The Architectural Review articles from March 2003

The Architectural Review archives from March 2003

Revolution in ventilation. (View).(Vawtex by Arup Zimbabwe)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Arup Zimbabwe have won the innovation category of the Worldaware business awards for their Vawtex -- vertical axis wind turbine extractor, which uses wind energy rather than electricity to power building ventilation and add to convection...

Crisis management. (View).(Architecture for Humanity call for mobile health clinic design for Africa, www.architectureforhumanity.org)
March 1, 2003... It is estimated that three-quarters of the global population affected by AIDS lives in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most have no access to lifesaving drugs, testing facilities or even basic preventative care. One of the major factors inhibiting medical...

AR's green conference: book now. (View).(Calendar)
March 1, 2003... The Architectural Review will hold a conference on Greening the European City at the RIBA in London on 19 March. We face a world ecological crisis of unprecedented proportions in which cities and their buildings are eating up the planet's...

AR+D exhibition + lectures at RIBA. (View).(Royal Institute of British Architects)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The winning and commended schemes of the latest ar+d awards (AR December 2002) will be on show at the RIBA in London from 24 February to 29 March. The awards, organized by The Architectural Review and the Danish design company d line with...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... CULT OF PERSONALITY SIR: Charles Jencks's approach to the wedding of architecture and contemporary science (The New Paradigm in Architecture, AR February) is, as usual with Jencks, ridiculously superficial. He is the main promoter of the...

Browser: Sutherland Lyall ploughs through the fertile fields of architectural cyberspace. (View).(www.theobjectshop.com; www.designmuseum.org; www.artandarchitecture.co.uk; www.de.arcltitect.nl; www.archvoices.org; www.pianographique.com)
March 1, 2003... Drawings that speak to you The Object Shop at www.theobjectshop.com sells GDL objects on-line. CAD monkeys, as office fodder seem self-deprecatingly to call themselves, are probably aware that GDL stands for 'geometric description...

Erratum.(Correction Notice)
March 1, 2003... We regret that the wrong credits were published for Andel's Hotel, Prague (AR February, p78). Credits should read: Interior architects: Jestico + Whiles; Project team: James Dilley, Michelle Le Masurier, Johanna Stockhammer, Francois Bertrand,...

Letter from baghdad: Dan Cruickshank went to Iraq late last year to make a film about the country's extraordinary heritage of ancient buildings which are now threatened with further destruction.(Column)
March 1, 2003... I flew into Baghdad in November 2002 as part of a BBC television crew. The aim of the journey was to make a programme about the effect 25 years of war and political isolation has had on the culture of the country. We wanted to look at its...

Wood spirit: finnish artist Jaakko Pernu makes works that explore both the physical properties and symbolic dimensions of wood. (Design Review).("The Ground Beneath", Finland)
March 1, 2003... Jaakko Pernu is a sculptor and land artist who makes remarkably intricate yet monumental constructions using wood. In Finland, blessed with a superabundance of trees, wood has assumed the status of national material, its expressive and...

Emerging architecture: next generation architects from around the world show and tell at the RIBA in a lecture series and accompanying exhibition. (Royal Institute of British Architects).(Calendar)
March 1, 2003... 25 February Helena Sandman + Niall McLaughlin 630 pm 6th Floor Conference Room Helena Sandman, of Hollmen Reuter Sandman from Finland, presents their heroic Women's Centre in Senegal, a new social facility built using local...

Building faith. (Comment).(historical overview of religious buildings)
March 1, 2003... Even today, with interest in organized religion on the wane, sacred architecture, in its many forms, still expresses and manifests human striving to connect with a sense of the divine. 'In building this chapel I wanted to create a place of...

City of Angels: Rafael Moneo's new cathedral for Los Angeles affirms and reinterprets the Catholic balancing act between the physical and the divine.
March 1, 2003... 'Thou has ordered all things in measure arid number and weight' (Solomon 11:2) The most moving art in the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles is the faint stains of holy oil on the concrete walls in the nave, traces of the...

Islam in Iberia.
March 1, 2003... In creating a building for Muslims in Portugal, Raj Rewal has drawn upon traditions both of the nation and of traditional Islamic countries. Martin Meade reports on the Ismaili Centre. The past 15 years have seen the environs of Lisbon...

Star in the east: paradoxically, Jewish communities in Germany are now thriving and recent new synagogues, such as this one in Chemnitz, also encompass social and cultural aspects.
March 1, 2003... Who would have believed that after 1945 there would be a boom in German synagogues? East European immigrants have swelled the numbers of previously dying congregations. Chemnitz, once known as the Manchester of the East, a dour manufacturing...

