55 Baker Street
This building used to be a department store but has been transformed into an office building. It has three glass in-fills between the building voids and one of them creates the dramatic entry. A shame we weren't allowed to explore more of the building apart from the lobby.
Artchive- Phillip Hughes Studio
This is a private art studio which was extended at the back of the building with a sloping glass roof. The bathroom is actually in the lounge room made from concrete and ceramic tiles to create an enclosed "cave".
City Hall
This building is home to the Mayor of London and deserves to be called a landmark in itself. As you can see in the picture, one half of the building is made up of a spiralling staircase that allowed you to see views of River Thames. I was lucky enough to go to the viewing platform (at the top of the building) which is usually only open during private events, to get a glimpse of the London skyline!
Container City
This is situated in a hidden wharf at East India which contains London's only lighthouse. The building is constructed out of ship containers to create a centre for the arts. This building was one of my favourites as it was creative and original. The wharf also had an awesome American diner that sold cheap burgers and hot dogs which I will definitely revisit!
Ed's Shed/ Sunken House
This house literally looked like a wooden cube at street level. The building is clad in a cedar rain screen and contains a vertical single window at the front of the house to create a 'minimalistic' look. My favourite area of the house was at the basement level where two large windows frame the courtyard, looking out to a beautiful tree (not sure what variety the tree is).
Hidden House
This is literally what you call a 'dream' home. This house has been featured on Grand Designs and was only completed last year. The house is made up of four levels and has it's own night club dance floor on the bottom level. It also has a 'wellness' centre that consists of a sauna and spa complete with background relaxation music. This house was innovative and inspirational in terms of what can be achieved in such a tight space. The house can only be accessed through the wall at the end of a cul-de-sac as it was built on a former neighbour's backyard. Guess what? It can be building from only 850k (pounds)... Bargain!
One Bishops Square
This building was not what I expected it to be. On the outside it looked like a normal office building, but it was the inside that really stood out. The building is a creation of Foster and Partners (if you are into buildings then you will know how awesome their designs are!). The building contains two voids, each containing a distinctive art installation. The first installation is made up of vertical flowers that move through the use of magnets and will open up when it senses sunlight. The second installation is made up of vertical 'curtains' of LED light bulbs. The main highlight of this building was the rooftop garden which has extensive views of the city skyline surrounding Liverpool Street. I can see myself working in this building...
Ravensbourne
This unique building is an art and design university situated in Greenwich. It is a next door neighbour of the O2 Arena. On the outside, it is made up of circular windows of various sizes and clad with metal 'jigsaw' pieces that fit the building perfectly. Inside, it contains interlinked floors of open and closed learning spaces. This is definitely one of the coolest university buildings I have seen!
Roca London Gallery
Unfortunately I did not make it in time to view the internal of this showroom but the outside was created using curved pieces of concrete. The showroom displays bathroom products so I guess the outside of the building was inspired by the rippling effect of water?
Village Underground
This was the first place I visited on my two day tour of Open London. I remember walking down a normal side road and upon finding the address I had to enter the actual site by walking up a set of spiralling stairs in a small courtyard. The land is actually on top of an abandoned railway viaduct. It uses recycled tube carriages to create space for artist studios. On the top carriage, if you look outside the drivers area at the front, it shows views of the surrounding street so it feels like you are 'driving' above ground. This building shows a creative and sustainable use of space.
30 St Mary Axe
I was very disappointed I could not go into the building as there was a 5 hour wait to enter. The queue was unbelievable! The building also known as 'The Gherkin', is a 40 storey office building in London's financial district. The building is distinctive and has a glaze dome at the top which shows a 360 degree view across the city.
For those people in Western Australia, Perth will have its first Open House event from the 1st to 3rd of November 2012. Unfortunately, I will be in Sydney during that time and I have heard the new Perth Arena will be open for public viewing!
I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to explore buildings I would never have the chance to. I believe the whole event allowed the public to appreciate architecture and their surroundings.
