UCAS number/Candidate ID: 1115139542
Architectural Portfolio
Architectural Statement
Studying at MSA would provide me with the opportunity to be
taught by some of the most inspiring influencers of modern architecture and
urban designers in the north of the country. Being in a city that boasts a
skyline that is decorated by the modern Beetham Tower, JS Bach Chamber Music
Hall and Urbis buildings – buildings that go beyond the imagination, yet
continue to give room for Manchester’s Town Hall and John Rylands Library to be
glorified together with other buildings dating back to the Victorian Gothic
era. The city has enough inspiration to wet any budding architect’s palate.
Therefore, I feel that studying at MSA will give me the authentic, first-hand
experience and insight required to understand the true merits of architecture. I’m
drawn to this design-based course, which will equip me to become an exceptional
urban designer and to understand the theory and defining principles that make a
building outstanding.
Last year, I visited Dubai and saw a glimpse of what can be accomplished with speed, design and ambition. The Burj Khalifa defines the city with its structure inspired by the regional Hymenocallis desert flower – a perfect metaphor signifying both heritage and identity. The periodic indents in the branches give uniqueness and the illusion of three lines of symmetry. The building facade comprises of glass and steel, emulating the natural curves of the desert flower whilst also showcasing construction and engineering ingenuity. I feel the building is an architectural masterpiece as it has transformed Dubai as a centre of contemporary design – bringing the east to west.
I am inspired by the work of architect Rem Koolhaas. He has been and remains an extremely influential architect of today, fusing theory with design. I admire his strong lines and abstract designs, which often run completely against the surroundings, as is the case with the Chinese Central Television HQ building in Beijing. His strong understanding of the theory and art form behind architecture is something I admire and want to follow in my work. He is an architect that has not only influenced the design of some modern buildings we see today but also an architect who makes us ask the questions about what it is we are designing and how can we leave a legacy.
The Transparent Factory in Dresden is a building defined by an abstract structure and exquisite use of steel and glass. It brings simplicity and beauty – uncomplicatedly simple yet profound and breathtaking. I want to visit this building to experience how it perfectly follows no rhythm and how the structure simulates a wall of mirrors. It is a building that flawlessly fits its purpose yet has the ability to provide an experience in itself.
Last year, I visited Dubai and saw a glimpse of what can be accomplished with speed, design and ambition. The Burj Khalifa defines the city with its structure inspired by the regional Hymenocallis desert flower – a perfect metaphor signifying both heritage and identity. The periodic indents in the branches give uniqueness and the illusion of three lines of symmetry. The building facade comprises of glass and steel, emulating the natural curves of the desert flower whilst also showcasing construction and engineering ingenuity. I feel the building is an architectural masterpiece as it has transformed Dubai as a centre of contemporary design – bringing the east to west.
I am inspired by the work of architect Rem Koolhaas. He has been and remains an extremely influential architect of today, fusing theory with design. I admire his strong lines and abstract designs, which often run completely against the surroundings, as is the case with the Chinese Central Television HQ building in Beijing. His strong understanding of the theory and art form behind architecture is something I admire and want to follow in my work. He is an architect that has not only influenced the design of some modern buildings we see today but also an architect who makes us ask the questions about what it is we are designing and how can we leave a legacy.
The Transparent Factory in Dresden is a building defined by an abstract structure and exquisite use of steel and glass. It brings simplicity and beauty – uncomplicatedly simple yet profound and breathtaking. I want to visit this building to experience how it perfectly follows no rhythm and how the structure simulates a wall of mirrors. It is a building that flawlessly fits its purpose yet has the ability to provide an experience in itself.
Architectural Portfolio
(Top) - "The Transparent Building" in Dresden, Germany. Dry-point etching, a building I would like to visit.
(Bottom) - "Burj Al Arab" in Dubai, UAE, from Dubai personal project. Pen drawing, sketch of a urban landscape.
(Above) - "Burj Khalifa" in Dubai, UAE, from Dubai personal project. Oil painting, painting of Dubai's city scape.
(Top) - "Bogota" in Bogota, Columbia, from GCSE landscape project. Pen and ink-wash of an urban landscape.
(Bottom) - "Linton" in North Yorkshire, UK, from GCSE landscape project. Pen and watercolour from direct observation.
(Left) - "Steel and Glass interior", from personal project. Dry-point etching.
(Right) - "Simple lines interior" from GCSE. Acrylics painting from photo.
(Above) - "Church" from inspiration and real life, from personal project, finished in charcoal.
(Above) - "Mirrored Building", Leeds, UK, from personal project. In watercolours from photo and direct observation.
(Left) - "Fictional landscape", from GCSE landscape project. Oil painting from imagination.
(Right) - "Gloomy urban", from GCSE landscape project. Oil painting from imagination.
(Above) - "Creative", from personal project. Photo screen prints in unusual colours.
(Above) "The Abandoned Car", Leeds from personal project. As well as preparation board done in various media and final art work done in oils.
(Above) "Victims of War", from personal project. Oil painting done showing a blind father and son.
(Above) - "Collective sketchbook work", from personal project. Done in pencil and watercolours.
(Above) - "The Iron Station", from personal project. A four colour lino print with inspiration from various iron structures.
