Building Design articles from December 2008

Building Design archives from December 2008

Green Guide `flawed', says lobby group.
December 5, 2008... Report says it is likely to worsen buildings' environmental impact Vikki Miller The green credentials of new housing and the 2012 Olympics could suffer because of serious flaws with the official guide to specifying eco- friendly...

Jorn Utzon, 1918-2008.(Brief biography)(Brief article)
December 5, 2008... Jorn Utzon, the Danish architect who designed the Sydney Opera House, died last weekend at the age of 90. Winning the design competition for the landmark building thrust the architect on to the world stage in 1957, but problems surrounding...

LEADER: Going nowhere on heritage.(Viewpoint essay)
December 5, 2008... AMANDA BAILLIEU The government has shelved heritage protection for short-term gain, but the long-term costs will be substantial The government's decision to drop the heritage protection bill suggests that it views overhauling the...

LEADER: Architect who grappled with life.(Joern Utzon)(In memoriam)(Brief article)
December 5, 2008... As the old cliche goes, you couldn't make it up. The story of the 20th century's most gifted but tragic architect grips our imagination 35 years after Sydney Opera House was finally completed, and despite the fact it is on the other side of the...

IN BRIEF: FOA quits City of Justice project.(Foreign Office Architects )(Brief article)
December 5, 2008... Foreign Office Architects has resigned from the Madrid City of Justice project, citing "insufficient levels of funding". FOA principal Alejandro Zaera-Polo said: "Conflicts arising from the expectation of meeting a certain level of quality...

IN BRIEF: Retrofitting programme revealed.(Brief article)
December 5, 2008... Deputy London Mayor Simon Milton has revealed plans for a retrofitting programme to improve the energy of existing commercial building stock. Speaking at the Urban Buzz conference on sustainable communities on Tuesday, Milton said that the...

IN BRIEF: McDowell & Benedetti triumphs.(Brief article)
December 5, 2008... McDowell & Benedetti has beaten Glenn Howells Architects in a competition to redesign a 9ha JCB factory site in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. The RIBA and JCB contest, for a town centre site owned by the construction giant, was whittled down...

IN BRIEF: Titanic project gets #43.5 million.(Brief article)
December 5, 2008... Eric Kuhne's scheme for a #97 million development in Belfast has received a massive boost after the Northern Ireland Executive agreed to offer #43.5 million worth of funding. The 1.2ha Titanic Signature Project, located on the former...

IN BRIEF: BD wins best magazine award.
December 5, 2008... BD has been named Weekly Magazine of the Year at the International Building Press awards, with BD's news editor Will Hurst taking home News Reporter of the Year. The panel of judges said that in an increasingly competitive category, BD had...

A second bite at Stonehenge centre.
December 5, 2008... Two architects who have drawn up unrealised designs for a visitor centre at Stonehenge are on a new shortlist for a slimmed down version of the scheme, BD can reveal. Edward Cullinan Architects and Denton Corker Marshall have both...

Government drops heritage legislation.
December 5, 2008... Cross-party condemnation as government blames credit crunch Will Henley MPs from all three main political parties have criticised the government over the axing of the heritage protection bill from next year's parliamentary programme...

THE STORY OF THE HERITAGE BILL.(Brief article)
December 5, 2008... December 2000 Review of policy by heritage sector headed by then EH chair Neil Cossons arguing for a more holistic approach December 2001 DCMS responds positively to recommendations July 2003 DCMS consultation document on...

Professional bodies unite to fight slump.
December 5, 2008... The RIBA and the Association of Consultant Architects have joined forces to establish a Recovery Task Force, which they hope will help architects and others through the recession and beyond. Chaired by former PRP chairman Barry Munday, the...

Arts Council scraps Architecture Week.
December 5, 2008... Architecture Week has finally been scrapped, 17 months after Arts Council England withdrew funding and announced an extensive and wide- ranging consultation on the beleaguered event. A source close to the event confirmed on Wednesday that...

