Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
Yesterday was about visiting architects’ firms and getting to know their studios.
Our day started early as usual; breakfast at 7 am when the restaurant is opened and be the first at the self-service table. Grabbing sunglasses and our cameras, we started our way to Zaha Hadid’s London Gallery. Zaha, in contrast to the next two architects, exposes her work at the gallery, but does not have her studio in the same place. Either way, there is product design models and replicas from her original work in this gallery. We learned about the work she has done and how her 1300 workers distribute the work and how they manage to filter and select the work that will be presented. It’s interesting to see how her work has shifted and evolved from architecture to product and experimental studies through her life.
Zaha Hadid Bench made with MDF
Just as we finished there, we sped off to Richard Roger’s Studio HQ just beside the Thames. It’s exhilirating to get to be beside the desk where such a known architect does his work, and knowing how humble a man can be that his proper desk is just a corner of the same desk as the people who work for him. Interesting fact to know that his study has no heirarchy on his workers and each can shift from one floor to another depending on the project on demand.
(First photo on post for reference)
From being explained about the work done here and taking a small stone from the studio floor (souvenir), we moved to Foster+Partners.
Foster + Partners Studio
A totally different ambiance; one whole space with different stations, but everyone in the same floor. More people in the HQ working at one, and is seemed much more protected and a formal than Roger’s (not diminishing the second). We made our tour inside, as usual, and after getting to know a little from the firm, the group spread and went different ways.
We, a group of 8, parted to the London Eye to see the city from above. An amazing trip and fun to do too! We were awed at the lights turning on as rhe night rolled in and how each building had it’s particular scenario with the river below us.
The London Eye at night.
View of the City from London Eye
Starting to get hungry and accidentally separaring at the Bridge from the small group, 3 of us decided we were very hungy, and the only place open was thw SOHO, so there we headed. Funny enough, when seated, with high odds of NOT HAPPENING, the other 5 passed just beside the restaurant and so we ate together.
It was a tiering day, and even more so we had to be up early in the morning to say goodbye to London and head to Belgium. Here we are, seated on the train passing just below the sea, waiting for more adventure to come.
On our way to Belgium.
The Train Line.
@Lightsaint 