Building Design articles from November 2003

Building Design archives from November 2003

Zaha Hadid has won an international design competition for a 20,000sq m high-speed train station in Naples, Italy.(photo caption)
November 7, 2003... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Zaha Hadid has won an international design competition for a 20,000sq m high-speed train station in Naples, Italy. Under the concept for The Nuova Stazione Av Napoli-Afragola, the concourse above the tracks...

New Urbanism is 'a hotbed for crime'.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... The New Urbanism housing style championed by deputy prime minister John Prescott and the Prince of Wales as a solution to the housing crisis has been criticised by a government advisor for encouraging crime and anti-social behaviour. ...

Chris Wise's team takes Tees bridge.(Expedition Engineering and Spence Associates won contract to build double-arched pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Tees at Northhank in Stockton.)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Expedition Engineering and Spence Associates have scooped the prize for their double-arched pedestrian and cycle bridge that will span over the River Tees at Northhank in Stockton. The collaboration beat off competition from Glenn Howells,...

Blair aids Foster win: lobbying of Chinese leaders secures Beijing airport project.
November 7, 2003... Tony Blair stepped in to help Foster & Partners and Amp scoop the 1.2 billion [pounds sterling] commission to extend Beijing airport, which was announced this week. At face-to-face meetings this summer, the prime minister asked his Chinese...

The 6 million [pounds sterling] refurbishment and extension of the Art Deco Horsham Arts Centre designed by Lewes-based LA Architects was recently opened by HM the Queen and HRH Prince Phillip.(photo caption)
November 7, 2003... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: The 6 million [pounds sterling] refurbishment and extension of the Art Deco Horsham Arts Centre designed by Lewes-based LA Architects was recently opened by HM the Queen and HRH Prince Phillip. The center,...

Interior alterations put Stirling flats in jeopardy.(flats designed by architect James Stirling in Ham Common, West London )(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... A grade II listed block of flats designed by architect James Stirling in Ham Common, west London is being degraded by its residents, according to the Twentieth Century Society. Residents are removing original aluminium fittings, plastering...

Cabe: limit listings to boost economy: Cabe's proposal to make economic tests part of listing process meets opposition.(News: Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment)
November 7, 2003... Cabe has set itself on a collision course with English Heritage and the RIBA over the government's review of the listing process. The architecture watchdog has called for economic and social considerations to become part of any listing...

Richard Rogers Partnership has unveiled plans for the 1 billion [pounds sterling] regeneration of land around Wembley Stadium.(photo caption)
November 7, 2003... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Richard Rogers Partnership has unveiled plans for the 1 billion [pound sterling] regeneration of land around Wembley Stadium. The redevelopment of the 17ha site includes more than 3,700 homes; a 20 million...

Costs force UK team out of biggest PFI hospital.(News)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Financial issues are believed to be on the brink of costing Nightingale Associates, HLM and Terry Farrell & Partners the job to design Britain's largest privately financed hospital scheme in east London. The UK designers appear to have...

Bennetts office win.(Bennetts Associates to design an office scheme for Blackpool's Peel Park)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Bennetts Associates has seen off John McAslan & Partners, Sheppard Robson and Allies & Morrison to design an office scheme for Blackpool's Peel Park, Iris hoped the contest, sponsored by site freeholder Land Securities Trillium, will be a...

RSAW conference.(News: Royal Society of Architects )(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Richard Rogers is to deliver the keynote speech at the annual conference of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales in Cardiff on November 21. Rogers will discuss his designs for the National Assembly for Wales and its impact on regeneration...

Medal for Moneo.(News)(Spanish architect Rafael Moneo will be awarded the Royal Gold Medal at the RIBA )(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Spanish architect Rafael Moneo will be awarded the Royal Gold Medal at the RIBA on November 12. The award, in recognition of his lifetime's work, will be presented by RIBA president George Ferguson, after which Moneo will give a public lecture...

