Architects Journal
August 2012

View all stories from this issue.

A round-up of this month’s new books about icons

Ian Martin browses the latest architectural publications
Govt vows greenbelt shake-up and £10bn housing boost

A fresh drive to boost house building will include a £10 billion guarantee scheme and softer planning laws for greenbelts
Grimshaw’s tower tops Sydney contest

At 65 storeys, the competition-winning scheme will form the first stage of a new ‘vertical neighbourhood’ strategy in the city’s Parramatta suburb
Rem Koolhaas lands 2012 Jencks Award

OMA-founder Rem Koolhaas is set to receive this year’s prestigious Jencks Award
RMJM chief cross-examined at employment tribunal

RMJM group commercial director Declan Thompson has been cross-examined by a former employee at an employment tribunal in Edinburgh
Running late: Siemens’ east London ‘Crystal’ to open next month

Siemen’s £30 million Royal Docks pavilion designed by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will will welcome the public in September after failing to open in time for the Olympics
Stitch Studio and Mæ bag Goresbrook affordable homes jackpot

[First look] Emerging practice Stitch Studio and Mae Architects have been appointed to regenerate the Goresbrook Village housing estate in Dagenham
UNESCO in bid to stop South Bank skyscraper explosion

World heritage body UNESCO is seeking greater control over the planning of tall buildings close to the Tower of London and Westminster
White paper: sustainable design teaching and practice

European EDUCATE initiative backed by Cullinan, Gething and Clegg concludes three-year research programme
Woods Bagot recruits sports star Dan Meis

Woods Bagot has created a new specialist global sports division with Dan Meis at the helm
‘Deportation’ facing thousands of London Met students

More than 2,000 London Metropolitan students could be forced to leave the country after the university’s right to sponsor international students was revoked
‘Spain mon amour’ five offices, ten architects, fifteen cities

Instead of presenting their own works, five Spanish architecture practices decide to invest the budget of their exhibition in sending 200 students to Venice
£3billion repair bill: Houses of Parliament could close for five years

The historic Palace of Westminster may have to shut for five years to allow a £3billion overhaul to be carried out
10% fall in English housing starts

Housing starts in England were down 10 per cent in the second quarter of 2012, official figures have revealed
2013 Bauwelt prize opens for first works

[Entries should be completed by 22 October] Entries are now being received for the Bauwelt Award which celebrates first works projects from interior design to new builds
50Hertz launches contest to design Berlin HQ

[Requests to participate to be received by 31 August] German electricity transmission system operator 50Hertz has launched a design contest for its new Headquarters in Berlin
A natural backdrop: Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Haworth Tompkins’ timber interventions to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre make sure the park is the star of the show, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Philip Vile
A warm welcome to everyone but the critics

Ian Martin answers his critics
AC-CA launch sustainable market ideas contest

[Early registration to be completed by 31 August] Competition organisers AC-CA are now accepting entries to their sustainable market square ideas contest.
ADAM Architecture's Oval cricket ground overhaul to start in autumn

ADAM Architecture’s plans to overhaul the historic members pavilion at London’s Kia Oval cricket stadium will finally start on site within months
Administrators take control of Mouchel

Mouchel will take control after shareholders rejected a proposal to pass Mouchel to the banks.
AET Partners WIth BiCold To Deliver More HVAC Choice

Sustainable solutions provider AET has recently partnered with Italian manufacturer, Bicold, in a distribution agreement which will bring the company’s high-performance range of air and water cooled chillers and heat pumps to the UK building services sector.
AEW finally wins planning for Southend Museum

Manchester-based AEW Architects has finally netted planning permission for its design of the new Southend-on-Sea Museum
AHMM wins planning for Oxford St scheme as profits soar

Buoyant AHMM has landed the go-ahead for this retail, office and apartment at 61 Oxford Street, in the heart of London’s main shopping district
AJ exclusive: Chipperfield counters Prix's Venice Biennale criticism

Venice Architecture Biennale director David Chipperfield has responded to Wolf Prix’s criticism of the 2012 festival
AJ retrofit survey: Free books up for grabs

Complete our short retrofit questionnaire for a chance to win a free copy of Drawing for Landscape Architecture and Handmade Houses
AJ seeks sustainability intern

Apply now for a November start
AJ seeks sustainability intern

Apply now for a September start
AJ's Hattie Hartman defies Olympic ban in protest dress

The AJ’s sustainability editor Hattie Hartman has been handed the protest baton from RIBA president Angela Brady by wearing the now-famous dress defying the Olympic marketing ban
Alan Francis: 'We’re not uncomfortable with what we’ve done at DCfW'

Alan Francis chair of the Design Commission for Wales (DCfW) talks about the first ten years of Welsh CABE
Alvaro Siza exhibition at Venice

Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza is exhibiting a previously unseen collection of drawings documenting his life in architecture
Alvaro Siza wins at Venice

Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement this morning at the Biennale’s award ceremony
Animating education: Learning from Rio de Janeiro

[Aberrant Architecture] ‘Aberrant proposes that standardising school design will reduce costs and ensure accessibility to all students’
Architect sought for Balham revamp

[PQQs to be returned by 14 September] Wandsworth Borough Council is receiving expressions of interest from architects for its Balham Outer London Fund Round 2 programme
Architect sought for Glasgow Citizens Theatre revamp

[Requests to participate to be received by 14 September] Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre is on the hunt for an architect to work on the £6.5m redevelopment of its Grade B listed building
Architect sought for Newcastle College gateway centre

[Requests to participate to be received by 7 September] Newcastle College is seeking architectural design services for a gateway centre building
Architects welcome £42bn Brazil infrastructure boost

A $66 billion (£42bn) infrastructure investment package from the Brazilian government has been hailed as a major boost for architects in the country
Architects' workloads on the rise

British architects received a workload boost in the second quarter of 2012, a report has revealed
Architects’ unemployment back on the rise

Unemployed architects increased in July bucking a recent trend which saw claimants fall in number for five consecutive months
Architecture for Humanity announce Open Architecture Challenge winners

Finalists on display at Venice Biennale
Architecture minister John Penrose steps down

Architecture minister John Penrose has stepped down from his role at the Department for Culture, Media & Sports after two years in the role
Areen reveals Jeddah airport interior

Interior design of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia unveiled
Around Town: After the Party

[AROUND TOWN] As the 2012 Olympics draws to a close, this exhibition looks at the potential legacy of east London’s new structures
Around Town: 'Eames - The Architect and the Painter'

