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.
Reading and Re-Writing Place: A Response to Landscape
Creating good places demands an informed and critical response to place and context. Only through a considered response to landscape can we make places which are locally distinct, use resources responsibly, take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the site, overcome the challenges of topography and climate and embrace the spirit of a place. This is an approach which is at the heart of our working ethos. The studio is founded on the principle that we must first understand and interpret, at various scales and various levels, the contexts and places in which we work.
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.