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The first of three sheets illustrating the different types of structure included in the overall scheme and their function(s); their location can be found on the main masterplan drawing.

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The latest masterplan for Le Touquet. The general landscaping and infrastructure along the seafront is indicated as well as the various different building types that are proposed. These sit like furniture within the masterplan and will be planned and illustrated on separate sheets.

From this general group of structures, which all share a common design language, the medium size structure has been selected to design to a more detailed level, through its planning, illustration and construction detailing.

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Construction sections regarding the medium sized building type shown below.

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This is one of the medium sized structures proposed for the seafront at Le Touquet in the developed planning stages.
These structures, along with larger and smaller types (see the masterplan) will plug into the piers that extend out from the city. These structures will serve two primary functions semi private and public. Some will house artist studios/exhibition spaces, whilst others accommodate a range of more functional purposes such as changing facilities, kiosks, cafes, showers and shops. They will be positioned as necessary along the piers and because of their prefabricated, flexible construction could be easily adapted or relocated in order to serve a new function or user group.
The example illustrated is configured as a cafe over two levels. A central service core/lantern supports a cantilevered mezzanine first and sits within a 6x6m tube, which provides views over Le Touquet to the east and the English Channel to the west through glazed openings at each end. These can be closed using the integrated sliding shutters.
The construction of the main body is a lightweight timber type whilst the
supports are of plastic coated steel. The accommodation boxes ‘clip’ onto the vertical support framework through a series of specially designed devices located underneath the structure.

Trompe d'oeil.

Andreas Pozzo d.1703 at his most ostentatious and possibly nauseating. The absolute antithesis of restraint. Note the back of the stage set altar complete with gilded plaster of paris angel on the extreme top right of the image, held in place, rather precariously with a 300 year old iron bracket.

Salzburg square.

Salzburg spires.

Karlskriche.

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1:500 model in progress illustrating a typical part of the proposed Le Touquet masterplan. Piers project out from the town cutting through a re-landscaped sea-edge, stopping at different points in the landscape, the sea, sea-edge at high tide, beach, dune edge and the promenade. Structures detailed in previous posts sit along these piers, illustrated above from the back is a tram stop, viewing tower, cafe and artist studio.

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Revised axonometric indicating the internal layout of one of the artist studio. A central core (red) houses services such as kitchen, toilet, shower and plant whilst also supporting a cantilevered first floor level which is a flexiable space containing a fold down bed with the core which then projects through the roof to create a north facing angled lantern.

By restricting the service functions to the centre of the the structure the remaining floor space can be used as flexible studio space with views over Le Touquet town and the English channel through the east and west facing picture windows.

In addition to acting as a self contained studio space and occasional residence all of the functional aspects can be folded away to provide an open plan exhibition space, the north lantern provides an even light on the upper level whilst a flash gap between the first floor level and walls allows a certain amount of light to filter through to the ground floor which would be supported by a specialist lighting system. The west and east facingpicture windows can be sealed with sliding shutters to frame a specific view, increase privacy or to darken the space.

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View along one of the piers looking into one of the artist studios. These semi-private structures are intended to be rented by artists both as a studio, part time residence and exhibition space; the latter function is illustrated above. The piers to which they are attached offer no access to the beach or sea, so are not thoroughfares; providing a higher level of privacy. Access ramps extend from the pier to allow access or detachment.

In addition to these studios the same building type is also used for more public uses such as changing rooms, showers, cafes and kiosks along piers that allow direct access to the beach and sea at hightide. Ramps fold out at the end of the piers to provide access.

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View of one of the piers projecting through dunes on the re-landscaped sea edge. Also shown is one of the medium sized structures which are intended to be used for several of different uses; both semi-private and public. Semi-private structures house artist studios and exhibition spaces whilst the public structures house service functions such as cafes and showers.

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View of one of the medium structures in use as a cafe. The initial idea has been resolved, in response to ideas generated by the sketches uploaded yesterday, by further articulating and expressing the timber box that forms the accommodation part of the structure as a series of planes that are extruded to provide solar shading and platforms. Shutters at each end can also be pulled shut for protection or opened to act as visual indicators or markers.

'Drawbridges' can be pulled out from underneath the main pier structures that provide access into the back of the buildings.

The next stage for this design will be to consider the construction detailing, detailed planning and materiality more specifically.

Viennese Kaffee.

Viennese coffee is always thoughtfully presented, such as this doppel mocca (triple expresso with cream) from Cafe Diglas in the first district.

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Rough sketch plans and sections at 1:200 considering the articulation of another of the medium sized structures. This example functions as an artists studio and exhibition space that can also be inhabited for short periods of time if necessary as a canter levered stair is added that provides access to a sleeping space in the lantern.

Additional considerations here include animating the basic, timber framed box structure by pulling several sides out beyond the current constraints to provide solar shading and exterior platforms as well as adding sliding screens to the two panoramic windows which would also act as visual markers indicating whether the space is inhabited or not.

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Rough sketch plans and sections at 1:200 considering the articulation of one of the medium sized structures within my proposed masterplan for Le Touquet that will be worked up to a more detailed level.

The example shown here is to be used as a cafe, the structures are deliberately compact, simple and semi temporary composed from reconstructed elements that can be easy removed from the landscape or replaced with a different function at a later date. A fully integrated service box slots into the main timber body also providing additional defused natural light through a north facing opening.

