Library Sky Garden, Birmingham

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On Wednesday my good friend Becky and I went on a nice little trip to Birmingham. We were on our way to the Ikon gallery near the river when we walked by this beautifully designed building. I have always had a soft spot for architecture and couldn't take my eyes off of it! A few moments later I realised that I had seen this stunning construct before...it was on a BBC gardening program and it was a library! Becky and I noticed people on the various roof levels and putting two and two together, there where to be gardens on the canopy's. After our quick and un-fulfilled visit to the Ikon we walked into the library and found our way to the top.

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The Library's exterior

The Library's exterior is a true marvel, it is so impressive. This postmodern creation was designed by architect Francine Houben who is renowned for her playful, human style. The building was opened in 2013 and has been given various architectural awards, no wonder why.

There are 3 gardens to visit in total, sadly we only visited two (as the 3rd one we didn't know about!); the 9th floor holds the "Discovery Terrace" which includes fruit, vegetables and herbs. The 7th floor has "The Secret Garden" containing bright and colourful flowering plants and grasses, and finally there is the first balcony with other go green plants. The aim of these gardens is to a) reduce the city's carbon footprint and b) provide some calm green space, where city goers can relax and escape the busy streets below. This building was given the BREEAM "Excellent" rating due to its sustainable methods such as the gardens but also including low carbon technology for heating and cooling, low energy lighting and water conservation systems.

Views from the sky gardens

The library's rooftops give great views of the city and provide a breath of fresh air.

As you can see there is a diverse amount of plant life, we found ladybugs and bumblebees all enjoying what the gardens had to offer.

If you are wanting to visit the Library yourself it is located on Broad Street near The ICC, and is of course free to enter!

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Becky and I

"The Art of Architecture" exhibition

Today I popped along to the BACC (Bangkok arts and culture centre) for a browse whilst I was back in Bangkok for a few weeks. I went into "The Art of Architecture" exhibition they have showing from the 4th of April all the way till the 29th of June. If you ever find yourself in Bangkok, I would definitely recommend the BACC as they always have some good stuff showing. 

Anyways, I was really impressed by this exhibition! The amazing scaled down models of some of the worlds most popular buildings where on display, and the craftsmanship that goes into them is incredible! Imagine trying to stick down 100 tiny people, I think not. Overall I had a brilliant time viewing and taking in the fantastic buildings, 10/10 would recommend.

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The Millau Viaduc in France

The London Gherkin

Building Prototypes

Sketches by Norman Foster of the London Gherkin

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The exhibition has multiple areas with a theme:

• Infrastructure
• Culture and Civic
• Urban Design
• High-rise
• Lunar Living (Stuff about being able to live on the moon!)

(One last note: I will try to keep this blog updated as often as I can, starting from today!)

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