Gibbon's Rent

Gibbon’s Rent is stretch of walk that runs between Magdalen Street and Bermondsey Street that contains all sorts of pots of plant. It is a project in collaboration between the Architecture Foundation, Team London Bridge and Southwark Council.

Originally, the site of Gibbon's Rent was a street of domestic properties owned by Mr Gibbon. It is most recently recorded down by the council as being "Gibbon's Rent" which was end-product name to transform this rundown street to a cared-for green oasis.

The creation of Gibbon’s Rent is formed by designer Andrew Burns and architect Sarah Eberle and launched as part of the London Festival of Architecture and Cityscapes in 2012.

The space is stunningly beautiful and can be very quiet or very busy as not a lot of people of know about it or a lot of people know about it. It is a space used by office workers during the day, especially if it is a sunny one. I came across it during the weekend and not one soul can be seen creating a scenic and tranquil route.

It is maintained by Team London Bridge and St Mungo’s with the local community as part of the Putting Down Roots initiative. Different areas of the garden works well with some plants more than others with some designated areas designed to get the maximum amount of daylight or a lot more limited amount.

There is also a chance to sponsor a potted plant on Architecture Foundation's website or donations of potted plants are welcome at Gibbon’s Rent.

Star Log Entry 1: Covent Garden Christmas Lights and Seoul Bakery

London Comic Mart last Sunday were slim pickings with lack of stall sellers with slim pickings and even my friend who usually would buy truckloads of comics during the day only got a total of three comics. I didn’t get any comics myself and only got a few DVDs. After, my partner Ed and I headed straight down to Covent Garden after and marvelled at the Christmas lights in the piazza, which took on the theme of mistletoe - kiss kiss!

My birthday came this week so Ed and I went to Seoul Bakery which serves up a mean dish of Korean food. I’ve been going there for four years now and the food there never gets old. Recently, they moved from around the corner from Tottenham Court Road to Great Russell Street, following the expansion of the transport links. Aside from the amazing food that they do, they have a unique aspect that visitors can write messages upon their walls cementing fond memories and an added bonus of a memorabilia to take away from having a meal there.

Ed got me a colouring books for adults themed around cats. It’s said that they are therapeutic in a sense that it used for relaxation and stress relief. I have yet to do some colouring in myself but gazing at the cats on the pages can set off the cuteness factor!

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is a world-renown institute for public and global health dealing with dealings in research and education. It has a history of movement around London where it now resides at the Keppel Street Building, where it has gone through various internal renovations and improvements. The building was listed as Grade II which was granted in the 1980s.

The London School of Tropical Medicine was founded by Sir Patrick Manson on the London Docks in 1899, who wanted all the doctors to be trained in tropical diseases. The school and hospital for tropical diseases to Endsleigh Gardens in West London 1920. The Athlone Committee as proposed by the Rockafeller Foundation, came up with the institute of state of medicine that will lead the world to promote public health and tropical medicine.

In 1922, the Rockafeller Foundation funded the school $2m to take up residence in the Keppel Street Building. The building was previously bought out by the National Theatre Committee for £52,000 in 1913 to create a Shakespeare memorial theatre to celebrate the tercentenary of the artist, but did not come to light following the World War in 1914. 

The school came to be known as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, as it is now known as today, and was granted the Royal Charter in 1924. The foundation stone was laid down by Neville Chamberlain on 7 July 1926 and the building opened on 18 July 1929, by HRH the Prince of Wales. 

The building is built of a steel frame, which is the first in Europe of this type of building, and a Portland stone encased out from front and around the building in a stripped classical style. Another interesting design feature to the building is that it is built in a shape of a capital “A”.

The entrance to the building has the logo of the school which was formed from a coin found from Sicily featuring Pestilence as well as Apollo (god of music and medicine) and Artemis (goddess of hunting and child birth).

Adjourned to the balcony of the windows contain bronze pieces of animals that carry and relate to diseases such as mosquitos, fleas, serpents, ticks and louses.