[AROUND TOWN] On general release, this documentary follows the lives and works of iconic designers Charles and Ray Eames
Ashden Awards 2013 launched

Call for green construction innovators - deadline 30 October 2012
Assael: council's Margate Dreamland plans are doomed to fail

John Assael has hit out at a ruling which paves the way for Margate’s abandoned Dreamland site to be turned into a heritage theme park
Associated Architects bags go-ahead for Telford hub

Associated Architects has won planning for Telford and Wrekin Council’s new public services centre and tourist information office
August Book Review: Footprint’s pick

The Architecture of Light by Mary Ann Steane
Bandon street furniture contest launched

[Registration to be completed before 7 September] County Cork’s Engage Arts Festival has launched a competition for architects to design street furniture
BDP bags Shanghai boost

BDP has landed a £400 million deal to design a retail and leisure development in Shanghai
BE OPEN Awards London 2012 open to entries

[Projects to be submitted by 15 August] Creative think tank Be Open has launched its ‘humanitarian’ contest aimed at designers aged between 18 and 30 years old
Benoy's turnover booms 46%

Nottinghamshire-headquartered Benoy has revealed that its turnover soared by 46 per cent last year
Best practice: First steps with BIM

Training is just the first potential pitfall on the road to BIM nirvana, says Ashley Smith
BIG and Tegnestuen Nuuk reveal Greenland airport vision

Danish practices BIG and Tegnestuen Nuuk have proposed an island airport and harbour for Greenland as part of an exercise to shape the country’s future
Big names line up for Royal Opera House job

A star studded shortlist has been unveiled for a prestigious project on the Royal Opera House in London
Bird-friendly glass makes UK debut

Glass manufacturer looks to biomimicry for design inspiration
Birmingham University hunts design team for new data centre

[Requests to participate to be received by 24 August] Birmingham University is seeking a multi-disciplinary design team for a new, Primary Data Centre Building on the Birmingham campus.
BMJ unwraps £90m Glasgow healthcare lab

BMJ Architects has completed work on a £90 million scheme in Glasgow to build one of the largest diagnostic labs in the world
Books Received - August 2012

Footprint’s pick of the best green reads
Boris insists Justine Greening move shows 'intent' on Heathrow

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has said changes to the transport secretary show that the government is ‘intent on the simply mad policy’ of a new runway at Heathrow
Box of tricks: The Novium, Chichester

Keith Williams Architects’ Novium is fearless in the face of Sussex’s Modernist remains and Chichester’s Roman ruins, writes Felix Mara. Photography by David Grandorge
Brady celebrates Olympic marketing victory

RIBA president Angela Brady has won LOCOG permission to produce a short film for TV revealing architects’ and structural engineers’ crucial contribution to the Olympic Games
Brent's Alex Hearn: ‘We want decent streets’

Alex Hearn, regeneration officer for the London Borough of Brent, explains the local authority’s different approach to social housing projects
Bristol City tenders workplace design services job

[Register requests to attend by 31 August] Bristol City Council is looking to appoint a specialist workplace strategy organisation to lead and deliver the design elements of its workplace programme
British Exploratory Land Archive

[Smout Allen & BLDGBLOG] ‘The Centre for Land Use Interpretation aims to record human interaction with the earth’s surface’
British Standard, Lagos Exception

[Liam Ross and Tolulope Onabolu] As UK architects complain of over-regulation, this study looks at how Lagos distributes risk and responsibility
C F Møller renovates Denmark's oldest school

London-affiliated practice C F Møller Architects has renovated the oldest school in Denmark.
Cabinet reshuffle: Prisk lands housing minister role

Ex-construction minister Mark Prisk has been named as the new housing minister, Number 10 has confirmed.
Cabinet reshuffle: Shapps leaves housing as Greening exits transport

The cabinet reshuffle has seen housing minister Grant Shapps promoted, while Jeremy Hunt has left his position as culture secretary
Cameron urged to ‘man-up’ on Heathrow expansion

The Conservative chairman of the Energy and Climate Change Committee has admitted that environmental objections to a third runway at Heathrow are ‘disappearing’ and urged the prime minister to push ahead with the controversial scheme
Campaigners seek lawyer to challenge Ancoats Dispensary demolition

A campaign group is seeking a planning lawyer to work on a pro bono basis towards a judicial review of controversial approval to demolish the historic Manchester building
Capita Symonds' £4m Blackburn bus station plans submitted

Capita Symonds’ designs for a £4 million bus station in Blackburn have been submitted for planning
CAT summer school students build woodland sanctuary and riverside walkway

Upcoming CAT Emergence Summit to welcome creatives engaged with climate change
Charles Barclay Architects’ off-grid Kielder Observatory

Observatory powered by wind turbine and PVs
City Design lands Chinese jackpot

Glasgow-based City Design has won its first scheme in China and hopes to expand its work in the country
Cleveland 'Bridge Project' seeks international submissions

[Registration must be completed by 24 September] Launched by Cleveland’s ‘Bridge Project’ architects and designers are called for to propose a future use for the abandoned lower level of Cleveland’s Detroit-Superior Bridge.
Coca-Cola Beatbox by Asif Khan & Pernilla Ohrstedt

[London Olympics in the AJBL] Showcase pavilion for Coca-Cola that can be played like a musical instrument
Coffey completes north London home extension

[First look + plans + project data] Coffey Architects has completed this renovation of a five bedroom house, in Lancaster Road, north London
Coming soon: Open-City launches Green Sky Thinking 2012

Mark your calendar for this key annual sustainable design event September 17 to 21
Comment: London's 'bubble' is not about to burst

London Central Portfolio’s chief executive Naomi Heaton rejects fears London’s prime market is in jeopardy
Competitions: Editor's pick, 02.08.12

A contest to design low-energy housing for Prince Charles, a new research centre for the Great Ormond Street Hospital
Competitions: Editor's pick, 09.08.12

A $33 million gallery in Canada’s Winnipeg region, three new builds for Surrey UNiversity and the Be Open think tank call for ‘humanitarian’ solutions. The editor’s pick of this week’s top contests.
Competitions: Editor's pick, 16.08.12

The Costa Concordia shipwreck, Newcastle College’s gateway centre and Bristol’s workplace programme. The editor’s pick of this week’s top contests
Competitions: Editor's pick, 23.08.12

