Building Design articles from December 2003

Building Design archives from December 2003

Zaha Hadid this week unveiled images of the proposed Guggenheim Museum in Taichung, Taiwan.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Zaha Hadid this week unveiled images of the proposed Guggenheim Museum in Taichung, Taiwan. The design includes a series of "kinetic elements that offer the option to radically transform the gallery spaces". This includes a severely...

Brits flood in for Portuguese PFI.(privately financed hospitals)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... British architects were this week scrambling to join consortiums in time for the launch of the first of 10 privately financed hospitals in Portugal. Llewellyn Davies, HLM Design, Broadway Malyan and Anshen Dyer, BDP and Nightingale...

Holyrood: no cover? No problem: Fraser inquiry: Miralles won parliament job without insurance.
December 5, 2003... The Scottish Executive hired an architect without insurance as it ignored pleas from Scottish architects to run an open competition for the Holyrood parliament building, the inquiry into the over-budget project heard this week. In fresh...

Dismay as RIBA drops fee scales for client guide.(News: Royal Institute of British Architects)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Architects face tougher negotiations with clients after the RIBA's latest guidelines were published without fee scales. Under pressure from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), the RIBA has removed graphs of indicative fees from its latest...

Zaha's world tour.(News)(Interview)
December 5, 2003... Zaha Hadid kept me waiting sitting at a desk adjoining the room where the interview was about to take place perusing the pages of Building Design, writes Damian Arnold. Those huge black eyes narrowed and focused on a particular article,...

Hadid in NY Olympics final 20.(News)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Zaha Hadid Architects has made it down to the final 20 practices for the competition to design an Olympic village in New York, BD can reveal this week. The practice is one of the 20 out of the 131 submitted that made it through the Request...

Greenside caution.(News)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... David Beadle, who demolished the grade II listed Greenside House in Wentworth without consent, has been cautioned and interviewed by local authority officials. But he is yet to face prosecution. Runnymede council has rejected English...

Museum mile win.(News)(Dixon Jones wins design competition)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Dixon Jones has won a design competition to upgrade the streetscape and public spaces along London's "museum mile", Exhibition Road, having topped a shortlist that included Terry Farrell & Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects and David Chipperfield....

Second GLA phase.(News)(public spaces programme)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... London mayor Ken Livingstone this week announced 14 projects to be taken forward in the second phase of the GLA's 100 public spaces programme. The projects are Southall, Harrow town centre, Tottenham Hale, West Cromwell Road, Little Wormwood...

Cambridge Part II.(News)(Cambridge University's architecture school )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... The head of Cambridge University's architecture school has rubbished reports that it could reinstate the Part II diploma course it announced it would be closing earlier this year. A report in the journal Cambridge Architecture suggested that...

Liverpool station.(News)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Glen Howells Architects has been appointed with developer Urban Initiatives to create a new entrance to Liverpool Lime Street Station in time for the city's celebrations as European City of Culture in 2008. Urban regeneration firm Liverpool...

Business centre bid.(News)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... A London mayoral commission is to look at building a convention centre to "boost London's status as a global centre for business", it was announced this week. It will examine the business case for a building for up to 15,000 people.

Firms weigh risks on new Iraq contracts.(News)
December 5, 2003... The bidding started this week for reconstruction contracts in Iraq under which architects could be asked to start working on the ground early next year. A series of contracts to lead reconstruction work in the country, including design...

CZWG's new mixed-use development on Clink Street in south London is nearing completion.(News)
December 5, 2003... CZWG's new mixed-use development on Clink Street in south London is nearing completion. The distinctive 3 million [pounds sterling] building, which is exptected to be ready by the end of the year, includes 14 flats and a restaurant at ground...

RRP loses two key architects.(News)(Richard Rogers Partnership Ltd.)
December 5, 2003... Two of Richard Rogers Partnership's leading architects are leaving the practice. Founding partner, John Young is set to retire to the US next year and 48-year old associate, Marcus Lee, is leaving after 21 years to establish his own firm in...

