Architects Journal
January 2013

View all stories from this issue.

Glass ceiling pay gap revealed: 26% of women directors earn less

Second AJ Women in Architecture survey reveals that unequal pay persists, while 89 per cent of women say having children is detrimental to career progression
Government to relax office-to-housing planning rules

The government is expected to relax planning rules to make it easier for developers to convert offices to housing later this week
Norman Foster travel scholarship opens for entries

[Submissions must be received by 26 April] Applications are now being received to the 2013 RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship
‘Gingerbread House’ wins AJ Small Projects 2013 Award

Laura Dewe Mathews’ £245,000 urban infill dwelling in London has won this year’s AJ Small Projects Award
‘Zaha Hadid vs the Pirates’

These tales of Chinese piracy amount to great PR for Zaha Hadid’s architectural brand, says Rory Olcayto
2.2% drop in UCAS architecture applications

More than 700 fewer students have applied to study undergraduate architecture courses this year, according to UCAS figures
42 Architects completes skatepark at Swedish UNESCO heritage site

Images have been released of a new skatepark in Sweden designed by emerging, London-based practice 42 Architects
AA symposium: Why architects are mapping the Arctic

[AA Lecture Hall 12pm, 2 February] Discover the science and motivation behind ScanLAB’s latest project to create 3D models of melting icebergs in the Arctic Circle
AHMM wins planning for Waterloo student digs

Burgeoning practice AHMM has won planning permission for a 1,093-room student accommodation block in Waterloo, London
Airport tzar Moylan: Farrell's rail hub airport link is 'ludicrous'

The Mayor’s aviation adviser Daniel Moylan has branded plans by Terry Farrell to improve rail links as an alternative to increasing airport capacity as ‘ludicrous’.
AJ Footprint's pick of the greenest Small Projects

From retrofit to temporary structures, from a floating tidemill to a cowshed, green ingenuity shines through in many projects this year
AJ Small Projects - reaction and pictures

All the reaction and excitement from last night’s AJ Small Projects Awards 2013 party at the NLA in London
AKA Community win planning for ‘Invisible house’

[FIRST LOOK] Net-zero ‘Invisible house’ begins work on greenbelt land in Greater Manchester
Alma-nac remodels Slim House

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Alma-nac Collaborative Architecture have extensively remodeled and extended a 2.3m wide terraced house in Clapham, south London
Anderson Bell + Christie's Hebridean community hall opens doors

[FIRST LOOK + DATA] Anderson Bell + Christie’s newly-opened community centre and bunk house has won a Civic Trust Award
Andrew Gould appointed new chairman of UK-GBC

The director of Jones Lang LaSalle has taken over from Lend Lease’s Dan Labbad as chairman of the UK Green Building Council
Anger as Strathclyde school of architecture leaves Brutalist home

The decision by the University of Strathclyde to move its school of architecture out of its much-loved 1960s home has been slammed by former tutors and students
Anglo-American rising star Synthesis completes Thai plaza

[FIRST LOOK + ELEVATIONS + DATA] Synthesis Design + Architecture have completed the plaza for a 60,000m² shopping mall outside Chiang Mai, in Thailand
Architects sought for housing association framework, London

[Expressions of interest are due by 1 March] Viridian Housing is looking for architects to sit on its consultancy services framework overseeing its London properties
Architects urged to join Brazil trade mission

Housing minister Mark Prisk is leading a trade mission to Rio de Janeiro this spring as the Brazilian city gears up for the 2016 Olympic Games
Architects: Questions over EU 'not good for business'

British architects have warned that their competitiveness abroad will be badly damaged if the UK leaves the European Union.
Architecture as new geography

Grafton Architects discuss the importance of place within architecture
Architecture’s big collective sigh

Ian Martin brainstorms a new collective noun for architects
Architype scoops another Passivhaus planning win

[FIRST LOOK + DATA + DRAWINGS] Architype has won planning for a Passivhaus Archive and Records Centre in Hereford
Armstrong Atelier Centres On Its Peerless Building Prowess

Armstrong Ceilings has refreshed its Atelier stand at The Building Centre.
Atkins reveals 4,500 home scheme in Bahrain

Atkins is to play an key role in the design of a major affordable housing project in Bahrain
AZPA scoops International Film Festival cinema refurb comp

London-headquartered practice AZPA has won a competition to refurbish a cinema complex in Locarno for the Swiss city’s International Film Festival
Back on the road: John Maguire overhauls NI petrol station

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] John Maguire Architects has added a shop and reconfigured the forecourt of a service station in Northern Ireland
Best in class BRE green guide rating for Knauf Insulation’s Polyfoam Eco

After extensive testing by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) Knauf Insulation’s PolyfoamÒ ECO range of extruded polystyrene products has achieved a certified BRE Green Guide Rating of “A”.
Blakeway: ‘London’s housing problems will take many mayoral terms to solve’

James Pallister talks to Richard Blakeway, deputy Mayor for housing, land and property, about building thousands more homes in the capital
Boles and Pickles should be congratulated for implementing a long-overdue reform

Bravo for as-of-right opportunities for office owners to convert their buildings for residential use without planning permission, says Paul Finch
CABE pans first post-Olympic homes

The first housing to emerge as part of London’s Olympic legacy has been described as a ‘poor precedent’ for future development
Cabe wins statutory role advising UK infrastructure

The Cabe team at the Design Council has been named as the statutory adviser for all nationally significant infrastructure projects
Calatrava defends £81 million fees for Valencia work

Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava defended his fees for his work in Valencia
CAT Graduate Architecture Show 2013

Students on the Centre for Alternative Technology’s part 2 course exhibit their work
'Cautious optimism' for US housing market

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has declared itself ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the US housing market in 2013
Chelsea barracks ‘under review’

