Architects Journal
February 2009
View all stories from this issue.
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International furniture design competition
Design a chair or table for this competition organised by furniture manufacturer Andreu World -
£2,500 prize for Colleges on Camera
A national student photography competition aimed at finding the next Julius Schulman has been launched by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) -
35 jobs to go at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners has confirmed that 35 jobs are to go at the practice as the economic downturn gathers momentum -
A slippery slope...
Pleased as Astragal is to see the Electric Works in Sheffield sticking up a digit at the new spirit of austerity, maybe a ‘custom-made helter skelter for workers’ is a bit 2007? -
A Timber Room: Unit 7, London Metropolitan University
This timber structure was originally built for last year’s Ecobuild exhibition at Earls Court, London -
Above Rentokil, below Armitage Shanks
The RIBA has edged up to 190th in the list of the top 500 most recognised brand names in the country -
Adam Kalkin lectures at the Architectural Association
High style and a social conscience; Kester Rattenbury is bewitched by the two sides to Adam Kalkin -
Adams Kara Taylor Roundtable
Engineers from Adams Kara Taylor talk about their business model -
Address book: Adam Richard Architects reveal their contacts
Adam Richard Architects’ favourite contacts -
AJ Emerging Markets #2 Dubai
The Architects’ Journal deputy editor Christine Murray looks at how Dubai is weathering the global economic downturn -
Álvaro Siza: RIBA Gold Medal winner
Kieran Long introduces a tribute to Álvaro Siza from Kenneth Frampton to celebrate the architect’s RIBA Gold Medal win -
Amelia Street Competition
The shortlisted projects for the Amelia Street competition - run by the Architecture Foundation and developer First Base - to design a piece of public realm in Southwark, London -
Amelia Street: Carl Turner Architects
How can we make ‘room’ for people in the street? The answer is physically, by addressing the barriers and obstructions of the actual environment, and emotionally, by asking how residents can take psychological control of their neighbourhood -
Amelia Street: Competition Background
Evening Standard architecture critic and former director of the Architecture Foundation discusses the competition's background; the competition brief and an introduction to the competition's jury -
Amelia Street: DallasPierce
What if the Amelia Street area grew all its own food? By re-imagining the area as the market garden it was in the early 19th century, we can find ways of reinventing the public realm – with the help of residents -
Amelia Street: North Seven
Make a new ‘park road’: Slower, safer traffic, consolidated on-street parking. Organise the day to day: Make space on each doorstep for essential waste. Open the open space: A space for children to use before and after school -
Antony Gormley opens Trafalgar plinth invitation
Artist Antony Gormley is looking for 2,400 volunteers to take a turn on the fourth plinth in London’s Trafalgar square -
ARB ‘reprimands’ Quinlan Terry
Quinlan Terry escaped serious punishment at an Architects Registration Board conduct hearing earlier today (24 February) despite admitting responsibility for the destruction of two Grade II-listed buildings -
Architects drop out of best employer list
Only one architects’ firm has made it onto the Sunday Times’ Best 100 Companies to work for – a result branded a ‘shocking indictment’ by a former finalist -
Architecture in Scotland
Features editor Rory Olcayto on Scottish architecture -
Arevalo Studio: Mole Architects
This painting studio is located behind a tall conifer screen, in the divide between a domestic lawn and an apple orchard at the bottom of a Cambridge garden -
Battersea better off
Viñoly’s dropped ‘eco dome’ was a symbol of hubris and shoddy planning, not sustainable, progressive architecture -
Bermondsey Square Bicycle Station: Sarah Wigglesworth
This bike store by Sarah Wigglesworth Architects is in the Bermondsey Square regeneration area, on the site of the historic Bermondsey Antiques Market -
Birmingham Jewellery Quarter shortlist announced
Three Birmingham-associated firms, Capita Lovejoy, Arup and FIRA Landscape are named on the shortlist to design a new £1.5 million public square in the city's Jewellery Quarter -
Bolles + Wilson ditched in Chelsea
Bolles + Wilson is the latest design team to be sidelined in the long-running saga surrounding the redevelopment of West Cromwell Road near Earls Court, West London -
Broadway Malyan unveils two big projects
Broadway Malyan has bucked the global economic slowdown after picking up a pair of prize projects -
Campaign group calls for huge house-building programme
A new pressure group is urging the government to help the struggling construction sector by building 100,000 new social homes over the next two years -
Can the HCA save the housing sector?
