Building Design articles from January 2003

Building Design archives from January 2003

Harper Mackay founders split.(David Harper and Ken Mackay)
January 10, 2003... The founding directors of Harper Mackay have split over differences in their approach to practice. David Harper quit on Christmas Eve after 15 years with Ken Mackay and has already established a new firm. Harper told BD: "It was the...

Engineer swoops on architects.(Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick and Partners aims to buy two architectural practices)
January 10, 2003... Major engineering consultant Scott Wilson is locked in talks this week to buy up two of the UK's biggest architectural practices and swell its ranks with hundreds of architects, BD can reveal. BD understands that the consultant, which hopes...

Back to school for builders. (News).(Small contractors may get training in design)
January 10, 2003... The construction minister Brian Wilson is considering plans to give small contractors training in design following a meeting with the RIBA president Paul Hyett. Accompanied by advisers at a pre-Christmas meeting at the Department of Trade...

Cullinan's spurned in phase two of campus. (News).(Edward Cullinan Architects loses in competition to design second phase of East London University's Dock-lands campus)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... Edward Cullinan Architects has been spurned in the competition to design the second phase of East London University's Dock-lands campus, despite building the first phase to critical acclaim in 1999. Practice director Robin Nicholson...

Cabe & EH in new tower clash. (News).(English Heritage and Cabe clash over Renzo Piano's 66-story London Bridge Tower)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... English Heritage and Cabe are heading for another major showdown over tall buildings this week after it emerged that the two bodies were at loggerheads over Renzo Piano's 66-storey London Bridge Tower. Cabe's Peter Stewart said this week...

RIBA to target cash sponsors. (News).(Royal Institute of British Architects)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... The RIBA has launched an ambitious campaign to raise more than [pounds sterling]250,000 a week for the next six months in order to bankroll its plans to house its collection of 600,000 drawings at the Victoria & Albert museum. It is hoped...

Corb partner to finish church: forty years after it was originally designed, Le Corbusier's Firminy church project is now set to be completed within 18 months. (News).(Jose Oubrerie to oversee completion)
January 10, 2003... More than 40 years since it was first designed, Le Corbusier's L'Eglise Saint-Pierre at Firminy in South-east France, is to be completed at last by the 70-year-old architect who helped conceive the scheme in 1960. Jose Oubrerie, now...

Fraser could cause Princes Street stir. (News).(Malcolm Fraser Architects proposes scheme for street development)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... The redevelopment of Edinburgh's world-famous Princes Street could be in doubt if a new scheme wins backing from the city council next month. Allan Murray Architects won a [pounds sterling]100 million competition last month to design a...

Foster's ground zero plan 'would not work today'. (News).(Foster and Partners' proposed plan for World Trade Center site)
January 10, 2003... Foster & Partners' proposed "Twinned Tower" to replace the World Trade Centre would be the final part of its masterplan for the IIha site to be started, because demand for office space in New York is expected to remain low. Speaking...

Guggenheim projects look unsure after NY museum is called off. (News).(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... Uncertainty surrounds Guggenheim Foundation building projects around the world following this week's decision to scrap the latest Guggenheim Museum in New York because of funding worries. Attention will now focus on the viability of...

Nottingham kick-off. (News).(urban redevelopment planned)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... Kent-based Rummey Design Associates has been chosen to masterplan a residential and commercial waterfront community less than a mile from Nottingham city centre. The project-the first phase in a [pounds sterling]200 million regeneration project...

New Year's honours. (News).(for two architects)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... Rab Bennetts (OBE), director of Bennetts Associates and Julian Owen (MBE), chairman of Associated Self-Build Architects, have both been rewarded for services to architecture in the New Year's Honours List.

Brighton revamp. (News).(old rail yard to be renovated)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... London-based Chetwood Associates has gained planning permission for its [pounds sterling]130 million redevelopment of the former goodsyard alongside Brighton rail station. The mixed-use scheme on the 6ha site includes 0ver 350 new homes, two...

