Building Design articles from March 2007

Building Design archives from March 2007

Arb legal battle cost #110,000.
March 2, 2007... RIBA concern at full cost of legal fees to prevent board member from talking to the press Will Hurst Arb has been forced to admit that it spent more than #110,000 on lawyers in its long-running battle with former board member Ian...

AHMM opens `symbolic' Unity building.(Academy of Hazardous Materials Management)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... AHMM was celebrating this week as its largest building to date was opened in Liverpool's historic Prince's Dock. The landmark Unity building, a speculative development for Rumford Investments, consists of a 27-storey residential tower and a...

LEADER - AMANDA BAILLIEU: The cost of closed debate.(Architects Registration Board spent #110,000 to stop Ian Salisbury)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Arb spent #110,000 on legal costs to prevent Ian Salisbury, then a board member, from revealing information he thought warranted wider discussion. Not a great deal of money where lawyers are concerned, although for an individual like Salisbury...

LEADER - AMANDA BAILLIEU: Keep banging on for smart money.(Private Financial Initiative hospital constructions)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Last week we reported on the new Thames Gateway bridge competition and how it was possible to set the bar high by putting design quality on an equal footing with financial and delivery criteria. This looked like a one-off, allowed only because...

IN BRIEF: Architects escape legal threat.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... The Scottish Parliament has decided not to take legal action against the architects or contractors who worked on its Holyrood headquarters, despite the massive delays and cost overruns. It also announced that the final cost of the building will...

IN BRIEF: 3i eyes Foster's cheaper stake.(3i Group PLC acquired with Foster and Partners)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... The private equity group 3i is among the shortlisted bidders for a stake in Foster & Partners. The overall price tag, originally billed at #500 million, is reported to have dropped to #300 million. Last month Foster appointed Catalyst Investors...

IN BRIEF: Jowell rethinks Manchester win.(Tessa Jowell )(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Culture secretary Tessa Jowell may reconvene the joint committee of MPs which drew up the original super casino plans to reconsider whether Manchester should be awarded the licence for a Las Vegas style gambling complex. More than 80 MPs - 65...

IN BRIEF: Foster, Viuoly on Dublin shortlist.
March 2, 2007... Norman Foster and Rafael Viuoly have been shortlisted to design the Britain Quay Development, next to the proposed U2 Tower in Dublin. The architects are working in two of the five shortlisted consortia for the scheme, which are also bidding to...

IN BRIEF: Ken to cut household emissions.(Ken Livingstone)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... London mayor Ken Livingstone has pledged a 7.7 million tonne reduction in the amount of carbon emitted by homes in the capital by 2025, as part of a wider plan to tackle climate change. He will offer cut-price loft and cavity wall insulation...

Foster and Nouvel to work on Moscow River scheme.
March 2, 2007... Landmark project will not repeat Gazprom fracas, pledges developer Will Hurst Norman Foster and Jean Nouvel are among a host of architects designing for a landmark scheme in central Moscow, dubbed the "antiGazprom". The site,...

BRITISH FIRMS BENEFIT FROM RUSSIA'S BOOM.(contracts of Foster and Partners, RMJM, Zaha Hadid Architects)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... * Foster & Partners is working on several schemes in Russia, among which are a 50,000sq m mixed-use scheme in St Petersburg, to be launched at Mipim; the 188-storey Russia Tower in Moscow, set to be the country's tallest building; Rossiya...

Autodesk makes record profits.(Financial report)
March 2, 2007... Autodesk, the US architectural software giant behind Autocad, is celebrating record financial results. The firm turned over #254 million in the three months to February this year, ending Autodesk's best year ever. Over the past 12...

Alsop and artist Mclean propose giant artwork.
March 2, 2007... This extraordinary #90 million tower in central London fuses art and architecture through a collaboration between artist Bruce McLean and Will Alsop. The 43-storey mixed-use structure on City Road, for Enddora Holdings, provides almost 15...