Nordic faith: by reinterpreting traditional types, this little church achieves an intensity which is enhanced by great sensitivity in use of materials and light.
March 1, 2003... Traditionally, there are not many Roman Catholics in Scandinavia. The small town of Kongsvinger, in Norway, east of Oslo and near the Swedish border, has a Catholic community of only some 200 people, made up of immigrants from Vietnam, the...

Pilgrims' progress: a new pilgrimage church for one of Italy's best loved saints provides a huge gathering space for the faithful that combines grandeur and a sense of the numinous.
March 1, 2003... In a country particularly in thrall to the cult of sainthood, St Padre Pio stands as one of Italy's most modern and best-loved saints. Canonized with great ceremony by the Pope in 2002, Padre Pio was a Capuchin monk famous for his bleeding...

Chandigarh: once the future city. (Place).
March 1, 2003... After years of struggle in Rio, Algiers, Saint Die and Bogota, Le Corbusier, at the age of 62, had the rare opportunity to apply his theories to the design of a new city. Chandigarh was to be his most momentous assignment: the only urban plan...

Image perfect: offices for a thriving American copy center were inspired by the firm's history and tradition, and by the nature of the business.
March 1, 2003... ImageNet in America is a chain of copy centres that has expanded from a typewriter-repair shop, with one man working on a kitchen table, to a national organization with 350 employees and eight regional offices. In designing the firm's new...

Seeing the light: Claudia Silvestrin's reticent, austere and luminous architecture is always apt for display. He has redeveloped a factory for a gallery that takes references from its predecessor.
March 1, 2003... Claudia Silvestrin has been responsible for a number of small galleries--in London, Florence and Santa Fe; of these, probably the best known is the pure volume of the White Cube in Hoxton, London. His now-familiar architecture, whereby...

Open house: an unassuming house in a Toronto suburb fronts an intricate spatial play of light and colour.
March 1, 2003... Seth Stein first drew international attention with design of his own house in London (AR October 996). Occupying an old builders' yard and absorbing some dilapidated Victorian stables, the house was conceived as a series of different but...

Ahrend 230. (Office Furniture: Product Review).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The chairs range, Ahrend 230 designed by Kees de Boer (501), offers dozens of variations of form and finish. The manufacturers claim that it is sufficiently versatile to suit everyone. Seat height is adjustable from 400mm to 540mm. The backrest...

Ahrend 500. (Office Furniture: Product Review).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Ahrend's new desk and table range, 500, designed by Wijtse Rodenburg following a concept by IDEArchitects (502), is made for adaptation as offices change, both over the year and during the day. Easy to erect and reconfigure, some of the tables...

Armourcoat. (Interior Finishes: Product Reviews).
March 1, 2003... The Donna Karan showroom in New Bond Street. London is fitted out with a range of opulent Armourcoat finishes. The walls are finished with smooth, glass-like polished plaster in black and white; a free-standing rear wall is formed of gold leaf...

Boynett. (Interior Finishes: Product Reviews).
March 1, 2003... The Outrageous Fabric Company has produced the Ostrich collection, a series of realistic but artificial animal skin effects, for contract and domestic upholstery applications. The fabrics are durable, easy to clean and cost effective. They are...

Durat. (Interior Finishes: Product Reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Developed by Finnish company Tonester, Durat[R] is a solid polyester-based material which is suitable for interior surfaces such as worktops, display counters and bar-tops; coherent jointless surfaces many metres in length can be produced, with...

Interface Europe. (Interior Finishes; Product Review).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Three new designs -- Happening, Amplified and Psychedelic -- have been added to the Chenille Warp carpet tile range. Their bold colours and strong patterns can be used alone or in conjunction with Chenille Warp to create rug effects or to break...

Kvadrat. (Interior Finishes; Product Review).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... A new curtain collection includes fabrics Raita, Ruutu and Tasso, reinterpretations of Scandinavian stripes and checks by textile designer Satu Montanari. Hagi, a textile inspired by English artist Bridget Riley and originally printed in black...

Object Carpet. (Interior Finishes; Product Review).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Object Carpet, German producer of hard wearing wall-to-wall carpets, has introduced Metal, a new collection of contract carpets. The collection is made of metallic yarns in three different textures and two colours, gold and silver. The carpets...

Forbo. (Interior Finishes; Product Review).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Inspired by the Pointillists, the new Artoleum collection of floor coverings uses the same principle of juxtaposing pure unmixed colours together in stripes and dots. The result is an innovative range of patterns and colours with a unique...

Colombo. (Interior Shading Systems and Ironmongery: Product Review).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The streamlined shape of Mach, a range of handles for door and windows, is designed to make the handles pleasant to touch and easy to grip. The handles are available in four different finishes; polished gold, matt chrome, matt nickel and...

Vieler International. (Interior Shading Systems and Ironmongery: Product Review).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Vieler, the German stainless steel and aluminium hardware company, has reviewed and in some cases redeveloped its range of products to achieve a visually consistent approach. The company is known for its architectural ironmongery, in particular...