Allies & Morrison has completed the first phase of its media village for the BBC at White City.(News)
December 5, 2003... Allies & Morrison has completed the first phase of its media village for the BBC at White City. The offices and broadcast centre is part of a major redevelopment of the corporation's west London campus, which includes plans for a dramatic new...

Alsop criticised for Bradford plans ...(News)
December 5, 2003... A member of the design panel scrutinising Will Alsop's masterplan for Bradford has called on Alsop to tone down his proposal to transform the city with many new landmark buildings. Urban Initiatives director Kelvin Campbell, who sits on...

... But adds Harrow to masterplan list.(News)
December 5, 2003... Will Alsop was appointed this week to carry out a masterplan for Harrow on the Hill's town centre in north-west London. Harrow Borough Council's planning department has selected a 4ha site around Harrow on the Hill's rail and bus stations...

Italian practice Riccardo Bianchini & Federica Lusiardi has won the contest to design a 150,000 [pounds sterling] structure.(News)
December 5, 2003... Italian practice Riccardo Bianchini & Federica Lusiardi has won the contest to design a 150,000 [pounds sterling] structure (right) to replace the Cleopatra's kiosk retail booth on London's Embankment, beside Hungerford Bridge. Bath-based Rees...

RIBA would put urban design on the syllabus.(News)
December 5, 2003... An urban design course would be part of the core architecture syllabus under proposals being worked up by the RIBA and backed by Cabe. Under the plan--which the RIBA could enforce through its validation of courses--a core module in the...

Architect warns of conservation elite.(News)
December 5, 2003... A leading conservation architect this week warned that an agreement between industry bodies to further develop a register of qualified conservation architects could develop into a "clique". Robert Adam warned that under the agreement signed...

Design for learning contest.(News)
December 5, 2003... A competition to design a "new style of learning environment for the 21st century" has been launched this week. Under the brief for the contest, being run by the RIBA and the Learning & Skills Council, "learning must take place in modern...

Pompidou winner.(News)
December 5, 2003... A team comprising Shigeru Bahn, Philip Gumchdjian and Jean de Gastaines has won a design competition for a new Pompidou centre in Metz. Paris-based Stephane Maupin et Pascal Cribier was second and Herzog & De Meuron was third. Foreign Office...

Stamford contest.(News)
December 5, 2003... A competition to transform the historic Red Lion Square and Sheepmarket in Stamford, Lincolnshire, has been launched. Its aim is to open up space in buildings famed for their stone architecture and create a gateway from the railway station. The...

Transport thinking.(News)
December 5, 2003... Scott Browrigg has published ideas on how to improve city transport hubs, following its year-long research project, Reclaiming the Urban Transport Interchange. Working with the Royal College of Art, the research lists challenges faced by...

BIAT website revamp.(News)
December 5, 2003... The British Institute of Architectural Technologists has redesigned its website, www.biat.org.uk, to include images of members' work, a pool of downloadable documents and a members-only area with discussion forum and membership directory.

RIBA winners book.(News)
December 5, 2003... Winners of this year's RIBA annual awards feature in a book, Architecture 03. Written by head of awards Tony Chapman, the book takes a critical look at 70 award-winning works. It is on sale at the RIBA bookshop, 12.95 [pounds sterling].

Appeal for Vauxhall Tower: prospect of public inquiry as 50-storey Broadway Malyan scheme narrowly loses council planning vote.(News)
December 5, 2003... The designer of what would be Britain's tallest residential tower this week vowed to appeal after Lambeth Borough Council threw out the London Millbank scheme by four votes to three. Broadway Malyan's design for the 50-storey Vauxhall Tower...

MacLaren village in hotel gates row.(News)
December 5, 2003... Residents of a Highlands model estate village by arts and crafts architect lames MacLaren are up in arms afer a local hotel owner enclosed what is seen as a key public space in the village. Residents are angry that the owner of the late...