New verse for Lake District's poetic site.
December 5, 2008... Small practice Knox Bhavan Architects has won planning approval for a #1 million retirement house in the Newlands Valley in the Lake District National Park. The 350sq m home, for a private client, replaces a famous local landmark called...

Farewell to a flawed genius.(Jorn Utzon)(In memoriam)
December 5, 2008... Tributes follow death of legendary Danish architect Jorn Utzon Will Hurst Tributes were paid from around the world this week to Jorn Utzon, the legendary Danish architect who has died at the age of 90. The RIBA Gold Medal and...

Towers join the club.
December 5, 2008... CZWG has submitted plans for a #160 million mixed-use scheme opposite Arsenal football club in north London. The 60,000sq m Queensland Road scheme, which goes to Islington Council's planning committee later this month, is the last part of the...

Boycott non-green clients, says Whitby.(Mark Whitby)
December 5, 2008... Vikki Miller Leading engineer Mark Whitby has called on design professionals to boycott work from environmentally harmful clients. In an echo of Daniel Libeskind's comments earlier this year questioning the ethics of working in China,...

HCA launches without any housing targets.
December 5, 2008... The Homes & Communities Agency has not yet drawn up targets to improve the supply of housing and kick-start regeneration schemes across the country, its chief executive has admitted. Speaking at a press briefing on Monday to mark the launch...

Make slashes 30 staff as Edinburgh office closes.(Make Architects )
December 5, 2008... Vikki Miller Make Architects has slashed the number of people working at the practice from 130 to 100, and has closed its Edinburgh office in a bid to survive the recession. The announcement that the practice has reduced its numbers by...

Sheppard Robson's college days.
December 5, 2008... Sheppard Robson's designs for this #27 million, 13,000sq m school in Wokingham, Berkshire, have been given the go-ahead by planners. Waingels College, for Willmott Dixon, is divided into three main elements distinguished through colour. It...

UK firms reach war museum shortlist.
December 5, 2008... UK practices Patel Taylor and Kinnear Landscape Architects have been shortlisted for an RIBA international competition for the external spaces at Manchester's Imperial War Museum North. Sweden's White Arkitekter AB, Germany's Topotek 1 and...

COMPETITION: Village seeks improvements.
December 5, 2008... A design team is being sought to deliver landscaping and environmental improvements to the village of Astley, near Chorley in Lancashire. The RIBA competition, for developer Places for People, is open to all practising architects,...

ROLFE JUDD: Willams to head up Polish office.(Rolfe Judd Architecture, Matthew Williams)(Brief article)
December 5, 2008... Matthew Williams, director of Rolfe Judd Architecture, has been appointed divisional director for its Polish office, Rolfe Judd Polska, in Katowice. Williams, who has worked at Rolfe Judd for 14 years, has spearheaded the firm's expansion...

LONDON 2012: Mayor consults on accessibility.
December 5, 2008... London mayor Boris Johnson has commissioned a major survey to discover how the city can be made more accessible in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The survey is part of the mayor's Equal Life Chances For All...

DONALD INSALL: 50 years not out for heritage firm.(Brief article)
December 5, 2008... Donald Insall launched his latest book, Living Buildings, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of his firm, Donald Insall Associates, at a reception at Goldsmiths' Hall in the City of London last month. MP Patrick Cormack paid tribute at...

Council urged to reject Terry hotel opposite Hampton Court.
December 5, 2008... Will Henley Historic Royal Palaces has made a last-ditch plea to local councillors to reject a hotel development by Quinlan & Francis Terry Architects proposed for a site directly opposite Hampton Court Palace. Speaking ahead of the...

LETTER: Design in context.(Letter to the editor)
December 5, 2008... Your limited sample of the views of the architects involved in early Building Schools for the Future projects (News November 28) did not really throw up any surprises for Partnerships for Schools - we have heard the comments before and are...

