Building Design articles from December 2007

Building Design archives from December 2007

Defiant RMJM tells Unesco to back off.
December 7, 2007... Gazprom tower decision belongs to the city, says architect Elaine Knutt and Will Hurst RMJM has locked horns with Unesco with a defiant pledge to protect its plans for Europe's tallest building, St Petersburg's Gazprom tower. ...

New perspective on St Petersburg.
December 7, 2007... RMJM's new Gazprom tower design has a public observation deck served by a dedicated lift and irregular triple-glazed windows intended to respond to St Petersburg's cold winters and described by Kettle as a "fur coat". The mixed-use project...

LEADER: Who gains most from Tate gift?(Tate Britain )
December 7, 2007... AMANDA BAILLIEU The government has given the Tate extensiona cash boost, but which side really benefits from this generosity? It's been a good week for the Tate. In awarding its annual Turner Prize on Monday night to Mark Wallinger, it...

LEADER: St Petersburg can decide for itself.
December 7, 2007... After a year in which Unesco has interfered in proposals for tall buildings first in Liverpool and then in London, it has now fixed its beady eye on St Petersburg. Because of the hugely controversial Gazprom tower, which protestors claim...

LEADER: The trouble with eco-towns.(planning rules)(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... It is hard to get enthused about eco-towns. They are years away, and who knows if they'll survive a future government? And they are fraught with difficulties, from planning to funding. Are they even feasible? Alarm bells are already...

IN BRIEF: Costs may shelve fencing arena.(London 2012 )(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The London 2012 fencing arena may not be built, the ODA admitted this week. The venue, which was procured alongside fellow temporary building the basketball arena, is now under review in an effort to save costs. An ODA spokesman said it...

IN BRIEF: Sutherland Hussey's museum gem.
December 7, 2007... Sutherland Hussey has won an international competition to build this #240 million museum for the Chinese city of Chengdu. The 72,000sq m brass panel-clad museum, described as "a jewel wrapped in gold", will occupy the whole west edge of Tian Fu...

IN BRIEF: BD's Woodman is critic of the year.(Building Design's Ellis Woodman )(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... BD's Ellis Woodman has been named architectural critic of the year at this year's International Building Press awards. Judges said his submission "stood out for his brilliant choice of buildings, the depth of his analysis, the range of his...

IN BRIEF: Think Place wins Warsaw regen.(sports stadium redevelopment)(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Think Place has triumphed in an international competition to masterplan a major Warsaw regeneration project. The 21ha site, for developer Global Partners Investment Fund, will be developed around an urban park. Its centrepiece will be a new...

IN BRIEF: Mayor's green house goes on show.
December 7, 2007... The Building Centre-designed "Number 1 Lower Carbon Drive" - a public exhibition in Trafalgar Square designed to showcase the mayor of London's Green Homes initiative - has been unveiled. The project showcasesthe latest materials and...

Still no guarantee for Foundation HQ.(Land Securities Group PLC's contract with Zaha Hadid Architects)
December 7, 2007... Developer Land Securities has warned that it will not fund Zaha Hadid's Architecture Foundation HQ building in London unless a "viable" tender is agreed, despite the naming of a contractor. Rooff of Stratford emerged this week as the firm...

Urban expert attacks eco-towns concept.(Urbed's Nicholas Falk )
December 7, 2007... Fears grow over `recycling' of sites previously rejected for housing Helen Crump The government's flagship eco-towns initiative is intrinsically flawed, a leading urbanist will tell a national conference on the programme next week....

Photographers Gallery captures the right image.
December 7, 2007... Celebrated Dublin architect O'Donnell & Tuomey has received planning permission for its new #16 million building for the Photographers Gallery, the UK's national centre for the promotion of photography. The six-storey building, which will...

Maggie's Centres seek funding boost.
December 7, 2007... Cancer care charity Maggie's has launched a new #15 million fundraising drive so it can build five new centres designed by CZWG, MJP, Wilkinson Eyre, Foreign Office Architects and the late Kisho Kurokawa. The campaign, Joy of Living, will...

Tate extension nets #50m.(Herzog and de Meuron Architects recieves finance for Tate Modern architecture)(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The government has announced a #50 million contribution to Herzog & de Meuron's extension at Tate Modern, which it claimed will boost Britain's cultural offering in the run-up to the Olympics. Speaking at Tate Modern on Wednesday morning,...

School keeps `fabulous design' by dumping BSF.
December 7, 2007... Marguerite Lazell The #45 billion Building Schools for the Future programme is incapable of delivering "fabulous design", Kensington & Chelsea council has claimed. Just a week after BD revealed that all but one of the first batch of...

