Building Design articles from May 2003

Building Design archives from May 2003

Going forward with brick.
May 2, 2003... In this, our fourth edition of the Hanson Brick supplement, we have encompassed exciting and topical projects in which Hanson's products have been specified as well as case studies that have been created using cutting-edge technology. It...

Talking business: Hanson created the Chalfont Blend to suit a unique business park. (Bespoke Stocks 3).
May 2, 2003... The Chalfont Park office development lies in a unique location in the popular commuter area of Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. Consisting of four new buildings and the original property, it provides 11,250sq m of lettable office accommodation....

Taking a shine to it: Glazed bricks from Hanson were a feature of CZWG's Fulham Island scheme.
May 2, 2003... In a cluster of candy-coloured buildings now named "Fulham Island" is a striking apartment building speckled with multi-coloured glazed bricks. However, this "island" is not a piece of land stranded in water, but a [pounds sterling]9-5...

Second innings at Trent Bridge: Hanson has made a winning contribution to cricketing architecture. (10 Sports Ground Design).
May 2, 2003... Trent Bridge is the smallest, and also the most intimate, of the established test-match grounds in England. Dating back to 1838, it is enclosed by a variety of stands and pavilions, each reflecting the technology and architectural styles of the...

And the winner is... (Brick Development Association Awards).
May 2, 2003... The Brick Development Association Awards were set up to recognise and reward excellence in design and construction using brick. Four projects were submitted by Hanson Brick and from 14 categories, Hanson secured the Best Prefabrication Project...

In the frame: working with steel frames can speed building with bricks. (Steel-Frame Construction).
May 2, 2003... In the last decade, the use of light steel-frame structures for house-building has progressed to become a viable alternative to traditional and timber-framed construction. Today, thousands of light steel-framed properties are built using a...

Walking on air: Hanson's Jetfloor precast flooring provides insulation underfoot. (Insulated Precast Flooring).
May 2, 2003... Innovation in walling systems is not an unusual achievement for Hanson, but its association with flooring systems -- innovative or otherwise - is an unexpected agenda. With the expansion of Hanson Building Products' materials portfolio,...

High standards: the new Distributor Charter shows that distributors have met established criteria. (Publications).
May 2, 2003... With the implementation of Hanson Brick's new Distributor Charter, architects in particular can feel assured that the standards of the brick distributors they choose to consult with have met the criteria set by the manufacturer. The...

Natural choice: Butterley's latest Natural Inspiration brick guide is available to aid specifiers. (Publications).
May 2, 2003... In the new Natural Inspiration guide to Butterley brick products, over 150 facing bricks are arranged by colour - reds, yellows, buffs, browns, greys, blacks and blues - to aid and simplify the initial selection process for architects and...

Seeing red: Red Bank is Hanson's latest arrival. (New Products).
May 2, 2003... The latest additions to Hanson's range of quality facings are the soft mud moulded bricks from its Red Bank collection, which are incorporated into the Butterley product range. Red Bank's brickmaking roots go back to the 19th century and,...

Underneath the arches: CombiArch provides a complete building solution. (New Products).
May 2, 2003... CombiArch is another component in Hanson's development of complete building solutions. The new product, which is shown below, brings together the aesthetic appeal and high-quality finish of a traditional brickwork arch with a loadbearing...

Shard Inquiry: 'Views of St Paul's already damaged'.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... English Heritage has already conceded that views of St Paul's Cathedral are irrevocably damaged by tall buildings nearby, claimed lawyers trying to discredit the EH claim that Renzo Piano's 300m-tall London Bridge Tower would ruin views of St...

Iraq jobs hang on US deal.(Bechtel)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... The British Consultants & Contractors Bureau (BCCB), representing UK firms keen to be involved in the reconstruction of Iraq, is to form a working group with US firm Bechtel ,which will discuss sub-contracts for UK firms, it emerged this week....

Off- site, off-time and off-budget.(housing project over budget and out of time)
May 2, 2003... The UK's largest experiment in off-site construction has fallen four months behind schedule and is set to bust its [pounds]7.5 million budget, BD can reveal. Raines Dairy in Stoke Newington, north London, is the largest factory-assembled...

Aedas partner, 44, dies. (News).
May 2, 2003... One of Manchester's leading architects has died suddenly at the age of 44, triggering fears that intense work damaged his health. Aedas AHR partner Andy Robson died at home on April 17 after leaving work early complaining that he felt...

Stress threat to profession. (News).(architects' stress)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Experts have warned that practices are failing to tackle increasing stress levels among architects. Fionna Stuart-Wilson, of UMD Professional, which teaches architects how to cope with stress, told BD one of the main reasons architects feel...

