Building Design articles from April 2005

Building Design archives from April 2005

PFI pressure pays off.(Royal London Hospital )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The eight-month fight over the Royal London Hospital finally came to an end this week as the 600 million [pounds sterling] PFI project won planning approval from Tower Hamlets council and the backing of London's mayor. HOK International...

Verbal hurdle to planning: campaign criticises poorly written design statements.
April 1, 2005... The Plain English Campaign has called on architects to cut out the "gobbledegook" or risk clogging up the planning system as the government floated proposals that would make written design statements mandatory for most planning applications....

Gateway concern amid flood-plain crackdown.(News)
April 1, 2005... More than one in 10 developments that the Environment Agency warns against go ahead anyway, the government has revealed as it prepares to crack down on development in flood-prone areas. The government's apparent recognition of the threat...

Corruption watchdog urges RIBA to rethink ethics.(News)(Royal Institute of British Architects)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The RIBA has been asked to re-examine its code of conduct by the world's largest anti-corruption body. Non-governmental organisation Transparency International claims architects commonly break the law without knowing it. It has...

Roof revival down under.(News)(Spencer Street)(Grimshaw)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Grimshaw's 144 million [pounds sterling] redevelopment of Spencer Street station in Melbourne is starting to take shape on the Australian city's skyline. The distinctive undulating roof has been designed to allow fumes to escape from the...

The 150 million [pounds sterling] conversion of the grade I listed St Pancras Chambers into luxury apartments and a five-star hotel has won planning permission.(Hit and miss)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The 150 million [pounds sterling] conversion of the grade I listed St Pancras Chambers (pictured) into luxury apartments and a five-star hotel has won planning permission. RHWL in conjunction with Richard Griffiths Architects will convert the...

Dixon Jones, HOK International, Hopkins and Rafael Vinoly have entered their designs for the former Radcliffe Infirmary site at the University of Oxford.(Hit and miss)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Dixon Jones, HOK International, Hopkins and Rafael Vinoly have entered their designs for the former Radcliffe Infirmary site at the University of Oxford. The star-studded shortlist is vying for the chance to design a 40 million [pounds...

Another hotly fought contest is for the restoration of the Padua Botanical Garden in the University of Padua, northern Italy.(Hit and miss)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Another hotly fought contest is for the restoration of the Padua Botanical Garden in the University of Padua, northern Italy. The shortlist of 15 is believed to include Stanton Williams, David Chipperfield, French architect Dominique Perrault...

BDP has won preferred bidder status on a 761 million [pounds sterling] PFI project to modernise and refurbish three Leicester hospitals.(Hit and miss)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... BDP has won preferred bidder status on a 761 million [pounds sterling] PFI project to modernise and refurbish three Leicester hospitals. The University Hospitals of Leicester Pathway Project includes a new children's facility at the Leicester...

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.(Anne Hemming appointed)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has announced that Anne Hemming has taken up the position of head of building regulations. She has replaced Paul Everall who held the position for many years and retired earlier this year.

London Thames Gateway Development Corporation.(Peter Andrews, Ian Short appointed)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The London Thames Gateway Development Corporation has made its first executive appointments. Peter Andrews, chief executive of the New Swindon Company, has been made chief executive, while Ian Short, a senior employee at Lehman Brothers, New...

Ash Design and Nightingale Architects are merging to become Nightingale Architects Limited.(Power play)
April 1, 2005... Ash Design and Nightingale Architects are merging to become Nightingale Architects Limited. The new practice will employ 175 architects and have a combined annual turnover of 15.5 million [pounds sterling].

The government may not meet the deadline of January for complying with a new EU directive on energy efficiency in buildings.(Power play)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The government may not meet the deadline of January for complying with a new EU directive on energy efficiency in buildings. The Directive Implementation Advisory Group is disappointed an Office of the Deputy Prime Minister statement on how the...

All new homes funded by the government will have to meet the new Code for Sustainable Buildings, the ODPM announced this week.(Power play)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... All new homes funded by the government will have to meet the new Code for Sustainable Buildings, the ODPM announced this week. The code is being developed in conjunction with the construction industry to create a national standard for...

Architects kicked out of paradise: Liverpool city centre concept designers to be removed from projects.(News)
April 1, 2005... Architects hired to redesign Liverpool city centre will be kicked off their projects after submitting detailed designs, to be replaced by just five executive design teams for the development's 30 buildings. Grosvenor, the developer of...

