Posted: December 12, 2011 | Author: Lorna Parsons | Filed under: Architecture & Design, Good Practice, Web2.0 & Social Media | Tags: architecture, practice, RSAW, stickyworld, web tools |
I delivered a workshop (of sorts…) to around 30 architects at RSAW’s annual conference at Chapter Arts in Cardiff on 9th December.
The idea behind the workshop was to firstly take a look interesting web-based projects. In doing so, I hoped to get delegates to see the internet as more than just email and practice websites. Amongst other things, I shared Mapumental, FixMyStreet, GoGenie, SuchTweetSorrow, Give Me Back My Broken Night, Tales of Things, and Substrakt’s BAApp.
You can view the slides for my presentation over on SlideShare.
I went on to explain how certain web tools are helping to enable community-led planning (based on the recent work I’ve been doing around Neighbourhood Planning) with Slider Studio. We looked at StickyWorld in more detail along with some other ideas that have come out of the study.
This was followed by an open discussion about technology in practice. A particularly hot topic was the idea of monitoring comments and feedback through web channels and how best to manage this. I would welcome any questions that we didn’t have time to cover in the session here. Use the comments box below.
Posted: November 18, 2011 | Author: Lorna Parsons | Filed under: Architecture & Design, Good Practice, Networking, Web2.0 & Social Media | Tags: architecture, conference, new media, practice, RSAW, workshop |
I’ll be running a workshop at the RSAW conference in Cardiff on 9th December 2011. The focus of the event is very much a response to the current economic climate and a broad array of speakers will address certain themes:
- As the recession continues to bite, how are emerging architects finding new approaches to winning and carrying out their work?
- How are the established players reacting to the new challenges?
- Are the old models for building architectural practices out of date?
- Do we need to look at new, more flexible ways of making design happen?
- Is collaboration the answer?
Having discussed with the organisers what delegates are hoping to get from the event, the focus of my session will be to look at new media and growth industries for ideas and inspiration for the future of architectural practice.
Through my afternoon breakout workshop, I’ll be showcasing some interesting and exciting projects from the creative and media industries to inspire delegates to think differently about their approach and service. I’ll be sharing my experience of using social media as a powerful communication tool and demonstrating practical examples of the ways that web-based tools can save money and add value to working practice.
If you’re an Architect or if you work in practice and would like a day of inspiration, I suggest you book yourself in. It should be a great day. All the details are over on RSAW’s regional page of RIBA.
Posted: March 21, 2011 | Author: Lorna Parsons | Filed under: Architecture & Design, Web2.0 & Social Media | Tags: architecture, Birmingham, John Madin, Lecture, twentieth century architects |
I went along with my video camera to the launch of Alan Clawley’s book dedicated to the work of Birmingham Architect John Madin. I also live blogged some of the event via MADE’s website.
To see a room of 150 people gather together to celebrate his life’s work is testament to the respect and admiration he has gathered over the years from his peers and those beyond the industry.
The book is available for purchase through RIBA Bookshop and Amazon
Twentieth Century Architects – John Madin from lorna parsons on Vimeo.
Posted: September 27, 2010 | Author: Lorna Parsons | Filed under: Architecture & Design, Web2.0 & Social Media | Tags: architecture, Birmingham, John Madin, Pecha Kucha, web2.0 |
Thanks to some sterling work from Jo Hardy, Birmingham had its first Pecha Kucha night on 8th September at The Old Joint Stock. Along with 5 others, I volunteered to present at the event – a showcase of short and snappy presentations. Take a look at Birmingham Pecha Kucha Night’s Posterous blog for links and more info.
As the theme for the event was simply ‘Birmingham’, I chose to talk about Birmingham Architect John Madin. Click here to watch my presentation.
I’ve been promising to share as much as I can about the research project that formed my presentation so here goes:
The 1965 documentary, Six Men, formed a large basis of the presentation.
I also used the Birmingham Pevsner Guide – the latest version of which has been written by local Architectural Historian Andy Foster. If you like architecture and want to learn more about the buildings of the city, I urge you to buy a copy of this. (I also look forward to the day when Pevsner Guides are available in full online!)
In February 2007, Adrian Goldberg interviewed John Madin about Birmingham’s Central Library and its proposed demolition. Take a look here.
In my presentation, I also mentioned the marvellous Project Brutal – a project to celebrate Madin’s brutalist Central Library.
There’s also a facebook group dedicated to saving Central Library – join up if you are so inclined.
I need to give a big thank you to Matt Dobson, Head of West Midlands RIBA, and Frank Brophy of Brophy Riaz Architects for sharing their knowledge of John Madin and his work. Nothing more interesting or useful than talking to the people who know the man himself.
I should also thank my colleagues at Bryant Priest Newman along with other friends and family members for sharing their thoughts on Madin’s work.
