V&A Architecture Department

I went many times to the V&A but, shamefully, I had no idea an architecture department existed. 

I only knew the product/furniture part for 3D Design. 

I was keen to discover this new room and I really enjoy what I've seen. 

The models are amazing, and the projects presented there were interesting. 

BedZed is a construction I find beyond amazing. I think it is such a good thing for London, and we should build more of these estates in the future. 

It seems such a nice place to live, and in the same time it is good for the environment. 

I thing sustainability is a priority and unfortunately few people are concerned about it. 

My father works for the sustainability department of Marseille's council and since I'm a child I think a responsible lifestyle should be adopted by all. 

It may be more expensive to build a sustainable building but over time you will save money and energy. I think we need to project in the future and stop being selfish by just thinking about the present moment. 

Part of Nasrid family Palace in Granada 

Lily Vanilli Bakery (Columbia Road)

This is my favourite shop within all the market. I think it just the perfect location for a Sunday Brunch or a cup of delicious coffee. 

They have a wide range of cakes, cupcakes, patisseries, .. They also have hot drinks and food for brunch. 

It is only opened on Sunday so it is very popular (like the rest of the area). You may have to queue a long moment before being serve and it is complicated to have a seat. 

I love the menu. I tried lots of different things and every things for the moment is so tasty. 

The bakery participate in world wide projects, so it benefits from an important popularity. 

Visiting Columbia Road and this bakery is so far my biggest source of inspiration I think now I have find what I want to create for my FMP. 

I will use the flower market, the bakery and other food shops, and the local musicians to create something special. 

I now need a perfect location to build the structure. It needs to be somewhere spacious and with nothing around it. I think a park would be the perfect solution. 

Columbia Road Flower Market

Colombia Road Flower Market - Hoxton 

This was a revelation when I first visit this market. It is my all time favourite place in London, I would come every sunday if I could, even everyday if it was opened. I think this place as such an amazing potential. It is so unique and beautiful. 

I think it is such a perfect area to live. Close to the centre but in the same time it feels like a little village. 

I think it will be a perfect environment for my FMP. 

Everything can be inspiring : Flowers, food, buildings, colours, architecture, people, music, ...

I like that even if it's mainly a flower market, you can find different kinds of food. 

There is also a vintage / car boot sales market. 

I've never seen so many flowers in a same place before. You can find anything you want at a good price. 

Like Borough market, this market is very popular, and when it's busy it is very difficult to walk in. 

The street is narrow, it would need some work done. 

You can find lots of different shops, selling vintage, food/drinks, interior/home, children's clothes, fashion, toys, kitchenware, art and design, ... 

I think anyone can find something he likes in this really small area.  

The good thing is also bands and singers that come to perform in the street. If you come frequently you can discover lots of new talents, that you would never have listened to somewhere else. 

This is a good thing about East London, people seems free to do whatever they want, to try to thing and all the new concepts come from here. 

It is always changing. 

I'm in love with the architecture in this street. Every single house is different ! I love the bright and beautiful colours. I thing it cheers so much the place up. Because the houses are just simple bricks structures. Adding a bit of colours always make things look better (in my opinion). 

After a morning in this heaven I'm totally sure I want it to be involved in my FMP. 

I need to explore more the area, but I think London of Borough of Hackney is such a nice location. It is close enough to the centre for people to come easily (lots of underground/overground/trains/bus) and in the same time there will have more space to build something (there is no space in central london.) 

Borough Market

Borough Market - London Bridge / Borough 

Borough Market is the first food market I discovered in London and it's also one of my favourite. 

Even if it's such tourist attraction, it is such a perfect location for a saturday london under the sun. 

Lot's of people know it and love it. 

Vising the market was such a great inspiration. Seeing all this colours and different textures. Smelling all this amazing odors while walking around the old and beautiful architecture of the venue. 

Borough Market is such a symbol, like Tower Bridge or Big Ben. 

