Building Design articles from May 2006

Building Design archives from May 2006

Biennale cash crisis: Arts Council cuts London Biennale funding amid claims it overshadows Architecture Week.
May 5, 2006... The Arts Council has pulled the rug from under the London Architecture Biennale just weeks before it begins, telling organisers it will provide only half of the 100,000 [pounds sterling] grant they expected. The move, which puts the...

Community spirit.(Feilden Clegg Bradley works with Alison Brooks and Maccreanor Lavington)(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... Feilden Clegg Bradley is working with Alison Brooks and Maccreanor Lavington on Cambridge's Accordia development, an 80 million [pounds sterling] residential scheme. With 700 mature trees on the 9.6ha site, landscaping has played a crucial...

But Corb may steal the show.(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... The RIBA is committing almost 1 million [pounds sterling] to bring a major exhibition on Le Corbusier to Liverpool in 2008. The exhibition, curated by the Vitra Design Museum will focus on the architect's furniture and private spaces as well as...

Cambridge ranks top for architect students.(rankings on universities)
May 5, 2006... Cambridge University has been rated the best place to study architecture in a survey by the Guardian newspaper, ahead of the Manchester School of Architecture and Cardiff University. In its annual university guide, the Guardian rated...

Four competing for Gateshead Quays.(contracts of architectural services)(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... CZWG, Ryder HKS, the Fairhursts Design Group and multidisciplinary practice Watkins Gray International have been shortlisted for the prestigious Gateshead Quays phase two development. The public space project is planned for a 2.2ha site...

Hospital's green ambition.(News)
May 5, 2006... Llewelyn Davies Yeang's healthcare team has designed what is hopes will be the world's greenest hospital for the Bouygues consortium as it redevelops the Broomfield Hospital in Essex. The 180 million [pounds sterling] PFI project is being...

Gardner Stewart Architects has won planning permission for 147 homes at Waterstone Park, Dartford.(Hit and miss)
May 5, 2006... Gardner Stewart Architects has won planning permission for 147 homes at Waterstone Park, Dartford . The development, for Countryside and Land Securities, has started on site and is due to finish this autumn.

The London Borough of Lambeth has granted planning permission for West 8's designs for Jubilee Gardens.(Hit and miss)
May 5, 2006... The London Borough of Lambeth has granted planning permission for West 8's designs for Jubilee Gardens on London's South Bank.

Richard Rogers is to join former partner Norman Foster on the site of the World Trade Centre.(Hit and miss)
May 5, 2006... Richard Rogers is to join former partner Norman Foster on the site of the World Trade Centre. He has been appointed to design Tower Three on the site, while Foster is designing Tower Two.

The Government Office for London has decided not to call in John McAslan's refurbishment of Erno Goldfinger's grade II.(Hit and miss)
May 5, 2006... The Government Office for London has decided not to call in John McAslan's refurbishment of Erno Goldfinger's grade II listed Trellick Tower despite controversy over plans to replace the windows.

Jeremy Till, curator of the British pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2006.(Hit and miss)
May 5, 2006... Jeremy Till, curator of the British pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2006, will announce that Sheffield will be used as a paradigm for discussion of the identity and renewal of postindustrial cities during the event today...

Prince Charles's Prince's Foundation has been appointed to masterplan central Lincoln.(Hit and miss)
May 5, 2006... Prince Charles's Prince's Foundation has been appointed to masterplan central Lincoln. It is the first city centre project for the creator of Poundbury.

Small practitioner Brian Godfrey is believed to be considering standing for the RIBA presidency.(People)
May 5, 2006... Small practitioner Brian Godfrey is believed to be considering standing for the RIBA presidency. Godfrey, who stood unsuccessfully for the post in 2001, would be u p against outgoing Cabe commissioner Sunand Prasad, who confirmed his candidacy...