On the reams found surrounding the building are names of men with pioneering significance to the field of medicine and Florence Nightingale was considered, but her last name was considered too long, even though one of the men’s name was the same length as hers.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine takes on many different researches and responding to combat diseases. Some of the research include Ebola and Malaria. They also cover a range of other topics outside this spectrum which include study of streetlights in relation to crimes and car incidences to human trafficking. The vaults of the school houses the area for insect breeding to carry out further research on diseases.

The John Snow Lecture Theatre can hold up to 300 people and can be split in the middle with a partitioned wall to create two lecture halls holding 145 people on each side. It was named after the epidemiologist Jon Snow (not after the GOT character – ah ha!), who came down to live in Soho, London in the 19th century. His studies were vital in recognising the cholera outbreak in London. As people collected there water from pipelines dotted around, he investigated if this was the cause of the outbreak. He went from door-to-door around Soho asking sick people of their symptoms and where they got their water from. Putting two and two together and found the source of the outbreak was caused by a water pump in Broad Street (near Broadwick Street). He fought until the pump was removed. “The Pump” can be found along the walkway outside the theatre on loan from the John Snow Society.

Two courtyards were designed so that it brought air and light into surrounding rooms. The North Courtyard was opened in February 2004 by Desmond Tutu. The 7-storey building is built into a glass atrium providing office and research space for over 100 staff. The South Courtyard was opened by HRH The Princess Royal in May 2009. The 5-storey building contains space for lectures, teaching, research and a social space for staff and students. The south utilises energy efficient technologies.

Just above the library entrance is a sculpture created by Eric Kennington with initial reactions was that it was far too rude. It features a man, a woman and a baby, all in nude. It has since had some cracks appear but they were painted over. Inside the library, the architects came to a decision that the furniture should be kept to the design of the original. The floor is made of cork with the walls kept to the original oak.

Tech Talk: Windows 8.1 - Charms bar

One of the new features to Windows 8 and 8.1 is the introduction of Charms, which in a sense gives that extra magic to the operating system. It keeps the interface move smoothly by removing the extra buttons away from the screen giving more room for apps and content so that it is clutter-free. 

It can be accessed in three ways:

• Touch-screen: From the right side of the touch-screen device flick in the left direction. 
• Mouse: Go to the corner of the right side of the screen, and depending on where your mouse cursor is, swipe down or up with the cursor. If you go to the corner of the screen with the mouse cursor and do nothing, a ghost shell of the Charms will come up.
• Keyboard: Press the Windows button and “C”.

 

The main display of the charms come up with 5 things:

• Search: Search through all the content such as apps, videos and photos as well as being able to define where to search. You’re also able to use it to search through the web.

• Share: Able to share files, photos and links through a varied channels of medium.

• Start: Takes you back to the Windows start screen.
• Devices: Able to connect to devices.

• Settings: Able to personalise the Windows 8.1 experience and change the functionality of the PC. It will also tailor the setting options to the particular application that it may be opened up on, such as bringing up a game app may provide an option for “Permission” and “Rate and Review”. 

Lullaby Factory

Having been volunteering for Great Ormond Street Hospital for over 2 years, I did not realise that there was an interactive art installation was there in the hospital. The installation being the Lullaby Factory. The installation was created by Studio Weave and was installed In October 2012 on the east side of the Southwood Building.

The installation is not usually open for view for the public and can be accessed on a tour during the Open House weekend. It can be viewed from the Morgan Stanley Clinical Building and the courtyard of the Lagoon canteen of the hospital.

Hurmurmuring Transmitters

A competition was held to create a new landscape or change the façade of the existing side of the Southwood Building.  Studio Weave came in with the winning entry which proposed a line of pipes and a plant that manufactured lullabies to the children who were the patients at the hospital, created a calming and soothing environment for the patients to recover in. The project was funded by GOSH as part of the investment in the Morgan Stanley Clinical Building.