Prescott plan slated. (News).(Sustainable Communities Plan )(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Deputy prime minister John Prescott's Sustainable Communities Plan to build 200,000 new homes in the South-east was slammed by a House of Commons committee this week as a "characterless urban sprawl" that could use up far more greenbelt sites...

Arts Council warning. (News).
May 2, 2003... The Arts Council was warned this week to take tougher measures to reduce time and cost overruns on projects it funds, after a National Audit Office study into 15 major capital projects showed that to needed extra lottery funding. The now...

Arb rebellion gets public airing. (News).
May 2, 2003... A paper claiming that the Arb is acting beyond its powers will be debated in the public session of the next board meeting to be held on May 20. The move, confirmed by the Arb this week, is a victory for newly-elected board member Ian...

Harper MacKay renamed Mak. (News).(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Harper MacKay relaunched as Mak architects last week after the departure of co-founder David Harper at the end of last year. MacKay told BD that the firm had bought Harper's shareholding back and that a shareholding would be made available...

Sars fears halt tmde missions to China. (News).
May 2, 2003... The economic impact of Sars spread further this week with news that architectural trade missions to China have been suspended indefinitely. Government-backed missions from the UK to Shanghai and Beijing aimed at scooping major...

Cabe: Benoy's Norwich site is 'alien' to city. (News).(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Benoy's design for a key site in Norwich has been criticised by Cabe as "alien" to the historic city. The design watchdog said this week that the [pounds sterling]30 million St Anne's Wharf project should be rejected by planners in its...

New plan to restore St Pancras hotel.
May 2, 2003... Richard Griffiths Architects and RHWL have been appointed to design an ambitious scheme to restore George Gilbert Scott's gothic grade I listed St Pancras Chambers hotel and build a new hotel next door. BD understands that RHWL and heritage...

Tomorrow's world. (News).
May 2, 2003... The RIBA launched Tomorrow's Architect this week, its "manifesto for architectural education for the next five years". The document, which covers part 1,11 and III examinations in architecture, follows the latest review of the RIBA's outline...

Ken talks up Shard. (News).
May 2, 2003... London mayor Ken Livingstone this week told the public inquiry into Renzo Piano's London Bridge Tower that the "shard of glass" would enhance not detract from the view of St Paul's Cathedral, as well as updating and enhancing London's status as...

Awards for wood. (News).
May 2, 2003... The organiser of this year's Wood Awards is calling for entries to the competition before the May 20 deadline. The awards, which are divided into four categories: private, commercial, structural and conservation/restoration, are open to anyone...

Brunel's chamber opened up.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Conservation practice Donald Insall Associates has drawn up plans for a permanent opening into the recently discovered vaulted chambers in Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Clifton Suspension Bridge. Work is underway on cuffing through the 1.8m of...

Hypnotised architects to design 3D in a trance.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... A group of design students is set to be hypnotised to produce trance-inspired architectural drawings, writes Chris Horton. In a bid to produce 3D architectural forms that the conscious mind cannot reach, Los Angeles-based hypnotist Marcos...

LED flat goes under spotlight. (News).(Vos International Design)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... A consultancy claimed this week to have designed the world's first apartment solely lit by LEDs (light emitting diodes) -- and said that it could change your sex life. Vos International Design will soon be exhibiting the Vos Pad, a...

Bauhaus-style team for Brum: seven architects to develop next phase of Custard Factory. (News).(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Ushida Findlay, Fat and Softroom are among a team of seven architects being assembled for the next phase of an arts and media complex on a Birmingham site that includes a former custard factory, BD can reveal. Bennie Gray, owner and...

Lawyer: no win, no fee. (News).(Reynolds Porter Chamberlain )(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... A law firm has started offering architects a no win -- no fee" - style legal service to make it easier for them to recover overdue fees from clients. Robert Hogarth of London-based Reynolds Porter Chamberlain told BD that the "conditional...

Group to boost local voice in regeneration. (News).(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... A new body was launched this week to force improvements to the "spurious" public consultation process for large UK regeneration projects. The not-for-profit General Public Agency, formed by former Architecture Foundation director Lucy...

Healthcare schemes prompt staff increase. (News).(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Architect Anshen Dyer has taken on 50% more staff to deal with increasing demand for healthcare and education projects. Mike Jamieson, an associate at Anshen Dyer, said that 30 new staff had been taken on over the last few months to work on...