A cultural masterplan in south London, Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre and street furniture in County Cork. The editor’s pick of this week’s top competitions
Competitions: Editor's pick, 30.08.12

Balham public realm, Chicago’s Prentice Hospital and a monument to the Russian avante-garde. The editor’s pick of this week’s top competitions
Construction administrations soar

The number of construction companies going under rose in the second quarter of 2012, data has revealed.
Construction insolvencies buck trend

New research shows construction industry insolvencies have fallen at a slower pace
Construction output 9% below 2002 levels

Upcoming public sector cuts will mean the private sector will have to grow by £333million just to maintain current output, according to new research
Contest launched for $33 million Winnipeg gallery extension

[Expressions of interest to be received by 4 September] Canada’s Winnipeg Art Gallery is looking for architects to design the gallery’s new Inuit Art and Learning Centre
Contest opens for Russian avant-garde monument in Siberia

[Registration to be completed before 1 October] The Siberian Centre for Contemporary Art has launched a contest to design a monument to the Russian avant-garde movement in Novosibirsk
Council approves Elliott School playing fields sale

Wandsworth Council approved the controversial sale of Elliott School’s playing fields last night despite opposition from architects, campaigners and conservation groups
Council referendum to decide Union Terrace Gardens’ fate

Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s controversial £140 million overhaul of Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen could be officially scrapped following a council vote on Wednesday
CPD: Design and specification of rolled lead sheet

This CPD is sponsored by the Lead Sheet Association (LSA), a trade association for manufacturers of BS EN: 12588 2006-compliant rolled lead
Cristina Seilern's practice lands more Nigerian work

London-based Studio Seilern has revealed images of its third project in Nigeria
'Cultural masterplanner' sought for South Bank extension

[Expressions of interest to be received by 24 August] The London Boroughs of Lambeth and Wandsworth have invited expressions of interest from cultural masterplanning professionals to extend the ‘cultural spine’ of London’s South Bank
Cuts see British Pavilion turn to corporate sponsorship

The British Council has been forced to seek private sponsorship for the British Pavilion in Venice following budget cuts
DC CABE and Moylan join RIBA in battle against Olympic marketing ban

Design Council Cabe and London Legacy Development Corporation chair Daniel Moylan have thrown their weight behind the RIBA’s ‘Drop the ban’ campaign
DC CABE backs Rogers' Embankment tower plans

DC CABE has welcomed plans by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) for a ‘tripartite tower’ overlooking the Thames at Eastbury House, Lambeth
DC CABE: Alder Hey designs are 'over complex'

Design Council CABE has criticised BDP’s designs for the £237 million redevelopment of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital as ‘over complex’
Design Engine bags Bournemouth job

Winchester-based practice Design Engine Architects has won a job to design new buildings for Arts University College Bournemouth
Designing 007 – Bond at the Barbican

[Around Town] The Barbican celebrates 50 years of design for the James Bond franchise
Detroit launches waterfront ideas contest

[Registration to be completed by 1 November] Detroit’s AIA Chapter has launched a riverfront regeneration competition open to international entries
Digital Edition - Eastside Story: Westfield Stratford City

This 110-page monograph tells the story of the design, constuction and build of Europe’s largest shopping centre and the design review process behind this massive new addition to Stratford, East London
Digital edition: AJ02.08.12

The Architects’ Journal | 02.08.12 | Number 5 | Volume 236 | Olympic Architecture
Digital edition: AJ16.08.12

Video:Venice
DK-CM interview

David Knight and Cristina Monteiro explain ‘Folk in a Box’, their performance in Venice
DK-CM’s ‘Folk in a Box’ at Venice

Folk in a Box, the UK’s smallest performance venue, is to move to Venice for the Biennale
dRMM submits Elephant and Castle housing plans

[First look] dRMM has submitted a planning application for 235 new homes in Elephant and Castle, south London
Duggan Morris and vPPR on floating cinema shortlist

The four-strong international shortlist of practices competing to design a floating cinema in east London has been revealed
Dutton defends Newham pop-up contest after closures

Newham Council regeneration chief Clive Dutton has defended the local authority’s troubled Meanwhile London competition following a torrid week for the programme
Earls Court Exhibition Centre by Charles Howard Crane

[London Olympics in the AJBL] One of several existing venues, the exhibition centre is the venue for Olympic Volleyball
Ecophon: Acoustics make a splash at brand new pool

A brand new Olympic-sized swimming pool at University College Dublin is now benefitting from a striking acoustic solution from Ecophon, part of leading international materials company Saint-Gobain.
Ed Vaizey back as architecture minister

Ed Vaizey has replaced John Penrose as architecture minister in David Cameron’s cabinet reshuffle
English Heritage worried over latest London skyscraper scheme

English Heritage has raised concerns over KPF’s proposed 38-storey tower in the City of London which has been recommended for approval by planners
Exclusive: CF Møller wins delayed hospital contest

Danish-based practice picked to design in-patient facilities in Wandsworth after planning inspector overturns council rejection of wider masterplan
Fideicomiso!

[Elias Redstone] ‘Redstone flew to Argentina to investigate how architects were developing projects following an economic crisis’
Finland opens design contest for housing in the year 2049

[A seminar will be held on site 3 September] The Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland is receiving student entries to its 2049 Housing Design Competition
First Levete - now Patel Taylor takes on iconic Wapping site

Patel Taylor has been appointed to draw up a masterplan to redevelop the one-time News International site in Wapping - formerly a prized Amanda Levete scheme
First look: Darling wins go-ahead for Soho showstopper

Darling Associates has bagged permission for the mixed-use redevelopment of the Quadrangle building in Wardour Street and Oxford Street, central London
Footprint's eco-preview of 100% Design

[September 19 - 22, Earl’s Court, London] This year’s show features a green design showroom and seminar hub
Footprint's pick of Open House 2012 (22-23 September)

Your chance to experience first-hand many of London’s green buildings
FootprintWire 10.8.12

Today’s green news: solar backpack charges laptop on the go
FootprintWire 13.8.12

Today’s green news: construction of Olympic legacy museum underway as China celebrates Beijing 2008
FootprintWire 14.8.12

Today’s green news: Article 25 explores reuse options for the Olympic Stadium wrap
FootprintWire 15.8.12

Today’s green news: Jerry Tate joins students to build a treehouse in Dartmoor
FootprintWire 16.8.12

Today’s green news: Softroom design pop-up Mexican restaurant for Southbank
FootprintWire 17.8.12

