Colombia

The results from the Recession,...

As many of you might know,at the beggining of February, F+P had to made redundant many people, around 400. The company has closed the Berlin and the Istanbul office and got rid of so my friends of mine, what is very sad,...
Now most of them have left the country, some of them found a new job, and some of them are still looking for something else,..
I want to wish the best for all of them.
We miss you!!!

Andres's Farewell

Friday was the last day of Andrés in the office,.. was something that we were not expecting so we all were quite sad about it,... He really did a great job on the project and I enjoyed a lot working with him!
I wish he will have a good time now coming back to the university!

We will all miss him a lot!!!

Yesterday I've finally met with Betty, it's umbelievable how difficult is to meet with people in London!!! We went together to visit an exhibition about Palladio in the Royal Academy of Arts, and after, dinner with 3 argentinians around Gloucester Road, such a nice risoto I ate!!! hehehe

Today is freezing!! it is snowing at the same time the Sun is shinning, so weird!!!
And in a few hours I'll go to see the Cirque du Soleil in the Royal Albert Hall! I'm sure it will be a nice experience,...


Here, almost all the people from my team who works in the London Office.

Graduate Show

Once a year the new graduates present their final project to Norman Foster and the Design board. It is prepared an exhibition and all the people from the office can see the work of the new graduates.

It is a very interesting experience because you can get to discover what the people from the other uneversities and countries does and see how different can be the approaches to architecture.

This year we did it in 2 days. 5 people from my team did it: the first day Richard and Go, and the second day, David, Huasop and I.

Back from NY and trying to find the time to rest a bit,...

9 days in NY > too many things to explain,...

- Walking, walking, walking many hours a day: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Coney Island, Central Park, Queens,...
- Visiting museums: Noguchi museum (as Gloria told me, you have to go), New Museum, Metropolitan, MOMA, Witney, PS1 (that included a big party)and Guggenheim (with a really nice Louise Burgeois' exhibition)
- Meeting people that studies at Columbia university: my friend Jose, Anna, Ignacio, Curro, Guillermo, Ana Maria,... and a long etcetera of friends of my friend Jose, most of them Spanish who where studying a master there.
- Having nice views of the skyscrapers: from Staten Island, from Brooklyn bridge, from the top of the Rock,...
- Shopping in Soho, Nolita, Noho, Century 21,...
- And having a lot of time to think about myself, my life, what do I want for my future... And thinking about giving solutions to some situations that need to be solved.

Non-stop for 9 days and arriving at the office on Monday morning straight from the airport almost without sleep,.. stay 8 hours in front of the computer and starting to feel the stressing atmosphere of the office again,..
Yesterday Go and me had to stay quite late producing 6 new boards with more options for the tower,I was so tired but at least I had nice company and I learnt how to ask, are you busy? in Japanese (but I've already forgotten,.. ups!)

Back from Dublin and working hard,... too hard,..

I'm tired,.. I waked up at 3 on Saturday, spent the weekend in Dublin, back to London on Sunday at 1 AM and Monday early morning working for the deadline that we were supposed to have yesterday.

On Monday at 6:30, already out of working time,.. I was told to build in 3D a new option for the tower, they explained me how they wanted and I had to do the 3D and rendering for that option and 2 more.

Yesterday I finished my work at 6 but I stayed helping the other people from my team.

And today,.. at 5 I've got a phone call from my boss telling me that we needed 2 more options for the tower, build the 3D, do the renderings,... After I've started that I've got 5 more phone calls from him (who was already in New York, where the meeting with the client is gonna be) and asked me to change everything again and again,.. so at the end I had to stay late again,.. 3 days in a row.

My luggage from Dublin still unpacked and my travel to New York without prepare, and it's not necessary talk about my gym,.. just impossible,.. This is not life,..

By the way,.. Dublin was very nice. Thanks to David who took care of me and walked around with me showing me the city and the surroundings, walking next to the cliffs, watching the seals. Some pictures of Ireland attached.

City of Justice presentation and AA party

Yesterday was the City of Justice presentation for Group 6 in F+P. The City of Justice project is the where I've been working since last September. Now we kind of finish it and we had to show what we did to the rest of the group.
I was so disappointed because of the way of organizing it,..we always have to do everything at the last minute, instead of having time to prepare the things properly. But at the end it went much better than what I expected, as we have very good people at the team. It was too long though,...
We were supposed to show all the process from the concept design until the detailing of each part of the building,.. so finally it wasn't a presentation but a lecture and I decided not to talk as I thought there were too many things to explain and I didn't want to bore the people talking about flooring, ceilings or toilettes,...So at the end everyone talked but Sharan and me,..
During and after the presentation we were drinking a lot of wine, and after the lecture I was talking with the people who has been working in the same project as me but from Madrid. It was nice to meet them and share some glasses of wine with them,..

