Architects Journal
June 2010

View all stories from this issue.

Interactive guide to green materials launched

Stephen George & Partners has published an online, interactive ‘green’ guide called Building Materials and the Environment
Museum of Liverpool wrangles with AEW over unpaid fees

The ongoing saga surrounding the £72 million Museum of Liverpool has taken another twist – this time over unpaid fees to project architect AEW
RIBA slammed over panel ‘fiasco’

Angry adjudicators who missed out on being reappointed to the RIBA’s tribunal panel have branded the selection process ‘a joke’, and have dismissed a review into the ‘fiasco’
The Filling Station

[LFA RECOMMENDED] 98 Clerkenwell Road, EC1, 3 July: 2-5.30pm and 7-10pm, 4 July: 12-6pm, £10
‘Truman Show’ fears over Duany’s village

Controversial American new urbanist Andres Duany has been appointed to masterplan a £1 billion ‘village’ in Aberdeenshire, just three months after provoking outrage from Scottish architects
18 per cent boost in new homes planned

House builders have reported an 18 per cent jump in the number of homes planned for construction this year
5th Studio's Fatwalk gets planning consent

5th Studio has landed unanimous approval from the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation Planning Committee for the first phase of its Olympic Park Fatwalk project
A marvellous, magical tour through London’s architectural back passages

Ian Martin heads to Barkitecture 2010
A middlebrow Middle East, and a medieval future for Middle England.

Ian Martin gets a taste of corpulent materialism
A minimum wage is not the answer to students' problems

Architects deserve to earn a minimum wage - but not at the cost of being unable to progress their chosen course, argues David Lumb
Abbey Green, Barking, by Lynch Architects

[BUILDING STUDY + DRAWINGS] Medieval ruins and the foundations of long-demolished Victorian warehouses are the starting points for Lynch Architects’ romantic Abbey Green masterplan, writes Jay Merrick
AD Magazine - 80 years in print

With a succession of talented editors, AD has given weight to numerous architectural movements. Following a symposium this week celebrating 80 years in print, Steve Parnell looks back at the magazine’s illustrious history
Adam wins green light for traditional village expansion

An extension to a Somerset village by classicists Adam Architecture has been approved by Mendip District Council
African adventure

Astragal doffs his cycling helmet in support of Nyomi Rowsell and her attempt to pedal a spectacular 7,500 miles down the east of Africa for architectural charity Article 25
AHMM sued over Amsterdam uni deal

Wickham van Eyck seeks compensation over alleged breach of joint-venture agreement
AJ jobs board launches weekly expert blog

The AJ jobs board website has launched its weekly expert blogger column, this week featuring AJ’s own technical editor Felix Mara
Albert Sloman Library extension, University of Essex

The University of Essex is seeking tenders for the design of a £14 million extension to its Albert Sloman Library
Alucobond - Lemons to limes

‘Stadbildplanung Dortmund’ converts run-down public housing estate in Germany’s struggling Ruhr Valley into fully rented Jewel
Amanda Levete: V&A Design Studies

Award-winning architect Amanda Levete, together with directors Alvin Huang, Kwamina Monney and Ho-Yin Ng, formed Amanda Levete Architects on a strong foundation of established and new projects with a reputation for work of originality and integrity
AOC bags planning for Spa School extension

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] AOC has landed planning for this extension to Spa School in Southwark, London
ARB to cut retention fees

The Architects Registration Board (ARB) has announced it will slash annual fees, following pressure to reduce its cost to the profession
Archial's 'Glass Needle' skyscraper scrapped

Ambitious plans by Archial and Urban Solutions for a 32-storey ‘Glass Needle’ skyscraper in Cardiff, Wales have been binned
Architect wars in Birmingham

‘It’s very difficult for me to criticise another architect,’ said John Madin during a recent interview with the Birmingham Post
Architects at the 2010 Chelsea Flower Show: Jamie Fobert

Jamie Fobert Architects describes its centrepiece for Laurent-Perrier’s garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show as ‘contrasting with the purity and naturalism of its surroundings’
Architectural Design 80th Anniversary Seminar

[LFA RECOMMENDED] Architectural Design 80th Anniversary Seminar, 29 June, 10am-4.30pm, £10, RIBA
Architectural studies for the V&A: The Brief

Designs for a hypothetical redevelopment of the V&A’s Boilerhouse Yard by Jamie Fobert Architects, Tony Fretton Architects, Heneghan Peng Architects, Amanda Levete Architects, Francisco Mangado, Office for Metropolitan Architecture, Sutherland Hussey Architects and Snøhetta
Argyle Street housing, Glasgow by Collective Architecture

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] Collective Architecture has revealed these designs for a 49-home housing association scheme in Glasgow
Arup Associates wins Beyond the Hive prize

Arup Associates was today crowned a leader in insectoid design, winning the golden beetle top prize in British Land and the City of London’s bug hotel contest
Atkins revenues and pre-tax profits down

Atkins’s pre-tax profits fell nearly 6 per cent this year as overall revenue plunged by more than £100m, with 1,800 workers losing their jobs
BCIA contenders announced

Forty-six UK and international projects have been shortlisted for this year’s British Construction Industry Awards (BCIA)
BCIS Online Rates Database

Estimate costs at the click of a mouse
BDP unveils revised Whitechapel Crossrail station scheme

BDP has revealed new images of its Crossrail station at Whitechapel, featuring a public walkway and re-designed ventilation towers
Best of British: final trio vie for Three Sisters replacement