The HCA is set to map out a rescue plan for fatally stalled housing schemes. Damian Arnold reports on what this means for architects -
Carbon Challenge: How to build a Level 6 house
Hattie Hartman looks at two government-backed testing grounds for super-green housing -
Carp, Corb, Hunter
Fishy business and Corbed enthusiasm from the AJ’s gossip-monger -
Cash prize on offer at RA summer show
Bovis Lend Lease, in partnership with the AJ, will once again award £10,000 for the best submission to the Architecture Room at the 2009 Royal Academy of Arts (RA) Summer Exhibition -
Centenary Bar: Lukas Barry and Patrick Skingley
The University of Sheffield held a competition open to all students and staff to design and build a bar celebrating the 100th anniversary of its School of Architecture -
Centre for Endemic, Emerging and Exotic Diseases, Hatfield, Hertfordshire by Architecture PLB
A strict budget and onerous contractual conditions didn’t prevent Architecture PLB’s success in creating the Centre for Endemic, Emerging and Exotic Diseases at the Royal Veterinary College, writes Sutherland Lyall -
Chalton Road, Bridge of Allan: Oliver Chapman Architects
This Victorian semi-detached house had a blank gable wall facing the garden, its most pleasant view -
Chapel Ste Rita: Joseph Faycal
This chapel overlooks the village of Zahle in Lebanon and was built to hold 20 people -
Cities are more than occupied billboards
Advertising physically separates us from the lived experience of the urban fabric, however ugly or beautiful, says Joseph Rykwert -
Colour Factory: Dan Brill Architects
This small studio and workshop, located in the enclosed garden of artists’ collective Colour Factory, was driven by an extremely challenging construction budget of £15,000 -
Critic's Choice: Ian Hamilton Finlay's gardens
Ian Hamilton Finlay's gardens are sensual, yet filled with meaning, writes Andrew Mead -
David Adjaye pays tribute to Max Bond
David Adjaye has honoured the illustrious African-American architect Max Bond, who died on 18 February -
Debate: Will Alsop and Martha Schwartz
Video:Debate: Will Alsop and Martha Schwartz -
DPP strengthens sustainability practice with partner appointment
Independent planning consultancy DPP has strengthened its environmental and sustainability practice with the appointment of Sunil Shah, the former Head of Sustainability at the global engineering and consulting firm Jacobs Engineering Group Inc -
Ecophon Master™ Solo
Free-Hanging sound absorbers improve the acoustic conditions in a variety of applications. Their flexibility makes it possible to install the absorbers in direct proximity to where they are needed -
Emerging Markets #1: Abu Dhabi
Architects’ Journal deputy editor Christine Murray examines the emirate’s staggering growth -
Extra low U-value Kalzip roof system
Kalzip has developed a new dual-insulation roof system that achieves U-values as low as 0.09 W/m²K -
Farewell Norman, hello Nablus
It was with a heavy heart that Astragal learned of the departure of Foster and Partners’ stalwart Jo Cutts – a vital cog in Normski’s press machine -
Finsbury Health Centre's fierce idealism needs to be preserved
Lubetkin’s health centre anticipated with uncanny accuracy the founding spirit of the NHS – and that can’t be lost -
Fire safety: architectural design guidance
Matthew Salisbury, associate fire engineer at Michael Slattery & Associates, talks through BS 9999:2008 - code of practice for fire safety in the design management and use of buildings -
First look: Chipperfield’s Neues Museum
Here are the first pictures of the finished Neues Museum in Berlin, newly restored by David Chipperfield Architects and Julian Harrap Architects -
First look: New Teeside wildlife centre
The AJ can reveal an exclusive image of the £2.1 million visitor centre at the Saltholme wildlife reserve in Teesside -
Five things to do today: 2 February
Momentum stool - neoclassical Obama - Mies van der Rohe's Esso - Stockholm Design Week - mobile easel -
Five things to do today: 2 March
British Music Experience - Design your future - Steampunk Appliances - How 2 - Meltin’ Pot -
Five things to do today: 26 February
Backpack bicycle - Ujino and The Rotators - Japanese gardens - Virtual mouse - Cleaning doggy-style -
Five things to do today: 27 February