Devon house extension exploits the beauty of its surroundings.(Satellite Architects )(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Satellite Architects has received planning permission for a pool house and flat extension to a private home in Devon. The building, which will include a swimming pool in the basement, a living room on the ground floor and a granny flat on...

Brown announces #9bn investment in Gateway.(Gordon Brown)(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Prime minister Gordon Brown has announced a #9 billion investment in the Thames Gateway. Speaking at the Thames Gateway Forum last week, he outlined a delivery plan setting sustainability standards for the region including a promise that...

Back in the swim.(Stephen Hodder Associates contracts with Clissold Leisure Centre )(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The revamped Clissold Leisure Centre in Hackney, east London, by Stephen Hodder Associates, reopens next week after four years. It has a new roof, new flooring in the sports hall, a toddler pool, and the main pool has been retiled. The...

Westminster wavers on transport masterplan.
December 7, 2007... Rory Olcayto The #2 billion Victoria Transport Interchange project by architects including KPF, Wilkinson Eyre and Allies & Morrison would "severely constrain" the area's public realm, Westminster City Council has claimed. A council...

Hemingway calls for respect in housebuilding.
December 7, 2007... Speaking at this week's launch of Cabe and the Home Builders' Federation's 2008 Building for Life awards, designer Wayne Hemingway slammed architects and home builders for failing to respect each other's roles. Hemingway, chair of the...

AD&S gives Murphy third blast.(Richard Murphy Architects)
December 7, 2007... Watchdog still unhappy with scale and vision of Edinburgh scheme Helen Crump Proposals for a #200 million development on the edge of Edinburgh's world heritage site by leading architect Richard Murphy have been slammed by Architecture...

Gillette regen cuts a dash.
December 7, 2007... HOK has won planning approval for the regeneration of Gillette Corner, a grade II listed former razor blade factory. The building in Hounslow, west London, was designed by Banister Fletcher and completed in 1936, but has been empty since last...

Holyrood plays Trump card.(Donald Trump)(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The Scottish government has called in Donald Trump's #1 billion golf complex after an unprecedented backlash against Aberdeenshire Council's decision to reject the scheme. Ministers will now determine whether the scheme, on the Menie...

REGENERATION: Cabe to revive seaside towns.(Commission for Architecutre and the Built Environment)(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Cabe is to lead a #45 million scheme to regenerate run-down seaside towns. The design watchdog will identify historic high streets, public spaces, galleries and concert halls in need of restoration under the three-year programme, which...

EDUCATION: Infirmary boosts learning space.(Bradford Royal Infirmary contracts with Bradford Teaching Hospitals )(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Aedas Leeds has been appointed to produce early designs for a conference and learning centre at Bradford Royal Infirmary. The project, for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, will be used as a conference venue and is expected...

HOUSING: CGL takes Kent Design award.
December 7, 2007... Child Graddon Lewis has triumphed in the housing category of the Kent Design Awards. Director Michael Lewis said the practice was "delighted" to succeed ahead of "some extremely well respected practices" for its Sandling Park scheme in...

STADIUMS: Arup reveals its entry for Singapore sports centre.
December 7, 2007... Arup's sports division has unveiled its entry for the competition to design Singapore's national stadium and sports complex. Premier Park will provide facilities for more than 150 activities including football, cricket, athletics,...

Six in frame for Walsall library.
December 7, 2007... Marguerite Lazell Fat, Featherstone Associates and Panter Hudspith are among six practices shortlisted in an RIBA competition to design a new landmark library building in Walsall. Aaron Evans Architects, McMorran & Gatehouse Architects...

ANALYSIS: Gateway to disaster?
December 7, 2007... London must decide the direction of the Thames Gateway soon, warns Michael Edwards, or risk a project doomed to failure. Here he describes the best- and worst-case scenarios for the region The Thames Gateway project poses daunting choices...

LETTER: City limits.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... With great respect for both author Gavin Stamp and his reviewer Kenneth Powell, and admitting personal involvement, may I claim Coventry as an exception to that angry tale of post-1945 disasters and disgrace in Britain's Lost Cities (Culture...

LETTER: Something fishy.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... Would Karl Renner (Letters November 23) like to explain how the General Market buildings at Smithfield are "deeply undistinguished"? Even the developer's heritage expert considers that they make a positive contribution to the conservation...

LETTER: Tall storey.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... Re: what to do with the Foster 40 tomes. I suggest using them as the first two steps to building up a towering architectural ego (pun intended). Kenneth C Ralston, Edinburgh Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

LETTER: Piers pressure.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... As a retired conservation officer and history teacher, I disagree strongly with Piers Gough's arrogant assertion that English Heritage should only deal with the past. Architecture must be seen as a continuous thread of historic evolution. Even...