David Chipperfield, Hopkins Architects and Grimshaw are battling it out to design the replacement for Allies and Morrison’s shelved £1 billion Three Sisters tower scheme on London’s South Bank
Bethlem Royal Hospital refurbishment

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) is on the hunt for architects for the refurbishment of the Royal Bethlem Hospital in Beckenham London
Boathouse, Loch Ard by Sutherland Hussey

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] Sutherland Hussey has won permission for this boat house on Loch Ard, near Aberfoyle in Loch Lomond and the Trossach
Books Received: Technical books

Our recommendation of the most useful crop of newly-released architecture books
Booming Holder Mathias seeks raft of architects

Holder Mathias architects has announced it is recruiting seventeen architects and graduates at its London and Cardiff studios reflecting a return to profitable growth.
Boris chases Harry Potterland for London

Hopes a Harry Potter theme park could be built in the UK have been ignited after London Mayor Boris Johnson wrote to the film studios which is developing a similar site in America
Boxing meets architecture: more Balboa than Bilbao

Astragal sends his congratulations to Stephen Franks, an associate at HLN Architects, who last week was named Britain’s unlicensed boxing heavyweight champion
BREAKING NEWS: Candy wins Chelsea Barracks case

Qatari Diar breached a contract with Christian Candy when it controversially withdrew Richard Rogers’ Chelsea Barracks scheme, the High Court has ruled
Breeam rated excellent DEFRA building installs Velfac windows

VELFAC windows have been installed at the DEFRA-owned Dragonfly House in Norwich, rated as Excellent by BREEAM for its demonstration of the highest environmental construction standards.
British Council for Offices annual conference 2010

Rory Olcayto reports from this year’s British Council for Offices annual conference, held in London for the first time in 17 years. Main image by Cityscape Digital
BSF cuts: £1 million CABE programme axed

The government has cut almost £1 million from CABE’s budget, following its decision to axe 719 school-building projects
BSF cuts: government cull 'profoundly detrimental' says RIBA

RIBA president Ruth Reed has hit out at the government’s decision to immediately stop work on 719 Building Schools for the Future (BSF) projects worth £7.5 billion
Budget round-up: VAT up but no more capital project cutbacks

Chancellor George Osborne has raised VAT but has not earmarked any more capital projects for the axe
Budget: captial gains rise could stifle property investment

Increasing capital gains tax (CGT) could deter investors from putting money into the private rented sector, it has been claimed.
Budget: Further capital spending cuts spared

Chancellor George Osborne is expected to hold back from any further capital spending cutbacks in today’s budget after axing £11 billion worth of projects last week
Building Regulations: Part L

[TECHNICAL & PRACTICE] The new energy-efficiency requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations come into force on 1 October. The AJ’s Regs columnist Geoff Wilkinson analyses the changes
Buro Four celebrates quarter century with 25nominate25

As a celebration for turning 25 years-old, Buro Four has asked 25 architects who also started out in the 1980s to nominate younger practices to watch out for over the next few years
Buschow Henley rebrands as founder departs

AJ/Corus 40-under-40 practice Buschow Henley has re-emerged under a new name following the resignation of its co-founder Ralph Buschow
Business school, University of Essex

The University of Essex is seeking tenders for the design of a new £10 million ‘landmark building’ at its business school
CABE supports Rowan Atkinson’s Meier house

The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) is backing Rowan Atkinson’s proposal to build a Richard Meier-designed house in rural south Oxfordshire
CABE walks Saint James' Park

[LFA RECOMMENDED] Inn the Park, St James’ Park finishing near Horseguards Road, 30 June, 18:00 - 19:00, free
Capital Recovery: BCO Conference 2010

Rory Olcayto reports from this year’s British Council for Offices annual conference, held in London for the first time in 17 years. Image by Cityscape Digital
Carmody Groarke unveils UK tsunami memorial

Carmody Groarke‘s memorial for the UK victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami will be officially opened by Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall later today (6 July)
Chandigarh: Ernst Scheidegger's previously unseen photographs

Ernst Scheidegger’s previously unpublished photos reveal the daily lives of the inhabitants of Chandigarh, Le Corbusier’s most significant urbanism project, writes Andrew Mead
Charter injects security into medical centre

Charter Specialist Security recently solved a problem for the new medical centre at Laird Street, Birkenhead. The Merseyside centre is unfortunately a target for thieves, housing as it does both drugs and expensive medical equipment.
Chatham Place, Reading, by Cartwright Pickard Architects

[FIRST LOOK + PROJECT DATA] Cartwright Pickard Architects (CPA) has completed the £46 million first phase of its Chatham Place development in central Reading
Classicism vs parametricism: It's no contest

A debate between the classicists and the parametricists failed to take off, says Felix Mara
Coffey creates Chinese steel HQ

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] AJ/Corus 40-under-40 practice Coffey Architects has drawn up this 40,000m2 urban masterplan for steel giant Qingdao Iron and Steel Group in China
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 01.07.10

A municipal hall refurbishment in Wales, sustainable homes for the RIAS and a competition to design a new lunar base, this week’s round-up of top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 03.06.10

A new teaching block at Carmarthen, the refurbishment of Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena and this year’s Prix W competition for the former French National Archives at Versaille; this week’s round-up of top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 08.07.10

A masterplan for Seattle’s waterfront, the refurbishment of Bethlem Royal Hospital and public realm for the Co-operative Group in Manchester; this week’s round-up of top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 10.06.10

Albert Sloman Library’s new extension, a masterplan for Edmonton City Centre Airport and a major regeneration project in Torquay; this week’s round-up of top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 17.06.10