Couple reveal DNA quest to create architect baby.(News)
April 1, 2005... A married architect couple have revealed plans to use DNA screening to give birth to a child with a predisposition to architectural genius. The couple, both 43, are infertile and are set to choose a donor for insemination using pioneering...

Ticket to Ryde.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Marks Barfield Architects has won a competition to redesign a major new transport interchange for the seaside town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight. The interchange will be used by the 3 million passengers a year who arrive in Ryde by ferry,...

Crisis hit Cube hands over power: council to run Manchester centre.(News)
April 1, 2005... Manchester City Council has taken control of the Cube architecture centre after it ran into serious funding problems and its director Graeme Russell resigned. Cube faces debts of 60,000 [pounds sterling], exacerbated by the loss of 150,000...

Architecture Foundation wins grant rise despite fund freeze.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Architecture Foundation has won a grant increase from development agency Arts Council England, despite the council's funds being frozen by the government. The foundation, which is planning a new 2.25 million [pounds sterling]...

RICS manifesto.(Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has launched its manifesto for the next parliament. It wants the stamp duty threshold raised to 150,000 [pounds sterling]; a national infrastructure plan; improved energy efficiency in buildings; and...

MK landmark.(David Coles Architects )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... David Coles Architects has designed a 40-storey tower to act as a landmark for Milton Keynes. The speculative design has been shortlisted in the local MK Creates competition for creative talent. The architect is looking for developers to take...

Topped out.(PFI hospital )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Topped out The BDP-designed PFI hospital in Romford, east London, has been topped out. The 200 million [pounds sterling] scheme, for the Havering NHS Trust, includes a day nursery, an administration building, an energy centre, a bus station and...

The Deep enters the Twilight Zone.(FIRST LOOK)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Deputy prime minister John Prescott has opened a new 6.8 million [pounds sterling] extension to Terry Farrell's Hull landmark, The Deep, shown here for the first time since completion. The second phase of the project, designed by local...

Cabe under fire again: Chetwood at centre of review row.(News)
April 1, 2005... Fresh doubts were cast on Cabe's design reviews this week after a row broke out between the design watchdog and a leading practice which won planning approval after ignoring Cabe's advice on a flagship scheme. Chetwood Associates' designs...

London falls down in skyscraper rankings.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Hong Kong has the most dramatic skyline in the world, while London lags far behind other world cities such as New York, Chicago and Tokyo, according to new skyline rankings published last week. The Skyline Ranking, compiled by skyscraper...

Web poll.(News)
April 1, 2005... Last week we asked: Should Thom Mayne or Quinlan Terry have won the Pritzker Prize? 12% said Thom Mayne 88% said Quinlan Terry This week we ask Should planning consents insist on the concept and executive architects being the...

Spotcheck.(Allen Tod Architecture designs entrnce building for Park Lane College )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Allen Tod Architecture's entrace building for Park Lane College features a range of energy-saving measures, including solar panels and a sedum roof

Hull bridge.(Yorkshire)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... An international design competition is to be launched for a new footbridge across the River Hull to link Hull city centre with a new residential development on the east bank by architect Benoy. Arup's Leeds office is preparing the competition...

Space conference.(Yorkshire )(Green Space )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Public space campaign group Green Space is holding a conference on the impact of parks on health and active living. The conference, on April 6 at Sheffield's Centre in the Park, will feature presentations from health specialists including...

Goole arts.(Yorkshire)(architectural design)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Buschow Henley is to design a new 1 million [pounds sterling] arts centre in Goole in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The project involves integrating the existing Gate Theatre with the community centre and council offices. It will also include a...

Leeds beacon.(Yorkshire)(awards)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Leeds City Council has been awarded beacon status for its management of public buildings. The sixth annual Beacon Scheme Awards recognised a number of achievements by the local authority including securing 700 million [pounds sterling] in...

Hull regeneration.(Yorkshire)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A 16 million [pounds sterling] government grant to tackle blighted housing estates in east Yorkshire has been announced by regeneration minister Yvette Cooper. It will be used by Gateway, the government's housing market renewal pathfinder for...

Making an entrance.(Yorkshire)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Allen Tod Architecture has completed a new entrance building for Park Lane College in Leeds. It has been built alongside a new seven-storey teaching block, also designed by the practice. Both buildings feature a range of energy-saving measures....

