Friday 19 April 2013

Queens

A to Z Challenge – travels round Leicester with my camera No 17.



I’m going to be honest here – the main reason for choosing this building was that it began with a letter Q. It’s the Queens Building, De Montfort University’s engineering building in Mill Lane. For many years I worked for DMU (though in a different building) and didn’t take a lot of notice of it but going back to take my photographs I think it might be starting to grow on me. Completed in 1993, the design set out to be Europe’s largest naturally ventilated building. It was formally opened by the Queen who gave her name to the building. I remember we all turned out to give her a wave.





The architects were Alan Short and Brian Ford. Tall chimney stacks, which can be seen on the picture below, allow the building to ventilate the hot, stale air and bring in fresh, cool air and the building is designed to maximise natural light. They also recall the chimney stacks that once bristled from every house and factory in the city, although this time they’re more environmentally friendly.

The bronze statue is of Professor Kenneth Barker. When Leicester Polytechnic was granted university status in 1992 he became the first vice chancellor of the newly created De Montfort University. The sculptor was Sean Henry and it was unveiled in 1999.







5 comments:

  1. Interesting architecture. Funny...the first one made me think of a cardboard cutout. Thanks for another view of Leicester!

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  2. What a very odd building, incidentally, I was walking through the campus for the first time a few weeks ago and saw some strange architecture not unlike what you have captured here. After the challenge, I may have to catch up with you, and perhaps you can tell me what, it is?

    Good post. Thank you for sharing.

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  3. That's a very quirky building, I used to have lectures there and inside is very unusual too! Love your photos and the angles you take them, just wondering what camera do you use to take these photos?

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    1. Hi Mandy, thanks for visiting. My camera is a Canon EOS 550D but I only bought it back in November and I'm still very much a beginner. I have an EF 75-300 mm lens for taking the close up shots. They came as a bundle from Jessops who are alas no longer with us.

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    2. wow sounds like a good camera,I've got Canon digital but I don't remember the model number, it's quite old lol

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