Chinatrust HQ - Power Plant - Curl up with Iain Sinclair - Lego business cards - Futurama -
Five things to do today: 3 March
Ben O’Brien - Hollywood home - Luca ‘Bean One’ Barcellona - apartamento - internettiquette -
Five things to do today: 6 February
U@ 50 - Fantastic Contraption - Stick Cricket - Top 10 Locative Apps - Eccentric Architecture -
Five things to do today: 9 February
SWORD’oeuvres - Baan’s Tenerife pics - google giggle - Soft saloon brawl - skankyness -
Five things to do: 16 February
Popcorn - El Surazo - Hollywood stars - public/private - living necklace - -
Five things to do: 17 February
Interactive cinema - Dispondex - Super Mario board game - Danish makin’ - Photoblogging -
Five things to do: 18 February
MAD masterplan - Lego Fallingwater - Brickstructures - Free CAD for students - Thriller in Masala -
Five things to do: 19 February
Le Corbusier today - Google Universe - Jenga construction - Royal Festival Takeover - Sickipedia -
Five things to do: 23 February
Loo roll interior - No Rules Just Architecture - Beer Bottle Building - All weather sledging - Size the seal -
Five things to do: 24 February
A bridge too far - The indignity of work - Art of album covers - Maths monkey - Stackopolis -
Five things to do: 25 February
ArchitectYourHome - Dress like the best - Secret Blisters - Last FM - So good its Gehry -
Five things to do: 3 February
Cool fireplaces - voice drawing - iCat - Superbowl XS - game over -
Five things to do: 4 February
Wind generators - StarCraft - Pavillon de l’Arsenale - Palladio - robotic vacuuming -
Five things to do: 5 February
iEducation - Faster Firefox - Future housing - augmented reality - Matt Lee -
Foster could be stripped of peerage
The outcome of the impending Constitutional Renewal Bill could see non-resident peers lose their seats in the House of Lords -
Foster's Yale project put on hold
Foster + Partners’ landmark business school for the prestigious American university has become yet another victim of the credit crunch -
Fragmented Orchestra
Liverpool, 11 December. By Cecilia Lindgren -
Gareth Hoskins at the RIBA - nice lecture, shame about the exhibition
Gareth Hoskins is a charming speaker, but his exhibition at the RIBA is lacking, says Christine Murray -
Golf Starter's Hut: Rochmankowski Associates
This pavilion for a new golf course is set on a hill overlooking the south side of Edinburgh -
Granny takes a trip: Hut Architecture
Granny Takes a Trip – the infamous 1960s boutique on the King’s Road, London – has been revived by Hût for the brand’s forthcoming relaunch -
Green Door
The Amelia Street area is a patchwork of residential estates, light industrial spaces, small business workshops and commercial units. Pullens Estate, built by local trader James Pullen in the late 19th century, is one of the few remaining Victorian live-work tenement buildings in London. It is a model for city living today -
Hartham Road: Nissen Adams
Two small extensions to the rear of a four-storey Victorian house in Islington provide a dining annex and additional utility space -
Hats off in Dubai
Astragal knows nothing about fashion but presumes these designs by Croydon’s Ray Hole Architects for a new 500-room ‘fashion hotel’ were inspired by headware rather than a giant fishnet-clad tree trunk -
HCA saves five housing projects
The Homes and Communities Agency throws ailing London schemes a £135 million lifeline in the first phase of a major housing rescue package -
Herbert Museum extension in Coventry by Pringle Richards Sharratt
In the shadow of St Michael’s Cathedral, Pringle Richards Sharratt’s extension to the Herbert Museum re-imagines Coventry as complex and ambiguous, writes Rory Olcayto -
HOK appoints new head of science and technology
Colin Gilmore-Merchant has joined international design practice, HOK as Head of Science and Technology. -
Hoskins' Shetland showstopper delayed again
The opening of Gareth Hoskins Architects’ long-running waterfront cinema and music venue in Lerwick, Shetland has been put back again -
How to get paid
Extracting money from clients can be challenging. When is calling in the heavies the only solution? -
Hussein Chalayan at the London Design Museum
The Design Museum’s exhibition of fashion designer Hussein Chalayan’s high-tech work is compelling and well-curated, writes James Pallister -
I can take a joke, as long as it's about someone else...