Chipperfield rethinks de luxe flats.(David Chipperfield Architects designs rejected by Kensington & Chelsea council services committee)
March 2, 2007... Marguerite Lazell David Chipperfield Architects has made sweeping changes to one of its most significant British projects to date - a luxury residential development in Kensington, west London, involving property developer Candy & Candy....

FIRST LOOK: Manser uses Butterfield church to extend school site.
March 2, 2007... The Manser Practice has won planning consent for its #6.5 million extension to the Godolphin & Latymer Girls' School in Hammersmith, west London. Designed in conjunction with Victoria Manser, who has worked on projects for the private...

RIBA competitions for NI and Sheffield.
March 2, 2007... The search is on for architects to take part in two major RIBA competitions. The institute's competitions office this week announced a contest to design an arts complex in Belfast and a separate competition on behalf of Sheffield Media...

MJP profits soar despite BBC loss.(MacCormac Jamieson Prichard)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Will Hurst Award-winning practice MacCormac Jamieson Prichard has bounced back from losing the flagship BBC Broadcasting House project with a strong set of company accounts, a recruitment drive and a host of forthcoming projects. The...

Zaha Hadid Architects profits.(Financial report)
March 2, 2007... Zaha Hadid Architects has reported increased pre-tax profits of #1.2 million for the year ending April 2006, a rise of more than 300%. The figures reflect an acceleration in profits identified by BD last year (News March 24, 2006). ...

Make's Nottingham uni revamp.(University of Nottingham)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Work has begun on Make's University of Nottingham Jubilee Campus extension. The site is to be opened up, with a boulevard leading to a landscaped culvert by the River Leen for the use of both students and the wider community. Two...

UK practice bids for Paris auction house.
March 2, 2007... British design and architecture practice Sybarite has revealed its short-listed designs for a competition to renovate this major auction house in Paris. The scheme, for the Hotel Drouot auction house, aims to give the dated and...

Slick design for City site.(HKR Architects Barbican design)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... HKR Architects has submitted plans for this #74 million speculative office development in the City of London. The 13-storey structure, which HKR won in competition last June, would face the Barbican. Project architect Zeya Win said the...

Hewitt approves seven PFI hospitals.
March 2, 2007... James Rose Healthcare architects received a massive boost this week as health secretary Patricia Hewitt approved seven PFI hospitals with a total value of #1.5 billion. The decision signalled a partial thawing of the government's PFI...

HOW TO MAKE PFI WORK SMARTER.(Ken Schwartz expresses his opinion on Personal Financial Initiatives shemes)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... NBBJ Architects' principal Ken Schwartz explains his client's "smarter PFI" scheme: "Most of the projects approved this week were developed before the current debate on PFI began but our Bristol project uses a different model. "Both...

REDEVELOPMENT: Cutty Sark pier scheme approved.
March 2, 2007... This #6 million scheme by Conran & Partners Architects to redevelop the pier next to historic tea clipper the Cutty Sark has been approved by Greenwich council. Three new pavilions will be built on the World Heritage Site, which is jointly...

PORTSMOUTH: Embattled John Lewis goes ahead.(Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment advice followed by Portsmouth City Council)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Portsmouth City Council has overruled its local architects' panel and followed Cabe's advice to give planning permission to Chapman Taylor's John Lewis building. Design changes to the facade, made before Christmas in response to earlier...

PLANNING: Call to lighten councils' load.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... A group of senior local government officers has called for the planning system to be overhauled to lift the burden on councils. A report by Lifting the Burdens task force demands a reduction in paperwork and streamlining of the...

CLIMATE CHANGE: Green Building Council formed.
March 2, 2007... The UK Green Building Council was launched on Tuesday. Chaired by Stanhope director Peter Rogers, the council will seek to bring together bodies and knowledge from across the construction industry to tackle climate change. Copyright:...

Academies pay price for `architectural gestures'.
March 2, 2007... Ellen Bennett Alterations to city academies by Foster's and Richard Rogers Partnership have cost the Department for Education & Skills #1.4 million, according to a new report. The cost of changes to three academies has been highlighted...

