Architects Journal
November 2011

View all stories from this issue.

AHMM’s Lord’s redevelopment in crucial MCC vote

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) will this afternoon decide whether to pursue plans by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) for the redevelopment of Lord’s Cricket Ground
AHMM's vision for Lord's abandoned

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) decided yesterday afternoon to discard plans by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) for the redevelopment of Lord’s Cricket Ground
Anger over Brady plans to demolish hospital

RIBA president Angela Brady and her practice Brady Mallalieu Architects have been criticised over plans to replace the 1911 Jewish Maternity Hospital in London’s East End with flats
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 01.12.11

A monument in Leipzig, a library for the University of Kent and City University’s framework in London. The editor’s pick of this week’s top competitions
Goldman Sachs’ HQ proposals face re-think after murals listing

Plans by investment bank Goldman Sachs to build a huge ‘groundscraper’ in the City of London will have to be re-thought following a decision to list nine 1960s ceramic panels on an existing block in the plot
Green Overlay: RIBA sustainable design guidance

At last the RIBA has issued some useful sustainable design guidance, says Hattie Hartman
Hadid and MUMA on shortlist for Museum of London extension

Zaha Hadid has been named on an impressive six-strong shortlist in the competition to oversee the revamp and extension of the Museum of London’s Roman gallery
New Practices #91: Andrew Daws Projects

The latest in a series of practice profiles looking at architects who have recently decided to go it alone either through choice or redundancy
Pernilla & Asif reveals Coca Cola’s London 2012 pavilion

[First look] Emerging practice Pernilla & Asif has unveiled this project to build a temporary pavilion for Coca Cola at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Tex-Fab launches 'design to fabricate' competition

[Submissions should be received by 31 March 2012] The collaborative group Tex-Fab has released a ‘design to fabricate’ competition looking for structures that, through construction, could support new design concepts
We need to talk about volume

Paul Finch’s letter from London: Why do architects spend longer thinking about area than volume?
10 Design launches Rethink Shanghai ideas competition

[Registration must be completed by 1 March 2012] Hong Kong-based practice 10 Design has launched a sustainability ideas competition focussing on Shanghai in China
100 top architects sketch City for charity

Works by Norman Foster, Ted Cullinan and others will be auctioned for built environment charity Article 25 on 1 December at the German Gymnasium, King’s Cross
2011 RIBA Manser Medal: Foreword

The Manser Medal for the best new house or major extension in the UK highlights the extraordinary talent and creative expertise leading the way in architecture.
2011 RIBA Manser Medal: Introduction

The founder of the Manser Medal explains how it advocates for higher standards in housing design, what was so good about Georgian homes, and why the prize could be as big as the Stirling
2011 RIBA Manser Medal: Winner and shortlist

An ‘ingenious’ remodelling of a 1960s house in Highgate has won the 2011 RIBA Manser Medal for the best new house or major extension in the UK
50 years’ experience underpins Forbo’s Acoustic Flooring CPD

With over 50 years’ experience in the manufacture of acoustic floor coverings, selling over 4,000,000m2 worldwide per year, Forbo Flooring Systems is ideally qualified to offer a RIBA certified CPD seminar entitled “Specifying Acoustic Flooring: The Latest Building Regulations & Best Practice.”
A moral dilemma, and an encounter with a philanderophist

Ian Martin goes on strike
Aberdeen vote backs Diller Scofidio + Renfro's Union Terrace Gardens plan

Aberdeen’s residents have voted in favour of contentious plans by US practice Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) to transform the city’s historic Union Terrace Gardens
Aedas completes Hong Kong skyscraper

Aedas has released there pictures of this 32,400m², 28-storey mixed-use tower in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong
Aedas scoops Mumbai masterplan

Aedas has seen off HOK and Gensler to win an invited design competition to masterplan a site in Kanjur Marg, Mumbai
Airlines boss slams Thames Estuary airport plan

Plans for a new hub airport in the Thames Estuary were slammed last night by International Airlines Group chief executive Willie Walsh
AJ exclusive: shortlist named in Bird College contest

Harry Gugger Studios has been named on an intriguing six-strong shortlist to mastermind the overhaul of Bird College, Sidcup.
Alan Dunlop and JTP on Shenzhen resort shortlist

A multi-disciplinary design team featuring Alan Dunlop, John Thompson and Partners (JTP) and Gillespies has made the final shortlist for a 150-hectare seaside resort in Shenzhen
Alison Brooks wins Oxford college contest

Alison Brooks Architects has won the invited competition to design a ‘third quad’ for Exeter College at the University of Oxford
Allies and Morrison reveals Vauxhall twin towers

[First look] These are the latest images of Allies and Morrison’s £250 million twin-towers project at Vauxhall in south London
Alsop and Foster look east with new offices

Will Alsop’s latest practice All Design and Foster + Partners have both set up new outposts in China
Architects sought by Glasgow University

[A completed PQQ must be received by 4 January 2012] The University of Glasgow is on the hunt for architects in a two year framework.
Architecture panel sought by the Olympic Legacy Company

[Requests to participate must be received by 28 November 2011] The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) is seeking architects for an urban design and architecture panel focusing on the post-games redevelopment of its east London site
Archizines: The Book