Croydon Gateway race shifts up a gear: developer's purchase of final piece of land puts Foster scheme in strong position.(News)
November 7, 2003... The conflict between rival schemes by Foster & Partners/ CZWG and Michael Aukett for Croydon Gateway has intensified after developer Stanhope took control of the entire site. In a move branded "fool-hardy" by competing developer...

Bartlett dodges cuts: UCL to support architecture school after government research rating downgrade threatens funding.(News: University College London)
November 7, 2003... The Bartlett has avoided a funding cut in excess of 300,000 [pounds sterling] after University College London overruled the government's assessment of its research. UCL has decided to continue funding the Bartlett as a five-rated research...

UK and US vie for Liverpool arena.(News)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Two UK firms are to go head to head with four from across the Atlantic for the right to design an 85 million [pounds sterling] arena and conference centre at Kings Waterfront in Liverpool. Foster & Partners and Wilkinson Eyre are up against...

Work is to begin next month on an extension to The Deep, Terry Farrell & Partners' 46 million [pounds sterling] ocean aquarium in Hull, after a multi-million funding package was approved last week.(News)
November 7, 2003... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Work is to begin next month on an extension to The Deep, Terry Farrell & Partners' 46 million [pounds sterling] ocean aquarium in Hull, after a multi-million funding package was approved last week. ...

Plaistow estate list revealed.(News: Royal Institute of British Architects)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... The RIBA has unveiled the shortlist for the open competition to regenerate the Brooks Road Estate in Plaistow, east London. The scheme involves the upgrade of low-rise dwellings and two high-rise tower blocks on the estate. The...

RIBA to stage show of winning buildings.(News: Royal Institute of British Architects)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... The RIBA Competitions Office is to hold an exhibition of built projects that have resulted from the competitions process in recent years. Among the buildings on display will be The Butterfly Bridge by Wilkinson Eyre Architects; Manchester...

Keble College award.(News)(Rick Mather Architects' extension of Keble College in Oxford has won the Brick Development Association's Building of the Year Award)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Rick Mather Architects' extension of Keble College in Oxford has won the Brick Development Association's Building of the Year Award. The award for the student accommodation block at the Victorian college was made this week.

New York welcome.(News)(New York's Centre for Architecture is inviting UK practices interested in contributing to forthcoming exhibitions and events to get in touch)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... New York's Centre for Architecture is inviting UK practices interested in contributing to forthcoming exhibitions and events to get in touch. Contact bell@aiany.org

Hotel design winner.(News)(Gordon Murray & Alan Dunlop Architects received Best Hotel Award at the European Hotel Design Awards )(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Gordon Murray & Alan Dunlop Architects scooped the Best Hotel Award at the European Hotel Design Awards at a ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London last Thursday.

Peabody appointment.(News)(Scott Bonnell has been appointed head of construction at the Peabody Trust)
November 7, 2003... Scott Bonnell has been appointed head of construction at the Peabody Trust. Formerly regional construction manager at Bellwinch Homes, Bonnell will help to take new-build projects from planning to completion and will work closely with director...

RICS Olympic site.(News: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors )(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has launched a new website (www.rics.org/olympics2012) that provides news, case studies, reports by property and regeneration firms, along with recruitment and educational opportunities from the nine...

Aedas academy.(News: Aedas-designed Stockley Academy in Hillingdon, west London)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Construction will start later this month on the 17 million [pounds sterling] Aedas-designed Stockley Academy in Hillingdon, west London. The city academy for science and technology which will provide 1,150 secondary school places is due to...

Bid to redeem brutalist Tricorn Centre fails.(News)
November 7, 2003... A bid to renovate and improve the widely loathed 1960s Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth by its original architects has been rejected by the site's developer. Rodney Gordon and Peter Abbot reunited for the first time in more than 30 years to...

Ushida Findlay wins Maggie's Centre.(News)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Ushida Findlay has been commissioned to design the latest Maggie's Centre, at Wishaw in Lanarkshire. The practice joins stars such as Frank Gehry, Richard Rogers and Zaha Hadid as the latest practice to design one of several hospices for...