Today’s green news: UK places 40th in new Ocean Health Index
FootprintWire 2.8.12

Today’s green news: Parisian eco-tourist destination due to complete in 2015
FootprintWire 20.8.12

Today’s green news: Copenhagen neighbourhood to showcase climate adaptation technology
FootprintWire 21.8.12

Today’s green news: ‘Thousand Huts’ announce winner of low-impact hut competition
FootprintWire 22.8.12

Today’s green news: China’s rapid coal mine expansion threatens to trigger water crisis
FootprintWire 23.8.12

Today’s green news: Korean ‘Louver Haus’ features a full-height manually-operated timber facade
FootprintWire 24.8.12

Today’s green news: St James’ Park re-imagined after 2050 energy war
FootprintWire 28.8.12

Today’s green news: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle: German pavilion at the 2012 Venice Biennale
FootprintWire 29.8.12

Today’s green news: Hawaiian architects’ off-grid housing to feature at TED conference
FootprintWire 3.8.12

Today’s green news: Adjaye’s LEED Silver Francis Gregory library opens in Washington DC
FootprintWire 3.9.12

Today’s green news: South London architects RDA develop a duo of Passivhaus projects
FootprintWire 30.8.12

Today’s green news: Reclaimed furniture designer opens studio for London Design Festival
FootprintWire 31.8.12

Today’s green news: 360° aquaponics at the Venice Biennale
FootprintWire 4.9.12

Today’s green news: Swiss architects use biomimicry to design greenhouse near Zurich
FootprintWire 5.9.12

Today’s green news: Parisian architects develop adaptable support for growing indoor plants
FootprintWire 6.8.12

Today’s green news: Work commences on Heatherwick’s Laverstock Mill renovation in Hampshire
FootprintWire 7.8.12

Today’s green news: French architects construct housing prototype from corn and wood
FootprintWire 8.8.12

Today’s green news: London design collective Assemble construct temporary theatre from chipboard and pond liner
FootprintWire 9.8.12

Today’s green news: self-sufficient tropical HQ supports reforestation in Malaysia
Forgotten Spaces North East 2012: the finalists

The AJ can now reveal the 21 finalists in RIBA North East’s Forgotten Spaces competition, run in association with the AJ
GE lighting contributes to a sustainable olympics & legacy for London

As a London 2012 Sustainability Partner and a Global Olympic 2012 sponsor, GE Lighting has worked alongside the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) to deliver a series of lighting projects. GE Lighting has provided energy efficient, low impact lighting solutions for permanent as well as temporary lighting installations that will either continue to deliver energy savings for years to come or allow lamps to be re-used in projects around the city after the Olympic & Para
Geoff Wilkinson’s Regs: The construction industry would achieve more if it remained as one Team GB

We can safely say that having differing standards to those in England will not be welcomed in Wales
George Watt + Stewart Architects wins Lochside viewpoint contest

Aberdeen’s George Watt + Stewart Architects has won the contest to design a £30,000 viewing platform at Larbert Loch, near Falkirk for the Forth Valley Royal Hospital
Getting shirty: Murray sidesteps the Olympic marketing ban

New London Architecture chairman Peter Murray has taken his seemingly one-man campaign against the draconian Olympic anti-marketing protocol onto a new battlefield armed with a hard-hitting new weapon
GHM Rock Townsend's Marylebone campus revamp nearing completion

[First look + plans] University of Westminster’s Marylebone campus redevelopment is set to open in September
GKD Golden acoustics for the "King of England"

Listed building in Stuttgart with acoustic ceiling made of anodised aluminium mesh.
Glasgow launches George Square redesign contest

[Deadline for requests to participate 20 September] Glasgow City Council has tendered for architectural services for the £1.25 million overhaul of George Square
Gold medal: Zaha's Olympic showstopper woos 95% of guests

Zaha Hadid’s London 2012 Aquatic Centre has received a massive thumbs up from Games spectators
Golden Lion Awards Ceremony

Golden Lion winners at the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale
Google HQ interior fit-out achieves LEED Gold

PENSON’s fitout of Renzo Piano’s Central St Giles building, Covent Garden for Google features allotment gardens and recycled furniture
Government report calls for end to affordable homes quotas

A government-commissioned report has urged a relaxing of requirements for affordable homes in new build schemes
Government 'sold playing fields against advice'

Ministers have approved sell-offs of playing fields in defiance of official advice
Grafton scoops Venice silver lion prize

Dublin-based Grafton Architects has won the prize for most promising practice at the Venice Biennale
Green CAD software in AJ Specification

Technical editor Felix Mara investigates CAD as a green design tool
Greenshoots? New figures give hope for US market

US architects have reported an increase in work for the first time in five months as the picture slowly begins to improve across the Atlantic
Grimshaw takes £10 billion Sizewell nuclear power work off RMJM’s toes

Grimshaw has landed the contract to design a new £10 billion nuclear power station at Sizewell, in Suffolk
Grimshaw's Paddington over-site scheme submitted for planning

Crossrail has applied for planning for a Grimshaw-designed retail and office over-site development at Paddington Station in west London
Gulp. Stirling shortlisted home on market for £8m

The first private house to have ever made the Stirling Prize shortlist is on the market for the first time with a hefty price tag of £8 million
Hadid reveals contest-winning Chinese cultural centre

Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed its competition-winning proposals for the new Changsha International Culture and Arts Centre in south-central China
Havells-Sylvania Travels The Distance

The award-winning Concord Beacon Muse from Havells-Sylvania has helped create an energy-saving, high performance lighting display at the Riverside Transport Museum in Glasgow. Used to showcase the various displays in the Modern Street area, eighty two Beacon Muse fittings were chosen for their long life, low energy and optical flexibility. The new scheme provides dynamic accent lighting and helps transport visitors back in time.
Hawkes wins planning for another 'PPS7' house

Hawkes Architecture has won the green light for this ‘PPS7’ country house
Hawkins\Brown counters Corby Cube claims

Hawkins\Brown has hit back at the damning report into the failures surrounding the allegedly ‘commercially and operationally flawed’ Corby Cube
Heathrow airlines 'won't use' Foster's hub

Airline chief Willie Walsh has dealt a fresh blow to Foster + Partners’ plans for an airport in the Thames Estuary
Highlights from Venice

Another busy day at the Biennale…
Huge numbers enter Cadogan Estate café competition

