livingit-group3: The New Build Tour 30/4/12

Today I was lucky enough to go on a tour of the new Art&Design building. I have always had a massive interest in architecture so I really enjoyed it!I tried to take a few notes when we got a little briefing on the build.

There are two elements new build elements the vertical gallery which is linked by walkways and bridges, this space will be used for presenting work and apparently there will be up to 500 m of hanging rails to put work up on.

I think the indentations and punched out squares on these columns adds interest and breaks them up so they don't look as though they are invading the space.

I liked how strong and heavy the stair cases looked I think this one in particular almost centralized this space which I think is important even in such a vast open space.

The views up and down just show how open and airy the building will be. I do really like the openness of the building, but I think it would be nice to have a more enclosed smaller space somewhere I would like to explore this idea some more.

This staircase looks almost like it's floating even though it's made from what looks like a heavy metal. I particularly like the sharpness of the staircases I think it makes them look strong and as though they have importance, which they do as they link spaces together.

The double height columns make you realize how big the building actually is and also add grandeur.

The walkways and bridges bring spaces together in a far more interesting way than a corridor or doorway would.

A photo from one of the upper floors shows how much depth the building has.

The second new build element is the design shed, this is where students will be working for example in here there will be a screen printing room. There will be four stories and two ' lanterns' which look like a cubes popping out the roof from outside. They will be glazed all the way around to let in as much daylight as possible.

This will be the screen printing workshop.

Below are some photographs of the lanterns, these were really impressive and will look even more so when they have the glass installed. When I saw these I felt like the ceiling inside them so should have some kind of art work on. The first thing that cam to my head was a contemporary version of ceiling painting you would get in a grande house.

I think these lanterns are one of the best features, they will be really beneficial and allow light to flood in which I think always creates a nice atmosphere to work in. I love how the glass will be wrapped all the away around the four walls it will look flowing and inspirational.

I was particularly excited to see the concrete columns, these are double height, which means they run up through two floors and are around 7/7 1/2 meters high. I was surprised how detailed and delicate the design appeared as it is after all cast into concrete. This has made me want to really experiment with laser cutting some of my drawings into materials you wouldn't expect such as some wood, plaster board, metals and maybe some kind of ceramic tile.

Upstairs in the gallery there were some smaller columns which weren't cast with the pattern all of the way around this was because fixtures and fittings would hide parts of them. Originally there was only supposed to be three columns but they were so successful that these six were added. The pattern comes from a 1890's design by L.F Day.

The Chatham Building is being refurbished inside and out. The outside of the building was referred to as the 'external envelope'. This included new windows and cladding. The cladding that's being used is called Rain Screen cladding which will be horizontal on Chatham and vertical on the new build. This cladding will be hung off a steel frame so it's set off the building.

The Rain Screen Cladding makes Chatham look completely different, it looks sharp bold and contemporary. I think it's amazing how cladding a building in something can really change the appearance and feel of it. The smooth black edges make it really stand out against the soft blue sky and it's makes a real impact which I think is partly what architecture is about. The glass softens the look but still allows the building to be big and bold.

These photographs are of an room inside Chatham which has been restored, some old elements have been kept such as the floor which was cleaned and sanded down. Inside the toilets on this floor some of the old brickwork was simply cleaned and painted over so that some of the old building was still part of the new. I quite liked this idea although it's nice to have a new modern look to the building I think it's important to include old elements it adds interest and shows a buildings history.

The large windows all the way around the room had magnificent views of Manchester, which will be really inspiring when working. I also thought even though I was on the top floor of a tower block it didn't seem enclosed when I walked in I was really hit by the views and I think they made this room.

I found this view of the old art school particularly interesting, I think it's really inspirational to be in a contemporary refurbished building looking out onto such a historical building that's bursting with character and charm.

It's lovely to see the contrast between the glass buildings in the background and the traditional builds in front. It just shows how well the the many different pieces of architecture in the area sit together.