Darcy was done up in an art deco linen suit and Bauhau was a pepperoni-shaped approximation of Che Guevara -
Images: Careyjones' futuristic vision for GHD
Careyjones has completed this space-age fit-out of the 1,400m² headquarters of hair and beauty company GHD in Leeds -
In pictures: Aedas' designs for Chinese campus
Aedas has unveiled its design for a 51,000m² building at the University of Suzhou campus, west of Shanghai -
In pictures: Alison Brooks’ Quarterhouse Centre in Folkestone
Folkestone’s new Quarterhouse Performing Arts and Business Centre, designed by the Stirling Prize-winning Alison Brooks Architects (ABA), which will open next week -
In pictures: Architecture and snow
Architects love white. And they love buildings. So what better combination than buildings in the snow, the dusting of white momentarily erasing the dirt and grime of the city beneath a Tipp-Ex coating? -
In pictures: Cartwright Pickard in the East End
Cartwright Pickard Architects has completed its £4.5 million Metropolitan Works building in London’s East End -
In pictures: Chetwood's scented garden
Architect Laurie Chetwood and landscape designer Patrick Collins have revealed their scheme for the Perfume Garden at the 2009 Chelsea Flower Show -
In pictures: Zaha's Italian 'starfish'
Zaha Hadid has revealed her plans for a new waterfront leisure and museum quarter in Reggio Calabria -
Inbox@TheAJ
Kieran Long, editor of the Architects’ Journal, runs through the magazine’s weird and wonderful correspondence -
Ingenious work at the AJ Small Projects Exhibition
Jess Bowie reviews a collection of ingenious bread-and-butter work at the AJ Small Projects show -
IT: CAT
Jamie Gwilliam announces the free download of CAT for 3dsMax/Design 2009 subscribers -
IT: daylight analysis
Jamie Gwilliam highlights two useful daylight analysis resources for architects -
IT: edge script
Autodesk’s Jamie Gwilliam demonstrates a useful script for using exported CAD data within 3ds Max -
IT: more script
Jamie Gwilliam reveals his favourite scripts of 2008 -
IT: scripts for 2009
Jamie Gwilliam advises on which scripts all 3ds Max users should have in their toolbox -
IT: viewcube and Wii
Jamie Gwilliam highlights the goings-on in Autodesk Labs -
Kate Greenaway Nursery Entrance: AAB Architects
The nursery needed a new entrance that would welcome visitors and provide enough space for buggy and bike storage -
Kathryn Findlay: Back with a redefined approach
Kathryn Findlay is back after a five-year hiatus, redefining her practice with a collaborative approach, says Rory Olcayto. -
Land Securities plays waiting game on Crossrail levy
Land Securities will wait for Boris Johnson’s new Crossrail levy to become mandatory before coughing up for the Rafael Viñoly-designed ‘walkie talkie’ tower it plans to build in London’s Fenchurch Street -
Landscape architecture, Brattøra sea front, Norway
The design contest for the free area at Brattøra includes park/sea front with activities as well as engineering design service for approx. 500 m national road. -
Launches today: The AJ's national 'state of the profession' survey
The AJ today launches the largest ever 'state of the profession' survey of UK architects and architectural practitioners -
Leading washroom provider launches Oxygen
Armitage Venesta introduces Oxygen, a stunning new prestige washroom system. Oxygen features full height, maximum privacy cubicles in real wood veneers, opaque glass and laminates -
Legal: contract administration
Andrew Butler outlines architects’ administrative responsibilities -
Lightwall: ecoLogicStudio
The concept of Lightwall reinterprets the traditional massive Italian wall as a thick concrete sponge. Its ability to absorb and filter heat, light and views can be changed and adapted to contextual requirements -
Local authority housing projects could save jobs
Plans to give local authorities the power to develop hundreds of thousands of council houses over the next few years were hailed this week as a lifeline for the UK’s struggling architecture profession -
London in 3D
As seen by visualisation consultancy GMJ -
Luxembourg school design competition
Construction of a primary school with 37 class rooms, numerous specialist rooms and common areas, including a sports hall, an auditorium, a school cafeteria, a parking (+/- 150 places), and outside play areas -
Mapledene Road: Platform 5 Architects
This rundown property had been stripped of virtually all its period features and was used as a crack den -
Moonshine: Mitchell Taylor Workshop
Moonshine, a 1786 castellated stone building, has no car access within 400 yards, and this self-build addition was constructed with components that had to be carried by hand along a woodland path -
Moreland Community House: East
East was commissioned by the London Borough of Islington to design a children’s centre -
MPS senior appointment: Scotland
