This month, we celebrated our first full year at Spike Design, as well as cycle to work day. The latter has been a particularly big one for me, but more on that later...
I think its fair to say, we have loved our first year here. The arts, the workshops, the communities (the café!), form an incredible backdrop to our working life. It is a provocative, artistic, and “makerly” setting that enriches our work and practice as we continue to grow.
We receive clients, craftspeople, and students here: Always listening to one another, and collectively building learning, enthusiasm, and excitement for whatever we go on to do together. If Spike is anything, it is collaborative. If you are reading this and have never visited Spike Island - please consider this an open invite to pop in and see our space!
Through my work at the University of Bath, it was fun to see this year’s 4th year architecture students’ project was 400m from our studio too! There was some excellent work on show - very much stimulated by such an engaging site.
This past year has been a big change for me too: I have commuted to Spike by bike regularly right through the past 12 months. The excellent Bath – Bristol Cycle path is off the main road, snaking through some beautiful parts of city and countryside. Be they bright and frosty December mornings, or balmy July evenings, it is a pleasure. The ride is a good time to think of the day’s tasks, or design conundrums, or to just enjoy fleeting glimpses of jays, goldfinches, or foxes.
My bike computer says I’ve ridden nearly 6000km over the year. I definitely feel better for it- both mentally and physically; but more importantly I reckon that’s a saving of around three quarters of a ton of CO2 when compared to a commute by car. At least, that’s the heartening statistic I cling to, on those particularly cold, wet, and windy days…
Ferg