Building Design articles from November 2005

Building Design archives from November 2005

Battersea power struggle: Ron Arad's hotel ditched amid talk of 'bitchiness' and tensions on long-running power station scheme.
November 4, 2005... Architect Ron Arad's scheme for a luxury hotel on top of Battersea Power Station has been dropped after tensions with Grimshaw over the project. The relationship between Arad and the Grimshaw design team on the 1.1 billion [pounds...

Naples embraces future.(train station project )(Future Systems)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Future Systems and artist Anish Kapoor are collaborating on a striking 27 million [pounds sterling] new underground train station for the city of Naples. The new station has two entrances and is part of the...

DFES eyes budget academy.(Department for Education and Skills)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... McAslan & Partners is working on a cut-price academy school in south London that is being closely watched by the Department for Education & Skills to see if it could have wider applications. The Alywin School for Girls in Southwark is being...

Vote for the client of the year.(News)
November 4, 2005... BD readers' client of the year will be unveiled on November 29 at BD's 2005 Architect of the Year Awards, so there are three weeks left to cast your vote. Choose from: * John Lewis Partnership * Department for Education & Skills...

Cloak of secrecy for Olympic plan: Arup and Atkins on 'secret' list for masterplan bid.(olympics contract )
November 4, 2005... Multi-disciplinary giants Atkins and Arup are among those competing for the right to masterplan London's Olympic park amid concern over the secrecy surrounding the contest this week. The London Development Agency held interviews at the TUC...

Scots' debut.(Paterson Architects projects)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Scottish small practice Paterson Architects has completed its first major project, a 220,000 [pounds sterling] private house in East Lothian, Scotland. The home, for a family of four, is a contemporary...

Stanton Williams has won a competition to masterplan an area of green space on the northern side of Truro Cathedral in Cornwall.(Hit and miss)
November 4, 2005... * Stanton Williams has won a competition to masterplan an area of green space on the northern side of Truro Cathedral in Cornwall. The practice beat a shortlist of six practices to redesign the Truro Cathedral Quarter.

Arup reconstructed the House of Lords debating chamber and blew it up for a TV documentary broadcast this week.(Hit and miss)
November 4, 2005... * Arup reconstructed the House of Lords debating chamber and blew it up for a TV documentary broadcast this week (above), concluding that Guy Fawkes's plot would have killed everyone in the chamber, including King James I, had it succeeded.

Squire & Partners has won planning permission for a mixed-use scheme on Dover Street for Royal London Asset Management.(Hit and miss)
November 4, 2005... * Squire & Partners has won planning permission for a mixed-use scheme on Dover Street for Royal London Asset Management. The curving glass facade at the rear of the building responds to complex rights to light agreements in the Mayfair...

Hunter & Partners has won planning permission for an 8 million [pounds sterling] Lift primary health scheme in east London.(Hit and miss)
November 4, 2005... * Hunter & Partners has won planning permission for an 8 million [pounds sterling] Lift primary health scheme in east London. The Vicarage Lane primary health care centre includes three GP practices under one roof.

John Prescott's wife, Pauline, told Hull Magistrates' Court on Tuesday that she feared her home was being invaded by "terrorists" when it was stormed by up to 20 Greenpeace activists in April.(People)
November 4, 2005... * John Prescott's wife, Pauline, told Hull Magistrates' Court on Tuesday that she feared her home was being invaded by "terrorists" when it was stormed by up to 20 Greenpeace activists in April (pictured). Eight activists, who installed solar...

ArtReview magazine has put Tate Modern architect Herzog & de Meuron in 11th place in its Power 100 list for 2005.(People)
November 4, 2005... * ArtReview magazine has put Tate Modern architect Herzog & de Meuron in 11th place in its Power 100 list for 2005. The Swiss firm was the only architect to make the top 15. The list was topped by Damien Hirst.

