Mark Twain said “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why”. I can’t remember the first but I remember the second as though it was yesterday.
I was 17 and I picked up a book by Derek Senior in the school library called ‘Your Architect’. I was attracted to it initially by the cover and the fantastic illustrations throughout by David Rock.
Last month I took part in a seminar organised by Blueprint Magazine on the Future of the Architect. I started my presentation with the classic image of Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 on the surface of the moon. I was 12 at the time of the Apollo 11 mission and that single event made a lasting impression on me, along with a belief that we as a race can conquer any obstacle to achieve our ambitions.
Many architects view the completion of their projects as the day the building is handed over and they move on to other things. The shop has opened for trading, the occupants have moved in to the office, the builders have moved out of the house, the snagging done, the final completion certificate issued. Like an artist who finishes a painting, sells it and never sees it again, we get sucked in to the project and when it has “ended”, seldom give it another thought or learn other than immediate superficial lessons from it.
I started the run at 10.20am at Greenwich knowing that I would be running for the next 4-5 hours, which is a daunting prospect. It had been 14 years since my last marathon and although I had trained for this I suddenly felt very nervous. But looking around me, I realised that everyone else would be experiencing the same emotions and gradually started to relax.
Recently, when visiting New York for the first time in five years, it struck me how little things had improved for pedestrians.
I have been asked to write about how my training is going for the London Marathon. The short answer is okay. The real answer is nuanced and complicated.
In order to prepare for the London Marathon I managed an alcohol free ‘dry’ January and actually enjoyed it so much I continued into February and March and have decided to avoid alcohol for the rest of the year. It’s actually surprising and reassuring how easy it’s been for these first few months.
Training for this year’s London Marathon, which Chris is running in aid of the Architects Benevolent Society, has given him plenty of time to think…
On March 8, young architects from Allies and Morrison and Hawkins\Brown joined those from WW+P for a live streamed design workshop, organised by RIBA International Vice President Chris Williamson.
Chris Williamson will be exploring innovative typologies for tall buildings and possible sites for London's first mile high tower at our co-hosted panel discussion at Transport for London, 55 Broadway, Westminster SW1, on Thursday November 8, 6.00-8.30pm.
British architects are held in high esteem throughout the world, due not only to a track record of excellent design, but the combination of business skills, commitment to ethical values and a pedigree of experience and knowledge. The UK is the biggest exporter of architectural talent ahead of any other nation.
Chris Williamson has been a regular contributor to Archinect’s Brexit Diaries series. You can read his blogs here and if you share his views or would like to air your own, please contact him or via twitter @cw_architect.
When Chris was asked to work with Andrew Weston for group projects at Leicester School of Architecture (for no other reason than they were next to each other alphabetically) he discovered that their skills didn’t overlap but dovetailed perfectly. Their shared ambition made for a perfect business partnership.
Forty years later Chris manages and directs the studio and has recently published WW+P’s vision for the next 20 years, which talks about a diverse, collaborative design studio with strong delivery skills.
In addition to being a chartered architect, Chris has an MSc in Project Management and believes strongly that the art of architecture requires excellent business skills in order to be realised. Chris is currently the International Vice President of the RIBA responsible for setting a strategy to grow into a global membership institution and to encourage more UK architects to seek work globally. Read more of Chris's thoughts via his twitter page.
Mark Twain said “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why”. I can’t remember the first but I remember the second as though it was yesterday.
I was 17 and I picked up a book by Derek Senior in the school library called ‘Your Architect’. I was attracted to it initially by the cover and the fantastic illustrations throughout by David Rock.
Last month I took part in a seminar organised by Blueprint Magazine on the Future of the Architect. I started my presentation with the classic image of Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 on the surface of the moon. I was 12 at the time of the Apollo 11 mission and that single event made a lasting impression on me, along with a belief that we as a race can conquer any obstacle to achieve our ambitions.
Many architects view the completion of their projects as the day the building is handed over and they move on to other things. The shop has opened for trading, the occupants have moved in to the office, the builders have moved out of the house, the snagging done, the final completion certificate issued. Like an artist who finishes a painting, sells it and never sees it again, we get sucked in to the project and when it has “ended”, seldom give it another thought or learn other than immediate superficial lessons from it.
I started the run at 10.20am at Greenwich knowing that I would be running for the next 4-5 hours, which is a daunting prospect. It had been 14 years since my last marathon and although I had trained for this I suddenly felt very nervous. But looking around me, I realised that everyone else would be experiencing the same emotions and gradually started to relax.
Recently, when visiting New York for the first time in five years, it struck me how little things had improved for pedestrians.
I have been asked to write about how my training is going for the London Marathon. The short answer is okay. The real answer is nuanced and complicated.
In order to prepare for the London Marathon I managed an alcohol free ‘dry’ January and actually enjoyed it so much I continued into February and March and have decided to avoid alcohol for the rest of the year. It’s actually surprising and reassuring how easy it’s been for these first few months.
Training for this year’s London Marathon, which Chris is running in aid of the Architects Benevolent Society, has given him plenty of time to think…
On March 8, young architects from Allies and Morrison and Hawkins\Brown joined those from WW+P for a live streamed design workshop, organised by RIBA International Vice President Chris Williamson.
Chris Williamson will be exploring innovative typologies for tall buildings and possible sites for London's first mile high tower at our co-hosted panel discussion at Transport for London, 55 Broadway, Westminster SW1, on Thursday November 8, 6.00-8.30pm.
British architects are held in high esteem throughout the world, due not only to a track record of excellent design, but the combination of business skills, commitment to ethical values and a pedigree of experience and knowledge. The UK is the biggest exporter of architectural talent ahead of any other nation.
Chris Williamson has been a regular contributor to Archinect’s Brexit Diaries series. You can read his blogs here and if you share his views or would like to air your own, please contact him or via twitter @cw_architect.
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