Two Field Trips and a Nap

Monday, November 22nd
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After a much needed good nights sleep, Monday morning's wake up wasn’t horrible… but then again, waking up at 8:30 is sleeping-in compared to the rest of the week! Today our architecture paper was due (2000 words about the architecture/history of sites on a route of your choice), so Carolyn and I stopped quickly into the Student Affairs office to hand them in before class at 9:45. We had a scheduled tour at the Design Museum at 10:45, so we left Harrington immediately (no lecture yay!). To get there, we took the tube to Tower Hill, and walked across the Tower Bridge! Although it was quite frigid, Carolyn and I were happy to cross it off our list… it keeps getting longer, and our time is quickly getting shorter.

We did a quick walk through of Shad Thames, before arriving at the museum. The building is quite small, with only two floors of exhibits, but it is certainly different than all the other museums in London. The areas it focuses on include product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design, but mainly focuses on the appreciation of modern architecture. Carolyn and I were not huge fans of the museum (pretty much the only thing I took away is that the modern architect showcased on the second floor designed and built the Calvin Klein flagship store on Madison Ave), but it was nice to see something we ordinarily wouldn’t have done. After the museum, we did a more thorough walk through Shad Thames, a historic riverside area along the Thames. It is very industrial looking, with very little tourist appeal, and numerous warehouses. Recently, developers have been trying to encourage residential growth, which has been increasingly rapidly.

Our walk continued down to the City Hall on the South Bank, headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA), which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly. After airport-like security, we were able to enter inside and explore the Foster building (the famous architecture firm our teacher’s husband works for). After just barely having enough time to thaw, we were out in the frigid weather again to traipse around Southwark, seeing Southwark Cathedral, walking under London Bridge, and walking though Borough Market (closed on Mondays unfortunately!). 

 City Hall is the Building with the Red Banner; The Shard (being built) is going to be the tallest building in the EU!

Around 1:45 we were on our way back to Kensington, only to walk back from grocery shopping in the rain. After lunch, Carolyn and I spent the afternoon cozied up in our beds, catching up on things we missed over the weekend, and being as lazy as possible! :) Today was also the one double session of our Architecture class; we were to meet Helen (our professor) back at Harrington at 5PM for our second field trip of the day. Around 5:15, the class hopped on the bus outside of Gloucester Station, and made our way to Battersea, where Foster and Partners headquarters are located (and where our teacher’s husband is a partner. No big deal.). Before actually going into the offices, we walked around the area, taking in the architecture and Chelsea at night, while having some pop-culture landmarks pointed out as well: Vivienne Westwood’s design building, the apartment where Dannii Minogue (judge on X-Factor) is currently living, and Victoria Beckham’s fashion-line headquarters!
Once we finally arrived at Foster and Partners offices, we were given a short tour by one of our professor’s friends before heading back to South Ken. Although the man giving the tour was definitely out of his element, it was still exciting to be in the rooms where some of the world’s greatest architecture projects were imagined and created. From the Millennium Bridge and Wembley Stadium in London, to the Hearst Building in NYC and the MFA in Boston, Foster and Partners is one of the world’s leading architecture firms. They even were one of the major contenders in the Twin Towers rebuilding; they didn't win, but they have been commissioned to build a 78-story office tower to be part of the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. If you’re ever bored online, take a look at www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/ByLocation/UK.aspx. It’s incredible how much one firm has accomplished.

 200 Greenwich Street; "Two World Trade Center" Plans

Carolyn and I arrived back at Courtfield around 7:30; after having dinner, we lounged around for the night once again. Busy week coming up!
            Cheers,
            LC