Building Design articles from February 2007

Building Design archives from February 2007

Battersea plans dumped.
February 2, 2007... Foster, Viuoly and SOM in running for power station, as new owner prepares to dump Arup masterplan Will Hurst The new owner of Battersea power station is set to dump the Arup masterplan that was years in the making, and is holding a...

The history of Battersea power station: what to do with an icon?
February 2, 2007... 1929-35 Work starts on the power station, designed by J Theo Halliday and Giles Gilbert Scott. 1980 Station is grade II listed. 1983 The power station closes. 1983-85 Ill-fated plan to redevelop the power station by architect...

Scottish watchdog blasts `it'll do' culture.
February 2, 2007... The chair of Scotland's design watchdog has attacked the "it'll do" culture, which he believes has led to a poor standard of development north of the border. But architects have hit back at Raymond Young's criticisms with claims that his...

Zaha's latest performance.(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Zaha Hadid has released this image of the Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Centre, one of five major institutions to be developed as a new cultural district on the Gulf state's 270ha Saadiyat Island. Hadid's concept, a 62m high building, is set to...

IN BRIEF: Work starts on school project.
February 2, 2007... Work has started on site at Foster & Partners' latest school project, the 1,150-pupil Langley Academy of Science in Berkshire, which will offer specialist tuition in science, sport and sustainability. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

IN BRIEF: DCMS to decide shortly.
February 2, 2007... The DCMS is to decide shortly whether to give a grade II listing to post-war architect Robert Townsend's family home, Garden Ground, in Durrington, Wiltshire. Built in 1949-53, the house is considered to realise many of Frank Lloyd Wright's...

IN BRIEF: Sheppard Robson designs.
February 2, 2007... Sheppard Robson has submitted designs for its Learning Campus at Ashford in Kent for planning approval. The 18,000sq m development will provide teaching facilities for South Kent College, and is due to be ready for the September 2009 student...

IN BRIEF: Baton for the 2007 Cycle to Cannes relay.(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... The winning entry in the competition was launched in association with BD - to design the baton for the 2007 Cycle to Cannes relay. The baton, by the Leeds-based Iranian designer Baharash Bagherian, will be carried by teams of cyclists riding...

Changes proposed to tall buildings policy.
February 2, 2007... Ellen Bennett Tall buildings could be given outline planning consent under new guidance put out for consultation by Cabe and English Heritage. If agreed, this policy change would allow tall buildings in masterplans to win outline...

IN BRIEF: Herzog and de Meuron promotions.
February 2, 2007... Herzog & de Meuron has promoted several members of staff to associate level, including Ben Duckworth, who co-ordinates the firm's London office and is working on the forthcoming extension to the Tate Modern. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd....

IN BRIEF: Assael Architecture promotions.
February 2, 2007... Assael Architecture has promoted both Greg Greasley and Dave Hughes to the post of project director. Greasley, who has been with the practice for eight years, was responsible for the team that won a RIBA international competition for waterfront...

Minister defends planning system.(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Planning and housing minister Yvette Cooper hit back at critics this week during a parliamentary seminar on the "overburdened" planning system. Speaking on Monday at a debate sponsored by the All-Party Parliamentary Built Environment...

IN BRIEF: English Partnerships First-Time Buyers Initiative.
February 2, 2007... As part of English Partnerships' First-Time Buyers' Initiative, 700 first-time buyers who purchase a home in one of 18 housing developments - by Barratts, Bellway and George Wimpey - will qualify for financial support from the regeneration...

Regency refurb.(Tim Foster Architects)(performing arts centre of Cheltenham Ladies' College)(19th century Regency villa)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Tim Foster Architects has won planning consent for this performing arts centre at Cheltenham Ladies' College. A 300-seat auditorium will include gallery-level and stalls seating, and will be linked via a glass building to the 19th century...

Race on to design supercasino.
February 2, 2007... Surprise winner Manchester will make Ian Simpson compete for design, despite his hand in the winning bid Ellen Bennett Ian Simpson will have to compete to design the UK's first and only supercasino, following Manchester's surprise win...

What next for Greenwich and Blackpool?(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... The shock decision to grant Manchester the right to host the UK's first super casino could spell the end of plans for a luxury hotel near the Dome in Greenwich as well as hundreds of millions of pounds of further planned development. However,...

College plan steps up.
February 2, 2007... City of Westminster College has selected this #90 million design by Danish architect Schmidt Hammer Lassen for its new Paddington Green HQ building. The design was chosen from around 100 entries across Europe for its sustainability,...

