We're now three days into the first week and the usual routine of Bartlett registration and unit presentations has begun. Though maybe 'usual' is the wrong word to use. It actually feels anything but usual. Since Unit 22 got decommisioned over summer a world of uncertainty has opened up. Comfort levels have been thrown out the window and the daunting prospect of ending up in a unit that you dont actually want to be in has started to look like a distinct possibility.

As always, the unit presentations were long, tiring and hugely interesting. Bob Sheil also hinted at some of the lectures coming this year, including Lebbeus Woods and Thom Mayne (a full list to be issued at some point soon).



So, to the units... They mostly stuk to what you might expect in general terms of approach, however for the benefit of those not familiar with the Bartlett, here's a brief synopsis.


Unit 10
CJ Lim/Bernd Felsinger
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Connections
I don't know these guys personally - our paths have never really crossed, but they seem friendly, hard working guys (most people in the Bartlett are). A couple of turn offs for me though: A lot of the work is quite similar which suggests a certain pressure to conform output to a certain style. Either it won't be appropriate for the project, or the project itself somehow conforms. Either way, it's not really what I'm looking for in my final year.

The field trip is a mystery which has to be solved be reading the clues hidden in the brief.


Unit 11
Mark Smout/Laura Allen/Anna Monrabal
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Field Operations
Anna is a 2001 Bartlett Graduate. Most of their students are ex-Bartlett undergrads (they used to teach there before moving to Diploma). They like landscape. Their 5th year is full, so they aren't an option for me.

Trip to NY for presidential elections.


Unit 12
Jonathan Hill/Matthew Butcher/Elizabeth Dow
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"Perhaps when you cut into the present the future leaks out"-William Burroughs
They like weather. Drawings. A lot of photoshop montages/collages were shown. They seemed like a friendly enough bunch but Jonathan is away on sabatical for at least the first half of the year. I had an interview with these guys today. I think we both felt that the unit's main concerns were not really mine. I worked quite a lot with erosion/entropy/weather/poetry/temporal architecture etc in Edinburgh (undergrad), so feel like it might be a step backwards. I'm ready to move away from that rather than back towards it.

Trip to Berlin.


Unit 14
Stephen Gage/Phil Ayres
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The Real Thing
Very temporal architecture. The unit is quite flexible but typically creates 1:1 prototypes/fragments/experiments rather than an entire building proposal. Lots of CAD/CAM and potential for electronics/robotics etc. Stephen has just been made professor emeritus so will continue teaching beyond his 65th birthday.

They'll be visiting Venice asap and then elsewhere later in the year.



Unit 15
Nic Clear/Simon Kennedy
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The Near Future Part II
They make videos. Really cool videos that are truly stunning. But it's not a building, so not really what I'm looking for as I try to finish my final year of architecture.


Unit 16
Simon Herron/Susanna Isa
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This sheet wasn't included in my pack by accident, but generally speaking, buisness as usual. Crazy, wacky, kitch with a critical edge etc etc.



Unit 17
Niall McLaughlin/Yeoryia Manolopoulou
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Very decent unit. They came across very strong and with conviction. I had an interview with them and it went well, but I'm not entirely sure that their methods of working are compatible with mine and vice versa. It would be an intereseting challenge to set myself, but I'm far from 100%.

Interestingly, they are experiementing with going anti-Bartlett this year and want to set real, unexpected constraints on projects so as to avoid the rather indulgent tendancies that have cropped up from time to time.

Trip to Cape Town.


Unit 18
Colin Fornier/David Ardill
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It's Unit 18. It's Colin Fournier (and there he goes again jetting off around Europe...). I get the impression from ex students of U18 that Colin is not around all that much and David can be a little hit or miss in terms of whether or not you gel. Nobody's fault, chemistry si important - but perhaps too big a risk for final year.


Unit 19
Neil Spiller/Phil Watson
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***PAUSE - I NEED TO GO TO BED BEFORE MY NEXT INTERVIEW TOMORROW SO WILL FINISH THIS TOMORROW***



Unit 20
Marjan Colletti, Marcus Cruz



Unit 21
Christine Hawley, Abigail Ashton, Andrew Porter



Unit 23
Bob Sheil/Emmanuel Vercruysse



Unit 24
Michael Wilhart, Uwe Schmidt-Hess