The contest aimed at emerging stars to design a £2 million café off the King’s Road in south-west London has received nearly 150 expressions of interest
Hyde + Hyde unwraps copper box add-on to Cardiff home

Hyde + Hyde Architects has completed this copper and oak extension to a 1930s home in Cardiff, south Wales
Ian Simpson unveils new Manchester skyscraper

These are the first images of Ian Simpson Architects’ proposals for a new 42-storey block of flats off Mancunian Way in Manchester
Ian Wood: 'Key losers are Aberdeen's present and future citizens'

Aberdeen entrepreneur and City Garden Project-backer Ian Wood reacts to Aberdeen City Council’s decision to scrap Union Terrace Garden’s overhaul
Ideas competition launched for Bertrand Goldberg’s Chicago hospital

[Submissions are due by 15 October] The Chicago Architectural Club with the AIA has launched a single-stage ideas contest focussing on the city’s Bertrand Goldberg-designed Prentice Women’s Hospital
Ideas contest launched for Costa Concordia shipwreck

[Registration must be completed by 20 September] Sicilian research platform icsplat has launched an ideas contest exploring the possible future usage of the Costa Concordia shipwreck on the western coast of Italy
In pictures: Olympic Central Park Bridge by Heneghan Peng and AKT II

[FIRST LOOK + DRAWINGS] Heneghan Peng and AKT II’s permanent Z-shaped Olympic Park bridge sits beneath a 54 metre-wide multicoloured temporary deck
In Pictures: Olympic Shooting Range by Magma Architecture

[FIRST LOOK + DRAWINGS] Magma’s temporary venue in Woolwich has been the venue for the 2012 Olympic shooting events
In pictures: The exalted Lea Valley

These photographs by Jason Orton were commissioned by the AJ to record the post-industrial landscape surrounding the Olympic Park. What happens next is critical to securing a sustainable legacy, writes Hattie Hartman
Incoming RIBA president backs pay-as-you-go BIM

RIBA president in waiting Stephen Hodder has mooted the idea of pay-as-you-go building information modelling technology – as the row over software prices intensified
Industry reaction: Prisk will bring 'fresh perspective' to housing

The profession has applauded the arrival of former construction minister Mark Prisk as the new housing minister but has called for faster measures to stimulate housing demand
Inspirational new Haddonstone catalogue released

Haddonstone, the UK’s largest landscape ornament and architectural cast stone manufacturer, has released a new 204 page catalogue containing contemporary, classical and traditional designs including balustrades, porticos, door and window surrounds as well as architectural dressings. Custom designs a speciality.
Internationale Bauausstellung Belfast

[Forum for Alternative Belfast] ‘Does Belfast need a far-sighted urban renewal project like West Berlin’s Internationale Bauausstellung?’
Interview with David Chipperfield

David Chipperfield reviews the Exhibition
It's the journey that counts...

Getting to this year’s Venice Biennale was an experience in itself, found Rory Olcayto
It's time for a fresh look at The Architecture of Humanism

Black box Geoffrey Scott’s Renaissance apologia advocates a fresh outlook on architecture, says Felix Mara
iTunes launches new app for the Venice Biennale

New app allows visitors to stay updated at Venice
James Pallister reads a wry and timely history of sport, stadia and spectators

Jägermeister, the ‘medicinal’ short, was the first brand to swap shirt space for sponsorship in football; ball games, female participation in sport and bikinis all existed by 400 AD and Fritz Auer’s wife’s stockings were key to the development of the 1972 Munich Olympic Stadium
Japanese construction spending grows

Construction spending in Japan rose to 3.1 trillion Yen (£24.8bn) in June, official figures have revealed
Jencks' giant woman of Northumberland completes

Charles Jencks’ so-called Lady of the North, a 400m-long land-sculpture near Cramlington, Northumberland will open to the public on Wednesday (5 September)
Jerry Tate completes Dartmoor treehouse

London-based Jerry Tate Architects has worked alongside students to design and build a temporary treehouse as part of a spatial structures course
John McAslan + Partners host Discover Haiti exhibition until August 15

Prime Minister of Haiti and fashion designer Donna Karan champion Haitian arts and handicrafts
Kalzip is BIM ready!

Kalzip has produced a set of freely downloadable Building Information Modelling (BIM) objects to provide specifiers with a standard range of Kalzip system build ups. This initial family of intelligent objects has been produced using Autodesk’s Revit, and comes complete with supporting documentation including; NBS specifications, a user guide and comprehensive technical details providing construction professionals with a complete BIM ready solution.
Khan, Ely, Deely, Burdett and others on Olympic legacy review panel

The London Legacy Development Corporation has named the design review panel which will oversee the development of the post-Games Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Komfort Technology Points The Way To Professional Signage

Using advance digital technology, Komfort’s signage and graphics division is now able to offer an extensive range of standard and bespoke glass manifestation.
Koolhaas tipped ‘to direct 2014 Venice Biennale’

Rem Koolhaas is rumoured to be in the frame to become the next director of the Venice Architecture Biennale
Kuma, Maltzan and DSR but no Brits on Winnipeg shortlist

No British firms have made the six-strong shortlist for the Inuit Art and Learning Centre in Winnipeg, Canada
Lambeth approves C F Møller's Peabody housing scheme

C F Møller Architects has won planning permission for this 42-home scheme for Peabody near Herne Hill station in south London
Landowner puts Kaplicky plot up for grabs in Kent

A 6-acre plot with planning permission to build an eco-friendly home by the late Jan Kaplicky has been put on the market in Grafty Green, Kent
Landscape AJ30.08.12

Digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 30.08.12 | Number 7 | Volume 236
Largest open-plan office in the world: Gehry reveals Facebook proposals

Facebook has confirmed it is working with starchitect Frank Gehry on a 40,000m² expansion of its existing headquarters
Last chance: Join Open-City’s Green Sky Thinking week – Sept 17 – 21

This year’s theme is ‘mapping a sustainable London’
Lego Games - the Olympic park in mini-bricks

Artist Warren Elsmore has recreated the Olympic Park in LEGO bricks to celebrate the London Games
Lend Lease announces Dan Labbad replacement

Lend Lease has appointed Skanska’s former head of infrastructure investment to replace Dan Labbad as chief executive officer in Europe, the Middle East and Africa
Libeskind and McAdam win Maze Prison peace centre job

Belfast-based McAdam Design with Daniel Libeskind has been appointed to design a £18 million conflict resolution centre on the site of Northern Ireland’s infamous Maze Prison
Life's a beach: Cathedral hosts Brighton day-out for £100m job