[THIS WEEK] Archizines may inspire you to dig out your own comics and zines, writes James Pallister
Associated Architects reveals Birmingham Uni library plans

[First look + project data] Associated Architects has unveiled these proposals for a new £51.1 million digital library and cultural gateway for the University of Birmingham
Assorted mosques, and a luxury boutique world-class access space

Ian Martin delivers adjunctive elevation
AStudio makes Chinese debut

Astudio and WYG have revealed these images of a 210m-tall ‘headquarters’ tower in South China
Atkins sheds 878 staff as UK profits drop

Atkins has announced an eight per cent reduction in its UK workforce in the year to September as its revenue suffered a £34.3 million drop
Austin-Smith:Lord files for insolvency

Austin-Smith:Lord (ASL) has filed a notice for a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) just days after it announced it was making 70 staff redundant
Austin-Smith:Lord: Quick payment would limit 'appalling human toll'

Austin-Smith-Lord (ASL) partner Jennifer Dixon has spoken of the ‘appalling human toll’ caused by its financial crisis and urged its debtors to pay up to limit further ‘collateral damage’
Autumn Statement: £20bn of infra investment unlikely to fund new build

New projects are unlikely to benefit from George Osborne’s £20 billion ‘memorandum of understanding’ with UK pension funds, it emerged yesterday
Autumn Statement: Foster welcomes government commitment on aviation capacity

Norman Foster has welcomed the government’s ‘very encouraging’ announcement it will investigate ways to expand airport capacity
Autumn Statement: Full list of the 40 priority infrastructure projects

The government has set out a list of its top-40 priority infrastructure projects as part of the National Infrastructure Plan 2
Autumn Statement: Government to double number of SMEs it supports in overseas expansion

Among other measures to help SMEs, the chancellor announced that the government would double the number of SMEs it supports in its overseas expansion
Autumn Statement: Osborne's plan ‘too little, too late’

Architects have criticised attempts to boost house building in the Autumn Statement, describing it as ‘too little, too late’, and have warned of economic contraction
Autumn Statement: The industry reaction

Experts respond to the chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn Statement
Avanti wins Sheffield children’s hospital competition

Avanti Architects has finally been named as the winner in the competition to design a £40 million extension to the Children’s Hospital, Sheffield
Ayr Hospital extension, Scotland

[A PQQ must be received by 14 December 2011] NHS Ayrshire and Arran is calling on architects to design a new extension to Ayr Hospital in Scotland
BAM Design wins planning for Portsmouth community hub

[Plans + project data] The architectural arm of developer and contractor BAM has landed planning permission for this £10.4 million community building in Portsmouth
Barcelona abuzz: World Architecture Festival 2011

Letter from London: The optimism and confidence of Barcelona’s architects stole the show at this year’s WAF
Barcelona office scheme wins WAF 2011 World's Best Building award

Spanish practice Cloud 9’s Media-ICT office scheme in Barcelona has been named as the World Building of the Year at the 2011 World Architecture Festival
BDP designs housing-led masterplan for Russian metropolis

BDP has released images of its residential masterplan study for Samara, Russia’s sixth largest city
BDP reveals huge Turkish shopping and fun park scheme

The UK’s largest practice BDP has revealed these plans for a 175,000m² shopping and leisure-led development in Izmir, Turkey’s third biggest city
BDP shortlisted in Danish Hospital competition

BDP has been named among eight finalists in the international contest to design a new hospital complex in the Bispebjerg suburb of Copenhagen
Berman Guedes Stretton designs new wing for Oxford College

[First look + plans] Berman Guedes Stretton has revealed new plans for an academic wing at Wolfson College, Oxford
BFAW completes Liverpool school gym

[First look + plans] Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams (BFAW) has completed a new £5.5 million sports centre in the grounds of the historic Merchant Taylors’ School in Crosby, Liverpool
BioRegional Quintain to close doors

Super-green developer BioRegional Quintain will wind up its operations once its FAT-designed 80-home Communtiy in a Cube housing block at Middlehaven completes next month
Boris Johnson throws weight behind new Thames Estuary airport

London Mayor Boris Johnson has today urged the government to ‘grasp the nettle’, claiming an all-new airport hub in the Thames Estuary was essential to ‘ward off economic paralysis’’
Both quality and quantity should be hallmarks of housing policy

Paul Finch’s letter from London: There is much to welcome in the government’s new housing strategy
Bowman Riley's Myplace youth centre in Bradford opens doors

[First look + project data] Bowman Riley Architects has completed this £7 million youth centre in Bradford
British Film Institute’s Master Film Store by Edward Cullinan Architects

The reclusive BFI master store is Edward Cullinan Architects’ intelligent response to the problem of archiving highly flammable film, writes Ruth Slavid. Photography by Edmund Sumner
Building the Revolution: Soviet Art and Architecture 1915-1935

Post-revolutionary Russia witnessed a burst of innovation in art and architecture as the country’s artists formed a new visual language with which to interpret and promote the new world of Soviet Socialism, writes Rakesh Ramchurn
Business School, University of Edinburgh: retrofit by LDN Architects

University retrofit: LDN Architects updated a listed 1960s building to meet the needs of a modern business school, writes Felix Mara
Calling all architects: It's time to think big

