Seeing Architecture

08/05/2024

40 year anniversary! The Thames Barrier, officially opened by the late Queen on 8 May 1984, was designed to protect London from flooding until 2030. It is currently expected to function until 2070. Since it’s construction, it has been closed 221 times to prevent flooding of the capital.

But with sea levels expected to rise by a metre by 2100, officials say that greater defences against flooding will be required in coming decades.

09/04/2024

Clerkenwell is one of London’s most multi-layered neighbourhoods. From its medieval, monastic origins to its recent emergence as a hub for creative and design professions, it has a vibrant and fascinating story.

Walking from our meeting point at Barbican Station, we discover historic Charterhouse Square. From there, we trace a path through Clerkenwell Green. We see recent residential projects by contemporary architects such as David Adjaye, Steven Holl and Amin Taha and we review the proposed urban transformations of Smithfield Market.

Click on the link in our bio to book this tour.

29/03/2024

Before the advent of digital drawings…

These evocative and mysterious images are Zaha Hadid’s competition submission for the Irish prime minister’s house, dating from 1979 (unbuilt).

This is a great example of architecture being represented as art. We are enticed to explore the project without fully understanding it. Yet Zaha Hadid would always complement the artistic imagery with resolves orthogonal drawings (plans and sections).

30/10/2022

Enabling works are advancing for the new Museum of London at Smithfield Market. We look forward to visiting this new museum in 2026 (all going well). If you can’t wait that long, take another trip to the existing Museum of London at Barbican, before it closes at the end of this year.

Join us for our Clerkenwell walk on Saturday 5 November to find out more about the future of Smithfield. See the website link in our bio.
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10/10/2022

Edgewood Mews is a recently completed housing project by in Finchley, north London. It includes 97 new homes, 50% affordable.

On an incredibly challenging, narrow site facing the noisy North Circular Road, this striking work of urban design creates a welcoming mews access through the site, reinterpreting a traditional London mews.

26/09/2022

“Untitled” 2013 by artist, Bosco Sodi is located on Bevis Marks, in front of the commercial development, 70 St Mary Axe.

When Bosco Sodi was a child playing on the beach he would pour drops of wet sand on top of one another to create unpredictable organic forms. Inspired by these early sculptures, Sodi began to
collect the leftover materials from his paintings. Layering these studio residues on top of each other, day after day, year after year, they began to resemble something like the stalagmites in ancient caves.

In 2012 Hurricane Sandy hit New York and Sodi's studio was flooded with
six feet of water. Everything was destroyed except for the sawdust
stalagmites. Unsure of how the deterioration caused by polluted salt
water would progress, Sodi quickly decided to cast each one in
bronze, destroying the original in the process.

These unique sculptures are the only pieces of art that survived the terrible impact Hurricane Sandy had on Sodi’s studio. They carry a story of creation and destruction, of time and the cyclical tendencies in nature. They offer hope in the face of the devastating consequences of climate change.

18/09/2022

The Royal Exchange. Architect, William Tite 1844. Glamorous renovations by

Join our next City walk on Saturday 24 September to learn more about this Victorian landmark.

31/07/2022

Architectural Walks in London this August:

The City of London: Adapting to Change

South Bank to Covent Garden: Arts and Institutions

Clerkenwell: Inspired Interventions

Belsize Park: Modern Approaches to Housing

Nine Elms & Battersea: Big, Bold & Brand New

Check the website link on our bio for details.

15/07/2022

Concrete screen detail.

Manor Park cemetery and crematorium includes a 1970s addition by architect, E G Chandler. Beautiful photo by

09/07/2022

The grand staircase was designed by George Gilbert Scott and completed in 1874. Not only is this stair the ultimate Victorian Gothic fantasy, it also pushes the structural potential of cast iron.

04/07/2022

This is the first summer when we can see the new, natural landscaping surrounding Battersea Power Station. In this view, it’s a perfect complement to Prospect Place, the emerging residential development designed by Gehry Partners, in the background.

Join us on this Tuesday 5 July for an informative walk in the developing neighbourhood. See the link for in bio for details.

29/05/2022

The National Theatre and the adjacent IBM Building almost merging in this photo. In 2020, the IBM building received Grade II listed status, partly due to its “architectural concordance” with the National Theatre. I think this image demonstrates that well.

27/05/2022

Lighting for the new Elizabeth line at Tottenham Court Road Station.

“Tottenham Court Road’s many bespoke drum light-fittings have been influenced by the stage lighting of Soho’s theatres. The outer stainless steel casings are perforated and the body filled with a black fabric-faced mineral wool to acoustically attenuate the space, absorbing background noise that would otherwise tend to make station announcements inaudible.