LETTER: Just a minute.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... Is "just 113 design reviews" (News November 30) enough for A&DS to "alter the status quo" in Scotland? Not on its own. Our 2006-07 annual report shows we are also busy with advocacy, enabling, research and communications. Even in...

LETTER: Going for Gold.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... Comments from bdonline on the court order that a developer must rebuild an illegally demolished Erno Goldfinger house (News November 30) * It's too late now Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Erno fan. But was this really one of his best works?...

LETTER: Cabe reviews can mislead.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... We welcome Cabe's structured involvement in the schools sector (November 30). It is good to have a "critical friend" in the - sometimes - lonely pursuit of design excellence! We do, however, live in an imperfect world, and while the Cabe...

OPINION: Growing necessity of space standards.(Viewpoint essay)
December 7, 2007... PAUL MORRELL Since housebuilders are driven by profit, the government must not be afraid to regulate Size matters, whatever they may say, and in the context of housing, it is one measure of quality. In his review of housing...

DEBATE: Is lack of trust a key cause of badly designed housing?
December 7, 2007... YES Richard Simmons Chief executive Cabe There clearly is a lack of trust between developers and designers. Two thirds of planning applications for housing do not involve an architect. Many housebuilders say that using an...

WORKS: SANAA - Shock of the New.
December 7, 2007... Glimpsed from the New York streets, Sanaa's New Museum has dramatic appeal, but once inside, the gallery spaces are a big disappointment, says Adrian Dannatt Project team Architect: Sanaa, Architect of record: Guggenheimer Architects,...

SOLUTIONS: ROOFING - Roll out the barrel vault.(Company overview)
December 7, 2007... Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners' latest venture in Spain, for a winery in the ancient town of Penafiel, boasts a remarkable roof, reports Amanda Birch A series of strange phallic stone formations indicate we have entered the wine-growing...

SOLUTIONS: ROOFING - Early sighting of a new hybrid.
December 7, 2007... The roof of Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden's new visitor centre is an inventive mix of cross-laminated and glue-laminated wood. Pamela Buxton reports Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden is no stranger to weird and wonderful plants and trees...

USING CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER.(Buro Happold uses timber)(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The Gateway is the first time that Buro Happold's Edinburgh office has used cross-laminated timber. It is being sourced from Austrian-based KLH, one of only a handful of suppliers to the UK market. "It's much more expensive than traditional...

I WISH I'D DONE THAT.
December 7, 2007... ANDY GOLLIFER Seabird Island School, British Colombia, Canada This is a school (1988-91) with a tightly tailored plan and a kind of loose overcoat of a roof which overhangs and seems to kick out in different directions. It is a simple...

If I trained in Europe, can my employer treat me differently?
December 7, 2007... ASK US A QUESTION Richard Brindley RIBA director of practice Laura Atherton Solicitor, Kennedys, London EC1 As an Arb-registered architect from another European country, can my employer deny me equal professional rights over my...

ROLL ON FRIDAY.(Aedas AHR)(Column)
December 7, 2007... `IT IS A REAL TALKING POINT - WE OFTEN TAKE CLIENTS FOR A GAME' Practice Aedas Location Bristol Size 40 We moved into a more central office location about a year-and-a-half ago, and we lost a lot of the green space we had...

CULTURE: At home with Bauhaus.
December 7, 2007... Mima's excellent Bauhaus show reminds us that mass production need not exclude quality, says Andrew Guest EXHIBITION BAUHAUS MimaCentre Square, Middlesbrough Until February 17 This is the fourth exhibition at the...

HOT TIPS: Specs-tacular.
December 7, 2007... Prescription spectacles are the unlikely raw material for Stuart Haygarth's spectacular chandelier, installed at The Lighthouse as part of an exhibition of his design work. Many of his projects are characterised by the inventive reuse of...

HOT TIPS: Double speak.
December 7, 2007... What links Casino Royale, Madonna and the RCA? The answer is video director and film title sequencer Daniel Kleinman, who speaks at the college next week as part of Double Take: the Space between Architecture and Film RCA/BD lecture series. He...

HOT TIPS: Not another icon.
December 7, 2007... Iconic is one of the most over-used adjectives for describing buildings. A new installation, devised by architect-artist collaboration Sans facon and commissioned by Manchester's Cube gallery, explores just this. "Iconic site", emblazoned on...

