450 Word Statement

MSA Application Statement

Manchester is one of the great cities of Britain; culturally, architecturally and historically, particularly as one of the primary engines of the industrial revolution.  In addition to that, the MSA is itself one of the stand out institutions in the country for architecture and it would be a privilege to be admitted to study there. The diversity of great buildings in the city is inspiring, examples being the late Victorian neo-gothic architecture of the John Rylands Library and the Manchester Town Hall and the striking modern designs of the Imperial War Museum and the Beetham Tower.  These are all reasons for my wish to apply for a place at the MSA.

Recently, I visited the Sagrada Família in Barcelona designed by Antoni Gaudí. It is perhaps the most extraordinary building that I have ever seen.  Construction began in 1882 and has yet to be completed but it has been open to the public since 2010.  There will be three grand façades: the Nativity (East), the Passion (West) and the Glory to the South (which is still under construction).  The interior is what is most awe inspiring with its 250ft ceiling held up but curving columns designed to resemble trees, along with the abundance of stained glass and the intricate working of detail along every surface.  The building felt almost unreal and yet what makes it so astounding is its size and the sheer volume of detail that truly takes your breath away.

My favourite architect is Norman Foster of Foster + Partners. He is the genius behind many of the world’s most iconic buildings of our generation, such as 30 St. Mary Axe, the new roof addition to the British Museum, the Sage Centre in Newcastle and the Hearst Tower in New York. What I most love about those projects is their trademark design using glass and steel diamond structures that charcterise each of those buildings. The precision and delicacy of the geometric glass design combines perfectly with the scale and ambition of the buildings to create a brilliant final result.

The building that I would most like to experience in person is The Hearst Tower in New York. The dichotomy between the older and more classically styled skyscraper base designed by Joseph Urban for the Hearst Corporation in 1928 for $2m, and the trademark modern steel and glass diamond formation addition by Foster + Partners produces a perfect and iconic union. Due to the great depression, Hearst’s original stone skyscraper was never completed; Foster + Partners completed the construction of their $500m addition in 2006, however, creating one of the first “green” high rise office buildings in New York and a building of outstanding beauty.