A highly organised and efficient person who can be relied upon, with previous leadership experience from The Young Enterprise Scheme and Boidus: Architectural website. His dissertation and final project examined urban regeneration and high density housing. A refined and simple architecture drives Mark’s design development to produce good quality homes that improve people’s lives and encourages sustainable living. Knowledge of low-tech materials, town planning and Brutalism combined with photographic, business and graphic skills make him a valuable member of any team.
In 2009 I was awarded my Post Graduate Diploma in Architecture and am currently seeking full time employment as a Part 2 Architect.
My dissertation and final project examined Brutalism, urban regeneration and high density housing in London. I hope to put this specialist knowledge into practice.
I am part of the Boidus team: working on a website dedicated to architectural discussion, debate and promotion of small architectural practices. I enjoy writing articles and researching for Boidus and my main role is to manage a team of approximately twenty contributors.
I’m enthusiastic about my work and am able to direct this energy efficiently in an office environment. I have a qualification in AutoCAD and work experience in Sketchup, MS Excel, MS Word, and MS Outlook Express. I am also skilled in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, MS Publisher, Gain Hevacomp, and Adobe Premiere. I have more than two years work experience and am currently working for the design team of a stone specialist company as an Assistant Design Coordinator; I produce detail and construction drawings for sophisticated marble and stone interiors.
My qualifications include:
Pg Dip Architecture – London South Bank University – Part 2
BA (Hons) Architecture – Second class honours, upper division (2:1) – University of Plymouth – Part 1
BTEC National Diploma Construction – Distinction – Weymouth College
GNVQ Construction & the Built Environment – Distinction – Weymouth College
City & Guilds – Two Dimensional Computer Aided Draughting and Design – Level 3
Key Skills – Information Technology, Communication, Application of Number – Level 2
11 GCSEs, including: Photography, Graphics, Business Studies, English & I.T. – Grade B
Young Enterprise – Managing Director of a PLC – Pass
Photography is a passion of mine and I am currently selling my best images at IStock. I am also working on a Motion Picture Portfolio that can be found on You Tube:
I enjoy making physical models, during my final project I explored various housing prototypes through physical modelling and 3D massing models. I have a strong belief that models should be part of the design process – not just the end result.
I realise job vacancies may be scarce because of the recession. I would, if necessary, be happy to consider part time or casual work. I would also consider freelance work as a photographer or model maker.
To contact me directly email me at mark.ellery@boidus.co.uk or call me on 07971461101
To view my LinkedIn Profile click here
References and letters of recommendation are available upon request.
The critique (or crit for short) is probably your best opportunity to achieving a high grade for your work, but so many students work all night – right up until the final minute before their presentation that when it comes to talking about their work they have no idea what to say. I have seen so many good projects presented so badly that I thought I would give a quick guide to presenting your work well… but before I begin, my main piece of advice would be to sleep for 7 hours before any presentation, you may be able to deprive yourself of sleep and still function, but I don’t know anyone who can give a good presentation after doing an all nighter. Personally I think it is more important to be able to talk about your work well (even if it is not finished) than to have great looking work and present it badly.
Begin with the general and proceed towards the specific:
- state the design problem
- discuss the parameters / constraints and aims
- draw attention to your design process and development
- explain the concept
- show how the concept is apparent in the plan / section / elevation
After 6 months I am still pondering parametricism…
the ideas behind it are so good, yet something, somewhere niggles away, something in the back of my mind tells me something is wrong….. I just cant trust a design led by figures, numbers, and ultimately.. parameters!
“This unreality has infused architectural production, often finding resolution in hysterical liquid, fluid form at audacious scale- the kind of thing recently dubbed‘Parametricism’ by Patrick Schumacher. Displays of beyond human formal complexity drop out of the computational design systems employed in search for exoticism and difference- a difference demanded by the market pluralism of ultra capitalism.”
Sam Jacob, 2008. ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. Parametricism How Quaint.
I am wild about technology but not about technology run wild.Technology must be focused by the citizen for the benefit of the citizen; it should seek to secure universal human rights and provide shelter, water, food, health, education, hope and freedom for all.It is my belief that the sustainable city could provide the framework for the fulfilment of these basic human rights.
Rogers, R – Cities for a small planet
“empty vessels make the most noise”
This saying can be applied to architectural theory –
The glossy buildings with the flashing lights, high end technology and over complicated designs are simply screaming for attention!But they are only skin deep, they have no texture, material, sense of place, atmosphere, human scale, sensitivity or quality.They are immature and “flashy” – shouting for attention out of fear that they may go unnoticed.
The best buildings sit quietly along side them, safe in “their knowledge” that those who know about good design, good architecture, and well thought out spaces for PEOPLE will notice them and ignore the “sexed up gloss” that some people call architecture.
I was reading my newsletter from Personal Computer World and was surprised to hear that Google is to release its own Linux Based Operating System!
Google has dropped a bombshell with the announcement it is to produce a desktop operating system based on Linux, giving it a product to directly compete with Windows for the first time.