A new hotel for University of Nottingham, a £15 million refurbishment programme in Glasgow and a new drinking fountain for London’s Royal Parks; this week’s round-up of top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 24.02.11

Forgotten Spaces Sheffield, the restoration of Hexham Abbey in Northumberland plus design services for a new cultural centre in Manchester; the editor’s pick of this week’s top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 24.06.10

A masterplan for ‘Mid Croydon’, new housing for Haiti and a £30 million scheme for Southend-on-Sea; this week’s round-up of top competitions
Construction begins on HLM‘s £27m Sheffield school project

Construction has started on HLM Architecture’s All Saints High School scheme on the outskirts of Sheffield
Crittall steel windows

Building Regs reprieve for steel windows
DCMS admits ‘error of judgement’

The DCMS has admitted the decision to list Chamberlin Powell & Bon’s brutalist Leeds University campus should have been approved at ministerial level
Design Detail Trail: Overlooked London

[LFA RECOMMENDED] 5 locations across London, 19 June - 4 July,
DORMA Closers help open the door to an International Education

DORMA has supplied in excess of 260 door closers and floor springs for installation in a new building project at the International School in Aberdeen.
Double dip: Spectre of recession looms again

The profession is bracing itself for a ‘double-dip’ recession in the wake of government cuts to public projects and an ongoing lack of private finance
Drinking fountain, Royal Parks Foundation

Design a new drinking fountain for all eight of London’s Royal Parks, thanks to the Tiffany & Co Foundation
Dunster and Insall take honours

Bill Dunster and conservation architect Donald Insall have been recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours
Dutch outfit wins AF's New Aldgate contest

DONIS has won the Architecture Foundation’s competition to design a new gateway to the City of London
Ecophon - Sound solution for students

Refectories are often the hub of a building and should be pleasant and comfortable places where people can go to catch up over a cup of coffee.
Edmonton City Centre Airport masterplan

The city of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, needs architects to prepare a masterplan for the area surrounding Edmonton City Centre Airport
Education secretary hits out at architects' fees - again

Schools secretary Michael Gove has again accused architects involved in the multi-billion Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme of squandering tax payers’ cash
Edward Lister appointed London deputy mayor for planning

Wandsworth Council leader Edward Lister has been appointed Boris Johnson’s deputy mayor for planning
Elephant and Castle: Make your mind up

London’s Elephant and Castle can be fairly described as an architectural triumph in rendering despair
Elmer Square Project, Southend-on-Sea

Southend Borough Council is seeking an architect-led design team to take forward the Elmer Square Project in Southend-on-Sea
Emergency budget: the verdict

Merlin Fulcher gets architects’ responses to the coalition government’s emergency budget, and finds out if they believe the measures can really save us from a double-dip recession
Emirates sponsors Wilkinson Eyre’s Thames cable car

Airline Emirates has signed up to a £36 million sponsorship deal which will see the Wilkinson Eyre-designed Thames cable car branded with its logo and name
ExCel Phase 2, London, by Grimshaw

East London’s ExCel exhibition centre is so big you can take a train from one end to the other - and Grimshaw has just made it even bigger, extruding it and injecting new life with a dynamic spiral form, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Edmund Sumner
Fallout from Chelsea Barracks ruling continues

Richard Rogers has again criticised Prince Charles for interfering with his Chelsea Barracks design, following a High Court ruling over the withdrawal of the scheme
Farrells scoops Earls Court masterplan

Farrells is to masterplan an 8,000-home development on the 28ha Earls Court Exhibition Centre site in west London
Fewer architects on dole despite spending cuts

The number of architects claiming unemployment benefits has fallen despite an increase in the total number of UK unemployed to 2.47 million
First Look: KSS reveals Bulgarian stadium

[FIRST LOOK] KSS Design Group has unveiled its plans for a new stadium in Bulgaria for football club CSKA Sofia
First look: Olympic Village takes shape

The AJ can reveal the latest shots of the 2012 Olympic Village in east London
First Street culture centre, Manchester

Manchester City Council is seeking an architect for its project to build a new cultural centre scheduled to open in May 2012
Foldaway Bookshop

[LFA RECOMMENDS] 10 Heddon street, W1B 4BX, 22 June - 4 July, Sunday-Friday 10:00 - 17:00 Saturday 11:00 - 18:00 Photography by Paul Greenleaf
Foreign Office Architects unveils Parisian Metro plans

London-based Foreign Office Architects (FOA) has drawn up these concept plans for a new underground station in Paris’ outer suburbs
Fortune Green Road, West Hampstead by CZWG

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] CZWG has completed this £20 million residential, retail and health-club scheme in West Hampstead, north London
Francisco Mangado: V&A Design Studies

Projects by Francisco Mangado’s practice include the Ávila Congress and Exhibitions Municipal Centre, the Álava Archaeology Museum and the Spanish Pavilion at the 2008 Zaragoza Expo
Frobisher House, Hertfordshire by Duggan Morris

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] Duggan Morris has completed this £450,000, three-bedroom home in suburban Bushey, Hertfordshire
Gensler reveals Olympic park ski slope concept

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] Gensler has revealed these images of its conceptual project to build a 28,500 m2 ski slope on the International Broadcast Centre site at the Olympic Park in east London
GEZE UK launches the first CE Marked range of concealed transom mounted closers

GEZE UK, the UK’s leading manufacturer of door and window control systems, has launched the industry’s first range of closers
GEZE UK launches the first CE Marked range of concealed transom mounted closers

GEZE UK, the UK’s leading manufacturer of door and window control systems, has launched the industry’s first range of closers that are fully certificated to EN 1154 and EN 1155 (Electro hold-open models) for concealed transom mounting.
GKD clads “World’s Furthest Leaning Manmade Tower”