LETTER: Dusting down.(Letter to the editor)
December 5, 2008... Mark Cotton (Letters November 28) need not be so pessimistic about the lack of a design opportunity with retrofitting projects. We must retrofit 500,000 existing homes a year for the next 40 years if we are to meet the government's emerging...

LETTER: It's a flyer.(Letter to the editor)
December 5, 2008... Richard Beastall hit the nail on the head in his succinct argument for a new "hub" airport in the Thames Estuary (Debate November 21). Heathrow is essentially a mistake, compounded as it grows. But it cannot grow any further, and future...

LETTER: Back to the Spa.(Letter to the editor)
December 5, 2008... I would like to correct some points in your report on the Spa Green estate (News November 14). The Leasehold Valuation Tribunal was not won by Homes for Islington on "a technicality" - the standard of works was not considered by the LVT because...

LETTER: Contract killer.(Letter to the editor)
December 5, 2008... Sunand Prasad has been criticised for the RIBA's response to the recession. Just as it started last year, the RIBA published its new standard client appointment form, which effectively makes it impossible to collect fees due from malevolent or...

LETTER: We're still here in the boroughs.(Letter to the editor)
December 5, 2008... I had to permit myself a wry smile when reading last week's leader on the borough architect. I'm sure many of my public sector colleagues look back fondly to annual capital programmes and sizeable in-house departments where among the inevitable...

OPINION: Values to save for Queen's and country.(Viewpoint essay)
December 5, 2008... CAROLYN STEEL What really counts in a building is its community role, and that's worth fighting for Green Street in the London Borough of Newham is the sort of fragmented urban landscape Britain seems uniquely able to produce. A...

DEBATE: Is now the time to bring back borough architects?
December 5, 2008... YES Vincent Lacovara Design officer, Croydon and director at AOC We need more borough architects. Architects should work within local authorities and other public agencies in a variety of different roles, but to do this they will need...

WORKS: IM PEI - All the culture money can buy.
December 5, 2008... Qatar's plan for a world-class set of cultural facilites has made an impressive start with IM Pei's Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, says Ellis Woodman PROJECT TEAM Architect: IM Pei Gallery design: Jean-Michel Wilmotte Structural...

SOLUTIONS: PARLIAMENT SQUARE - `I respect Boris.(Interview)
December 5, 2008... `I respect Boris. He had a very difficult decision to make' Roger Hawkins talks about the Hawkins Brown-led scheme to pedestrianise Parliament Square, and why it was axed by London mayor Boris Johnson Why does Parliament Square need...

Squaring up to change.(Chronology)
December 5, 2008... * EDWARD'S COMPLEX Edward the Confessor establishes a palace-abbey complex on the site, the 11th century precursor of the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St Margaret's Church. * BARRY'S PALACE In 1836, Charles Barry...

PRACTICE: What should I look out for in my clients' bespoke contracts?
December 5, 2008... ASK US A QUESTION Richard Brindley Executive director: RIBA Professional Services Patrick Perry Partner with London law firm Barlow Lyde & Gilbert I rarely have the luxury of using an RIBA Standard Form of Appointment as most of...

DEAR IRENA: What's wrong with quick wins?
December 5, 2008... Irena Bauman, author of How to be a Happy Architect, tackles your ethical dilemmas As the end of the financial year looms, public sector clients are looking for quick win projects needing quick spends. Are there any reasons why I should...

CULTURE: An artist's impression.
December 5, 2008... Michael Stiff, champion of drawing as an architectural skill, has a rare show. Give us more, says Stephen Astley EXHIBITION MICHAEL STIFF: IN SIDE OUT Piano Nobile, 129 Portland Road, London W11 Tel: 020 7229 109 Until...

Tower has the power.
December 5, 2008... Art collective Henry VIII's Wives is creating a portion of Tatlin's famous design in east London, reports Pamela Buxton BOOK HENRY VIII'S WIVES: TATLIN'S TOWER AND THE WORLD The Shop, Toynbee Street, Aldgate, London E1 ...

