Staying curious
Alongside design projects, Amanda makes time for research, teaching (at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University), reading, observing and reflecting on the world around us and the issues affecting architecture, art, landscape and placemaking in Wales and beyond. In this blog you can find a collection of essays, reviews and reflections relating to the work of Situated Studio.
Building Simply 05: Eco-simplicity
If environmental sustainability is not integrated into the building design process at an early stage, there is a risk that complex and expensive equipment and products will be required to meet energy-use and comfort standards. The Building Simply framework proposes an approach to architectural design which is intrinsically sustainable, making efficient use of resources to create comfortable, joyful places. This final essay in the Building Simply series completes our framework for Building Simply.
Building Simply 04: Constructing simply
There is a growing trend towards the use of natural, bio-based and minimally processed materials in building, but this practice is far from being mainstream yet. This article, along with the previous and following essays in the Building Simply Series, set out our framework for Building Simply. The themes follow the design and construction process from the analysis of the site, through design, to detailing and sustainability.
Building Simply 03: Order and composition
The Building Simply ethos advocates a rational and justified approach to architectural composition, which leads to calm, ordered and timeless buildings. This essay sets out our framework for Building Simply, focussing on the composition and form-making elements of the design process, which need to be ordered and rational. In a sense, the framework is a non-prescriptive guide for how to build simply; it establishes a set of criteria for Building Simply, but there are many ways in which it can be achieved.
Building Simply 02: Learning from the vernacular
On our travels and when exploring the local context for new projects, we are often drawn to vernacular architecture and traditional building patterns. This article, the second in the Building Simply series of essays, considers the value of learning from vernacular architecture for building today, and how it can inspire a contemporary approach to design which avoids pastiche.
Building Simply 01: An introduction
Introduces the concept of Building Simply and explores the benefits and challenges of this approach to architecture in the UK. It sets out why the ethos of building simply is a beneficial and sustainable antithesis to the wasteful, lazy and irrational way of building which prevails in current, commercially driven architecture.