Great British Architects: Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens

Posted by admin on Tuesday Mar 15, 2011 Under Building Log Book

Lutyens is among the most celebrated architects of the 20th century. His career was intimately bound up with the early history of Country Life, and involved him in work across Britain and the globe, from Washington to New Delhi. He under- took an extraordinary variety of commissions, including a cathedral, an Oxford college, a home for the Viceroy of India, and even council flats. These buildings were executed in a wide variety of architectural idioms, which reflect his outstanding versatility. In artistic terms, they are characterised by an Arts-and-Crafts inspired interest in materials and the brilliant handling of volumes and planes.

Career Lutyens was born in London, a sickly child from a large family of 13 children. On account of his health, he was partly brought up in Surrey. Here, he roamed the countryside, and, in visits to a local builder’s yard, learnt about the traditional building techniques that were to inform his architecture. He also learnt to draw using pieces of soap on glass to capture buildings and details. After a short period in art school, he became a pupil in the office of the architects Ernest George and Peto in London.

It was here that he became friends (although they later bitterly fell out) with his celebrated architectural contemporary Herbert Baker (the designer of the Bank of England). On the strength of a commission by a family friend to design a house at Crooksbury, near Farnham in Surrey, Lutyens set up in practice by himself in 1889. In the same year, he met the gardener and writer Gertrude Jekyll. Her skills as a plantswoman combined with Lutyens’ skill as a designer brought about a remarkable partnership in the design of his country-house gardens.

In 1913, Lutyens was of sufficient stature to be appointed architect to the new Imperial capital of British India at New Delhi. The First World War interrupted this latter undertaking (which was eventually brought to completion in 1931), but subsequently involved him in perhaps his greatest works: the monuments to the dead. The most important of these, such as the Cenotaph and the Thiepval Arch, are works of severe abstract Classicism.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the scale of Lutyens’ country-house work diminished. It was in this period that he produced the designs for several commercial buildings, notably the Midland Bank in Manchester (1933–35) and the bank’s head office in the city of London (1921–39). He died on January 1, 1944.

 

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House Roof Constructions

Posted by admin on Thursday Jan 26, 2012 Under Roofing

There are a number of roofing concepts for your home or conservatory.

Flat roofing, ridged roofing, gable roof or frame roof.  Your roof can be finished off with a number of materials including , tar, tiles and slates to name a few.

Roofs can take a mean battering by weather, so it is important they are constructed properly, repaired and maintained by a knowledgable professional roofing contractor. RoofDry are competent roofers in sheffield providing a roofing repair service for flat roofs, slating and tiling, chimney repairs, guttering and fibreglass roofs.

Fibreglass Roofing

Not that common type, but a very effective method of making a flat roof that keeps out the moisture, rain with no cracks or leaks.

What is a Gable Roof?

The gable roof is a very common roof type. The gable roof is easy to build, drainswater well, provides for ventilation, and is suitable for a variety of houses and architecture designs.
What is a Hip Roof?

The hip roof is slightly more difficult to build than a gable roof, but is still a popular choice. It does not provide for ventalation as well as some other roof designs and increases the chance for leakage due to the hips and valleys.

What is a Flat Roof?

A flat roof is the cheapest roof to build out of the lot, ans is suited to specific scenarios, like garages.
What is an A-frame Roof?

The A-frame provides not only a roof but the walls as well and can provide benefits for garages, outbuildings. Can be in wood or metal.

A very attractive roof with character but originally found in cottages.  Further developments allowed them to be used in homes, churches, and other buildings.


 

 

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Paris Hotel Design for Shangri-La by Restoration

Posted by admin on Saturday Jun 4, 2011 Under Construction

Very soon the Shangri-La Hotel will become the ubiquitous choice for a number of world wide cities, with the ambitious building project of designing and constructing 88 hotels across the globe.

It’s the Parisian hotel though, that stands out in design concept – it’s being developed from a historical and famous residence of Prince Roland Bonapart, who was the French prince and president of the Société de Géographie. It’s taking shape and the intention is to reflect more of a private residence feel, rather than a luxurious hotel.