Student revision.(Yorkshire)
April 1, 2005... Faulkner-Browns has submitted new designs for a 5,300-home student village in Sheffield. The scheme, in the Broomhill conservation area, was criticised by Cabe, English Heritage and local residents (News February 18), prompting the client...

Tower slips through: Liverpool gives reluctant approval.(News)
April 1, 2005... A controversial 40-storey tower in Liverpool designed by Aedas has won permission despite the "considerable reluctance" of the planning committee. The decision comes as Manchester architect Ian Simpson resubmits his 51-storey apartment...

Foster's model-making legend Chris Windsor dies, aged 50.(News)(Foster & Partners)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
April 1, 2005... One of the founders of Foster & Partners' model-making department has died, aged 50. Chris Windsor, who had worked at the practice for 31 years, died at home on March 11 following a long illness. Norman Foster, who spoke at Windsor's...

Don't call it a commune: Zoe Blackler visits Britain's first co-housing project and finds its pioneers keen to shake off the hippy tag.(Analysis)
April 1, 2005... On one of the first days of spring, the residents of the Springhill estate in Stroud, Gloucestershire, are settling in to their new home. A cluster of timber-clad housing on a hilly site near the centre of the town, Springhill is occupied by...

Jowellism, the new philistinism.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... The heritage heresy headlined in BD (News March 24) suggests that a) the term philistinism has now been comprehensively eclipsed by Jowellism, and b) the proposed procedure should more appropriately be applied to an obviously redundant culture...

Missing link.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Tessa Jowell, in her essay Better Places to Live, claims to be aware of how history, human identity and present-day culture interlink. Yet hers is a government participating in a military "coalition" that has enabled the looting of the Baghdad...

Virtual alternative.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... As an alternative to her idea of demolishing listed buildings that stand in the way of new development, I wonder if culture secretary Tessa Jowell has considered the use of walk-through technology to capture perfect virtual moving images of...

Neglected gateway.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... It is noteworthy to see so many high-quality design names developing the network of buildings on the King's Cross site. How unfortunate then that progress on designing the major new public space at the station entrance on Euston Road is...

Keeping it local.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Peter Murray should get out a bit more. His assertion that "none of the architecture centres around the country seem interested in local issues" (News March 18) seems to fly in the face of the facts. A look at the Architecture Centre Networks...

Battle strategy.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... I welcome the broad support for the RIBA's Manifesto for Architecture in the pages of BD. However, I must respond to the misguided comment by Sir Paul Beresford MP (News, March 24), who was not present at the Portcullis House launch and is...

Useless students.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... While John Assael correctly draws an analogy between medicine and architecture by highlighting the dire nature of architectural education (Soapbox March 24), he conveniently overlooks one of the most important aspects of the partnership between...

Local champions need independence.(Editorial)(Centre for the Understanding of the Built Environment )
April 1, 2005... If you went to the Urban Summit in Manchester looking for inspiring architecture, you would have been disappointed. One of the only places showing anything of interest was the Centre for the Understanding of the Built Environment (Cube) which...

ODPM wants you to have the write stuff.(Soapbox)(Office of the Deputy Prime Minister )
April 1, 2005... Are you one of those architects who thinks you can let the genius of your scheme speak for itself? If so, you will need to think again. The deputy prime minister's office wants you to put down the drawings, pick up a pen and explain your...

Twin towers.(Concrete Boots)
April 1, 2005... The similarity of Barcelona's Torre Agbar tower to London's Gherkin has been well remarked upon, but another example of architectural twinning has caught the eye of an eagle-eyed Chinese reader. A Guangzhou resident has contacted the China...

War on wordiness.(Concrete Boots)
April 1, 2005... The Plain English Campaign was delighted to be contacted by Building Design. Clearly the language used by architects and those in the planning system is something of a bete noir for the champions of plain speech. The campaign's founder and...

Paying tribute.(Concrete Boots)
April 1, 2005... Labour leader of South Lanarkshire Council, Eddie McAvoy, seen as the driving force behind the restoration of Rutherglen town hall, is the subject of a 4,450 [pounds sterling] sculpture commissioned by the council to mark the work. But...

Phantom museum.(Concrete Boots)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Manchester architects have been busy working up designs for a museum that will never be built--honest. A fake contest has been held in the city to design the Manchester Letherium, an imaginary museum "proposed" at the junction of Princess...