Russell Brown of Hawkins Brown has been appointed to draw up a critique of Robert Adam's country house in Hurstbourne Priors, Hampshire, for a forthcoming public inquiry.(People)
November 4, 2005... * Russell Brown of Hawkins Brown has been appointed to draw up a critique of Robert Adam's country house in Hurstbourne Priors, Hampshire, for a forthcoming public inquiry. The inquiry into the scheme is an early test of the new country house...

London 2012 director of communications Mike Lee is to leave the organisation.(People)
November 4, 2005... * London 2012 director of communications Mike Lee is to leave the organisation. Lee played a key role in winning the Olympic bid this year.

English Heritage has said the cost review of the road plans around Stonehenge is a "golden opportunity for the nation to demonstrate its commitment to get these things right".(Power play)
November 4, 2005... * English Heritage has said the cost review of the road plans around Stonehenge is a "golden opportunity for the nation to demonstrate its commitment to get these things right". A scheme for a visitor centre at Stonehenge was recently rejected...

Country Land & Business Association.(Power play)
November 4, 2005... * David Fursdon has been elected president of the Country Land & Business Association. Fursdon, who runs a farming and tourism business in Devon, also serves on the government's Affordable Rural Housing Commission.

The government this week admitted Gustafson Porter's Diana memorial fountain could have been better project-managed.(Power play)
November 4, 2005... * The government this week admitted Gustafson Porter's Diana memorial fountain could have been better project-managed. Department for Culture, Media & Sport permanent secretary Sue Street told the Public Accounts Committee that the troubled...

Pay-for-planning approved: Audit Commission set to endorse controversial developer payments to local authority 'consultants'.
November 4, 2005... Housebuilders could soon be paying for extra council planners after it emerged that the highly influential Audit Commission is set to endorse the controversial practice. The endorsement comes despite criticism of payment by Wimpey to...

HTA in frame for 60,000 [pounds sterling] house.(HTA Architects)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... HTA Architects is tipped to win two of the first four sites in deputy prime minister John Prescott's competition to design a 60,000 [pounds sterling] house. Prescott was set to announce the successful bidders on four of the 10 sites in the...

Broadcasting House a year late, BBC admits.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... The BBC admitted this week that the controversial Broadcasting House project was 20 million [pounds sterling] over budget and a year behind schedule. BBC head of corporate real estate Chris Kane revealed the problems to in-house magazine...

Right side of the tracks.(Woods Bagot images of Central Plaza tower )(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Woods Bagot has unveiled images of its Central Plaza tower next to Liverpool's Central station. The 37-storey residential building is the centrepiece of a 160 million [pounds sterling] mixed-use scheme being...

Green council.
November 4, 2005... Work has begun on Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council's new 6,040sq m Westgate headquarters by Associated Architects. The 15 million [pounds sterling], five-storey building will have a biomass boiler fired by waste wood pellets and will catch...

Park views.
November 4, 2005... More than 3,600 people have taken part in the LDA'S public consultation on plans to revamp Crystal Palace Park. A new National Sports Centre, city farm and plans to increase accessible parkland have support, but locals were divided over plans...

Aerial rules.
November 4, 2005... The ODPM has revised rules covering household antennae to provide wider access to digital TV and broadband internet. All types of antenna are now covered by the same rules. The number, size and location of antennae will still be restricted to...

'Back off' Arb chair tells RIBA: Ombudsman plan to cost profession.(News)
November 4, 2005... Arb chairman Humphrey Lloyd has called on the RIBA to drop its bid to restrain the regulator. In a rare public outburst, Lloyd said in an open letter to RIBA president Jack Pringle this week that the institute's bid to reform Arb was...

Aardman fire destroys Coda's early archive.(News)
November 4, 2005... Bristol practice Coda has lost more than 10 years worth of drawings in the same fire that consumed Aardman Animations' archive of props and models from the Wallace & Gromit films. Investigators are looking into the cause of the warehouse...

