Posts By Sandy
Indoor Month – January 2018
I do go outside, you just wouldn’t know it from the drawings. New Year’s Day with the family.
Drawing in the sketching friendly Design Museum. Looking at beautiful Ferraris. Enzo Ferrari was neither a great driver or a great designer but he created the world’s most desirable brand. 
Beautiful old cars…
…and the process by which they make them. And some racing cars, Ferrari’s only form of advertising.
Fraser missing football, because it’s January and the pitch is frozen.
Isla waiting for gymnastics to start, and me waiting for Isla.
Listening to a planning committee.
I like the trend towards open kitchens and seats where you can watch someone make your dinner. They provide some entertainment for travelers eating alone. These friendly folk were in Paso.
Travelling, by tube and plane.
Some work.
Sketching is quite popular these days and the nice guys from Meinhardt invited me along to their thriving sketch club at the British Library. It was great,, but I’m looking forward to drawing outdoors again.
You Stand Watching – December 2017
The last drawing of the year, at Hugh & Murray’s house
The party is over there. I’m watching from the far side of the table.
The Kerrs watching Elizabeth II (trad).
Watching the panto-esque Arabian Nights at the Lyceum.
Fraser watching the TV football chat before going to watch the Pars beat Falkirk 2-0.
Watching Innes work through two days of Lego building.
In London, by the office, I choose to sit in the not so nice cafe in order to watch the diners in the nice one on the far side of the street.
Ruari, watching the events of a family Christmas.
That’s Entertainment – December 2017
Fiona and Paulina sleeping on the way to the HTA Design London party
Recovering the next day on the long trip home.
Earlier in the month I’d gone to Islay with the guys I began studying architecture with 30 years ago who are still architects.
We got thrown out of the pub and the police were called.
This sort of thing didn’t happen 30 years ago. That’s middle age for you.
By the time we flew home we knew just about everyone.
Recovering in London, trying to understand the detail of our new office. You don’t learn that much in 30 years.
It’s the time of year for shows: Fraser in his school Scots Night.
Brother in law and nephew excelling in panto.
A Christmas lunch or two, though this is the only one that made me cry. It raised money for charities So Precious and CHAS. Click on the links for more information on these excellent organisations.
It’s time for some time at home…
…chatting to friends…
…recovering…
…and thinking about some new design challenges.
November 2017
Public Service Broadcasting at the Barrowlands.
Some life drawing with HTA
Listening to comments from a design review on some of our work.
Flying
At the Davidson’s Mains war memorial.
10×10 Stratford
My drawing of an afternoon in Stratford
is in a charity auction here
The charity is Article 25, an architectural charity delivering projects in developing countries around the world. There are another 99 art works for sale if you click here. One of the sketches for the drawing:
It features some of the local life of Stratford and an attractive tower called Stratosphere, design by architects StockWool for developer Telford Homes.
The rest of the month was talking about PRS and modular design, this time in Edinburgh. Katie’s talk on custom build seemed a bit more relevant.
Spending Saturday mornings on the touchline.
Helping the local Scouts to sketch.
and not plucking up the courage to chat to a familiar looking Geoffrey Palmer.
(love is like a butterfly)
and meeting my new niece.
Amsterdam with HTA Design – October 2017
220 staff, partners and kids from HTA Design went to Amsterdam for the weekend.
We toured the beautiful city by boat and bike.
We all stayed at the friendly and stylish Hyatt Regency.
The focal point was Saturday night dinner for everyone in BAUT.
I spent the weekend before with some of the same people at Rosie and Martin’s wedding.
The amusing speeches started at the ceremony, and continued.
There were as surprising number of jokes at the PRS Forum, though they were all delivered in six minutes by Iain Murray.
After that it was a serious discussion about the effort local authorities are making to get this form of housing moving. Mike Galloway pointed out Dundee had granted planning approval for two sites, and both in less than three months.
I’d been there for one of them, Studio Dundee. We are looking forward to getting it on to site.
Festival Month 2017
Edinburgh Festival month.
Fireworks
Crabs (featuring Simon Brims)
Comics
Guests Eva & Pedro
Sketch Club in London
and Edinburgh
a new office
Ben as RIBA President
and my mum taking Jessie Bowden’s funeral. Jessie was 101.
Carrbridge – July 2017
A week in Carrbridge
In a wooden lodge by a pool.
Covered outside space: essential for the Scottish summer.
A Scottish highland summer is exceptional food…
…great places to visit…
…a taste of horse riding for the kids…
…long country walks and bike rides…
…and admiring the exotic vehicles that tour through sleepy Scottish villages.
Nice things to do: Part Two
Collecting the Business Breakthrough of the Year award at the AJ 100 dinner.
Listening to provoking debate organised by the Architectural Workers in Cressingham Gardens, designed by Edward Hollamby.
Sketching with HTA.
On holiday. Meeting the uniquely engaging Monsieur Girod.
Lauris
Standing where Cezanne stood, in Aix.
Sitting where the Romans (or at least their subjects) sat, in Orange.
Pont du Gard, falling at 1:16,000.
And enjoying the Lord’s hospitality, in Cambridgeshire.
Nice things to do: Part One
Brewing our own beer, HTAle, at Stewart Brewing.
Recovering after the Hairy Haggis relay, with HTA.
Looking at art: Michael Sailstorfer at Jupiter Art Land.
Learning about the third Forth bridge, with the Beavers.
Taking the time to sketch Derby’s old Co-op.
Tom and Laura’s wedding (a bit I’d missed from before).
Being at home.
And using sketching as an excuse to avoid doing all the jobs in the garden.
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