Beam them up Scotty!(News)
November 7, 2003... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Beam them up Scotty! Sheppard Robson has designed a transparent "float that floats" for its march through central London as part of the Lord Mayor's Show, star date November 8. Six architects will boldly go...

ABK's Richard Burton retires after 42 years.(News)(retires from Ahrends Burton & Koralek )(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Richard Burton retired from Ahrends Burton & Koralek last week with a parting shot at a profession that has become "mired in litigation and health and safety issues". Burton will now concentrate on painting and drawing after 42 years at...

Carpenter/Lowings A&D has unveiled plans for the chapel of Sheppard Robson's new Salvation Army International Headquarters, in construction between St Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge.(News)
November 7, 2003... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Carpenter/ Lowings A&D has unveiled plans for the chapel of Sheppard Robson's new Salvation Army International Headquarters, in construction between St Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge. The...

Freedom Tower row erupts: Libeskind clashes with architect David Childs on revisions to concept for New York Freedom Tower.(News)
November 7, 2003... Daniel Libeskind has been given six weeks to compromise with Skidmore Owings & Merrill's David Childs on design of the Freedom Tower at New York's Ground Zero site after a furious row about Childs's latest revision to his concept design. A...

Rafael Vinoly has released new images of designs from the Brooklyn Children's Museum in New York, due for completion in 2006.(News)
November 7, 2003... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Rafael Vinoly has released new images of designs from the Brooklyn Children's Museum in New York, due for completion in 2006. Meanwhile, the practice is preparing to relocate its London office from Camden to...

New York looks to Europeans.(News)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... A new design competition for affordable housing schemes in New York is aiming to attract the cream of talent from the UK, the Netherlands and Germany. American institute of Architects (AIA) New York chapter executive director Rick Bell...

Join the space race.(Comment & Analysis)
November 7, 2003... For a profession apparently obsessed by notions of public space in the internal layouts of buildings, architects have a patchy recent record in the open air. Architects always talk about "internal streets", "courtyard spaces" and...

Point of difference.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2003... One week I read of concerns about "Trophy Architecture" (News October 24), where an architect "star" gets the planning consent, and then the designs are redrawn by the value engineers. The next week (News October 31) I read that the RIBA fears...

Flawed gameplan.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2003... I am writing with dismay regarding the publication of an article regarding the London and New York Olympic bids, and specifically Jason Prior's urging of UK consultants to boycott the New York bid (News October 31). As part of the already...

Valuable Malting.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2003... In the article headed "Cambridge college refurb degrading" (News October 24) you rightly emphasise the undervaluing of the grade II listed Malting House, Newnham, Cambridge--Smith & Brewer's unique arts and crafts residence south of The Backs....

Timespam.(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2003... 1953 Portable windfarm debuts at the Ideal Home Exhibition. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2003 Government's design chief takes on cowboy builders. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2013 Highland costs avoided with the Aeroblaine studio flat. ...

Conference call.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2003... I was delighted and even flattered that David Thorp (Letters October 24) associated the RIBA conference "Tomorrow's World--Delivering on Sustainability" with the start of the conference "season", but also puzzled that he seemed to associate...

Cladding confusion.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2003... The article "Going to Pieces" (Building Design Envelope October 2003) contained what we believe is a misleading statement about Yorkon's modular building system and its compliance with Part L. Yorkon's building system for living...

Lost in translation.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2003... Come again? Doreen Massey (Back space, October 31) takes issue with her previous column. Despite willingness to follow her in questioning implicit modernist notions of linear time and singular narratives, I remain endarkened by her words:...

Taking action.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2003... I am writing further to the letter from Hugh Williams in Welsh pool (Letters October 24) in connection with the regulation of the title "architect". Arb takes very seriously its responsibility For the regulation of the title as required by...

Old habits.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2003... Ageism is becoming a bad habit in the UK. It was reported in BD (News October 24) that a young architect prize is being offered, this time with a commission thrown in, for those under 40 years old. The upper age limit had been raised from 35....