Haworth Tompkins' 12.5 million [pounds sterling] remodelling of the Young Vic Theatre in south London has won planning permission.(News)
December 5, 2003... Haworth Tompkin's 12.5 million [pounds sterling] remodelling of the Young Vic Theatre in south London was won planning permission. The scheme retains the original auditorium, but completely remodels the frontage and creates two new studios with...

Rebuilding Iraq: are the stakes too high?(Comment & Analysis)(Column)
December 5, 2003... It might have been naive, but when the statues of Saddam were hauled down in front of international TV cameras in May, the prospect of working as an architect in Iraq seemed thrilling. Putting aside allegations of ambulance chasing, British...

Best of British.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 5, 2003... So I am a "patronising second-rate colonial governor" (Letters November 28) for daring, as president of the RIBA, to promote British architecture. Well that is what I do and shall continue to do. My letter to David and Victoria Beckham, not...

Spanish slip-up.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 5, 2003... George Ferguson's suggestions regarding the Beckhams' choice of home in Spain are, coming from an RIBA president, unacceptable. Not only did he insult all Spanish and older architects, he also succeeded in condemning a constituent part of his...

Hitting a brick wall.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 5, 2003... Familiarity may breed contempt, but Keith Hills's self-denial beggars belief. Recent experience of engaging with planning authorities provides clear evidence that to meet targets, any application regarded as potentially controversial,...

Two-way dialogue.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 5, 2003... Keith Hill suggests "developers need to be open about their proposals from a very early stage" to facilitate quick, high-quality decisions (Letters November 28). I can provide three small (and random) examples of how the planning system is...

Free thinking.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 5, 2003... Cabe's request to "free top teams from planning mire" (News November 21) should certainly be repudiated; "Norman conquest" in the same issue may be relevant. It would be far better if it urged planning authorities to spend less effort over...

Clearing the way.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 5, 2003... I was surprised that no connection was made between Mark Pimlott's excellent article about Foster & Partners' crop of City buildings (November 21) and the go-ahead for Renzo Piano's London Bridge Tower. Almost all of the Foster projects...

Cracking the code.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 5, 2003... I was very interested by your leader and articles on New Urbanism (November 28). I have experienced architects' hostility to design codes from the other side of the fence. I am an architect with a record of innovative architecture through 12...

A bridge too far?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 5, 2003... RRP's Glasgow bridge (News November 28) has been described as "reminiscent of the bow of a ship". I have seen that World War Two film of a destroyer battling into a mid-winter gale. The rain in Glasgow blasts up the Clyde: there is real...

Down and out.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 5, 2003... I was saddened to learn of the "split-level" regeneration of Langworthy (Housing November 28). In the sixties, it became fashionable to gut houses and create reverse-level homes--all of which were quickly returned to their natural state. In a...

Clarification.(Letters)(Correction Notice)
December 5, 2003... Regarding the article, "RIBA demands full inquiry into Arb's powers" (News November 28), the motion to RIBA Council has been proposed as an agenda item by an individual RIBA councillor and not the RIBA leadership.

Timespam.(Letters)
December 5, 2003... 1993 Iceland goes green. 2003 Changing Rooms client unmoved by minimalism. 2013 Poorly-specified brick globe protected by decorative spikes, voted universal symbol of architecture.

Is India calling? Don't panic. Moving our architectural jobs to India will be more complex than call centres.(Comment & Analysis)
December 5, 2003... The emerging trend of practices outsourcing architectural work to offices in India is a threat to UK jobs. Anyone struggling with the new directory enquiry services knows that workers from Bangalore and Mumbai have replaced those in Basingstoke...

Luder ready to tell all.(Concrete Boots)
December 5, 2003... Watch out: Owen Luder, the bow-tied twice former president of the RIBA, is writing his memoirs. Fresh from stepping down as a non-exec director from Jarvis last week and having left his seat on Arb last year, he has finally got a bit of time on...