I think I will base my FMP around markets because I think it will be such a fun project to do. 

There is so much to do and it's very popular. 

Maybe rehabilitation of borough market ? 

Extend it ? 

Create more rooms for different activities within the market ? 

As the market is so popular, during busy hours, you can't walk and you have to queue all the time. I think the market was create for less people and now it needs to get some work done. 

It also needs additional seatings. Few stands offer tables and chairs to sit and the little place by the church where everyone goes is packed all the time. 

Restaurants propose seating but it's only for customers. 

There is food from everywhere in the world : Indian, French, German, Italian... 

You heard lots of different languages. It is very cosmopolitan. 

I like the atmosphere here. I can definitely image doing my FMP in this place. 

I would create additional seating and maybe extend the market to give people larger roads to walk between the stands and access easier. 

The market has also a perfect location ! It is situated within zone 1. Close to 2 underground stations (London Bridge and Borough). LB is also an important train station.
There are many buses arriving from central London and the South.
Everyone needs this place so it won't need any advertising, it will just be a project to bring novelty into the area.

Richmond Park

Richmond Park, London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames. 

This park is my favourite one in London. That's why I went there to see if it could be the perfect location for my FMP. 

The main issue, that you discover quickly, is that the park is not very well located. 

It is far from the centre (zone 4) and even if it's still in Richmond town, the park is quite far from the underground station. You need a short bus ride or you can go walking. 

My first requirement is a very central location, or at least something easy to access. 

Even if I love Richmond Park it will be complicated to create something there, or maybe just for local people. 

The other issue is that Richmond Park is a Royal park. It means you can't damage or change lots inside. 

For example here is the White Lodge. It used to be the King's hunting house. You can't building anything near by. 

I think the park is such an unique place, that building something modern inside of it, will be such a shame. 

This park is good to walk, run, walk your dog,... To relax after a long day, just pretend you're not in London anymore, just somewhere in the country. 

This is what I like here but I think this is not suitable for FMP

Richmond Park is also special for all its animal species living there. It's famous for its massive groups of deers you can witness around the place. Building something for animal would be great ?
What happen during winter ? Are they afraid of human? (but I think now they are used to it)
> Building something to have an harmony between animals and human
In the same time wild animals need to live their own way, even building something for them could be a bad thing finally.

> Even if I love Richmond Park, I don't think it will be a great location for my FMP. If I choose to build something there I'm gonna have lots of trouble that I could avoid by going somewhere else.

More about Sensing Spaces' architects

Sensing Spaces - Royal Academy of Arts

When I've seen that an exhibition about Architecture was host by the Royal Academy of Arts I was impatient to go. It was such a brilliant events (one of the best I've been to) about people's feeling and emotion when they are connected to architecture. The normal representation of architecture in museums are here reimagined. 

"Essential to all the work in the show is the idea that the entire built environment — not only buildings and not only those designed by famed architects — should be considered more critically by the average man. By heightening visitors’ awareness to their surroundings inside the museum, “Sensing Spaces” seeks to increase consciousness of the built environment beyond the museum’s walls." (http://www.blouinartinfo.com)

6 architects expressed their ideas through 6 different and so original installations : 

'The exhibition is about experiencing, and the power and poetics of architecture' 

Timber structure by Pezo von Ellrichshausen

People are encouraged to change the structures, to be architects themselves. Everyone can give his vision of architecture. 

Honeycomb plastic installation by Diébédo Francis Kéré

This was my favourite piece, I absolutely adore how the architect sees interaction between people and structure. How he invites them to play and change it. 

It is one of my first inspirations for my Final Major Project. 

Li Xiaodong's maze. 

I love the feeling you can have when walk inside the installation. This was an inspiration for my covered children playground. 

Installation by Grafton Architects

Installation by Kengo Kuma

I didn't really understand this one, it was such a mystical atmosphere, I felt really claustrophobic.