Sitting on our assets: buildings account for over three quarters of national capital, but how can architects benefit?(Comment & Analysis)
November 7, 2003... Architecture creates wealth, not for many architects it seems, but certainly for the property sector. Buildings crystallise property assets, with their location and quality determining value. Half of all fixed capital formation annually is in...

Germanic depression.(Concrete Boots)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... To Berlin where architectural life seems to be crawling along at a snail's pace. Financial troubles in the city authority allied with painfully slow economic growth have left projects such as the redevelopment of Museum Island--including a...

Chip off the old Jock.(Concrete Boots)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Alejandro Gehry followed the example of his illustrious father Frank and came overall Scottish last week. While Frank is rumoured to be discussing masterplanning projects in Dundee, Alejandro was strutting his stuff on the catwalk, as part of...

Brutal favouritism.(Concrete Boots: Dreamscapes TV compares buildings)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... This week's Dreamscapes TV, to be shown this Sunday night on BBC3, reveals our inconsistent approach to brutalist architecture. The show, presented by architect David Adjaye, compares two famous brutalist buildings--the Hayward Gallery in...

Publicly private.(Concrete Boots)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Architectural admirers looking to explore London's architectural wonders had better beware of wandering into the glass atrium at the Foster & Partners-designed Tower Place office block for Marsh & McLennan. One architectural connoisseur...

City suits.(Concrete Boots: Lord Mayor's Show in London)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Spectators at the annual Lord Mayor's Show in London tomorrow will be treated to the surreal spectacle of staff from US practice Gensler parading in costumes representing famous City landmarks. The float will travel the 1.7 mile Thames-side...

All in good time.(Concrete Boots: Royal Institute of British Architects)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... RIBA president George Ferguson was burning the midnight oil last weekend to complete the institute's submission to the listings review public consultation. Ferguson missed the Friday deadline and had to ask the Department for Culture, Media and...

Fortune cookie: a web of red tape comes with the territory in China, but huge rewards await hard-working adventurers.(New face of China: part two)
November 7, 2003... With two hands and a slight bow, RTKL's Scott Kilbourn, presents his business card with polished Chinese protocol. The shelves in his spartan new Shanghai office are stacked with thousands of copies of just one item--his firm's glossy...

Base material: Stortoget square in Kalmar, Sweden, is a fully realised expression of Caruso St John's early architectural intentions inspired in part by Aboriginal land rights.(Public Space)
November 7, 2003... In 1993, when Caruso St John entered the Birmingham Foyer competition, their submission included a rather daunting Manifesto of Critical Issues. This short text comprised quotations from diverse sources, listed under tombstone headings such as...

Double visions: the irony of pairing futuristic work by Archigram with Piranesi's nightmarish visions in a gallery in Milton Keynes did not go unnoticed by Emma Dent Coad.(Culture)
November 7, 2003... "And it all gets clearer as it gets nearer the minds within... " No, not a line from some marijuana-fuelled hippy classic, but a caption from Peter Cook's 1968 design for "House 1990" in the Milton Keynes Gallery's new Archigram exhibition. ...

Diary.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
November 7, 2003... EXHIBITIONS UNTIL JANUARY 31 Frank Breuer: Containers New series of photographs taken at ports all over Europe. Venue Rocket Gallery, 13 Old Burlington Street, London. Details 02074343043. LECTURES WEDNESDAY *...

Unsocial genius: Le Corbusier's vision of alienation is an inspiring read.(Culture: Le Corbusier and the Concept of Self)(Book Review)
November 7, 2003... The postmodern critic has never been able to take Le Corbusier seriously as an architectural theorist. Sure, he designed fabulous buildings, hut his were the ramblings of a fool, weren't they? As time passes, and his legacy can be assessed...

The wheels of industry: a train platform is a perfect space for the Ancoats exhibition.(Culture)
November 7, 2003... The train platform has the potential to be a powerful social condenser. Certainly, Manchester' Piccadilly Metrolink platform is more democratic and appropriate environment for The Presence of Absence/Ancoats Stories installation than a...