Council thwarts use of site for Skyzed. (News).
May 2, 2003... Bedzed architect Bill Dunster's plan to bring his 35-storey Skyzed Flower Tower to south London has foundered after Wandsworth council refused to give up one of its sites for the project. Dunster had been keen to build his much-vaunted...

Government must subsidise prefabs. (Comment & Analysis).
May 2, 2003... Difficulties at the trailblazing Raines Dairy prefabricated housing project in London will increase fears that plans to intensify housing in our cities, and particularly the capital, will not work. The fact that the problems have occurred on...

Letters. (Comment & Analysis).(Letter to the Editor)
May 2, 2003... Tease square From Roger Emmerson, Edinburgh In the usual course ofevents one wouldbe inclinedto defer to Malcolm Fraser's considerable local celebrity when engaging in the matter ofarchitectural discourse. But he is surely out to tease...

Modern classics: as work becomes less office-based, livery halls could be brought back to life. (Comment & Analysis).(Editorial)
May 2, 2003... Architecture became a formally defined profession only in the early 19th century. For centuries before that it was an open, informal skill. Not so for the key building trades that from the Middle Ages protected their secrets and enrolled their...

Hugh must be joking. (Concrete Boots).
May 2, 2003... Will our passion for giving buildings funny names never die? The Times's Hugh Pearman is the latest to bring out the dubbing stool, offering three alternatives for Future Systems' Selfridges store in Birmingham. The curvy beast is either a...

Big in Japan. (Concrete Boots).
May 2, 2003... While the BBC and Channel 4 wrestle with making architectural programming "relevant", their Japanese colleagues are quite happy to retain an air of mystery about the profession, as shown by the tantalising drama Concerto which has been airing...

Culture vulgar. (Concrete Boots).
May 2, 2003... The pride of Britain's cities received an airing on BBCI last Tuesday night with extensive but dismal coverage of the European Capital of Culture bids. The show purported to showcase the six bidding cities, but the whole thing was an...

Bean accounter. (Concrete Boots).
May 2, 2003... With the launch of the General Public Agency this week you may wonder where co-founders Lucy Musgrave and Clare Cumberlidge get their energy from. Well, they work above a cafe that serves the strongest coffee available to humanity. One cup of...

Friendly rivalry. (Concrete Boots).
May 2, 2003... Chapman Taylor seems to be finding Spain a happy hunting ground when it comes to work. It has brought a new meaning to the term friendly rivalry as it bids to win the design of a mixed-use scheme in Seville. A Chapman Taylor team is down to a...

Lost in space: do we really need two agencies to deal with public space. (Comment & Analysis).(Editorial)
May 2, 2003... Public agencies dealing with the quality of public space are like buses -- you wait ages and then two come along at once. While the bus analogy may be a cliche, it does seem strange that just six months ago there were no agencies with a...

Exceeding its powers? (Comment & Analysis).(Editorial)
May 2, 2003... Arb board member Ian Salisbury claims the body is acting beyond its powers in the way it regulates architects. Karen Glaser asks legal experts whether he has a case So who is right? The mutinous Ian Salisbury or Arb -- architects'...

East of Eden. (Grimshaw, Cornwall).
May 2, 2003... In Grimshaw's Foundation Building, Cornwall's Eden Project has a building conceived and constructed in accordance with the strict environmental ethos it celebrates, writes Amanda Birch. Nowhere can the Eden Project's faith in a better world...

You looking at me? (Perspective).
May 2, 2003... Artist Dan Graham and architect Graham Haworth talk to Robert Booth about their plans to inject a dose of childish fascination into a new entrance and pavilion for the Hayward Gallery Dan Graham holds up a sample of his trademark two-way...

The show must go on: Greece's domestic architecture shines brighter than the grands projets at the RIBA's Athens-scape exhibition. (Culture).
May 2, 2003... In antiquity, the Panathenian Stadium hosted events honouring Athena, goddess of wisdom and Protectress of Athens. Reconstructed in 1895, it was the venue for the revived Olympic Games; for April 2004 it is being restored again. Nothing...

Sound of the suburbs: Sebastien Marot's new book finds evidence for an alternative approach to creating a sense of memory for the suburbs.(Sub-urbanism and the Art of Memory)(Book Review)
May 2, 2003... Since the 1960s, suburban life has become the norm for the vast majority of people in Western Europe, so that in the past two decades the traditional distinctions between town and country have almost lost their significance. Despite this...

Avant-garde goes to market: the Entwistle Gallery's latest exhibition is a diverse mixture that suggests there might be a place for new avant-garde architecture as art.
May 2, 2003... Has Cork Street in London, centre of the art establishment, belatedly woken up to architecture? The new exhibition Material Intelligence is a show of 17 architects' work assembled by an art curator -- Roberta Entwistle of the Entwistle Gallery....