If the government refuses to consider grand schemes, then architects should do it for them, writes Rory Olcayto
Calling all clients: Enter the AJ's 'What Clients Want' survey

Tell us what you really think about architects (confidentially) in the AJ’s inaugural Client Survey and you can win a free AJ subscription (takes three minutes)
Camberwell mosque scheme wins approval

Makespace Architects has won the go-ahead to convert a 1960s pub in South London into a mosque
Central and east London housing framework

[Requests to participate must be received by 9 December 2011] The North River Alliance is on the hunt for architects and other design professionals for a four-year framework agreement
Central St Martins, King's Cross, London, by Stanton Williams

Stanton Williams’ smart retrofit for Central Saint Martins is an art school for the future, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Hufton + Crow
Chancellor demands 'new PFI model'

George Osborne has called for a ‘fundamental reassessment’ of the current PFI model in a bid to cut costs for taxpayers
Chipperfield's Venice Biennale role still 'speculation'

It appears reports that David Chipperfield has been appointed as the curator of the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale are premature
Christine Murray: Diary of a WAF judge

Day one at WAF and my job was to judge the Holiday category with Tenerife architect Fernando Menis (Menis Arquitectos) and Sydney-based (Stuttgart-born) Chris Bosse (LAVA), both worth a google if you don’t know their work
City University framework agreement, London

[Requests to participate must be received by 4 January 2012] City University London is seeking expressions of interest for a three year framework to provide architectural design services
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 24.11.11

A storage facility for the National Museums of Scotland, a London housing framework, and Ayr hospital extension. The editor’s pick of this week’s top competitions
Construction recession hits North-East economy hardest

The North-east has been hardest hit according to a report setting out the region-by-region impact of the construction downturn
Constructivist criticism

A brief but intense period of design and construction in Russia from 1915-35 is examined at The Royal Academy’s Building the Revolution exhibition, writes Abigail Gliddon
Contentious Levete and Barber schemes pulled from planning

Developer Londonewcastle has withdrawn plans for a controversial tower scheme by Amanda Levete and a ‘parallel’ project by Peter Barber Architects in east London
Contest lauched for £12m University of Kent library extension

[Requests to participate must be received by 9 January 2012] The University of Kent calls for architects to extend the Templeman Library.
Contest launched for temporary disaster relief structures

[Submissions must be received by 15 January 2012] The Italian Association of Architecture and Criticism has launched its ‘Outside the box’ international ideas competition for temporary ‘box’ structures that could be deployed in disaster zones
Co-op chief: BREEAM buildings will be worth more

Co-operative Group NOMA property boss David Pringle told AJ100 practices in Manchester this week that the UK should invest in green technology to ‘future proof the investment value of our buildings’
Council approves Squire and Partners' Brazennose House scheme

Squire and Partners has won planning permission to replace an empty 1960s block in Lincoln Square, central Manchester with a new 12-storey office development
Curating the past, hating the present, and berating the future

Ian Martin will not be curating next year’s Tamworth Biennale
CZWG completes Canada Water library

[First look + project data] CZWG has taken the wraps off this £14 million library project in Canada Water, London
DC CABE slams MAKE and AHMM’s Camden Market scheme

MAKE and AHMM’s controversial Hawley Wharf scheme in Camden Town, London has come in for heavy criticism from DC CABE
Diary of a WAF judge: Day 2

I spent Day 2 of WAF battling a world-class head cold and hangover from the award-winners and judges’ dinner and afterparties
Drop air con plans for Qatar 2022 world cup, says Populous

The architect of Qatar’s Sports City stadium has called on the country’s World Cup organisers to abandon plans to air condition venues
Duggan Morris wins Manser Medal 2011

An ‘ingenious’ remodelling of a 1960s house in Highgate has won the 2011 RIBA Manser Medal for the best new house or major extension in the UK
Durham Lumiere: In Pictures

[THIS WEEK] For four nights Durham City’s peninsular and its surrounding streets were transformed by over thirty light installations. James Pallister reports from his home town
Edgar Martins' The Time Machine

Edgar Martins’ power stations appear stuck in time, writes Robin Wilson
Elder and Cannon lands double whammy at Saltire Awards

Elder and Cannon Architects topped the bill at this year’s Saltire Society Housing Design Awards, bagging two awards for its Botany Phase 1 project in Glasgow
Embassy design: A series of unfortunate diplomatic incidents

Paul Finch’s letter from London: Does our embassy architecture really symbolise our commitment to quality design?
Evans Vettori completes Derbyshire funeral directors

Work has completed on this £180,000 funeral directors building in Wirksworth, Derbyshire by Matlock-based practice Evans Vettori
Ewan Cameron builds pavilion in grounds of Modernist classic

Glasgow-based Ewan Cameron Architects has completed this guesthouse in the grounds of Michael Manser’s 1971 Capel Manor House in the village of Horsmonden, Kent
Exclusive extract of 'A Passion to Build' by Peter Murray

Read chapter 2 of Peter Murray’s archtectural bonkbuster
Falconer Chester Hall succeeds where Alsop failed in Putney

[First look] Falconer Chester Hall has won planning permission for this mixed-use scheme in Putney, south London
Farrell & Clark completes Bradford University extension