The interior design has maintained the references to the French 18th century period with some of the design features commandeered from the 19th century.

This has brought about the detailed interior reproduction and restoration of the waiting room, the character drawing rooms and ladies and men’s salons. This project is a true  testament to the earlier French period.

Affine design are the company behind this ambitious restoration, and have been accomplished in maintaining the character of the original design, with regards to the materials, sculptures and integration with adjacent areas. (Prince Charles I’m sure would certainly approve the nature of this project)

Not totally without a contemporary element, but where new meets old, they have managed to make it look complete and whole – a major achievement for the architectural design  in incorporating a glass roof building which boasts an all encompassing view of the river Seine.

Shangri-La Paris is a perfect example of  how re-using the old for design creation can produce an architectural masterpiece and cultural gem. It deserves merit in the way that this has been achieved through interpretation of the past. Hats off to all involved!

You may not be able  enjoy this hotel in all its splendour, but we can recommend hoteldealsparis comparison travel site to help you find a suitable hotel alternative in the french capital (3 star, 4 star or 5 star accommodation), so you can enjoy Paris to the full.

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There are many awe inspiring building and construction projects, some the envy of the rest of the world.  All these amazing products of design could not have happened without the vehicles and construction equipment to carry out the heavy work and lifting.

A large construction project like the channel tunnel requires a handful of expertise from different industries and skill sets, but also the professional managers to co-ordinate the logistics, delivery of materials and ensure all tasks are completed on time.

With the use of Cargo tippers, cranes, dumpers, diggers, fork lift trucks and lorries to transport the goods and materials from around Europe and the International community, this mammoth project would have been made more difficult.  How did architects and construction projects cope in the 19th century with logistic requirements.

Transportation services have come a long way over the last few years, the industry is laden with a flurry of technology to help manage the transport and construction attributes of a project.   One of the new services has been the on-line transport exchange; the idea of companies sharing a lorry and their loads with other businesses.  of course this saves on costs, typically fuel and maintenance bills.  it’s a win win scenario for the road haulage companies and for the freight users.

One company that has adopted and developed this unique idea, to streamline and provide companies with a reduced spend on logistic and transport costs is www.Logintrans.ie internet based haulage exchange company in Ireland and Europe.  By using a specialised on-line software platform to enable a greater reach and wider selection of trusted low cost carriers and alternative freight transport providers, customers have the tools to collaborate, message and book transport deliveries.   All this can only mean on thing for the transport and construction industry.

 

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Fakes that closely resemble originals: Distressed Mirrors

Posted by admin on Friday May 6, 2011 Under Antiques, UK

Antique mirrors are widely appreciated by numerous people such as collectors, family members that receive them as heirlooms and those who just like to admire their beauty. They are sold in a variety of shops usually at a very high price and are hard to come across particularly if you are looking for a specific type and colour. This can be rather stressful and time consuming, especially if you are the type of person who likes to spend a lot of time relaxing and with your family rather than looking for new additions to your home for hours.

The first way that you can look at to solve this problem is to go to Google and type in Antique mirror glass. You will get a large list of websites that offer to help you find mirrors, glass and shops. The easiest way to reduce time is just to visit the website Antique Mirror as they have a variety of mirrors available that are made to order.

They provide you with a choice of a variety of colours and four different styles that include marbled, speckled, mottled and vintage. You can also have the mirror adhered to the wall with glue or screws and have it toughened or safety backed to make sure that it isn’t likely to be broken easily.

Another option is making the mirror yourself. Some websites provide people with instructions on how to create a distressed mirror using basic apparatus that can be purchased from craft shops such as Spotlight and Big W in Australia, and Walmart in America. Although a little more time consuming, this way of getting a distressed mirror is a lot cheaper and can encourage the creative side of those making them.

So the choice really depends on whether you want to pay for professionals making your mirror while you relax or whether you want to release your creative side and make it yourself. Mirrors reflect your true self as ‘Behaviour is the mirror in which everyone shows their image’, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

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