Architects Journal
November 2012

View all stories from this issue.

Foster still vying for world’s largest airport - but Rogers, Hadid and HOK miss out

Foster + Partners remains the only British practice in the running to design the world’s largest airport at Daxing, 46km south of Beijing
Nick Johnson: 'The homeowner fantasy is holding back housebuilding'

Nick Johnson, former director of developer Urban Splash talks, about why we need to remove the stigma of renting to help kickstart quality housebuilding
Oliver Bayliss unveils black timber extension

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Oliver Bayliss has entered this house extension in Queen’s Park, London into this year’s AJ Small Projects Awards
‘Each material is what we make of it’ said Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Tadao Ando seems to have taken his advice

[AJ WRITING PRIZE] Shortlisted: Daniel Elsea
425 homes in six months: GLA housing starts tumble

Just 425 houses were started in the half-year from April 2012 to September 2012 under Greater London Authority (GLA) schemes, with most boroughs reporting a dead stop in new starts
A rich man came to ask me to bring art under his roof… I immediately threw out his furniture

[AJ WRITING PRIZE] Shortlisted: Rossella Scalia
Aedas' £33 million overhaul of Keynsham town centre approved

Aedas has won planning permission for the £33million regeneration of Keynsham town centre in Somerset
AJ Exclusive: Niall McLaughlin wins St Cross College quadrangle contest

Niall McLaughlin Architects (NMA) has scooped the competition to complete the West Quadrangle of St Cross College in Oxford
AJ named Magazine of the Year

The AJ was named weekly Magazine of the Year at last night’s International Building Press awards
AJ Small Projects is back [entry deadline November 26]

Put your project in the running for AJ Small Projects Sustainability Award. Submit your best green designs now
AJ Women in Architecture Awards: call for entries

Nominations are open for the AJ’s annual architecture awards. Sponsored by Roca, the awards celebrate excellence in design and promote role models for young women in practice
AJ Writing Prize: AJ 22.11.12

Digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 22.11.12 | Number 19 | Volume 236
Allies and Morrison to rework Ealing Arcadia site

Three years after Foster + Partners tower proposal was scrapped, new landowner revives prospects for Ealing site, writes Merlin Fulcher
Allies and Morrison's Globe theatre overhaul revealed

[First look + plans] Allies and Morrison has unveiled its vision for the redevelopment of the Globe’s Jacobean theatre in London
Amin Taha submits plans for 'column-free' Clerkenwell office

Amin Taha Architects has submitted plans for this 1,945m² office and residential scheme opposite St James church, Clerkenwell
Another Hants County Council school wins design gong

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS +DATA] Hampshire County Council Architect’s school for children with learning difficulties took home a Solent Design Award last week
Architects could teach the government a thing or two about school design

If the test of a nation is how it treats children, meanness in school design doesn’t bode well
Architectural writing: five of the best pieces ever written

These are a few of my favourite things, says Rory Olcayto
Architype bags Passivhaus school hat-trick in Wolves

Architype has received planning permission for its third Passivhaus school in Wolverhampton
Architype unwraps Winchcombe School

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Architype has refurbished and expanded a primary school in Newbury, Berkshire
Armstrong Ceilings headline at BRE Innovation Parks

Energy-saving tiles from Armstrong Ceilings are at the forefront of the BRE’s (Building Research Establishment) latest Innovation Park in Scotland. Armstrong’s CoolZone system features on the ceiling of the main seminar area of the visitors’ centre at the heart of the 1,125-acre Ravenscraig Regeneration Project.
Ashden Awards UK 2013 shortlist announced

The winner of the 2013 Ashden awards will receive £20,000 in prize money and support to realise their proposals
At last: work finally starts on MUMA's contest-winning Whitworth Gallery revamp

Construction has started on the £12 million overhaul of Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery - more than three years after MUMA won the RIBA-backed competition
Atkins offer relief in Superstorm Sandy rebuild

Atkins has been drafted in to help with the emergency response to Superstorm Sandy, which ravaged the northeast of the US last month
Avanti wins China steelworks revamp

Avanti Architects has won the contest to design a 22ha heritage-led regeneration project in Chongqing municipality, China
Balcas again transforms market with next generation MDF mouldings

Balcas pioneered the introduction of MDF architectural mouldings almost 25 years ago. In 2012 Balcas will again transform the construction, RMI, and DIY industries with its ground-breaking KOTA™ “Paint No More” prefinished MDF moulding.
Battle for Smithfield: developer hits back at SAVE criticism

