John McAslan + Partners and the dreamspace gallery at Adrem have teamed up to present an exhibition of extraordinary projects brought to life by the RIBA/ICE McAslan Bursary.
The humble ideas of students and graduates become reality through the Bursary, which supports the development of collaborative projects that bring about social and community improvements throughout the UK and overseas.
The exhibition will feature a selection of those that came to fruition, offering an insight into the diversity, commitment and implicit humanity that floods each one of them. Detailed drawings, beautiful photographs and prototype models will allow the viewer to discover a profound spirit prevalent in architectural research and experiment. The projects selected for ‘Beginnings’ highlight the opportunities available for social change, improving the quality of urban life and engaging communities in the implementation of design.
Featured projects include the provision of shade for villagers in Shimakeldi, India, by Craig Bamford and his team who embarked on a collaborative process to prevent villagers and saplings perishing from the fierce temperatures of the dry season. Nikki Linsell’s project for A4A was designed to promote the importance of conservation to Transylvanian villagers to bring about long term cultural and economical benefits. The One Year House by Asif Khan and Julia King presents a refugee shelter on the Thailand – Burma border at camp MaeLa. Inspired by a desire to help the brutal suffering of hundreds of thousands fleeing the Burmese military junta, Khan and King developed a flexible structural jointing system and ridge roof detail to improve shelter whilst complying with restrictive Thai laws preventing permanent structures being built on refugee camps.
This is just a taster. Some projects are architectural, others conceptual or social. Come along and see for yourself how individuals have reacted, and acted, to bring about improvements to the lives of those whose circumstances don’t always make the news.
The exhibition will run for the duration of LFA 2008 between 19 June and 25 July.
Sponsored by The Architect's Journal: www.architectsjournal.co.uk
For more information on John McAslan + Partners, click here: www.mcaslan.co.uk