English Partnership's director of corporate strategy, Trevor Beattie, is to become its regional director for southern England.(People)
May 5, 2006... English Partnership's director of corporate strategy, Trevor Beattie, is to become its regional director for southern England. The quango, which faces a merger with the Housing Corporation, is having a reshuffle of senior staff.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England and the National Trust have warned of the potential environmental damage of the East of England's regional spatial strategy.(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... The Campaign to Protect Rural England and the National Trust have warned of the potential environmental damage of the East of England's regional spatial strategy. CPRE East of England chairman Lawrence Wragg accepted that while there has to be...

The Conservatives would increase the amount of car parking in new developments if they returned to power.(Power play)
May 5, 2006... The Conservatives would increase the amount of car parking in new developments if they returned to power, they have said.

School's out for Rogers: one of the world's great practices wants to know why its designs for schools keep getting turned down.(News)
May 5, 2006... Richard Rogers Partnership, one of the largest and most successful architectural practices in the world, has not been able to design schools in Britain because of the cumbersome, bureaucratic pre-qualification process. The leading practice...

EH favours 510m [pounds sterling] bored tunnel for Stonehenge.(News)
May 5, 2006... English Heritage has rejected four out of the five proposed road schemes for improving access to Stonehenge, and called on the government to implement the most expensive, bored-tunnel option at a cost of more than 500 million [pounds sterling]....

Thermal comfort research.(research on thermal comfort in green buildings)
May 5, 2006... Researchers at Leicester's De Montfort University are teaming up with academics at the Karlsruhe University in Germany and the Technical University of Denmark to find out more about thermal comfort in green buildings. The three...

Doing the twist.(wind shelters designed by Ian McChesney)(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... Blackpool boasts a new attraction--three sculptural wind shelters designed by London architect Ian McChesney. Each of the shelters, spaced at half-mile intervals, is attached to a 5m-diameter turntable, which people can step on to as it...

Unhealthy stats.
May 5, 2006... Unhealthy stats A report by the Chartered Management Institute and Workplace Health Connect found poor health has a negative effect on the construction industry. More than 50% had regular muscular problems, and 19% said iii health had affected...

Quay development.
May 5, 2006... Quay development Southampton City Council has approved the sale of a 999-year lease to Development Securities to allow it to develop the western area of West Quay Phase 3. Plans include a 13,700 sq m headquarters for Carnival, the world's...

Strong city.
May 5, 2006... Strong city Matthew Lloyd Architects, the Diocese of London, English Heritage and the Shaftsbury Society are organising a conference entitled: A Strong City: How to Realise the Potential of Church Buildings, on May 16 at St John in Hackney. See...

Design fears as Scotland adopts the Lift system.(design and construction of Scotland healthcare facilities)
May 5, 2006... Scotland is to see its own version of the controversial Lift healthcare procurement system, raising fears over a rise in "generic" design in the sector. The Scottish Executive plans to introduce six to eight projects each worth 20 [pounds...

Nelson's column is 'pigeon-proofed'.(restoration work)(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... Nelson's column has been shrouded in scaffolding as restoration work begins at the landmark site in Trafalgar Square. It is the third time the monument has been restored in the last 40 years, and is believed to be the first time this sort of...

Glasgow materials are bent into shape.(FIRST LOOK)
May 5, 2006... This distinctive crescent of apartments in the Gorbals, Glasgow, has been designed by local practice Page & Park. The 4 million [pounds sterling] Friary Court scheme, for the Crown Street Regeneration Project and Miller Homes, wraps around...

Olympic platforms.
May 5, 2006... Olympic platforms Transport for London has appointed Jacobs Babtie to carry out detailed design on the upgrade of Stratford station. The upgrade, to meet the needs of the Olympics and the Stratford city development, will include a new platform,...

Lift competition.
May 5, 2006... Lift competition London International Festival of Theatre (Lift), and The Architecture Foundation are launching a competition to design the Lift New Parliament, a transportable meeting and performance space, which will open at the Lift Festival...

Divine inspiration.
May 5, 2006... Divine inspiration English Heritage is launching Inspired!, a campaign to help historic places of worship. Next week, it will unveil a five-point action plan and a poem by poet laureate Andrew Motion in support of the campaign.

