Personal Statement:Architecture 6

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Architecture Personal Statement

What strikes me most about the built environment is people's indifference to the buildings around them. As if in a trance, they don't notice their design, nor is there an emotional response. Sometimes, though, a particular building shakes them up and "makes" them take notice. I want to be the one who designs it!

I particularly admire Louis Kahn's work - most notably the National Assembly in Dhaka, where he recreated a sense of ancient monumentality in a modern building. I wonder: How did he manage to give a physical structure a spiritual quality? This question led to others, and I soon found myself spending many hours reflecting on architectural concepts and ideas. These I recorded in my journal and worked into essays - over fifty so far. I look forward to discuss them in depth during an interview.

On an architecture course with the London Arts University last summer, I visited the infamous Robin Hood Gardens estate. Talking to its dwellers left me wondering whether it was worth preserving and whether Lord Forster's insistence on saving it was justified. I learned a valuable lesson: architecture must primarily serve its users rather than itself! Eager to learn more about the different styles I had seen during summer school, I took a course in architectural history with the University of Oxford. I'm now glad I did, as reading 'The Fountainhead' previously had left me with the distinct impression that we must break with the past completely. I must now agree with Peter Ackroyd that "the memory of the past is very much present in the development of the future".

To do a photo series on it, I visited the derelict Battersea Power Station. Examining proposed regeneration plans at an onsite exhibition, the developer's vision left me deeply impressed. While I strongly endorse fusing the old with the new, I thought the EcoDome with its chimney was (figuratively and literally) over the top and will ultimately harm the cause. Though I want them to succeed, I fear that overly ambitious proposals such as these, far too costly to be viable, will once more fail to save the station.

Studying on a Built Environment specific Access course allows me to keep focused on architecture. Its level 3 modules cover subjects such as sustainability, construction technology, surveying and design resolution. Tasked with converting a local gym space into a casino, we use CAD software to design the plans. Previous studies in web design through distance learning not only enabled me to study independently and take responsibility for my own learning, they also allowed me to focus on my artistic side: creating artwork using digital media. My proficiency in Photoshop and Illustrator will also be of benefit on my degree course in architecture.

I enjoy photography and often surprise my tutors by including my own architectural photography in my assignments. I feel that, similar to life drawing, it trains one's eye to "see" - a particularly helpful skill in architecture! To make the most of it, I'm currently studying a course in professional photography with the New York Institute of Photography. Next month I'll be travelling to Stuttgart to do a photo series on Mies van der Rohe's Weissenhof estate and Stirling's Neue Staatsgallerie. To hone my skills in 3D design, I took up sculpting. Working on figure modelling from life and a portrait head in clay, I found sculpting very rewarding; and more natural and intuitive than drawing. The course's 3-hour sessions passed far too quickly; I could easily imagine myself spending the entire day in the studio! This is definitely something I'll be pursuing further, with a more advanced course in spring.

As most people now live in cities, I'd like to focus on urban design, where I can make the biggest impact. I'm also considering a post-diploma MA in sustainability. I realise the road ahead will be arduous, requiring commitment and perseverance. I feel my endeavours so far have demonstrated these qualities.

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