Building Design articles from August 2004

Building Design archives from August 2004

Shanghai shell shock.(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Richard Rogers Partnership's design for a 700 million [pounds sterling] expansion of Shanghai airport has been edged out by a competing US design. The practice was told that its striking design,...

1 bn [pounds sterling] hospital scandal: Cabe's attack on Royal London scheme raises questions about future of hospital procurement process.(Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment)
August 6, 2004... The government faced calls to abandon its PFI strategy on major hospitals this week alter its design watchdog Cabe savaged a 1 billion [pounds sterling] scheme in London. Just one week after the proposed new Royal London Hospital in east...

High hopes for Geordie tower.(News)
August 6, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Ian Simpson is bidding to add Newcastle upon Tyne to the growing list of English cities where he is building residential skyscrapers. The Manchester-based architect is in pre-planning talks with the...

New country code: traditionalists outraged as government insists on rural modernism.(News)
August 6, 2004... The government has hit back at claims made by traditionalists this week that it wants to promote the construction of modernist country homes at the expense of more traditional architecture. Following his statement that new country homes...

Foster & Partners' Millau viaduct in southern France reached a major milestone this week when the two ends of the 225m-tall bridge.(Hit and miss)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... * Foster & Partners' Millau viaduct (above) in southern France reached a major milestone this week when the two ends of the 225m-tall bridge, across a 2.5km-wide gorge, met in the middle.

Berlin's Olympic Stadium, which hosted Hitler's infamous 1936 games, has reopened with a striking new roof by architect Volkwin Marg.(Hit and miss)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... * Berlin's Olympic Stadium, which hosted Hitler's infamous 1936 games, has reopened with a striking new roof by architect Volkwin Marg. A transparent membrane will keep spectators dry for the 2006 World Cup final.

Will Alsop, Massimiliano Fuksas, Birds Portchmouth Russum Architects and Dutch practices KCAP and S333 Architecture have been shortlisted to regenerate Salford city centre.(Hit and miss)(Salford city centre)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... * Will Alsop, Massimiliano Fuksas, Birds Portchmouth Russum Architects and Dutch practices KCAP and S333 Architecture have been shortlisted to regenerate Salford city centre. The winner will be announced in November.

Foster's Wembley Stadium has been held up after a key contractor stopped working.(Hit and miss)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... * Foster's Wembley Stadium has been held up after a key contractor stopped working. Cleveland Bridge, responsible for the arch and steel frame, issued legal proceedings against developer Multiplex for a breach of contract due to non-payment.

City authorities in Washington DC have given the go-ahead for Frank Gehry's Corcoran Gallery extension.(Hit and miss)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... * City authorities in Washington DC have given the go-ahead for Frank Gehry's Corcoran Gallery extension, having agreed to $40 million worth of funding.

Camden council.(People)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... * Terry Farrell & Partners has been appointed by Camden council to carry out an assessment on the possibility of a major new public square outside King's Cross station.

Design Council.(People)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... * George Cox, outgoing director-general at the Institute of Directors, is to be the new director of the Design Council. He will start in October.

English Heritage chief executive Simon Thurley has accused Hollywood of routinely distorting history.(People)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... * English Heritage chief executive Simon Thurley (pictured) has accused Hollywood of routinely distorting history. He singled out Saving Private Ryan and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves for confusing children about Britain's identity.

Former Monty Python star Michael Palin has backed plans to save a 1920s art deco cinema in Sheffield.(People)
August 6, 2004... * Former Monty Python star Michael Palin has backed plans to save a 1920s art deco cinema in Sheffield. The grade II listed Abbeydale Picture House is the subject of a feasibility study into its future use.

The Scottish Executive.(Power play)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... * The Scottish Executive has announced a 51 million [pounds sterling] boost for sporting facilities, raising hopes of a new range of world-class venues. Edinburgh and Glasgow each received 17 million [pounds sterling].

The government has launched a consultation paper on proposals to tackle the risk to Britain's built environment from flooding over the next 20 years.(Power play)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... * The government has launched a consultation paper on proposals to tackle the risk to Britain's built environment from flooding over the next 20 years. Making Space for Water can be found at www.defra.gov.uk

Liverpool City Council has imposed a moratorium on planning permission for new homes outside the city centre or areas marked for regeneration.(Power play)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... * Liverpool City Council has imposed a moratorium on planning permission for new homes outside the city centre or areas marked for regeneration. New planning guidance states that if a planned home is outside the city centre or the regeneration...