Design and engineering specialist Morgan Professional Services (MPS) has appointed Robbie McKillop as associate to lead the engineering team delivering mechanical and electrical design services in Scotland -
Museum of Liverpool by 3XN and AEW Architects
These are the latest shots of the Museum of Liverpool, which is nearing completion on the city’s historic waterfront -
Naval buildings renovation, Skjold, Norway
2 existing buildings from 1955 situated at Maustadmoen camp in Skjold shall be renovated and modernized. The gross areas of the buildings are 900 m 2 and 2 450 m 2, respectively -
New head of interiors at Dexter Moren Associates
Steven Separovich has been appointed as an Associate at DMA, and will head up the interiors team in the hotel & hospitality sector -
New lighting products
New and still-on-the-drawing-board lighting products -
New Nordic
Developed in response for the growing demand for pale wooden floors that reflect a lot of light, Junckers’ elegant Nordic finish adds new interest to the natural colouration of the timber, enhancing its natural characteristics -
Norwegian architect Sverre Fehn dies
Leading Norwegian architect and Pritzker Prize-winner Sverre Fehn died yesterday aged 84 -
Olympic parklands approved despite CABE criticism
Designs for the new parklands surrounding the Olympic complex at Stratford in London have been approved by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) despite concerns from CABE -
One year reprieve for Robin Hood Gardens
The controversial redevelopment of the Robin Hood Gardens housing estate has been delayed by at least a year, a source at Tower Hamlets Council has confirmed -
Palladio triumphs at the Royal Academy
The Royal Academy’s extensive exhibition of Andrea Palladio’s work is a fitting celebration of the man dubbed history’s most influential architect, writes Lionel March -
Park strife
At the Royal Gold Medal dinner last night, Julia Peyton-Jones, director of the Serpentine Gallery and mastermind of its summer pavilion series, told Astragal that she has ‘declared war on the Royal Parks’ -
Peter Zumthor's Therme Vals baths in print
From Vogue to the LA Times, the representation of Peter Zumthor’s Therme Vals baths in print is an exercise in architectural canonisation -
Petit Bayle: Vicky Thornton with Jef Smith of MELD
This house, located in the Tarn et Garonne region of south-west France, is built on a steeply sloping greenfield site -
Peyton-Jones driven mad at the Serpentine
At the Royal Gold Medal dinner on the 26 February, Julia Peyton-Jones, director of the Serpentine Gallery and mastermind of its summer pavilion series, told Astragal that she has ‘declared war on the Royal Parks’ -
PFI is a piece of smoke-and-mirrors finance - and now we're allowed to say so
The doublethink of the Private Finance Initiative project is unraveling – finally -
Pictures of matchstick men appear in my alternative survey
What sort of ‘status narrative’ do you anticipate as the year slowly unfolds like a forgotten nappy? -
Poet laureate pens tribute to architects
The poet laureate, Andrew Motion, has written a poem to celebrate the RIBA’s 175th Anniversary -
Portavilion: London, Hopkins Architects
The Smallest Cinema in the World was created by Hopkins Architects, in collaboration with artist Annika Eriksson, for public art project Portavilion -
Protectionism starts at home
Norfolk’s architects aren’t happy. Some ‘out-of-towners’, namely Riches Hawley Mikhail from that there London, have managed to steal in and win the prestigious, Greyhound Opening affordable housing competition in Norwich -
Prunella Clough's abstract art - Critic's Choice
Prunella Clough’s abstract, democratic art mapped a post-war urban world, says Andrew Mead -
Pure Groove: Threefold Architects
This new shop for an established independent record label uses a series of bespoke architectural insertions to create a dynamic and exciting space -
Rafael Viñoly’s Battersea chimney dropped
Rafael Viñoly’s plans for a 250m-tall glass chimney over Battersea Power Station appear to have been dropped by its developer -
Redevelopment of two primary schools, North Kensington, London
Two schools have been identified under the Primary Capital programme as initial investment priorities for redevelopment. The schools are located next to each other and will be redeveloped as a combined site -
Rendlesham Road: Burd Haward Architects
This small two-storey extension to an existing live/work building was designed to provide lift access between the ground and first floors -
Repair and restoration of a Grade I listed historic building, Devon
Provision of Architectural Design Services for the repair and restoration of a Grade 1 listed building known as the Walronds -
Report: AJ Small Projects 2009
Mitchell Taylor Workshop wins the top prize. Plus: pictures from the awards and party -
RIBA calls for research awards entries
The RIBA is calling for entrants to its annual research competition -