If you missed the event, you can catch up by watching the behind the scenes video. You can also watch the individual presentations from Rob Weaver, Stuart Garlick, Rob Annable, Andy Mabbett and Jez Collins.
Oh and the next Birmingham Pecha Kucha night takes place on 3rd November. Jo is looking for speakers – if you’re interested, let her know.
Posted: April 13, 2010 | Author: Lorna Parsons | Filed under: Architecture & Design, Web2.0 & Social Media | Tags: architecture, blogging, Lecture, MADE, Talking Cities, Urban Design |
This Thursday (15th April), I’ll be live blogging on behalf of MADE from the next lecture in the Talking Cities Series held at Birmingham Conservatoire at 6.15pm.
Obviously we’d love you to come to the Conservatoire in person and enjoy some networking opportunities with other likeminded folk, but if you can’t make it, then be sure to follow the live blog which will appear here just as soon as we go live (or if, like me, you are particularly forgetful, you can sign up for a reminder). If you have a question, either send it via MADE’s twitter account, or comment directly via the blog.
Talking Cities: Learning Cities
Prof John Worthington, Building Futures
Co-founder of DEGW, chair of CABE’s Building Futures, Deputy Chair for Regeneration
John Worthington will speak on Learning Cities and will refer to his pioneering methods of adapting urban and space planning techniques to meet the needs of the emerging knowledge economy. John is also Visiting Professor at both University of Sheffield and Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, and co-author of the forthcoming new edition of Managing the Brief for Better Design.
This event is led by MADE and CUDOS, and is supported by RIBA West Midlands, CABE, Arts Council England and Birmingham Architectural Association.
Full details of the event can be found on the events page of MADE’s website.
Posted: March 14, 2010 | Author: Lorna Parsons | Filed under: Architecture & Design, Good Practice | Tags: architecture, CV, students, tips |
These are tough times, not least for Architecture students desperately trawling through the RIBA Directory of Practices writing to every man and his dog in the hope that someone will be able to offer them an opportunity. On the back of a few conversations that I’ve had recently with those looking for work, here are a few tips for students (in fact, anyone who’s been made redundant) to make sure that your application is hitting the mark.
Firstly remember that practices are being inundated with applications so you need to make it obvious that you are instantly employable. Think from an employers perspective – an Architect running a business might suddenly find themselves with a tight deadline on a large drawing package. They need to know that you are up to the job, so good quality legible drawing samples are essential. You still need to get your personality across, but remember that the stuff you think is important might not necessarily be the thing your prospective boss is looking for.
Personalise the covering letter. An application with an anonymous covering letter won’t grab your prospective employers attention, however, spending a little time researching the practice you are applying to, perhaps mentioning key schemes that you admire, or explaining your understanding of their working ethos, means you’re more likely to get noticed. Flattery won’t necessarily get you everywhere, but it can help (don’t go overboard though, you don’t want to embarrass anyone!).
Think about the presentation of your CV and covering letter to prove that you’re thinking about the bigger picture, not just the fact that you have an degree in Architecture. A little thought about font, colours, graphics and layout will not go unnoticed. Make sure work samples are large enough to be legible. Low resolution images aren’t worth using.
I lose count of the amount of CV’s I see littered with spelling mistakes. It’s instantly off-putting. Spellcheck is there for a reason – don’t risk it, just use it!
Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback about your application. Most Architects have been in your shoes at some point or another, so will probably be able to spare a couple of minutes to chat with you about what could be improved.
Good luck, stay positive and keep trying.
Posted: March 7, 2010 | Author: Lorna Parsons | Filed under: Good Practice | Tags: architecture, blogging, web2.0, writing |
I’ve been getting my blogging fix over at Bryant Priest Newman Architects’ blog for a good while now and seems a bit of a shame not to pull some of that content over here. Yes, it probably is cheating so I’ll make it a brief summary instead.
My most recent post was based around the debate that I took part in at RIBA West Midlands. We were discussing collaboration in Architecture, but what I found most interesting was the continuing scepticism about using web-based collaborative tools. On that basis, I’ve written a piece for the next edition of Area Magazine, the quarterly newsletter sent to all RIBA registered Architects in the West Midlands, about the opportunities Web2.0 can bring to Architects.
The post prior to that was the day I unwittingly managed to get Bryant Priest Newman onto the homepage of the Architect’s Journal website simply by sharing a photograph on Twitter. Take a look at The Power of 140 Characters.
Other blog posts:
Web2.0 & Architecture - A day out at Hello Digital 2009
What is Innovation? - An insight into my stream of consciousness resulting from a questionnaire received from the National Office of Statistics
Social Media & Web2.0 in the Built Environment – Preparation for Be2Camp Brum in 2009
Too Tired to Tweet? Too Busy to Blog? – My first ever rant