All the drums are placed playfully within the coffers between the concrete beams of the station soffits, their arrangement mimicking pedestrian flow through the station, with a higher concentration above areas where passengers are expected to congregate. Their positioning in the soffits also dispenses with the need for suspended ceilings, which can be easily damaged during routine maintenance.” Roger Hawkins, Founding Partner, Hawkins/Brown

22/04/2022

The Rudolf Steiner House, built between 1926 and 1937 is such a rare example of expressionist architecture in Britain.

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11/04/2022

Seeing Architecture London Blog - The new home for the English National Ballet is a lantern-like structure in East London. We were grateful for an exclusive tour of this award-winning building.

10/04/2022

We were delighted to be offered a back-of-house tour of the English National Ballet today. Located on London City Island, this jewel of a building by was awarded RIBA London Building of the Year 2021.

08/04/2022

The “upside down” arched windows at Barbican.

” … the dominant motif is the semi-circular curve, employed inverted in the sills of the podium windows, and echoed in white painted canopies to the top flats. These have glazed ends lighting double-height interiors – clear derivations from the post-War work of Le Corbusier, whose all-encompassing planning and architecture of extreme mass are prevailing influences. More rounded forms in the cascade spout and circular stands in the lake, the fountains on its edge, and the various big vents and stair towers scattered across the podium.”

“The Buildings of England” Nikolaus Pevsner and Simon Bradley

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02/04/2022

Reflecting on the US Embassy, architects.

30/03/2022

28/03/2022

Winged Figure, 1963, by Barbara Hepworth. There are few locations more prominent for artwork than the end wall of John Lewis but how many people walk past without noticing this artwork but one of the great sculptors of the 20th Century?

Barbara Hepworth in 1963 said: “I think one of our universal dreams is to move in air and water without the resistance of our human legs. I wanted to evoke this sense of freedom. If the Winged Figure in Oxford Street gives people a sense of being airborne in rain and sunlight and nightlight I will be very happy. It is a project I have long wished to fulfil and this site with its wonderful oblique wall was quite perfect.”

27/03/2022

The facade of Broadcasting House by complements the beautiful spire of All Souls Church (John Nash 1824).

21/03/2022

Recently completed, this mixed-use building by really stands out in Hoxton. Presumably, influenced by Russian constructivist architecture, notably the Melnikov House, 1929.

14/03/2022

It was great to host a really enjoyable walking tour in Battersea this Sunday. Every time we visit this neighbourhood, there are more changes to the architectural environment. I’ll be leading this walk again on Saturday 02 April. Check bio for link to website.

05/02/2022

First look. The hoardings have been removed from Malaysia Square at Battersea Power Station. Designed by this public space links the power station to the forthcoming retail street, Electric Boulevard.

14/01/2022

I don’t usually post retail interiors but when the shop is the first London project designed by Snohetta, and when it looks this good, it’s got to be posted. The store is for Aesop skincare in Chelsea.

An existing column is used as the starting point for the store’s layout. From this centralized column, 12 arches stretch towards the perimeter walls. This series of arches function as a key element in creating a sense of organizational hierarchy, establishing visual separators within the space. The arches are clad in a clay based plaster with a subtle gradient color, ranging from a lighter base to a darker shade. Illumination from between the arches further emphasises the gradient effect.

13/01/2022

The modernist house on 64 Church Street dates from 1936 and was designed by Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff. It stands out in the winter sun in Chelsea today.

These floor plans pre-date the addition of the harmonious, glass extensions either end. The first extension was designed by Norman Foster, the second (closer to camera) by Apt.

09/01/2022

Sorry to hear of the passing of engineer, Max Fordham (1933-2022).

Fordham was an inspirational engineer and pioneer of sustainable design. One of his most notable early projects is Alexandra Road Estate (pictured) with Neave Brown architect.

19/12/2021

Richard Rogers 1933-2021.

Rogers’ global influence on architecture has been profound. These are some of his buildings which have shaped his home city, London.

07/12/2021

https://www.seeingarchitecture.org/seeing-architecture-journal-blog/jencks-cosmic-house

Seeing Architecture London Blog - The Cosmic House dates from 1983 and is a built manifesto for Post-Modernism. It represents an attempt to create a symbolic architecture for the modern era. This year, it was opened to the public as a museum. Seeing Architecture visited last week.

05/12/2021

Waltham Forest Town Hall reopened to the public this year after the completion of a new square. The colourful water feature is by

I always admired the handsome architecture of this town hall so I’m curious to see how phase two, including 500 new homes (eek!) develops.