Not yet finished and already an awardee: Being certified by Guinness World Records, Abu Dhabi’s Capital Gate is becoming a media celebrity.
Gove backtracks in war of words with architects

The war of words between architects and education secretary Michael Gove over the £55 billion Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme has taken another turn
Government backs £15.9bn Crossrail project

The government has given its full backing to the £15.9 billion Crossrail project, featuring stations designed by Hawkins\ Brown, Weston Williamson, Wilkinson Eyre, Foster + Partners, John McAslan and BDP
Government cutbacks force architects to dole queue

The number of architects on the dole has rising sharply over the last month, compounding fears that cutbacks in government spending will affect employment in the profession
Government policy risks ‘catastrophic blow’ to housing

The government’s funding cuts and overhaul of the planning system could deal a ‘catastrophic blow’ to affordable housebuilding, according to the National Housing Federation (NHF)
Government to scrap prison building plans

Justice minister Ken Clarke is today expected to announce an end to government plans to build new prisons
Graeme Massie to design Edinburgh Art Festival pavilion

Graeme Massie Architects is to design the pavilion for next year’s Edinburgh Art Festival
Hadid named UNESCO Artist for Peace

Zaha Hadid will be awarded the prestigious role of UNESCO Artist for Peace at a ceremony in Paris tomorrow (24 June)
Harborne Mews, Birmingham, by Bryant Priest Newman Architects

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] Bryant Priest Newman Architects has submitted plans for this 11-home mews development in Harborne, south Birmingham
Haworth Tompkins moors new-build alongside National Theatre

Haworth Tompkins this week submitted proposals to overhaul Denys Lasdun’s 1976 National Theatre on London’s South Bank
Heatherwick's pavilion wins RIBA Lubetkin Prize

Sean Kitchen reports back from last night’s Lubetkin Awards evening at the RIBA
Heneghan Peng Architects: V&A Design Studies

Heneghan Peng Architects was established in New York City in 1999, and moved to Dublin in 2001. Currently projects include the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre in Northern Ireland, and a footbridge for the London 2012 Olympic Games
Heneghan Peng unveils Greenwich School of Architecture plans

[FIRST LOOK] These are the first images of Heneghan Peng’s proposed new £76 million school of architecture for the University of Greenwich.
Hexham Abbey restoration

Hexham Abbey Parochial Church Council is on the hunt for an architect to lead the £1.75 million restoration of its grade I listed buildings
High-speed route will be designed with 'maximum sensitivity'

The route of the proposed high-speed rail (HSR) project will be decided with “maximum sensitivity” to communities along the line, Philip Hammond has said
Holder Mathias unveils £62m Bratislava retail project

Holder Mathias Architects has unveiled this 30,000m² design for its latest European retail project, the One Fashion Outlet
Housing refurb programme, Thenew Housing Association, Glasgow

Thenew Housing Association in Glasgow is seeking tenders for a £15 million repair programme to its existing housing.
Iconic London as sweet as sugar

[LFA RECOMMENDED] NEO Bankside Pavilion, Hopton Street, Bankside, SE1 9JT, 3 July - 4 July, Family Workshops 3 July 10:00 - 12:00 & 14:00 - 16:00, Hard Hat Tours 3 July begins 9:30 then every half hour until 12:00, free but booking essential
In pictures: Concrete progress on Allies and Morrison’s Olympics press centre

The concrete structure of Allies and Morrison’s Main Press Centre (MPC) on the Olympic park in East London has been completed
In pictures: Nouvel’s One New Change

[FIRST LOOK] These are the latest pictures of Jean Nouvel’s One New Change mixed-use shopping centre in The City, London which is nearing completion
Is the office as workplace really dead? No, in fact it’s making a comeback

One of the feistiest debates at this year’s British Council for Offices conference (AJ 10.06.10) was in the closing panel session, ‘How We Work and Why We Work’ - witnessed by Rory Olcayto
James & Taylor aluminium tiles

Tiling gives college shimmering look
Jamie Fobert Architects: V&A Design Studies

Jamie Fobert Architects’ projects include the Centre for Contemporary Culture in Moscow and an international design concept for Givenchy in Paris. Forthcoming projects include the redevelopment of the Charleston Museum in East Sussex
Jobs cull at Austin-Smith:Lord

Austin-Smith:Lord (ASL) has become the latest practice to announce a major round of redundancies, with 55 posts at risk
Journey to King's Cross

[LFA RECOMMENDED] John McAslan + Partners, 7-9 William Road NW1 3ER, 17 June - 5 July, 10:00 - 17:00, free
Judah unveils Goodwood Festival of Speed sculpture

Sculptor Gerry Judah, working with Capita Symonds, created this centrepiece for the 210 Goodwood Festival of Speed
Kalzip XT sheets

Sir Nicholas Grimshaw puts Kalzip to work for rail bridge
Kapoor and Balmond complete Teesside 'giant'

Work has completed on Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond’s huge Temenos sculpture at the Middlehaven Dock redevelopment in Middlesbrough
Kevin McCloud: Smoke 'em if you've got 'em

To Swindon, for a day out with a politician and a TV celebrity
King asks Hadid to design sharia court

Zaha Hadid Architects is one of four practices approached to design a sharia law court in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
King's Place Concert Hall with Jeremy Dixon

[LFA RECOMMENDED] Jeremy Dixon of Dixon Jones Architects, The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, WC1E 7BT, 30 June, 18:30, free but booking essential
LFA Top picks - Viñoly Lecture at Southwark Cathedral