We left the office at about 20.30 I would say,.. and taking some bottles of wine with us we went towards the AA party. We were already quite drunk,.. There I met with my friend Betty and she showed me her project that was exhibit. There we kept on drinking wine,.. meeting people from everywhere,... It was really nice,.. but suddenly my bottle of wine was disappeared and the university (were the party was) was closed, and the friends from the office that came with me,.. disappeared as well,.. Ups!!!
Then,. I decided to go with Betty and some friends of her to a bar (I would not be able to find it again,...I had almost 2 bottles of wine in my body,..)We were a very international group of people what it is always very nice: Malaysian, Korean, Japanese, English, Turkish, Polish, Lebanese, South Arabian, Italian,...
After that the bar closed down and we decided to go to a club but were being in queue the security guy told us that it was pack so we decided to go to another club,... but it was getting very late,.. and I started to be tired,.. so me and one of the Korean guys (that lives in the same neighborhood as me) decided to take the bus and go home,...
Such a hangover today!!!
But another party is waiting for me tonight!!! hehehe
We'll go to the Notting Hill market, after goodbye dinner with Betty and after,.. probably party at Will's place (a friend from the Erasmus)Let's see,..

Picnic in the Battersea Park with my lovely team/Good Bye Maro/See you Blanca

First Picture: Sharan, Natalia, Julia, Maro, Carolyn, Hans, Nicola, Binh, Laia, Verena, Stefano R., Marco, Stefano T. Juan, Blanca and Jennifer.
Yeah,.. the lovely people from my team,... Thanks to all for the great time together, you are all great!

We've just finished our project, and now is time to move on,.. let's see what is waiting for us,.. Competition? New project?,...we don't know yet,..
What we know now is that Maro is leaving,.. she is going back to Greece after almost 6 years in London,.. I wish you all the best!
In another hand,.. Blanca,who has just joined our team 2 months ago and is leaving now to Spain for 2 months from now,... She is going back to prepare her marriage, but coming back afterwards,.. Have a great time, a happy wedding and see you in August!

live Jazz night > live drawing lessons / Nit de Jazz en directe > classes de dibuix al natural

Sunday: Live Jazz in Ronnie Scott's Club, the most famous Jazz Club in London. Romantic atmosphere and great music with nice company.
Diumenge: Jazz en directe en Ronnie Scott's Club, el Club de Jazz més famós de Londres. Ambient romàntic i música genial amb bona companyia.
http://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/

Today: I manage to get in the live drawing course in Foster + Partners. After working, a group of 14 people with a teacher and a model during 2 hours drawing the light and the shadows in different kind of paper. Using black and white chalk. We've ended the lesson drawing 3 quick and expressive sketches, 5 minutes each. It was the first time I was taking lessons on live drawing it was great! I've really liked it! And we will explore different techniques of drawing during the following 5 weeks, so nice!
Avui: He aconseguit clavar-me en la classe de dibuix al natural que organitza Foster + Partners. Després de treballar, un grup de 14 persones amb un professor i una model, estem 2 hores dibuixant la llum i les ombres en diferents tipus de paper. Utilitzem el carbonet, blanc i negre. Hem finalitzat la classe fent 3 ràpid esboços de 5 minuts cadascun. Ha estat el primer cop que assistia a classes de dibuix al natural i ha estat genial! M'ha agradat molt! I durant les properes 5 setmanes anirem explorant diferents tècniques, que bé!

Nice weekend, with nice friends

On Saturday:
Sharan's Birthday. First Favela Chic with Binh, Eli, Juliana. There we meet Audun, Ida, Lavinia, Declan and Santiago. Good music, very crowded,.. some food,.. Sharan was not coming,... we contact her,... they couldn't get in! to late!!! The rest of the people was going to Hoxton Sq. Shall we join them? ok,.. let's go,.. a pity because the place was nice.
Looking for the Underbally,... we finally find it,.. ups! I've been here before,... such a remind,... Here they are! People from the office (basically Interior Designers) and more friends of Sharan from uni and school. Dancing, chatting a bit,... Time to go home,... Binh and me walking in near Old street. wow! such a nice club,.. let's go to see the toilets are here, and the flooring,.. it looks nice!
We keep on walking to pick up the bus to go home,.. and surprise,.. 3 guys walking next to us in the other direction and, Jose (from Granada)! I know you! ok,. Binh go home,.. I stay with them. Let's go to take some beer. We walk next to Liverpool Street. We chat. One of them is working in Foster, but I didn't know him. Of course, all of them are architects,.. The bar close,.. Ok,.. let's go home,.. We are waiting for the bus,.. mine come first, I wave and,.. Oh, no!! it doesn't stop! Fill de puta!! and I start to run,.. I manage to catch it in the next stop,.. ufff!!! so tired,....

