Instagram Takeover 2021 – David Ralph
For week 9 of the takeover the baton is handed from surveyor to architect as David Ralph, Senior Architect, takes over from Ian.
David qualified as a chartered architect while working at GLM. With multiple demanding projects under his belt, David brings design flair, attention to detail and a steady sensible approach to the projects he works on. He is particularly fluent in the creation of 3D CAD models and Building Information Modelling while capturing the imagination of clients and colleagues alike with his quick sketches to bring the vision to life.
David trained at Edinburgh University, but grew up in Bahrain and has worked in the Alps so there is something supranational in his approach and thinking. From this multifaceted background David has developed an expertise in the fields of high end residential, tourism and leisure including the planning process for leisure developments in England and Scotland. Clients find David quietly reassuring and competent and intensely loyal to them and their projects. Over the course of David’s takeover I would anticipate all these influences and areas of expertise coming to life in his vision for the #WorldoftheFuture! To stay connected with David and continue the conversation connect with him on LinkedIn.
- ‘Up Union Canal without a paddle’ (Image : Above, Right)
It’s a fairly appropriate title of where the media might have you believe we are given climate change and the pandemic. Rather than forecast the future on my first post I thought I’d share a legacy story to steady the boat…
…As GLM barges in to 25 years, Maxi construction sails through 50 and the St Andrew Boat Club is rowing for 170 years! In 2021 we’re all pulling together to embrace the future of the union canal in Edinburgh. Who knows we might have a Rose st canal to link up with St James’ Loch on the horizon. - ‘Sponge cities’ (Image : Below, Left)
Take a stroll down this well known Chinese city’s Fan Lake Road or Fruit Lake Street and despite their names you won’t see any large bodies of water – unless it has been raining very hard, that is. Wuhan was once known as “the city of a hundred lakes” until the man made disaster of urban development separated it from nature using cement. By piloting a number of sponge city techniques they’re looking to turn the tide and give space back to the river instead of fighting the water.
Based on the sponge city principle Edinburgh should analyse all of the tarmac roads in the city and covert the less frequented tracks into to grass roads between parks, permeable walkways for pedestrians and possibly future waterways for public transport. The grass market could have grass or rose street covered in roses…
- ‘Staying young and the succession of an ageing population’ (Image : Above, Right)
Mobility and technology will have to take a quantum leap if we’re to avoid destination care home. Doc is a cool example of an ageing character who’s far more clued up on technology than the youngsters!
While working up a new build rural home as part of a 10 year succession plan it really drove home the need to design in a way that would accommodate lifelong enjoyment under any circumstance and let’s face it if scientists could just go to the future and bring back the flux capacitor we could all strap one on to our creations and run off lemons and manure… - ‘Loch e-scooter’ (Image : Below, Left)
A failed concept to Re-Wild Scotland with an awesome design using recycled barns, green tech, bees, rain water harvesting and generally letting nature inhabit the live-work unit however I’ve managed to recycle it for this post to draw your attention towards legalising e-scooters in 2021 so that we can all zip about quietly fuelled by clean electricity supplied by the office at net zero cost.
- ’88sqm’ (Image : Above, Right)
Homo sapiens need a space they can call home. While I can’t comment for everyone, I’ve shared a triple bunkbed in a cupboard in Val d’Isère while being fortunate enough to work and experience life in some mega properties across the globe so I’ve come to the conclusion that we need a 67sqm cave with 21sqm outdoor patch to call our own.
Everyone should be entitled to 88sqm of personal space in my future… depending on how you look at it thats infinite amounts! - ‘Bio-Φ-Lic’ (Image : Below, Left)
Is it serendipity that Φ features in Biophilic? The future of design for me is Biophilic design. It might be all we have left of the natural world in the next century so I thought I’d end my insta takeover with my favourite picture of the Glacier de Taconnaz taken in 2012. It worries me to see it retreat up the mountain year after year but I’ll be joining it if none of my previous forecasts work out because it’s all downhill from there!
Head over to our Instagram – @weareglm – and follow along as Eilidh Walker (Image : Above, Right) takes over Week 10!
