National Theatre Refurb

The National Theatre is my favourite building to photograph and visit in London. Architects Haworth Tompkins have been refurbishing the theatre over the last few years, initially adding a new theatre space The Shed which opened in Spring 2013. They have recently finished opening up the interior space with new restaurants and bars being added, and the final part to be completed is the eduction centre and remodelling of the Cottesloe theatre.

I was a little bit apprehensive of the new work as I was so fond of the original building and layout but the architects have done an amazing job to keep the feel of the original grandeur and brut of the building but bring it up to date and work in this day and age. With my photography I wanted to capture the exterior and details of the building with it's new areas that have been opened up and the new signage which is based on the original typography used.

Below are a few photographs from the shoot and the rest of the project can be seen on my website.

Comments

Photography of Ceramicist Jane Cairns

Back in April I had the pleasure of photographing ceramicist Jane Cairns in her studio situated by the Thames in London. It was great to spend the day with Jane and get shown the places she visits along the edge of the Thames which gives her inspiration for her work. It was lovely to see my images being used in her latest newsletter, which can be seen here .

Concrete Cambridge

Over the last few months I have been adding a few colleges in Cambridge to my Beautiful Brutalism project. Many new college buildings that were being built from the late 50's to 70's embraced contemporary architecture of concrete, steel and brick and many leading architects of the era were commissioned to design these new buildings. New Court, Christ's College and Fitzwilliam College by Denys Lasdun, George Thomson Building of Corpus Christi College by Philip Dowson of Arup and the History Faculty by James Stirling to name a few. I photographed the two Lasdun designed buildings late last year. New Court, Christ's College, 1970, has an amazing steeped slope of the students rooms with a terrace running through the middle. The rooms all have large windows that allow light to flood in and the use of exposed reinforced concrete is beautiful. Fitzwilliam College, 1964, has a very distinctive shell-vault like roof on the dining hall which is visible from the str...

New Article as Concrete Correspondence - Umbrella Magazine

In my second article as concrete correspondent for Umbrella Magazine I talk about photographing the little known brutalist gem of the Spiritualist Church, Brighton. An unusual designed building that really stands out, it was great to photograph and the church very kindly gave me permission to document the interior which is rarely seen. The full article and more photographs of this unique church can be seen here . The next column will be out next year!

JO UNDERHILL / STRUCTURALEYE

Search This Blog