Cultural go-ahead. (News).(cultural center to be built)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... Work on Alsop Architect's [pounds sterling]40 million c/PLEX arts and cultural centre in West Bromwich is set to go ahead this spring after an [pounds sterling]8 million government award for the area. Due to open in 2005 on the site of the...

Boot loses footing. (News).(renovation plans for Liverpool neighborhood faces problems)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... Residents of the Boot estate, one of Liverpool's most run-down areas, face an uncertain future following the collapse of part of a [pounds sterling]170 million regeneration scheme for the area. The scheme was to include new homes offering...

Wright & Wright wins Hull Truck commission. (News).(to design theater)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... Wright & Wright Architects has won the commission to design a new [pounds sterling]7 million theatre for the Hull Truck Theatre Company, the travelling troupe led by one of Britain's leading playwrights, John Godber. The win, in a European...

Go-ahead for [pounds sterling]25m Fort Dunlop scheme. (News).(renovation of old warehouse in Birmingham)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... The derelict hulk of the disused Fort Dunlop tyre warehouse in Birmingham has moved a step closer to a long-awaited rebirth after city planners granted permission to a [pounds sterling]25 million scheme to convert it. The landmark building...

Liverpool to buy out heritage wreckers. (News).(owners of historic buildings could be forced to sell)
January 10, 2003... Liverpool is acting to shed its reputation as the "worst custodian of historic buildings in the UK" by forcing the owners of its crumbling heritage buildings to repair them or face a compulsory purchase order. Liverpool City Council is...

Letters.
January 10, 2003... Procure all From George Ferguson, Bristol You quoted me as giving a passionate speech against the principle of PFI (News December 13). This was an understandable misinterpretation. I was in fact making a positive point in arguing for...

Timespam.
January 10, 2003... 2003 BC: Earliest cave painting shows designers arquinq about what should be in it. 2003: Anti-terror executive home incorporates giant hard hat. 2013: Archaeologists discover 1970s planning committee still in working order.

Demolish & be damned.(modernist house faces demolition in Wentworth, England)
January 10, 2003... Connell, Ward & Lucas were the bad boys of 1930 modernism in Britain. Two New Zealanders and an Englishman, all crazy about concrete, who were famous for their skirmishes with Sir Reginald Blomfield and the Ruislip-Northwood Urban District...

Religious tolerance. (Concrete Boots).(church building started 40 years ago to be completed)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... The romance of architecture lives on in the news that Jose Oubrerie is to complete the church in Firminy that he began with his master, Le Corbusier, 40 years ago. But Jose is convinced that there's nothing spiritual about this happy turnaround...

Fishing for praise. (Concrete Boots).
January 10, 2003... Peter Eisenman and Daniel Libeskindwere on hand to mix with Concrete Boots' colleagues at the Manhattan launch of the World Trade Centre designs before Christmas. Peter Eisenman is clearly an avid reader of BD and was "kind" enough to describe...

Yorkshire terror? (Concrete Boots).
January 10, 2003... There are rumblings in the Nidderdale area of the Yorkshire Dales about Janet Street Porter's past as a construction client. Janet has a house in the picturesque village but informants in the building and design community suggest that all has...

On the go. (Concrete Boots).
January 10, 2003... A toilet designed by the Japanese architect Kurokawa is proving too popular for authorities in Himeji. The toilet, at the town's castle, is being squatted, soto speak, by elderly visitors keen on its heating and air conditioning. According to...

Twin towers. (Concrete Boots).(design for new buildings at Ground Zero may be similar to a sculpture)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... Meanwhile, it emerges that Foster & Partners' design for the "kissing towers" reprisal of the WTC may have antecedents elsewhere. A correspondent informs us that he was looking for information on the sculptor Brancusi when he came across this...

The memory of persistence. (Leader).(some examples when persistence pays off for an architect)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... Architecture has never been a profession for anyone who likes quick results. Ask Jose Oubrerie, the 70-year old professor at the University of Ohio who is preparing to finish a job that he started with Le Corbusier while Charles de Gaulle was...