Sheffield is failing to invest in sustainable design, a watchdog claimed this week.(People play)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... * Sheffield is failing to invest in sustainable design, a watchdog claimed this week. Despite a huge regeneration programme in the city, only a handful of buildings fully embrace environmentally friendly principles, Gary McGrogan, director of...

bd online.(This Week)
August 6, 2004... BD is online every week for free. Each week, from Friday. you can browse our new web site for the news stories, analysis, special reports, building studies and all the comment that packs your regular weekly issue. Extras on the website...

Public fatigued by masterplan mania.(News)
August 6, 2004... Residents on the controversial Aylesbury Estate in south London have complained of masterplan fatigue after it emerged this week that they are to be regaled with another masterplan, the fifth in eight years. The estate is in desperate need...

Alsop dunks the donut.(News)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Alsop Architects has toned down its usual lively style for the revamp of New Street Station in Birmingham. Alsop was sent back to the drawing board at the end of last year after presenting a scheme to...

Milton Keynes homes plan is 'disjointed'.(News)
August 6, 2004... The strategy behind the government's push for more than 300,000 homes in the Milton Keynes and south Midlands area has been branded "rushed and disjointed" by an independent panel. The region is one of four key areas earmarked for massive...

Architecture returns to St Martins college.(News)
August 6, 2004... A fully fledged architecture course is set to return to one of London's most celebrated art colleges after an absence of more than 50 years. Budding architects will rub shoulders with fashion, film and art students at Central Saint Martins...

New for Old Street.(First Look)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Designs by Tonkin Liu to upgrade public spaces on London's Old Street have won a competition run by the Architecture Foundation. The practice's "Promenade of Light" scheme beat designs by Alison Brooks Architects, ASC + AWE Milk...

Web poll.(News)
August 6, 2004... Lase week we asked: Does your practice need to search abroad for skilled architects? said yes 63% said no 37% This week we ask Should pastiche country houses be banned? Give your answer at www.bdonline.co.uk

Moving in day finally arrives at Holyrood.(News)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Scottish Parliament staff finally began moving into the new Holyrood building this week as presiding officer George Reid admitted the project was "a major failure in public procurement in Scotland". In a significant milestone for the...

Liverpool stadium go-ahead.(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Liverpool City Council has given the go ahead for Manchester practice Atherton Fuller Lang's 60,000-seat stadium for Liverpool Football Club. It granted permission last week for the stadium, a major mixed-use development and the relocation...

Canon Street scheme.(Foggo Associates)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Foggo Associates' scheme for a new office building above Canon Street Station in London has been submitted for planning permission. The 36,000 sq m office block would replace a John Poulson-designed 1960s building.

Sensory perception.(News)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Gordon Murray & Alan Dunlop has unveiled concept images of its new school in Glasgow for the sensory impaired. The 500,000 [pounds sterling] Dumbreck School has been designed so that pupils can wander in...

Bigger fees for better buildings.(Royal Institute of British Architects' new initiative)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Architects could he paid more if a new hospital building improved patient recovery times or a new college improved exam results under new plans being considered by the RIBA. The institute is exploring how fees can be calculated according to...

EH pulls plug on Brighton pier rescue.(English Heritage)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... English Heritage has dashed hopes of restoring Brighton's derelict West Pier by withdrawing support for any bids to save the badly damaged structure. The move effectively kills any restoration project since it would be impossible to secure...

Ungreen Olympics.(News)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Greenpeace has criticised the Olympic Village in Athens for ignoring environmental targets. The Olympic Village opened last week and will house thousands of athletes when the games begin a week today. Greenpeace said the development,...

Library shortlist.(North-east)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Building Design Partnership, Faulkner Brown and a third, unnamed, practice are in the running for the 27 [pounds sterling] million PFI contract to demolish and replace Basil Spence's Central Library in Newcastle. The flagship new library will...

College commission.(North-east)(Aedas Architects)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Aedas Architects has been appointed to design a 12 [pounds sterling] million, 1,400-pupil college in Brotton near Middlesbrough. The new East Cleveland Freebrough Community College will combine three schools in the area. The scheme will go in...

Planning conference.(North-east)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... A conference of international urban planners will be held in Gateshead next year as part of a campaign to compile a toolkit for European cities to pursue riverside regeneration. The Euroscape conference, organised by Gateshead City Council,...