Farrell takes vision for Gateway to Tories.
February 2, 2007... Terry Farrell is promoting his idea for a national park in the Thames Gateway to leading figures in the Conservative Party following growing disillusionment with the government's approach. Speaking exclusively to BD at a House of Commons...

IN BRIEF: Construction tax change.
February 2, 2007... The Forum of Private Business has issued a reminder that scheduled changes to tax arrangements for the building industry come into force on April 6. The FPB warns that some subcontractors could be hit by higher tax rates unless they...

IN BRIEF: Southwark vision.
February 2, 2007... The London Borough of Southwark has approved its unitary development plan, its framework for sustainable development. The Southwark Plan sets out the development strategy and land-use policy for the borough, covering affordable housing and...

IN BRIEF: Ludlow regeneration.
February 2, 2007... West Midlands-based architect BBLB has won planning permission for offices and 94 new homes on the site of a former haulage depot in Ludlow, Shropshire. The redevelopment of the brownfield site is expected to contribute to the regeneration of...

MPs' report supports Smart PFI.
February 2, 2007... Paddington failure prompts call to consider design earlier Ellen Bennett An influential group of MPs has called for design to be considered at the early stage of PFI projects, following the collapse of the Paddington Health Campus...

Arts centre goes for gold in Goole.
February 2, 2007... Buschow Henley has won planning consent to adapt the Goole Arts & Civic Centre in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The architect will retain the ground-bearing concrete slab and steel portals of the existing building, and reduce the new...

Expanded schools remit for Cabe causes concern.
February 2, 2007... The extension of Cabe's remit to include the design review of all schools built or refurbished by the Department for Education & Skills under its Building Schools for Future (BSF) programme has met with a muted response from the profession. ...

IN BRIEF: Science and the city.
February 2, 2007... The government's chief scientific adviser David King is to speak at this year's Global City forum, to be held in Lyon, France, in May. He will speak about the challenges of building a sustainable urban environment in the face of climate change....

IN BRIEF: Advancing construction.
February 2, 2007... John Egan and Michael Latham have lent their support to a #8.5 million national construction training centre. The ACT-UK centre, launched last week, to be built at Coventry University, will develop the ideas in the Egan and Latham reports,...

IN BRIEF: Loved up.
February 2, 2007... The London Borough of Greenwich has approved plans by Collado Collins Architects for the Love Lane regeneration area in Woolwich town centre. The development is for St James Investments, in partnership with Tesco, and will include 960 homes and...

GLA probes decline of London's street trees.
February 2, 2007... Ellen Bennett The Greater London Authority has launched an inquiry into the loss of street trees in London amid growing concern that they will die out, leaving the capital's public spaces exposed to rising temperatures. The inquiry...

Heritage lottery to fund museum plans.
February 2, 2007... John Miller & Partners and Sidell Gibson have been given the go-ahead for their second project together after a funding commitment made by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The #7 million renovation and extension of the grade II listed...

IN BRIEF: Wood is the future.
February 2, 2007... The UK Timber Frame Association will unveil a carbon-neutral stand at Futurebuild 2007 to show how timber frames can help to meet the challenge of the DTI's new Code for Sustainable Homes. Futurebuild is at Earls Court, London, from February 27...

IN BRIEF: Design fixture.
February 2, 2007... Toronto's Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art is inviting architects to discuss how art can help to transform city centres as part of its Urban Field Speakers series in March-May. For registration details, contact the institute's Daniel...

IN BRIEF: Developing Dubai.
February 2, 2007... More than $600 billion of global development projects will be on display at Cityscape Abu Dhabi on May 8-10. Professionals working in design and construction are invited to attend. For more information on the event, visit...

Liverpool spurns advice and backs development.
February 2, 2007... Cabe not shown revised plans for Project Jennifer James Rose A huge, mixed-use development in north Liverpool has been approved by the city's council against the advice of Cabe and the local architecture advisory panel. Developer...

Space for Salford.(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... The Manchester office of HKR Architects has won planning permission for this #11 million residential development in Salford. The building, for Space Developments, will be in Springfield Lane, in the heart of the city's Chapel Street...

Two Brits on shortlist for Mies award.(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... David Chipperfield's America's Cup Building in Valencia and Zaha Hadid's Phaeno Science Centre in Wolfsburg are among seven finalists selected for the 2007 Mies van der Rohe Award. The jury, chaired by Ricky Burdett, also put forward Dutch...

