Author: Keith

Post London

This trip was worth every penny and the memories will last a lifetime! Before the trip, I was skeptical on how much I would enjoy it because I had never been to a huge city that had so many diverse people and cultures, but I am so glad that I went. I have learned so much about the culture of London and have really expanded my horizons to further understanding of how other people from another place are so similar to us here in Columbus. I also enjoyed many of the sites we visited and was pleasantly surprised by a few like Stourhead which can be much more appreciated in person.

This was my first trip to Europe, and it did not disappoint in the least. I am excited for future travels and any time I may go back to London. While on this trip, I have grown to appreciate how other countries operate and have begun to understand how buildings and the environment affect people. London also has a vast combination of Architecture throughout the different Era’s, and it was interesting to compare how the styles changed but at the same time still addressed each other. London is a city I definitely can not wait to get back to for further exploration and discovery of the many hidden wonders it still has to offer!

The White Cliffs of Dover

For our free day, we traveled to the Cliffs of Dover. This particular day was cold, around 35°, windy, and snowing. To get to the Cliffs was quite the task since it is a footpath with little protection from the elements, but the view was worth the endeavor. The attached picture displays the White Cliffs covered in snow. This picture helps me to understand how on this particular day the Cliffs seem to blend the land above with the ocean below instead of separating them. The now is so white that the Cliffs appear a darker shade such plummets into the darkest hue that is the sea. On any other given day the Cliffs would’ve stood out against the sea and land as a clear divide, but it is interesting to think how just a change in weather/season could change how the whole scene is perceived.

Sir John Soane’s Museum

Sir John Soane’s musuem was a series of tight spaces cluttered with objects of Soane’s liking. The attached sketch helps display the closeness of the space. The sketch looks through one of the many small doorways to an adjacent room that can be understood as larger with many objects held within. Throughout the museum there are many moments like the one in my sketch where people walking through catch glimpses of adjacent spaces and what may be held within them. These glimpses occur through many types such as small windows, holes through the wall, or a doorway that someone cannot pass through like the one in my sketch.

Stourhead

Sketch of Stourhead from Temple of Apollo

Stourhead is a beautiful landscape We visited on Tuesday, March 13. The landscape was based off a painting and has a clear forground,, middleground, and background. My sketch is from the Temple of Apollo which overlooked the rest of Stourhead from the top of a hill. From the sketch, I began to understand the formality of the wilderness laid out in Stourhead. The sketch helps me see how designers began to think about different plants and nature and how to use them to create such a picturesque landscape. The sketch also highlights how the pond is a figural void against which the rest of Stourhead is organized.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

St. Paul’s Cathedral – 3/10/18

We visited St. Paul’s Cathedral on our first day in London. To the right is a sketch of the Quire seating leading to the baldacchino in the apse of the church. From this sketch, I began to understand how the baldacchino sits within the space of the church; it is incredibly tall compared to the rest of the furniture and is wide as well. The baldacchino sits within a domed space and could be understood as a figural object within a voided space, as well as a focal point for the church since the quire is leading up to it. The baldacchino itself also has a heavier presence near the top and a lighter presence at the ground level with more open space passing through.

Keith’s Pre-Departure Post!

Two days from today, we will be in London. This trip will provide a much needed break from my busy schedule of band, school, and work. I am overly excited to go to London and visit another country in Europe for the first time. I have been preparing for this trip over the past few weeks; I have called my bank and my phone company, exchanged currency, and purchased some much needed supplies from Amazon. I have yet to start packing though, which I will began to do tonight and continue through tomorrow.

I am excited to immerse myself into the culture and architecture of London. London is a very old city with a deep history not only in architecture but in all other aspects of society as well. I can not wait to explore how the city addresses this deep history and  how it has changed throughout time. I am also interested in seeing how the city of London may be looking to the future in progressing its Architecture and where building are going in terms of being designed and built. The city of London is one city I have always wanted to visit and I am glad to be going at such an early point in my life and career. We leave early Friday and I can not wait for such an amazing trip!!

Terence (Keith) Nielsen’s Bio

Hello. My name is Terence Keith Nielsen and I go by my middle name Keith. Im am a first year enrolled into the Architecture program. I come from a small village called Spencerville in Northwest Ohio (outside of Lima.) Some of my hobbies include; playing video games, building furniture, soccer, and hanging out with friends.

I am most excited about getting out and exploring Architecture first hand. I have heard and seen pictures of many architectural significant places in London and am excited to get to see them in person! I have only been out of the country twice to the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic, and I am excited to get out to another part of the world with a different culture. I believe that this London trip will be a good start for my experience in study abroad and I hope to go on many more trips after this one.

Throughout this class, I am also excited to develop my sketching skills further and experiment with other forms of art. I am excited to go to London and not only bring back pictures but also a sketchbook filled with my experiences. I can’t wait to get started and am going to have so much fun!

A picture of me from a High school concert.