Stars in their eyes.(Concrete Boots)(Gawker.com )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... The New York website Gawker.com has a section where readers post sightings of celebrities on the streets of the Big Apple. Recently a sighting of Daniel Libeskind appeared: "10AM ET at West and Albany Streets, Daniel Libeskind with a tall,...

Russian revolution.(Concrete Boots)
December 5, 2003... Architects should be on their guard fox vodka swilling and Cossack dancing in the bars of Cannes at Mipim in March if last week's Mapic retail property show is anything to go by. The usual hedonism associated with these shows was surpassed by...

Mies under hammer.(Concrete Boots)(Farnsworth House going under the hammer at Sotheby's)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Move over Picasso, Mondrian and Pollock, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's 1951 Farnsworth House near Chicago is going under the hammer at Sotheby's New York next week as a modernist work of art. Only the second house to receive such an honour since...

Shop till they drop.(Concrete Boots)
December 5, 2003... With the Health & Safety Executive last week urging designers to make buildings safer, perhaps a healthy dose of perspective from Taiwan is in order. Thousands were evacuated from a shopping mall that had just opened below construction of the...

Move over Uncle Sam: New York is set for its heaviest investment in new buildings since Roosevelt's New Deal, and British architects are clamouring to get a slice of the pie: Damian Arnold reports on the UK designers in teh vanguard of the stateside invasion.(Comment & Analysis)
December 5, 2003... Richard Meier still longs to see one of his designs for a skyscraper rise up in Manhattan. The distinguished Meier has spent his working life in the Big Apple, has won the Pritzker Prize and is celebrated for modernist structures as stark as...

Staying modern: this year saw the deaths of two post-war UK architectural giants, Peter Smithson and Philip Powell. But their work lives on through refurbishment schemes. Ellis Woodman looks at Sergison Bates' restoration of the Smithsons' Solar Pavilion, while Brendan Woods considers Blencowe Levine's remodelling of a Powell & Moya flat.(Restoration)
December 5, 2003... There can be few buildings that have been as comprehensively documented as Alison and Peter Smithson's Solar Pavilion. The couple built this little house in Wiltshire as a weekend retreat and photographed their lives there exhaustively, both...

Zumtobel staff photographic competition 2003.
December 5, 2003... Now in its seventh year, this photographic competition shows what architects can achieve using only a basic disposable camera. Three-hundred-and-twenty entries were judged by photographer-turned-architect Alex de Rijke, partner of dRMM, BD...

On the radar.(Culture)
December 5, 2003... BOOKS At the moment I'm reading The Air Conditioned Nightmare, by Arthur Miller. A large chunk is about an opulent post-war luxury society in America and in particular Palm Springs, which I like very much. Nigel Coates's Ecstacity is on my...

Good day at the office: Kester Rattenbury admires the future of architecture at Foreign Office Architects' impressive ICA show.(Culture)
December 5, 2003... If you want to see what the zeitgeist looks like, get on down to the ICA. Foreign Office Architects has absolutely defined the centre ground of the future in its major new show, Breeding Architecture. And very, very impressive it looks, too....

A shift from the transparent: Toyo Ito used an AA lecture to announce a fundamental shift in his thinking.(Culture)
December 5, 2003... It is three years since the completion of Toyo Ito's much feted mediatheque building in Sendai, Japan--a building that pushed transparency in architecture to barely-there limits. This building's see-through envelope, which brazenly reveals its...

On the bookshelf.(Culture)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... A detailed new investigation of the turbulent creation of the Sydney Opera House to mark the 30th anniversary of the building's opening. Jorn Utzon, who famously walked off the job, has since been invited to oversee its refurbishment. ...