[First look + plans] Leeds-based Farrell & Clark has unwrapped this £6 million facility for Bradford University’s School of Health Studies
Feilden Clegg Bradley submits plans for south London skyscraper

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has submitted plans for this 32-storey, student-flat skyscraper scheme in Vauxhall, south London
First shots of Foster's second McLaren showstopper

[First look] Foster + Partners’ McLaren production centre, the second building designed by the practice for the car manufacturer, has been offically opened today [17 November]
Foster’s Beijing airport terminal damaged again by wind

Foster and Partners has ruled out design faults after further problems were found with the roof of the practice’s Lubetkin Prize-shortlisted Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal in China
From small projects mighty things grow

We’ve got the proof: getting your small project published in the AJ does lead to new work, writes Christine Murray
Gateway Building, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonnington, by Make

Make’s ‘new agricultural aesthetic’ demonstrates an innovative way to build with straw, writes Hattie Hartman
Getting a brand new brand, and trying to identify a new identity

Ian Martin thinks in a whole new font
Getting the country back on its feet, and the profession back on its pedestal

Ian Martin invents the design, build, stand and deliver procurement system
Giant Olympic 'sofa' approved

Jones East 8 has won planning permission for this temporary hospitality building in the shape of a sofa overlooking the Olympic Park in east London
Global re-thinking

The new slum, space colonies orbiting Earth, eco-cities built from scratch, ‘back-up’ capitals for emergencies… RoryOlcayto presents an overview of the world’s most radical sustainable design ideas
Goldschmied joins Sparch

Former RIBA president and ex-managing director at Richard Rogers Partnership, Marco Goldschmied has joined global outfit Sparch as a non-executive director
Gordon Murray Architects goes into liquidation

Glasgow-based Gordon Murray Architects (GMA) has gone into liquidation this week, the AJ understands
Gove announces £500m priority schools jackpot

Education secretary Michael Gove has today allocated £500 million of funding to more than 100 local authorities to address the shortage of pupil places this year
Gove’s £2 billion schools programme delayed

The next stage of the government’s £2 billion privately financed schools building programme has been delayed until the New Year
Government faces legal action over solar subsidy cuts

The government is facing legal action following the announcement to drastically reduce Feed-in Tariff (FiT) payouts
Government guarantees mortgages to boost housing market

Prime Minister David Cameron will today announce plans to underwrite mortgages for new-build homes in a bid to boost the ailing housing market
Government to launch multi-billion pound house building programme

The government is working on plans for a £50 billion homes and road-building programme to boost growth and create jobs
Green buildings: The state of the art

British architects are making up for lost time when it comes to environmentally intelligent design, writes Felix Mara
Green Deal recieves £200 million boost

The government’s ‘Green Deal’ will receive an extra £200 million to encourage homeowners to eco-retrofit their properties
Green products: Environmental Product Declaration

EPDs contain data on the manufacture, use and disposal of materials, offering architects a transparent route through the greenwash, says Sandy Patience. Illustrations by Hanna Melin
Grimshaw starts work on £135m Melbourne healthcare centre

Construction has started on Grimshaw’s new £135 million Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne
Guy Hollaway wins contest to extend Foster's Folkestone Academy

Guy Hollaway Architects has won an invited competition to add a new primary school to Foster + Partners’ award-winning Folkestone Academy in Kent
Heatherwick completes Worth Abbey revival

Heatherwick Studio has completed its refurbishment of Francis Pollen’s 1974 Abbey Church at Worth, Sussex
Heatherwick floats Royal Docks vision

[First look] Heatherwick Studio has drawn up plans to build new developments on reclaimed land in east London’s Royal Docks
Heatherwick reveals £166m revamp of Pacific Place mall, Hong Kong

Thomas Heatherwick has unwrapped its £166 million ‘organic’ revamp of a 1980s shopping mall and entertainment complex in Hong Kong
Herman Hertzberger wins RIBA Gold Medal

Dutch architect Herman Hertzberger has won the 2012 RIBA Gold Medal
HMS Belfast gangway collapses into the Thames River

HMS Belfast’s gangway fell into the Thames this morning, just weeks before work was to start on a CPMG Architects-designed visitor centre next to the famous cruiser
HNW opens door on Bognor Myplace scheme

[First look + plans] Chichester-based HNW Architects has completed this Myplace youth centre on the Bognor Regis Community College Campus
HOK reveals 'pebble-shaped' mall

HOK’s London office has released its design for a 60,000m² retail and leisure centre in Qatar.
Holmes Miller born as Scottish stalwarts merge

Two of Scotland’s largest practices, The Holmes Partnership and The Miller Partnership, have joined forces
Home Group launches architectural services framework

[Tenders must be received by 5 December 2011] The Home Group is on the hunt for architects for a four year framework agreement to covering residential projects across England
Hoskins' National Museum of Scotland wins Doolan Prize 2011

Gareth Hoskins Architects has won the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award 2011 with its £37 million overhaul of the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh
Hot rod my house: Tom Kundig interviewed

American architect Tom Kundig makes simple, affordable family homes. Then he soups them up with gizmos and gadgets, inspired by his counter-culture heroes of the 1950s, writes Rob Gregory
HTA finishes Bexhill promenade overhaul

HTA has completed its Next Wave revamp of Bexhill-on-Sea’s promenade which included the restoration and extension of the famous Grade II-listed Colonnade
Ian Martin's Merry Quizmas!