On Sunday:
Wake up in the morning,was snowing..I was tired,..we don't know if go to the Marc's international lunch or not,..We call Jose (from Madrid) he was going and he was preparing a 'tortilla de patatas' to bring to the lunch,.. ok,.. let's go as well! I take some 'sobrassada', my flatmates some Argentinian wine and Doritos that we start to eat while waiting for Jose,...
We arrive to Marc's home. It's full of people and nice food! lasagna, pizza, meat, gazpacho, salmorejo, tortillas, spanish ham,.... Baylies, Pacharan,... nice music,.. nice atmosphere,.. Most of us architects,.. as always,.. but there was a cartoon animator as well,.. hehehhe
Suddenly I receive a call, was Manel, from Barcelona! he was in Liverpool street. I go to pick him up in Old street and he join the party. It was nice to see him!
The people is starting to go home,...A colombian guy tell me that if I want he can bring me home with his motorbike! wow! that could be cool! and indeed,.. so nice to go by motorbike in London, next to the river, with the lights,.. London looks very nice in the night,...

F+P masquerade party

Després de la festa de grup6 el dia abans (on hi hagué 12 hores de barra lliure i regalets de 'amic invisible), i l'entrega del matí següent,... Jo, amb les meves angines a punt de rebentar i la resta de companys alguns dels quals veureu en les fotografies, començàrem a preparar les màscares per a la festa, el taller de maquetes de l'empresa pareixia un taller de màscares, allí estàvem tots creant els nostres dissenys d'última hora amb els materials que trobàvem pel camí, clar està que hi va haver gent que s'ho va currar més, però nosaltres, darrere l'entrega no vàrem tenir temps,...
Poc després, un cop arreglades amb els ulls i els llavis ben pintats i les sabates de taló vermelles (pareixia una altra, ja ni semblava que estigués malalta, hehehe) ens enfilàrem tots els de l'equip, al vaixell que ens duria al Royal Festival Hall on començaria la festa!!!
Allí no paràva d'entrar gent, érem vora 1000 persones, tots ben engalanats, i cadascú amb la seva màscara. Còctels, vinet i alguna que altra cosa per menjar,... bona música, i per damunt de tot bon rotllo,.. La gent estava a gust de veritat,...
A l'endemà tot eren rises mirant les fotos del dia abans i recordant com alguns s'havien soltat la melena,.. hehehe Va ser divertit veure com, per exemple, el teu cap ballava 'la bamba',...
Un bon regust de boca després de tot l'estrés acumulat en els darrers mesos,...

Regalet de nadal!!!

Avui ens han regalat aquest boniquet llibre (doble, per cert) que celebra els 40 anys de Foster + Partners, i estic mes contenta,... :-)

Today they have given us as a present this beautiful book (double book) that celebrates de 40 years of Foster + Partners, and I am so happy!!! :-)


26/11/2007
Prestel publishes Foster 40

Foster 40 celebrates 40 years of Foster + Partners’ architecture and ideas. It examines 40 landmark projects, together with 40 of the themes that have consistently underpinned the practice’s work. Echoing the spirit of the architecture itself, the book is designed around a unique and inventive format which allows the content to be accessed interactively. 40 Projects and 40 Themes can be read separately, or they can be cross-referenced using the links at the bottom and top of each spread. A project may illustrate several themes; and once referenced a theme will suggest links to other projects, inviting the reader to explore and make connections back and forward between the two.

Two-volume clothbound set in slipcase
21 x 21 cm • 978-3-7913-3795-1
486 pages with 1200 illustrations, 200 in colour

Foster 40 is edited by David Jenkins and is published by Prestel, price £100.



Links:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Foster40Norman/dp/3791337955

Graduate show

Ostres! acabe de descobrir que puc escriure el blog des de la feina, ja no esta bloquejat!!! hi haura que aprofitar,... heheheh
Acabe d'acabar una entrega!!! siiiii!!! per fi!!! la veritat es que n'estic tinguen practicament una cada dia,.. pero be,.. aquesta era bastant important i ja ho tinc tot llest!

El dimarts i el dimecres passat va ser el graduate show, vos explique: El graduate show es un acte que es fa un cop a l'any en les oficines de Foster+Partners. Tots els nous graduats que hagin arribat a Foster durant l'ultim any i vulguin participar, tenen la possibilitat de mostrar els seus projectes a Norman Foster i els Senior Partners a l'igual que a tota la "comunitat fosteriana". Els projectes s'exposen en la mezzanine del 'main building' i cada participant explica el seu projecte al public, mentrestant,... es reparteixen copes de vi i cerveses per animar la festeta. Aquest any, com que hi havia tanta gent, va durar dos dies. I aci vos posare algunes de les fotos que es van fer,... i com veureu mes avall,.. jo surto a una amb el Norman!!! hehehehe i sense presentar projecte!!! hehehehe