Southwark sets up a mini Cabe.(News)(London Borough of Southwark has design review panel to rival Cabe's)(Morrison, Graham and Eyre, Jim joined Cabe)
May 5, 2006... The London Borough of Southwark has assembled a star-studded design review panel to rival Cabe's, boasting two current and one former member of the commission's design review panel and a host of other well-respected industry figures. Hanif...

Peckham Pulse pool set to reopen in October.(swimming pool to be reopened)(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... Southwark council has appointed contractor Makers to repair the Peckham Pulse, its flagship public swimming pool which has been closed for more than a year because of leaking pipes. Work starts this month and is scheduled to finish in...

Urmston regeneration.(Planning consent has been granted for Broadway Malyan )(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... Planning consent has been granted for Broadway Malyan's 43 million [pounds sterling] regeneration scheme for the town centre of Urmston, Greater Manchester. The project, which includes a new library, a drop-in centre, supermarket, 24 new...

Castleford consent PRP Architects has won a resolution to grant planning consent for a 120 million [pounds sterling] development in Castleford, Yorkshire.
May 5, 2006... Castleford consent PRP Architects has won a resolution to grant planning consent for a 120 million [pounds sterling] development in Castleford, Yorkshire. The redevelopment of the former Lambson chemical works, known as Navigation Point, will...

Ferguson school praise.
May 5, 2006... Ferguson school praise Former RIBA president George Ferguson has commended a new learning village in Ashburton for setting a "new design standard for schools". The project, by Penoyre & Prasad, was completed last month and includes many...

Excellence seminars.
May 5, 2006... Excellence seminars The RIBA has joined forces with the Royal Town Planning Institute to launch a series of CPD seminars for planners on the subject of design excellence across London. The first event in the What is Design Excellence? series...

Stars vie for Singapore project.(competitions of architects)(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... A shortlist of architects including Norman Foster, Rem Koolhas and Will Alsop is wing for the opportunity to design three large waterfront parks in Marina Bay, Singapore. Ten architectural consortia have been shortlisted for the...

Artisan in Sheffield.(Manchester-based developer Artisan submits plans)(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... Manchester-based developer Artisan has submitted plans for its first project outside the North-west--this 20 million [pounds sterling] mixed-use scheme in Sheffield city centre. The project, designed by Aedas Architects, includes 132...

SMC Group records huge rise in profits.(acquisitions and profits of SMC Group PLC.)(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... SMC Group, the Stock Market listed architecture firm which recently acquired Will Alsop's practice, has recorded annual pre-tax profits of 2.9 million [pounds sterling] on a turnover of 13.5 million [pounds sterling]. Results for the year...

Arb power battle over vice-chair: reform group puts up candidate.(appointments)
May 5, 2006... The profession's bid to reform the Arb is facing a crucial test in the race for the position of vice chairman of the organisation. The Arb Reform Group has put forward member George Oldham for the post. The group won 70% of the vote in the...

Contract tied up for troubled Barts Royal London hospital.(Spotcheck)
May 5, 2006... The contract for the troubled Barts & the Royal London hospital, designed by HOK, has finally reached financial close. Consortium leader Skanska claims the 1 billion [pounds sterling] project, which was put on hold by health secretary...

Battersea rail upgrade.(Grimshaw Architects modernise Battersea Park railway station)(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... Grimshaw is to modernise Battersea Park railway station in south London. The 26 million [pounds sterling] contract with developer Parkview International is to restore the existing grade II listed station hall, and build a new mezzanine deck...

Conversion refused.(London)
May 5, 2006... Wandsworth council has refused planning permission for a scheme by local architect Nicholas Blythe to convert a former doctor's surgery in Battersea into six flats. The application, for a building on Lavender Hill, was thought to be an...

Dairy products.(London)
May 5, 2006... Gardner Stewart Architects has won planning approval for a high-density, mixed-use scheme for the Dairy site in Parsons Green, in west London. Threshold Housing has appointed the architect to design 140 affordable homes, plus 1,500sq m office,...