The owners of London’s £3 billion Chelsea Barracks redevelopment have placed the project on hold
Chester's King Charles Tower restore by Donald Insall

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Donald Insall Associates has completed the £202,000 restoration of the King Charles Tower, in Chester
Child Graddon Lewis completes Egyptian tower house

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Child Graddon Lewis has released these images of house made from salt, mud and palm trees in Egypt
Clean space - Crit Building by Guy Hollaway Architects

Guy Hollaway Architects’ Crit Building for Kent School of Architecture is kinetic but practical, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Charles Hosea
Comment: ‘Offices are crucial to the economy so don’t rush to convert to homes’

The City needs an opt-out to stop residential developers diluting business offer, says British Council for Offices chief executive Richard Kauntze
Competition launched to revamp Barkingside street fronts

[Registration must be completed by 28 January] The London Borough of Redbridge has launched the ‘Barkingside Frontages’ design contest to create a ‘vibrant’ Barkingside town centre
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 10.01.13

Roehampton University, Sussex business centres across and Kilmartin House Museum . The Editor’s pick of this week’s top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 17.01.13

London’s Tricycle Theatre, Islington Council framework and the Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship. The Editor’s pick of this week’ top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 24.01.13

Gold Coast City, South West Wales and the Wheelwright travelling fellowship. The Editor’s pick of this week’s top competitions.
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 31.01.13

A 12,000 seat arena in Bristol, a £6 million housing development in Ayrshire and a county council architects framework. The Editor’s pick of this week’s top competitions.
Concept architect sought for Sussex business centres

[Requests to participate to be received by 14 February] Economic development company Sea Change Sussex is seeking an architect to develop a design concept for a series of business centres
Construction industry calls for quotas to ease gender inequality

More than half of those questioned in a survey believed the industry should look to quotas to force companies to employ a certain number of women
Construction output tumbles nearly 10 per cent

Construction output fell almost 10 per cent year on year in November, and was down 3.4 per cent on a month earlier
Contest for 12,000 seat arena in Bristol launched

Former RIBA President and newly elected Bristol mayor George Ferguson has announced a design contest for a 12,000-spectator arena in the city
Continued growth in US architects' workloads

Workloads for US architects have grown for the fifth consecutive month
Council launches South West Wales architecture framework

[Requests to participate 6 March] Carmarthenshire County Council is seeking architects for a four year regional framework covering South West Wales
Council seek architects services in framework, Northamptonshire

[Expressions of interest due by 18 February] Northamptonshire County Council is on the hunt for architects services for a new three-year framework agreement
CPD: Design and specification of lead sheet roofing

This is the last of three CPDs sponsored by the Lead Sheet Association (LSA). It covers rolled lead sheet finishes to flat and pitched roofs, including fixings, gutters and ventilation details.
CPMG and Space among priority school first wave winners

The architects chosen for the first phase of the government’s £2.4 billion priority schools building programme (PSBP) have been announced
Create Better Indoor Environments With Forbo

Flotex and Marmoleum from Forbo Flooring Systems are the only floor coverings to have been awarded the prestigious “Seal of Approval” from Allergy UK as, with the correct cleaning regime, they will not harbour house dust mites or pet allergens.
Crown Trade Timonox In Historic Colours - Historic Shades With Flame Retardant Protection

Crown Trade’s Timonox Flame Retardant Coatings can be specified in the brand’s Historic Colours collection - achieving an authentic look for period properties with the reassurance of a high technology formulation designed to buy precious time to protect life and property.
Debbie Flevotomou wins Battersea spiritual centre contest

London-based Debbie Flevotomou Architects has won the £1,250 first prize in an ideas competition organised by JB Builders to design a spiritual centre in Battersea
Design quality needs to be on everybody's agenda in the planning debate

The more talk there is of local identity, the faster we see the closure of fire stations, libraries, police stations and swimming pools, writes Paul Finch
Design team needed for £6 million Ayrshire housing scheme

[Request to participate to be received by 25 February] South Ayrshire Council is on the hunt for an architect led design team for a £6 million housing development
Digital edition: AJ Specification, January 2013

Roofing and drainage
Donald Insall completes Anglesey visitor centre

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Donald Insall Associates has restored and expanded a Grade II-listed industrial copper bin shed in Almwch, Wales
Ecophon Delivers Divine Ceiling Solution

Ecophon, part of leading international materials company Saint-Gobain, has been helping to resolve acoustic challenges brought about by the transformation of a London church into a new multi-use theological college.
Ecophon: Acoustic office design in the spotlight at Surface Design Show

Acoustic office design will be the focus for Ecophon, part of leading international materials company Saint-Gobain, at the Surface Design Show held at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London (5-7 February).
Emerging Woman Architect of the Year Award shortlist: Fiona Scott

Fiona Scott is founder of Gort Scott
Emerging Woman Architect of the Year shortlist: Amritha Ballal

Amritha Ballal is founding partner of SpaceMatters in New Delhi
Emerging Woman Architect of the Year shortlist: Anna Page

Anna Page is a senior architect at Atelier Zumthor
Emerging Woman Architect of the Year shortlist: Bev Dockray

Bev Dockray is a director at Coppin Dockray Architects
Emerging Woman Architect of the Year shortlist: Hazel Rounding

Hazel Rounding is director at shedKM
Emerging Woman Architect of the Year shortlist: Lisa Basu

Lisa Basu is a project architect at Fereday Pollard
Emerging Woman Architect of the Year shortlist: Maria Smith

Maria Smith is a founding director at Studio Weave
Emerging Woman Architect of the Year: Olga Felip

Olga Felip is co-founder of Catalonia-based practice Arquitecturia
Energy Conversations: Electric Blues