Ian Martin’s annual crashcourse in Yuletide time wasting for marginalised, misanthropic architects. Illustrations by Bill Bragg
Ideas competition seeks tsunami resistant architecture

[Registration should be completed by 30 November 2011] The Architecture Workshop in Rome group has launched an ideas competition looking for tsunami proof structures.
IMF chief slams Irish architects

The Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland (RIAI) has hit out at calls for reform of architectural contracts made by International Monetary Fund board member Michael Casey in the Irish Times.
Industry reaction: ‘Threatened’ City seeks exemption from change-of-use law

Architects have come out in support of the City of London’s latest efforts to sidestep a proposed relaxation of planning laws that would allow change of use from offices to homes without planning permission
Is China's housing sector going into the red?

There are early signs of trouble in China, but the sky is not falling in yet, writes Christine Murray
Isover launches ‘Multi-Comfort House’ student contest

[Registration should be completed by 16 December 2011] Insulation manufacturer Isover Saint-Gobain has launched a student contest to design a ‘sustainable community’ in Nottingham’s Trent Basin area
Jacques Rival launches flying artwork in King's Cross

French architect Jacques Rival has completed this glowing birdcage-shaped sculpture as part of the King’s Cross art programme
Kalzip by the caseload

Kalzip has produced an impressive new 48 page brochure packed with eye-catching photographs portraying dozens of exciting building project case studies from all over the British Isles.
Kerslake appointed head of the civil service

Bob Kerslake, permanent secretary at the Department for Communities & Local Government, has been named as the new head of the civil service
Kirkstone selected for luxury hotels

Brathay Blue Black slate has been used extensively in the St Regis Hotel in Osaka. GA Design selected the slate to create striking finishes for a number of areas including the flooring in the spa area in addition to skirtings and cladding for the bar. The extensive use of this material in the hotel clearly demonstrates the quality and versatility of the stone.
KPF to mastermind proposed Chelsea FC move to Battersea

KPF has been appointed to look at building a new home for Chelsea Football Club at Battersea power station
LEGO unwraps Christmas tree at St Pancras

Toymaker LEGO has completed this 12.2 metre-high Christmas tree made from 600,000 plastic bricks at St Pancras International station, London
Leipzig monument to freedom and unity, Germany

[Requests to participate must be received by 16 December 2011] Leipzig City Council is on the hunt for architects and landscape architects to design a ‘monument to Freedom and Unity’ in the centre of the German city
Lenders call time on Viñoly’s Battersea Power Station vision

Lenders have demanded the repayment of £324 million of debt from the developer behind the Rafael Viñoly-masterplanned redevelopment of Battersea Power Station in south London
Lett Road, Stratford, London by Proctor and Matthew Architects

With its rampant four-storey cantilever, Proctor and Matthews’ tower overlooking the Olympic Park has made regeneration fun, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Tim Crocker
Level Park seeks landscape architects, Brighton

[Requests to participate must be received by 9 January 2012] Brighton and Hove City Council is on the hunt for landscape architects to restore Level Park
Low carbon energy hub, Greenwich

[Requests to participate must be received by 18 November 2011] Design services are sought by the London Borough of Greenwich for a structure to house low carbon heating and energy production
Lynch bags planning for Victoria Street redevelopment

Lynch Architects has scooped planning permission for this project to redevelop Kingsgate House in Victoria, London
Maggie’s Centre, Nottingham City Hospital, by CZWG Architects

CZWG’s provocative Maggie’s Centre, with Paul Smith interiors, will challenge purists and charm the public, writes Christine Murray. Photography by Martine Hamilton Knight
Maggie's Centre by Kisho Kurokawa and Garbers & James opens in Wales

The new Maggie’s Centre in Swansea, designed by the late Kisho Kurokawa in 2007 and completed by Garbers & James, will officially open next week
Majority of City offices owned by foreign investors

Foreign investors now own more than half of all offices in the City of London, according to a new report by Development Securities
Make completes straw bale agricultural faculty

[First look] Make Architects has completed this 3,100m² building on the University of Nottingham’s agriculture campus in the East Midlands built using straw bales
Make to replace 'elegant but bulky' Hanover Square block

Ken Shuttleworth’s practice Make has been appointed to designed a replacement for a 1972 Ronald Fielding Partnerships’ building in Hanover Square, Mayfair, central London
Mark Power scoops planning for Jubilee Gardens WC

[First look + plans] Mark Power Architect has won planning for this 134m2 public WC within West 8’s proposed re-landscaping of Jubilee Gardens on London’s South Bank
Marks Barfield submits Cambridge ‘eco-mosque’ plans

[First look] Marks Barfield Architects has finally submitted a planning application for this 1,000-capacity mosque in Cambridge
Mayor to judge on Allies and Morrison’s Elephant and Castle tower

London mayor Boris Johnson has stepped in to make a final decision over Allies and Morrison’s 43-storey mixed-use Elephant and Castle tower in south London
McHugh Stoppard redesigns youth centre for Children in Need

