Building Design articles from July 2007

Building Design archives from July 2007

MacCormac's suburban task force unveiled.(royal institute of british artitect and english patnership planning for sustainable development)
July 6, 2007... Architects re-engage with housing as RIBA launches new policy Will Hurst A vision to reinvigorate suburbia by leading architect Richard MacCormac looks set to become a reality after winning the support of organisations including...

SMC Alsop's transport of delights.(Architectural services construct new platform for the Docklands Light Railway)(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... SMC Alsop's colourful new platform for the Docklands Light Railway at London's Stratford station has opened. Situated on the mezzanine level of the station, it connects to the Jubilee Line interchange building, and combines two 3m-wide,...

LEADER: Plain speaking fits the bill.(rules regulated for housing development)
July 6, 2007... AMANDA BAILLIEU With the debate on housing raging on several fronts, Margaret Hodge's frank style is to be welcomed This time last week we did not know how far Gordon Brown would go to distance himself from his former boss. His new...

LEADER: Make London judges see the sites.
July 6, 2007... The institute Awards will always generate controversy and debate (see Letters page 10) but Jack Pringle is surely missing the point when he says that the new judging system better reflects architecture's diversity, since the aim of the awards...

IN BRIEF: Register now to cycle to Cannes.
July 6, 2007... Registration for the 2008 Cycle To Cannes charity challenge opens at midnight on July 10. The ride, from London to the Mipim property conference, raises money for charities including LandAid, the Sarah Matheson Trust, Tom ap Rhys Pryce Memorial...

IN BRIEF: Waterloo `Sisters' go to planning.(Allies and Morrison planned for its Three Sisters scheme )(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Allies & Morrison has submitted plans to Lambeth Borough Council for its Three Sisters scheme next to Waterloo Station. The development includes a 33-storey residential block, office blocks of 22 and 28 storeys, and a new public space in...

IN BRIEF: Unesco lists Sydney Opera House.(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Sydney Opera House has been added to Unesco's list of World Heritage Sites. The decision makes J+rn Utzon only the second living architect to design a work that meets the Unesco criteria of "a masterpiece of human creative genius". ...

IN BRIEF: Steve Brown made SHCA principal.
July 6, 2007... Swanke Hayden Connell Architects has promoted Steve Brown to principal of architectural design for the firm's European operations. Brown, who joined SHCA in 2003 from Gensler, will oversee the company's commercial, healthcare and education...

IN BRIEF: Cabe calls for better street design.(Sarah Gaventa )(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Cabe Space director Sarah Gaventa has called for a new approach to designing streets which would remove signs and barriers, and make them work for pedestrians as well as motorists. "For too long we've been designing streets for traffic...

Hospital robots spark design row.
July 6, 2007... Safety fears challenge Keppie Design's `future for medical architecture' Heidi Ancell & Helen Crump A furious row has broken out over the future of hospital design after Scottish practice Keppie Design revealed proposals for a #300...

#2 billion cut from NHS building fund.
July 6, 2007... In a further blow to the brave new world of hospital design, it has emerged that the amount of money available for NHS hospital building and equipment in England this year has been reduced by a third, from #6.2 billion to #4.2 billion. A...

French firm joins Chinese art scene.(Jean-Michel Wilmotte)(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Designs by French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte for China's new art museum, the Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art in Beijing, were unveiled this week. The museum will be housed in a 6,500sq m Bauhaus-styled factory building in the...

Prescott was advised against Vauxhall tower.
July 6, 2007... Former deputy prime minister John Prescott gave planning permission for Broadway Malyan's highly contentious 50-storey Vauxhall Tower in 2005, even though his advisers recommended he refuse it, claiming it would damage a world heritage site....

Van Egeraat reads between the lines.(Erick van Egeraat)(Erick van Egeraat )(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Erick van Egeraat has won an international competition to design a national library in Kazan, capital of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The 81,000sq m building is designed as a covered extension of the city centre, with a...