RIBA failing to help members, says survey
According to its members, the RIBA is not doing enough to help architects during the recession, the AJ’s State of the Profession survey has revealed -
RICS reports sharp fall in member confidence
The building sector’s collapse quickened towards the end of last year, according to a survey of chartered surveyors -
Rights of light: maximising floor area
Michael Harper, head of Rights of Light at GIA, explains how to maximise new development floor area while respecting rights of light constraints -
RMJM appoint director to support move into emerging markets
The UK-based architectural company RMJM has made a senior appointment to support its move into new markets with the arrival of former Sandhurst army officer Nick Haston as Director of Global Emerging Markets.RMJM - which currently has 14 offices throughout North America, Asia, Middle East and Europe – created the new role to help the company break into geographic territories which are less affected by the current economic climate. The aim is to strengthen the company’s position as -
RMJM, Stephen Lawrence Trust and the AJ launch Waste of Space competition
The AJ announces its media partnership with a new online competition for socially deprived and minority 18-25 year-olds, who will be sent to Harvard to study architecture this summer -
Robert Adam Architects appoint chief operating officer
Winchester- and London-based Robert Adam Architects have announced the appointment of Mike Wetherell as its Chief Operating Officer -
Rogers stalls at Ground Zero
Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners’ scheme for a 71-storey tower at the World Trade Centre site in New York has stalled, it emerged this week, as the practice announced plans for 35 redundancies -
Royal Court win for AHMM
Allford Hall Monaghan Morris has landed another key project in Liverpool after winning the contest to overhaul the city’s Grade II-listed Royal Court theatre -
Salisbury competition winner announced
Letts Wheeler Architects has won the RIBA competition to transform the Market Square in Salisbury, Wiltshire -
SAS International Chilled Panels Factory
Kaye Alexander takes a look around SAS International’s chilled panels factory -
Sheffield's Jessop West by Sauerbruch Hutton and RMJM
The ingenious plan of Sauerbruch Hutton and RMJM’s university building shelters this corner of Sheffield with ‘protective tentacles’, writes Kieran Long -
Shortlist announced for RIBA Wildflower competition
The AJ can reveal the six schemes shortlisted in the RIBA-organised competition to design the National Wildflower Centre in Knowsley, near Liverpool -
Sliding house
A home with a difference from dRMM -
Snow buildings, tonnes of Tunnocks and Zaha's tap feat
Astragal: the AJ’s weekly namedropping, eavesdroppping gossip column -
Soar bridge winner announced
Paris-based Explorations Architecture has won the RIBA competition to design a new foot and cycle bridge over the River Soar in Leicester -
Specifying natural insulation
Sustainability editor Hattie Hartman reports on the growing market for cellulose, wool, hemp and flax -
SPRUNT
The Amelia Street live/work community is one of London’s precious jewels, a valuable rarity. But the community spirit is not reflected in the area’s narrow walkways, open spaces, vegetation and street furniture -
Stewart McColl: My rise, fall and return
The Scottish architect describes his career path and plans for the future -
Stonehenge deserves a landmark building
Edward Cullinan Architects will no longer work at Stonehenge, but we still have high hopes for the visitor centre -
Superkingdom: Consarc Architects
Consarc has designed three installations providing shelter for a number of animal species, which sit in three ancient trees in King’s Wood, Kent -
Sustainability begins with products that last
INVISTA, one of the world’s largest integrated fibre manufacturers announces a sustainability framework for the Antron® carpet fibre business to help articulate its sustainability business vision -
Sutton ‘Life Centre’ approved
Curl La Tourelle Architects has won permission for the ‘Life Centre’ it designed for the London Borough of Sutton -
Sverre Fehn (1924-2009)
Sverre Fehn, the celebrated Norwegian architect and 1997 Pritzker Prize winner, died in Oslo on 23 February at the age of 84 -
Talking buildings, synchronised panic, and a newer gender
Meeting of the Olympic Rebadging Task Force. We begin as usual with prayers and a Mexican Wave, followed by synchronised panic -
Tall trend set to shrink soon
The world's skyscrapers are getting taller, despite the global recession, new research has revealed – but ultra-high projects are expected to tail off soon -
Tarlungeni Children's centre, Voluntary Design and Build
Voluntary Design and Build is a charity run by students and recent architecture graduates to provide buildings for groups otherwise unable to afford them -