Diary.
May 2, 2003... LECTURES THURSDAY * Adriaan Geuze, new strategies of urban design. Venue The London School of Economics Clement Housethe Aldwych, London. 6.30pm. Details 020 7955 7599. EXHIBITIONS UNTIL MAY 4 Adrian Ensor. ...

Local cords. (Back Space).(Common Ground is discussed)
May 2, 2003... Reading this or most other architectural magazines, one would scarcely be aware of most of what gets built up and down the country. It is precisely because this is the way things have been since magazines began that it is scarcely worth...

Ian Martin.
May 2, 2003... Monday Angry call from Robinson Strapup, development director for go-ahead housing association the Pearshape Trust. He wants to know why my innovative fast-track prefab housing scheme is running four months late. I tell him it's a...

Shard splits design tsars.(UK)
May 9, 2003... Richard Rogers this week hit out at Cabe's decision to oppose planning permission for Europe's tallest tower at London Bridge, branding it "an absolute mistake". The move exposes a deep split between the government's two main design...

Alsop switches sides in Docklands contest.(London, England)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Will Alsop has teamed up with developer Urban Catalyst to design an urban scheme in London's Docklands, having previously been dropped by another of the shortlisted developers, BD can reveal. The practice was appointed two weeks ago to the...

Fretton bags Warsaw job.(UK Foreign Office chooses design for new British embassy in Warsaw, Poland)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Tony Fretton has hailed the Foreign Office's decision to pick his practice's design for a new British embassy in Warsaw as proof that the government is finally committed to injecting new design talent into its public building programme. ...

Southampton plan unveiled. (News).(Farrell & Partners develops masterplan for mixed-use site, UK)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Farrell & Partners this week unveiled its new masterplan for a 51,000sq m site in Southampton, which includes proposals for a civic square, three sail-like 20storey residential towers and a new 6,ooo-seat arena. The new public space,...

Crowding fears delay Covent Garden scheme. (News).(Westminster City Council to investigate claims that Kohn Pedersen Fox's design is unsuitable, London, England)
May 9, 2003... A Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) scheme to radically reshape Victorian warehouse buildings in London's Covent Garden is facing planning delays after residents raised fears of overcrowding. Westminster City Council has delayed permission while it...

Rogers redesigns Sex & the City studio. (News).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The Richard Rogers Partnership is to redesign the New York studios where the US TV hits Sex & the City and the Sopranos are filmed. The commission represents the firm's first job in the city and will see it design 250,000sq m of housing,...

Ito for Selfridges. (News).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Japanese architect Toyo Ito has been confirmed as lead designer for aL9o million Selfridges store in Glasgow. The architect will work in partnership with BDP. The store, Toyo Ito &Associates' first big UK commission, is set to open in 2007.

UK Europa winners. (News).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Three UK buildings have won conservation prizes backed by the European Union. The winners of the EU/Europa Nostra awards are: Glasgow Central Station restored by Gordon Murray & Alan Dunlop Architects; Newhailes, a 17th century house in...

War drowns out RIBA. (News).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Media interest in architecture has fallen in the past year, according to statistics from the RIBA. National newspaper column inches featuring the RIBA between January I and April24 2003 were only just over half as much as during the same period...

Gehry wavers over Jewish museum: international competition will be launched if architect ditches Polish project. (News).
May 9, 2003... An international competition to design a landmark Jewish history museum in Warsaw will be launched if preferred architect Frank Gehry walks away from the project. The Association of the Jewish Historical Institute in Poland wants Gehry to...

Designers flunk safety test. (News).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Only 8% of designers have been trained on how to comply with construction health and safety legislation, says a Health & Safety Executive (HSE) study published this week. The study, which looked at designers' compliance with Construction...

UK practice rolling out reusable prefab kits. (News Special: Off-Site Construction).
May 9, 2003... Doubts about the deliverability of the government's target for 25% of public housing to include some element of off-site fabrication have not stopped architectural firm Bryden Wood Associates trailblazing a range of prefabrication products,...

Off-site Piper project falls victim to delays. (News Special: Off-Site Construction).
May 9, 2003... Another off-site construction project in London has fallen behind schedule after becoming bogged down in traditional construction delays. The hold-up in the construction of two penthouse flats on the roof of a luxury apartment building in...