Make takes over from RRP on Haringey plan.
February 2, 2007... Make has taken over the masterplan for Haringey Heartlands dropped by Richard Rogers Partnership earlier this month. The firm was approached by landowner National Grid after RRP pulled out of the north London project three weeks ago, citing...

Scotland: Keep on running.
February 2, 2007... Aberdeen City Council has unanimously approved plans by the University of Aberdeen to build a new #23 million regional sports centre designed by Edinburgh-based Reiach & Hall. Funded jointly by Sportscotland, the city council and the...

Scotland: Bequest to be rehoused.(Gray, Marshall and Associates)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Gray, Marshall & Associates' proposed design for a new archive, museum and library in Haddington, East Lothian, to house an 18th century bequest currently stored in the National Archives of Scotland, has received a positive response from the...

Scotland: Lottery to save Hebridean castle.(redevelopment of Lews Castle)(Heritage Lottery Fund)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Stornoway's Lews Castle is to receive a #30,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help speed up its redevelopment. The category A listed Victorian building is at risk of deteriorating beyond repair in the next five years. A #7.5 million...

Scotland: In the swim.(West Lothian Council )(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... West Lothian Council has approved an #8 million redevelopment for Bathgate's Balbardie Park, work on which is set to start by 2008. The scheme, by West London-based Studio E Architects, features a six-lane, 25m swimming pool, a 10m teaching...

Scotland: Swan in flight.(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... RMJM has won the contest to build a new #200,000 canopy across the Forth & Clyde Canal at Clydebank. Selected from 66 entries, Neil McLean's winning design is based on the image of a swan in flight and features two wingspans cantilevered from a...

Scotland: Roman wall news.(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... The Antonine Wall, which runs from the Clyde to the Forth, has been nominated for world heritage site status by culture secretary Tessa Jowell. If accepted, it would join the existing transnational frontiers of the Roman Empire site, designated...

Star auction for architect charity.
February 2, 2007... Marguerite Lazell Collectors of architectural paraphernalia will gather at the Royal Academy on June 6 for an all-star auction of architects' drawings, models and sketches, including work by Will Alsop, Norman Foster, Massimiliano Fuksas,...

Get ready for the big Think.
February 2, 2007... Tom Bloxham, chair of Urban Splash, has been confirmed as a keynote speaker at Think, a new property and construction event focusing on sustainability, regeneration and innovation. He will deliver his headline speech, "Are some areas beyond...

Letter: Colleges could also benefit from Cabe.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... Sue Carmichael, Liverpool While Cabe's involvement in Building Schools for the Future is welcomed, can this initiative not also be urgently extended to embrace further education? The FE sector has a vast capital programme which will...

Letter: Weather warning.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... James Lewis, Chippenham Nicholas Stern has emphasised that "what happens to our climate in the next 20-30 years is already determined. Our actions in the next 20-30 years will affect the decades after that." As well as building for our...

Letter: Playing with fire.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... Barrie Moore, London SW9 We carbon-based life forms do not share Trevor Butler's enthusiasm for zero carbon, whichever way it is spun out. Because of the political spin on the zero energy debate, architects should not allow the...

Letter: Ban buzz words.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... Gordon Duffy, Studio Dub, Edinburgh David Littlefield's call for the worlds largest PV array (Soapbox January 26) was heard by us seven years ago when we were prepared to build it as part of a dynamic new roof structure for Edinburgh's...

Letter: Copyright catch?(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... Gordon Hulley, Glasgow I refer to your item "Design the zero carbon home of the future" (News January 19). The competition outlined is a commendable initiative. I expect the achievement of a design for a zero-carbon home will be a highly...

Letter: Celebrity bid.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... Alan Dunsmore, Norfolk Re Banged up with Alsop (News January 12). So, inmates will be living in goups of 12 with enclosed garden, eh? I'm sure I've heard that idea before - Oh yes, perhaps this is an elaborate ruse by Mr Alsop for an...

Letter: Where's Alsop?(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... Jack Dunne, Liverpool As usual last Friday your publication The Will Alsop Weekly dropped through my letterbox. Despite checking each page I could find NO MENTION OF WILL ALSOP!! Although this may be an error on my part I would hope this...

Letter: Numbers game.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... Tony Mould, Chester Architects did the best they could when designing social housing in the 1960s. There was strong political pressure to build large numbers, quickly, which is why prefabricated systems were brought in. The biggest...