AHMM, ShedKM, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, John McAslan and Make on seaside outing today for £100m invited competition briefing
London 2012 is a lesson in design procurement

Paul Finch’s Letter from London: The London 2012 Olympic delivery bodies absolutely did not rely on contractors to tell them who the architects should be
London Met hits back against student deportation threat

London Metropolitan University has started a legal challenge against the UK Border Agency (UKBA) for revoking its right to sponsor international students
London must stand up to UNESCO

Paris ideologues have no right to impose a development-free zone in the city, says Paul Finch
London property prices soar

Property prices have risen by more than 10 per cent
London set for £38bn worth of prime residential development

The value of proposed and under-construction high-end residential development in the capital has reached £38 billion, according to research
Major academic appointments for UN Studio duo

The co-founder of Amsterdam-based international practice UN Studio has been appointed as an honorary professor at the University of Melbourne
Make reveals Chengdu tower scheme

[First look + plans] Make has unveiled plans for a 47-storey office skyscraper in Chengdu, China
Make's Tellytubbies dream over: Gary Neville brings in Germans

Footballer Gary Neville has dropped contentious plans by Make for a new underground home near Bolton
Meanwhile London is a cautionary tale for architects

The competition’s terms and conditions were clear. This was a case of entrants beware
Michael Wilford unwraps Hague visitor centre

[First look + plans] Michael Wilford’s practice Wilford Schupp Architekten has completed this titanium, glass and brick visitor centre at the Peace Palace in the Hague, the Netherlands
MoD 'wedge' to get Buckley Gray Yeoman overhaul

Buckley Gray Yeoman has bagged consent for the overhaul of 10 Bloomsbury Place, the former Military of Defence (MoD) building on a triangluar plot in central London
Multi-coloured pigeons at the Biennale

An art performance by artists Julian Charrière and Julius von Bismarck has seen the pigeons of Piazza San Marco painted in an array of colours
New [Socialist] Village

[Darryl Chen] ‘Caochangdi has a thriving mixed-income community making it an anomaly among the city’s mega-developments’
New CPD from Ecophon: Acoustic Design of the Modern Office

Content and Learning Aims of our NEW CPD.The evolution of the Modern OfficeSound in the office and how it affects usCreating the optimal acoustic environmentAcoustic design possibilitiesAcoustic standards for open plan offices
New practice: Bridger Carr Architects

The latest profile in our series on architecture start-ups
New practices: Studio KMA

The latest in a series of practice profiles looking at architects who have recently decided to go it alone either through choice or redundancy
Newcomer Kamvari wins first planning consent

Emerging practice Kamvari Architects has won its first planning permission - a £650,000 overhaul and extension of a family home in north London
News analysis: Aberdeen Council dumps proposed gardens scheme after narrow vote

Bon Accord citizens at loggerheads over decision to ditch design by prestigious New York practice for £140 million gardens revamp
Nicholas Hare unwraps Cambridge humanities centre

Nicholas Hare Architects has taken the wraps off its £11 million Alison Richard Building for the University of Cambridge
Nightingale wins £6.4m Oxford academy job

[First look + plans] Nightingale Associates with Kier Construction has been appointed to design a £6.4 million extension and refurbishment to the Oxford Spires Academy
Olympic special: Subscribe to AJ today and receive a free Velodrome monograph

Claim your 110-page detailed monograph on Hopkins Architects’ Stirling Prize-nominated Velodrome with contributions from Sir Chris Hoy, Mike Taylor, Chris Wise, Richard Arnold, Ron Webb, Paul Finch, Peter Blundell Jones and Sarah Storey, plus foreword by Sir Nichols Serota
One month to go: High Line for London Ideas competition

Submission deadline September 14
Open House 2012 highlights revealed

More than 750 buildings – from the Gherkin to architects’ own homes – will feature in the London Open House weekend next month
Outgoing Olympic legacy chief praised for ‘exceptional’ contribution to London

Olympics legacy chief Andrew Altman stepped down today amid praise for his ‘sophisticated’ vision in masterplanning the Olympic Park’s future
Over Wait?

Visitors to the Olympic site have been flocking to AEW designed super-sized McDonalds, and although it is reportedly the largest in the world it seems it is not large enough
Overlay crafting: Eton Manor Sports Complex

With its temporary Games overlay destined to be swept away for very different legacy uses, Eton Manor Sports Complex called for a sophisticated design strategy – and that is what Stanton Williams provided, writes Felix Mara
Page\Park's overhaul of Glasgow's Theatre Royal starts on site

Work has begun on an £11.5 million revamp of Glasgow’s Theatre Royal designed by local architects Page\Park
Pants People

RMJM has insisted its much-maligned Gate of the Orient project in China – which critics have likened to a pair of pants – is no laughing matter
Paper Architecture

[Ross Anderson and Anna Gibb] ‘In the ’80s, a Russian group sought to escape restrictions of the regime by entering forbidden competitions’
People, nature & place

[Takero Shimazaki/Toh Shimazaki Architecture] ‘Shimazaki examined the idea that negotiations with the client may lead to architecture that is compromised’
Petition: 55,000 oppose Elliott School demolition

More than 55,000 have signed a petition against plans to partially demolish the Grade II-listed Elliott School in Putney
Pickles vows to unlock stalled schemes

Communities secretary Eric Pickles has launched an attack on ‘unrealistic’ section 106 agreements with a new programme to encourage councils and developers to renegotiate subsidies thought to be blocking development
Picturing the raw power of the sea

Michael Marten’s photographs show the tide’s daily grind and glory, writes James Pallister
Pioneer of Perspective

Leon Battista Alberti: On Painting may have been translated before but Rocco Sinisgalli’s version of Alberti’s Italian offering sheds new light on the pioneer and his reasons for completing the text, writes Joseph Rykwert
Planners attack government's further planning reform plans

A senior planner officer has warned government plans for more planning reform could decrease the number of new homes built
Planning expert DPP plunges into administration

Planning and design advisory firm DPP Consulting has gone into administration with the loss of nine jobs
Planning reform proposals: ‘Don’t shoot the system’

Planning Officers Society president Malcolm Sharp explains why the economy, not planning policy, is the main obstacle to housing growth
Plans submitted for new gallery at RIBA HQ

The RIBA has submitted plans for a new gallery, designed by Carmody Groarke, at its Portland Place headquarters in London
Post-Olympics special