Great expectations. (Them & US - A Special Report).(panel discussion of architects on the new year)(Panel Discussion)
January 10, 2003... BD asked two very different groups of people what they expect of architects in 2003. Five big name architects in design and professional politics gathered to examine "what next?" while our reporters hit the road to ask the public what you...

The main event. (Perspective).(interview of architect Bernard Tschumi)(Interview)
January 10, 2003... With his new school of architecture for the University of Miami opening this month and construction under way on his controversial Acropolis Museum, Bernard Tschumi, above right, is still creating event-based architecture. He spoke to Kester...

Mies' charm wears thin: the Whitechapel gallery exhibition on Mies has failed to learn from the master himself how to design exhibitions. Jeremy Till says less really would've been more. (Culture).(Mies van der Rohe exhibition)(Column)
January 10, 2003... I felt put upon by Mies from the moment that the graffiti went up in my first year at university: "Less is More" -- Mies; "Less is a Bore" -- Venturi; to which some-one had added: "Mess is the Law" -- Jeremy Till. This was not a prescient...

Sinister without portfolio: a book on US design looks at the move towards the functional. (Culture).(Book Review)
January 10, 2003... Hyungmin Pai, an ex-alumnus of MIT, now teaches in Seoul. In his new history of American modernism The Portfolio and the Diagram, he investigates not changes in architectural style -- which would have been a very superficial approach -- but...

Apalio -- design and functionality from Beta. (Showcase).
January 10, 2003... Beta Lighting solves the requirements for decorative low glare luminaires. The Apalio range offers elegant, contemporary design features combined with the efficiency of high frequency control gear. Lamps are available in 2 x 32W or 2 x 42W with...

Baggeridge is a winner in 2002 BDA awards. (Showcase).
January 10, 2003... A project using Baggeridge bricks has been selected as the Best commercial Building in the coveted brick industry's national awards organised by the Brick Development Association (BDA). 110--116 Wigmore Street is a building occupying a...

Liquid assets benefit fixed overheads. (Showcase).
January 10, 2003... Liquid waterproofing has been around for well over 3000 years and today plays just as crucial a role as it did with the Ark. Businesses and the public sector invest huge sums of money on fixed assets and need to protect them from the...

Clay tops Vale Royal Abbey Estate. (Showcase).
January 10, 2003... Traditional single camber plain clay tiles from Dreadnought Tiles have been used to bring colour, variety and interest to the roof tops of the VALE ROYAL ABBEY ESTATE, a luxury housing development situated in an historic part of Cheshire. ...

Updated reference source for doors. (Showcase).
January 10, 2003... The Second Edition of a 60 page guide has just been published by leading manufacturer LS Leaderflush Shapland, covering all aspects of performance doors and doorsets and providing a single reference source for specifiers, as well as important...

Kingspan Insulation Limited. (Showcase).
January 10, 2003... Kingspan Insulation, leading manufacturers of 21st century insulation materials, has published two informative guides specifically for Scotland where Kingspan products are playing a major role in supporting the current growth of high quality...

Fraser Brown rejoins Kawneer as architectural sales manager for the North East of England. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... Fraser Brown has rejoined Kawneer as architectural sales manager for the North East region, reporting to Terry Whitham, Kawneer's commercial director. This involves Fraser in winning specifications and enquiries for the company's range of high...

A perfect fit! (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... Embracing the ergonomics and design values that are key to the 21st century kitchen, the Elba from Keller is created using computerised production to permit cabinetry for integrated appliances to be made exactly to suit every situation. ...

Up on the roof with Blanc de Bierges. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... Quality was a key factor in the choice of Blanc de Bierges handcrafted materials for the roof terrace of a refurbished 1950s' retail and office complex in London's Knightsbridge, close to Harrods. Architect Hurley, Robertson and Associates...

