview into what is planned for this year's annual international conference in Lima between 7th and 9th November. An online search facility will enable you to browse information on sustainable architecture and urban design published as part of the previous twenty-seven conference proceedings. A section dedicated to the best PLEA posters may also catch the eye of any ardent designer.

Top of the Blogs...?

The Dezeen blog was launched at the end of November 2006 and has grown rapidly to become one of the most popular and influential architecture and design blogs on the internet. The blog provides a carefully edited selection of the best architecture, design and interiors projects from around the world and is a must-read for any architecture student. (http://www.dezeen.com/)

Oral histories of theatre design

The British Library's massive oral history website, 'Sounds', includes some interesting recordings of architects and others involved in theatre design discussing their experiences and work. Architects featured include Peter Moro, Denys Lasdun, Jane Drew, and Paul Rudolph. To locate these recordings, go to the British Library Sounds website at http://sounds.bl.uk/Search then type 'Theatre Design' in the search box, and use the drop-down category 'Arts, Literature and Performance'.

New cardboard architecture e-book

'Cardboard in architecture: research in architectural engineering' is a new e-book now available to GSA staff and students which provides much-needed technical information on using this highly sustainable material in an architectural context. Topics covered include paper felting, the building of a cardboard pavilion and house, structural engineering in paper and cardboard, cardboard partitioning, the mechanical behaviour of cardboard in construction, and the cardboard dome.

Britain from Above

More than 16,000 images from one of the earliest and most significant collections of aerial photography of the UK have now been made freely accessible online. Launched by English Heritage and the Royal Commissions on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and Wales, the Britain from Above website features some of the oldest and most valuable images of the Aerofilms Collection, a unique and important archive of over 1 million aerial photographs taken between 1919 and 2006.