Young firms celebrate Olympic shortlisting.(Softroom, Tonkin Liu and McDowell & Benedetti)
July 6, 2007... Helen Crump and Heidi Ancell Up-and-coming practices including Softroom, Tonkin Liu and McDowell & Benedetti are celebrating after being shortlisted this week in the design competition for a major Olympic footbridge. Hparc Architects,...

FIRST LOOK: Low-cost, low-impact studio makes for a short walk to work.(consrruction of wooden frame houses by Mole Architects)(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Mole Architects has completed work on the #55,000 Mole Studio, next to its award-winning Black House in Cambridgeshire. Project architect Meredith Bowles, who lives in the Black House, said the new development, boasting views of Ely...

Listed churches win Lottery repair funds.(Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage)(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... The Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage have this week announced a package of grants worth #6.6 million to help repair more than 70 grade II listed churches. The biggest single sum of #450,000 is to go to St Michael and St Bishoy...

Hodge receives lukewarm welcome.(David Lammy replaced by Margaret Hodge at Department for Culture, Media and Sport )
July 6, 2007... Marguerite Lazell Architects have bid a less than fond farewell to David Lammy, who has been replaced as architecture minister by Margaret Hodge in last week's government reshuffle . Lammy, who was widely seen to have displayed little...

RIBA proposes a `plan for success'.(Royal Institute of British Architects )(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... The RIBA has announced details of its "plan for success" - a five-year strategy for the institute. The proposals, which aim to encourage a more campaigning approach and create a better service for members, respond to a recent fundraising...

Favourable verdict for Dumbarton courthouse.(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Aedas has received planning permission to extend and refurbish this B listed Scottish courthouse in Dumbarton for the Scottish Court Service. The #6 million extension of Dumbarton Sheriff Court will include three new courtrooms and...

Housing up for awards.
July 6, 2007... Julian Cowie Architects' Melody Lane project in Islington, north London, is among completed schemes shortlisted for this year's Housing Design Awards. Also in the running are projects by Jestico & Whiles, Fat, ZedFactory and Peter Barber. The...

Derwent to expand its portfolio.(Derwent Valley Holdings PLC)(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Developer promises opportunities as it takes on 10 new London sites Will Hurst Newly crowned RIBA client of the year Derwent London has revealed plans to develop up to 10 prime sites in the capital by an expanding stable of architects...

WHAT IS A REIT?
July 6, 2007... * Real estate investment trusts (Reits - rhyming with treats) function as listed companies which own property, making it easier and cheaper for people and firms to invest. * Reits are exempt from corporation tax unlike other property...

Zaha Glasgow museum granted extra funding.
July 6, 2007... Extra funding for Zaha Hadid's Museum of Transport in Glasgow has been approved after SNP opposition councillors withdrew their objections and agreed a #14 million increase in the budget. SNP leader councillor John Mason had compared the...

PEOPLE: Wilkinson is made EH commissioner.(appointment of Chris Wilkinson at English Heritage)(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Chris Wilkinson, principal of Wilkinson Eyre Architects, has been appointed as a commissioner at English Heritage. Wilkinson, whose practice has twice won the Stirling Prize, with the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and Rotherham Magna centre,...

REDEVELOPMENT: Lancashire aims to guard quality.(contracts of Cabe, English Heritage and regeneration agencies)(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Cabe, English Heritage and a host of regeneration agencies have signed up to a multiparty group set up to ensure the quality of Lancashire's redevelopment. Spearheaded by Lancashire County Council, it will train members, share best...

RETAIL: Ron Arad starts work on Media City shopping centre.
July 6, 2007... Ron Arad Associates has begun work on a shopping mall in the heart of the Media City development in the Belgian city of Liege. The roof of the 6,500sq m mall has a network of steel ribs that protrude outside its main exterior and over the...