Pathways to a lower carbon Britain
Eric Parry bags Brighton College go-ahead

Eric Parry Architects has won planning permission for two new buildings at the George Gilbert Scott-designed Brighton College housing the private schools’ departments of music and drama
EU construction back in decline

European Union construction output has plunged again
Everything’s gonna be all white: Richard Meier’s 50 years in practice

AJ exclusive: American starchitect Richard Meier talks to Merlin Fulcher after more than half a century at the top of the profession
Ex-Lighthouse boss weighs in: 'George Sq should become urban laboratory'

The former director of the Lighthouse Stuart MacDonald calls for mass public participation in any new vision for Glasgow’s George Square
Ex-MBLA team wins big in Manchester

A team from now-defunct MBLA Architects has won the £113 million housing-led Brunswick PFI regeneration scheme in Manchester
Expect the unexpected

James Pallister discovers why The Why Factory is planning for black swans
Final call for entries for this year's AJ100 survey

The deadline looms for submissions to the UK’s most important architecture survey - the prestigious AJ100
Finalists in Millennium Point contest revealed

The AJ can exclusively reveal the concept schemes by the six finalists in the RIBA-backed ideas competition to design a new ‘marker’ for Grimshaw’s Millennium Point complex in Birmingham
Fletcher Priest’s £25m Carmelite Riverside starts on site

Work has begun on Fletcher Priest Architects’ £25 million refurbishment of Carmelite Riverside at 50 Victoria Embankment in London
Footprint's 5 things to do this week

This week’s events include a conference on the efficiencies of BIM and discussion on why social sustainability matters
Footprint's 5 things to do this week

This week’s events include a debate on the specification of timber and a conference on retrofitting London’s housing stock
Footprint's 5 things to do this week

This week’s events include a presentation by Grafton Architects at the AA and the launch of the BRE National Solar Centre
Footprint's 5 things to do this week

This week’s events include the first in a series of talks from the 2012 ar+d Emerging Architecture Awards winners and another from Wolfgang Feist
FootprintWire 01.02.13

Today’s green news: African Konza Technology City masterplan by SHoP Architects enters first phase
FootprintWire 04.02.13

Today’s green news: Natural temporary sand art, by British artist Tony Plant
FootprintWire 05.02.13

Today’s green news: Carbon capture storage system takes inspiration from sea urchins
FootprintWire 06.02.13

Today’s green news: Bam! win the 2013 MAXXI Young Architects Programme with a floating balloon providing shade
FootprintWire 11.01.13

Today’s green news: An off-grid pavilion constructed from nylon fabric treated with a nanoparticle spray neutralizes airborne pollutants
FootprintWire 14.01.13

Today’s green news: American designer creates pre-fabricated energy-efficient office units that avoid the daily commute to work
FootprintWire 15.01.13

Today’s green news: Russian airport features undulating roof design that harnesses light by Grimshaw Architects
FootprintWire 16.01.13

Today’s green news: Konbit Shelter build post disaster ‘superadobe’ homes from biodegradable materials in Haiti
FootprintWire 17.01.13

Today’s green news: Montage of images by Chinese photographers shows residents protecting themselves from smog
FootprintWire 21.01.13

Today’s green news: New office HQ for environmental organisation The Bullitt Foundation nears completion in Seattle
FootprintWire 22.01.13

Today’s green news: Shipping container bridge to be constructed in Israeli National Park
FootprintWire 23.01.13

Today’s green news: nArchitects win competition to develop new modular housing model for New York City
FootprintWire 24.01.13

Today’s green news: Latvian practice NRJA design sustainable floating homes
FootprintWire 25.01.13

Today’s green news: Chicago’s Green Tech Centre receives LEED platinum certfification for its existing building
FootprintWire 28.01.13

Today’s green news: Warming winters caused by large energy consumption of North American cities
FootprintWire 29.01.13

Today’s green news: Project Bosco Verticale in Milan promotes biodiversity, by Boeri Studio
FootprintWire 30.01.13

Today’s green news: LEED-gold certified high rise development in China by Steven Holl Architects completes
FootprintWire 31.01.13

Today’s green news: Tokyo townhouse encourages nature into urban site by Ryue Nishizawa
Foster completes his first building in South America

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] Foster + Partners has unwrapped this nine-storey apartment block in Buenos Aires, the UK largest practice’s first completed building in Latin America
Foster to design South Korean tyre research facility

Foster + Partners is to design a research and development facility in South Korea for Hankook Tire
Freeform solution from Formtexx

All the bespoke double curved perforated aluminium panels required to complete the spectacular archways over the road entrances to the hugely impressive L’Atoll retail complex in Angers were designed and manufactured to automotive precision standards by UK freeform curvature specialists, Formtexx.
Fresh hope for Rogers’ World Trade Centre tower restart

Richard Rogers’ tower at the World Trade Centre could be on the rise again soon after reports that a tenant was almost in the bag
George Ferguson: 'Bristol is a laboratory for change'

Newly elected Bristol Mayor George Ferguson has set out his vision for the future of the city at the launch of Bristol: Retrofit City at the NLA
George Square debacle has roots in 80s 'City of Culture' campaign

[From the deputy editor] Glasgow’s failure to embrace bold, imaginative urban design led to this George Square debacle, says Rory Olcayto
George Square: Matheson ditched contest after jury snubbed Burns + Nice

Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson scrapped the George Square competition because the jury rejected his favourite scheme, it has been claimed
Getting housing moving

What needs to happen to increase the production of quality homes? The AJ brought together an expert panel to debate the issues.
GKD: Clearing the stage for metallic mesh

Protective roof for Roman theatre in France
Glasgow bags Smart City cash windfall

