I have recently visited Antoni Gaudi’s La Pedrera in Barcelona. The building interested me due to its modernist eccentric form. The exterior is clad in stone blocks that are individually shaped to give the façade the appearance of movement. The windows, doors and Juliet balconies are intricately designed to replicate organic forms. Gaudi’s attention to all aspects of design, even in places that aren’t seen in full view from usual vantage points, is excellent. An example of this is the artistically designed chimneys which cover the rooftop terrace which cannot be seen from the street.  Using attention to detail in all aspects of design can be seen as frivolous, but I believe it ‘makes’ a building. The conventional apartment rooms demonstrate that extravagant and unusual shapes and designs within a building can still be functional.

I would probably say that Koen Olthuis is my favorite architect due to his innovative ideas involving sustainability within architecture. He has become the pioneer of floating architecture, creating the first architectural firm in the world exclusively dedicated to building on water. His work aims to reduce the environmental and social impacts a building has when it has outlived its initial purpose. By allowing buildings to be movable on water they can be added to an urban area when they are needed and then moved elsewhere when they have served their purpose. This makes living on water not only a desirable experience, but a positive financial and environmental move.

A work of architecture that I would like to experience is the Conservatory Complex at the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. The two cooled conservatories, one being the world’s largest columnless glasshouse, are a part of a sustainable project by the government to improve the quality of life for citizens by enhancing the city’s greenery. The glasshouses have self-supporting glass roofs in a natural organic curve that aim to promote the biodiversity within and collect rainwater which is channeled into a series of ‘supertrees’. These act as man-made trees by reducing emissions and creating energy, but also cool the glasshouses.

I would like to study architecture at MSA as I will be able to study a wide variety of subject matter.  In addition, MSA would allow me to explore the artistic side of architecture more than other universities. I also like the idea of the combination of the two institutions working together to allow a much wider access to resources and facilities. Living close to Manchester has enabled me to watch its architecture change whilst growing up and I love the juxtaposition of the older, industrial buildings within the city alongside the more modern designs which would be a fantastic environment to study architecture in.