The Architectural Review articles from June 2008

The Architectural Review archives from June 2008

Keeping size in proportion.(view)
June 1, 2008... ROGERS STIRK HARBOUR + PARTNERS UNVEIL THE LATEST MAGGIE'S CENTRE IN LONDON; RIBA BOOK AWARD WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED; THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT TU DELFT BURNS DOWN; AND THE AR AWARDS FOR EMERGING ARCHITECTURE INVITE ENTRIES FOR THE 10TH...

Maggie's centre number six by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners opens in London.(HOPE IN HAMMERSMITH)(Maggie's Centre London)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At the end of April, Maggie's Centre London was opened by Patron Nigella Lawson, and Britain's first lady, Sarah Brown. Continuing the excellent work, initiated by the late Maggie Keswick Jencks, this new building...

Riba Book Awards.(view)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Late last month, in the Garden Room of London's fine Athenaeum club, the RIBA Book Awards were presented, with four category awards for Construction, Interior Design, Architecture and Architectural Practice. Presented by Sunand Prasad,...

TU Delft burns to ground.(view)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Having spent three months studying at TU Delft during my final undergraduate year, news of the destruction last month of the faculty's extensive building came as a genuine shock. How could such a massive robust concrete building fall foul of...

AR Awards-10th cycle.(view)
June 1, 2008... The AR Awards for Emerging Architecture are entering their 10th cycle. Inaugurated in 1999, the awards have discovered and recognised a talented new generation of architects and designers under 45. Kntries for this year's awards are now being...

The importance of being English.(view)(David Greene is the English member of Archigram)
June 1, 2008... David Greene is the quintessentially English member of Archigram. Not that the rest of us are, or have been foreigners, but despite those long-ago sojourns in Virginia and Hawaii, he creates, articulates, provokes, haunts, insinuates in that...

Urbane guerrillas: the historic reciprocity between culture and the city can help reforge architecture with a sense of civic purpose.(comment)
June 1, 2008... Millennia from now, when human culture and civilisation have long been scoured from the planet, a fragment of mankind will live on in a tiny probe drifting through deep space. Launched in 1977, NASA's Voyager spacecraft contains a gold record...

Grand opera; Oslo's new opera house is both a dramatic and topographic addition to the city's waterfront.(Norwegian/ American practice Snohetta won the anonymous international competition in 2000)
June 1, 2008... One of the most difficult projects of our time must be to create a monument to one's own country. This was a chief requirement of the brief for the Oslo opera house, so when the Norwegian/ American practice Snohetta won the anonymous...

Cultural levitation; A former power station has been reborn as a daring forum for art.(CaixaForum Madrid by Herzog & de Meuron)
June 1, 2008... Like the Tate Modern on London's South Bank (AR August 2000), CaixaForum occupies a former power station that Herzog & de Meuron have transformed into a showcase for contemporary art and a generator of intellectual energy for the surrounding...

Pragmatic composition; Tony Fretton architects completes its largest building to date.(Fuglsang Art Museum, Denmark by Tony Fretton Architects )
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Critics are not generally encouraged to draw comparisons between architects who appear to have little in common. However, such a comparison was invited by Tony Fretton, when drawing...

Corpus continuum; Wright & Wright's new library adds to a historic college landscape.(Remodelling of Christi College and build library in the campus)
June 1, 2008... Founded in 1352, Corpus Christi College is one of Cambridge's most venerable institutions whose alumni include Christopher Marlowe and E. P. Thompson. It also boasts enviable collections of silver and rare wines, but perhaps its greatest...

Shining brow, folded planes: Letterkenny's arts centre mixes big moves with attention to detail.(Building and facilities of Letterkenny Arts Centre)
June 1, 2008... Letterkenny's Arts Centre is an important missing link' in the urban plan of this sprawling town in north-west Ireland. The site stretches across a hillside that rises gently from a busy street, a hillside partly occupied by other recreational...

Peace dividend; Michel Wilford successfully orchestrates an exuberant addition to the Peace Palace Library.(Expansion of the Peace Palace Library)
June 1, 2008... The Peace Palace was designed by Louis Cordonnier in 1913 in a fairly elaborate Flemish Gothic style; it contains the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The new building accommodates a major expansion of the...

Tall orders, Putting commerce in context: Eric Parry Architects has transformed the ground plane with a dramatic addition to the City of London's heart.(office)(The new 18 storey commercial building at Aldermanbury Square )
June 1, 2008... Corporate buildings are usually associated with Modernist or High-Tech architectural genres because form must convey seamless corporate success. In the City of London, history and hermeneutics have generally been surplus to contemporary...