Low headroom proved to be no restriction for Hormann. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... Contractors for a new Riverside Apartment development in York were faced with the challenge of finding a garage door for the underground car park, which could cope with very restricted headroom, adhere to strict ventilation requirements and he...

Aermec's quiet success at Canary Wharf. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... The nine chillers operating on R407C, each with twin circuit screw compressors, are installed enternally on the 12th floor and produce 5.7 megawatts of chilled water. The system is variable volume flow with the circulating pumps under inverter...

Tyco Thermal Controls appoints Delta-T as distributor partner for northeast England. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... Tyco thermal Controls, the world's largest manufacturer of electric heat-tracing systems, has appointed Delta-T as its distributor-partner in North-East England to serve both the commercial construction and industrial markets in this region....

Romag glass provides fix for Japan's elevated lake. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... UK glass specialist, Romag Ltd has provided the glass for a spectacular architectural elevated lake project in Nagoya, Japan, which opened in October, 2002. The structure, measuring 110m x 35m, featured at the new leisure complex 250 miles...

Halfen hit system helps eliminate cold bridging in cantilevered balconies. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... Halfen Reinforcement has launched the tilt System, the latest development in thermal break and reinforcement continuity for cantilevered balcony construction. HIT helps to eliminate the effects of cold bridging, such as consideration and mould...

The very best from Alwitra -- means incredible product performance. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... An astonishing track record for exceptional product performance, spanning more than three decades has proven Alwitra the World leader in single ply roofing technology. The Company's unique EVA-Terpolymer based membrane, Evalon, has set...

Forticrete commended in British Precast Awards. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... FORTICRETE Architectural Products has shared in national recognition for its contribution towards the winner of the British Precast Concrete Federation Award 2002. Two high quality Fortcrete architectural finishes were specified by Barton...

Higher performance. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... A new stainless steel brick-to-timber wall tie has been introduced by Simpson Strong-Tie. It has been developed In meet the increasing demand for tying the outer leaves of brick to the skin of timber framed buildings. The safety conscious...

Stairway to Centrica is a gas. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... The new headquarters for Centrica plc (the holding company for British Gas) at Blythe Valley Park has become a feature landmark with its striking design incorporating external walkways and three-storey central atrium. Particular design...

Golden Hattrick for Holloway White Allom. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... For the third year running Holloway White Allom have been awarded the Corporation of London's Considerate Contractors' Gold Award, This is in recognition of their carefully planned operations to ensure they have the minimum impact on local...

New 100mm inline Espagnolette -- a small step forward in window locking. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... Maco now boast the largest most comprehensive range of Inline Mushroom Espagnolettes in the market The introduction of the 100mm Inline Espagnolette enables fabricators to put the strength of espagnolette locking onto window sizes previously...

Eternit-clad public/private mix wins award. (Profile Panels).
January 10, 2003... Two types of cladding by Eternit Building Materials have helped win a national award for a groundbreaking public and private sect or development that pushes specialist construction methods to their limits. Two colours of Eternit's...

Dirty minds. (Back Space).(comnmentary on dust)(Column)
January 10, 2003... Christmas, so they say, is a time when things that have been dormant for the previous 12 months come to life. Mostly this applies to feelings about relations, but the same can be said about the physical surroundings of our domestic environment....

Ian Martin.(commentary on various architectural matters)(Column)
January 10, 2003... Monday Lunch with the Prince of Wales, who's still wearing his kilt and drinking hat from the night before. We are in a Herefordshire pub, commandeered for the afternoon. Burly "butlers" with headsets stand guard, keeping out the...

Recession rears its head.(Recession in private-sector construction may engulf architects in next year)
January 17, 2003... A recession in private-sector construction is set to engulf architects in the next year, ending a decade of growth in the largest part of the construction economy. Between this year and next, [pounds sterling]600 million of work will be...

A planning application has been lodged for Chris Stewart Architects' [pounds sterling]2.6 million zinc-clad Wedge in Pollock.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... Caption: A planning application has been lodged for Chris Stewart Architects' [pounds sterling]2.6 million zinc-clad Wedge in Pollock, south-west Glasgow. The community building, which will include meeting rooms, a cafe and office facilities...