LETTER: Horror of towers.(Letter to the editor)
March 2, 2007... You devoted much of your leader last week to support the proposed tower for 20 Fenchurch Street. Can any of your readers point me to a tall building that is not intrinsically unneighbourly, that does not: * obstruct familiar views,...

LETTER: Grim view.(Letter to the editor)
March 2, 2007... Much as I like and admire Glenn Howells, on this occasion I have to strenuously disagree with him ! The soul (if it ever had any) was knocked out of Birmingham by the gross system of urban motorways, the effect of which will never be...

LETTER: No to second city.(Letter to the editor)
March 2, 2007... I agree with Glenn Howells that Birmingham is a wonderful place (Debate February 23) but it is badly served by harping on about it being the "second city". And Manchester will do itself no favours by joining the debate. What seems light-hearted...

LETTER: Energetic riposte.(Letter to the editor)
March 2, 2007... A different slant on energy use. I have received a copy of a trade magazine printed in Singapore and AIRMAILED to the UK. Considering the stick the construction industry gets over energy waste I suggest recipients of such magazines have...

LETTER: Star struck.(Letter to the editor)
March 2, 2007... I read with dismay that the local development authority's otherwise commendable plans to revitalise Blackpool's seafront include yet another scheme to needlessly light up our already light polluted skyline and waste yet more energy. The...

LETTER: Vinoly tower is in fine tradition.(Letter to the editor)
March 2, 2007... On March 6, Cabe and English Heritage will appear on opposite sides at the public inquiry into Rafael Viuoly's tower at 20 Fenchurch Street. The issue here is about how great cities change to meet new challenges. It is about the extent to which...

OPINION - BILL MITCHELL: Spreading suburbia hits the jackpot.(effect of suburbanisation on Las Vegas)
March 2, 2007... Popular despite its degeneracy, Las Vegas is succumbing to suburbia Las Vegas is famous for its gangsters, prostitutes, and real estate speculators - a good place, you'd think, to stay out of. But visitors pour through McCarran Airport in...

DEBATE - Is money at the root of the crisis at English Heritage?
March 2, 2007... YES Paul Velluet Conservation specialist at HOK The declining number of architects within EH, alongside its almost constant internal "modernisation", diminishes its capacity to give effective technical advice and is shifting its...

WORKS: TIM RONALDS - Hanging around.(Tim Ronalds Architect's power station has now changed to a cirucs school)
March 2, 2007... A school of circus skills has made its home in a former electricity generating station. Ellis Woodman looks at how Tim Ronalds Architects has helped make the arrangement more permanent PROJECT TEAM Architect: Tim Ronalds Architects,...

SOLUTIONS - Still blazing a trail for regeneration.(Igloo Corp.'s Chris Brown expresses his opinion on regeneration funds)
March 2, 2007... Chris Brown has dedicated the last 25 years to using redevelopment to improve run-down urban areas. David Blackman met him Name a turning point in urban regeneration over the last 25 years and the chances are that Chris Brown was there. The...

Toolbox for an evolving sector.(Urban Regeneration Toolbox to be introduced by CMP Information Ltd. and Battle Associates)
March 2, 2007... As Chris Brown and Igloo demonstrate, the regeneration sector is evolving. As pension and property companies seek out public sector partners with property portfolios, and fixed-life regeneration agencies reach their expiry date, the roles of...

CHRIS BROWN'S CV.
March 2, 2007... Current role * Chief executive, Igloo Regeneration Igloo Regeneration manages development projects on behalf of the Igloo Regeneration Fund, a #300 million investment fund managed by Morley Fund Management and backed by Norwich Union...

THINK CONFERENCE.
March 2, 2007... Chris Brown will speak at Think 07, a major new exhibition and conference that explores regeneration, sustainability and innovation. His talk on public/private regeneration partnerships will be part of the conference session Making sustainable...