Office alchemy; Bligh Voller Nield has transformed a dinosaur into an exemplar.(Greening old office buildings)
June 1, 2008... Almost certainly, writes Frank Duffy, I should never have come across the Stockland had I not visited the building during a DEGW Workplace Forum event in Sydney last year. My Australian colleagues, who had worked on the project with the...

Energy matters; Energy considerations are beginning to loom large in the world of office design, judging by an AR organised discussion at the annual MIPIM property festival in March. The event was sponsored by Protek.(Market for international property trade conference)(Conference news)
June 1, 2008... AR/Protek roundtable Ken Shuttleworth of Make suggested there were two main directions in which tall building design is moving: 'One is trying to find a new aesthetic following new glazing and walling, something different, probably...

Bella Milano.
June 1, 2008... Catherine Slessor reports on the throbbing cornucopia of design invention and frivolity that is Milan. For more information go to www.arplus.com/enq.html 501 SWAROVSKI Paul Cocksedge, the talented young British designer who began life...

Transformations-the Architecture of Penoyre & Prasad.(MAKING THE BEST OF IT)(Book review)
June 1, 2008... By Sunand Prasad. London: Black Dog Publishing. 2007. [pounds sterling]24,95 Sunand Prasad's account of contemporaryarchitectural practice from the front line paints an optimistic picture. While conventionally underpinned by selected...

USA: modern Architectures in History.(BACK IN THE USA)(Book review)
June 1, 2008... By Gwendolyn Wright. London: Reaktion Books. 2008. [pounds sterling]16.95 USA is the latest instalment in Reaktion Books' Modern Architectures in History series. It's a compact tome tracking many stories that together constitute this...

The politics of making.(RESEARCH ANDTHE REAL WORLD)(Book review)
June 1, 2008... Edited by Mark Swenarton, lega Troinai and Helena Webster. Colchester; RouUedge. 2007. [pounds sterling]49.95 This collection is the third book in a series, part of a project by the Architectural Humanities Research Association and funded...

Colin ST John Wilson: buildings and projects.(COLOUR AND COMPLEXITY)(Book review)
June 1, 2008... By Roger Stonehouse. London: Black Dog Publishing. 2007. [pounds sterling]39.95 The dates of the buildings and projects described in this book range from 1950 to 2006. In architecture, as in any walk of life, this is a very long time and a...

The cyclically renewing Asian metropolis and its depiction in Japanese Manga comics comes under the spotlight.(METABOLIC MANGA)(Movie review)
June 1, 2008... Although in the west 'Manga; has come to mean a particular style of Japanese Sci-fi comic, in Japanese the word just means 'comic', and it can equally apply to Mickey Mouse or Rupert Bear picture stories. To describe cartoon films, homemade or...

Sutherland Lyall roams the web before donning his midsummer druidic garb.(browser)
June 1, 2008... Slitheryn Living Website Treasure, Eric Morehouse, has just sent me another site with the enigmatic note 'You'll like this'. 'This' is the site of the Swedish practice of Gert Wingardh at www. [Wingardhs.sub.+] se. Yon can't not like a...

Germany.(diary)
June 1, 2008... Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich 12 June-21 September Ingenious Danish architect Alvar Aalto once said 'God created paper in order to draw architectural plans'. 120 drawings and 18 models make up this exhibition of the unrealised body of...

Japan.(diary)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo 3 June-3 August This exhibition juxtaposes two architects, Peter Markli and Jun Aoki. A common respect for paintings and sculptures comes through in their processes of visualising ideas. Here, there are...

The Netherlands.(diary)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... OLYMPIC ODYSSEY Netherlands Architecture Institute, Maastricht Until 21 September What would it mean to the Netherlands to be invited to organise the Olympic Games in 2028? Where would the Olympic Village be built? How do you ensure...

United kingdom.(diary)
June 1, 2008... UNSEEN HANDS: 100 YEARS OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING Victoria and Albert Museum, London Until 7 September To mark the centenary of the founding of the Institution of Structural Engineers, this exhibition celebrates the importance of...

Celia Scott captures the spirit of architects.(delight)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Celia Scott is an architect who has been sculpting heads of architects and others for nearly thirty years, starting with Leon Krier in 1981. A beautifully produced book just published (Celia Scott, Black Dog Publishing) marks her personal...

Light + Building 2008.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... The Light+Building exhibition has--in just five outings to date--established itself as undisputed global event for lighting. This year's event set new records: no fewer than 165,000 visitors travelled to Frankfurt to view the innovations on...