Brighton looks to the stars.(landmark building designs submitted by famous architects)
January 17, 2003... This week, high-profile architects Frank Gehry, Richard Rogers, Wilkinson Eyre and Sheppard Robson were finalising their submissions for a landmark building costing up to [pounds sterling]100 million overlooking the English Channel. Urged...

PFI schools: poor design, same price, says report. (News).
January 17, 2003... The design quality of PFI schools has been slammed in a damning report by the Audit Commission. Its study of 17 PFI schools cites poor technical and architectural quality and lack of design innovation. And it found that in many cases, PFI...

HOK plans airport at Severn estuary. (News).
January 17, 2003... HOK entered Britain's great airport debate this week by submitting plans for a major new airport on a man-made island in the Severn estuary. The [pounds sterling]2 billion proposal is hailed as an alternative to hugely expensive and...

Pierre d'Avoine Architects is transforming the roof of the Piper Buildinq in Fulham with two prefabricated houses. (News).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... Caption: Pierre d'Avoine Architects is transforming the roof of the Piper Buildinq in Fulham with two prefabricated houses. The practice is converting two redundant tank rooms with modules fully finished in a factory and clad in stainless-steel...

Arb to lose its 'big hitters'. (News).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... Fears emerged this week that the influence of architects over Arb could be diminished after four ex-RIBA presidents and one former vice-president stand down from the regulatory authority in April. On Wednesday a list of 21, mostly...

Luder floats schools reform: Arb chairman says university studying should be cut to four years with extra year in the office. (News).
January 17, 2003... The chairman of Arb this week proposed extending the period of training in practice required before qualification from two to three years. Owen Luder said the plan would mean breaking down "the sacred cow" of five years university-based...

BDP scoops East London University job. (News).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... BDP has won the commission to design a new business school and library for the University of East London. The project, originally costed at [pounds sterling]30 million when it included plans for residential accommodation, will be split with...

Levitt and PTE pick up pieces at Aylesbury. (News).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... A [pounds sterling]375 million regeneration scheme in south London that collapsed in acrimony this time last year was re-launched this week as a more modest [pounds sterling]20 million project. Levitt Bernstein Associates, Pollard Thomas &...

John McAslan & Partners has beaten Ian Simpson Associates. (News).(design competition)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... Caption: John McAslan & Partners has beaten Ian Simpson Associates, Austin Smith Lord and Carey Jones in a competition to design a 16,000sq m building in the centre of Manchester. The eight-storey mixed-use retail/office building will form a...

Arsenal in new inquiry: anti-stadium group claims that proposed compulsory purchase order is unlawful. (News).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... The campaign against Arsenal football club's [pounds sterling]250 million stadium claimed this week that a compulsory purchase order of 134 properties to make way for the development was unlawful. The Islington Stadium Communities Alliance...

Red Box Design Group. (News).(reveals model of housing, retail, and leisure development at St Peter's Wharf)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... Caption: Red Box Design Group has unveiled a 3D model of its design for a [pounds sterling]55 million housing, retail, and leisure development at St Peter's Wharf in Sunderland this week. The project, which recently started on site, will be...

Local architects look at Edinburgh fire site. (News).(Cowgate owners ask Malcolm Fraser Architects to put together team to rebuild the site, UK)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... After weeks of speculation over the future of Edinburgh's fire-ravaged Cowgate, two local practices this week revealed they were in meetings with several of the site's property owners. Malcolm Fraser Architects and Simpson & Brown...

Work starts on Manchester college. (News).(UK)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... Work has started on Manchester-based Halliday Meecham Architects' new [pounds sterling]11 million building for City College Manchester at the Arden Campus in Northenden, Manchester. The 11,800sq m building, part of a [pounds sterling]20...