[LFA RECOMMENDED] Rafael Viñoly at Southwark Cathedral 24 June, 19:00 - 21:00, free, but ticketed
Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands reveals UCL masterplan

Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands (LDS) has unveiled its 10-year ‘vision’ for the University College London’s (UCL) Bloomsbury estate
Locals lash out at proposed HOK-PLP cancer lab

Local campaigners have launched a last ditch assault on HOK and PLP’s UKCMRI cancer research centre scheme in Camden, north London
Make’s huge straw-bale building begins

Construction has begun on Make’s £7million biosciences building - the largest straw-bale scheme in the UK
Manchester Co-operative Group headquarters, public realm

The Co-operative Group, with Manchester City Council, is seeking an architect to design the entire public realm for its eight-hectare headquarters development
Masterplan for 'Mid Croydon'

Croydon Council is on the hunt for a team to work on a spatial masterplan for an 8ha site in Croydon
Mayor scraps London Development Agency

The Mayor of London has unveiled a major restructure of the Greater London Authority (GLA) to devolve more power to the boroughs
Mayor to consider widening London’s South Bank

Architect Michael Davis’ proposal to widen London’s South Bank will go before London Mayor Boris Johnson next month
Mayor unveils new protected view policy for London

London Mayor Boris Johnson has published new guidance aimed at increasing and giving more clarity to the protection of the capital’s historic views
Medical Sciences Building, University of St Andrews, by Reiach and Hall Architects

[BUILDING STUDY + DRAWINGS] The decorum displayed by Reiach and Hall’s medical sciences building for the University of St Andrews harks back to the original values of the modern movement, says Miles Glendinning. Photography by Andrew Lee
Ministers to take major infrastructure decisions

Ministers are to take charge of major infrastructure planning applications following the abolition of a quango set up to fast-track decision-making, the Government has announced.
Monodraught retail lighting unit

Unit blends sunpipe and artificial light
Mosedale Gillatt completes Millfield visitors' centre

[First look + plans + project data] Mosedale Gillatt Architects has completed this project to build a visitors’ centre and adjacent footbridge in Jesmond Dene park, Newcastle
Moxon Architects' 'Pocket Park' at The Building Centre

Here are the first pictures of Moxon Architecture’s ‘Pocket Park’ on Store Street, just outside the Building Centre, in advance of tonight’s LFA party
National Indoor Arena, Birmingham

The Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena is seeking an architect to revamp its front-of-house facilities
New architect imminent for Walbrook Square

A new architect for Walbrook Square is set to be announced, following the developer’s decision to revive the scheme, originally designed by Foster + Partners and Jean Nouvel
New English Riviera, Torquay, Devon

Torbay Council is on the hunt for tenders from a private-sector partner and design team to work on the mayor’s vision for the ‘New English Riviera’ at Torquay in Devon
New hotel, University of Nottingham

The University of Nottingham is looking for an architect to design a mid-range, 200-bedroom hotel for its King’s Meadow Campus
New housing for Haiti

To tie in with a prototype housing expo in October, the Haitian government has launched a competition to help with the rebuilding programme in Haiti
New Practices #29: a:b:i:r

The latest in a series of practice profiles looking at architects who have recently decided to go it alone, either through choice or redundancy
New Practices #30: Bubble Architects

The latest in a series of practice profiles looking at architects who have recently decided to go it alone, either through choice or redundancy
New Practices #31: Sandy Rendel Architects

The latest in a series of practice profiles looking at architects who have recently decided to go it alone, either through choice or redundancy
New Practices #32: 2e

The latest in a series of practice profiles looking at architects who have recently decided to go it alone, either through choice or redundancy
Newbridge hall refurbishment, Caerphilly, Wales

With no dedicated community buildings, Newbridge in South Wales is undertaking a £3.8 million refurbishment of its Newbridge Institute and Municipal Hall
Newcastle firms merge to form North East big hitter

Newcastle-based practices Hopper Howe Sadler and Reid Jubb Brown have announced they are to merge to become Sadler Brown Architecture
Nuclear waste threat to Olympic site future

Hundreds of tonnes of radioactive waste is buried beneath the Olympic site in East London, The Guardian has claimed, casting serious doubt on the future development of the area
ODA criticised over turbine

Architects have questioned the Olympic Delivery Authority’s (ODA) decision to abandon a 130m-tall wind turbine at the Olympic Park
ODA turbine decision - a wind of change?

Gareth Roberts of Sturgis Associates discusses the ODA’s decision to scrap its 130m-tall Olympic Park wind turbine
Office for Metropolitan Architecture: V&A Design Studies

The Office for Metropolitan Architecture’s (OMA) recent projects include Casa da Música in Porto, Seattle Central Library and Beijing’s CCTV headquarters. OMA founder Rem Koolhaas won the 2000 Pritzker Prize
Only collective action can save architectural education

Higher education is facing swingeing cuts and space-hungry architectural education could well be in the front line, says Robert Mull
Open-City aims to take over CABE enabling

Open-City is mobilising to take over the enabling work previously carried out by CABE
Orbit tower joins London skyline

Construction work has begun on Anish Kapoor’s 115m-high Orbit tower for the 2012 Olympics in east London
Osborne wants planning incentives

Chancellor George Osborne has said more should be done to allow local communities to benefit financially for accepting the approval of nearby planning projects
Ott's Yard houses, Tufnell Park by vPPR

Young London practice vPPR has submitted planning permission for this residential development project in North London
Pat Borer and David Lea unveil the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education

Pat Borer and David Lea Architects have revealed images of their completed Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE) at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Wales
Piercy Conner unveils ‘pared-back’ houses for Bloomsbury