Flow goes with green country living.(FIRST LOOK)
November 4, 2005... MKA Architects has unveiled designs for Flow House, a group of environmentally friendly buildings nestled in a rural valley site. The modern home will rely mainly on building materials taken from the site and the local area. The practice...

Penrith squares.
November 4, 2005... Manning Elliott Architects has lodged a planning application for the 77 million [pounds sterling] Penrith New Squares mixed-use development in the Cumbrian town. Four new town squares are also planned. An exhibition of the plans is at the...

Barker board.
November 4, 2005... Economist and housing expert Kate Barker, who led the 2004 Housing Review, has been appointed to the Housing Corporation's board, along with former Falmouth and Cambourne MP Candy Atherton and Donald Hoodless OBE, former chief executive of...

Vision off.
November 4, 2005... The Town and Country Planning Association has said that the government's East of England Plan lacks the vision to prevent urban sprawl, which would damage the environment and put too much pressure on local services. The charity is promoting...

Yin and yang.(Foster & Partners designs conference centre)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Foster & Partners has revealed designs for a new performance venue in Scotland (pictured right). The arena at Glasgow's Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre will provide an indoor venue for concerts and...

'Business beats government on green homes'.(News)
November 4, 2005... London mayor Ken Livingstone has accused the government of doing less to cut carbon emissions than big business as it emerged that across London thousands of new homes are to be built by the private sector to new carbon-cutting standards. ...

Join the car club.(car clubs saves money)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Membership of car clubs has almost doubled in the past year. In Leeds, London, Brighton and Bristol 3,865 people use shared cars, charged by the hour. More than I million are predicted to be signed u p within a decade. Car clubs are...

Rogers puts final touches to task force housing report.(News)
November 4, 2005... Richard Rogers's reconvened Urban Task Force has finally set a publication date for its long-awaited progress report on Deputy Prime Minster John Prescott's housing plans. The task force, which includes eminent planner Peter Hall, National...

Backing for Farrell's 'Nash Ramblas': fundraising set to begin as vision for central London pedestrian boulevard gains widespread support.(Terry Farrell vision)
November 4, 2005... Terry Farrell's vision of a grand pedestrian boulevard snaking through central London from Regent's Park to the Mall has won the support of key bodies including English Heritage, the BBC, the Crown Estate and the Royal Parks. Isobel...

Norwich's union.(News)
November 4, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Norwich-based practice LSI Architects is close to completing a major new space linking the grade I-listed Surrey House, designed by renowned Norwich architect George Skipper, to new offices for insurance...

Livingstone's 'London views' plan under fire.(Ken Livingstone policy needs public inquiries)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Eminent landscape architect and Royal Parks adviser Hal Moggridge has waded into the row over London mayor Ken Livingstone's new protected views plans in the capital, claiming the new policy will lead to more expensive public inquiries. ...

SMC snaps up DTR:UK for 4.5m [pounds sterling].(SMC Group)
November 4, 2005... SMC Group, one of the few UK practices listed on the stock market, has bought Manchester-based DTR:UK for a potential 4.5 million [pounds sterling]. The purchase is SMC's fifth as part of its aggressive drive to buy up medium-sized...

Brighton stadium's seven-year pitch.(News)
November 4, 2005... A 22,500-seat stadium by KSS Architects has won planning permission, after a seven-year planning wrangle and three public inquiries. Deputy prime minister John Prescott granted permission for the Brighton & Hove Albion stadium in Falmer,...

Catalyst centre.(Consarc submits plans for multipurpose civic centre)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Belfast practice Consarc is preparing a planning submission for a new multi-purpose civic centre in Limavady, Londonderry. The 3 million [pounds sterling] project, for Limavady Borough Council, is a modern centre that will retain a historic...

Belfast move.(Northern Ireland)
November 4, 2005... Development agency Invest Northern Ireland this week took over the first four floors of its new building in Bedford Street, Belfast, along with two floors of basement car parking. Developer McAleer & Rushe/Dunloe Ewart will deliver a further...