The structures are accessed from the main piers, see masterplan for details, via gangways that would slide out from under the pier or be lowered down from two of the vertical uprights that support the walkways.

Architecture and Music.

The subjective complexities reflected in the formulation of music is a useful analogy in relation to the general application of architecture. For example if one is to take a Haydn Mass and an Eric Clapton concert both may, depending of course on the quality of the performance, produce the same end result of a sublime musical experience. However despite similarities in the outcome and that they exist within the wider discipline of music and thus share similar basic rules, the processes of application in both examples are diametrically opposed, that is to say that the same end effect can be achieved but the means to that end differ significantly. Whether or not a concert is considered to be sublimely beautiful, whether it is classical or rock, also depends upon the subjective opinion and indeed training and social conditioning of the listener. It is impossible to predict definitively how music will be experienced and therefore define how it should be delivered.

As with music most practical elements that can be rationalised thus far in architecture have been, for instance floors ‘should’ be horizontal and doorways tall enough for people to walk through, however despite the existence of these practical objective standards there are no defined, objective processes or definite truths regarding how these standards are to be articulated; with the result that a doorway can be expressed in any way conceivable so long as it fulfills its functional purpose. Therefore different, subjectively developed discourses and approaches exist within architecture as they do within the discipline of music, each of which attempt ,in their own way, to produce a suitable and justifiable solution to the already rationalised and established pragmatic standards; whether these are doorways or musical notes.

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View along the promenade illustrating a tram stop concept in the foreground and one of the larger structures in the distance.

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Detailed sketch of one of the medium sized structures situated along Le Touquet beach in use as a cafe. Also illustrated is an indication of the direct link back into the town centre along the proposed piers/routes.

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View along the re-landscaped promenade, illustrating the viewing tower and routes/piers radiating out from the town centre.

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Detailed sketch illustrating one of the artist studio and exhibition spaces with its associated pier.

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View from one of the piers looking back towards the town. All structures share a common and distinctive design language articulated through their external structural supports derived from vertical and frame elements found on beaches such as groynes, masts, deckchairs and beach umbrellas. This attempts to visually link the scheme together as well as establishing an clear, recognisable and unique identity. The main bodies of the structures are composed from a simple and well detailed timber construction.

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Sketch view looking from one of the piers back towards Le Touquet; one of the advantages of building out into the sea is that an entirely different perspective of a place can be achieved. Structures illustrated above include an artist studio/exhibition space in the foreground, a cafe beyond, followed by a viewing tower and finally in the distance one of three larger structures; this particular example housing a conference centre. Materials highlighted include the timber cladding and glazing elements.

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Development of structure proposals for inclusion in the masterplan - conceptual elevations and sections of medium sized structures are presented here.

Holocaust memorial.

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Development of structure proposals for inclusion in the masterplan - small structures are presented here.

Stephansdom.

Medieval fabric, baroque tower lantern and 1950's tile roof.

Naglergasse - Needle makers street.

Excellent example of Viennese Baroque facade approx. C18th.

Freyung.

The Freyung Square is overlooked by some beautiful buildings including this facade of the former Schottenkirche Priory. Rebuilt in 1744 and known by the Viennese as the 'chest of drawers house'.

Fiaker.

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Developed masterplan: 1:2000 at A3.

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Typical location of the different building types within the overall masterplan.

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Developed masterplan proposals and details of the individual components that comprise it.

Messiah.

The St Augustin Orchester rehearsing before tonight's performance of Handel's Messiah. The image is taken from one of the private galleries that run along each side of the altar; which are generally not made accessible to the public. The concert went excellently with accurate and articulate interpretations from the orchestra, soloists and choir playing to a full house; it was fantastic to be personally involved.

Jesuitenkirche.

'Peter' the rabbit.

Jesuitenkirche.

View taken from behind the high altar of the Jesuitenkirche designed by Andreas Pozzo in 1703. This picture reveals that what initially appears to solid metal or marble fixings are in fact, more often than not, merely wood carvings or plaster moulds covered in a thin layer of bronze or painted to give the illusion of gold or marble. Clearly value engineering was in existence well before the advent of quantity surveyors; such is the nature of the Baroque, maximum impact for as little expenditure as possible.

Burggarten.

Located next to the Hofburg these gardens were created in place of the city walls that Napeleon partially demolished upon his departure from Vienna.

The glass houses were constructed in 1901-07 by the Jugendstil architect Friedrich Ohmann.

Upper Belvedere.

The Upper Belvedere; now an art gallery. The pavilion-like copper roofs are said to represent Turkish tents; a reference to the final defeat of the Turkish army that made it possible to build extensively outside the constraints of the city walls for the first time in the mid to late C18th.

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Detailed masterplan considerations. Physical routes establish a direct connection between the town and the sea and pass through a transitional semi-natural layer, structures are plugged into these routes, many containing functions that are at present primarily contained within the town such as artists studios, cafes, hotels and conference facilities.

This will further developed by:

Developing the nature of the transitional space and how it should be articulated.

Establishing a hierarchy of how far the piers should extend into the landscape from the town, for example some streets in the town are more significant than others and so the routes radiating from these could extend further than the more minor roads.

Define the materiality of the structural elements; namely the routes, piers and buildings. Synthetic, man-made materials could be used to contrast with the natural setting, natural materials alternatively would compliment the natural setting whilst a mixture of both would both compliment and contrast with the mixture of urban and natural areas within the site.