BUSINESS: PMT and Niall Phillips merge.
July 6, 2007... Historic buildings specialist Purcell Miller Tritton is set to extend its new-build business after merging with Niall Phillips Architects, designer of Wolverhampton's #6.7 million art gallery project. Phillips said: "Most of our work is new...

Welcome for `long overdue' review of section 106.
July 6, 2007... Heidi Ancell Architects have hailed a review of the controversial section 106 system which they claim developers are using to sideline the profession and outsmart local authorities. The London Assembly's planning and spatial...

FAILING TO DELIVER.(London Borough )(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... * London Borough of Greenwich In 2004 it took over 18 months to negotiate a 106 agreement for affordable housing on the Greenwich world heritage site. * London Borough of Richmond The council sought #1.2 million for educational...

COMPETITION: 180 register for Tutti Frutti.
July 6, 2007... More than 180 people have registered for Urban Splash's Tutti Frutti contest, which will see 26 entrants win a chance to design and build a house on a street in New Islington in Manchester. Urban Splash will hold an open day at the site...

PROFESSION: Arb reprimand for misconduct.(Haris Subasinghe )(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Arb's professional conduct committee of has reprimanded Haris Subasinghe for serious professional incompetence, acting contrary to the interests of his client. Subasinghe was found to have certified payments to a builder at more frequent...

DEVELOPMENT: Work starts on Living Wall.(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Work has begun on Foster & Partners' Living Wall project, a mixed-use development in the centre of Amman in Jordan. The scheme has six interlinked towers on a rough-hewn podium, set against a sheer 30m rock backdrop. Screens on the towers'...

BUSINESS: Ogilvie designs garden exhibition.
July 6, 2007... Architect Yseult Ogilvie has designed this building to house the Museum of Garden History's exhibition on the relationship between architects and gardeners. Hadspen: The Next Garden, draws its inspiration from the Hadspen garden in Somerset,...

Is your old school holding you back?
July 6, 2007... Private education still dominates the professions, but how much is architecture affected? asks Helen Crump The idea of a world where certain doors can be opened by an old school tie is one which most architects claim not to recognise. ...

LETTER: Awards success.(Letter to the editor)
July 6, 2007... This year's new look system for the RIBA Awards better reflects the diversity of architectural practice, and is a rigorous judging process that sets ever-higher architectural standards for its members based in the UK and overseas. The awards,...

LETTER: Up the wrong tree.(Letter to the editor)
July 6, 2007... I strongly disagree with Greg Penoyre's view of the Singing Ringing Tree. It is not a bad sculpture and it might win the sculpture award, art award or whatever, but not any architectural ones! Architecture is beyond art and sculpture in...

LETTER: Fairs calls foul.(Letter to the editor)
July 6, 2007... Marcus Fairs' provocative column ("When no architect at all is a better bet" June 29) is bound to generate an avalanche of protest. But as an architect myself, who has dealt with architects as both builder and client, I can confirm that Mr...

LETTER: Brown sauce.(Letter to the editor)
July 6, 2007... Full marks for last week's leader, especially the notion of implementing minimum space standards, which I presume means in residential property. For all the desolate talk about design codes, sensible space allocation, with room for...

LETTER: Out of the frame.(Letter to the editor)
July 6, 2007... Further to your debate on the use of partnering agreements by housing associations (June 8), readers may be interested in our experience as a small practice in this field. Two years ago we secured a commission for a relatively large...

LETTER: Easy target.(Letter to the editor)
July 6, 2007... It is wonderful to see luminaries of the architectural world taking such a principled stand (News 25 May). It is interesting that their new found humanity does not extend to regimes such as China (Tibet) Russia (Chechnya) Iran (countless human...

LETTER: Good awards generate debate.(Letter to the editor)
July 6, 2007... Your editorial (June 29) says "this year's decision to charge local RIBA chapters with making the first selection of awards projects has made a lengthy process lengthier still". But local branches have always made the first selection. Zaha...