Water world.(Northern Ireland)(Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education campus contract)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Plans for a new campus for the Belfast Institute of Further & Higher Education, a signature tourism project and 200 homes at Belfast's 1 billion [pounds sterling] Titanic Quarter development have been revealed. The masterplan, by Bluewater...

House win.(Bell Architects design approval)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... An unusual stone house designed by Bell Architects will go on site within the next two months. Planning permission for the dwelling--between a pair of round, flat-roofed towers--was initially refused. The planners said the design, for a rural...

Light work.(Northern Ireland)(Hacker & Hall Architects pavilion design)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Hacker & Hall Architects has designed a timber pavilion for the grounds of Belfast's City Hall for the Respect project. Up to 60 people under the age of 25 will work with a poet and a photographic artist to produce images and text on the theme...

Quay approval.(Northern Ireland)
November 4, 2005... The Pottinger's Quay scheme of 36 apartments designed by the Boyd Partnership for a central Belfast site on the River Lagan has received planning permission. The 3.6 million [pounds sterling] scheme for Dado Developments will go on site soon.

Battersea's butterfly collector: as eccentric developer Victor Hwang has yet another reshuffle of his pack of star architects, Charlie Gates asks is something going wrong at the power station?(News: Analysis)
November 4, 2005... It is 3am and Hong Kong tycoon Victor Hwang has had another idea for Battersea Power Station. Within days he has discussed the idea with engineering maestro Cecil Balmond and will have the pick of the world's greatest architects to deliver the...

Thames Gateway reaches a dead end.(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 4, 2005... Is it time to reconsider the whole form, scale and concept of the Thames Gateway? It makes some sense to plan for development south of the estuary (but not as far south as Sittingbourne), since there are links with the Continent, but to the...

Lacking landmark.(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 4, 2005... The weakness of the Scottish Parliament building is that it looks too provincial. What's needed is a parliament building that draws the mind when you think of Scotland and Edinburgh, as does the Opera House when you think of Australia and...

Nothing new.(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 4, 2005... It is indicative of today's architecture that a building so high on whimsy and that cost a bomb contains not a single piece of commissioned art worthy of mention. The architect's ego has to be ever present everywhere. This passes for "poetry"....

Park legacy.(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 4, 2005... I was fascinated to read Robert Adam's letter (Letters October 14) not only because Adam has himself made a career out of replicating the style of 18th and 19th century classicism, but also because I fear he has missed the point of the Lake...

Charlie's slant.(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 4, 2005... I applaud the decision of planners in the Lake District to promote "bold, modern design". It gives a much welcome counterpoint to the well-known opinions of another vocal civil servant--the Prince of Wales. Paul Acland, London

Accepting help.(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 4, 2005... I am somewhat bemused by your reporting of my company's work in Princes Street, Edinburgh (News October 28). There has been an overwhelmingly positive response to our announcement that AM Development UK has joined our team to test the...

Spending power.(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 4, 2005... Regarding claims of Wimpey's payments to Ashford Borough Council in return for quicker planning decisions (News October 28), this is surely a conflict of interest and an example of a wealthy organisation using its cash to bend the rules. But is...

Market forces.(Comment: Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 4, 2005... I cannot see what all the fuss is about with Wimpey's Ashford scheme. It will still face the scrutiny of a planning committee, will still be bound to comply with local and national planning policy and the decisions reached will still be open to...

The danger of Battersea's collector's club.(Editorial)(Editorial)
November 4, 2005... Pigs flew over Battersea Power Station on the cover of Pink Floyd's 1977 album Animals. Ever since, the odds of anyone successfully rehabilitating this incredible hulk have been the longest in the development business. Now in 2005, it's...

Union power for the price of a pint.(Soapbox)
November 4, 2005... Often I find my views are dismissed by the establishment as the rantings of a maverick; a radical, or worse a malcontent. Rarely am I seen as offering sound advice, or an interesting take on the future of the profession. So here are a few words...