Culture man moves.(North-east)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... The man behind Newcastle and Gateshead's failed bid for European Capital of Culture 2008 is leaving to take up a new role championing Birmingham. Neil Rami will take over as the new head of Marketing Birmingham. Birmingham was also in...

Gehry bridge cash.(North-east)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Sunderland has taken a step closer to securing a new road bridge designed by Frank Gehry. The council has approved spending 336,000 [pounds sterling] on a feasibility study and design options for the new bridge. Gehry has been linked to the...

Lime on site.(North-east)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Construction has started on Ryder HKS's Lime Square scheme in Newcastle. The scheme includes 104 new homes and is the first major residential scheme in the Ouseburn Valley Regeneration Area. The scheme, developed by Metier and Howard Holdings,...

North-east awards.(North-east)
August 6, 2004... Architects are invited to enter schemes in the North-east for the Landmark Awards. There are five categories: retail/leisure, public sector, office, environmental and residential. An overall North East Land mark of the Year award will be chosen...

Lottery may demand 9m [pounds sterling] cash back on Hodder pool.(Spotcheck)
August 6, 2004... Sport England could claim back the 9 [pounds sterling] million it spent on the Clissold Leisure Centre if the building never reopens. The lottery, body could demand the money back from Hackney council because it was granted on the condition...

Scottish plans set to go online.(threats to online planning systems rejected)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... The Scottish Executive has rejected claims that publishing planning applications online could encourage copyright theft and burglary. The government office last week paved the way for local councils in Scotland to introduce online planning...

Gehry's endgame: the 75-year-old talks to Ellis Woodman about George Bush, building bandstands and beating Bill Gates.(News Analysis)(Frank Gehry)
August 6, 2004... So I've just arrived in Chicago, haven't slept for 21 hours and am running late for an audience with the world's most famous architect. I'm also spectacularly wet, having run the three blocks from the subway to Millennium Park through a...

Modernists hide behind glass facade.(Comment)(Letter to the Editor)
August 6, 2004... I am alarmed by the misplaced energy expended over the topic of "iconic" architecture. Some of this opprobrium should be reserved for the nondescript, mediocre buildings that clutter our cities, and that have become the acceptable benchmark by...

Change the world.(Comments)(Letter to the Editor)
August 6, 2004... "Streets and squares" beat "pods oil sticks" (Letters July 30), but the only reason they beat, say, parks and fiats is because they help in control some of the worst ligatures of our unequal and fearful society. Surely we need more vision. ...

Get off the ego trip.(Comments)(Letter to the Editor)
August 6, 2004... Ellis Woodman and George Oldham (Soapbox and Letters July 30) neatly put their finger on what is wrong with "landmark" buildings. The fact that Alsop's Cloud can be touted around for any other site says it all. These are hugely egotistical...

Reality check.(Comments)(Letter to the Editor)
August 6, 2004... Steve Miller's ill-mannered letter (July 30) may make good reading, but the tired caricature he draws of Alsop masterplans cynically cobbled together over louche lunches is not founded in reality. Read on, Steve, because this is how it...

Joined-up thinking.(Comments)(Letter to the Editor)
August 6, 2004... George Ferguson (Soapbox July 23) writes a great deal of sense. As he says, the professions are far too disjointed and protective of their own roles to make places that inspire, and the institutes' hands are likely to he forced by the...

Going it alone.(Comments)(Letter to the Editor)
August 6, 2004... Peter Phillips, RIBA councillor Once again, a major RIBA policy decision is announced without any reference to the RIBA Council (Soapbox July 23). The policy wasn't in George Ferguson's election manifesto either. This latest episode...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
August 6, 2004... The proposed 300 [pounds sterling] million Snoassis ski resort near Great Blakenham in Suffolk has not won planning permission as stated in last week's BD. The scheme by DLA Architects is set to go to planning committee at the end of the month....

A 1 billion [pounds sterling] tragedy waiting to happen.(government's hospital construction project in east London )(Editorial)
August 6, 2004... Don't say they didn't warn you. Britain is about to make a 1 billion [pounds sterling] building blunder--the government's own advisers say so. The plans for a new hospital in east London are so bad, according to Cabe, they wouldn't even win...

