I went to the campus again in the middle of today. It is almost ready and looking good. Some photos later. I visited the offices of Expose, the student newspaper. They explained that the series of reports and comment on the bookshop issue had come to an end because there seemed no way to reverse the decision and also students seemed to be accepting the new situation. So the new Forum will reopen without a bookshop although Blackwells are convinced the current shop is viable. It still seems to me a strange way to spend £24m or £48m or whatever number when there was a perfectly reasonable bookshop before the project started. The student newspaper will investigate opinion again at the start of the next academic year. After six weeks the temp arrangments for course books will end and perhaps the lack will be noticed. But the current portacabin has not been easy to find. There may be a new generation of students who have no idea what a bookshop is.

I will try to study more on Wednesday or later. There could be some good resources once we are allowed inside.

Meanwhile here are some notes from bits of cuttings that I have half remembered and just found

The Maxxi in Rome may be about to close after only opening a couple of years ago. Apparently financing the building is an issue.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/italian-government-takes-steps-to-oust-maxxi-museum-board/#

In an interview with the Guardian at her own apartment, Zaha Hadid had a comment

"The only thing about this flat is there's no kitchen," she says. How can she live without a kitchen? "Well it did have one, but I took it away. It was ugly." Does she ever cook? "No, I used to have someone to cook, but he's gone now. I go out all the time."

Is this connected to the relation of form and function? A YouTube clip has this in the description- "Zaha Hadid is one of the architects which is more focused on the form, instead of function. This type of designing is also known as Function follows Form, not Form follow Function."

My impression is that Second Life has a lot to answer for. Space appears to be unlimited but this is actually a fantasy, not easy to compete with through an actual building even if the design software is the same. Anyway, looking at the new Forum there is now obviously no space where you could put a bookshop.

By the way there is still an empty retail unit on the St Lukes campus where the bank used to be. (It would suit me as a bookshop as I live in Heavitree.)