Newham grant.(London)
May 5, 2006... Newham council has been given a 700,000 [pounds sterling] planning delivery grant as part of a 135 million [pounds sterling] government initiative to enable planning permissions, dating from 1947 on, to be transferred from paper files to a...

Latest buzz.(London)
May 5, 2006... Charitable Leisure Trust Bromley Mytime's 565,000 [pounds sterling] "buzz zone" soft play area at Walnuts Leisure Centre in Orpington is due to open in the next two weeks. Designed for under-11s, it will feature ball ponds, climbing frames,...

Pool resources.(London)
May 5, 2006... Developer Open Water has been selected to renovate Charlton Lido in south London. Open Water is expected to invest around 3.8 million [pounds sterling] to refurbish the main and baby pools, and to create a 35m-deep diving pool--the only one of...

Barking regenerator.(London)
May 5, 2006... Jennifer Dearing takes up the post of corporate director of regeneration for Barking & Dagenham this month. Dearing, who is moving from Sutton council, will have responsibility for regeneration, leisure and housing strategy in her new role.

Storage scheme.(London)
May 5, 2006... Surrey-based practice MAA architects has submitted plans to Wandsworth council to redevelop a warehouse site on the corner of Merton and Kimber roads in south London. The scheme involves the demolition of the Access self-storage warehouse, and...

One step ahead of the residents.(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 5, 2006... Can we imagine the residents of Fat's New Islington development (Works April 28) applying charming working-class vernacular trinkets to their brand new homes? Well, no, we can't, because the architects have beaten them to it. Would you Adam and...

No Poundbury Ok!(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 5, 2006... The coincidence of Fat's housing, and Alain de Botton's book and lecture, are certainly worthy of an editorial (Leader April 28), but the idea that national housebuilders are attempting "Miesian pastiche" would probably turn Mies in his grave...

Rather too cosy?(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 5, 2006... To help architecture students, could BD provide a scale/north point for all its plans? Otherwise the only measure for Fat's New Islington scheme seems to be a car, suggesting that bedroom 3 is smaller than a car, the living room is 1.5 cars,...

Urgent upgrades.(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 5, 2006... Michael Squire (Soapbox April 28) is quite right that higher energy conservation standards for new buildings will have little effect in the short term. An annual 1% replacement/growth of stock is far too slow to tackle the looming energy and...

Modern enough?(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 5, 2006... Leslie Barker, Tring HP23 The V&A exhibition Modernism 1914-1939 has been acclaimed, and it was instructive to see the part played by the performing arts, designer clothing, and the pursuit of healthy living. It also showed how much...

Soaring salaries.(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 5, 2006... For a "small organisation" the salary of 100,000 [pounds sterling] for a chief executive seems rather large, working out at something like the annual registration fees for about 1,300 architects. Will architects see the fees to remain...

Royal scapegoat.(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 5, 2006... I have a certain amount of sympathy for Greg McErlean of the Royal Parks Agency, (Letters April 13) which took most of the blame for the DCMS's own failures. The report by the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts was not only on...

Correction.(Comment: Letters)(Correction notice)
May 5, 2006... The photographs of Fat's New Islington project in last week's Works were taken by Edmund Sumner (not Edwin). Also there is now a website for the Open House Contemporary lectures, the first one of which is being given by Fat partner Charles...

RIBA'S Le Corbusier show is nothing new.(Editorial)
May 5, 2006... Architecture exhibitions are devilishly difficult to get right. The London Architecture Biennale, which looks set to quadruple its audience in its second year, is one way of communicating a difficult subject--so more's the pity that the Arts...

Death and life of an anarchist urbanist.(Criticism and interpretation of Jane Jacobs )
May 5, 2006... Reading the laudatory obituaries of Jane Jacobs in the newspapers last week, it was easy to forget what a hostile reception she received, particularly from architects, when The Death and Life of Great American Cities was first published in...