Glasgow has won a £24million Government-backed ‘smart city’ grant, after beating off competition from 30 other British cities and towns
Glasgow council U-turn on George Square branded an ‘embarrassment’

The controversial decision to scrap the international competition to overhaul Glasgow’s George Square has been branded an ‘embarrassment’ and ‘a shameful waste of time’
Going Dutch: AJ 24.01.13

Digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 24.01.13 | Number 3 | Volume 237
Gold Coast City design competition opens

[Contest launches March 2013] Gold Coast City Council in Australia has opened a two-stage international contest to design a new 110,000m² cultural precinct
Government to relax 'solid wall' planning rules to boost Green Deal uptake

The government has relaxed planning rules in a bid to make insulating homes easier
Green Deal branded bad for built environment and for profession

Fears are growing that architects are being marginalised in the multibillion pound Green Deal energy efficiency retrofit drive
Green Deal cash back scheme opens

In the run up to the official launch of the Green Deal later this month, DECC has opened up a £125million cash back scheme
Green Deal interest rates too high says industry

Interest rates announced for Green Deal payment plans could be too high to provide the ‘transformative effects’ hoped for by the government
Green Deal officially launches

After several false starts the government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme, the Green Deal, finally launched today
Green Deal, green what? Survey reveals public largely unaware of scheme

With less than a week until the Green Deal officially launches consumers are still clueless as to what it is according to a new poll
Green roofs

Many products that aim to make the construction of green roofs simpler and more efficient are now available, including pre-seeded blankets, planted modules and drainage layers
Hadid or Assemblage? Confusion reigns over Iraqi Parliament victory

The winner of the competition to design the £620 million Iraqi Parliament complex has described the confusion over who will be awarded the contract as ‘bad news for architecture’
Harvard opens 2013 Wheelwright travelling fellowship

[Registration to be completed by 15 February] Harvard University is accepting entries to its 2013 Wheelwright travelling fellowship worth £62,000
Haworth Tompkins' NT revamp lands chunk of £11m HLF handout

Haworth Tompkins’ redevelopment of the National Theatre in London is among four schemes to benefit from a £11million lottery funding windfall.
Heading for Hungary: Sheppard Robson designs spa retreat

[FIRST LOOK] Sheppard Robson has designed this spa hotel and cultural retreat, including an art gallery and artists’ studios in Sopron, Hungar
Helicopter crashes into Broadway Malyan's Vauxhall Tower

A helicopter has crashed into a crane working on Broadway Malyan’s Vauxhall Tower in Vauxhall, South London this morning at 8am
Hellman Cartoon

The Hellman Files #88: A trawl through Hellman’s archives, in which we uncover gems as relevant now as they were then
Herzog & de Meuron to design super-tall resi-tower at Canary Wharf

Herzog & de Meuron is to design a new tower at Canary Wharf which is set to become one of the capital’s tallest residential buildings
How we choose a shortlist: AJ Small Projects 2013 part 1

The high quality of submissions has made it a tough call but this year’s shortlist is perhaps the strongest ever, writes Rory Olcayto
HS2 Northern route revealed

The government has revealed the 340 km-long preferred route for High Speed 2 (HS2) north of Birmingham
HS2 stations: Farrell reveals Crewe mega hub plans

Plans by Terry Farrell to transform Crewe station into a new interchange for High Speed 2 have been revealed
Hub city: Grimshaw moots London airport growth solution

Grimshaw has revealed plans to increase airport capacity in the capital by routing transfers through the capital
Hunt begins for Peter Pan Moat Brae restoration design team

[Requests to participate to be received before 4 March] The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust in Dumfries seeks to appoint an architect-led multidisciplinary team for redevelopment and new build works
In pictures: all the action from the AJ Small Projects' speed crit

An intriguing behind-the-scenes peek at the two minute speed crits by the 24 AJ Small Projects 2013 finalists during yesterday’s judging
In pictures: Young outfit ZAP bags Dublin university job

London-based practice ZAP Architecture has won an RIAI-backed competition for a new entrance at Dublin City University
Industry reaction: Architects slam report calling for wholesale tower blocks demolition

Architects have strongly condemned a think-tank report calling for all UK social housing high-rises to be replaced with terraced streets
Inquest into fire at Lakanal House begins

An inquest has begun this week into the fatal fire at the 14-storey Lakanal House council housing block, south London
Inside Davos

BioRegional’s Sue Riddlestone reports
Interface Reinforces its Commitment to Sustainable Innovation at Ecobuild

At this year’s Ecobuild, Interface will provide a glimpse into its world with some hard facts about the real environmental impact of carpet tiles and the company’s unique approach to reducing this.
International money boosts London property market

Fresh evidence has emerged of the influx of foreign money into the London residential market.
Interview: New Stride Treglown chair reveals growth plans

Stride Treglown’s newly appointed chair David Hunter discusses the pressure on fees and the company’s plans to grow 10 per cent every year
Is ‘Wood First’ sound policy?

A UK-GBC debate unpicks Hackney Council’s controversial proposed planning policy
Is Abu Dhabi the future?

