Picturehouses presents: Metropolis

During the Architecture Festival Picturehouses and the RIBA presented a national series of film events celebrating the special relationship between architecture and cinema at some of England’s finest independent cinemas. Film events include a short pre-film talk from architectural figures alongside screenings of classic and new architecture-themed films.At City Screen, York, we presented a cinematic classic in the form of Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis'. 

Poster prepared by York City Screen for the screening

Before the screening the newly formed York Architectural Association (RIBA York Branch) hosted a drinks reception and an exhibition of the art work produced at the York's Playful Spaces creative workshop earlier in the week.

The two Chairs of YAA, Charlotte Harrison and Lucy Morris introduced the work and plans of the York Architectural Association and discussed the themes in Metropolis to explore the relationship between architecture and society.

Exhibition of the artwork produced at the York's Playful Spaces creative workshop (Photographer: Robin Jackson)

Film enthusiasts have a drink and a chat before the screening (Photographer: Robin Jackson)

Denis Mason Jones - a celebration of sketching

RIBA Yorkshire and West Yorkshire Society of Architects invited local architects and members of the public to view the beautiful freehand sketches of the late Denis Mason Jones in an exhibition that aimed to inspire people to set aside their mouse and keyboards and pick up a pencil and sketch!

Visitors enjoy the exhibition... (MJHeritage Photograpy)

...and the wine! (MJHeritage Photography)

Denis Mason-Jones was a distinguished Leeds architect, who always had a pencil in his hand and a sketchbook in his pocket to capture the city's cultural surroundings and humour of every day life. His compulsion to record, in words and sketches, the impressions and incidents of his life, resulted in a collection of nearly 100 meticulously kept scrapbooks.

In an exhibition of his drawings in 1984 at RIBA in London, Denis explained that "these sketches make no pretence to Art with a big A, but attempt to show the enjoyment of always having a sketchbook handy in which to catch a mood or subject. They show the pleasure of doodling whilst relaxing in a cafe with a drink or coffee and, sometimes, of making a travel story to send home to my family."

The exhibition was based on pages from his pocket diary sketchbooks collated over 5 decades, and includes reproductions of his 'doodles' and some larger exhibition pieces. 

West Yorkshire Society of Architects President Bob Felix introduces the new Denis Mason Jones Award for free hand sketching (MJHeritage Photography)

To commemorate Denis’s contribution to the art of freehand sketching of architecture, the West Yorkshire Society of Architects is launching an Award in his honour for Architects and students of Architecture in Yorkshire. To find out more information about the WYSA Denis Mason Jones Award for freehand sketching, please contact riba.yorkshire@riba.org

York's Playful Spaces uncovered by YAA

York Architectural Association teamed up with established local artist and educator Timothy Morrison to hold a creative workshop to get the creative juices flowing!

The city centre workshop invited people to spend a day, under the guidance and inspired tutoring of Timothy Morrison, to learn about 20th Century artist Kurt Schwitters and use this theoretical understanding to observe York’s urban landscape, capture it through photographs, combine it with imagination and create 3D and 2D explorations of York.
 

Our "artists for the day short" took a short excursion into the city for inspiration and returned to the workshop to create simple and spontaneous 3D forms.

Please see some of the fantastic results below

Timothy Morrison gives a brief introduction to the group (Photographer: Robin Jackson)

"artists in residence" (Photographer: Robin Jackson)

 

Resulting artwork from the day (Photographer: Robin Jackson)

 

Products of the workshop will be shown at the York Architectural Association's drinks reception at City Screen on 21st June before a special screening of Fritz Lang's Metropolis and at venues around York thereafter.

To find out about the screening of Metropolis, please visit the Love Architecture website at www.lovearchitecture.org 

To join YAA and hear more about their events please email yorkarchitecturalassociation@gmail.com 

Beer + Architecture trails launch RIBA Yorkshire's Love Architecture Festival!

The 2012 RIBA Love Architecture Festival was launched in true Yorkshire style with the inspired combination of Beer + Architecture!

RIBA Yorkshire teamed up with DLA Design and Leeds Brewery to bring you the Love Architecture Leeds pub and architecture trails - four walking routes around the city centre highlighting beautiful architecture and magnificent pubs. Wander round Leeds, learn about the buildings and stop for a refresher from Leeds Brewery.

  

The launch event was hosted by Leeds Brewery's architectural gem the Garden Gate pub – a Grade II* listed Victorian delight in Hunslet.

The Garden Gate Pub, Hunslet (MJHeritage Photography)

Leeds Brewery brewed a special architectural ale called "Leeds Mortar." This was sampled in abundance with a side of pie and peas!

Leeds Mortar, Pies and Architecture Trails (MJHeritage Photography)

The fantastic interior of the Garden Gate Pub (Rachel Hunnybun)

Fun and frolics (MJHeritage Photography)

To take a tour visit www.lovearchitectureleeds.org  Enjoy!

For more information on Love Architecture events visit www.lovearchitecture.org

Sheffield Society of Architects is 125 years old!

Sheffield Society of Architects together with RIBA Yorkshire, are launching a year long series of events to celebrate and mark the Sheffield Society of Architects’ 125 year anniversary.  These events will include walking, sketching and photographic tours, culminating with an exhibition of illustrations of 125 buildings, places and spaces which have shaped Sheffield over the last 125 years. These will be nominated by 125 people of the City.

Members of the Sheffield Society of Architect's committee admire the near completed shop windows project.

The first event in the celebration year is the Sheffield Shop Windows Project on Pinstone Street. The displays focus on Architectural projects based in the City, celebrating the work of Sheffield’s young Architectural talent. The project involves the creation of three shop window displays that have been designed and constructed by the combined efforts of students from the two schools of architecture and Visual Merchandise Apprentices from the Showcase (The Source Academy).