Love you love you not.(ART)(Brand van Egmond )(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... ***** Brand van Egmond - consisting of Dutch duo, architect William Brand and sculptor Annet van Egmond--is one of the hottest names in lighting at the moment, with sexy, on-trend creations that fit perfectly into baroque nouveau...

Lunar.(ART)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Flos ***** Where to start. Konstantin Grcic has come up with a multifunction metal structure on to which the majority of Flos fittings (Lunar modules, get it?) can be mounted. Seemingly indiscriminately. Inspired by lighting rigs, the...

Seven rats.(ART)(Ingo Maurer)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... * Ingo Maurer, on home turf, was one of the stars of Light+Building 2008. The Whimsical German Genius embraced his inner Goth with this creation, dubbed Seven rats. Four black and three white plastic rats reside in a steel, gold, brass and...

Luxerion.(ART)
June 1, 2008... Artemide *** Building functions are increasingly becoming integrated but Artemide does it so stylishly. The Luxerion range combines lighting with air purification. Designers were commissioned to create their own take on the suspended...

Amax.(ART)
June 1, 2008... ** Wonderfully daft, Charles William's standard lamp for outdoors has an iron base, a matt grey aluminium structure and white translucent polyethylene diffuser. In two sizes (270cm and 330cm high) the lamp has a 5m cable and IP X4 plug and...

Ninety.(TASK)
June 1, 2008... Luxo ***** The Ninety's four LEDs add up 1 6W producing a punchy I280 lt on on the work surface. The table base can spin on its own axis, while springs in the lower part the arm give exact positioning. The angle of light distribution...

Veio.(TASK)
June 1, 2008... Artemide **** Minimal and modern, this is a lateral look at the desk light. The LEDs (8W) are set in the underside for an even illumination. What makes it even more unusual is that it uses Artemide's My White Light technology...

Kuddelmuddel.(TASK)
June 1, 2008... ** Designed by Tobias Reischle, Kuddelmuddel falls into the sculptural category of task lighting, an 'objet' for the desk. These days all fashionable task lamps are wearing LEDs as their light source, but the Kuddelmuddel dares to be...

Egle.(TASK)
June 1, 2008... Artemide *** Reminisicent of a straightened-out and slimmed-down version of Philippe Starck's classic Ara lamp, the Egle is Artemide's new task lighting offering. In white, black or chrome, the stem of the Egle is adjustable in all...

Scope.(TASK)
June 1, 2008... Belux ** Wall and standing versions have been added to the Scope range designed by Hannes Wettstein and launched in the table version last year. A new type of invisible balancing mechanism has been developed and patented by Belux,...

Spherolit reflectors.(INTERIOR SPOTS)
June 1, 2008... Erco Spherolit is Erco's breakthrough in reflector technology. Designed for spots, but also used in downlights, the reflectors have a high LOR and produce an extremely uniform beam with a neat diffuse edge and no striations. Unlike...

Arcos.(INTERIOR SPOTS)
June 1, 2008... Zumtobel Lighting *** The Arcos range for halogen and discharge lamps is tailored to all display applications. Created with architect David Chipperfield, the spots come in four sizes including a wallwasher version. The lighting cones...

Express.(INTERIOR SPOTS)
June 1, 2008... Iguzzini Express is an adjustable projector, with both spot and component box in a single body. A faceted mirror-finish aluminium reflector significantly improves light distribution and a wide range of accessories enable many different...

Cantax.(INTERIOR SPORTS)
June 1, 2008... Erco ** The second range of spots featuring Spherolit reflectors, Cantax has a more minimal profile (designer Naoto Fukasawa) based on the cube and cylinder. Like the Emanon range, they come in low voltage, halogen and LED varychrome...

Emanon Goborotator.(INTERIOR SPOTS)
June 1, 2008... Erco **** The Goborotator is from the new Emanon range of projectors using Spherolit reflectors. Billed as the first of its kind, it is Dali controlled and uses any two independently controllable rotating glass or metal gobos,...

Uli.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Artemide ***** A beautifully simple and sculptural solution, Uli is a series of wall and ceiling-mounted [T.sub.5] fittings. They come in two versions: L-shape, installed vertically or horizontally, and U-shape. Dali dimming is an...

Sconfine.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Zumtobel Lighting **** Developed with Matteo Thun, a series of wall-mounted, ceiling-mounted and pendant luminaires that play with spatial limits and create an effect of depth. A sort of commercial Dan Flavin. Chrome is the creative...