Letter: Correction - Glenn Howells Architects.(Correction notice)(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... * Project architect for Glenn Howells' Aspex gallery (Solutions January 26) was Will Schofield, not Will Simpson. Also the photography should have been credited to David Grandorge. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Editorial: Amanda Baillieu - Regeneration: make your voice heard.(Editorial)
February 2, 2007... Are some cities beyond help? This is one of the questions to be posed by Think 07, a new kind of conference which aims to widen the debate on the big questions facing the built environment. The days of architects gathering in one place to hear...

Soapbox - Ptolemy Dean: A Canterbury tale - but this isn't funny.
February 2, 2007... In the spirit of Oscar Wilde's famous words, to hash up one rebuilding of a city is unfortunate, but then to mess it up a second time is unforgivable. And yet this is exactly the fate to have befallen Canterbury, that once perfect cathedral...

Works: Return of the saint.
February 2, 2007... It has taken half a century and much compromise but Le Corbusier's St Pierre church is a triumph, writes Ellis Woodman. Photos by Roland Halbe In 1956, the Architectural Review published an analysis of Le Corbusier's recently completed...

Solutions: Serious about play time.
February 2, 2007... Young minds helped create an unorthodox play space in Peckham, writes Amanda Birch. Photos Matt Chisnall It's not every day you get the chance to whoosh down a 17m-long twisting slide to view a project. But when visiting Central Venture...

Culture: Great minds.
February 2, 2007... Peter Cook curates work by contemporary and historic figures whose drawn work has affected the course of architectural thinking in Drawing on Inspiration. Today until April 11, Architecture on the Ramp, Royal Academy, Piccadilly, London. Tel:...

Culture: Not costing the earth.
February 2, 2007... Sustainable housing solutions ranging from self-build to developer-led schemes are explored in the exhibition Greenprint: Design for Sustainable Living, until March 25, The Architecture Centre, Narrow Quay, Bristol. Tel: 0117 922 1540. ...

Culture: Parametric pronouncements.
February 2, 2007... Partner at Zaha Hadid Architects and teacher at the AA design Research Laboratory Patrik Schumacher lectures on the theme of parametric urbanism on February 6, 6.30pm, Architectural Association, 36 Bedford Square, London. Tel: 020 7887 4000....

Culture: Reflections of amodel citizen.
February 2, 2007... Kester Rattenbury is simultaneously charmed and scared by Kas Oosterhuis's `swarm' architecture (0.7*(0.112*wl+1.79))+(0.3*(3.057*ws+3.6)), or something like that, is the formula for the "emotive factor" in Kas Oosterhuis's Saltwater...

Culture vulture: Adrian Tinniswood.(Interview)
February 2, 2007... How would you spend a day indulging in cultural pursuits? I would stroll around the City of London looking at Wren's churches - there are still 23 of them, although there was twice that number at the beginning of the 18th century. I would...

A journey to outer spaces.
February 2, 2007... NLA's visions of London's communal areas underwhelm Ben Campkin What role do public spaces have in the contemporary city? Thinking about this question in relation to London, as with any city, a universally acceptable definition of what...

Cabe to star-grade homes.
February 9, 2007... Profession welcomes Michelin-style system for housing as Simmons calls on architects to lead the change Ellen Bennett Cabe is set to introduce a Michelin-star style grading system for housing developments to encourage consumers to buy...

The sorry state of British housing.
February 9, 2007... One in three new homes built in this country in the past five years should never have won planning permission, according to Cabe. Its housing audit of homes by the largest volume housebuilders in the Midlands and South-west, published this...

Olympic `year of design' starts here.(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... This is "the year of Olympic design," 2012 organisers promised on Wednesday, as they submitted what is thought to be the largest planning application in British history. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday morning to mark the...

Making an entrance.
February 9, 2007... A #1 million upgrade by Gareth Hoskins Architects for the Glasgow Science Centre, including this bold new entrance and media wall, will soon be completed. The centre, designed by BDP, is part of the Pacific Quays site, also home to the new BBC...

IN BRIEF: David Chipperfield contract.
February 9, 2007... David Chipperfield Architects has won an international competition to build the Wurth Congress & Convention Centre in Kunzelsau, central Germany. It will have concert, chamber music and multipurpose convention halls, a congress and seminar...

IN BRIEF: Penthouses sold offplan.
February 9, 2007... Penthouses in RRP's 1 Hyde Park scheme in Knightsbridge, west London, for developer Candy & Candy have reportedly been sold offplan for #45,000 per sq m, making them the UK's most expensive residential property. Copyright: CMP Information...