The best architecture photography in the world
Images from the professional and amateur winners of the Sony World Photography Awards -
The HCA plan's glimmer of optimism
Permit yourself a smile – social housing is back on the public-sector agenda, says Kieran Long -
The Light Works: Glas Architects
Two musicians approached Glas Architects with a brief to transform a former lightbulb factory into a three-storey live/work residence -
The Lumiere Tower vs Maxwell Hutchinson
Earlier this week, skyscraper developer KW Linfoot plunged into administration – but the founder still managed to fire off a broadside or two -
The recession has hit Rogers – but keep your chin up
If starchitects are making redundancies, what hope is there? Plenty, says Christine Murray -
The rise of Concrete Quarterly - Back Issues
The crisp pages of Concrete Quarterly studiously follow the material that built the 20th century, says Steve Parnell -
The Shed: Dualchas Building Design
This larch-clad and corrugated sheet shed should prove economical in the extreme -
The Stirling Prize and the AJ
Our continuing relationship with the RIBA award -
Thomas Heatherwick's B of the Bang to be dismantled
Thomas Heatherwick’s troubled B of the Bang sculpture outside Sportcity in Manchester is set to be dismantled – at least temporarily -
Touching the elements with Vorwerk Carpets
Capturing the continual movement of sands and beautifully handmade from the most exquisite New Zealand virgin wool, Elemento is a groundbreaking range of area rugs from Vorwerk Carpets -
Ulf Nordfjell's modernist 'cottage garden' for The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph Garden, by Swedish landscape architect Ulf Nordfjell, aims to take the traditional cottage garden into the 21st century -
V&A to launch competition for Dundee museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is set to launch an international competition to design its new £43 million Scottish outpost before the end of the year -
Video: Álvaro Siza awarded RIBA Gold Medal
The Queen has presented Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza with the RIBA Royal Gold Medal – the profession’s highest accolade in the UK -
Video: dRMM's Sliding House
dRMM has created this Sliding House in Suffolk -
Video: Hadid busts Olympic budget
The cost of Zaha Hadid’s Aquatic Centre for 2012 Games has increased by 37 million since November 2007, a government report into the ballooning Olympic venue budget has revealed -
Video: Saudi Arabian construction opportunities
Paul Taylor, head of the Middle East team at UK Trade & Investment, on why Saudi Arabia is still a boom market for the UK construction industry -
Wembley win for Hopkins Architects
Hopkins Architects has seen off the likes of Make and Sheppard Robson to win the contest to design the new Brent Civic Centre next to Wembley Stadium, North London, the AJ can reveal -
Westbourne Grove House: Amin Taha Architects
In 2001, this terraced house accommodated a shop, an office and an apartment -
What ever happened to… Hadid’s Ear Trumpet?
Astragal’s occasional series revisits Zaha Hadid’s proposals for a three-storey ‘bridge-cum-library’ at St Anthony’s College, Oxford -
What we can learn from Acme Corp's flawed anvils
Design died in Wile E Coyote’s vast cartoon desert of the un-won West, thinks Sam Jacob -
Whatever happened to... Make's 'Concertina'?
Astragal’s occasional series revisits Make’s proposed office block at Monument -
White Water Kayaking complex, Fort William
The Scottish Canoe Association invite expressions of interest to facilitate, design and project manage/deliver the project for a proposed White Water Kayaking site located in Fort William -
Why refurbishment is the greenest way to go
Aurore Julien, leader of Llewelyn Davies Yeang’s Eco System Design unit, hopes the UK will follow the example set by the US and refurbish, instead of building new -
Why Sarkozy's Paris doesn't cut the mustard
The French capital has its charms – but a revolutionary city it is not, says Joseph Rykwert -
Why you need a sustainable project manager
Stuart Hart, head of GIA’s building consultancy, explains how a sustainable project manager can benefit the building process -
Win £250 to see Corb buildings - Le Corb-Budget competition deadline extended
Ever wanted to do a grand tour of your favourite Le Corbusier buildings? Now’s your chance… -
Your guide to the Le Corbusier season
Put business worries aside, remember your passions and immerse yourself in three months of all things Corbusier with this AJ guide to the season, writes James Pallister -
Your work may be shameless, but never, ever nameless...
The Parenthesis. The Fat Bonus. The Clumpty. The Saucy Dalek. The Eco-Eco-Bang-Bang. The Big Ask. The Dreamed Vortex. The Petrified Discharge -
Zaha Hadid's Portugal masterplan
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
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