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May 21, 2021 in Architecture

Instagram Takeover – Sophie McLaren

The baton hands over once again, for Week 7 Antonio passes it to Sophie McLaren (@smcl_arch) who having been a Part 1 Architectural Assistant has stuck with the team through her final year at university!
Sophie brings creativity and passion to all she does – from watercolours for projects to technical drawings and sharing ideas along the way. In her university work Sophie has looked at the use of public spaces, timelines of mobility and transport in Glasgow and the opportunity for reuse of a multi-storey car park, to name a few – we can safely guess that this week with Sophie on the takeover will be quite a week into her thoughts on the #WorldoftheFuture. Have a read below and continue the conversation with Sophie by connecting with her on LinkedIn or following her on instagram.

  1. (Image : Above, Right) Our future cities NEED to be sustainable if we want to reduce the effects of the climate crisis. This image imagines the future of cities in the UK. It was, believe it or not, developed by Ben and Jerrys as part of their ‘Save our Swirled NOW!’ art series. They worked alongside The Climate Coalition and Serena Pollastri (Professor of Urban Future) to show how our cities could be cleaner, greener, and fairer by 2100.
    The three main design solutions they propose are:
    1. A clean energy revolution
    2. Flourishing green and wild spaces
    3. More resilient and diverse communities
    (Source: https://www.benjerry.co.uk. 2021. REWILDED CITIES AND RAIN ABSORBING SKYSCRAPERS: Ben & Jerry’s reveals ‘Save Our Swirled NOW!’ art series)
  2. (Image : Below, Left) I believe one of the biggest changes we are likely to see in the future of our cities is the change in attitude towards our mobility. Currently the car dominates our mobility but cities throughout the world are realising the disastrous impact this has had and are shifting the priority towards more accessible, greener and more active transport.
    The city of Edinburgh is no different one of their main goals outlined in Edinburgh’s City Plan 2030 is to become ‘a city where you don’t need to own a car to move around’.
    Do you think the city of the future can function without cars?
    (Source: BBC News. 2020. Birmingham cars could be banned from driving through city centre.)
  3. (Image : Above, Left) Living with the Weather
    One of the main arguments against introducing cycling infrastructure within Scotland is that its ‘too cold’ and that ‘we don’t have the weather for it.’ This was also a common criticism the council in Copenhagen faced when they first introduced cycle networks and pedestrian streets. Now, only 30% of households own cars and the 50% of people make their daily commute by bike and when it does snow, the cycle paths are cleared first, before the roads.
    (Source: Sim, D., 2019. Soft City. London: Island Press.)
  4. (Image : Below, Left) The Green Network
    By the year 2050 it is predicted that 70% of the world’s population is going to live within our cities. These cities will need to provide enough space for the increasing population and will need to support the physical and mental health of their residents.
    In Edinburgh’s City Development plan one of the key moves in place to ensure it can be a sustainable and healthy city is by creating a new green network that connects all existing and proposed green spaces. This is to offer people active routes through the city and to enhance and contribute to existing neighbourhoods.
    (Source:City of Edinburgh Council, 2020. Choices for City Plan 2030.)
  5. (Image : Above, Right)Managing Water
    The impact of the Climate Crisis is already beginning to show all over the world. For us, in Scotland, this is likely to be seen with a rise in sea levels. Much of our future city planning will have to include innovative designs to try and control this change, some of which are already being outlined in the City Development Plans. By 2030 Edinburgh is set to have identified areas that could be used as a green/blue corridor with nature-based drainage solutions that can adapt to the impacts of Climate Change.
    This image shows the plan in place for Copenhagen’s Nørrebro park which will be used to cope with the city’s increased flood risk due to climate change.
    (Source: City of Edinburgh Council, 2020. Choices for City Plan 2030. Ramboll Flood risk management)
  6. (Image : Above, Left) Retrofirst
    The UK’s goal for achieving net-zero carbon by 2050 will undoubtably effect the future of architecture and the construction industry. RIBA have outlined a 2030 Climate Challenge to take the vital first step towards this 2050 target. Within this report it is stated that retrofitting buildings should be prioritised where possible.
    The construction industry accounts for 63% of waste generated in Britain every year. Within this is the 50,000 buildings that are lost to demolition. Retrofitting these buildings could substantially save on embodied energy.
    The AJ’s Retrofirst campaign, has set goals to encourage retrofitting verses demolition and new build. These include changes to the taxation, policy and procurement of a retrofit project which, on top of the environmental impact, would offer real incentives to saving these structures.
    (Sources: Hurst, W., 2019. RetroFirst – A campaign by The Architects’ Journal. The Architects’ Journal. RIBA, 2019. RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge. London: RIBA.)

Head over to our Instagram – @weareglm – and follow along as Ian McKee (Image : Above, Right) takes over Week 8!

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