PRACTICE - My contractor is threatening to walk off site.
March 2, 2007... ASK US A QUESTION Richard Brindley RIBA director of practice Laura Atherton Solicitor, Kennedys, London EC1 My contractor is threatening to walk off site unless his last application for an interim payment is paid in full. Is he...

ROLL ON FRIDAY.(use of social funds to buy books on climate change)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... I use the social fund to buy a book for everyone who is interested' Practice Feilden Clegg Bradley Location Bath Size 71 at Bath office "Last year James Lovelock's controversial new book on climate change, Revenge of Gaia,...

MY FIRST JOB.
March 2, 2007... CHRISTIANE THOENES, 35 ORMS, Clerkenwell, London I had spent seven years training as an architect in Germany when a friend told me that ORMS was looking for a native German speaker to move to the UK and work on a Holmes Place fitness club...

Does your practice need an office manager?
March 2, 2007... A saviour who lets you concentrate on design work, or a pariah who insulates you from business realities? Zoae Blackler looks at the arguments for hiring administrative help It's a quandary faced by every small practice in the process of...

YOU NEED AN OFFICE MANAGER IF.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... 1 You're on better terms with the teller in the post office than your best client 2 It takes you half a day to find last year's accounts 3 You've not done a drawing in six months but your book shelves are colour coded 4 You spend...

CULTURE - Wealth of the unknown.(Parisian Architecture of the Belle Epoque: a book by Roy Johnston)(Book review)
March 2, 2007... This book on the beaux arts movement reveals how much can be learnt from unnoticed Parisian gems, says Alan Powers BOOK PARISIAN ARCHITECTURE OF THE BELLE EPOQUE Roy Johnston; photographs by Steve Gorton Wiley, HB, 216pp,...

HOT TIPS - Human angle.
March 2, 2007... Architectural photographer John MacLean had long been intrigued by Brasilia from afar, seduced by its swift construction and grand scale. When he visited, he found the architecture inflexible and over- imposing, yet fantastic as a photographic...

HOT TIPS - Drawn in.(Peter Cook stepped down at Bartlett)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Peter Cook has kept pretty busy since he stepped down as chair of architecture at the Bartlett. As well as acting as consultant to HOK and his role as Royal Academy Professor of Architecture, he has been writing a book on drawing, due for...

HOT TIPS - Grim record.
March 2, 2007... The Lincoln Way and Danesholm housing estates in Corby, designed by John Stedman (also architect of the infamous St Annes estate in Nottingham), are captured before their demolition by photographer James Smith in the exhibition Alter. Smith...

Space fails to travel.
March 2, 2007... Jane Rendell's inspirational ideas on the limits of art and architecture suffered in the lecture format, writes Catherine Croft LECTURE JANE RENDELL Bartlett school of Architecture, London What lies between art and architecture?...

THIS WEEK - PERSIMMON.
March 2, 2007... Britain's biggest housebuilder is set for a #2 billion spending spree on new land for development after posting record annual profits and upping the dividend it pays shareholders by 50%. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

THIS WEEK - FESTIVAL HALL.
March 2, 2007... A 47m-long frieze of photographs by Rankin opens in front of the Festival Hall this week as the opening of Allies & Morrison's #91 million refurbishment of the building, in June, draws closer. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

THIS WEEK - HOUSE PRICES.
March 2, 2007... Yes - they're still on the rise, according to the BBC. Auntie claimed this week that more than 2 million homes are now worth over #300,000 and so are subject to inheritance tax. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

THIS WEEK - AL GORE.
March 2, 2007... The former US presidential candidate and outspoken campaigner on climate change, has been embarrassed by claims that his own 20-room home uses more electricity in a month than the average American home uses in a year. Copyright: CMP...

THIS WEEK - OLYMPICS COST.
March 2, 2007... The latest estimate for the cost of the 2012 Olympics doing the rounds is #5 billion. This is lower than previous media claims that have put it as high as #9 billion but has not yet been confirmed by the Olympic Delivery Authority. ...