OPINION: Left in the cold by cult of the engineer.
July 6, 2007... SAUL METZSTEIN The fad of relying on an engineer to make an illogical design work devalues the architect's role When asked whether his Victoria & Albert Museum "spiral" would stand up, Daniel Libeskind replied that Arup, his engineer,...

DEBATE: Is it a good idea to keep on building on floodplains?
July 6, 2007... YES Kiran Curtis Managing director, KCA Architects As a nation we have always built in the flood plain and will continue to do so. Of course Chelsea Barracks will be redeveloped, and so too for that matter will Elephant & Castle be...

WORKS: DAVID MIKHAIL ARCHITECTS - Minimal quibbles.
July 6, 2007... The remodelling and extension of a small terraced house in west London has created a beautiful building displaying intelligent use of space. It's a shame it slips up on some of the details, says Tony McIntyre The first problem is to find...

WORKS: DIXON JONES - Restoring a crown jewel.(Dixon Jones and Allies & Morrison together in contract are renovating Regent Palace Hotel )
July 6, 2007... Dixon Jones is set to refurbish the Regent Palace Hotel at the Crown Estate-owned southern end of London's Regent Street, the central element of the Allies & Morrison masterplan for the area, reports Ken Powell "I have pored over the...

HOW WE CRACKED IT: Youth club finds itself in a fix.
July 6, 2007... The challenge: To cantilever a sleek, thin canopy off an existing building The solution: To use flat steel beams and different fixing solutions Architect: Matthew Lloyd Architects Engineer: Techniker Site: Earl's Court Youth...

SOLUTIONS: Batting ideas around.(artist Jeremy Dellar and the royal institute of british architect come into patnership for construction of bat houses)
July 6, 2007... The Bat Conservation Trust, artist Jeremy Dellar and the RIBA have joined forces in a design competition so bats can live in comfort, reports Jan-Carlos Kucharek An American doctor by the name of Charles Campbell is attributed with the...

Should I let clients with adjacent properties have one contract?
July 6, 2007... Should I let clients with adjacent properties have one contract for work on both? ASK US A QUESTION Richard Brindley RIBA director of practice Laura Atherton Solicitor, Kennedys, London EC1 We have two clients. Client A owns...

MY FIRST JOB.(architect Chris Allan working for Ryder HKS)(Personal account)(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... CHRIS ALLAN, 26 Ryder HKS, Newcastle Upon Tyne After finishing my part I at Newcastle University I worked at Ryder HKS and they offered me sponsorship to do my part II and III at Northumbria University. I started working full-time...

ROLL ON FRIDAY.(Assael Architecture arranging fund raising events with celebrations)(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... `EVERYBODY WILL BE DRESSING UP AS CELEBRITIES' Practice Assael Architecture Location Fulham, London Size 77 people About four times each year we put on a charity event with an interesting theme that everybody can get involved...

CULTURE: Zaha's sweet success.
July 6, 2007... This is London's overdue recognition of Hadid's position at the summit of architecture, says Shumon Basar EXHIBITION ZAHA HADID: ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN Design Museum, Shad Thames, London SE1 www.designmuseum.org Until...

HOT TIPS: Rudofsky revisit.(Obituary)(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Bernard Rudofsky, architect, designer and critic, is having a mini- revival nearly 20 years after his death. The Canadian Centre for Architecture is putting on the first-ever retrospective of this early pioneer of modernism, who argued that...

HOT TIPS: Surface tension.
July 6, 2007... Technology and concepts behind building exteriors are explored in this show, which features 24 schemes by practices based in the capital. Projects include DRMM's Clapham Manor School with its polychromatic glass curtain wall. * Scratching...

HOT TIPS: Last review.
July 6, 2007... The Architectural Association rounds off this year's degree shows withits annual Projects Review, displaying work by 600 students across 32 units. Exhibits include the Green Hydroponics project, an installation incorporating edible vegetation....