Time, weather and place change at videogame pace in Abu Dhabi, but is this the future? asks Rory Olcayto
Islington Council launches architecture framework

[Expressions of interest are due 30 January] Islington Council is seeking architects for a four year framework
It’s official: Government announces offices to residential permitted development right

The government has officially announced the new policy allowing the conversion of offices to residential without planning permission
JDDK bags go-ahead for £10m Kielder Park visitor centre

Newcastle-based practice JDDK has won planing permission for its £10m visitor centre at Kielder Water & Forest Park
John Robertson beats stars to win Beirut bank contest

London’s John Robertson Architects has seen off Paris’ LAN Architecture and Thom Mayne’s Morphosis to win the competition to design a new 16,400m2 headquarters for BANKMED in Beirut, Lebanon
Judges unable to pick winner in George Square contest

The jury has failed to find a winner in the high-profile competition to overhaul Glasgow’s George Square
Kazimir the geometer

The permanent collection of works by Kazimir Malevich, the founder of Suprematism, at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is hugely instructive in the development and persistence of Modernist form, writes Rory Olcayto
Kilburn Nightingale Architects wins AJ Small Projects 2013 Sustainability Award

Kilburn Nightingale Architects’ £37,145 visitor centre has won this year’s AJ Small Projects Award
Kilmartin House tenders £3m redevelopment job

[PQQs should be completed by 1 February] Kilmartin House Museum on the West Coast of Scotland is on the hunt for an architect for a £3 million redevelopment project
Knocking through - AHMM's University of Amsterdam

Allford Hall Monaghan Morris’s retrofit design for the University of Amsterdam’s Roeterseiland complex makes a bold assault on the ’60s fabric, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Rob Parrish & AHMM
Koolhaas: next Venice Biennale about 'architecture not architects'

OMA-founder Rem Koolhaas has unveiled the theme for the next Venice Architecture Biennale in 2014 - ‘Fundamentals’
KPF's latest London skyscraper receives planning

KPF’s proposed 38-storey tower in the City of London has been approved by planners
Langley’s green credentials grow with Sintofoil

National roofing and waterproofing expert Langley Waterproofing Systems Ltd has boosted its green credentials with the launch of its new 100% recyclable Sintofoil TPO Single Ply Roofing Solutions
Leeds Met appoints new head of architecture

Teresa Stoppani has been appointed the new Head of Architecture at Leeds Metropolitan University.
Legal row hits Israeli National Library

Israeli architect fights back after being ousted from prestigious national scheme and attacked over design copyright and for ‘leftist’ political views
Levitate's 'raised' riverside homes win planning

Levitate Architects has won planning for a £1 million, nine-flat, riverside scheme in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire
London council clashes with Thames Water over 'super sewer'

Harper Downie’s riverside development could scupper Thames Water’s ‘super sewer’ plans after a council planning committee gave the residential development the green light
London housebuilding registrations drop by a third

London saw a steep contraction in housebuilding registrations in 2012, while affordable housing fell by a quarter nationwide
London’s homes worth more than regions combined

The value of all the homes in ten London boroughs is greater than all the homes in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland combined, new research shows
Look again: MVRDV reimagines traditional Dutch farmhouse in glass

MVRDV has completed this 1,600m² glass building in the Dutch town of Schijndel with an impressive trompe l’oeil facade
Mae reveals Westminster housing for elderly scheme

Alex Ely beats off competition from PRP and Maccreanor Lavington to win split-site scheme for Westminster Council and CityWest Homes
Make wins planning for £450m St James' Market redevelopment

Ken Shuttleworth’s Make Architects has bagged planning applications for a huge 28,000m² mixed-use development off Piccadilly, central London .
Making a splash: Chris Dyson unveils Kensington fountain

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Chris Dyson Architects have installed a hard landscaped garden in west London
Manchester council chief slams ‘Boris-centred’ aviation debate

The chief executive of Manchester City Council has said the debate over UK airport capacity is too London-centric and needs to cover the whole of the country
Mario Bernard: ‘Character inspires me’

Mario Bernard of up-and-coming developer Bernard Construction talks about his roots, branching out and the importance of Ronnie and Reggie Kray
McAslan reveals greener George Square vision

John McAslan + Partners has unveiled new plans for Glasgow’s George Square, featuring more greenery in a bid to win over the city
McAslan vies for public support over George Square

John McAslan + Partners will host a public workshop to discuss the future of its George Square regeneration plans in Glasgow
McAslan wins George Square prize - then contest is scrapped

John McAslan & Partners will not get to overhaul Glasgow’s George Square - despite winning the highly controversial competition for the £15 million job this afternoon
McGill students create twisted lattice pavilion

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] ContemPLAY pavilion at McGill University’s campus in Montreal has opened to the public
Metamorphology - Benthem Crouwel's Stedelijk Museum

Benthem Crouwel’s expansion and renovation of the Stedelijk Museum of contemporary art and design in Amsterdam is neither morphology nor alchemy, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Jannes Linders
Mews with views: Threefold creates house of many terraces

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] AJ Small Projects shortlisted practice, Threefold Architects has refurbished a 1950s mews house in Camden
Mixed use development, 1 & 2 Stephen Street, London

ORMS
Moorfields eyes new hospital building

Moorfields Eye Hospital is considering building a new hospital to replace its iconic premises on the City Road in London
More architects join AHMM's BBC's television centre overhaul

Duggan Morris and Maccreanor Lavington have joined the AHMM-led team working on the plans to transform the 1950s BBC Television Centre in Shepherd’s Bush, west London
More redundancies at RMJM

Troubled RMJM has made a fresh round of redundancies
Museum of London’s modern revamp

Contemporary reception desk installed at Grade I-listed building
Nationalism and architecture by Raymond Quek, Darren Deane and Sarah Butler

[THIS WEEK] James Pallister reads a series of illuminating essays on nationalism and architecture and reflects on the shared temperaments of architectural and nation-building visionaries
NCS Colour Contrast Kit

The kit comprises the NCS Colour Scan and the NCS Index and offers a time saving solution for surveying existing colours for refurbishment projects and specifying colour for accessible environments.
New bid to list Preston's Brutalist bus station

The Twentieth Century Society has made a fresh bid to list Preston’s 1969 bus station which is again threatened with demolition
New images of NORD Glasgow hospice

New images have been revealed of NORD Architecture’s designs for a new £18million hospice in Glasgow
New practices: Studio TILT