Learn the lingo.(Concrete Boots)
April 1, 2005... Obtaining planning approval is the bane of many an architect's life, but spare a thought for colleagues in Ireland. A recent report by the Law Society has decreed that insistance on Irish language proficiency attached to planning approval...

Do the right thing: Cottrell & Vermeulen's refurbishment of the Kensal House nursery retains the original vision.(Works)
April 1, 2005... It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a place in need of improvement must be in want of an architect. The currency of this "truth"--in architectural circles--struck me recently. I was at a crit in an architecture school, with students...

04 Charles River Bridges, Boston, Massachusetts: Hakes Associates and Buro Happold are developing two curved pedestrian bridges, squeezing between river, road and rail. Retaining the structure's elegance was the big challenge.(How we cracked it)
April 1, 2005... Step 1. Site constraints The first step was to make a detailed analysis of the various site constraints in the post-industrial landscape through which the bridges would have to pass. This was done using advanced 3D laser scanning...

Twisting by Blackpool: Amanda Birch on the latest artistic adornment to the northern resort.(Solutions)
April 1, 2005... Blackpool seems to be shaking off its image of kiss-me-quick hats, saucy postcards and sticks of rock and becoming an artistic hotspot. Blackpool's South Shore, a 2 km stretch of promenade which has undergone major redevelopment, has become the...

Putting lipstick on the gorilla: despite his better judgment, Henry Moore produced many architectural collaborations.(Culture)
April 1, 2005... "Architecture is inhuman," wrote Henry Moore. "I would rather have a piece of sculpture put in a landscape, almost any landscape, than in or on the most beautiful building I know". Architects, the great sculptor believed, had a tendency to...

View from a bridge.(SELECTOR)
April 1, 2005... Designer Thomas Heatherwick talks about his recent bridge projects in Building Bridges: Exploring Extraordinary Forms, a Lecture on Tuesday April 5 at 6.30 pm, Royal Institution, 21 Albermarle Street, London. Tickets: 020 7409 2992.

Sculpture shortlist.(SELECTOR)
April 1, 2005... Assess the shortlisted contenders for the Jerwood Sculpture Prize 2005 at an exhibition of their work from April 6 until May 8 at the Jerwood Space, 171 Union Street, London. Tel: 020 7654 0171. The winner will be announced on April 19.

Nature interventions.(SELECTOR)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Scottish architecture comes to London in the form of two shows at the RIBA. Fieldtrip and Landforms separately tackle man's intervention in the Scottish natural landscape. Until April 27, RIBA, 66 Portland Place, London. Tel: 020 7580 5533.

You call that a dress? Pamela Buxton on David Adjaye's link-up with a fashion designer.(Culture)
April 1, 2005... When it brokered a collaboration between architect David Adjaye and avant-garde fashion designer Boudicca, Vogue magazine was expecting a dress. What it got instead was Exaltation, a strange spikey sculptural form emanating from a model--human...

Whisky fuelled.(Inspiration)(Ash Sakula Architects)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... I rediscovered the work of Ghanaian artist El Anatsui through Gus Casely-Hayford, the curator of the Africa Galleries at the British Museum. El Anatsui has adopted and subverted the west African tradition of kente cloth, in which tiny...

Forbo flooring.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... Forbo's Marmoleum has created a colourful and inspiring, yet highly practical floor for Matthew Arnold School in Oxfordshire. The school's new science centre extension has benefited from Forbo's wealth of experience in creating the perfect...

BPT Security Systems.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... BPT Security Systems (UK) Ltd., of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, has introduced a completely new suite of smart, sophisticated Impro access control literature. Covering the entire IXP proximity access control range, the new Impro literature...

Safeguard.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... Waterproofing product specialists Safeguard have been appointed as UK distributors of Vandex waterproofing products. Vandex products are internationally recognised in the fields of cement-based waterproofing. Projects waterproofed using Vandex...

Kingspan Insulation Ltd.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... Atotal of 2,000 square metres of 60mm Kingspan Kooltherm[R] K10 Soffit Boards were installed beneath the tiered seating areas throughout the new Jarrold Stand and the in-fill section between the new stand and the Peterborough Stand at Norwich...

EuroMix.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... CPI EuroMix, market leader in dry mortar technology, has secured yet another major project--the prestigious 60,000 all-seater stadium that will be the home of Arsenal Football Club. to aid in the fast-track development of the project, brickwork...

CA Group.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... Leading roofing and cladding specialist CA Group has launched River-Therm[TM], an innovative flat roof metal standing seam system that brings a competitive combination of simplicity, economy and quality to the market. A key feature of the...

