Guest blog post written by Joe Bradley, all images appear with his permission, thanks Joe!
Joe Bradley
University: University of Cambridge - Christ's College
Insurance: University of Sheffield
I left Thomas Rotherham in June 2013 and
was lucky enough to be given an offer to read Architecture at The University of
Cambridge starting in October.
The course at TRC is perfectly suited
for the architecture degree down here in Cambridge, as the general majority all
studied art in a traditional (not TRC) way, or even not at all! This means that
through all of the coffee grains, plaster-covered clothes and years of being a
'skip-rat', we've been allowed to develop these skills that, to be fair, are
nothing like I’ve seen in studio so far, and the tutors love it. One example is
when we were asked to create concept model of our idea. Other students came in
with foamboard models of small room-like structures. I came in with a piece
that was a bicycle wheel (I skip hunted for that little gem), with a stool
stuck through the spokes to represent the 'sudden jarring of movement'. The
tutors here are really into the TRC way of thinking, and it's only until I got
here that I realised how lucky TRC students are with the amount of different
materials that are available and encouraged to be used.
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Concept
model that formed the start of project 2
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Foamboard
model of section of the Faculty of Architecture, Cambridge – 1:50
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Foamboard
and Kraftboard model, 1:50 – project 2
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We
still do weird and wacky concept models like at TRC, like this plaster cast I
did
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Final
review table – project 2 (model based)
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The course is built up with 8 different
classes, with 7 exams at the end. Usually we have one lecture in each class per
week, which some lecturers decide to follow up with supervisions. These are
little meetings of 4-5 students maximum, with the lecturer, where you have the
opportunity to discuss things spoken about in the lecture. These supervisions
are a really good thing if you're not someone who is particularly up for
speaking in front of a full lecture room (me). So far, all the lecturers are
really cool and are so interesting and willing to help if ever there are any
queries you have. The main class is 'studio'. You don't have an exam in it, but
you have to put a portfolio together at the end of the year to present the
project work that you have done.
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A
shot of the architecture family after a formal dinner in St. John’s
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The studio section is a lot of work and
does take up loads of time, but it's definitely the most rewarding of any of my
work. You are given a brief, slowly fed information, and 4 weeks later, you
have a final proposal of an architectural development. It moves very quickly so
you have to be motivated, but the feeling you do get in your final review of
the project, when recognised architects are praising your ideas, is amazing.
Also, reviews tend to lead to a BIG night out after, which gives way to some
good stories getting thrown about in studio.
Before I got to uni, I was dead set on
being an architect, but now I’ve seen the possibilities of where this degree
could take me, it’s opened my eyes to things like architectural photography and
architectural historians amongst other careers. This said, I still really want
to be an architect.
I was really nervous and apprehensive about going to uni. I
thought "wow, I did it! This is
amazing!", but then I thought of all the stereotypes that came with
Cambridge. Once I got there, it took me all of about 10 minutes to realise that
people are just people no matter of their background or history, and to be
honest, people love the Northern vibes. If you’re ever thinking of applying for
Cambridge, please do not hesitate for the reasons I did. I wish I had somebody
to tell me that all of the ‘everybody
wears a suit 24/7’, ‘caviar for
breakfast, dinner and tea’ and ‘forget
mates, it’s all about work now’ were all rubbish. I’ve had a laugh every
second of my first term, and there’s not been a day go by where I haven’t
looked round and been amazed by at least one thing, whether it be the history
of a building I’m in, having a pint with Jesse Jackson or walking into the
toilets and talking to Tim Vine in the next urinal while absolutely off my
face. It is truly amazing,
don’t turn down the opportunity of Cambridge if it’s ever a possibility. Apply,
you never know.
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Yes.
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| A steady pint with Tim Vine |
As for
architecture, I think it’s a really good course if you have a lot of interests.
I have so far read up on art, history and maths, but then sociology,
psychology, geography, psychogeography (nope, I didn’t know either),
philosophy, economics, biology, chemistry, engineering, English, basically
everything. It has such a broad spectrum, which means it can never get
stagnant, because there’s so much that can be thought about. If you are
seriously considering architecture, pursue it.
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Christmas
dinner with the boys at Christ’s
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