The right course of treatment for PFI?(Soapbox)
August 6, 2004... Hospitals and doctors' surgeries are the public buildings we visit when we are at our most vulnerable and where we experience some of life's most vital moments. So how does the government's plan to abolish the body that looks after the quality,...

Alsop's lost love.(Concrete Boots)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Publishing schedules can play wicked tricks when events move fast--and Will Alsop is the latest victim. A new book, The Treasures of Liverpool, hit Boots' desk this week, featuring Mr Alsop's ex-project, the Cloud, across a jolly double...

Royal warrant.(Concrete Boots)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Oh dear. John Prescott and the Prince of Wales have fallen out. Just months after they shared a platform at a Prince's Foundation event and had people rolling in the aisles with their witty repartee, Poundbury has come between them. The...

Home guard.(Concrete Boots)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... An American website is keeping a running tally of how much the war in Iraq is costing US citizens in real terms. One novel way of calculating the cost of the war is the number of homes that could have been built for the same money. The...

Hair-brained?(Concrete Boots)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Daniel Libeskind seems to have taken up residence in the Concrete Boots column of late, though it's hardly our fault he is so prolifically humorous. The architect has hired architect Alexander Gorlin to design his new pad in New York, just...

Spanish snips.(Concrete Boots)(Gaudi Hair Design)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... And still with hair, there's strange news from the West Country this week, where a popular Bristol hair salon has renamed itself Gaudi Hair Design, apparently in tribute to the celebrated Catalan architect. A bottle of vintage Head &...

Toying with Uncle Sam: Rem Koolhaas designs a public library in Seattle and an exclusive Prada shop in Beverly Hills. Both play with ideas of public space, he says. Can he be serious?(Works)
August 6, 2004... "Everything bad we had to say about America," says Rem Koolhaas, "we said it in Content. Now we have to eat our words." With the opening of OMA's Seattle Central library in May and the Prada Epicentre shop in Beverley Hills last month,...

Stairway to heaven: sweeping new steps give Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral its long-awaited public space and the entrance architect Frederick Gibberd always intended.(In Detail)
August 6, 2004... 17 Metropolitan Cathedral campus, Liverpool Architect: Falconer Chester Landscape architect: Landscape Projects A flight of ceremonial steps has been created on the south side of the Metropolitan Cathedral, addressing the Anglican...

Green-fingered guardians: landscape architect BBUK's partners explain how they are nurturing the broader area beyond the architects' realm.(Solutions: landscaping & public realm)
August 6, 2004... Jonathan Bell and Harriet Bourne, as BBUK, insist they don't have a house-style; they respond to the buildings and landscapes as they find them. This might well be true, but there are certainly characteristics that define the practice's work:...

Poison privet.(Technicalities)(health risks in choosing landscaping plants)
August 6, 2004... The obsession with risk avoidance has now spread to the subject of plant selection. No longer are we safe to specify a plant that is perceived to be a potential health risk, even if the plant is so common to be found in virtually every public...

Thinking inside the box: at 53, architect Eduardo Souto de Moura is about to enter his prime.(Culture: books, exhibitions, events)(Eduardo Souto de Moura: Works and Projects)(Book Review)
August 6, 2004... Eduardo Souto de Moura has enjoyed a prolific output with more than 50 built works, from his market building in Braga (1984) to the stadium at the same town built for the Euro 2004 football championship. Most of these buildings have been...

Daddy cool.(Culture: books, exhibitions, events)
August 6, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: My Architect, a filmic exploration of the life of Louis Kahn (right) through the eyes of his illegitimate son, goes on general release next Friday. The insightful documentary is the result of a five-year...

Nathaniel Kahn.(a director's view)(Brief Article)
August 6, 2004... Books I've read so little recently because making a film has been such an overwhelming undertaking and getting into another narrative is distracting. Now I am reading Life of Pi and I am thoroughly enjoying it. During research for the...

Prefit.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... A new, sleek, rounded balustrade clamp shape, specifically designed to support laminated glass (not pinch it, which can cause the glass to crack) is being marketed by Prefit, specialists in fittings for glass. The secure clamp is manufactured...

Armstrong ceilings.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... With their direct experience of the UK's largest PFI education project, Armstrong, the world's leading manufacturer of ceiling systems, has produced two new binders for acoustic solutions in Education, one of which is designed specifically for...

Mastic Asphalt Council.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... This year's MAC Awards saw Blackheath-based firm Capital Roofing scoop the coveted 'Contractor of the Year' award. The annual awards ceremony took place at St Ermin's Hotel in Westminster. For more information and photographs contact Rory...