Liverpool-based McHugh Stoppard Architecture has designed and helped rebuild a rundown youth centre in aid of Children in Need
Ministers unveil £500m Growing Places fund allocations

Communities secretary Eric Pickles has announced the regional allocations for the government’s £500 million Growing Places Fund designed to unlock stalled developments by funding local infrastructure projects
Moira Gemmill confirmed as AJ Small Projects 2012 judge

V&A project and design director Moira Gemmill has joined the panel for the 2012 AJ Small Projects Awards, run in association with Marley Eternit
More RMJM staff paid late

Cash flow problems at RMJM have again caused the company to pay staff late, with some salaries in the US almost a month overdue the AJ understands
More than a third of architects could be using illegal software

Research has revealed that 36 per cent of architecture firms in the UK may be using illegal software
MSMR win go-ahead for Marylebone eco-mews

[Fist look + plans + proejct data] Westminster City Council has approved this five-home scheme by MSMR Architects ‘in a quiet Marylebone mews’ in central London
Museum of Liverpool legal battle to open litigation floodgates

The Museum of Liverpool’s £3.5 million courtroom dispute with AEW could be the tip of the iceberg for a surge in legal claims against architects, according to law firm Taylor Wessing
Mystery buyer bids for Austin-Smith:Lord

A mystery architectural practice is in talks with Austin-Smith:Lord to buy the company and its key project in Abu Dhabi – the source of its financial problems.
National Museums of Scotland Masterplan, Edinburgh

[Requests to participate must be received by 2 December 2011] Architectural services are sought by the National Museums of Scotland for a storage facility and masterplan.
National Trust seeks proposals for Kedleston Hall

[Expressions of interest must be received by 15 January 2012] The National Trust is seeking expressions of interest from architects and designers for ‘Playful Incident’ - a new commission for Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire.
New league table reveals UK’s greenest companies

Atkins, Land Securities and Arup are among the UK’s most energy efficient companies according to a league table compiled by the Environment Agency
New Practices #89: Pernilla & Asif

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 #90: Antonio Garcia 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 Practices #92: Christian Froggatt 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
Niall McLaughlin completes Oxford Uni flats

Niall McLaughlin Architects has completed two student accommodation blocks at Somerville College Oxford
Northern housing framework seeks design services

[Requests to participate must be received by 14 November 2011] Architectural services are sought by the Spirit Regeneration & Development Company on behalf of housing groups across the North of England
Northwest Science Park design framework, Northern Ireland

[Requests to participate must be received by 25 November 2011] The Northwest Science Park in Northern Ireland is on the hunt for architects along with other design professionals for a design framework agreement
NRAP bags east London ‘less-than-mega’ mosque job

NRAP has been appointed to design a scaled-down version of a contentious mosque project close to the Olympic Park in east London
Ole Scheeren reveals ‘floating tower’ for Kuala Lumpur

Former OMA partner Ole Scheeren has unveiled this huge ‘stacked’ skyscraper scheme for a site next to the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Olympic Park Legacy Company to wield unprecedented 'power'

Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) chief executive Andrew Altman told the AJ100 that once the Mayoral Development Corporation is formed in April 2012, they will have complete control over the future of the park and surrounding areas
Osborne announces pension fund deal for £20bn infrastructure boost

The government has signed a memorandum of understanding with UK pension funds to bring £20 billion of new investment into UK infrastructure, reports the AJ’s sister paper Construction News
Osborne backs Northern Line extension to Battersea

Chancellor George Osborne has thrown his backing behind the £750 million proposed extension of the Northern Line to Battersea Power Station in south London
Our favourite houses, as selected by Manser Medal winners

From Palladio’s Villa Capra to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, the one-off house has given countless architects the chance to explore and develop their art. We asked past Manser Medal-winners to tell us about the houses that most influenced them
Page\Park unveils revamped Scottish National Portrait Gallery

Page\Park Architects has taken the wraps off this £17.6 million project to overhaul the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh
Parritt Leng submits rescue plans for derelict Hoxton cinema

[First look] Parritt Leng has submitted plans worth £5 million to resurrect a derelict cinema in Hoxton, east London
Planning by appeal balloons

An unprecedented 55% of housing schemes rejected at local level were passed by the inspectorate, an effect of the government’s growth agenda
Planning: Sustainable development

The NPPF’s ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ has nothing to do with being green, says Christine Murray
PLP bags Sampson and Ludgate House redevelopment job

PLP has been appointed to the huge redevelopment of Sampson and Ludgate House next to Tate Modern on London’s South Bank
Property wobble in China spooks architects

A 25 per cent drop in housing transactions last month has shaken confidence in the world’s largest construction market, while UK architects warn of increased competition from local firms
Quadrant 3, London, by Dixon Jones with Donald Insall Associates

Dixon Jones kept just the corners of a tricky Edwardian hotel in the West End to create a mixed-use development with high ceilings and an art deco basement, says Felix Mara
Quixotic reveals £1 million St Leornards Lido revamp proposals

Quixotic Architecture has released proposals to convert Hastings and St Leonards 1930s lido into a new leisure facility using shipping containers
Reaction: Government's housing strategy a 'good start'

The government’s new push to tackle the homes shortage, Laying the Foundations: A Housing Strategy for England, has been broadly welcomed by the profession
Reaction: Localism Bill becomes Localism Act