Photographer: Rob Cullan, Integreat Plus

Thanks to Andrew Wilson of Sheffield Hallam University, Dan Jary of University of Sheffield and Rob Cullen of Integreat Plus who collaborated the project.

Spring Cleaning: adapt and change to the changing market

The UK construction industry continues to suffer the effects of the economic downturn. Architectural practices are often the first to feel the effect, and the last to recover.

Faced with the unfortunate reality of diminishing workloads and fee cutting, practices need to adapt to the changing market.

Last week we held our first Small Practice CPD Day. This invited individuals to reflect on their own businesses, identify possible changes and how to approach these changes positively.

Kevin Schofield from IEI Consulting started the day by discussing the importance of adaption and change in the current climate.

Natalie Saunders from Pharos Legal, then discussed Management for results: getting the most out of your staff (whilst keeping out of the tribunal). Perhaps the most important piece of advice she gave, with regards to motivating and keeping hold of staff in the current climate, is to be as transparent as possible. Keeping junior staff informed and explaining the difficulties that a practice is going through, and how individuals can help in the bigger picture will help towards maintaining morale.

Initially, a number of the sole practitioners were not sure that this session would be relevant to them. However, Natalie made it relevant to them by showing them how to manage themselves for results.

Lucy Mori from KL Mori Business Consulting for Architects  discussed How to kick-start your practice and win new work. This was an interactive workshop discussing how to analyse existing practice. During the 2 hour session, Lucy worked through a business plan template with attendees, advising how to think like an entrepreneur and take control of your business. I have never heard a room of architects so quiet!

Amanda Reekie and Alice Fawke from Stratton and Reekie gave us an essential tool-kit to PR and marketing. They described the different methods of marketing available and identified that the most important aspect of any marketing campaign is the identification of your audience, and what makes you different from everyone else. A mid afternoon workshop session on branding explained the importance of understanding other people’s perception of your business, in order to influence it.

Robert Evans from Evans Vettori Architects finished the day with a pictorial representation of the A to Z of setting up practice in the recession, using his experience of setting up practice in the mid 1990s recession. This was a perfect end to the day as Robert described the ups and downs of running a practice through difficult times, and shared lessons he had learnt through his own experience. 

Feedback from attendees was fantastic:

Deborah Carr, Bridger Carr: Thanks for the small business day yesterday – I found it really valuable advice.  I am now ready to take over the world!

 
James Mate, Doma Architects: Thanks for a fantastic day. Feel thoroughly inspired!
 

Stuart Fullerton, Wildblood Macdonald Chartered Architects: It was a really good event yesterday, I thoroughly enjoyed the day and found it very useful. It certainly got the brain going, so much so that I woke up at 4am this morning trying to work out a business plan!! (Sorry Stuart!)

People of Yorkshire, are you bothered about being bottom? New houses in Yorkshire and the Humber are the smallest in the country – it’s time to demand better!

On Thursday 10 May RIBA Yorkshire hit the streets of Leeds to ask local people whether they are ‘bothered about being bottom’. A living room stage set, that recreated the space that is missing from new homes in the region, was installed at Victoria Gardens, the Headrow outside the art gallery in Leeds.

The stage set: the mat illustrates the 8 square metres missing from the average new-build 3 bedroom home in the UK today. The taped area indicates the additional 5square metres missing from 3 bedroom homes in Yorkshire. 
Photographer: MJ Heritage Photography

RIBA research has revealed the average new three bedroom home being built in Yorkshire and the Humber is 13 square metres smaller than the basic recommended minimum size, and is therefore depriving families the space needed for children to do homework, adults to work from home, guests to stay and for members of the household to relax together. With a floor area of just 83 square metres, the average house in the region is 13 sqm short of the recommended minimum size missing the space equivalent to a double bedroom or dining table for six people and a three seat sofa. (the benchmark for comparison is the London Plan space standards for a 2 storey, 3 bedroom home big enough for 5 people). 

Home buyers are rarely given the overall floor area in marketing information; which means consumers can often be left confused about the actual amount of space they are purchasing.

RIBA team members interview  members of the public and ask what they want from a home.
Photographer: MJ Heritage Photography

The ‘Bothered about Being Bottom’ Leeds event is part of HomeWise, a national housing campaign to improve Britain’s homes run by the RIBA.  Comments received from the Leeds event will be shared with the Future Homes Commission, a national inquiry that is currently developing recommendations for how houses should be designed and delivered in future. It will provide policy makers, house designers and builders much-needed consumer evidence to ensure that new homes are good quality and fit for modern households.

John Orrell, chair of RIBA Yorkshire Regional Council and founder member of the regional housing group said: ‘There is a pressing need to build more homes in our region and throughout the UK but we should make sure that they are the right types of homes.  The RIBA’s research revealed that many new homes are far smaller than recommended minimum standards and it is very disappointing that the Yorkshire and Humber region has the worst record in the country.

It is difficult to accept why families in our region have to settle for less. Factors that may influence the size and affordability of new homes, such as land values and planning restrictions are equally onerous, if not more so, in many other regions of the country – so it is time for people in our region to be ‘bothered about being bottom’ and demand better.’

John Orrell, RIBA Yorkshire Regional Chair is interviewed for BBC Look North
Photographer: MJ Heritage Photography

We had a fantastic day, speaking to individuals about what they think makes a good home. We also attracted the press! The story was covered on the BBC Website, as well as interviews on BBC Look North, BBC Radio Sheffield and BBC Radio Leeds.

Greg Hall, RIBA Marketing Manager is interviewed for BBC Radio Leeds
Photographer: MJ Heritage Photography

The HomeWise website which features a series of online resources to help people to ask the right questions when choosing a home is at www.behomewise.co.uk