Posts Tagged: people

Want a hug? – 11 May 2015

Want a (free) hug? This is outside Camden tube during a pointlessly brief trip to London.

150611 free hugsFree Hugs is an international movement, but I haven’t spotted it in Edinburgh yet. It’s for fairly expressive people I think: a big hug with someone you’ve never met on a busy corner in London. Am I too Scottish?

Earlier in the week we went out for tea with Jonathon and Pavlina who are sadly leaving.

160510 jonathon & pavlina

Now that might just be reason for a hug.

Some Summer – 17 May 2015

It’s the start of a new year for the business and time to look back on the last one. 170515 - Mikes Garden PartyA weekend in sunny London spent in Clissold Park and Mike’s back garden. Me and the gang catching up with old friends and colleagues.  Bakerhouse closeBack in Edinburgh looking at the hard, but still attractive, Bakehouse Close. A comfortable scale of space with some nice details by Oberlanders.

Old Pals – 25 April 2015

Twenty eight years ago I became friends with Adam, Campbell, Ali and Kev.

Newcastle-250415

I still look forward to any chance to meet up and we enjoyed a lively weekend in Newcastle. It’s fun, as well as a reminder that we are all getting on a bit. You need to exercise so I’m getting out on the bike.

BluebirdCafe 240415

 

Ali looking worried. His politics is SNP so in Scotland in 2015 I don’t think he has much to worry about.

SNPAliSteven-260415

Boats, trains, boys – 12 April 2015

Admiring the Britannia on the last day of the Easter holiday. britania 12 april 2015It’s an interesting tour: a glimpse into a world where hierarchy must be emphasised in everything from crockery to wall panelling to drink, otherwise the illusion might slip.

We’d spent some time in York, having fun and looking at trains.

br class 31 - 09 april 2015fraser - 090415This might look like boys activities, but we all enjoyed it. stockbridge arts club - 31 march 2015Back home, the Stockbridge Arts Club had it’s first meeting. It’s a foil to our partner’s “Book Group” and might take a little while to find it’s core purpose…

dundee station - 03 april 2015Waiting for a train in Dundee, thinking about what the new station might be.

Cheshire street draftSomething we looked at earlier this year in London, but didn’t get.

 

The Cock – 25 March 2015

The Cock is a pub designed by HTA about thirty years ago.The Cock - 25 March 2015At that time HTA were specialists in what people called ‘Public Housing’ so when someone called looking for a ‘Public House’, the entrepreneurial partners got right down to it. They did another twenty pubs after that, of which this is one. Just off Portland Place, this one’s a cheap place for a pint in an expensive part of town. I’m across the street for breakfast, reflecting on talking about sketching last night in  Camden.

a place beyond belief - 31 March 2015In the Lighthouse in Glasgow listening in on design charette follow up…

Matt Leaving - 27-03-15…and listening to Matt Smith’s leaving stories.

 

Good Stories – Part One – 30 April 2015

You meet more interesting people on the train.

Ted Bullock - 30-3-15This is 90 year old war veteran Ted Bullock who lit up our journey between York & Berwick.

With youthful energy he told us about building landing strips for Spitfires on Gold Beach after the Normandy landings. He’ll have told the stories before, obviously, but the way he told them made them sound fresh and gripping, none more so than his recollections of listening to Churchill’s ‘We will fight them on the beaches’ speech in a bombed out West Ham. Too young, but filled with hate, he signed up and went to war.

He got off at Berwick, his new home. It all sounds serious but he was mostly a man for joke filled tales of adventures and scrapes. A pleasure and privilege to have met him.

All Duck & Waffle – 5 February 2015

With my colleagues for breakfast at Duck & Waffle 40 storeys up the Heron Tower. Planning the future of our business.Duck & Waffle - 5 February 2015 Impressive neighbours peer in the window.

Taxi - 3 February 2015Work is busy. The weather is cold and grey. Sketching will remain an indoor activity for the next month or so. This limits any outdoor views to what’s right in front of the coffee shop window as I eat breakfast. I think this is called a TX4, from the London Taxi Company.

Sleeper - 5 February 2015The weirdest way to travel remains the sleeper. In the bar at the start of the journey you can just glimpse the romance of rail travel from bygone days. Seven hours later you join the rest who’ve hardly slept to queue for a shower in Euston station.

Urban design Panel - 28 January 2015At the Edinburgh Urban Design panel in the City Chambers. Former Provosts watch over the group to remind us to do the best for this amazing city. I’m a back seat driver on this one, so I watch David H doing his professional presentations in Edinburgh… 6 Grosvenor Street - 15 January 2015 …and on Grosvenor Street in London.

Alan Hamilton - 31 January 2015Alan Hamilton in Hemma at lunchtime.

Royal Festival Hall – 27 January 2015

Our HTA Sketch Club joined forces with the London Society for a trip to the Royal Festival Hall. I was inspired by some 1951 illustrations of the design, and by the characters who came along to draw and chat about it afterwards. Royal Festival Hall - 28 January 2015

It was a great pleasure to meet octogenarian former architecture tutor Maggie, who set me straight on a few things.

Earlier, I felt among friends with oldest pals Scott, Pete and Dougal…

Pete Scott and Dougal - 22 January 2015…and alone hogging a big empty table in an otherwise packed west London restaurant.

The Courtfield - 21 January 2015Back home with Isla and Fraser.Isla - Fraser - Harviestoun - 19 January 2015

Some Performers – 5 November 2014

First, on the left a kind of calibration setting: Alistair Darling, on his way to London, after announcing he’ll stand down at the next election. His likeness gives you an idea of how much/ little the other folk I draw look like themselves. He was nice enough to not object to my drawing him.

foxley - darling -4 November 2014In the middle is our Richard Foxley reminding HTA London about the importance of post occupancy evaluation. How are you going to know what to design next if you don’t know what people really thought, and felt, about what you designed last time?

BPF-Dinner 5 November 2014At the BPF dinner in London listening to Sir Howard Davies and an exuberant gospel choir.

KM_C454e-20141104202723Halloween Fraser.

Saltaire – 1 September 2014

Work’s an activity not a place: in Saltaire, Titus Salt’s model worker village of the 19th century.

Saltaire - 4 September 2014There’s plenty of inspiration to be had here but me and Richard Foxley are 15 cycling miles from our meeting and looking for some conclusions.

We’ll come back.