[FIRST LOOK + PLAN] Piercy Conner Architects has won permission for this three-townhouse scheme in the Bloomsbury Conservation Area, central London
Planning news: Fast-food outlet near school banned

A High Court judge has overturned plans to build a fast-food takeaway near a school that employs a healthy-eating policy
Plasform® post-formed doors for University of Strathclyde new biomedical building

Specialist environments call for specialist designs.
PLP’s Camden 'super lab' in for planning

PLP Architecture’s £500 million biomedical research centre scheme at Kings Cross in Camden, London, has been submitted for planning
Pocket Habitat by Arup and Sky-Garden

Pocket Habitat’s new era for green roofing
Populous lands Chinese stadium

Stadium specialists Populous, the practice behind the centrepiece arena at the London 2012 Olympic Games, has won a contract to build a major sports development in China
Prince Charles calls on councils to revamp historic buildings

The Prince of Wales has pleaded with local authorities to view old buildings as regeneration opportunities rather than burdens
Prince Charles' Chelsea Barracks role 'covered up'

Witnesses ‘concocted an untrue story’ to cover up the influnce of the Prince of Wales and the Emir of Qatar in the cancellation of Richard Rogers’ Chelsea Barracks scheme, a High Court judge has been told
Projects revived as confidence grows

The number of projects on hold worth more than £100 million has dropped to the lowest level since June 2008
PRP wins planning to revamp Balfron Tower block

PRP Architects has won planning permission for a project to revamp Carradale House, part of the Ernö Goldfinger-designed Brownfield housing estate in east London
RA Summer Exhibition winners announced

Steve Chilton of Marks Barfield Architects has won the £10,000 architecture prize at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, sponsored by Bovis Lend Lease and supported by the AJ
RDA cost cull: Where the £270 million cuts fell

The Treasury’s plans to abolish regional development agencies has hit the South the hardest
Regent Street Windows

[LFA RECOMMENDED] Regent Street, 18 Jun - 4 July, 10:00 - 18:00, free
Relaunched: Manser Medal boasts new £10,000 top prize

The RIBA Manser Medal has been given a facelift with a new first prize, sponsor, trophy, dedicated ceremony and a return to ‘one-off’ houses
Revealed: Jacobs’ Blackfriars Railway Bridge station

Jacobs Architecture has revealed the first images of its Blackfriars Station and Blackfriars Railway Bridge redevelopment which is set to open in spring 2012
Reynaers folding door system

Folding door system maximises flexibility
RIAS competition: Linlithgow sustainable housing

As part of the Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative, the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) is managing a design competition based around a site in Whitecross, Linlithgow
RIBA votes for 'strong action' to tackle student problems and low pay

The RIBA has today (24 June) voted to back ‘a suite of proposals’ to support architecture students and young practitioners during the recession
RIBA Yorkshire launches Forgotten Spaces Sheffield

RIBA Yorkshire has launched its own version of the previously London-only Forgotten Spaces competition, focusing on Sheffield
Richard Haut’s EU tenders (03.06.10)

Richard Haut’s round-up of European opportunities. This week: Five leads including the rennovation of Bad Wiessee water park in Germany, and a housing study for Bordeaux
Richard Haut’s EU tenders (10.06.10)

Richard Haut’s round-up of European opportunities. This week: Six leads including the renovation of Ardenne Abbey in France, and a green link for Lille
Richard Haut’s EU tenders (17.06.10)

Richard Haut’s round-up of European opportunities. This week: Six leads including a renovation project for French broadcaster AEF, and a masterplan for the University of Cyprus
Richard Haut’s EU tenders (24.06.10)

Richard Haut’s round-up of European opportunities. This week: Five leads, including the renovation of the Swiss Council of States Chamber and the revamp of University of Montpellier’s campus
Richard Haut’s EU tenders, 08.07.10

Richard Haut rounds up European opportunities. This week: Five leads, including the renovation of the French Embassy in Rabat, Morocco, and a coastal erosion study for Ault in France
Richard Haut’s EU tenders, 15.07.10

Richard Haut rounds up European opportunities. This week: Five leads, including the renovation of shopping streets in Arcachon, France, and the redevelopment of the Cologne Opera House in Germany
Richard Rogers wins vast Paris project

Richard Rogers has landed a huge masterplanning job in Paris, just days after a High Court ruling over his scrapped Chelsea Barracks scheme
RMJM’s Commonwealth Games athletes’ village goes for planning

RMJM has submitted plans for its athletes’ village scheme at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
RMJM’s Gazprom skyscraper avoids another legal wrangle

A Russian court has ditched an appeal against RMJM’s controversial 455m-tall Gazprom skyscraper in St Petersburg, Russia
Rockpanel Chameleon brings together present and future environment

Peachey House, a residential development in Ilford, East London, is a symbolic landmark spearheading the regeneration and setting the tone for all further building in this area.
Rogers 'breached planning law'

Richard Rogers has been forced to stop construction work on his £12 million town house after he was found to be in breach of planning laws
Row over government density plans

Architects have described the government decision to scrap minimum density targets for housing and ban development on gardens as an ‘ideological kneejerk reaction’
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

Architecture makes the most of its generous new space at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, with work that is less style, more substance, writes Gillian Darley
RTPI: Removal of £150m housing grant will slow recovery

The RTPI has criticised the government’s decision to scrap a housing grant for councils
Rural Studio at the V&A

[LFA Reports] Last night the hallowed halls of the V&A played unlikely host to a conversation about the work of Rural Studio: the hands-on, experimental education program based in Hale County, Alabama
Santambrogiomilano's Glass House