The open-source Chrome OS complements Android, Google’s operating system for mobile phones, which is also based on Linux. Not only is it the first desktop OS from Google, but its also the first Linux distribution with branding from a true household name in computing. This is a major boost to Linux and the open-source approach to software development, which has struggled to compete partly down to a lack of strong branding. The Chrome OS will beneift from being completely free, and designed for use with web applications, such as Google Apps. Google has promised that even on netbooks, Chrome OS will boot quickly, getting users onto their PCs within seconds.
I was just thinking about accidents and mistakes made during the design process.
Quite often an accident can actually turn out to be a stroke of genius, how often have you been making a model (physical or digital) and accidently put a column in the wrong place, or glued the wall upside down… Maybe your limited knowledge of some software has made you draw something differently than you first imagined it… sometimes making hundreds of mistakes is the best way to design – you explore ALL of the different options and then you can make an informed decision about which option is best.
And here are some other quotes, just in case you dont believe me -
“Accidents exist only in our heads, in our limited perceptions. They are the reflections of the limit of our knowledge” ~ Franz Kafka
“Accidents are accidents only to ignorance” ~ George Santayana
“There are no accidents so unfortunate from which skillful men will not draw some advantage, nor so fortunate that foolish men will not turn them to their hurt” ~ LA Rochefoucauld
MARK – I don’t have a singular escape but I tend to find jogging, cooking, clubbing and gardening all help me escape myself!
Going for a late night run: I love the streets at night, they belong to me and the foxes. Everything is so still and silent, I can clear my head, reflect on things I am doing, and, if the work is getting heavy I can take it out on the road, some hard dance music helps me go faster too!
Cooking: preferably outside, on the earth oven I built, or when I’m camping. Food always tastes better outside. When I cook outside it tends to be some sort of European style hot pot because doing multiple dishes can be difficult. I normally have some sort of toasted bread or sweetcorn too – sweetcorn over flames is one of the best foods to eat outdoors. If I’m cooking inside I tend to prefer hot food such as Mexican, I also like spicy Indian food and curries. I’m vegetarian, but this doesn’t mean I don’t try new things, I like to experiment in the kitchen and this normally happens when I am so busy with work I don’t have time to do a food shop! My most recent success was Jamaican Jerk rice, with black eyed peas, sweetcorn, and peas. It is quick to do and can be made of frozen and tinned/dried food – so its great when the fridge is bare! Its quick and easy to do and I found if you make a huge pot full it can feed you for 3 days
Clubbing: I love to visit the “Superclubs” of London. When I was younger I think the Blade trilogy really had a big impact on me! I’m always in search for new, big, banging clubs and warehouses especially those under railways arches. My most recent discovery was SeOne, its grimey, oldschool, and the acoustics are amazing, when Prodigy comes on I get a tingling down my spine! I’m a big fan of any type of hard rave, whether its hard house or dnb. I think “Matter” at the O2 might have to be my next discovery
Gardening: I love to spend my spare time doing something productive. Gardening is a great way to clear the mind, exercise, get some fresh air and generally relax. I guess I like gardening because it is a constructive hobby, I dont only enjoy sewing seeds, I like making paths, benches, trellis, compost heaps, earth ovens and decked areas too. I guess in a way I am subconsciously testing out architectural ideas in 1:1 models. Everything built or made in the garden is a mock up or prototype of an idea I have had. One of the best things about gardening is that people will give you seeds for free, then all you have to do is invest some time and you have produced some great quality organic food. It is rare that I am not doing something constructive, so gardening is the ideal hobby for me!
ROB – What do you grow and why?
MARK – Generally I go for low maintenance and “guaranteed” crops. I don’t have enough time to be tending to the garden every day, so plants that slugs don’t like get my approval! Pumpkin, potatoes and onions are all easy to do and don’t require much effort. Potatoes can even been grown from the little bits that have started sprouting – when you cut them off of a potato cut off a little bit extra to give the sprout some nutrients. Then plant in any large pot or container, and when the shoots come up keep piling on more soil, I guarantee you will get at least one potato from it, and just think, you would normally have cut it off and thrown it away!
ROB – What was the last thing that inspired you?
MARK – Kew Gardens – the treetop walkway is very impressive. I recommend it to anyone interested in the outdoors, architecture, or parks. Alexandra Road Estate (by Neave Brown) was also a big influence on me, I visitied it during the end of my dissertation. It is a very successful building and has a great impact on you as soon as you catch a glimpse of it. I dont think anyone could dislike it, even non architects know it is good. Every part of it works, right down to the refuse strategy, wich is often negelected by architects.
ROB – What is it about these projects that inspire you? How do these projects influence your work?
MARK – Well, Alexandra Rd was for my dissertation about Brutalist – era buildings. It made me realise that when the TIME is taken to consider ever aspect of a project it doesn’t matter what era it comes from, whether it is classical or modernist is can work if the architect really wants it to. Alexandra Rd was clearly designed by a master of his art.
ROB – Where was your favourite meal and what was it?