Key is to build on experience. (News Special: Off-Site Construction).
May 9, 2003... As with any job, we are learning lessons from our experience of Raines Dairy, writes Simon Allford, a partner with Allford Hall Monaghan Mon-is. As with any project, unbuilt ideas don't fall by the wayside but are set aside for the future,...

Russian boom attracts UK firms. (News).
May 9, 2003... British architects are taking advantage of an investment boom in commercial mixed-use schemes in Russia to win major commissions there. Chapman Taylor and Aukett Associates have used their Polish bases to launch into Russia over the last...

Sheffield study. (News).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Gillespies is to study the potential regeneration of Sheffield's Scotland Street and Shalesmoor districts. It will produce an action plan for development of key sites in the manufacturing area to the north of the city centre, which has been in...

Regeneration forum. (News).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The RIBA has organised a two-day regeneration conference in Rotterdam on July 11-12. Speakers include Richard Rogers, Rem Koolhaas, Will Alsop, Cabe commissioner Richard Feilden, local government minister Nick Raynsford and English Heritage...

Christian competition. (News).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The Art & Christianity Enquiry (ACE) trust and the RIBA are launching a [pounds sterling]3,000 awardfor "buildings dedicatedto the uses ofa Christian worshipping community completed between June 1988 andJune 2003". The deadline for entries is...

Lessons in sustainable timber. (News).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The environmental group Greenpeace has stepped in to help alert architects of the importance in specifying "sustainable timber" from well managed forests. It is running a series of seminars with hardwoods distributor Timbmet, designed to...

Planning on line. (News).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The London Borough of Camden will be able to process planning applications on-line from Tuesday. Its new PlanIT computer system is expected to speed up the processing of planning applications.

Factory regeneration. (News).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Urban renewal specialist Sprunt has won planning permission to regenerate a factory in Isleworth, west London. The scheme comprises 119 fiats and houses and two refurbished office blocks.

Ken's housing formula is 'laughable'. (News).
May 9, 2003... A mathematical formula championed by London mayor Ken Livingstone to calculate the number of affordable homes that can be fitted into a project while still remaining commercially viable was this week dismissed by housing architects and...

'Iraq too dangerous to assess damage. (News).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Assessment of the damage caused to Iraq's ancient buildings in the recent war has still not been made because even now it is too dangerous to send a delegation outside Baghdad, English Heritage told BD this week. "Nobody has yet been able...

Warsaw could start a virtuous cycle. (Comment & Analysis).
May 9, 2003... The Foreign Office's decision to hire Tony Fretton to design the new British Embassy in Warsaw could herald the end of a tradition that has marginalised a whole group of talented British architects. Fretton's fellow competitors such as...

Letters.
May 9, 2003... Protection racket From Bryan Lawson, Sheffield Lastweek BD asked" should Arb regulate as well as register?" (News May 2). Surely this is not quite the question. Registration with no regulation at all is totally meaningless. So the...

Errata.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... In our report of the London Bridge Tower Inquiry last week we named the appelant's counsel as Paul Calvocoressi when in fact his name is Christopher Katkowski QC. Mr Calvocoressi is English Heritage's historic buildings inspector who was...

Heart transplant: moving Edinburgh's infirmary from the city centre is a danger to the health of the city. (Comment & Analysis).
May 9, 2003... Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary moved last week from its city-centre site and 19th century buildings into a brand new Balfour Beatty PPP campus situated out towards the ring road. Foster is masterplanning the re-use and redevelopment of the old...

Systems analysis. (Concrete Boots).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... You can't say you don't get the highest level of architectural discourse at BD. Hugh Pearman, the Sunday Times critic gets in touch this week with some more thoughts on Future Systems' Selfridges project. "Of the nicknames I offered, I too...

A living Hull. (Concrete Boots).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Urban Britain got one hell lashing from The Idler website last week. The magazine is compiling a poll of the worst towns and cities under the irresistible banner of its "Crap Towns" survey. The organisers promise: "We're digging deeper into the...

Beyond our Ken. (Concrete Boots).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... London mayor Ken Livingstone last week launched to a great fanfare a set of complicated mathematical formulae that can calculate the maximum number of affordable homes that can be fitted into a development in the capital. Funny then that a...

A becoming modesty. (Concrete Boots).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Are students getting too cocky or what? The flyer for the Royal College of Art's end-of-year shows reads thus: "You will love us and admire us and want to be our friends. We will inspire you because we are the future. You will learn from us and...

Shadow boxing. (Concrete Boots).(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The New York architectural community is starting to close in on Daniel Libeskind's designs for Ground Zero. Brooklyn-based architect and World Trade Centre competitor Eli Attia has published a report casting doubt on Libeskind's claims...