Kingspan Insulation Ltd.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... The superior fire resistance of high performance Kingspan Thermaroof TR26 LPC/FM zero ODP flat roof insulation made it the natural choice for a major project that has expanded the Halliwell Jones BMW car dealership at Warrington. 7,000 square...

Armstrong ceilings.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... The healthcare sector places a unique set of complex and challenging demands on building designers and ceiling system manufacturers alike Enquiries 5012 or see www.enquirenow.com/bd [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

CA building products.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... The installation of emergency life saving equipment in their Evenwood, Co Durham headquarters has helped to keep leading roofing and cladding manufacturers CA Group Ltd among the top health and safety honours for the SEVENTH successive year....

Corus building services.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... The new 4 billion [pounds sterling] Terminal 5 building at Heathrow will host Europe's largest single-span building. Designed by architects Richard Rogers Partnership, the new central terminal building of the airport will boast a spectacular...

Trox UK Ltd.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... Trox (UK) has adopted a system engineering approach to fan coil units by providing a complete system, i.e. both fan coil units and diffusers, from a single source, guaranteeing room noise levels, thermal performance and air distribution. ...

L. B. Plastics ltd.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... L. B. Plastics' Sheerframe double tilt and turn windows have provided a safe and stylish solution for North Glasgow Housing Association's ongoing modernisation project. The project, which is the third successful contract for Hawthorn Windows...

Dorma.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... DORMA's service division in the north east, Service North, based in Jarrow, has won a major contract in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, near the heart of the City in the busy Northumberland Street area-Newcastle Central Library. Enquiries 5010 or see...

Corus colours.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... An ultra modern manufacturing facility for Baileys Irish Cream has been established in Mallusk near Belfast. The impressive multi purpose building has made extensive and creative use of Celestia and HPS200 by Corus for both the roof and the...

Commtech.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... The need for clear and comprehensive end user documentation is greater than ever as building operators struggle to get the best out of their increasingly complex buildings. Commissioning and maintenance specialist Commtech Group is one of the...

Artew-rawplug.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... R-KEM, a high-performance styrene-free chemical fixing system from Rawl Fixings, helped specialists restoring plasterwork at historic Wimpole Hall, near Cambridge. The resin was pumped into delicate masonry and embedded with 16m mesh-sleeved...

Halfen.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... A further demonstration of Halfen's commitment to quality and safety in construction is the awarding of Technical Approval status by the UK Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steels (CARES) to the company's HBM Reinforcement Couplers. ...

Lafarge.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... A new performance wallboard from Lafarge Plasterboard is designed to make light work of meeting the requirements of Part E of the Building Regulations. 'Echeck' is a 10 kg/[m.sup.2] board which, when used in conjunction with 25mm of...

Exhausto Ltd.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... Following research and feedback from architects and interior designers in both the private and public sectors, two companies EXHAUSTO and Geoflame have combined their expertise and knowledge of mechanical chimney technology and extract systems...

Corus colours.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... The roof of the Arts Room at St Andrew's Primary School in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, has been transformed using a bright Poppy Red in HPS200 [R] by Corus, the UK's largest manufacturer of organic-coated steel to the construction industry....

Titon.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... Market leading trickle ventilation and window fittings supplier Titon is adding powered ventilation products to its product portfolio. Titon has made the move to ensure the company can offer both a background and extract ventilation support...

Prefit.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... Prefit, a division of J. Preedy & Sons Ltd, has produced a new A-4 size catalogue on Shower Hinges and Accessories for use with Glass. The 120-page, monochrome catalogue is divided into well illustrated, easily read sections, sample layouts of...

Isowool.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... The new Isowool website is attracting more visitors than ever, with an increasing number of people registering on the site to ensure they receive up to the minute information on Isowool insulation, new literature and all the latest industry...

IG.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... The corrosion resistance of IG's hot-dipped galvanised steel lintels together with careful detailing of all window and door openings have enabled Jones Homes Southern Ltd to construct a high quality sea-front development without resorting to...

Weber SBD.(Products & Literature)
August 6, 2004... The de Haviland Campus, University of Hertfordshire Designed by RMJM Architects is sited on a brown field site in Hatfield that originally formed part of the historic Hatfield Aerodrome. The project is designed with two linear four storey...