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: StudioEAST

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: Tonic Architecture

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 research: Eco-homes are too complicated

Residents living in low-energy, eco-homes have criticised the amount of technology installed in their homes
New York sketch exhibition calls for entries

[Submissions must be received by 6 February] The New York-based architectural organisation D3 have launched an international sketch contest with the leading entries to be exhibited in the city
New York Times critic slams Fosters' New York Public Library

Foster + Partners’ New York Public Library scheme has been on the receiving end of a scathing attack by a local critic
New Zinc Rainwater Brochure From VMZINC

The 2013 VMZINC Rainwater Systems brochure provides detailed design and installation information on products for commercial and residential projects. It outlines the benefits of VMZINC’s unique pre-weathering process and choice of gutter profiles. Systems, which are often less expensive than aluminium, are light in weight, recyclable, require minimal maintenance and have a design life which can exceed 50 years.
Newcomer Synthesis wins huge Chinese job

Emerging London and Los Angeles-based practice Synthesis Design + Architecture has won an invited competition to design a 180,000m² mixed-use office, hotel, retail and entertainment district in Shanghai, Chin
Norman Foster reveals moon base plans

Foster + Partners has designed a multi-domed moon base for Europe’s equivalent of NASA
Number of countries pumping money into London grows

Money is flowing into the London property market from an increasing range of countries, according to research
Nursery School, Berriozar, Navarre, Spain

Javier Larraz, Inigo Beguiristain and Inaki Bergera
Obituary: Kari Jormakka (1959-2013)

Friends, colleagues and students mourn the death of Vienna University of Technology architecture professor Kari Jormakka
Office-to-homes rules 'could save 30% on housing projects'

Cutting the red tape around office-to-residential conversions could make housing projects 30 per cent cheaper to develop, according to cost consultants.
Olga Felip crowned Emerging Woman Architect of the Year

Olga Felip, co-founder of Catalonia-based practice Arquitecturia, has won the prestigious AJ Emerging Woman Architect of the Year award
ORMS reveals plans for underground arena behind Centre Point

ORMS has submitted plans for an 800-seat underground venue behind London’s world famous music hotspot Denmark Street
Paul Cocksedge Studio weaves nylon auditorium

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Paul Cocksedge Studio has revealed new photographs and plans of his ‘woven’ auditorium for trade show 100% Design
Pavilion designs sought for Bethnal Green's Museum Gardens

[Registration to be completed before 27 February] A competition has been launched to design a temporary pavilion inside the Museum Gardens, Cambridge Heath Road London.
PCKO’s Peabody scheme wins planning

PCKO has won planning for its competition-winning, mixed-tenure housing scheme for the Peabody housing trust in East London
PIGMENTO Brown: the new colour of VMZINC

New zinc façade and roofing system colour
Pillar talk: Cowshed, Shatwell Farm by Stephen Taylor Architects

Farms and architecture with a capital ‘A’ rarely go hand in hand, but one cowshed’s dry mix concrete colonnade is a notable exception, writes Felix Mara. Photography by David Grandorge
Piracy shared is piracy doubled

Ian Martin is nominated for a Looks Nice Award
Planning needs to change if buildings are to become more efficient

Planners’ calls for ‘authentic’ windows are inconsistent with today’s needs, say Sarah Lewis and Marion Baeli
Planning requirements cut for free schools

New planning measures will allow free schools to open for a year in an existing building without the need for planning permission
Plans submitted for St Peter’s seminary rebirth

Avanti’s and ERZ’s £15 million revival of Gillespie, Kidd & Coia’s 1966 St Peter’s Seminary in Cardross has been submitted for planning
Platt: 'The George Square U-turn represents a catastrophic loss of nerve'

The head of the Mack Chris Platt lambasts the George Square competition process and calls for a city mayor with civic vision
Please, Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg, think again about housing and planning

Letter from London: The coalition’s mid-term review should give pause for thought about housing and planning, writes Paul Finch
Preston's under-threat bus station recreated in LEGO

BDP’s much-loved and soon-to-be-flattened bus station in Preston has been recreated in LEGO
Produce, Procure, Perform: Sheffield’s sustainable housing conference

Using aerial imagery to gather neighbourhood energy data and staggering stats on television use in UK households
PwC: More construction insolvencies on the horizon

The number of construction firms going out of business will peak in the next six months, following 621 insolvencies in the final quarter of 2012, according to PwC
Raft of projects to land Arts Council handouts

The Arts Council has revealed 20 projects which have been approved to apply for £50 million of capital funding
Reaction: end for Design for London as team moves into regen unit

The Design for London (DfL) team is to be shrunk and moved into the Greater London Authority’s Regeneration Unit
Reassembling Schwitters

Kurt Schwitters’ lifetime architectural?/sculptural project, the Merzbau, exerts immense synergies and influences in the field of architecture, say osa – office for subversive architecture
Rebirth by Mariko Mori

[Around Town] The first major exhibition of Mariko Mori’s work for 14 years explores life and death through age-old cultures and cosmic movements
REcall ideas contest launched

[Registration should be completed by 30 January] The EC Culture 2013 programme has launched the ‘REcall’ ideas contest looking for new ways to commemorate ‘difficult heritage’ in conflict areas
Replace 'ugly' tower blocks with streets, argues think-tank report

A right-wing think-tank has proposed replacing all, high-rise social housing tower blocks with terraced streets
Revealed: a first nosey around the View from the Shard

The eagerly anticipated viewpoint at the top of the London’s tallest building will open to the public later this week
RIBA Awards deadline extended for London 2012 schemes

The RIBA has given London 2012 Olympics projects freed from the Draconian marketing ban an extra week to submit for its annual awards programme
RIBA survey: practice workloads and optimism up