Alumasc.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... Alumasc have recently launched M.R. Swisrail, a wall system using EWl (External Wall Insulation), specifically engineered for framed steel structures. Incorporating an integral 25mm drained airspace, M.R. Swisrail provides a seamless insulated...

Halfen.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... Halfen, leaders in construction fixing technology, are offering a new CPD seminar called 'Concrete Balconies and Thermal Bridging'. The seminar is aimed at providing specifiers with an understanding of the problems of cold bridging often...

Terrapin.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... Terrapin Ltd have recently completed an outstanding new building at Chase Farm Hospital. The form of construction utilises the developed Terrapin M2 system incorporating a structural steel frame and perimeter insulated timber lining panels with...

Knauf Insulation.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... Knauf Insulation's Polyfoam[R] Roofboard is being used to put the 'protect' into the protected membrane roof system at seven new police stations being built for the Greater Manchester Police Force. Paragon Roofing & Asphalte Ltd will lay over...

Abet Ltd.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... 'Piccadilly Jim' is a new film directed by John McKay. Filmed on the Isle of Man, it stars Sam Rockwell, Brenda Blethyn, Tom Wilkinson and newcomers Oberflex and Abet. Zebrano and Canadian Maple real wood laminates from Obertlex, and high...

illbruck.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... illbruck Sealant System UK Ltd has published a new guide to its comprehensive range of sealing products, movement jointing systems and fire rated sealants for technical and specification-based applications. The new 36-page full colour brochure...

Turnquest.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... In an effort to alleviate some of the confusion that surrounds the demands of BS8300, Part M of the Building Regulations, and the Disability Discrimination Act, Turnquest UK Ltd--exclusive partner to HEWI, has produced a DVD that provides RIBA,...

BuildDesk.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... A new software programme has been launched to help building designers meet the complex energy calculations required by building regulations. BuildDesk U 3.1 is an intuitive, windows-based package that determines U-Values, provides interstitial...

Urbis.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... Urbis have installed a lighting column that has turned a few heads in Hull town centre. By using a clever mix of blue and white LEDs built into a multicoloured column. The tower if 11.5 metres tall and has 10 stainless steel LED rings built...

Levolux.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... An innovative and aesthetically stunning solar shading system from Levolux is providing a new office development with the ability to control light, glare and solar heat gain without affecting outward visibility yet still enhancing the visual...

Cosentino UK Ltd.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... Cosentino UK, who supply a wide range of Silestone quartz surfaces have launched a dedicated Architectural Sales Division to provide information and technical support for architects and interior designers. Headed by lan Luzmore, the new...

Interior Design Handbook 22.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2005... With over 7,300 manufacturers & suppliers and 1,900 architects & interior designers, I DH is the only source of information you'll need for inferior products and services. Now just 35 [pounds sterling] (plus p&p), 100% updated and with over...

Ian Martin.
April 1, 2005... Monday A report from the Campaign for Non-Ugly English says architects are rubbish. Not only do they use a lot of gobblede-gook--they can't even spell it! Researchers analysed hundreds of architects' design statements. They were full of...

Architest.
April 1, 2005... This week: Floods 1) What was Cedric Price's proposed solution for protecting Thames Gateway housing from flooding? A Built-in retractable stilts that are activated by rising water levels B Underground housing with 10m-high...

Let battle commence.
April 8, 2005... Labour has pledged to appoint design champions in all public agencies and three-quarters of local authorities, as it revealed a mini manifesto for the built environment exclusively in BD this week. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats...

Techno park.(News)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2005... Lawrence Barth and S333 Architecture & Urbanism have completed the designs for an innovation park in Singapore. The 30ha area is in the One-north park in Singapore, owned by JTC Corporation and envisaged as a hub for new media and...

Exits rock Canterbury: architecture school in doubt after key staff defect to new Kent course.(News)(Canterbury School of Architecture)
April 8, 2005... The Canterbury School of Architecture is teetering on the brink of collapse following the defection of three of its senior staff to a new school of architecture being set up by the University of Kent. The move has plunged into doubt the...

Cabe faces costly delay on rebranding.(News)(Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2005... Cabe has postponed plans to rebrand until the autumn in a move that could increase design consultants' fees which are already due to reach 40,000 [pounds sterling]. The design watchdog last year hired London firm Johnson Banks to deliver a...