BOOK CLUB.
December 5, 2008... More Mobile: Portable Architecture for Today, edited by Jennifer Siegal Reviewed by Shilpashree Balaram of Experimental Design Studio Among all the heated debates about the best way forward during a recession, this book stands out as a...

BOOK CLUB.
December 5, 2008... Contemporary Housing, by Maria Alessandra Segantini Reviewed by Mayank Patel of Sub Zero Architecture With such a general title, I was expecting a much larger book. This is more a compact reference guide to the author's choice of 100 of...

BOOK CLUB.
December 5, 2008... Modern Swedish Design: Three Founding Texts, edited and introduced by Lucy Creagh, Helena Kaberg and Barbara Miller Lane Reviewed by Thomas Wensing of Studio Seventi Architects The essays in this volume, translated for the first time...

JONATHAN GLANCEY: Traditionalists who do modern.
December 5, 2008... Andres Duany is clearly a non-believer. A non-believer in modern British architecture, that is. At the very time when those great traditionalists, the Saudis, are considering commissioning Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid to work on designs for the...

THIS WEEK: WHOLLY HOLY.
December 5, 2008... Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has designed an eco-friendly nunnery for a convent of Benedictine nuns at Wass, near Ampleforth, on the North Yorkshire Moors, with rainwater harvesting, a reed bed sewage system, sedum roofing, and a woodchip...

THIS WEEK: ITALIAN JOB.
December 5, 2008... A derelict former POW camp in Lincolnshire is to have a new lease of life as luxury housing. The 3ha site, which housed Italian POWs after the invasion of Europe in 1944, is up for sale at #2 million, with planning consent to build 10 homes....

THIS WEEK: COSTS SPIN UP.
December 5, 2008... The 2012 velodrome could rise above the budgeted #80 million after the site was unexpectedly found to be contaminated. Up to 500 tonnes of domestic and industrial waste is being removed daily. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

THIS WEEK: VENICE VEXED.
December 5, 2008... This week, Venice suffered its worst flooding in 22 years. Sea levels rose by 1.5m, leaving tourists in St Mark's Square thigh-deep in water. In all, 95% of the city was submerged, and ferries and water taxis were suspended. Copyright: CMP...

THIS WEEK: BOOM BUSTED.
December 5, 2008... Houses are now officially cheap. A two-bed terrace house in Hull - the buy-to-let capital of the UK during the property boom - sold at auction last week for #21,500, while in Middlesbrough a house sold recently for #16,500. Copyright: CMP...

RIBA fees hike sparks threat of RIAS divorce.
December 12, 2008... RIAS talks of breaking off partnership after secret RIBA meeting agrees subscription rise Will Henley & Will Hurst A decision by the RIBA to hike membership fees by 3% has shattered relations with the RIAS, leading to predictions the...

Could the Prince's green semi save the planet?(Prince Charles)(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... Prince Charles's attempts to redefine British architecture have entered a new phase with the unveiling of his foundation's experimental eco- house designed in traditional style. The design - which will go on site next month at the Building...

LEADER: Bad time for a nationalist split.
December 12, 2008... LIZ BURY The Scots' desire to break away from centresof power in England could unleash multiple problems at a sensitive time On the face of it, the fall-out between the RIAS and the RIBA looks to be over fee increases. Or it may be...

LEADER: Does natural mean sustainable?(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... The Prince's Foundation is making a bold move building its Natural House at the BRE Innovation Park. All the other houses there represent new-fangled, at times hi-tech, experiments in sustainable design. The Foundation's studiedly old-fashioned...

IN BRIEF: Power says refurb cuts more CO2.
December 12, 2008... Refurbishing old houses rather than building new eco-homes is a better way to reduce carbon emissions in the built environment, Anne Power, professor of social policy at the London School of Economics, has claimed. Speaking at conference...