Bypass decision.(Concrete Boots)
May 5, 2006... Many have anticipated problems for Brighton & Hove's planning committee when it comes to consider Frank Gehry's scheme for the King Alfred site on the seafront, but Conservative councillors have solved the problem. Brighton party leader Garry...

Olympic trip.(United Kingdom, Department for Culture, Media and Sport)(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... Attempts to appoint an architect onto the newly formed Olympic Delivery Board were thwarted by the two-week Christmas break. The DCMS was told to round up likely candidates just as well-heeled architects start disappearing to their villas and...

Dove or hawk?(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... Boots was amused to discover that new Arb board member Sarah Lupton also chairs the RIBA president's "advisory commitee on dispute resolution", a role in keeping with her emerging status as a "dove" on the board. Bet it makes for some...

Drowning sorrows.(Concrete Boots)
May 5, 2006... Bad news for Brighton's students of architecture. The school scored nil for job prospects in this week's Education Guardian league table. Still, with two piers, a sandy beach and more bars than you can shake a stick at, who needs a job?

Fear of slaughter.(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... The silent architecture minister, David Lammy, has struck again. Following last month's BD feature asking what Lammy has done for the profession, Boots was looking forward to seeing the minister taken to task on the BBC'S Question Time. But...

Mind on the job?(occasional outburst against architects)
May 5, 2006... Finally, we understand. Allowing the Vauxhall Tower and Lots Road through planning, signing off the demolition of thousands of homes in the North and even indulging in the occasional outburst against architects--it all makes sense now. While...

Heads in the clouds: Delugan Meissl's architecture seeks to defy gravity. Ahead of a UK tour of its work next month, Zoe Blackler pays a visit to the new darlings of the Austrian scene.(Profile)(husband and wife team describe themselves as Roman Delugan: best boy, operates on a 7x24 hours basis)
May 5, 2006... In Delugan Meissl's A to Z of their life in practice (see box right) posted on their website, the husband and wife team describe themselves as "Roman Delugan: best boy, operates on a 7x24 hours basis", and "Elke Delugan-Meissl: boss". ...

Three's company: Feilden Clegg Bradley has collaborated with Alison Brooks and Maccreanor Lavington for its Cambridge development, to produce a range of housing styles. The result is high-quality architecture reflecting a collective identity.(Works)
May 5, 2006... Walking into Cambridge's vast Accordia development I suffered a ghastly spasm of recognition: it was here, 15 years ago, that I had come to sit my driving test. Although only a short distance from the station, this tree-lined 9.6ha site was off...

Branching out: for years the AA has been using the Serpentine pavilion as a teaching tool, but this summer a group of its students will build their own structure out of timber and construct it outside the school in Bedford Square. Elaine Knutt looks at the winning scheme and the runners-up.(Solutions)
May 5, 2006... Summer is the season of the temporary pavilion, of architectural delights by Daniel Libeskind, Toyo Ito, Alvaro Siza and Simon Whittle. Simon Whittle? Don't worry if you haven't heard of him. Whittle is a second-year student at the...

A little Italy.(SELECTOR)
May 5, 2006... Images of Italian Rationalism mingle with fashion in a photo exhibition in London's West End. Italian Modern: Images from the RI BA British Architectural Library Photographs Collection, until May 13, Max Mara, 19-21 Old Bond Street,...

Icelandic victors.(SELECTOR)
May 5, 2006... Young Edinburgh practice Graeme Massie Architects have an exhibition of recent work at the RIAS, including their recent competition wins for projects in Oxford and Iceland. Until June 2, RIAS, 15 Rutland Square, Edinburgh 0131229 7545.

Homes for the future: a book on the 21st century house may seem premature, but it is still an informative look at the state of the art.(media in the growing public fascination for architecture)
May 5, 2006... If 2006 strikes you as a mite early for a survey of 21st century houses, the claim implicit in the singular "house" of this book's title must appear absurdly ambitious. Can there really be, as author Jonathan Bell claims, a new zeitgeist...

