Art Portfolio Two: Primary research and demographics/site plan

Yesterday, I went on a trip to London to learn more about a region where my building will be placed to feel the atmosphere of this place. I discussed the location in one of my previous posts, "Art Portfolio Two: Location, " which can be seen by following the link. Now, I want to visit this place to make sure that this place will harmonise with the design.

Shoreditch is a young people's region because 38% are single households, and 25% are families with no kids. Shoreditch have a small number of facilities for kids. But this region is paradise for young people because of The Old Truman Brewery with food markets, artistic events, pop-up shops, and bars, Shoreditch High Street, which has independent shops, cafes, and restaurants and a lot of Galleries. Also, this region is full of artists. The street has got a lot of gravity and street art. The contemporary art galleries and exhibition spaces make Shoreditch a place of artistic discovery.

My trip started from Victoria Coach Station and a way to the Shoreditch goes through the city centre if walking or using the bus, and took approximately more than 1 hour on foot and 30 minutes using any transport. I have never been in this region before, and this is a very beautiful place. While I was there, I took more than 150 photos and created a photo album called "Shoreditch" using the Photo-Pick website (to see the photo album, follow the link). This photo shows the road from the building location to the famous London Bridge. This way, I decided to show what the customers will see on their way to my building.

The way from London Bridge to Shoreditch goes throw the London skyline. In the region of modern architecture on Fig1, possible to see the view of them from the bridge. On the way possible to see such building as The Shard (see Fig,2) that Renzo Piano designed as a spire-like sculpture emerging from the River Thames and Irvine Sellar, the future developer and creator of actual design had an ambitious vision to create an architecturally striking vertical city incorporating retail, offices, hotel, apartments, restaurants and a public viewing gallery(The Shard, 2000)

Fig2

Fig2 The Shard

Also, on the way will be a famous glass building, The Gherkin(see Fig3), that designed by Foster and Partners. The 30 St Mary Axe(the original name of the building) became one of the most popular constructions because of its unusual design that some people associate with an egg or a gherkin. "The tower embodies a highly progressive environmental strategy, with its aerodynamic shape maximising the amount of natural lighting and ventilation to significantly reduce the building’s energy consumption." (Pintos, 2019). Furthermore, the building contains shops, restaurants and coffee shops. This tower is a small city on 64500 m².

Fig3 30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin)

-Furthermore, it will be possible to see:
-The Leadenhall Building
-The 20 Fenchurch Street (dubbed the Walkie Talkie)
-The Shrodetch High Street with modern architecture
-Lloyd's of London
-Leadenhall Street with glass business centres and restaurants

The best photo that represents the atmosphere I added to the album using Canva, and called it "The way" (possible to see following the name link)

The Shrodetch is a very unusual region; it combines Pop art, old buildings, and modern architecture. Near the location, place a new building with different private shops and coffee shops. Furthermore, down the street, there is a flea market and walls full of graffiti. However, in a 2-minute walk possible to see big glass skyscrapers and business centres. This is a very controversial area where different cultures, architecture and people are mixed, and this factor makes it special. My building will be placed straight in the middle of this circulation. Also, a constant flow of people through the metro will create a customer flow. I took photos from different angles where my building will be placed and combined them also, in a photo album that is possible to see, follow the link.

Furthermore, back home, I did a site plan of the location where the building will be placed using a MediBang Paint Pro(see Fig3). I decided to use pastel colours because, my future architecture boards I want to do in this scheme. Also, I used another colour for the building block to separate it. I placed the future building using Google Maps measuring to approximate understand if there is enough space.

Fig3

Location Photo Album Link

Photo Album "The Way" Link

Photo Album "Shoreditch" Link

References:

Crystalroof (2025). Demographics of Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6JQ. [online] Crystal Roof. Available at: https://crystalroof.co.uk/report/postcode/E16JQ/demographics [Accessed 5 May 2025].

The Shard (2000). The Shard: Inspiring Change. [online] The Shard. Available at: https://www.the-shard.com/ [Accessed 5 May 2025].

Pintos, P. (2019). 30 St Mary Axe Tower / Foster + Partners. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/928285/30-st-mary-axe-tower-foster-plus-partners [Accessed 5 May 2025].

Rafael Viñoly Architects. (2017b). Rafael Viñoly Architects. [online] Available at: https://vinoly.com/works/20-fenchurch-street/ [Accessed 5 May 2025].

The Leadenhall Building (2022). The building - The Leadenhall Building. [online] The Leadenhall Building. Available at: https://theleadenhallbuilding.com/the-building/ [Accessed 5 May 2025].