THIS WEEK - PLANNING GAIN SUPPLEMENT.
March 2, 2007... The Home Builders Federation, the British Property Federation and the CBI have joined forces to attack the government's proposed planning gain Supplement. They argue it will have the opposite effect intended by making housebuilding more...

Heritage `buffer zones' threaten KPF towers.
March 9, 2007... Tom de Castella Over #1.5 billion of private investment to improve one of the capital's worst transport blackspots could be threatened by tough new measures to protect world heritage sites. As Land Securities' Victoria Transport...

As Vinoly defends his `walkie talkie'.(Rafael Vinoly)(Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England)
March 9, 2007... Rafael Vinoly was quizzed over the sustainability of his proposed "walkie talkie" tower this week as a landmark public inquiry on the scheme got under way. Robert McCracken QC, acting for English Heritage, which is fighting the Land...

Fobert heads for the sun.
March 9, 2007... Next Generation winner Jamie Fobert has revealed the first images of his private house project in Trinidad as he prepares to receive the award at next week's Mipim conference in Cannes (see page 6). The Mouttet House, on site in Port of...

LEADER - The earnings wheel turns.(architects)
March 9, 2007... AMANDA BAILLIEU Enjoy the boom - but remember to prepare for leaner times Architects have always grumbled they earn less than barristers, solicitors, dentists, doctors and accountants, and worst of all surveyors and engineers. But...

LEADER - Heavyweights' stand reveals threat.(Architecture services companies protest against the Argent scheme)(Brief article)
March 9, 2007... Architects are not well known for sticking their necks above the parapet so the support of Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Frank Gehry and others for Rafael Viuoly's walkie-talkie scheme is unusual, to say the least. Cynics might ask whether...

IN BRIEF: Golden hellos aim to tempt staff.(demand for architects)(Brief article)
March 9, 2007... Competition between practices to recruit the best staff for their burgeoning workloads is pushing salaries up, with some practices offering "golden hellos" to the right candidates, BD has discovered. "I've heard of three or four doing it,...

IN BRIEF: Makeover in Manhattan style.(Peel Holdings Ltd.)(Brief article)
March 9, 2007... Liverpool will be given a Manhattan-style makeover under one of the biggest developments proposed in the north-west of England. The #5.5 billion Chapman Taylor-masterplanned "Liverpool Waters" project for Peel Holdings will create 50 new...

IN BRIEF: White paper extends protection.(heritage sites to be protected)(Brief article)
March 9, 2007... A buffer zone around the UK's 24 world heritage sites will be proposed in the long-awaited heritage White Paper. The DCMS document, due to be published after BD went to press, aims to prevent inappropriate development in areas neighbouring...

IN BRIEF: Argent blasts protestors' victory.
March 9, 2007... The developer behind the #2 billion scheme to regenerate London's King's Cross area has hit out at local opponents, following news that they have been granted a High Court hearing. The King's Cross Railway Lands Group opposes the demolition of...

IN BRIEF: Call to regenerate seaside towns.(Brief article)
March 9, 2007... The Commons local government committee has called on central government to help boost the quality of life in England's most run-down seaside towns. A report says more must be done to regenerate areas that rely heavily on seasonal tourist...

`This seems about safety rather than innovation'.(Olympic buildings design)
March 9, 2007... Will Hurst A war of words has broken out over the first open competition for a 2012 Olympic venue after high-level advisers to ODA bosses raised fears over design quality. Chair of the Strategic Forum for Construction's 2012 task...

Consortium named preferred developer.
March 9, 2007... A consortium led by Australian property group Lend Lease, which includes housing developer First Base, has been named preferred developer of the #5 billion Olympic Village and neighbouring Stratford City project by the ODA. The consortium beat...

Twist in Supreme Court project.
March 9, 2007... The battle over the future of the grade II listed Middlesex Guildhall has taken a fresh twist after a new planning application was submitted. The Department of Constitutional Affairs confirmed it was resubmitting #30 million plans today...

