Introducing Ralph.
I’ve made two videos this week. They are pretty easy to do now that I have the lights and camera mount bolted over my desk, along with the correct software running smoothly. Every time I make one, I think, ‘I could make one a day,’ but then Wednesday comes around again, and I think, ‘I’d better get this week’s DFTW done.’ The weeks slide away.
I went for a walk down to the boats yesterday. I’ve been there every day this week, and as I mentioned in the first TFTW exactly one year ago, it’s my favourite part of Portsmouth. I like the open space down there, and this week, it’s been as far as I can get from all the D-Day stuff on Southsea Common.
I have never seen so many police in one place. They built a 12-foot wall around the event space in early May, and this week, the police spent two nights standing 100 meters apart all around the fence, along with manning tank gates at all the roads that lead out to the seafront. Very odd. D-Day is an important historical event. I designed the sculpture for D-Day 70, but when I see this level of policing for one event, I wonder: What are they so worried about? How much does it cost? (this is a city where there isn’t enough money to clean the windows of the Civic Offices). And where are they the rest of the time? In a cupboard? It’s not stopping people from shoplifting, that’s for sure!
Anyway, back to being down by the boats. Inspired by the architect Ralph Erskine, I’ve often thought about buying a sailing boat to use as a floating office. He had an old Thames Barge fitted out with drawing boards for work during the Swedish summers. It has always appealed as an idea.
Erskine was a British-Swedish architect known for his humanistic approach to design, emphasising social context and environmental harmony. Moving to Sweden in 1939, he became renowned for integrating buildings with their natural surroundings and addressing the users’ needs. His notable works include the Lilla Bommen in Gothenburg, the Byker Wall in Newcastle upon Tyne, and the environmental housing projects in Stockholm and within the Arctic Circle. Erskine’s innovative designs often featured sustainable materials and energy-efficient concepts, reflecting his commitment to ecological and social responsibility in architecture. He was ahead of his time.
In my second year of Architecture School, I was tasked with studying Erskine and then designing a building inspired by his principles. I cannot remember what the design was like, but I do remember mimicking his drawing style, sitting up into the early hours with a 0.13mm Rotring pen, drawing the contours of the site and thousands of dots and lines to compose both the landscape and the interior of the building on tracing paper.
Hand drawing is a lost art in architecture as technology has taken over. There is little point in creating technical drawings on large sheets of tracing paper anymore. It’s too slow, and making changes involves a razor blade to scrape the ink off the paper. But hand drawing to test and communicate early ideas still has high value. In recent years, though, I have done less of it for my work and have relied on teaching to keep my hand-in. To be able to sketch out an idea quickly whilst talking is a useful skill and one that is useful for the videos I am now producing.
So, I’m looking for a cheap 28-foot sailing boat that I can fix up as an office and a little house. I don’t know much about sailing, but with enough YouTube tutorials, I can sail to Portland and back while redesigning houses on the high seas.
Design for the Weekend
In this week’s episode, I address a terrace house layout that I often encounter but is not optimal. The original dining room is located behind the stairs in the narrower part of the house and is separated from the kitchen by a chimney, which, in turn, is obstructed from the garden by the toilet. Extending it presents a good solution, and making internal adjustments offers a viable alternative.
Design for the Weekend – 002
In this week’s episode, I address a terrace house layout that I often encounter but is not optimal. The original dining room is located behind the stairs in the narrower part of the house and is separated from the kitchen by a chimney, which, in turn, is obstructed from the garden by the toilet. Extending it presents a good solution, and making internal adjustments offers a viable alternative.
As mentioned earlier this week, you get two for one, as I found a video I’d recorded as a test a couple of weeks ago. Overall, the house doesn’t need much done and has a great garden looking out on a very old cemetery with some lovely mature trees. But watching the toilet and the TV simultaneously is a red flag for me, so I show you how this can be fixed and how the new layout improves circulation.
This week’s web links, carefully curated to pique your interest, include a topical Daily Express article, Ralph Erskine’s boat, a book I wrote, kitchen design tips, and an opportunity to get off-grid.
I’m always eager to hear your thoughts and suggestions on the topics discussed. You will always find me at carl@carlarchitect.co.uk.
All the best
This Week’s Links:
Who stole the hideous sculpture? This is what happens when you entangle yourself in EU-funded public art pre-Brexit.
Ralph Erskine’s boat and a nice article about his work and showing his drawings.
Where we live: A guidebook to urban design I wrote and illustrated with hot air balloons inspired by Erskine’s drawings.
A nice House and Garden article: ‘Things I wish I’d known before I started my kitchen renovation.’
I just ordered one of these power stations. £50 off the listed price if you tick the voucher book. I’ve not got it yet, but apparently, you can run a Nespresso machine off it. It will be perfect on my sailing boat, especially as a solar panel can charge it.
Slide away – I’m looking forward to seeing this live on Monday.
Main image credit: Serene sailing boat office: work amidst tranquillity and scenic beauty. (DALL-E)
