1480102767

UCAS ID - 1480102767

Manchester School of Architecture - Digital Portfolio

Essay

I remember gazing at the l'oceanografic during my summer vacation to Valencia, Spain. Comprising of 8 intersecting hypars, a strikingly thin roof surface creating a dramatic interior space, it is indeed a masterful combination of artistry and technical virtuoso, resembling a water lily, the aquariums shelters more than 500 species of wetland birds, characteristic flora, and marine creatures and the Hyperbolic Paraboloid shape of the building was overwhelming as it combines different curves and arcs. The Facade of the building was astounding, striking an emotional response, due to its sheer intricacy in its design and craftsmanship that creates the aesthetic appeal.

The architect that I admire the most is Antoni Gaudi, who is one of the ones who fused and solidified my passion to study Architecture. The works of Gaudi, of which ‘La Sagrada Familia’ and ‘Casa Batllo’ interest me the most due to the Modernisme and the Spanish architecture style that Gaudi has brilliantly implemented creating the eye-catching and picturesque structural form, and I would love to experience Gaudi’s Casa Batllo. The creaturesque resemblance is made strikingly apparent at night when facade glows and haunts with bone-like skeletal structures and dramatic shadows. There are embedded and semi-concealed religious images and texts planted in the upper levels of the building, as well as in the small details around the facade.

I believe that a majority of global issues, those of limited space and accumulation of waste, in particular, may be solved by a sustainable architecture based on environmental considerations. I am drawn to the architecture course at the Manchester School of Architecture as I strongly feel that the course combines and balances form and function of the building, providing a functional design to the users. The supportive community of Manchester School of Architecture will give me the opportunity to push my boundaries of the field and to extend my abilities in exciting new directions. Moreover, I will benefit from the facilities of both Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester empowering me to explore more into the architectural solutions for global issues.