[LFA REPORT] 90-92 Great Portland Street W1W 7NT, 19 June - 23 June, 9:00 - 17:00, free
Schapps: new homes could be built without permission

Affordable housing projects could be built without planning permission if they are backed by the vast majority of local people under new guidelines laid out by the coalition Government
Schott colour-effect glass

Schott adds new hues to colour-effect glass
Schüco facade

Facade helps college meet green targets
Scotland’s ‘BSF’ given £300m boost

The Scottish government has injected £300 million into its schools building programme, aimed at delivering 35 primary and secondary schools
Scott Brownrigg rehouses Royal Horse Artillery

Scott Brownrigg has completed the new £16 million home for the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Woolwich
Screening of the award winning film AUTO*MATE

[LFA RECOMMENDED] Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS, 29 June, 20:45, standard ticket £9.50, Concession £7.50
Seattle central waterfront redevelopment

Seattle, USA, is seeking a design team to deliver one of the most significant civic projects in its 150-year history, the redevelopment of its central waterfront
Select your dream Stirling Shortlist

This week’s Architects’ Journal showcases all this year’s national RIBA award winners. Six of these projects will make it onto the Stirling Prize shortlist. Which would you pick?
Shapps digs out £140 million to kickstart HCA's Kickstart

The Government has announced is to come up with some funding to plug the £610 million gap in the Homes and Communities Agency’s (HCA) finances which has seen all uncontracted publicly-funded housing projects shelved
Sheppard Robson reveals regeneration plans

Final proposals for Hammersmith town centre’s regeneration scheme have been unveiled by Sheppard Robson
SHIFTboston: Moon architecture

It was only a matter of time before someone announced a competition for a new lunar base
Snøhetta: V&A Design Studies

Snøhetta received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2004 for its Alexandria Library in Egypt. The practice is currently working on the Cultural Centre for the 9/11 memorial site in New York City
Something fishy at Smithfield Market

The ongoing saga surrounding the redevelopment (or not) of London’s Smithfield General Market has taken another twist
South London Gallery extension, Peckham by 6a Architects

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] The South London Gallery has opened the doors to its newly expanded home in Peckham
Space Group selected for Northampton Tall Buildings Strategy

Architecture and urban design company Space Group has been selected to produce the first ever Tall Building Strategy for Northampton
Spending cuts kill off Hull regeneration company

Hull Forward will relinquish its regeneration activities before the end of the year, following government spending cuts
Spending cuts: Aylesbury estate regeneration loses £20 million

Levitt Bernstein and Pollard Thomas Edwards’ £2.4billion Aylesbury estate regeneration scheme, south London, is being redrawn following a huge loss of Homes and Community Agency (HCA) funding
Spending cuts: Freeze on DCM’s Birmingham court scheme

The Ministry of Justice has placed Denton Corker Marshall’s proposed Birmingham magistrates’ court on indefinite hold as part of its £325 million saving programme
Spending cuts: Sheffield retail quarter suspended

A raft of architects including Hawkins\Brown look set to lose out following the government decision to ‘review’ funding for the £600 million Sevenstone retail quarter in Sheffield
Sprinklers bill lands unanimous Welsh Assembly backing

A bill to make sprinklers mandatory in all new residential schemes in Wales has landed unanimous backing from the Welsh Assembly
Star meets architects

“Hello Kingston University…”
Stewart McColl has designs on you

The one-time head honcho of SMC Group, which hit the headlines almost weekly in the mid-noughties as it snaffled up a slew of practices, has once more set his eyes on acquisitions
Stirling Prize coverage switches to BBC

This year’s RIBA Stirling Prize will be shown as a special edition of BBC Two’s The Culture Show - a move which ends a ten-year relationship with Channel 4
StoSilent Modular

StoSilent Modular ceilings offer the designer a series of suspended acoustic panel options and an elegant solution that exposes the building structure to benefit from thermal gain. Particularly suitable for retrofitting.
Strata Tiles - Marron Jupiter, a success!

When specifying a luxurious natural stone with striking white and gold veining, think Marron Jupiter, the stunning product from Strata Tiles.
Studio East temporary restaurant, London by Carmody Groarke

Carmody Groarke has completed this low-cost, ‘pop-up’ restaurant on top of the partially built Westfield Stratford City development in east London
Studiodare reveals Battersea Underground station plans

[FIRST LOOK] Studiodare has unveiled the first images of its design for a new Northern Line station which will serve the Rafael Vinoly-masterplanned Battersea Power Station project
Survey: Regional Development Agencies unloved

Less than one in 20 property professionals believe Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) should be kept in their present form
Sutherland Hussey Architects: V&A Design Studies

Edinburgh-based Sutherland Hussey Architects’ Tiree Ferry Shelter was shortlisted for the Stirling Prize and the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2003. More recently, the practice has won a number of high-profile projects, including a new city museum in Chengdu, China
SWA wins Nanjing Hexi riverfront design competition

SWA Group has won a design competition for the redevelopment of a 7km stretch of riverfront in China’s southern capital, Nanjing
Tales of Things – Tagging Shoreditch

[LFA RECOMMENDED] taleofthings, Locations along Shoreditch High Street, 19 June - 4 July, free iPhone app download
The AA's invisible pavilion

Fans of the Architectural Association’s summer pavilions will be saddened to hear the innovative one-off structure will be absent from London’s Bedford Square this year
The Arc dining table by Foster + Partners

Foster table wins Grand Designs award
The big debate: Schumacher vs Adam

Patrik Shumacher and Robert Adam went head to head last night (9 June) in an architectural debate organised by the Traditional Architecture Group
The Hellman Files #11