She weres it well.(Concrete Boots)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Zaha Hadid's birthday is on Halloween. One year architect Nigel Coates gave her an usual gift. We will let him tell the rest of the story. "I once gave her a pair of werewolf gloves for her birthday with pointy claws. She took one look at...

Going to the dogs.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Will Alsop is avoiding the Olympic masterplan competition like the plague because he thinks the whole thing will become a "dog's dinner". "There are too many different people to satisfy," he said. "I think it would be a nightmare." As the...

Vanilla ICE.(Institution of Civil Engineers )(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Recently McDonald's got into hot water for offering to pay rappers if they mentioned Big Macs in their songs. Well, the Institution of Civil Engineers has hit on a similar ruse. New president Gordon Masterson is offering 10,000 [pounds...

Celebrity square.(Russ Abott visits architects )(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Architects are rarely starstruck. But last week in Manchester two architects from John McAslan's office were "very excited" when a real-life celebrity walked into the cafe where we were. The "celebrity" went on to sit down right next to...

Cookie monsters.(architecture students health aspects)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... To Washington University in St Louis, where the health of architecture students is causing concern. Worried professors took one look at their exhausted cohort and drafted in the university's health chief, who concluded that "they were all...

Sticks and stones.(Concrete Boots)
November 4, 2005... Architect Deborah Saunt has a great nickname for giant consultancy Atkins: Fatkins.

Mistaken identity.(Concrete Boots)
November 4, 2005... Oops. A mistake to correct from last week. When we said Adam Wilkinson and Jim Eyre looked like Bert & Ernie, we of course meant Chris Wilkinson and Jim Eyre. Looks like Concrete Boots is the muppet after all.

White rose blooms: Leeds is rising again, a shining example of design-led regeneration. Ken Powell takes a tour of the Yorkshire capital with the man spearheading its renaissance.(Works)
November 4, 2005... Nearly half a century ago, Nikolaus Pevsner found the centre of Leeds blessed with "civic pride and a certain orderliness", the results of "enlightened planning". Pevsner didn't stray far from the city. centre, it seems, into the areas of dense...

2. DRDH architects: we talk to Daniel Rosbottom and David Howarth about the joys of being small.(YAYA: The contenders)(Interview)
November 4, 2005... Who are your role models? David Howarth: Siza, Souta de Moura, Zumthor. Daniel Rosbottom: We're interested in architects who make things. Not just contemporary architects, but also people like Brunelleschi. We see ourselves as part of...

How we cracked it.(case studies of building apartments )
November 4, 2005... 17 The challenge: To bring fresh air into new-build apartments while meeting stringent acoustic requirements The solution: Seal the envelope and use a low-velocity mechanically ducted air system Architect: Christopher Ash of...

Raising the roof: a ceiling that changes to suit the performance answers the need for acoustic flexibility.(Solutions)
November 4, 2005... As acoustic technology becomes more advanced, the ability of architects to control the sound quality of performance spaces becomes ever more sophisticated. The geometry of these spaces can be crafted to meet the particular acoustic needs of a...

On the Nordic trail: a new show promotes Norway's architecture, but it is the architects that really sell it.(Culture: Books Exhibitions Events)
November 4, 2005... The exhibition poster for Breaking Boundaries: Norwegian Architecture Showcase, on at the RIBA, features a nice photo of cool-looking people hanging out in a sort of loft-style space, sitting on some trendy-looking blankets. You might not guess...

Sky's the limit.(SELECTOR)
November 4, 2005... An installation by artists Sophie Warren and Jonathan Mosley--Blue Sky Thinking--explores consumerism, architecture and utopia. November 5, 12, 19. Plan 9, 17-19 Penn Street, Broadmead, Bristol. See www.plan9.org.uk

Celebrating saving.(SELECTOR)
November 4, 2005... Thirty years of campaigning and conservation are celebrated in SAVE Britain's Heritage 1975-2005, from November 8 to February 12, Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Tel: 020 7942 2000.