Hey you, get onto my cloud: artist Tomas Saraceno's work concerning floating cities and living in clouds betrays his Archigram influence.(Culture: Books Exhibitions Events)
May 5, 2006... Imagine a floating city where people inhabit clusters of solar-powered bubbles high above the earth. If this sounds a litre like the sort of thing Archigram might have done, that's no coincidence. For while Tomas Saraceno, who opens his...

Culture vulture.(interview)(Abbaye du Thoronet)(Interview)
May 5, 2006... How would you spend the day indulging in cultural pursuits A Saturday in London with my wife Catherine and Ben (16). Tate Modern for the Jeff Wall exhibition, across the no longer wobbly bridge and up into the dome of St Paul's. Home for...

SwimEx Swimming Pools.(Products & Literature)
May 5, 2006... A pool-wide current up to 5 mph. Fully insulated, beautifully finished, with a choice of models and colour. Manufactured in 1 piece (2.3 x 5.3m) for new builds or 4 for access. Only 2,500 gals of water to heat. 10yr structural warranty,...

Listone Giordano.(Products & Literature)
May 5, 2006... Now available in the UK, Listone Giordano is Italy's leading hardwood floor brand. It has a patented multi-layered technology, which renders the floor immune to temperature/ humidity changes, eliminating capping, cupping and splitting, even in...

Velfac.(Products & Literature)
May 5, 2006... Velfac windows already meet Part L2 of the Building Regulations proposals for 2006--a tested window of 1.23m x 1.48m provided a U-value of 1.62W/m2K. This low figure results from a number of key design features. The internal pine frame, the...

Marley Eternit.(Products & Literature)
May 5, 2006... Rainscreen cladding panels from Marley Eternit have brought a "contemporary feel" and "lightweight image" to 13 million [pounds sterling] Ashmole School in Southgate, north London. Marley Eternit's Lamina External high-pressure laminate panels...

Knauf Insulation.(Products & Literature)
May 5, 2006... Knauf Insulation has launched the first in a series of online learning programmes. 'An Introduction to Sound Insulation' is designed to give a working knowledge of Part E of the Building Regulations (Resistance to the Passage of Sound) in a...

Platonic.(Products & Literature)
May 5, 2006... Architect and pioneer of the minimalist aesthetic, Henry Harrison is the name behind 'The Platonic Fireplace Company' source of the most exciting modern fireplace concepts, firescheme is Platonic's special commissions service. Henry Harrison...

Kingspan Insulation Limited.(Products & Literature)
May 5, 2006... Thermataper TT40 from Kingspan Insulation was chosen for the roof of the multi-award winning Jubilee Library building in Brighton which has been hailed as one of the most sustainable public buildings in the country. If correctly applied,...

Delta Membrane Systems Ltd.(Products & Literature)
May 5, 2006... Specifically designed to combat dampness and contamination in flooring applications, Delta-FM membrane from Delta Membrane Systems offers fast-track application. It allows various floor finishes to be achieved thanks to a special low stud...

Perfect pitch: Sto Ltd.(Products & Literature)
May 5, 2006... Create beautifully seamless acoustic ceilings that amaze the eyes as well as the ears. StoSilent is flexible, acoustically superb and just one of our many industry-leading interior products. www.sto.co.uk Enquiries 5007 or see...

Charcon/Aggregate Industries.(Products & Literature)
May 5, 2006... High tech equals high tech in Swansea. A range of products from Charcon's flag and block paving ranges were used to give a sleek finish to the award-winning Technium Swansea building at the entrance to the SA1 Swansea Waterfront development....

David Smith St Ives Ltd.(Products & Literature)
May 5, 2006... Timber engineering specialists, David Smith St Ives Limited have been designing and manufacturing trussed rafters for roofs of every shape and size for over 25 years. Specified for installation throughout a wealth of locations including...

Interior Design Handbook.(Products & Literature)
May 5, 2006... For over 20 years, Interior Design Handbook has been one of the most valuable and visionary sources of products available to the British interior design and retail professions. Widely acknowledge as the essential interior design source book,...