A trawl through Hellman’s archives, in which we uncover gems that are as relevant now as they were then.
The loss of our ‘Made in England’ heritage will echo for generations

A steam-train journey from Milton Keynes to Carlisle reminds Jane Taylor of what Britain has left behind
The New Décor opens at the Southbank Centre

[PICTURES] The Hayward Gallery at the Southbank Centre plays host to a highlight of their Festival Brazil, The New Décor, an exhibition of pieces from 22 artists
The Oikos Project

[LFA RECOMMENDED] Malborough Playground. Union St, SE1, 19 June - 30 September, 9:00 - 17:00, free
The Regs: Fire risk assessments

Geoff Wilkinson analyses Fire Risk Assessments and Regulation 16B Fire Plans
'The RIBA's proposals barely scratch the surface of the root cause of low pay'

The RIBA needs to take quicker, clearer and more measurable steps to tackle low pay and other student problems, says Alison Coutinho
The rise in first-time winners at this year’s RIBA Awards is cause to be optimistic

Paul Monaghan analyses the best architecture produced in the UK over the last year
The Union Street Urban Orchard

[LFA RECOMMENDED] The Union Street Urban Orchard, 100 Union Street, SE1, 19 June - 4 July, 9:00 - 17:00, free
This magazine belongs to you

The AJ is the voice of the profession, so tell us what you want to see in your magazine, writes Christine Murray
Thorn: Menlo³ - Freedom to create with the power to comply

In anticipation of the forthcoming changes to lighting industry standards to improve the efficiency and quality of office lighting, Thorn has launched a new range of modular fluorescent luminaires: Menlo³.
Tim Ronalds Architects’ performing arts centre, Sevenoaks School, Kent

Tim Ronalds Architects’ performing arts centre for Sevenoaks School in Kent is a tough, unyielding and tactile development, with acoustic design that is totally integrated with the architecture, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Christian Richters
Tony Fretton Architects: V&A Design Studies

Projects by Tony Fretton Architects include the British Embassy in Warsaw, and the Lisson Gallery and Camden Arts Centre in London. Fuglsang Kunstmuseum in Denmark, the practice’s most significant building for the display of art, was shortlisted for the 2009 Stirling Prize
Top of the world: Reiach & Hall bags prize for Glasgow Hospital

Reiach & Hall Architects’s New Stobhill Hospital at Glasgow has been named the best smaller scale hospital in the world
TP Bennett wins green light for Seifert-inspired tower

TP Bennett has won planning permission for this sinuous 146-apartment residential development for developer Londonewcastle in Croydon, south London
Trinity University College, Carmarthen, Wales

Trinity University College in Carmarthen, Wales, needs an architect to design a new teaching block
Uncovered: Charles' letter to Qatari emir

The letter at the centre of the controversy surrounding Prince Charles’ opposition to Richard Rogers’ Chelsea Barracks proposals has been revealed
V&A's Small Spaces exhibition opens

The museum has commissioned seven international architects at the forefront of experimental design to create their first built structures in the UK.
Vertical City: Ravensbourne Collaborative Workshop

[LFA RECOMMENDED] IRIS Worldwide, 185 Park Street, SE1 9DY, 29 June, 15:00 - 21:00, free but registation essential
Victoria Station to double in size

Weston Williamson is to mastermind the £700 million overhaul of Victoria Station in central London – the biggest infrastructure project in the city after Crossrail
Video: BCO conference interviews

Watch interviews with Chris Grigg, British Land chief executive, and Stuart Fraser, chairman of the City of London Corporation’s policy and resources committee
'Visionary' Bartlett prof takes over Greenwich

Bartlett digital professor Neil Spiller has been appointed as the new head of the School of Architecture and Construction at the University of Greenwich
Wales Institute for Sustainable Education, CAT

Light permeates this building, which merges organically with its surroundings, says Hattie Hartman
'Walls, ceilings and partitions: essential components of retrofit projects'

[AJS EDITORIAL] This month’s product focus couldn’t be more germane
Walters and Cohen wins Horniman green light

Walters and Cohen has won planning permission for a new masterplan for the Grade II-listed Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill, South London.
Westminster to axe £1m from planning staff

Westminster Council will cut £1 million from its planning staff budget as part of savings expected to be rubber-stamped tonight (28 June)
Weston Williamson designs Woolwich Crossrail station

Weston Williamson Architects is designing Crossrail’s final inner-London station at Woolwich, the AJ can reveal
Will Alsop's fancy dress party

Unusual news from the forthcoming London Festival of Architecture (19 June-4 July)
Win AJ priority passes to beat the queues on Open House weekend

London’s post-war housing and the BT Tower are set to take centre stage at this year’s Open House architecture event - and there are priority passes for AJ subscribers
Winner of 3DReid student prize revealed

The winner of UK’s largest student competition, run by 3DReid, has been revealed
Winners named in Severn Crossing ideas contest

RIBA South West has announced the victors in its Linking the Lands ideas competition for a third crossing of the River Severn
Work begins on HLM’s Hull City health centre

Construction has started on HLM Architects’ £16 million Wilberforce Health Centre scheme in Hull
Working Detail: Sevenoaks School, by Tim Ronalds Architects

[WORKING DETAIL 24.04.10] Auditorium roof construction
Zero carbon hub secures private funding lifeline

A body that provides advice to the housing industry on ‘zero carbon’ construction has secured its financial future after agreeing a funding deal with the private sector

Architects JournalJune 2010

Architects Journal
June 2010