The developer behind the contentious proposals to redevelop Smithfield Market has said he is ‘baffled and saddened’ by SAVE Britain’s Heritage’s response
BDP begins work on Dubai schools

BDP’s London and Abu Dhabi studios are working on new buildings for a prestigious primary and secondary school in Dubai
BDP wins American School of Paris job

BDP has won the competition to design a new campus for the American School of Paris (ASP)
Bennetts Associates' Camden Council offices on track for BREEAM Outstanding

New 13-storey building at King’s Cross aims to cut carbon emissions of Camden Council’s offices by 64 per cent
Bercott's Academy was also far more courageous than its replacement

Hermitage Academy’s demolition is all the more tragic for the weakness of JM Architects’ replacement, says Rory Olcayto
bere:architects wins planning for new Thames Pier

Eco-specialists bere:architects has won planning for a floating Passivhaus scheme next to the Savoy Hotel
Black architecture join forces with BRE for retrofit study

The study will investigate best practice methods for commercial retrofit
Blockwork

Cheap, robust and quick to construct, block work is still a staple element of most new buildings. When looking to reduce the environmental impact of block work, look for high levels of recycled aggregates, lower levels of cement and increasingly available alternatives to concrete.
Books Received - November 2012

Footprint’s pick of the best green reads
Boris Johnson rubberstamps Conran's Walthamstow Dogs scheme

London Mayor Boris Johnson has approved Conran and Partners’ contentious £50 million housing-led overhaul of Walthamstow stadium in east London
Buildings for people: The work of Lina Bo Bardi

An exhibition at the British Council and a day of talks at the ICA shed a light on an icon of Brazilian architecture
Cabe reveals neighbourhood fund winners

The Cabe team at the Design Council has named 11 communities which will receive up to £9,500 in design support for projects promoting community design
Cadogan contest: Shortlisted designs for £2m King’s Road café revealed

The AJ can exclusively reveal the concept schemes by the six shortlisted practices in the competition to design a £2 million café on the King’s Road in London
Call for exemplar non-domestic retrofits

Penoyre & Prasad seek UK and international case studies for upcoming book
Carbon footprint certification 'first' for roofing products

Marley Eternit’s roofing products have received carbon footprint certification from the Carbon Trust
Chp Arquitectos completes crisp Portuguese villa

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] Chp Arquitectos have completed a four bedroom house in Belas, Portugal
Congratulations, Zaha on your investiture as a Dame

There is nothing like a dame - especially Dame Zaha, writes Paul Finch
Constructing the team: Patel Taylor's Lowther Primary School

[School design] The client’s ambitious vision underpinned our masterplan for Lowther Primary School, writes Patel Taylor director Andrew Taylor. Photography by Tim Soar
Construction output across Europe takes a plunge

Construction output has plunged across Europe with 13 of 16 countries measured suffering falls in September
Contest launched for 'revolutionary' retirement homes

Retirement home developer McCarthy & Stone has launched a competition to design pioneering housing for the 55s and over
Costs: Masonry

It’s all in the bricks and mortar… Here, Neil Barnett, resource cost services manager of BCIS, the Building Cost Information Service of the RICS, provides the latest sample cost breakdowns for various types of masonry.
CPD: ARBOLEDA - an Open BIM project

Modo Forma’s apartment development in Santo Domingo benefited from the clear workflows and building analysis of Vectorworks Architect software
CPD: Design and specification of curtain walling

This CPD covers curtain walling systems, including the types available, their assembly, installation and testing
Crossing the Rubicon

PRP says designing social housing is about choosing the right battles to fight. Rory Olcayto goes ringside. Photography by Tim Crocker
Cullinan Studio: a new name AND a new office

Edward Cullinan Architects rebrands as Cullinan Studio with new BREEAM Excellent offices
Cut and rub: Hampton Court Palace chimney repair

How historic brickwork techniques were used to repair failing Hampton Court Palace chimney stacks. Felix Mara reports
Decorum Est revive fine finishing techniques

The surface finishes company opened a new London showroom last month
Delayed: Olympic Stadium not to re-open for up to four years

Populous’ London 2012 Olympic stadium may have to wait another four years before re-opening to the public
Design Engine completes Oxford Brookes School of Architecture

[FIRST LOOK + DATA] Winchester-based Design Engine Architects has completed its Abercrombie Building project for Oxford Brookes University
Digital edition: AJ Specification, November 2012

Masonry
Digital editon: AJ 15.11.12

Digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 15.11.12 | Number 18 | Volume 236
Does architectural education need an overhaul?