MARK – My favourite meal of summer 2008 was in my garden, cooked by myself on an earth oven. It is more to do with the process, the event, the socialsing and chatting than the food iteself…. cooking togetther and sharing a bottle of wine is a very important part of my life. Its a slow process, not one to be rushed. Fast food is not for me.
I love hot Mexican food and recently I did a hot sauce on a sweet plantain base, with corn on the cob side serving. Oh and the compulsory glass of good quality red wine!
I had a very good meal coked by a friend (which makes it taste even better!). We had Bruschetta for starters, then very good pasta with pesto. The wine to accompany it was great and the desert was an amazing Tiramisu with Espresso. Good food has to be with good wine in good company.
ROB – What is an earth oven?
MARK – It is an oven made of earth! Literally dug from the ground. See my earth building blogs here, here, and here. The process can be seen in my video here -
Or click here for the Full Technicolour Earth Building Video
I guess I was inspired at a young age when I went camping and one of the organisers build an earth oven in a matter of days. I saw it as an instant process, not something like building a house that requires time and planning. Building an earth oven could be done in days (or weeks) and more importantly it used freely available materials and was 100% sustainable, right down to the fuel. Nothing negative can be said about building from earth or cooking on a fire!
pots
Me (in the black and white) and my brother, my job at the camp-site was to light the fire every morning at 6am and keep it burning all day
oven
oven
Thats me in the green T-shirt and funky shorts!
ROB – Describe the point you decided to take up your profession?
MARK – When I was about one yea old I began building with duplo… then bricks -
Then I progressed to Lego… during which period I spent a month watching a demolition team take down my old school – literally over the road from my house. I was inspired by the dumper truck driver!
After this I moved to Lego Technic and Mechano (and Arkitex, Capseila, Lego trains, Playmobiel).
Then Citadel Miniatures/Warhammer (and specifically building scenery, model buildings and a model castle).
Aged 14 I began to design a housing estate for my technology project… at this point I knew this is waht I wanted to carry on doing for the rest of my life. I asked my best friend if he wanted to set up an architectural practice and he said yes, from then on I was focussed. I studied graphics and business studies at GCSE and have never looked back!
College – GNVQ construction and the built environment, then BTEC in construction, at this point it was obvious I would go to university, I don’t think I have ever stopped and thought to myself – “I am going to be an architect”, it has just been a natural progression – I have never considered anything else! I guess in a way I have been quite selfish, architecture has made me concentrate 100% on one thing – architecture. I enjoy it, I become engrossed in it, sometimes I become obsessed with it and it becomes an unhealthy hobby – I need to learn when to give myself a break and interact with human beings. I am nearing the end of my studies now and I am looking forward to becoming human again and spending more time with the people who are important to me – they know who they are
The holiday to Dublin began with a bumpy start, the main bus route to London Bridge railway station was at a stand still because of a road traffic accident, and then the bus terminated 4 stops short of our destination. After this the train to Gatwick was cancelled, but luckily the previous one was delayed so we managed to get that one.Even at the airport getting to our destination seemed doubtful: the plan was delayed by half an hour, for a while we thought it had also been cancelled.
Arriving in Dublin was less fraught with problems, after hopping off the coach next to the Spire we dived into the nearest pub for a pint of the good stuff (Guinness to those of you who don’t know).The drink was good, but the price was not – £9.70 for a pint of Magners and a pint of Guinness seemed quite expensive (read pounds as euros as the current exchange rate actually means the euro is worth fractionally more than the pound!), we assumed that because we were in a central tourist location the prices were higher than other areas.We later found out this was not the case – even in Tesco a singular can of Guinness was £1.96!
Ignoring our slight set back in the wallet department we enjoyed seeing the sites at a leisurely pace, a very talented street artist was finishing an amazing mural.
Then I dashed into the Guinness Store to buy another pair of perfectly comfortable boxer shorts (my previous ones were purchased in 2004!), eventually arriving at the hotel it seemed this would be the final hiccup in the journey to Dublin – it seemed they did not have a room reserved for us!
Receptionist – “When did you book it?”
Me – “Weeks ago, I have the exact date somewhere”
R – “What was the name?”
M – “Ellery. E, L, L, E, R, Y”
R – “How many nights?”
M – “4”
R – “Here you go; your room is on the top floor”
We breathed a sigh of relief, but I did wonder if she had actually found our details, or booked us in while we stood waiting?Either way, it did not matter and thankfully the rest of our holiday went smoothly.
That night we ate in what I then thought was the best restaurant I had ever been to (we later discovered an even better – Traditional Irish!).It was a Mexican place, with a small balcony overlooking the room, we were lucky to get what I considered the best seat in the house.The food was amazing and the conversation great.The atmosphere was playful – with bright reds and yellows everywhere and ornate lights hanging from the ceiling.It was the perfect end to our first day.
If you know me you will know I love quotations and sayings: so expect to see regular “unusual quotations” – I just cant resist sharing it when I see a meaningful one!
Some recent essays that I thought I may share with my readers:
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