The art of destruction.(Gerry Judah painting from photographs)
July 6, 2007... Tony McIntyre finds Gerry Judah's fascination for destruction proves humanity's resilience - to struggle on, no matter how often the sky falls in EXHIBITION GERRY JUDAH Louise T Blouin Institute, 3 Olaf Street, London W11...

Sheffield gems are well hidden.(design exhibition at University of Sheffield)
July 6, 2007... STUDENT SHOW SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY Pros Lots of real drawing, painting and model-making among the keyboard wizardry - and Studio 4 Cons Location, location, information Standout students Shankari Raj, Jon Millard Sheffield...

THIS WEEK: Flood costs.
July 6, 2007... The repair bill for the floods is likely to top #1 billion for June alone, with 27,000 homes and 5,000 businesses hit, say insurance experts. Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have been worst affected by the recent torrential rain. Copyright: CMP...

THIS WEEK: AYRSHIRE GEM.
July 6, 2007... One of Britain's most significant Palladian homes has been saved for the public. The 18th century Dumfries House by the Adam brothers was due to go on the market but was bought for #45 million by the Charities Foundation and heritage groups....

THIS WEEK: ROYAL RESIDENCES.
July 6, 2007... Historic royal palaces are in jeopardy due to a lack of funding for maintenance, the Royal Household has warned. Work is needed to repair Buckingham Palace and other buildings. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

THIS WEEK: AUSTRALIAN TREES.
July 6, 2007... Thousands of trees are being felled every day by farmers rebelling over new laws to cut carbon emissions, which make clearing trees an offence. The farmers say they could lead to grasslands being overtaken. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Tate Modern keeps land set for Design Museum.
July 13, 2007... Director's ambitions to expand museum thwarted as gallery trustees keep its options open Will Hurst The Tate Modern could expand for a third time beyond Herzog & de Meuron's iconic glass pyramid extension after trustees scrapped plans...

Velodrome win for Hopkins.
July 13, 2007... This concept design by Hopkins Architects with Expedition Engineering is the winning proposal for the Olympic velodrome. The consortium, which also includes consultant BDSP and landscape architect Grant Associates, beat David Chipperfield,...

LEADER: EH must win our confidence.(English Heritage)
July 13, 2007... AMANDA BAILLIEU The walkie talkie go-ahead gives notice that the UK will decide its own future - but we need strong, clear leadership The government's decision to give the green light to Rafael Vinoly's walkie talkie tower in the City...

LEADER: All urban effort needs encouraging.(The Academy of Urbanism)(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... The Academy of Urbanism, a self-styled "group of thinkers and practitioners", has come under fire for giving awards to flourishing towns and cities rather than rewarding more recent examples of urbanism where renewal is much harder. Piers...

IN BRIEF: RTKL purchase swells Arcadis.
July 13, 2007... Dutch engineering firm Arcadis has acquired RTKL Associates, one of the world's largest architecture, engineering and design firms. RTKL, which has offices in London, Madrid, Shanghai, Tokyo and six cities in the US, boasts a turnover of...

IN BRIEF: Renaissance call seeks new policy.(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... The Town & Country Planning Association has called for a "suburban renaissance", telling delegates at its Garden Cities conference this week that the suburbs need a major policy reappraisal. TCPA chief executive Gideon Amos said: "Most UK...

IN BRIEF: Private funds for EP top #1 billion.(English Partnerships)(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Private sector investment in English Partnerships' regeneration schemes has topped #1 billion for the first time. EP's annual report said that private sector funding was up by 51%, and was 17% above its target for the year 2005-06. It has also...

IN BRIEF: Barking Riverside's first shortlist.
July 13, 2007... AHMM, Broadway Malyan, Hawkins Brown, KCAPML, Schmidt Hammer Lassen and Sheppard Robson have been shortlisted to design the first two phases of Barking Riverside, the largest single development in the Thames Gateway. Two firms will be chosen...

IN BRIEF: Cabe educational work celebrated.(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Two exhibitions celebrating Cabe's national educational programme, How Places Work, opened in Manchester and Liverpool this week. The scheme encourages young people to learn about the built environment by visiting buildings and spaces, and...