D Line. (Interior Shading Systems and Ironmongery: Product Review).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Danish architectural hardware manufacturer, d line, with SALTO, the Spanish electronic access control specialist, has developed a new concept; a minimal door lever design combined with advanced electronic access control management system....

Mermet. (Interior Shading Systems and Ironmongery: Product Review).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The new TGV station at Aix en Provence, designed by AREP, has a dramatic wave-like roof and a huge east-facing glass-fronted departure concourse. Sunlight and glare are controlled by a series of indoor blinds, 1.5m wide and 3m high and made...

Silent Gliss. (Interior Shading Systems and Ironmongery: Product Review).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Silent Gliss offers a range of shading systems including roller. pleated and venetian blinds, and curtain tracks. The Panel Glide system is an elegant method of screening floor-to-ceiling windows, It comprises full-length panels of fabric,...

Wright Style. (Specifier's Information).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Wright Style, one of the leading suppliers of steel glazing systems in the UK, has supplied the University of Hong Kong with a range of high-performance glazing products. Approximately 750[m.sup.2] of specialist fire-resistant glazing systems...

Pilkington. (Specifier's Information).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... A new seven-storey building in Red Lion Street, off High Holborn, London, has a glazed facade which uses the Pilkington Planar[TM] system. The double-glazed Planar[TM] facade comprises a 10mm inner pane, a 16mm air gap and a 6mm Pilkington...

O'Donnell. (Specifier's Information).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... A new Crowne Plaza hotel in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, has been fitted out with bespoke furniture by O'Donnell Contract Furniture. Bedroom furniture includes wardrobes with coloured melamine interiors and solid walnut mirrored doors, headboards...

Abacus. (Specifier's Information).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Abacus, a major manufacturer of canopies and passenger shelters, offers a range of services including design, installation and maintenance, It designed shelters for South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), for rural and urban...

Vetrotech Saint-Gobain. (Specifier's Information).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Vetrotech Saint-Gobain products have been used in the redevelopment of the South Stand of Old Trafford football ground, home of Manchester United FC. SGG Pyroswiss Classic has been installed in single doors and sidelights in a VIP lounge and...

Vetrotech Saint-Gobain. (Specifier's Information).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Specialist fire-resisting glass products by Vetrotech Saint-Gobain have been used in construction of the Golden Jubilee Wing, a new six-storey building, part of King's College Hospital, London. Designed by Nightingale Associates, it has a...

Aquila Design. (Specifier's Information).
March 1, 2003... The Moonlight Spheo fitting is the latest interior lighting unit from Aquila Design. It has a stainless-steel body with three clear glass plates which diffuse the light and create a modem, spacious feel. The Spheo is available in two shapes,...

Carl Stahl. (Specifier's Information).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... X-tend is a stainless-steel wire mesh system tensioned between a stainless-steel cable framework. It can follow any form and withstand large loads and stresses, without appearing visually overbearing -- the mesh is spaced between 60 and 80mm...

Designing for a Digital World. (Digital Daleks).(Book Review)
March 1, 2003... Edited by Neil Leach. Chichester: John Wiley. 2002. [pounds sterling]24.95 Conferences don't usually make good books, especially not architectural conferences, whose contributors tend to rely heavily on visual aids and rarely bother to...

Raphael Soriano. (Sad Soriano).(Book Review)
March 1, 2003... By Wolfgang Wagener. London: Phaidon Press. 2002. [pounds sterling]39.95 Raphael Soriano is one of the great heroes of postwar Californian architecture but a curmudgeonly character and a steadfast belief in a machine-based architecture led...

Origins, imitation, conventions: representation in the visual arts. (Ackerman on Paper).(Book Review)
March 1, 2003... By James Ackerman. London: MIT Press. 2002. [pounds sterling]30.95 This is a remarkable and peculiar book: it is written in an extremely laconic style, rather as if Professor Ackerman was now fed up with people asking his opinions and was...

The soundscape of modernity: architectural acoustics and the culture of listening in America, 1900-1933. (Magnificent Acoustics).(Book Review)
March 1, 2003... By Emily Thompson, London: MIT Press. 2002. [pounds sterling]30.95 Acoustics have seldom been part of the architect's palette and the history of sound in buildings has rarely been addressed. The story of technology usually lacks clarity,...

The tiny public library in the small city of Calvi on the North-West corsican coast is a gentle but monumental distillation of the spirits of literature, enquiry and scholarship. (Delight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Possibly the smallest public library in the world is at Place Saint-Charles in Calvi, Corsica. It is certainly the smallest of the 3400 Bibliotheques Pour Tous in the whole of France. John Perrin reports that it was opened in 1966 by the...