Accessibility using colour and tonal contrasts.(Showcase)
November 7, 2003... Many people who have limited vision still have the ability to see some shapes and colours, and research carried out at Reading University--partly sponsored by turnquest uk ltd--has proven what we at the company have always know: colour contrast...

Sunley and Environ homes weather PPG3 to fly high with Eternit.(Showcase)
November 7, 2003... A former RAF base on a plateau above Maidstone in Kent has become a blueprint for PPG3 interpretation, design and life-cycle costing strategies, thanks in part to Eternit Building Materials. Eternit's timber-effect fibre cement Weatherboard...

Optimum fastbuild solution gives disable access.(Showcase)
November 7, 2003... Structherm's Fastbuild has been used by Optima Community Association to build a block of twelve four storey flats and fifteen three storey houses on the Benmore estate in Birmingham. The new homes will include accommodation for residents...

The essence of the ocean.(Showcase)
November 7, 2003... The comfort line Novoplan is another new shower tray from Kaldewei designed to make a stunning centrepeice in any shower. It features a delightfully rounded shape with curves that flow around the inner rim of the tray like gentle waves. Its...

Baltic Centre provides 'civic continuity'.(Showcase)
November 7, 2003... The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art is a stunning re-use of a building known to generations of Tynesiders--the Baltic Flour Mills. 'Geordies' are justifiably proud of their cityscapes and the decision to make good an 'old friend' was a...

New flatness standards for concrete floors.(Showcase)
November 7, 2003... The latest edition of the Concrete Society's Technical Report 34, the principle guide to the design and construction of concrete industrial ground floors in the UK, includes new floor flatness standards designed to improve the efficiency and...

Weathered Facing Masonry from Lignacite Ltd.(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... Weathered Facing Masonry is available from Lignacite Ltd. The surface of the eye-catching block is flat, but the fine natural aggregate texture produces a softly rounded, weathered finish. Weathered Facing Masonry from Lignacite Ltd can bring...

Divine intervention--Ventrolla recreates sash style at Angel Hotel, Leamington Spa.(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... Sash window experts, Ventrolla, faced one of their greatest challenges to date, as they reinstated a colossal 4.2 metre wide quadruple sash window at the Angel Hotel in Leamington Spa. As part of the UK's reading national sash window specialist...

Vicaima Doors make sound decision.(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... Interior door specialist Vicaima have never been known to carry out product development by half measures. So it will come as no surprise to learn that what deciding the steps that should be taken to make a rage of Fire Doors compliant with Part...

Kingspan in the Kings road.(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... In a swish new centre for Chelsea shoppers, the London Furniture Company has matched the cutting edge of its furniture design with stylish ceramic- and timber-finished raised floor systems from Kingspan Access Floors. KSS Design Group chose the...

V229 fully reversible window aesthetic design & exceptional functionality.(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... The new VELFAC 229 reversible window delivers exceptional functionality without compromising the external aesthetic. An innovative, ultra slim hinge is now concealed behind the sash, resulting in a reversible window with no externally visible...

The beauty of Bruce hardwood floors.(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... Wood floors have never been more desirable and the Bruce hardwood floor collection exclusively available from IDS offers an unrivalled choice of species and product specifications. The collection embraces all current interior design trends....

Haddonstone launch new multimedia CPD presentations.(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... Haddonstone--the UK's leading manufacturer of landscape ornaments and architectural Stonework--have launched three new multimedia CPD presentations. These offer UK architects and other construction ruction professionals genuine high quality...

GA creates the perfect reception.(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... Making first impressions count is exactly why Jack Crookshank Architects specified the creative flexibility of GA's perforated Posi-Grip Panels as a stunning feature on a new reception desk at Carrington House in Regent Street W1. GA's...

Mermet UK.(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... Gradually becoming somewhat of an institution within the industry, the MERMET UK Golf tournament was held on September 25th. MERMET are market leaders in production and supply of PVC coated glass fibre "fabrics" for the sunblind industry as...

Tridonic.Atco helps HSBC with daylight effect.(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... The new HSBC headquarters at 8 Canada Square in London's Canary Wharf is using PCA ECO ballasts from Tridonic.Atco as part of a lighting management system that provides a natural daylight effect to the building's lobby area. Housing around 8000...