They decided not to cover up the pipe works, which would have shielded the sun from getting in from the building. So proposed to add on to the pipes as well as used up the tight space, at some points were 1 metre apart between the buildings, from the Southwood Building to the Morgan Stanley Clinical Building. It soon became the Lullaby Factory, celebrating the quirks and oddities of the hospital and a re-imagining of a better version of itself.

Jessica Curry composed the lullaby which can be heard from the listening pipes of the Hurmurmuring Transmitters found in the courtyard of the Lagoon and on the radio frequencies on the Patient Beside Entertainment System.

The installation was awarded AR&D Award for Emerging Architecture 2013, Civic Trust Award 2014, Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture 2014, and a special mention in the Highly Commended Architizer Architecture and Art Award 2015.

The Lullaby Factory comes with an accompanying story. In 1852, the great, great, great, great grandfather of Mr Lambert Echo created the Lullaby Factory. It was created with two main compenents that collect the base ingredients for the lullabies:

• Whistful Fillment Filaments - Scopes the air for wishes (most important ingredient)
• Satellite Lilters - captures the “planetary music” of music and dreams that go undetected and is stems through into the Lilters as they sing with their “Lollips”

The Whisskissing Bristles captures the already sung lullabies in the air which have nothing to do and combine them together to form new lullabies using the idle lulls which contains the shared wisdom of lullabies through the ages. The Lullabuildser takes these combined pieces and perfect their forms.

The Pickled Picture Peeper allows views of the composition of the lullaby to check if the lullaby is perfect. If they are not, it is passed through Echogs which the lullbaby are adjusted by balancing the different elements. Sonorous Syrup are added to help build the dreams that eases the sleepies to a blissful sleep.

In the Serenitwinckler, Auranoments are added which gives the lullaby a magical flavour which are then elongated into a slow long form. Come out as small bubbles called Humabubs. Put through the Lollobubble Looper which is then stretched and folded into long looping lazes with its Concording Oars. Stored in the Amber Chambers ready to be used when needed.

It is delivered when one of the sleepies send out a Snoozesity signal, which are picked up by the Wistings Lisper. The Wistings Lisper releases a Fluentoots that pushes the lullabies out from the Amber Chambers upon picking up the signal, which are then delivered to the sleepy through the delivery trumpets.

The reason for sleepies often not remembering the lullabies is because the lullaby is sent to them during the moments when they are moving slowly into Dreamlands, which the lullaby helps ensure that they have a blissful dream.

#LullabyFactory

St Helen's Bishopsgate

St Helen Bishopsgate is a church that sits just around the corner from the Gherkin. It has a rich history of reconstructions and is very different today to what it was structured originally. Asides from the history, the church holds services on Sunday with up to 1,200 people. There are also regular meetings held during the week with lunchtime and evening sessions.

The church’s name comes from the mother of Constantine, the first Christian Roman Emperor. St Helen’s Church was mentioned in the middle of the 12th century as one of the churches in the jurisdiction of St Paul’s Cathedral.

Around 1210, Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s gave permission to a certain William to establish a nunnery at the north side of the church as well as a new church for nuns to use alongside the old church. The nun’s church named the Nuns’ Quire was 4 foot wider than the old church so the parish church was made longer to match the size of the Nuns’ Quire. That is what gives the present church the double-nave shape it now has. The arches and screen is very much the original of the 1480 build, except the timber is of more recent.

In 1538, the nunnery was surrendered to Henry VIII with the rest of the religious houses in England. By 1543, the Leathersellers’ Company acquired the Covent buildings and the land north of the church. During this time in the 16th century, the monasteries dissolved and alters within removed. There were no seats so everyone is expected to stand, which included the sick and elderly. The last Covent buildings were demolished in 1799 along with the Nuns’ Quire being assimilated into the parish church becoming what the church is now seen as today.

In 1874, St Martin Outwich, founded in the 14th century and rebuilt in 1796, was pulled down. 2 parishes were combined with 18 monuments brought in the church. The Merchant Taylors’ Company became the patron of the United Benefice. In 1922, excavations were carried out into the extensive foundations uncovering traces of the previous apse.