IN BRIEF: Clash completes Derby arts hub.(Clash Architects)(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... The Level Centre, an arts building for people with learning difficulties, by Clash Architects, has opened in Rowsley, Derbyshire. The centre, managed by arts organisation First Movement, is constructed with handmade brick and grey and green...

IN BRIEF: AHMM shortlisted for 2009 Brits.(Allford Hall Monaghan Morris)(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... AHMM's Westminster Academy has been shortlisted for the 2009 Brit Insurance Design Awards, run by the Design Museum. Also in contention is Stirling Prize winner Accordia, by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Alison Brooks and Maccreanor Lavington....

IN BRIEF: City says Foggo's Ham is `can-do'.(City of London, Foggo Associates, Can of Ham )(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... The City of London has granted planning permission to Foster & Partners' scheme for 76 Fenchurch Street and to Foggo Associates' 90m- tall Can of Ham on St Mary Axe. The Can of Ham was recommended for approval by the City's planning...

IN BRIEF: Howells wins Newman masterplan.(Glenn Howells Architects, Newman University College)(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... Glenn Howells Architects has won the competition to develop the campus masterplan and associated buildings for Birmingham's Newman University College, beating BDP and Edward Cullinan Architects among others. The first phase of the project,...

MPs angry over fee bill for Stonehenge.
December 12, 2008... MPs have told English Heritage to "get a grip" after it emerged that EH has spent #1.8 million on consultancy fees relating to Stonehenge in the last five years, with nothing to show for it. Conservative Philip Davies, who sits on the...

Former gang member chosen as role model.(Phillip Thompson)
December 12, 2008... Trainee architect will help encourage black youths to enter profession Vikki Miller A former gang member turned trainee architect from Wolverhampton has been chosen by the government to be one of 20 role models for England's black...

Minorities in Architecture & Planning.
December 12, 2008... * Only 2% of registered architects are black and minority ethnic (BME) compared to 8% of the population * White students are four times more likely to obtain first class architecture degrees than BME students * More than half of white...

London practice is DLR design winner.(Docklands Light Railway)(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... Weston Williamson has won a Transport for London competition to devise a design approach to redevelop stations on the Docklands Light Railway. The London-based practice, which previously carried out a strategic design review of the DLR's...

Crossrail design framework.(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... In separate news, Crossrail has named the 12 firms on its design framework for the stations, tunnels and railway systems. They are Aedas, Arup, Atkins, BDP, Capita Symonds, Halcrow, Hyder, Jacobs, Mott MacDonald, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Scott...

Residential sector hit worse than expected.
December 12, 2008... The residential construction sector has been hit harder than expected by the financial crash, according to a report by business analyst Experian Construction Forecasts. In 2007, building work began on 200,000 homes, but the Experian report...

Squire reveals mixed-use scheme for Potters Fields.(Squire & Partners)(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... New plans for the controversial Potters Fields site by London's Tower Bridge have been unveiled by Squire & Partners. The proposals, for Berkeley Homes and Southwark Council, include 374 apartments, 1,400sq m of commercial and 8,000sq m of...

Halt Hadid Hoxton scheme, says Save.(Zaha Hadid, Hoxton Square, Save Britain's Heritage)(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... Anna Winston Save Britain's Heritage has urged communities secretary Hazel Blears to call in Zaha Hadid's scheme for Hoxton Square in Shoreditch, east London. The 2,150sq m gallery and residential scheme was granted planning...

FIRST LOOK: Housing scheme places Hackney church at centre of community.
December 12, 2008... Matthew Lloyd Architects has submitted a planning application for a project in London's Hackney Wick which would provide community facilities and 30 new homes around a grade II* listed church. The client, the St Mary of Eton Church group,...

Open design contestfor Lightbox pavilion.(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... The Architecture Foundation has launched a competition to design a semi- permanent summer pavilion to sit outside Marks Barfield's Lightbox gallery in Woking. Commissioned by Tent London and The Lighthouse, it will first be shown as part...