Quadrana light space.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... RZB ** Another fitting that plays with perception, the Quadrana LED wall and ceiling luminaire comes in white and coloured versions. The square, brushed stainless steel frame surrounds a glass-covered cube where backlighting creates...

Flat LED panels.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Concord ***** Concord's edgelit LED panels come in three square and rectilinear options (300 x 300mm, 600 x 600mm and 300 x 1200mm). The standard fitting has a colour temperature of 5000K, while the more elaborate version can change...

AdLight.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Ansorg **** A linear lighting system, AdLight can be ceiling mounted or suspended. The aluminium sections are available in two standard lengths which can form rows of infinite length. A multisource system, fluorescent lamps can be...

Freedom of Creation.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... **** FOC's use of layer manufacturing, allowing a CAD file to be turned into a solid object, produces fittings both intricate and interesting for their lighting effect. The Palm Chandelier, designed for large rooms, is an evolution of the...

Concept-floor and concept-wall.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Targetti ** Joining the Luceviva range, the LED wall and floor system can be used for colour-change patterning videos, messages and so on. The 50cm square modules are covered by opaline laminated glass on which images are still...

Leia.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Belux * Not for the picture straightener, the tipsily angled table lamp (for reading) is part of a range from Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa. The line-up has eight permutations including a floorstanding reading light, floorstanding...

Kosmo.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Delta Light **** A block of white sanded glass in a brushed aluminium holder, Kosmo from Delta Light has two design options with the diffuser held on three sides or more minimally clasped in the centre. There is also flexibility with...

Talexx tape.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Tridonicatco ***** An addition to the Talexx LED brand, the tape is designed for shelving, handrails or 'in-edge' injection applications. White or coloured, modules can be used to highlight unusual contours, straight lines or coving...

Flindt.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... *** The Flindt series features dual shades, a cylinder and a truncated cone, both woven in white, matt vinyl string. The weaving technique creates a three-dimensional, transparent effect, so that patterns interchange when the fixture is...

Avant-garde collection.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... Roblon (Light Projects) **** One of several new ranges for Roblon's fibre optics, Avant-garde is designed to blend in with any substrate. The fibre optic ends can be focused, tilted and locked-off without tools or removal from the...

YP panel.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... CBC Europe ** An ultra-thin LED panel, the YP Panel P290W is handy for discreet display applications. Measuring 290mm x 86.2mm, it is only 4.3mm thick and weighs 130g. Power consumption is 3.5W providing 600 lux over 300mm. With...

Cruz.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... Thorn lighting **** Cruz takes four major lamp types from 13W compact fluorescent to 150W HIT in 12 body sizes. Sources can be positioned either horizontally for general light distribution or vertically for a spotlight effect. There...

Daywave.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... Philips Lighting **** The latest office lighting concept from Philips is entirely LED based (Luxeon Rebel) and uses an innovative optical system to deliver a uniform, comfortable light. The suspended wave-shaped components can be...

Invisibile.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... **** For wall or ceiling and direct or indirect according to its position, Invisibile comprises extruded aluminium modules, in three lengths (700mm, 1400mm, 2800mm), that can be mounted separately or in a row. The fitting is designed to be...

Lucea.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... Se'lux ** The Lucea curved-profile pendant [T.sub.5] system has improved control for direct/indirect illumination. Its capabilities now include indirect RGB colour changing while the direct component remains as cool/warm white light;...

Aero Hybrid II.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... Zumtobel lighting ***** The 'hybrid' of this updated classic lies in the combination of T5S and LEDs which increases efficiency by 10 percent. Separating the direct component (LED) from the indirect component (T5) also allows separate...

Ofx.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... Iguzzini **** A suspended direct/indirect T5 system, OFX is available in individual and double modules. Using dark-light optics, in combined or separate versions, fittings can be installed either transversally or longitudinally in...

Pinpin.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Buschfeld Design (Raylight) **** Now available in the au courant finishes of black, white and polished chrome, Pinpin is a neat, glare-free over-counter or table fitting. The two adjustable sources (35W LV halogen) are housed in a...

B-Side.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Delta Light **** For walls or ceilings, the B-Side has a 360-degree rotating turntable with a small perpendicular arm, housing the IW high-output LED, which can be tilted through 90 degrees. Applications include night accenting,...

Mali.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Luceplan ** Ideally ranged in a row along a wall or grouped on the ceiling, Mali from Luceplan creates a lighting effect that changes as the observer walks past. Made of satin-finished aluminium, it comprises a series of wedges which...