2 bombs within 2 years were set off affecting some of the infrastructure to the interior of the church. In April 10, 1992, an IRA bomb was set off outside the Baltic Exchange at St Mary Axe around 60 yards away, killing 3 people in the church. All the windows were shattered, the roof was lifted, the monuments were badly damaged and the organ was severely damaged. In April 20, 1993, another bomb was set off causing further devastation. These bombs were intended for the City but the church was in the path of its intentions. This proved a challenge for the Rector and Church Wardens, giving them an opportunity to re-arrange the building. Architect Quinlan Terry restored the flooring to its original medieval level. Modern lighting, a public address system were installed as well as a new gallery put into place of the old parish nave and Nuns’ Quire in the west end of the church.

Just above the balcony found just above the entrance inside, has a great view of the length and design of the church. You can definitely see the change of is restructure history as you see no alters, no hues, no pillars, very little stained glass (now only three 19th century windows remain) and the shape that is not based on a traditional church. The balcony also houses the Organ and its case, which were both built by Thomas Griffin in 1743, which was moved back to this original spot after the restructuring of the church following the IRA bombs.

This monument shows Sir John Spencer, his wife and daughter. He was a citizen and cloth worker who was Lord Mayor from 1594 to 1595. It was restored as much as possible to the original colours in 1950. Standing over the railings to the monument, you can see the preceding floor level before the restoration.

The covered Baptistry

In front of the dais is the total immersion baptistery which is covered by wooden planks. Many from different backgrounds (including ones from different religions) have immersed themselves in this pool as they pledged their faith in Jesus Christ.

The Nuns’ Squint are where all the misbehaving nuns or nuns suffering from an infectious disease would be kept for a duration. The slits allow the nuns to gaze into the church to view the high alter which once stood there.

The South Transept of the church was built in 1250 and are divided by two arches of the late 14th century. Following the IRA bomb in 1992, the glass of the Chantry Chapel windows were destroyed. The eastern section used to be called the Chapel of the Holy Ghost. In this section resides brasses etched into the floor with missing inscriptions. A log was made into the parish accounts in 1644 where an engraver was paid £1 and two shillings for “defacing the superstitious inscriptions”. This could be a reason of the prevention of further damage to the church in the midst of the Civil War or that the Church Wardens truly believed that the inscriptions were superstitious. Communion tables, remembering those who sacrificed themselves.

Communion Table

The church holds regular weekly talks, focus groups and studies during some days of the week from lunchtime to afternoon to evening sessions. Services are held on Sunday with a varied mix throughout the whole day. You can visit the church on any day from Monday to Friday morning or you can check the website to find a programme of sessions to attend.

Tech Talk: How-Old.net

The How-Old.net was unveiled at the BUILD 2015 conference, which uses intelligent API's to discern the age of the users' pictures. It was brought together by Microsoft and Bing under Project Oxford, which showed off one of the many facets of Azure.

The website subtitled "How old do I look?", detects the face and uses a series of algorithm in Face API to find the age and gender to come up with the penultimate or an even accurate age. 

I plugged Ed's picture in and came out with - ahem - 37. That's 10 years younger than he was at the time of when this picture was taken. As you can see from the bottom of the picture, it is still a work in progress as they group and analyse the image data. The images are not kept if anyone is worried about that!

It doesn't always going accordingly to plan as they've added 6 years to me at the time of when this was taken. If you're not satisfied with the result, then you get an option to "Get a human opinion" which may be more lenient (or less as I found out in some cases).



So what you have is a "game" where you try and guess the age of others online with you as they guess yours. What I had was a vast range which brought it actually closer to my age which I assume works on the average of what the users feel that my age of the photo is. This time it got me closer to what I was in the photo by 2 years off.

You can give the website a shot yourself and see how it fairs with you or download the app if you have a Windows Phone which offers the same mechanics of the website.

#HowOldRobot