What the Jury is looking for.(Olympic buildings)
March 9, 2007... Jury members will include Sunand Prasad, president-elect of the RIBA; Nigel Thorne, president of the Landscape Institute; David Higgins, chief executive of the ODA; and Olympic design champion Ricky Burdett. Teams will have to demonstrate...

Digital cuts build house in four days.
March 9, 2007... This prototype house, built using a digital component-making system, has gone on show at the Architecture Foundation's Yard Gallery in London's Old Street. A cross-section of the Digital House, assembled at the venue in just four days, used the...

Foster's first hospital goes to planning.
March 9, 2007... Heidi Ancell Foster & Partners' first-ever hospital, an innovative facility near Bath intended to maximise the role of design in the healing process, was set to be granted outline planning approval this week. Foster's debut hospital,...

FIRST LOOK - Work starts on OU innovation centre.(Swanke Hayden Connell Architects to design computing and educational technology facilities at Open University)(Brief article)
March 9, 2007... Work has begun on this scheme by Swanke Hayden Connell Architects for the Open University at Milton Keynes. The #10.5 million Jennie Lee building will house computing and educational technology facilities, and has been designed to encourage...

Spot-list delays Dyson's design school by a year.
March 9, 2007... A high profile scheme in Bath by Wilkinson Eyre Architects will be delayed by at least a year because of local opposition. The firm's proposed design school for vacuum cleaner entrepreneur James Dyson, originally set to open in 2008, has...

Future Systems triumphs in Prague library competition.
March 9, 2007... James Rose This design by Future Systems will become the Czech Republic's most significant post-Communist building after the British firm triumphed in one of the most hotly contested open architectural competitions ever held. The...

As young UK practice comes 2nd.(Kevin Carmody)(Andy Groarke)(Carmody Groarke)(Interview)(Brief article)
March 9, 2007... While Future Systems will see its Prague library scheme realised, clinching second place could lead to even bigger projects for former David Chipperfield staffers Kevin Carmody and Andy Groarke. After setting up together last year as...

KAPLICKY SAYS BUILDING IS NEW SYMBOL OF DEMOCRACY.(library building by Future Systems)(Brief article)
March 9, 2007... The proposed library building by Future Systems is covered in tiny triangular tiles, ranging from gold to white. A sequence of staircases and ramps from the street provides access directly to the first floor. The whole structure sits on a...

Bridge is a star turn.(McChesney Architects)(Brief article)
March 9, 2007... This design by McChesney Architects is one of four shortlisted entries in a competition for a footbridge in Manchester which will link Urban Splash's landmark New Islington development with the neighbouring Ancoats urban village. The...

Award will open new doors for Fobert.
March 9, 2007... Will Hurst Jamie Fobert Architects has won this year's Next Generation Award (NGA), giving the 10-year-old practice a huge opportunity to break into the commercial market. The firm, which has built a reputation for high quality...

SIX OF THE BEST MIPIM ATTRACTIONS.(Calendar)
March 9, 2007... * Tuesday 11.30am World Architecture Trends opening talk by Daniel Libeskind. * Tuesday 2.30pm Southwark council`s sausage and cider party on the London stand. * Tuesday 5.30pm London reception at the Majestic Hotel hosted...

HEALTHCARE: Brent PFI care centre finished.
March 9, 2007... A #63 million PFI healthcare project by HLM Architects has been completed. It is hoped that Brent Emergency Care & Diagnostic Centre (BECaD) at Middlesex Hospital will help regenerate west London's sprawling Park Royal estate. The...

PLANNING: Town planners join PGS revolt.(planning gain supplement)(Royal Town Planning Institute)(Brief article)
March 9, 2007... The Royal Town Planning Institute has criticised the government's proposed planning gain supplement (PGS) as "unworkable". In a joint response with law firm Halliwells LLP, the RTPI said the principle of the PGS was "sound" but it should...

CASINOS: Jowell backs Manchester.
March 9, 2007... The government will press ahead with plans to locate the first super casino in Manchester, culture secretary Tessa Jowell has confirmed. Jowell said last week she would accept all the recommendations of the independent Casino Advisory...