Architects’ workloads are up and the prospects of future jobs in the commercial and housing sector are also brighter, according to the RIBA‘s latest industry-wide survey.
RIBA welcomes Olympics marketing ban overturn

The RIBA has celebrated the government’s decision to finally allow companies to talk about their role in the Olympics
Richard Hill appointed interim boss of HCA

Richard Hill has been appointed chief executive and accounting officer of the Homes and Communities Agency until a permanent candidate is selected.
Roehampton University seeks architect for library and student halls

[Expressions of interest due before 21 January] The University of Roehampton in London is on the lookout for chartered architects for an £18 million library and £30 million pound student accommodation block
Roger Stephenson Architects goes under

Roger Stephenson Architects (RSA), which emerged from the embers of Stephenson Bell, has gone under after just 18 months
Rogers Stirk Harbour design new bathroom range

Rogers Stirk Harbour has teamed up with Luis Vidal Architects to design a new sanitaryware line for Noken
Roofing and drainage

The battle of the roof pitches has abated and British architects’ love affair with the vernacular seems to run and run, but performance and procurement are part of the debate. This month we look at sheet roof cladding, tiles and slates and flat and membrane roofs.
Salt Lake City design contest opens

[Registration should be completed by 23 March] The Utah AIA has launched an international ideas contest for the future of two blocks in America’s Salt Lake City
Secure by Design launches toolkit for commercial buildings

The UK Police initiative Secured by Design has launched an online interactive design aid
Sex and statues - the George Square farce continues

It’s safe to say the competition to overhaul Glasgow’s George Square has not run smoothly
Shanghai Calling: It's like falling into an Escher drawing

Student Eleanor Jolliffe explores an architecture tied to China’s long history
Shell Centre architects to retender

Shell Centre developer Braeburn Estates has retendered the design team on the high-profile South Bank scheme ‘to get a competitive price’
Shock worldwide decline in completed tall buildings

The number of tall buildings completed globally has fallen for the first time in six years
Small Projects part 1: AJ 10.01.13

Digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 10.01.13 | Number 1 | Volume 237
Small Projects part 2: AJ 17.01.13

Digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 17.01.13 | Number 2 | Volume 237
Smart City plans 'antidote' to Glasgow George Square fiasco

If Glasgow learns the lessons of the past week’s shambles it can come out of it with pride intact, says Rory Olcayto
Soft machine - Colyer-Fergusson Music Building by Tim Ronalds Architects

Tim Ronalds Architects’ Colyer-Fergusson Music Building is warmer and more human than its Sevenoaks School Performing Arts Centre, but is it less disciplined? By Felix Mara. Photography by Christian Richters
Stage set for ‘sensitive renovation’ of Stirling’s Oxford Florey

The Queen’s College Oxford is planning an international search to restore the ‘history and spirit’ of James Stirling’s Grade II-listed Florey Building
Stallan-Brand reveals new Glasgow student campus

Stallan-Brand has drawn up detailed plans for a new student campus in the well-known Speirs Lock area of Glasgow, overlooking the Forth and Clyde Canal
Stars launch Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award

John McAslan and Sunand Prasad are to speak at a key event later this month to launch of the Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award
Stern: Climate change could be worse than expected

Nicholas Stern said he should have been ‘more blunt’ about the effects of global warming and its impact on the economy
Stitch Studio lands Fort Albert scheme

Emerging practice sees off strong field of contenders in competition to design residential-led scheme at 19th century sea fortress on Isle of Wight
Stride Treglown's Salford Uni's £32m arts block finally to be retendered

A £32 million Salford University arts building by Stride Treglown is to be retendered to a select group of contractors, more than a year after six bidders competed for the scheme
Struck-off architect reinstated onto ARB register after appeal success

A Manchester-based architect has been re-instated to the architects’ register after winning a rare appeal victory against a decision by the Architects Registration Board’s professional complaints committee (PCC).
Stuart Lipton and Peter Rogers to form new development company

Stuart Lipton is to quit Chelsfield Partners to set up a new property development company with Peter Rogers, brother of architect Richard Rogers
Tall buildings council seeks research proposals

[Submissions are due by 31 March] Proposals for research funding are now called for by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat for 2013
Teetering on the brink

Student Robert Park on an inspirational UEL workshop with artist Richard Wilson
Terry Farrell named decade's greatest contributor to London planning

Veteran architect Terry Farrell has been recognized by London mayor’s for having the biggest impact on planning and development over the past ten years
Tessera Circulate Creates Character For Mediacom

Products from Forbo Flooring Systems’ Westbond and Tessera carpet tile ranges have helped bring the refurbishment of an old mill in Leeds to life. Created as a base for leading media buying agency MediaCom, the vivid interior design incorporates Forbo’s new Tessera Circulate – a perfect reflection of the client’s forward thinking brand.
The AJ More Homes, Better Homes campaign continues with three calls to action

The AJ More Homes, Better Homes recommendations that will be presented to government this spring
The Forum, University of Exeter, Streatham Campus

Wilkinson Eyre Architects
The Globalisation of Modern Architecture by Robert Adam

Robert Adam’s The Globalisation of Modern Architecure takes a compelling and broad-ranging look at the output of the architectural world, writes James Pallister
The greenest shortlist: AJ Small Projects 2013 part 2

A concern for sustainability shines through in a greater number of submissions this year and, encouragingly, not just in temporary structures, writes Hattie Hartman
The Guardian's secret G4S blogger revealed

[THIS WEEK] James Pallister reveals the identity of Guardian’s secret security blogger at G4S
The Hellman cartoon: AJ 10.01.13
The Hellman cartoon: AJ 17.01.13
The Hobbit: My unexpected journey