IN BRIEF: HAB shortlist.(Happiness Architecture Beauty selects DSDHA, David Chipperfield Architects, and Wright & Wright Architects)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... HAB (Happiness Architecture Beauty), the development company set up by broadcaster Kevin McCloud, has shortlisted DSDHA, David Chipperfield, and Wright & Wright Architects from a long list of 20 to design its inaugural project, a development of...

Community hospital programme ditched.
February 9, 2007... Will Hurst Plans for the next generation of healthcare buildings were in tatters this week after the government appeared to abandon a promise to build 50 community hospitals. Questioned in the Commons, health minister Andy Burnham...

IN BRIEF: New Zealander of the Year.(Jonathan Rennie gets award)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Athfield Architects' Jonathan Rennie has been named New Zealander of the Year by the New Zealand Society in recognition of his contribution to the positive image of NZ in the UK. He worked on the New Zealand memorial at London's Hyde Park...

IN BRIEF: Aedas appointments.(Richard Blair, Brian McArthur and Andrew Mackie join Aedas AHR)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Aedas has appointed three new equity directors in Scotland. Richard Blair, Brian McArthur, Andrew Mackie, all former regional directors, were promoted after making significant contributions to the growth of the practice in the UK. The firm's...

RIBA backs Barker's planning vision.(Royal Institute of British Architects)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... The RIBA has called for design to be entrenched further in the planning system and warned against a planning "free-for-all" in its response to economist Kate Barker's Treasury-commissioned review of land-use planning. The review, now out...

IN BRIEF: Design for London launches.(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Design for London, mayor Ken Livingstone's new unit to raise design standards across the capital, was launched this week. With a #2.5 million budget, it will give final approval to every new capital project proposed by the three London...

IN BRIEF: Consolidation in home-building sector continues.
February 9, 2007... Consolidation in the home-building sector has continued with the purchase of Wilson Bowden by Barratt Developments for #2.2 billion. A deal is also expected between Galliford Try and Linden Homes, with Galliford reportedly offering up to #210...

IN BRIEF: Learning and Skills Council pledge.
February 9, 2007... The Learning & Skills Council has pledged that future colleges will have to propose eco-friendly designs to gain funding. The government has said it will commit #750 million a year to the further education estate by 2011. Copyright: CMP...

Kensington tower pleases council.(Kensington and Chelsea councils)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Kensington & Chelsea council is set to approve this #200 million residential tower by Woods Bagot, despite stinging criticism from Cabe's design review panel. The panel said in December that the 27-storey building's "form, the external...

Fraser quits A&DS in PFI protest.(Malcolm Fraser resigns from Architecture and Design Scotland)(public finance initiative)
February 9, 2007... Wave of support for deputy chair's criticism of Scottish design watchdog's silence over poor quality schools Will Hurst Leading architect Malcolm Fraser has dramatically resigned as deputy chairman of Scotland's troubled design...

Great talent, but no stranger to controversy.(Malcolm Fraser)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... The irrepressible Malcolm Fraser looms larger than life on the Scottish architectural scene. Shortlisted for the Stirling Prize in 2002 for Edinburgh's Dance Base, Fraser is one of the country's leading lights and was recently hailed as a major...

Next Generation shortlists Fobert Featherstone and DSDHA.(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... DSDHA, Featherstone Associates and Jamie Fobert Architects have been announced as the three shortlisted contenders for the prestigious Next Generation Award. The winner of the award, sponsored by Pipers and the Architecture Foundation in...

Gehry takes Manhattan.
February 9, 2007... This #50 million Manhattan development by Frank Gehry for the media corporation InterActiveCorp is nearing completion. The headquarters building takes the form of a 10-storey glass tower with eight sweeps of glass inspired by the sails of boats...

IN BRIEF: Early shift.
February 9, 2007... Early shift Cabe is holding a seminar on the role of good design in seaside regeneration to mark the opening of Thomas Heatherwick's East Beach Cafe in Littlehampton. Shifting Sands will be held on Monday March 26 in the town's Windmill...

IN BRIEF: Home front.(acquisitions of Home front Seventy apartments by English Partnerships)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Home front Seventy apartments in Bellway housing developments designed by Barton Willmore and PRP will be sold via English Partnerships' first- time buyers initiative. EP will pay 50% of the mortgage costs on the homes, at First Central in Park...