Visions for sale.(SELECTOR)
November 4, 2005... Assess the artistic aspirations and abilities of architects in Vision 05--Art by Architects, a selling exhibition organised by the Association of Consultant Architects. November 8 to December 3, 90 Duke of York Square, King's Road, London (020...

Venture into the unknowns: Neave Brown leaves architecture far behind in his latest exhibition of etchings.(Culture: Books Exhibitions Events)
November 4, 2005... Three years ago, work was completed on Neave Brown's Medina housing scheme in Eindhoven. It was to be the last building by an architect whose unparalleled engagement with the question of social housing places him among the major talents of his...

Living in the trees.(Treehouses book by Paula Henderson and Adam Mornement)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 4, 2005... Frivolous and delightful, escapist and ingenious, the treehouse makes an enjoyable subject for celebration in a new book, Treehouses, by Paula Henderson and Adam Mornement (Frances Lincoln, 25 [pounds sterling]). The four key periods of...

Football and me.(Culture)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... For as long as I can remember my overriding passion has been football, spurred on by the tight perms and Accrington Stanley TV milk ads of the 1970s and 1980s. Liverpool became the focus of my attention and has burnt brightly ever since,...

Corus colors group.(Products & Literature)
November 4, 2005... Corus offers dedicated advice and guidance on metal envelope design, specification and construction through the Colourcoat Connection[R] helpline. Hand samples are available for the wide range of Colourcoat[R] pre-finished steel products. These...

Phillips Lighting.(Products & Literature)
November 4, 2005... Recent breakthroughs by Phillips Lighting in electronic control gear are set to change the face of city and urban lighting. They will help meet Kyoto reductions in C[O.sub.2] and offer numerous other benefits to municipalities. 2005 sees the...

Knauf Insulation.(Products & Literature)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Knauf Insulation has added two new thicknesses to the Crown[R] Rafter Roll 32 range of glass mineral wool insulation. Specifically designed for use in room-in-the-roof construction, its low thermal conductivity of just 0.032 W/mK means it's...

Structura UK Ltd.(Products & Literature)
November 4, 2005... Automatic doors manufactured, supplied and installed by Structura UK Ltd, curtain wall engineering specialist, form part of the recently refurbished ground and first floors of Perceval House, Ealing Council's new 5-storey headquarters building....

Schluter Systems.(Products & Literature)
November 4, 2005... Exhibiting for the first time at the 100% Detail show at Earls Court, Schluter-Systems were inundated with enquiries from influential architects and specifiers about the revolutionary new underfloor heating system, Schluter[R]-BEKOTECTHERM. ...

SAS.(Products & Literature)
November 4, 2005... SAS International, market leader in intelligent metal solutions, and Krantz, the leaders in air distribution and static cooling innovation, announce that they have entered into a partnership agreement with immediate effect. As leaders in their...

Mumford & Wood.(Products & Literature)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Conservation timber box sash windows and French doorsets have been supplied by Mumford & Wood for an exclusive luxury property on the tranquil and private St George's Hill Estate, Weybridge, Surrey. This sensitive new build project was designed...

Spiral Cellars.(Products & Literature)
November 4, 2005... You may not be aware just how easy it is to install a genuine wine cellar these days. Arguably a cave is of course the ultimate solution, but in short supply most places--so take a close look at the Spiral Cellar. Throughout the country,...

International decorative services.(Products & Literature)
November 4, 2005... Surface materials distributor IDS has further added to it's laminate portfolio with the Wilsonart brand of high pressure decorative laminates. IDS is the only distributor in the UK to offer the four main laminate brands of Polyrey, Formica,...

Kawneer UK Ltd.(Products & Literature)
November 4, 2005... Following the success of 100% Detail, Kawneer, Europe's leading manufacturer of architectural aluminium systems has revealed that the star of their show was the innovative AA[R]201 Unitised Curtain Wall system. Enquiries 5010 or see...