Scarborough plan. (News).(Outline planning application is submitted for leisure and residential development in Scarborough, North Yorkshire; is designed by Carey Jones Architects)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... An outline planning application has been submitted for a [pounds sterling]120 million leisure and residential development in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Designed by Carey Jones Architects, its centrepiece would be a domed water park. The...

Theatre renovation. (News).(RHWL gets contract for renovation of Prince of Wales theater, London, England)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... London theatre impresario Cameron Mackintosh with architect RHWL is to oversee renovation of the auditorium and front-of-house areas of the Prince of Wales theatre in central London. The work, set to cost around [pounds sterling]7 million, will...

Bonus of contention. (News).(Royal Institute of British Architects denies that its bonus system is discriminatory)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... The RIBA management has denied that its system of awarding bonuses to its staff in its annual salary review is discriminatory. An employee had accused the panel of secrecy and of overlooking long-established staff in favour of newer...

Office approval. (News).(DLG Architects gets planning approval for new five-storey, 2,500sq m Marshalls office building )(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... DLG Architects has gained planning approval for a new five-storey, 2,500sq m Marshalls office building that would sit within the grounds of the grade II listed Marshalls Mill complex in Leeds.

Hospital appointment. (News).
January 17, 2003... Joint Cabe/RIBA think-tank Building Futures has organised a free one-day event to discuss quality of hospital design. The event, Achieving Quality in Hospital Design: Broadening the Vision, is on February 6 at the Cavendish Conference Centre in...

Date for Little Britain. (News).
January 17, 2003... Construction industry sailing regatta The Little Britain Challenge Cup will be held from September 11 to 14 at Cowes on the Isle of Wight. For more details, visit www.littlebritain.co.uk

Heritage position. (News).(appointment, UK)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... Carole Souter, director of planning & development at English Heritage, has been appointed director of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and its lottery distribution arm, the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Architects urged to take lead role in cities charter. (News).
January 17, 2003... Architects are being called to arms this week to take a leading role in creating the first charter for cities for over 50 years. A meeting of influential urban designers is to start brainstorming this week on what is believed to be the...

Breakaway body for small firms proposed. (News).(Royal Institute of British Architects)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... Small practices could form a breakaway institute under controversial plans floated this week by RIBA councillor Brian Godfrey. The former presidential candidate believes that the institute focuses too much on large practices and that it...

First UK win for Bolles & Wilson. (News).(To design housing as part of a [pounds sterling]70 million development in north-west London for Peabody Trust)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... German-based practice Bolles & Wilson has won its first project in the UK, to design housing as part of a [pounds sterling]70 million development in north-west London for the Peabody Trust. The practice, based in Magdeburg, is expected to...

RTKL picked for Oxford hospital extension. (News).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... US architect RTKL's designs for the expansion and refurbishment of Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital are on course to be built following its consortium's appointment as preferred bidder. The Hospital Company Consortium is made up of RTKL,...

Life in the Old Town yet. (Comment & Analysis).(Meetings will discuss development of Edinburgh's Old Town)
January 17, 2003... Since last month's fire in Cowgate in Edinburgh, there has been no official forum discussing the area's fate, but no shortage of heated conversation about how things should proceed. Karen Glaser reports. "Stand on the South Bridge, and,...

Cultural countdown. (Concrete Boots).
January 17, 2003... Culturally, what should you know before you are 30? Ask Daniel Libeskind, whose attitude to the question, posed by the Times this week, should cheer a few up. Eschewing answers such as Design Museum director Alice Rawsthorne's Voltaire's...

Easy pickings. (Concrete Boots).
January 17, 2003... Thieves struck at the RIBA before Christmas, breaking through the defences at 66 Portland Place. Actually not so much breaking through as walking straight in on a Saturday, when the building is open, and pinching some cash. "Measures have been...

Sporting chance. (Concrete Boots).
January 17, 2003... Arup and other consultants hoping for a slice of the [pounds sterling]4 billion it is expected to cost to bring the 2012 Olympics to London will not have been encouraged by Tessa Jowell's views on the bid this week. The culture, media &...