Rob Gregory - Architect’s Post

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Head of Campus Planning and Design, University of Bristol / Lecturer in Architecture, University of Bath / Panel Chair, Design West / Former Senior Editor of The AR & Architecture Centre Programme Manager

Something for the weekend: Having just messaged a friend who missed out on her shortlisted bid to design the next Australian architecture pavilion at Venice, I’m reminded of the shortlisted bid I made with Graham Bizley for the 2014 British Pavilion - that was ultimately won by those tasteful dudes - Sam Jacob, Sean Griffiths and Charles Holland with A Clockwork Jerusalem. As Graham had already made the move from hectic Hackney to his own rural idyll in Somerton he very much led our bid, and it’s interesting to re-read via the tab below his recollections and some of the questions we set out to address at Venice: – How has the identify of the British landscape changed between 1914-2014? – What is the appeal of functional buildings? – Why are traditional features in the rural landscape more valued than modern equivalents, and - Does a conflict exist between those seeking to protect their notion of a rural idyll and those embracing modernity? Ten years on, as Tash and I tentatively dip our city toes into the beautiful waters of 1920s Bossington, while it is clear that the cosy and decorative rooms we are recreating are vastly different to the starkly modern and unadorned spaces we inhabit in Bristol - (https://lnkd.in/ee5KX-pZ that may simply be a down to my aging taste?) - what is most profound is just how different life actually feels between the two places. I’ll enjoyed pondering this difference for the next decade, but for now I’ll just state the obvious by highlighting the impact that spaces and places have on our soul - and vise versa. Read Graham’s blog here: https://lnkd.in/eSNTYE7u

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