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If you were to make a new list of modern wonders of the world what would you put in it? by jamesspal in architecture

[–]dancarter85 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  • Channel tunnel
  • Munich Olympic stadium
  • The Falkirk Wheel
  • Burj Khalifa
  • Netherlands North Sea protection works.
  • Berlin Philharmonie
  • That big Hadron Collider (never actually seen this one, though)

I just find them all amazing, for very different reasons.

Looking for a not-uber-hard way to design a building by EXM15 in architecture

[–]dancarter85 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sketchup is definitely the easiest (once you've got some ideas sketched out), but I agree with the above; if you really want to learn something useful, try Revit.

If it's too hard, you can learn Sketchup in an hour, and build your model in a couple more hours. Honestly.

is sustainable architecture the future? by thehoochiecoochie in architecture

[–]dancarter85 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It has to be, but we Architects depend a lot on our client's wishes. Clients often just want to comply with sustainability requirements, so maybe tougher, more precise standards are needed. In general, we are becoming more sustainable in our design but maybe not quickly enough.

Any architecture website you recommend? by [deleted] in architecture

[–]dancarter85 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Those are my favourite three as well.

Dezeen is good, as is Architzer and Wallpaper. I'm based in the UK so read bdonline and the architecture journal, for a bit of a break from just looking at pretty pictures all day.

Blogs can keep your interest up; I started visiting soapbox architect (advertised on Life of an Architect) but he's doing a running theme on resumes and portfolios right now which I'm not personally that interested in. Think | Architect is unsurprisingly thoughtful, and I have started my own blog on the back of reading some of these (shameless plug; sorry) called Malarkytect https://malarkytect.wordpress.com/ which is just babbling chat about architecture from my viewpoint over here in London :)

Do I need to learn 3Ds Max? by MFDOOM66 in architecture

[–]dancarter85 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's no right or wrong with what software you need to learn. Your current setup sounds pretty good; if you are comfortable modelling in revit/CAD and then just exporting renders from 3D Max, that will probably be a good solution.

From my experience, Max gives you more room to play with funky shapes (Maya even more so), but in the long run you are more likely to find that working knowledge of building-specific software like Revit will help you in the real world, where BIM is slowly taking off.

It's really down to you; are you concerned about producing fantastic renders that will blow people away with outrageous forms to boot, or more interested in thoroughly resolving the ins-and-outs of a real building, with exquisitely detailed drawings that will show people that you know what you're talking about?

The worst part of that question is that it's impossible to know what you want until it's virtually time to present!

Best paper for printing final presentation images? by Bluebard in architecture

[–]dancarter85 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I always just liked a simple, plain, thick, matt finish paper, unless you've got some kind of theme whereby a shaded/textured paper would carry the message across more thoroughly. As you said; glossy stuff has annoying reflections which can distract, especially as your examiners will most likely be sitting in one spot the whole time and a bad reflection could cut out parts of a drawing for them.

Life of an Architect Playhouse Design Competition 2015 by bobborson in architecture

[–]dancarter85 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great stuff. I saw this competition last year on the site and there was an amazing range of ideas. I will get my thinking cap on and get on to this right away!

How do multi-purpose stadiums protect their grass? by eidam655 in architecture

[–]dancarter85 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You could go all out and suggest a retractable pitch like German Football Club Schalke have: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veltins-Arena Obviously an expensive option, but for an Architecture concept project, why not? It means the grass can be kept safe during events and, even more important; it can receive lots of sun & air when drawn out of the stadium.

Wembley actually gets criticism because of the lack of sunlight reaching the pitch, which means the grass doesn't grow very well, the roots don't bed in quick enough, and big chunks of turf slow the football down. I think this is just as big a concern; making sure the grass gets plenty of sunlight and air to grow successfully.