Diary.(Culture)(Calendar)
December 5, 2003... LECTURES WEDNESDAY Jacques Herzog on Prada Epicentre store in Tokyo. Venue Union Chapel, Compton Avenue. London. 7pm. Cost: 8 [pounds sterling] /5 [pounds sterling]. Details 0845 120 7543. THURSDAY Tale of Two Villages by Andrew...

Look smart.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... A building construction by Terrapin as part of London Luton Airport's car parking redevelopment proved a perfect example to use a demonstration to two further companies seeking new accommodation--Molkerei Alois Muller Gmbh, a dairy product...

New Ultima Vector from Armstrong provides leading edge ceiling design.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... Armstrong have integrated the new Vector edge into the Ultima range which leads the way in combining outstanding aesthetics with high performance. The crisp, clean detailing of the new Vector edge reduces the visible width of the grid to...

Euroclad helps take BAe to new heights.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... Architectural impact, design flexibility and outstanding fire performance have made the Europanel Fire-Proof system, from Euroclad, the ideal choice for cladding BAe's impressive new European Airbus wing manufacturing facility in Broughton,...

Catnic launches CAD database.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... As part of its continuous product and customer service development, launched its most recent Fastrack CAD Database on CD-ROM aimed at assisting architects and specifiers in the creation or modification of project documentation. The software is...

Nullifire--the signature of safety.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... Nullifire S607 and S605 intumescent coatings provide the passive structural fire protection for the 'Empress State Building', a major 30-storey development in the heart of London. Water-borne and halogen free, Nullifire S607 has a low VOC...

Facelift for Leeds Corn Exchange.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... The listed Corn Exchange in the centre of Leeds is a prominent Victorian building built in 1860. Due to age, weathering and general wear and tear, the large sash windows needed a complete overhaul and Quadriga Concepts, experts in all aspects...

Second LIFT win for Hunter & Partners.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... Architects Hunter & Partners have won their second LIFT contract in less than a year--setting new standards in design and innovation for the country's primary healthcare centres. The latest win for clients, Oxford Primary Healthcare Trust,...

Crittall architectural competition--last call for entries.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... The Crittall Windows 10,000 [pounds sterling] architectural award competition designed to celebrate the best use of Crittall steel windows in both new build and refurbishment projects, closes for entries on 31st December this year. Winners will...

A tall story.(Profile Panels)(refurbishment of two 32-storey tower block buildings )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... In the heart of Birmingham stand two 32-storey tower block buildings, which have recently benefited from extensive refurbishments. Built for domestic dwellings in the early 1970's they are now owned by Optima Community Association. A key...

CPI provides a colourful combination!(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... CPI EuroMix, world leaders in dry mortar technology, has been chosen to help turn the architectural vision of Oxford's new Nuffield hospital into a colourful reality--by supplying a range of coloured mortars that will blend seamlessly with the...

DORMA announces toughened glass doors and assemblies CPD presentation.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... Internal or external? Frameless or framed? Sliding or pivoted door? The choice facing specifiers of toughened glass doors are numerous, which is why DORMA UK Ltd has devised a new CPD presentation as part of RIBA's Continuing Professional...

The crisp horizontal look of two new CA profiles.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... Exciting design options have been created by two new steel walling profiles launched by CA Building Products, leading specialists in metal roofing and cladding materials. Both the CA 45 1000W trapezoidal H and CA ARC 50 930 rounded...

Wilton Stripe from Blenheim Carpets.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... Stripes continue to be a top choice for stylish interiors and choosing Wilton Stripe from Blenheim Carpets will ensure that extra luxury and comfort. Wilton Stripe is made in a superior Wilton construction in 100% pure new wool and is offered...

Home was built in a day.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... The Sheffield branch of Arnold Laver Timber World has supplied materials to the Chesterfield "Rammed Earth" Project, featured in the television series 'Home Wasn't Built in a Day'. The challenge set by the programme makers was to construct...