Infinity footbridge takes shape.(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... This #15 million pedestrian footbridge in Stockton-on-Tees by Spence Associates is nearing completion. The structure, designed with Expedition Engineering, has been named the Infinity Bridge as its two arches reflected in the Tees create...

Go-ahead for Hopkins Velopark.
December 12, 2008... Marguerite Lazell Hopkins Architects' 2012 Velopark was approved by the Olympic Delivery Authority planning committee on Tuesday night, the last of the permanent Olympic sporting venues to get the go-ahead. The approved design will see...

RTKL Edinburgh harbour masterplan in for planning.
December 12, 2008... Plans by RTKL to regenerate Edinburgh's vast harbour - with two new piers, homes, offices and up to five new hotels - have been submitted for planning. The #700 million masterplan for the 26ha harbour area is one of the largest schemes...

DNA centre goes on site.
December 12, 2008... Work has begun on CUH2A's #58 million scientific research centre for the University of Edinburgh. The building, at Easter Bush near Penicuik, will accommodate 500 scientists from the Roslin Institute and the Scottish Agriculture College...

Fears over Arts Council policy shift.
December 12, 2008... Architecture centres wary that funding will be redirected to art Marguerite Lazell Architecture centres fear that events focusing on building design will be marginalised in favour of art projects after Arts Council England officially...

Nick Terry, former BDP chairman, dies.(Building Design Partnership)(Obituary)(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... Nick Terry, a director and former chairman of BDP, has died of cancer at the age of 61. Elected as chairman of the practice in 2002, he served two terms before standing down from the role in 2006 to manage BDP's studios in London and the...

REGENERATION: Holder Mathias' #80m Neath plan.(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... Holder Mathias Architects has unveiled designs for an #80 million, mixed-use regeneration of Neath, near Swansea. A rugby ball-shaped heritage centre will be the focal point for the 25,000sq m scheme, which includes an extension to the...

EDUCATION: FCB's Barnstaple college designs.
December 12, 2008... Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios' designs for a #125 million "cathedral of learning" for North Devon College, have been submitted for planning. The 33,850sq m building, at Seven Brethren Bank in Barnstaple, will replace the college's existing...

CREDIT CRUNCH: Construction orders plummet.
December 12, 2008... The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply's (Cips) UK Construction report has revealed a steep fall in orders and employment levels across the industry. The report, a round-up of surveys conducted by Cips and financial information...

LOCAL LANDMARKS: Sutton Vane lights up Bolton.(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... A #170,000 lighting scheme by Sutton Vane Architects is to illuminate Bolton's architectural landmarks at night. The city's grade II* listed Victorian town hall, its war memorial in Victoria Square, as well as Le Mans Crescent, are among...

Alsop keeps identity as SMC becomes Archial Group.(Will Alsop,)
December 12, 2008... Will Henley Architectural giant SMC is changing its name to Archial Group in a major restructuring which will see Will Alsop's subsidiary operate as a separate brand. Revealing the changes at a press conference on Monday, chief...

LONDON: #4.5m centre for creative industry.
December 12, 2008... Cartwright Pickard Architects has designed a #4.5 million building for London's East End which will house Metropolitan Works, a creative industries centre. The 1,100sq m building, due to open in February 2009, will contain #2 million of...

AWARD: Murcutt scoops AIA Gold Medal.(Glenn Murcutt, American Institute of Architects )(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... The American Institute of Architects has awarded its 2009 Gold Medal to Australian architect Glenn Murcutt. Murcutt, who works exclusively in Australia, was recognised for his ecologically responsive and socially responsible residential...

MASTERPLAN: HOK's St Petersburg techno park.(Brief article)
December 12, 2008... HOK has revealed the first images of a 60ha masterplan for a technology park on the outskirts of St Petersburg in Russia. The plan, which accommodates an existing technical university and public transport links, includes office space,...