Subscribe to the AJ today and receive a complimentary Velodrome monograph
Post-Works reveals temporary Essex radio station scheme

[First look] Post-Works with artist Melissa Appleton has unveiled plans for a pop-up radio station in Writtle, Essex
Prince's Foundation launches young designer home design contest

[Projects must be submitted by 11 September] The Prince’s Foundation has launched a competition to design low-energy housing aimed at architects aged under 40
Public interest design award opens to entries

[Applications are due 1 October] The Social Economic Environmental Design (SEED) Network is receiving entries to the third SEED Awards for Excellence in Public Interest Design
RDA completes eco-home on Newhall development site

London-based architects RDA have completed a low budget, level 4 home on the Newhall development in Harlow, Essex.
Reaction: industry responds to plans to end affordable homes quotas

The profession broadly welcomes the recommendations in the government-comissioned Monatgue Report which, among other things, has urged a relaxing of requirements for affordable homes in new build schemes
Reader offer - September 2012

In the runup to the Mayor’s ideas competition for a High Line for London [deadline for entries September 14], Footprint has three complimentary copies of Annik La Farge’s ‘On the High Line’ to give away
Revealed: KPF's new London skyscraper

KPF has unveiled the first image of its proposed new 35-storey tower in the City of London
RHWL submits £1.5m arts centre overhaul plans

[First look + plans + project data] RHWL Arts Team has submitted a planning application for this 520m² scheme to revamp the Tara Arts theatre in Earlsfield, London
RMJM claim leaked NY eviction notice 'part of plan'

RMJM was served with eviction papers before leaving its former New York office, a document leaked to the AJ has shown
RMJM cuts ribbon on new NY studio

Troubled global practice RMJM has opened a new office in New York
RMJM reports big losses

RMJM London made a pre-tax loss of £2.5 million in the year to the end of April 2011, recently filed accounts have revealed
Robin Hood Gardens revamp ‘not impacted’ by developer inquiry

Swan Housing has insisted its controversial redevelopment of Robin Hood Gardens in Poplar, east London will not be affected by a probe into allegations of premature drawing of government fund
ROCKWOOL® Launches New Building Manual for ROCKSHELL® Wall System

ROCKWOOL® has extended its suite of technical support materials for the ROCKSHELL® wall system with the launch of a new ‘Building Manual’. This comprehensive technical handbook provides exact installation details for constructing ROCKSHELL® on-site as well as broader information on specifying and working with the low energy wall system.
Rogers scoops planning for South Bank tower

Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners has won planning permission for a 28-storey skyscraper on Albert Embankment, south London
Roots Architecture Workshop 2012 at WOMAD

Architecture meets world music as NGOs inspire humanitarian design
Scale and Ambition: AJ Small Projects Award hits Bristol

The AJ’s touring Small Projects exhibition has opened at the Architecture Centre in Bristol
Scottish Parliament security extension lands final go-ahead

Lee Boyd’s controversial new security facility for the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood is set to start on site next month
Scrapped: Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s Union Terrace Gardens binned

Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s controversial £140 million revamp abandoned by Aberdeen City Council
Search begins for new head of Glasgow School of Art

The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is looking for a new director following the announcement that Seona Reid is to retire next August
Seats stripped from Oxford RIBA winner

Berman Guedes Stretton’s RIBA Award-winning Shulman Auditorium in Oxford is to have all of its seating stripped out following complaints by disgruntled students
Shackerley Ceramic granite cladding delivers ‘a sense of grandeur’

Highly polished Sureclad ceramic granite facade panels give buildings a luxurious standout appearance, says Shackerley, the UK’s market leading supplier of ceramic granite ventilated cladding systems
Shh! Don't tell anyone about Sergison Bates' house in Cadaqués

Stephen Bates’ Casa Voltes won’t stay secret for long. And that’s unforgivable, writes Rory Olcayto
Shifting Ground (Beyond National Architecture)

[The Irish Pavilion: Heneghan Peng Architects] This year’s exhibit looks at architecture’s relation to networks of products, data, and knowledge. It asks how a global architecture could be grounded culturally, philosophically and spatially
Slovenia rockets ahead as Euro construction output falls

Slovenia saw the largest rise in construction output in Europe in June, research has revealed
Something and Son's Barking Bathhouse

Footprint tours Something and Son’s pop-up timber bathhouse in Barking
Southend beach hut contest launched

[Deadline for submissions 24 Septemer] Southend on Sea Borough Council is seeking to appoint an architect to design and procure a series of beach huts
Squires finally bags planning for contentious Vauxhall island towers

After almost seven years of waiting Squire and Partners has won planning for a £400 million skyscrapers scheme in Vauxhall, south London
'Stand up and fight': RIBA president joins Elliott School protest

RIBA president Angela Brady has joined the chorus of objectors to Wandsworth Council’s plans to partially demolish Elliott School and sell its playing fields
Still ugly. Still empty. Demolish me now

Battersea is finally losing patience with a perennially incomplete apartment block at the corner of Battersea Park Road and Prince of Wales Drive
Stock Woolstencroft scales down shopping centre plan to appease residents

London-based architects Stock Woolstencroft has submitted a toned-down proposal for the redevelopment of The Oaks Shopping Centre in Acton.
Studio Egret West plants seeds for Maze prison site overhaul

Studio Egret West finally looks to have made a breakthrough in the long-running saga surrounding the future of the notorious Maze Prison site in Northern Ireland
Survival of the Fitties

How we used mirror, timber and marble to create a modern chalet home still a part of its historic Humber setting, writes Jonathan Hendry. Photography by David Grandorge
Sustaining Greenland at the Venice Biennale

‘Possible Greenland’ explores alternate futures for the world’s largest island
Sustaining Greenland at the Venice Biennale

The Danish pavilion is hosting an exhibition entitled ‘Possible Greenland’, focusing on sustainable architecture in Greenland
Terence Conran to judge government housing design contest

Terence Conran with housing minister Grant Shapps is planning to launch a contest inviting communities to design their own neighbourhoods
The Diary of an Anonymous Academic #6

The sixth in a series about the unreported trials and tribulations from the frontline of architectural education. This week: Research
The Dutch Way

[dRMM]’ IJburg, a small prototype floating community, is thriving under an advanced culture of planning and design’
The image of the architect: an Open Charter