HOT TIPS: School projects.
December 7, 2007... As Cabe slams the standard of school design, this timely exhibition explores 30 recent examples. Projects include Foster & Partners' West London Academy and AHMM's Westminster Academy, featured in last week's BD. * London's Learning,until...

Seventies see cultural thaw.
December 7, 2007... Elizabeth Darling was captivated by this reassessment of 1970s projects CONFERENCE THE SEVENTIES IN BRITAIN: THE BEST OF TIMES, THE WORST OF TIMES? AA, London WC1/The Gallery, Cowcross St, London EC1 November 23-24 Given...

THIS WEEK: CHRISTOPHER WREN.
December 7, 2007... Computer graphics have transformed Greenwich's Old Royal Naval College for the film of Phillip Pullman's book, The Golden Compass. A skyscraper has been added in the style of Wren, the building's original architect. Copyright: CMP...

THIS WEEK: SCALE MODELS.
December 7, 2007... The original scale model of Robert Stephenson's Bell Rock lighthouse has fetched #12,000 at auction, six times its estimated value. Buyer Angus Council plans to exhibit the replica, the classic design of which became a template for lighthouses...

THIS WEEK: CATS' EYES.
December 7, 2007... Cats' eyes - in use in the UK for 70 years - are to be replaced by Solarlite studs. Two hours' sunlight powers them for 10 days, and they can be seen from 10 times further away. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

THIS WEEK: CAR PARKS.
December 7, 2007... Campaigners in Rome want to halt a car park being built under the city's famous Terraza del Pinco park, which would be closed for years. Archaeological remains would also be at risk. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

THIS WEEK: THE ARTS.
December 7, 2007... Schools are failing to instil a love of the arts, former National Theatre director Richard Eyre has warned, pointing to a growing gulf between those who appreciate the arts and others who feel excluded. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Big names in last-ditch bid to save Pimlico.(Pimlico school's building replacement plans)(Royal Institute of British Architects)
December 14, 2007... Helen Crump Three of British architecture's best known figures have appealed to Westminster council to reverse its plans to bulldoze the nationally renowned Pimlico school. Richard Rogers, RIBA president Sunand Prasad and Observer...

Hong Kong comes back to Hadid.(Zaha Hadid to design towers for Hong Kong Polytechnic University )(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Zaha Hadid is returning to the location of the unbuilt scheme that made her name with this design for a 12,000sq m Innovation Tower for the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Hadid announced the project, which will accommodate 1,500...

LEADER: Year ends as it began - almost.(Pimlico School to be designed environmental friendly)
December 14, 2007... AMANDA BAILLIEU Eagerness to demolish Pimlico School, sits particularly poorly with the failure of new school designs to pass muster The architectural year began with the revelation that half all new secondary school designs are either...

But there's good news too.(Royal Institute of British Architects awarded Rem Koolhaas )(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... And finally to the Stirling Prize, which left many people confused this year when a Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas was on the shortlist for Casa da Musica - in Portugal. The architect was well within the rules but it did not take much of a leap...

IN BRIEF: Architects come to aid of Crisis.
December 14, 2007... Architecture for Humanity is working with Crisis Open Christmas to provide a warm welcome for homeless people staying at crisis centres over Christmas. Volunteer architects have just two weekends to transform disused buildings into...

IN BRIEF: SHL scoops Sheffield scheme.(Schmidt Hammer Lassen wons contract to construct urban center)(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Schmidt Hammer Lassen has won an international invited competition to design a mixed-use scheme in north Sheffield featuring a new public square, library, homes and shops. Chaucer Buchanan District Centre will feature a three-story residential...

IN BRIEF: Sustrans scoops Big Lottery prize.(infrastructural development projects)(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... The Sustrans' Connect 2 project has scooped the #50 million Big Lottery Fund prize after securing the most votes in a massive public telephone and internet poll, televised on ITV. The infrastructural project, which will focus on improving...

IN BRIEF: Niemeyer unveils major arts plan.(Oscar Niemeyer plans to construct art buildings)(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, 100 years old tomorrow, has unveiled plans for a huge new arts building that will place the small Spanish city of Aviles, a former steel hub, at the heart of a international cultural network. Part of a...

IN BRIEF: Armitt quits chief Gateway role.(Thames Gateway's chief executive Judith Armitt resigns)(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Thames Gateway chief executive Judith Armitt has resigned just two weeks after Gordon Brown announced a plan for the region including a #9 billion investment. Armitt, who had been at the regeneration quango for just a year, is understood...

Stirling Prize set to return to its roots.(Royal Institute of British Architects awarded Tony Chapman)(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... The growing internationalisation of the Stirling Prize has been dramatically halted by the RIBA, which has ruled that next year's award must have a more British flavour. The move, revealed by RIBA head of awards Tony Chapman this week,...