Government backs Vinoly walkie talkie.
July 13, 2007... The government has approved Rafael Vinoly's highly controversial "walkie talkie" tower, concluding that it would "make a significant architectural contribution to London". Land Securities won planning permission for the 39-storey tower at...

Gough quits urban group over awards.(resignation of Piers Gough from Academy of Urbanism)
July 13, 2007... Architect says academy favours places `conceived in the distant past' Helen Crump Leading architect Piers Gough has resigned from the high-profile campaign group the Academy of Urbanism, accusing it of ignoring modern schemes in...

FIVE FACTS ABOUT THE ACADEMY OF URBANISM.
July 13, 2007... * It was launched 18 months ago with the aim of "advancing the understanding and practice of urbanism". * Formed by invitation and boasting 100 members, before the resignation of Piers Gough, it includes Argent boss Roger Madelin,...

Brown plans 40,000 extra homes a year.(Gordon Brown)(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Prime minister Gordon Brown has outlined his plans to increase the delivery of new homes by an additional 40,000 per year in England and Wales by 2016. Speaking to Parliament on Wednesday, he said proposed superagency Communities England...

Hadid's pavilion is third time lucky for Serpentine.(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Zaha Hadid's stand-in installation for the Serpentine Gallery was unveiled this week, marking the third design for this year's ill fated pavilion project. The 5.5m-high stretched PVC structure, inspired by the natural geometry of a flower,...

Allies defends firm's role in mosque job.
July 13, 2007... Will Hurst Allies & Morrison has strongly defended its actions in taking over from young practice Mangera Yvars as architect on the UK's largest mosque building project. Breaking its silence on the controversial 12,000-capacity Abbey...

FIRST LOOK: Ryder HKS comes calling for Avon's global headquarters.
July 13, 2007... Ryder HKS has unveiled its design for the headquarters of cosmetics company Avon at Northampton. The proposed 10,200sq m, five-storey building, which has been submitted for planning approval, will sit on the existing site occupied by Avon...

Sheppard Robson #17m biotech centre opened.
July 13, 2007... Sheppard Robson's #17 million Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London, a refurbishment of the sixties' Bessemer building, was opened by the Queen this week. The institute houses a nanotechnology centre and suites for...

CJ Lim's pie in the sky.(Bartlett school of architecture)(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Newly appointed professor at the Bartlett school of architecture, CJ Lim, has unveiled this weird and wonderful solution to the capital's traffic gridlock - the Sky Transport for London project. Commissioned by BBC Radio 4's Today programme to...

Architecture Week's done its job, says Livingstone.
July 13, 2007... Helen Crump Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has backed the Arts Council's shock decision to axe next year's Architecture Week, claiming the national event has fulfilled its purpose, and instead promising to focus on the London Festival of...

Ash Sakula nets #45m job.(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Ash Sakula has won its largest project to date - a #45 million cultural quarter to be built alongside Rafael Vinoly's visual arts centre in Colchester, Essex. In a joint bid with Garbe Group Development, Ash Sakula was chosen ahead of...

Top architects to revitalise Sheffield.
July 13, 2007... But retail row erupts over mixed-use scheme to develop city centre Marguerite Lazell Foreign Office Architects, AHMM, Hawkins Brown, Stiff & Trevillion and multidisciplinary firm Pick Everard will all design aspects of one of the...

New image for warehouse.(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Trevor Horne Architects has received planning permission for this #2.5 million conversion of a warehouse into a photography studio, offices and flats for the photographer and film director Rankin. The scheme, in Kentish Town, north London,...

Swindon picked as site for McCloud housing.
July 13, 2007... DSDHA and Wright & Wright are to design two schemes in Swindon, Wiltshire, of up to 200 homes each as the first venture for TV presenter Kevin McCloud's Hab Housing project. The two practices were selected in February for the project, which...