website critiques

This site is a very interesting, putting all sorts of images, news, art, and new ideas in japans’ art world and in other places. The site is very easy to use and with all links clearly visible and accessible to the user.

The images that are posted are very striking which makes the reader more interested in reading further in the site. This site has a very Japanese culture and art written all over it.

They have all sorts of publications about art, photography, architecture, manga, music and they are all categorized accordingly. The site basically shows us new trends and new art culture that is shaping the art in japan, and is also used to advertise artist’s artworks. (KP)

Sergisonbates.co.uk (architecture and Design)

The site has a very minimalist feel to it which is very interesting, comparing to the Japanese site where it is more detailed and more extravagant. The format and style they use for this site makes u feel the space and the simplicity of things. And appreciate and concentrate more on the single object that is in the space. They posted images based on their projects and installations.

They have been testing the materials that they are using in constructions for their projects. (KP)

www.muf.co.uk

I find the design and content of this website disappointing, even though the architectural practice interests me as it is almost all-female and gender issues in relation to architecture is somewhat obiliquey referred to on the website.

I find the the opening page unattractive and the choice of colour choices: a dull black and white photograph of a building, split to reveal written information; a choice of uninspiring blue text that is shaded differently three times on one page; red text for the address and phone number, with the

email in black and white. I find the overall effect quite ugly and the page pulls me 'down', rather than inviting me in.

There are five portals to enter, and on clicking the first 'profile: studio/publications', the text leaves me bewildered and confused. I find myself reading long sentences which I find hard to grasp, as

they lack rhthym and ultimately, meaning. What does the following sentence really mean: 'Access is understood not as a concession but as the gorgeous norm; creating spaces that have an equivalence of experience for all who navigate them both physically and conceptually, muf deliver quality and strategical durable projects that inspire a sense of ownership through occupation.' If indeeed 'access' is the key concept, then language access fails almost completely for me, and is in no way experienced as the 'gorgeous norm', whatever that means. It is also curious that on this page something called the MUF MANUAL is available for £15, and on clicking the 'buy now' button, the viewer is taken to a Paypal

Page: there is no description of the manual or anything about it-merely a request for money and instructions aboutpayment. I am left feeling that perhaps I am a bit stupid: am I expected to know what the MUF MANUAL is, to such an extent that it is not even necessary to describe it?

The Portfolio portal demonstrates the undoubted strength and expertise of the practice, although again the use of language in the opening description is almost inaccessible to this viewer. I find myself re-reading sentences to try to find meaning so elusive, I miss the point. I like the fact that the practice gives the budget of most of the projects, as this enables me to have some sense of scale. However, it is not possible to click and go deeper into any project and the photographs used are small and disappointing. In the awards section, although MUF is the recipient of a number of awards, again, it is not possible to go beyond the title of each project, and in the 'news' section( which is mainly about MUF awards), the 

invitation to 'take a look' at MUF's success in the European Prize for Urban Public Space, does not work properly.

www.lyancharchitects.co.uk

On first entering the site, the viewer encounters a subtle green background with the practice name 'Lynch' boldly written alongside contact details and seven key words to navigate; movement occurs through a series of photographs that quietly float on and off screen. There is a sense of sobriety and confidence communicated by the colours and font Lynch uses, and the tone and eloquent simplicity of the site communicates quiet, understated elegance: a feature of his architectural work and practice. As an onlooker, the site draws me in, and I want to know more about Lynch's work as an architect, designer and thinker.

I do not have to search and decode the site: it is the projects that are important, and they are simply communicated through a series of photographs, depicting a combination of site plans, models, drawings and pictures of completed buildings. There is evocative detailing in some of the photographs, showing, for example, people interacting with a building, or a single cup lying on the floor; the Princelet Street project in London's East End, reveals a ghost-like figure in the first picture, reflective of the shadowy historicity of the area and its origins.

Some of the sketches in the Non-Residential section give me hope: they are simple outlines, not too complicated and I follow the lines and the impressions in my own head; the contrast with some of the models is striking: complex detailing and subtle-lighting, again reflecting strength and confidence. And lastly, to satisfy my curiosity, a photograph of the architects themselves: figures surrounded by wood and materials, work and reflection in progress. (KK)

whatarchitecture.com

At first glance, the website appears quite inviting, due to the interesting presentation of information on the first page. The graphic organisation is quite successful in pulling in the viewer's interest.