All round Luxalon.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... The very attractive new Silvaco Data Systems building in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, demonstrates the architectural intent and outstanding design possibilities of the fully tested Luxalon[R] Insulated "Total Wall" Cladding concept. The designers...

Ashzip creates standing seam roof for Wanstead High School.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... A new 28-metre radius, curved standing seam roof has been created on Wanstead High School's new Sixth Form block using 300[m.sup.2] of 0.9mm Ashzip from Ash & Lacy Building Systems. Selected and installed by Logic Roofing & Cladding, the roof...

Euroclad exercise their authority on rainscreen systems at Moss Side Sports Centre.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... A sports centre in one of Manchester's deprived districts has been given a radical facelift using Euroclad's high performance 20/20 rainscreen cladding system, the design flexibility of which helped overcome a number of technical challenges....

Unishield[R].(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... Stoneflex URP Ltd is proud to announce a new brand, Unishield[R]. The Unishield[R] range includes single skin sheets, box profiles, built up systems, composite wall & roof panels, an architectural firewall system and a range of complimentary...

Architectural mesh from Potter & Soar contributes to striking modern design of new power station.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... Coniston mesh used to clad new 75 metre tower stack Built on the site of the old diesel powered plant, the new natural gas power station at Pulrose on the Isle of Man is nearing completion. Housing the latest power generation technology, the...

Protect against wind uplift.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... Thousands of roofs may suffer damage owing to incorrect specification and use of roofing underlays. So claims Glidevale Ltd, one of the UK's leading suppliers of roofing underlays, and the first to offer a comprehensive range of both vapour...

New CPD initiative from Kopex.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... In line with their continued commitment to educate the industry about conduit, Kopex International has produced a series of certified CPD (Continual Professional Development) seminars. These are designed for Architects, specifiers, Electrical...

Fast tile solutions for residential applications from International Decorative Surfaces.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... For residential applications, whether new build or refurbishment, the Unilin Quick Step range of laminate tiles from IDS offer a fast-fit solution without the need for wet trades, adhesive or grouting. The product is laid in exactly the...

Heavy duty anchors help bridge over troubled main road.(Profile Panels)
December 5, 2003... Falcon Structural Repairs has entered into a new area of expertise, with Management and Operatives being awarded their PTS Railtrack Certificates. This enables Falcon to now undertake vital repairs to damaged rail structures. The most...

German lessons.(Back Space)
December 5, 2003... It was a bright, sharp autumn day when I drove out with a friend, eastwards along Karl-Marx-Allee, which becomes Frankfurter Allee, bit by bit leaving the feel of the urban behind. The Frankfurt of Frankfurter Allee is Frankfurt an der...

Ian Martin.
December 5, 2003... Monday An uncomfortable day at the Holyrood inquiry. Until now I have avoided being called as a key witness, thanks to meetings abroad and a series of mystery viral illnesses. I am cross-examined by an extremely unpleasant character in a...

Twin towers for Waterloo: Mayor Ken Livingstone launches new feasibility study into high-rise development above Waterloo station.
December 12, 2003... London mayor Ken Livingstone is planning to kickstart development of two 200m plus towers above Waterloo station for what could be London's next major landmark building. Livingstone has launched a feasibility study into a high-rise...

Foster's botanic gardens in Wales faces closure, but that doesn't mean the low-rise dome is doomed, as shown by the practice's plans for a new elephant house at Copenhagen Zoo.
December 12, 2003... Foster's botanic gardens in Wales faces closure, but that doesn't mean the low-rise dome is doomed, as shown by the practice's plans for a new elephant house at Copenhagen Zoo. The design comprises two enclosures embedded into the landscape and...

Rem: 'I've only just begun'.
December 12, 2003... Rem Koolhaas must add an evening at 66 Portland Place to his globetrotting schedule in February after he was awarded the 2003 Royal Gold Medal by the RIBA on Wednesday. Fittingly for an architect who represents the burgeoning...