The height of insulation!(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... Recognising that there is some confusion in the marketplace surrounding the new thicknesses of underfloor insulation required for compliance with the latest edition of Building Regulations Document L, the EPS Construction Group has just...

Deviheat--a heating system that comes top of its class.(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... Devi frequently refers to its system of underfloor cable heating as Intelligent Floor Heating. From a company with the best part of half-a-century's experience, it's a statement that carries a lot of weight and a certainly no idle boast. ...

New ball handrail system from RB UK Ltd.(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... RB UK Ltd, one of the UK's leading suppliers of display and shelving solutions, has launched an innovative new handrail system that is both stylish and easy to install. The Vormatic system is suitable for both domestic and commercial...

Euroclad exercise their authority on rainscreen systems at Moss Side Sports Centre.(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... A sports centre in one of Manchester's deprived districts has been given a radical facelift using Euroclad's high performance 20/20 rainscreen cladding system, the design flexibility of which helped overcome a number of technical challenges....

Unishield[R].(Profile Panels)
November 7, 2003... Stoneflex URP Ltd is proud to announce a new brand, Unishield[R]. The Unishield[R] range includes single skin sheets, box profiles, built up systems, composite wall & root panels, an architectural firewall system and a range of complimentary...

Unmoving floor show.(Back Space)
November 7, 2003... The moratorium on criticism of millennium lottery projects seems to be over. For more than three years, we have heard nothing but polite praise for the schemes--Tate Modern, the Great Court at the British Museum, the Royal Opera House, the...

Ian Martin.(an architect's week)
November 7, 2003... Monday Phone call in the middle of the night: it's the police. Do I know anything about a New Urbanism project proposed for a former mining village in the Midlands? "It has your name at the bottom, sir." What's the problem? "We are...

Making the future work: building futures: speculating over the future can help us set a course through policy, practice and education to achieve the best outcomes.(Leader)
November 7, 2003... All professionals concerned with designing the environment are also involved with shaping the future. Each design decision affects our future and hopefully reflects a thoughtful sense of what might lie ahead. Building Futures, a joint...

It's a strange new world: future studies, confusingly, is not really about predicting the future, it's more about planning ways to plan different versions of the present. Clear?(Futurology)
November 7, 2003... I CAN DEFINITELY SAY THAT THE FUTURE IS very big and impossible to get right. Just look at any historic bit of future prediction: Alvin Toffler's Futureshock, an old copy of The Futurist magazine, sci-fi films such as Logan's Run. The accurate...

Forecast news: two members of the building futures think-tank discuss their views on key building issues with Robert Booth.(Drivers of Change)
November 7, 2003... BEFORE WE CAN TRY TO PREDICT OUR future needs from the built environment, we need to pinpoint the causes of major changes in society. The list is long, but Arup's director John Miles and Russell Brown, director of Hawkins Brown Architects, both...

Making the grade: the changing demands of education require a radical change in the design of school buildings.(Education)
November 7, 2003... IF SCHOOL BUILDINGS WERE TESTED AND PUT into league tables with the same diligence that pupils and teaching are assessed, the results would make pretty dismal reading. But while few would disagree that a major design rethink is needed to...

Prescription for progress: a flexible approach is needed if healthcare facilities are to keep pace with developments in medical science.(Healthcare)
November 7, 2003... HEALTH CARE IS SET FOR BIG CHANGES over the next 20 years. But will the buildings that the care is delivered in be able to keep pace with the transformation? The sheer time scales involved in hospital construction projects means that the...

Designs on digital: the power of the computer can do much more than speed up design, it can be the creator of new possibilities, says theorist Neil Leach in his new book 'Digital Tectonics'.(Books)(Book Review)
November 7, 2003... WHEN DESIGNING FOR A DIGITAL WORLD WAS published last year, the editor, architect and theorist Neil Leach made a bold attempt to put computer-driven design techniques into a philosophical context. He also put together a convincing argument that...