`Inflexible' PFI works against sustainability.
December 14, 2007... Long-term deals are like supertankers you can't turn around, says report Will Hurst The PFI process is a major barrier to reducing the carbon emissions produced by buildings, a new report claims. The study, produced by the London...

HTA scoops design of first eco-village.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... HTA Architects has beaten competition from Feilden Clegg Bradley, Acanthus Ferguson Mann, Proctor & Matthews, PRP and Broadway Malyan to design England's first eco-village, it was announced this week. The practice, with developer Barratt,...

Crab emerges on the shores of Lake Maggiore.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Peter Cook and Gavin Robotham's Crab Studio has won a competition to design this new municipal theatre in Verbania, on the shores of Lake Maggiore in Italy. The curving building will stand on the city square, and will feature a main...

Gensler tops BD's global poll.
December 14, 2007... Gensler has claimed top spot in BD's 2008 World Architecture 100 survey, with 1,216 qualified architects. The US-based practice is followed closely by HOK, but Japan's Nikken Sekkei, last year's largest firm, fell to third place, despite...

Stonehenge visitor centre scrapped.
December 14, 2007... No go for Denton Corker Marshall scheme as road tunnel abandoned Marguerite Lazell The long-awaited visitor centre at Stonehenge by Denton Corker Marshall has been scrapped after the government abandoned plans for a road tunnel below...

FIRST LOOK: Oxford boathouse gives river a strong design at a stroke.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Belsize Architects has completed this new #2 million boathouse for an Oxford college. Architect Shahriar Nasser said he had adopted a high-risk strategy to convince University College that a modern building could work on the riverbank...

Homeowners give new estates thumbs down.
December 14, 2007... Almost a third of homeowners living in new housing estates have slammed their environments as characterless. The shocking statistic is from a newly published Cabe study, which reveals widespread dissatisfaction among the inhabitants of new...

Going local in Muscat.
December 14, 2007... Foster & Partners' latest scheme is the masterplan for a new coastal city near Muscat in Oman reflecting traditional Omani architecture. Al Madina Al Zarqa, the Blue City, will house 200,000 people in a series of clustered communities,...

`Gazumping' jibe tarnishes exemplary competition.
December 14, 2007... Glasgow put profit ahead of design Rory Olcayto An architectural competition hailed as a model for Glasgow's Commonwealth Games village is at the centre of a bitter row after it emerged that the winner had "gazumped" the team with the...

MUMA triumphs in Bath arts contest.(McInnes Usher McKnight Architects)(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... McInnes Usher McKnight Architects (MUMA) has triumphed in a head-to- head with Tony Fretton Architects for Bath University's new arts complex. MUMA and Fretton were the final contenders in the RIBA-organised competition after three other...

Hotel hangout.
December 14, 2007... This Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners-designed proposal for the Berkeley Hotel site in Knightsbridge, central London, has won the backing of Westminster City Council's planning committee. The scheme includes new residential and retail units,...

Eleven on superlab shortlist.
December 14, 2007... Helen Crump Grimshaw, Hopkins Architects, NBBJ and Sheppard Robson are competing to design a world-class, #500 million "super-laboratory" in central London. The practices are on an 11-strong shortlist for the UK Centre for Medical...

Cameron launches green energy policy.
December 14, 2007... Conservative leader David Cameron has outlined new plans for a "decentralised energy" revolution. Speaking last week at the HQ of eco-warriors Greenpeace in London, Cameron called for the creation of a mass market for microgeneration to...

PLANNING BILL: Stop opposing bill, urges RTPI.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... The Royal Town Planning Institute is urging green groups to stop opposing the planning bill. It says an important opportunity is contained the bill, which recommends creation of an independent planning commission (IPC). RTPI director of...

FUNDING: Purnell gives museums #100m.
December 14, 2007... More than #100 million is to be devoted to maintaining the assets of government-sponsored museums over the next three years, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport has announced. The cash boost, which will go towards the museums'...

INTERNATIONAL: Tbilisi tower design revealed.
December 14, 2007... GMW Architects has unveiled its competition-winning design for a #20 million mixed-use building in Tbilisi, Georgia. The tower includes three levels of retail, cafes and restaurants below 25 storeys of single and duplex apartments, with...

GREEN BUILDING: Sumeray to lead GBC strategy.
December 14, 2007... Jeremy Sumeray is to become the UK Green Building Council's director of strategy from January. Sumeray spent 12 years in senior sustainability roles at Lafarge Group, and was seconded to the Department for Business & Regulatory Reform, to...