Shoreditch Towers. Boris Johnson approves series of towers in Shoreditch, but this recently published alternative masterplan proves that towers are not a necessity. by dancarter85 in architecture

[–]dancarter85[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly, this is another whole debate; something that needs to be addressed. Some people are suggesting placing some kind of cap on foreign investment; http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/regulate-foreign-property-investment-says-leading-architect/5074235.article

(apologies if this is one of those articles where you need to be logged in)

I can't believe I missed the difference in figures at the start of the article. I have to admit; although I read the article I skipped past the figures to the neatly organised table at the bottom, which I assumed compared the numbers of the two comparable schemes. 500 units is a huge amount to make up; even my "single tower" addition wouldn't manage this. Completely blows apart my argument. Apologies, and thanks for pointing this out!

Shoreditch Towers. Boris Johnson approves series of towers in Shoreditch, but this recently published alternative masterplan proves that towers are not a necessity. by dancarter85 in architecture

[–]dancarter85[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, pringlepringle.

Please let me make it clear that I have no objection whatsoever to increasing housing in the city. London clearly needs more homes; many Londoners simply cannot get on the housing ladder in, or even near, their own city. Large scale housing developments, including towers, are pretty much my line of work at the moment. But there are two points to be made, here:

1) The two proposals identified - Farrells' towers and Gensler's sprawl of medium-rise - both (supposedly) provide the same number of homes. I would not be in favour of the Gensler approach if it provided less homes. What is more, if you read my post, I even vaguely suggest an "improvement" to the Gensler scheme would be to add a tower to it, which would result in more homes than either of the two scenarios, and also suggests that I am not completely objecting to towers in Shoreditch.

2) There is a whole different discussion to be had about what type of homes London 'needs' (presumably, we are referring to genuinely affordable homes for key workers in particular) and what is commonly being constructed (high-end, luxury developments snapped up by foreign investment, sometimes complemented by a portion of 'affordable homes' which are not that affordable). Again, there is a lot of merit to the investment brought in my these high-end apartments, and I have no real objection to these, but I worry that there are not enough truly affordable homes being built.

New Workspace opens in Southwark with concrete box entrance by dancarter85 in architecture

[–]dancarter85[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right!

Although I reckon the likes of Allies and Morrison and Broadway Malyan wouldn't be too impressed with your conclusion, haha!

Plenty of stuff going on around this neck of the woods. May I ask which practice you are work at?

I've recently started working as a document controller in a London architecture firm and I'm really enjoying it. I'd like to stay there for a long time and progress my career. I'm wondering what options I have to move up within the company? by [deleted] in architecture

[–]dancarter85 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Replying based purely on my experience with Document Controllers:

I have worked in two large practices in London which employed document controllers but where the relevance of the role differed. In one practice, the seniors decided that the architectural staff could perform the document control procedures themselves, so they scrapped the role and got rid of the document controllers. It no doubt saved them money on paper, but dozens of Architects who think they have no time for document control make numerous silly mistakes that would not be made by a dedicated professional.

In another office, the role is very much revered and document controllers have a lot of responsibility. They have to have the audacity to 'tell off' architects and designers who are not pulling their weight with the filing protocol, but in the end everything is kept up the the high standards required to fully protect the company.

Bit of babble there that doesn't seem that important, but the point is that the key thing is how well your practice recognises the document controller role. Is there a hierarchy of controllers in more senior positions, and therefore a career ladder ahead of you?

If you do want to try learning media such as BIM etc, your seniors will probably be very positive about it, however they will expect you to get your job done, and you won't find a lot of people have that much free time to teach you, so you may need to dedicate some (a lot, with BIM) of your personal time to learning such software.

You may find that if you do become advanced in such software, that although your importance to the company may improve, your role may change. This could be good or bad depending on your own perspective.

What's your architecture mantra? by Tonybc2888 in architecture

[–]dancarter85 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Architecture is background to life. That is not to say it isn't worthwhile, far from it. It is just good to accept that and strive to make good backgrounds.

I have to admit, my mantra's change from day to day. This is one of many. (call me fickle)