Black box: A sense of risk, danger and the unknown is far more compelling than beauty, says Rory Olcayto
The regs: The correct use of escape signs

Geoff Wilkinson explains the official guidance covering provision of escape route signage in buildings
The wife of Urban Splash boss found dead in car in Liverpool

Urban Splash chairman Tom Bloxham has paid tribute to Nicole Falkingham, the wife of the company’s chief executive Jonathan Falkingham, who was found dead in Liverpool on Friday
There is much we should learn from decades of successful British architecture

The traditional British attitude to overseas markets, which is to be internationalist, is alive and well writes Paul Finch
This exciting new building is Roundwood Youth Centre

Which provides deprived young people in the Brent area of London with a much needed social, leisure and training facility. Designed by Saunders Boston working with concept and planning designers Mace, it’s a wonderful example of how the areas of translucent Kalwall have been maximised to diffuse daylighting without glare or shadows while minimising heat loss, saving energy costs and, of course, to maintain privacy. Kalwall is the most highly insulating diffuse light transmitting cladding and
This poorly thought-out Green Deal is a bad deal for architects

Instead of inventing a qualification such as Green Deal assessor, why didn’t the government just use architects, asks Christine Murray
Tog Studio creates temporary Scottish lighthouse

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Students from the Tog ‘live-build’ summer school erected a temporary wooden lighthouse on the Isle of Tiree
Tom Jenkins' reveals new studio in C16th ruin

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Tom Jenkins has revealed new photographs of this studio on the coast of Fife in Scotland
Tributes paid to RMJM’s ‘outstanding’ Dubai designer Jonathan Knight

RMJM staff have paid tribute to Jonathan Knight, the company’s design principal in Dubai, who has died aged 47
Tricycle Theatre seeks architect for £2.4m refurb

[Requests to participate 6 February] London’s Tricycle Theatre is seeking a design team for a £2.4 million refurbishment and remodeling project
Triple-dip recession fears grow but construction output rises

The construction sector saw a slight improvement in output but fears for a triple-dip recession are growing
Triton’s Waterproofing Systems Now On NBS National BIM Library

Structural waterproofing systems, green roof components and ground gas barriers from Triton Systems are now available as BIM objects on the NBS National BIM Library. Triton is the first company in the waterproofing industry to offer architects and specifiers the opportunity to download these types of system for insertion directly into a building model.
Turkey to build world's largest airport

The Turkish government has launched a £6 billion scheme to build the world’s largest airport
Twisting again, an unsure restart, glowing newts

Ian Martin develops the inhabited windmill
UEL debates the Production of Place

The University of East London questions the challenges of global problems in relation to the production of place
UK nominations for Mies van der Rohe Award revealed

Populous’ Olympic Stadium and OMA’s New Court are among seven UK schemes nominated for the Mies van der Rohe award for architecture in Europe
University Places: AJ 31.01.13

This week’s AJ: now available to view as iPad edition and pdf digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 31.01.13 | Number 4 | Volume 237
Vauxhall helicopter crash: doubts raised over tall buildings policy

City planning chief Peter Rees has claimed yesterday’s Vauxhall helicopter crash raises questions over tall buildings development in the area
Video: A day in the life of the London Dresser

Two short films have been released showcasing the construction and use of a pop-up £93,000 ‘cabinet’ housing models of London’s architectural gems
Visionary Olympic landscape architect John Hopkins dies

John Hopkins, who played a key role in the landscape design of the London 2012 Olympic Games, has died aged 59
What a week for Glasgow

If Glasgow learns the lessons of the past week’s shambles it can come out of it with pride intact, says Rory Olcayto
What would independence mean for Scottish architects?

The first of a series of topical news features focused on the regions
When posh comes to shove

Ian Martin hunts an honour
Win tickets to the AR's Emerging Architecture lecture series

The AJ is giving away ten free tickets for the first in a series of lectures featuing the globe’s future stars
Woman Architect of the Year shortlist: Kathryn Findlay

Kathryn Findlay, director of Ushida Findlay Architects advises aspiring female architects to ‘focus and be open to possibilities’
Woman Architect of the Year shortlist: Alison Brooks

Alison Brooks, director, Alison Brooks Architects says ‘I became an architect to engage in a profession that has a cultural, social and economic role in contemporary society’
Woman Architect of the Year shortlist: Clare Wright

Clare Wright, founding partner of Wright?&?Wright Architects is inspired by van Heyningen, Jiricná and Hadid
Woman Architect of the Year shortlist: Ellen van Loon

‘Female architects add softness to the design’ says partner of OMA, Ellen van Loon
Woman Architect of the Year shortlist: Francine Houben

Francine Houben, founder of Mecanoo Architects became an architect ‘to ‘combine human, technical and aesthetical aspects’
Woman Architect of the Year shortlist: Mary Duggan

Founder of Duggan Morris Architects, Mary Duggan is inspired by Kazuyo Sejima’s ‘delicate approach to materials, detail connections, texture and light’
Woman Architect of the Year shortlist: Sheila O’Donnell

Co-founder, O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects, Sheila O’Donnell creates buildings which ‘are appropriate to their use, time and place and that weather and age naturally’
Wraps finally off GMW's High Holborn scheme

A 19,500m2 mixed-use scheme by GMW in central London, which began in 2006 but was halted by the recession, has finally completed
Young & Norgate choose Formica® laminate for limited edition furniture pieces

Contemporary furniture designers and craftsmen, design duo Young & Norgate, are incorporating Formica® High Pressure Laminate (HPL) in limited edition furniture pieces.
Zone revives generic 1970s estate house

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Zone Architects has transformed a Bett Homes catalogue house in St Andrews

Architects JournalJanuary 2013

Architects Journal
January 2013