I decided to sketch this stairway, because after walking around newton and Arkwright, I didn't find any other hand rails like this, for example, if you look at the hand rail in the background of the above photo, its a much less attractive, wooden one.
There appears to be 2 different types of marble on this staircase. firstly, there is the very dark, black marble used as the actual hand rail. this is very smooth, so its nice to touch and hold when walking down the stairs. it is however very big, and impossible to wrap your hand round, which it could be argued wouldn't offer someone, such as an elderly person, who would actually use the hand rail the correct support.
Beneath are pillars supporting the hand rail. these, also made of marble are a mix of browns, looking very earthy, and again are cut smooth and shiny.
I like the choice of material for this hand rail, and I think it has a very robust and powerful feel too it.
The next sketch I decided to do is the floor on the entrance of the Arkwright building. As you can see at the bottom of the photo, the slabs are very smooth, and plain. However, above are unusual slabs that are not cut smooth, and are almost ridged like wet sand. This effect I think gives the room a rustic feel, making the building feel old and worn. Although this may not be the case as we know the building was severely bombed during the war, the slabs could be from the original build, and if not, they serve there purpose in trying to make the building feel like it used too.
Thirdly, I found the use of the stone in this archway interesting, and the way it connects with the brick. Its a very large arch way, and is right next to the large marble hand rail I sketched in my first sketch. Having these 2 rather large features so close together, combined with the very high ceilings almost makes me feel like the building was made for giants.
The stone used around the arch is a very dark brown, and it appears its corners/edges have been cut of, either making it safer, more aesthetic or preventing cracks and chips appear on the stone, if an edge was to get hit. Either way the stone is cut in a similar shape to the stair rail, giving me the opinion they are both original, where designed to be together, and neither are modifications to the building. This dark brown contrasts with the brick, which has been painted in a white paint. I believe this would be to create a light and airy atmosphere in the room, as there is limited light, but it also compliments the brown stone.
Walking through into the newton building, its hard not to notice the enormous glass roof suspended above your head. The entirety of the room feels very light, clean and spacious because of this, in contrast with the white, shiny, marble floor reflecting light around the room. The choice of using glass as a material for the roof is a very effective energy saving technique, as very little powered lighting will need to be used. However, I'm sure there are complications with the escape of heat during the winter, or when the sun is not shining down on the glass roof. Heat is less important in this sort of room, as people generally wont settle in this room, and use this area as a junction to different parts of the building.
Finally I decided to sketch a Gothic styled window in the newton atrium. The atrium space is the area you walk through to get from the old, historic Arkwright building, to the newer newton building. it id a difficult task for an architect to join these buildings together because of the massive contrast in styles. however, I think that the job has been done very successfully. Although the newton building is built out of a modern looking, pale brown brick, the use of Gothic windows and older style is almost a half way step between the styles of both buildings, and allows the transition to be more gradual.
References: All photos and sketches were done by Matthew Parsons on 30/04/14
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