Estilo.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Trilux **** The Estilio switchless frees-standing luminaire is a simple, flat geometric strip that is bent twice by 90 degrees to form the foot and head. Tilting the head forwards turns on the luminaire, transforming it from design...

Foster 550.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... *** The first fixture to result from a collaboration between Louis Poulsen and Foster and Partners, the Foster 550 pendant (diameter 550mm, depth 35mm) has four major parts: opal glass diffuser, matt anodised aluminium reflector, a light...

Kaleyods.(INTERIOR)(Aldabra )(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Aldabra **** The Kaleydos LED wall is suitable for wall, ceiling and walkover applications and can be used inside or out. Modules, 50cm x 50cm, can be connected infinitely, with 4000 LEDs a square metre. The diffusers are made in...

e07: Elementi.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... **** The e07 suspension system combines single and dual lamp elements, directional dichroic (MR16s and AR111s) and fluorescent sources, and direct/ indirect emission in a sleek steel package. It can be customised, with module lengths...

Recessed and surface Compass Box.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Flos ** The comprehensive Antares Compass range now has a line of no-trim fixed models for seamless integration plus external ceiling versions. The recessed line has one, two or four adjustable lamps (halogen, CDM, T5 or TCL) for...

Torso suspended.(INTERIOR)(Trilux )(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Trilux *** Joining its free-standing and wall-mounted counterparts, the suspended version of Torso is designed for receptions, hotels and restaurants. For those who hate loopy loose connecting cable, the power is delivered using the...

i-trac.(INTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Se'lux *** The i-trac display system combines linear fittings with Dali spotlights. The i-trac Base is the linear T5 component while the Wall wallwasher gives even vertical illumination up to a height of 4m. The Parabol surface...

Pure series.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... Flos ** Flos is good at wringing out all the permutations of a concept. The Pure range covers surface-mounted, suspended and track fittings, plus wall versions and downlights. Taking either halogen (35W/I00W) or CDM (20W/35W/70W)...

Rosengarten.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... Ansorg *** Designed for the Rosengarten Congress Centre in Mannheim in Germany, Ansorg's eponymous fitting combines different lighting elements in one unit. A square, polished steel body with green glass carries six downlights in two...

Nulla.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... Artemide *** Strictly for the generous budget, Nulla is a recessed unit with a dual function, combining [T.sub.5] indirect lighting with LED pathlighting/decorative effect. The clever bit is the motorised shutter which closes the...

Quadrial.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... TriLux ***** The Quadrial is a square recessed luminaire with a choice of either a UXP-S louvre or translucent or prismatic diffuser and interchangeable central module. The first provides ambient lighting, while the module can be...

Sherazade.(INTERIORS)
June 1, 2008... Targetti *** New to the sinuous and versatile Sherazade range are stand-alone glossy white or glossy black suspensions, with anti-glare louvre or flush diffuser screen. Only 60 mm thick, they have a wide selection of optical solutions...

Midipoll.(EXTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Erco **** A simple but outstanding design that produces a very effective light pattern. The bollard emits light downwards, grazing the cross-shaped aluminium profile which comprises four parabolas. A special lens has been developed...

MiniRoll65, MicroRoll65.(EXTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... iGuzzini **** In two sizes, the compact Micro (124/134mm) and Mini (208/216mm) come in ceiling, downlight or up/down wall options. Fittings take white or blue LEDs, or halogen sources such as Osram's Decostar 51 IRC and Masterline Es...

Belvedere Outdoor.(EXTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Flos **** Designed by Antonio Citterio and inspired by plant forms, Belvedere has all the garden bases covered. The Spot 1 range is for wall or ground installation, has different heights and either one or two heads. Sources range from...

FLC254 colour changer.(EXTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... WE-EF **** This IP66 colour-changer with gobo option rounds off the company's comprehensive lineup of 150 floodlights. A single master tray, housing all the mechanics and dichroic colour filters, allows reliable operation and minimal...

Flora.(EXTERIOR)
June 1, 2008... Fontana Arte ** Outdoor freestanding lamps for leisure and garden apps are a hot trend right now. Designed by Future Systems, the willowy Flora can be fixed into the ground for a more artful look or secured with a base. Supporting the...

ICI City Column.(EXTERIOR)(Column)
June 1, 2008... Se'lux ***** Developed with Berlin-based lighting designer Kardorff Ingenieure, the ICI system (Intelligent City Instruments) brings order to the streetscape, unifying a wide range of elements. The system can be used with a specially...