The Localism Bill was given Royal Assent yesterday, opening the way for a ‘profound’ overhaul of the English planning system
Record-breaking numbers gather for WAF 2011

The fourth World Architectural Festival (WAF) opened today (2 November) with more than 1,300 delegates expected to attend during the course of the week
Reiach and Hall completes Alloa college

Reiach and Hall’s £21million Alloa campus for Forth Valley College in Falkirk has opened its doors
Report: Chinese property market cools

Chinese efforts to cool the property market have been branded ‘too effective’, falling to dangerously low levels, according to reports
Revealed: Austin-Smith:Lord owed £12 million in fees

Austin-Smith:Lord (ASL) is owed around £12 million in unpaid fees according to company voluntary arrangement (CVA) documents sent out by the AJ100 practice
Revealed: shortlisted designs in Olympic North Park contest

The Olympic Park Legacy Company has revealed images of the shortlisted schemes in the contest to design the new North Park visitor centre and playground
RIAS launches 'The Kelpies' design competition

[Statements should be received by 5 December 2011] The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland has launched a two-stage contest to design the interior of a horse head sculpture and a nearby visitor hub
RIBA: Architects face ‘challenging and unpredictable’ future

Architects are facing stiffer competition for public sector work and banks remain reluctant to lend for development projects, according to the latest RIBA future trends survey
Richard Murphy reveals 'hidden' underground home

[First look + plans] Richard Murphy Architects has submitted plans for this subterranean home in the Scottish borders
Rick Mather completes £5 million Ashmolean Museum extension

[First look + project data] Rick Mather Architects has completed the second phase of its Ashmolean Museum overhaul project in Oxford
RMJM scoops planning for Merthyr learning centre

[First look] RMJM has won planning permission for this 13,450m² education project in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Roath Lock Studios, Cardiff, by FAT and Holder Mathias Architects

FAT’s half-metre thick, clip-on facade for Cardiff’s BBC studios is a poster boy for procurement today, writes Rory Olcayto
Rogers hits out against ‘fundamentally flawed’ planning reform

Richard Rogers has hit out against the government’s proposed overhaul of the planning system claiming it could merge cities and ‘scar the countryside for generations’
Rogue architect handed £7,500 fine for title misuse

Malcolm Capstick of Smart Design Group has been fined £7,500 for falsely claiming to be an architect
Rory Olcayto crowned Architecture Writer of the Year

AJ deputy editor Rory Olcayto has been named IBP Architecture Writer of the Year
Ruins: Beautiful Decay

A new collection of essays traces how modern ruins have inspired artists and architects, writes Douglas Murphy
Ryder's 'white monolith' opens its doors in Grimsby

Ryder Architecture has completed this 7,300m² university centre for the Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education
SAS International - Open cell metal ceiling solution designed specifically for Aeropuerto de Santiago, Spain

SAS International is pleased to announce it has designed, manufactured and installed metal ceiling solutions for both interior and exterior areas of the new 74,000 m2 terminal of the Aeropuerto de Santiago, Spain.
Scotland demands VAT cut on refurbishments

Holyrood has called on Whitehall to slash VAT on refurbishments from 20 per cent to 5 per cent
Second UCL campus win for Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands

Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands is working on plans for a new University College London (UCL) campus next to the Olympic Park, in Newham, east London
Second Yaa Centre, Notting Hill, by Foster Wilson Architects

The tough, rugged aesthetic of Foster Wilson’s Notting Hill carnival centre masks the clever use of floating box construction to combat noise breakout, writes Felix Mara
Settlers, prospectors and pioneers: Why sustainability has to add up for everyone

Paul Finch’s letter from London: When it comes to green thinking, enough small things add up to a big thing
Shanghai hotel scoops top prize at INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors awards

Neri&Hu has been crowned overall winner of the INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors awards
Shelter For All ideas competition

[Submissions must be received by 15 January 2012] The University of Notre Dame has launched an ideas competition seeking low cost housing proposals for world-wide sites
Shortlisted designs revealed in Olympic south park contest

The Olympic Park Legacy Company has revealed images of the five shortlisted schemes in the contest to design the ‘pivotal’ public space between the aquatics centre and the Olympic stadium
Skanska names architects for new homes drive

Contractor Skanska has chosen six architects, including CF Moller and White Design, to design future housing schemes for its emerging UK development arm
Sniffing between the covers of bonkbuster 'A Passion to Build'

Astragal has been enjoying A Passion to Build, the racy debut novel by NLA chairman Peter Murray
Socrates Sculpture Park folly contest, New York

[Requests to participate must be received by 16 January 2012] Socrates Sculpture Park in New York has launched a design competition looking for ‘contemporary interpretations’ of the architectural folly
Sound solution at specialist school

An acoustic solution from Saint-Gobain Ecophon has transformed a unique, newly built Special Education Needs (SEN) school in Jordanstown, County Antrim.
'Stop £150,000 student debt' say protesting Bartlett dons

Two of the Bartlett School of Architecture’s most senior professors have hit out against the ‘hypocrisy’ of tuition fee hikes as they joined a central London protest today
Ström reveals Suffolk house plans

