George Lauder Bursary - Week 10

Monday 3rd August

• Today started early again as I headed to Blick before going into the studio. We still needed some final materials for the large site model, so I picked these up before heading to Columbia.

  
  

• We then had one-to-one presentations with our professor to show where we were with our final projects and make sure we were on the right track for the final review on Thursday.

  
  

• I got some good feedback and had a much clearer idea of exactly what I needed to get finished over the next few days. I spent most of the rest of the day in the studio working on my submerged gatehouse project and trying to get as much done as possible.

Tuesday 4th August

• Tuesday was pretty much a full day of working. I spent most of the day in the studio finishing different parts of my physical model and getting everything ready for Thursday.

  
  

• There was still quite a lot to do, so I was mainly focused on making sure the submerged gatehouse model properly showed my final idea.

  
  

• It was another late day in the studio before eventually getting some food and heading back to the accommodation.

Wednesday 5th August

• Today was the final full day before the review, so again I spent pretty much the entire day working.

  
  

• I finished off my physical model and made sure all of the different parts of the project were ready to present.

  
  

• After spending so much time developing the idea from the original prosthetic device, it was good to finally see the full project coming together. By the end of the night, everything was nearly ready and I just had to get it all set up for the final review the following morning.

Thursday 6th August

• We went into Columbia and got all of our work pinned up and the models set out ready for the guest critics.

  
  

• I presented the final submerged gatehouse project, explaining how the idea had developed from looking at the deterioration of granite with my prosthetic device into looking at ways the gatehouse could instead be preserved.

  
  

• The review went really well and I got some more good feedback on the project. It was a great feeling to finally have everything finished after spending so many long days in the studio over the previous few weeks.

  It was also strange knowing that this was basically the end of my time studying at Columbia and nearly the end of my time in New York.

Friday 7th August

• Today was my last full day in New York, so I wanted to make the most of it.

  During the day, I visited the American Museum of Natural History, which I had wanted to see because of Night at the Museum

  
  

• I spent some time looking around the museum before heading back and getting ready for the evening.

  
  

• I met up with the people from my studio group for some celebratory and farewell drinks. It was a really nice way to finish the course and say goodbye to everyone after spending so much time together over the previous five weeks.

Saturday 8th August

• This was my final morning in New York. I got up early, packed the rest of my things and made sure my room was completely cleared before leaving the accommodation.

  
  

• It felt strange packing everything up after being there for over two months. Looking back, I had managed to complete two completely different architecture courses, meet loads of new people, explore every borough of New York and experience things I probably would never have had the chance to do otherwise.

  
  

• It had been a very busy couple of months, but definitely an experience I will remember for a long time.