[Public Works, Urban Projects Bureau, Owen Pritchard] ‘The image of the architect and the profession’s role varies around the world, from Bangkok to Ebbw Vale’
The Knowledge Transfer Centre

The Knowledge Transfer Centre is among several research buildings developed by the University of Sheffield and designed by Bond Bryan architects. The complex is a stunning exemplar for highly insulating Kalwall which is used as wall cladding on all the buildings, diffusing natural daylight and providing well-lit working environments. The emphasis on BREEAM Excellent ratings, low running costs and carbon neutrality is well described in Buro Happold’s report about the projects and the a
The life and death of the community hub

Ian Martin designing the World’s Fattest Building
The Way of Enthusiasts

The Way of Enthusiasts (27 August - 25 November) has been conceived and realised by V-A-C, a Moscow based, not-for-profit arts foundation that creates international platforms for the presentation of contemporary Russian arts
The Weird, the Wacky and the Wonderful

[Around Town] The Royal Academy brings together prime examples of ‘quirkitecture’
Top 5: Around the world at the Venice Biennale

The AJ’s top five international architecture events at Venice
Treasury softens Heritage VAT blow

The Treasury has extended the period of tax relief on alteration works to listed buildings
Troubled London Pleasure Gardens go under

A ‘pop-up’ events arena expected to entertain Olympics visitors in east London has collapsed into administration.
Two-thirds of architects too overworked to do training

More than two-thirds of architects forego training opportunities because of other work pressures, research has revealed
UNESCO is a great big phoney that should be sent packing

Paul Finch’s Letter from London: The capital must stand up to Paris ideologues UNESCO over calls for a development-free zone
University of Sheffield School of Architecture; MSc Sustainable Architecture Studies

Course focus: Collaboration with community groups, building performance simulation, parametric modelling, low impact materials, theory and policy analysis || Design studio: YES || £4830 / £13990 (EU/Overseas)
University of Surrey call for architect services in £18m new builds

[Completed PQQs to be returned by 28 August] The University of Surrey is on the hunt for architect services to expand its Faculty of Health and Medical Studies by constructing three new build centres in Guildford.
Urban Splash battles in choppy waters

Award-winning Manchester-based developer and regeneration specialist Urban Splash insists it is on target after posting substantial losses and abandoning a number of key schemes
Urban Think Tank wins Golden Lion

Switzerland-based Urban Think Tank with Justin McGuirk has won the top prize for its exhibition at the Venice Biennale
US downturn sees 41% drop in architects' billings

US architecture practices have seen revenue plummet dramatically since the economic downturn began in early 2009, according to research
US sees construction spending drops

US construction spending has fallen, according to official figures
Velodrome leak caused by careless workman

Leaking earlier this week at Hopkins’ Olympic velodrome has been blamed on damage caused by a workman
Venice 2012: chaotic, intense and pluralistic

The existential questions facing the profession are all in here somewhere, writes Christine Murray
Venice Biennale: Five points towards a new architecture

The marginal role of the contemporary architect is central to David Chipperfield’s show, says Rory Olcayto
Venice blog: Champagne and umbrellas

First night at the Biennale sees the storm clouds roll in
Venice blog: That's entertainment

The dense curation of this year’s show prompts a whinge or two
Venice preview AJ16.08.12

Digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 02.08.12 | Number 6 | Volume 236
Venice preview: British pavilion

The British Council’s Venice Takeaway asked architects to undertake study trips and bring back new models for British architectural practice. This is what they found. Text by British Pavilion curators Vicky Richardson and Vanessa Norwood
Venice preview: FAT Architects

The fake and the authentic
Venice preview: Gort Scott

Thames to Tooting
Venice preview: Grafton Architects and Paulo Mendes da Rocha

Infrastructure and landscape
Venice preview: Haworth Tompkins, Lynch Architects and Eric Parry Architects

Working within the peculiarity of London
Venice preview: Introduction

Emily Booth previews Common Ground, the 13th International Architecture Exhibition
Venice preview: Norman Foster

A gathering at the Gateway
Venice preview: Zaha Hadid Architects

Pleats and lightweight shells
Video: Chemical Brothers' tribute to Hopkins' Velodrome

Crystal CG’s ‘Rock the Games’ video featuring Hopkins’ Velodrome with a soundtrack by the Chemical Brothers has been played before every race event
Video: Interior of Kengo Kuma’s V&A Dundee revealed

A brand new video has revealed the interior design of Kengo Kuma’s £45 million outpost for the Victoria and Albert Museum in Dundee
Video: Norman Foster at Venice

Interviewed at the 13th International Architecture Exhibition
Video: Zaha Hadid - ‘The guys used to say, you are OK for a girl’

This Saturday Zaha Hadid will feature on CNN International’s ‘Leading Women’ - see the exclusive interview here first
Wastelands to wonderlands

After the Royal Family and Team GB, the British Library is celebrating Britishness
Water experts Baca in running for Parisian jackpot

Emerging British practice Baca Architects is among three finalists vying to masterplan a major redevelopment on the bank of the river Seine
What the doctor ordered: Penoyre & Prasad’s Olympic Village Health Centre

Speed of delivery, response to context and design quality make Penoyre & Prasad’s East Village Health Centre an instructive object lesson in civic architecture, writes Rory Olcayto. Photography by Tim Soar
William JR Curtis: Ronchamp is undermined by Renzo Piano's convent

Architecture critic William JR Curtis has slammed Renzo Piano’s visitor centre at Le Corbusier’s iconic Ronchamp chapel
Win tickets to Alsop sermon on how art springs from idleness

The AJ is offering five pairs of tickets to hear Will Alsop deliver a special School of Life ‘Sunday sermon’ praising boredom as a key to creativity
Wolf Prix attacks Chipperfield's Venice Biennale

Austrian provocateur Wolf Prix has hit out at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale for failing to tackle major political themes behind architecture
Work begins on Henley Halebrown Rorrison's brick belter in Barnes

Construction is set to begin on this four-bedroom house in Barnes, south west London, by Henley Halebrown Rorrison
Work completes on Hadid's Montpellier civic HQ

Zaha Hadid Architects’ recently completed Pierresvives building in Montpellier, southern France, will be officailly inaugurated on Thursday (13 September)
Work on Marks Barfield's Brighton 'needle' could finally start this year

Marks Barfield hopes its 175 m high viewing tower scheme in Brighton will start on site this year (2012).

Architects JournalAugust 2012

Architects Journal
August 2012