KINGSTON ARCHITECTURAL DEGREE SHOW, Brick Lane

Earnest young men…. not overly enthusiastic about reverencing the use of computers to design living spaces… but committed to environmentally friendly constructions. Now these youngsters are entering upon a fiercely competitive enterprise armed only with the conviction that has been drummed into them over the past three years at college to build sustainable architecture. But what does that mean? Their livelihood depends on the recycling and renewing of the structures around us. It is notable that London is being consistently torn down and rebuilt. Often there is very little to distinguish the new from the old. Is it really cheaper to pull down entire edifices in order to rebuild much the same sort of spaces?
It is claimed that the old interiors are no longer compatible with new specifications and in order to renew windows, doors etc, they would have to be purpose built rather than conforming to present day modules and measurements. So, pull it down and re-build. Talk about planned obsolescence!
But the graduates I spoke with claimed they preferred to draw their plans out by hand rather than relying on the computer to assist their design strategies. They said that drawing by hand gave them time to think and reflect on their work, rather than fall victim to the ease with which mistakes can be corrected and erased on a computer.
It was a question of injecting the possibility of contemplation and consideration of their work… a note of criticality rather than speed. After spending some time in the baroque atmosphere of Budapest, I found this display austere and rather antiseptic? Perhaps it isn't easy to make models of wedding cake icing out of cardboard and Balsa wood?