[First look + plans] Emerging practice Ström Architects has unveiled plans for this corten-clad country house in rural Suffolk
Student architects voice demands in ‘Charter for Change’

Jeremy Till and Robert Mull were among 100 signatories to a ‘charter for change’ calling for a stronger student voice and demanding the RIBA ‘strike off’ practices failing to pay the minimum wage
Studio Egret West to design Waterloo tower

Studio Egret West is to design a 34-storey residential tower in Waterloo, the AJ understands
Taking a trip to see Alvaro Siza's work

[THIS WEEK] Seeing Siza’s Porto meant joining in with the students, writes James Pallister
The changing face of digital mapping

David Dixon is Managing Director at Landmark Promap, a company that specialises in the supply of data and digital mapping. Here, David offers his perspective on how developments in digital mapping techn
The Diary of an Anonymous Architect #6

The sixth in a new series about the day-to-day travails of an embattled practitioner. This week: CV? See me
The Life and Death of Buildings

The cyclical nature of destruction and construction in architecture is a fascinating topic to explore, but Joel Smith’s new book leaves readers wanting more, writes Andrew Mead
The Triangle, Swindon, Wiltshire, by Glenn Howells Architects

Glenn Howells Architects’ eco-housing in Swindon for Kevin McCloud is remarkably ordinary, but that’s no bad thing, writes Hattie Hartman. Photography by Paul Raftery
Tips for a recession-proof practice

This week’s news serves as a reminder of just how volatile the business of architecture can be, writes Christine Murray
Tom Lubbock's Great Works

[THIS WEEK] Tom Lubbock helped his readers see the unexpected in art, writes James Pallister
Tonight's debate: ‘Charter for Change’ in architectural education

ZAP Architecture and What Now? will host a speakers’ corner-style debate on the future of architectural education at the RIBA tonight (14 November)
Towards the sky - Mesh by GKD used for Kauffman Center

The architect Moshe Safdie faced a long list of challenges constructing the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri. In particular, the wall covering of the concert hall turned out to be difficult: 20 metres in height, a concave surface, acoustical neutrality, and a small freight elevator for the mounting parts. Stainless steel mesh of the type PC-Tigris by GKD - Gebr. Kufferath AG provided a solution. With 700 square metres of the mesh, installed as 101 single panels
UNESCO: Liverpool at risk of losing World Heritage Status

Liverpool could lose its World Heritage Site status if Peel’s controversial £5.5billion waterfront plans continue, according to local press reports
University of Bedfordshire announces £60 million framework

[Requests to participate must be received by 2 December 2011] The University of Bedfordshire is on the hunt for design professionals to take part in a five year framework agreement
'Unrestricted Access' launched on redundant military bases

[Registration must be completed by 31 March 2012] Launched by Architecture for Humanity, this open ideas competition seeks proposals for redundant military bases
Venice, Basel, Folkestone: the rise of the Biennial

As yet another UK arts biennial comes to an end, James Pallister looks at the growth of a format that has seduced cities worldwide and is changing the way our regional arts scene works
Video transforms Battersea Power Station into ‘urban fairytale’

Film maker Dan Tassell has created this futuristic short movie showing the Battersea Power Station intertwined with an organic tree-like form
Video: Norman Foster explains £50 billion Thames Hub airport plans

Watch Norman Foster delivering a lecture on his proposal for a four runway airport for London on the Isle of Grain in Essex
WAF 2011: Are UK practices losing their touch?

UK practices won just two out of the 26 categories at this year’s annual WAF festival in Barcelona, despite making up nearly 20 per cent of all the schemes shortlisted. Are we falling behind the rest of the world?
WAF 2011: Barcelona gears up for the next stage of development

Barcelona’s new chief architect, Vicente Guallart, outlined the extraordinary ambitions and energy that the city has for its future development at a World Architecture seminar
WAF 2011: Day two winners announced

Four completed buildings and ten future projects have scooped awards on the second day of the World Architectural Festival
WAF 2011: First 12 awards winners announced

These twelve buildings were the first winners announced at this year’s World Architectural Festival (WAF) Awards
WAF 2011: Post Katrina, New Orleans sets a new standard

New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward is not just making an impressive recovery from the depredations of Hurricane Katrina - it is also doing so with homes that set a new benchmark for environmental performance, cost and community engagement
Waller Creek design contest, Texas

[Registration must be completed by 16 December 2011] The Waller Creek Conservancy organisation in Texas is seeking architects and landscape designer’s proposals for a 11 hectare strip of creek land in Texas
Why the City wants no residents

The tent citizens of Occupy London are not the only unwanted residents in the City, writes Christine Murray
Woods Bagot wins Moscow hotel job

Woods Bagot has been appointed to revamp the Peking Hotel in Moscow, Russia
Work ‘dries up’ as euro debt crisis worsens

The deepening eurozone debt crisis has forced UK architects to scale down offices on the continent and look for work beyond Europe
Work starts on SHH’s 'water-slide' house

[First look + plans] Construction has begun on this 1,200m² private house in Highgate, London featuring a giant water slide designed by SHH
York seeks architect for city centre library extension

[A PQQ must be received by 11 November 2011] York City Council is on the hunt for design teams to extend the city’s Central Library

Architects JournalNovember 2011

Architects Journal
November 2011