Architectural education must adapt to the needs of a rapidly changing profession, writes Christine Murray
Does Passivhaus constrain design?

[UKPHC Part 2] This was the great debate question raised at last week’s Passivhaus Conference, here architects and Passivhaus enthusiasts give their view.
dRMM bags largest windfall from HLF birthday bonanza

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has pledged £11.4million towards dRMM’s competition-winning proposal to revamp Hastings’ fire-damaged pier
Dysgustopia, Intersectional Banality, and other bundlings…

Ian Martin meets an old friend, architect Fred Trousers
Ecophon: Frame free acoustic design

Specifiers looking to deliver stunning sound absorption without the limitations of external framing can now take advantage of an addition to Ecophon’s popular Solo™ acoustic ceiling raft range.
ecoShowcase Bristol

6th December 2012, Bristol
Emerging markets: UK firms urged to take up work in Iraq

Opportunities for British practices to work in Iraq are growing all the time as it rebuilds itself and stability improves, especially in the north, reports Greg Pitcher
Emerging names make up York Guildhall finalists

Five relatively unknown practices have been shortlisted RIBA-organised ideas competition for the future of the city’s Guildhall and riverside complex
Enabling a new kind of streetlife for the super-rich

Ian Martin redesigns the BBC
EU tax directive threatens Green Deal VAT break

The EU has raised a legal challenge against the UK government’s reduced tax rates for energy efficient materials
Extracurricular: Pollard Thomas Edwards' Tidemill Academy

[School design] Deptford’s Tidemill Academy is cleverly hidden from the outside world but remains part of the community, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Robert Greshoff
Ferguson: 'Today we have voted for a new way of doing things'

George Ferguson has pledged an oath to the city after becoming Bristol’s first elected mayor
Fill in the AJ Women in Architecture survey 2013 and help us redress the balance

Architects, technologists, clients and students, fill in this year’s AJ Women in Architecture survey before Christmas and help us track the evolving status of women in the profession
Finally revealed: Chipperfield's plans for Portland House

[FIRST LOOK] The AJ can reveal the first image of David Chipperfield Architects’ plans to convert the 29-storey Portland House office building close to Victoria station into flats
First peek at Foster + Partners' US housing debut

The AJ can reveal this image of the first residential tower by Foster + Partners in the US
Flower power: Singapore's Gardens by the Bay by Wilkinson Eyre

Wilkinson Eyre’s conservatories at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay are a popular, aesthetic and technical success, writes Ruth Slavid
Footprint's 5 things to do this week

This week’s events include the launch of Angel’s Honey Club at Cullinan Studios and the BCO IntelliBuild Conference
Footprint's 5 things to do this week

This week’s events include Architecture & Ecology at the V&A and talks from the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products
Footprint's 5 things to do this week

This week’s events include the Sustaining Identity Symposium at the V&A and a roadshow showcasing sustainable products
FootprintWire 01.11.12

Today’s green news: Cyclehoop launches online map of free bike pumps across London
FootprintWire 02.11.12

Today’s green news: Bloomberg endorses Obama’s leadership on climate change proposals
FootprintWire 05.11.12

Today’s green news: Experts suggest solutions for mitigating climate change in New York City
FootprintWire 06.11.12

Today’s green news: UK’s longest power station occupation ends as No Dash For Gas campaigners absail from cooling towers
FootprintWire 07.11.12

Today’s green news: Obama pledges to tackle American emissions
FootprintWire 08.11.12

Today’s green news: Re-Nuble recycles organic waste to produce green electricity
FootprintWire 09.11.12

Today’s green news…Mayor’s RE:LEAF scheme encourages Londoners to plant trees
FootprintWire 12.11.12

Today’s green news: Carbon Trust launches app to encourage energy and carbon savings in schools
FootprintWire 13.11.12

Today’s green news: Movements of stunt kites used to harness power
FootprintWire 14.11.12

Today’s green news: Greenpeace provides power for New Yorkers with a solar truck
FootprintWire 15.11.12

Today’s green news: 100m tall prefabricated timber wind turbine completed in Germany
FootprintWire 16.11.12

Today’s green news: Harvard’s Ecological Urbanism app displays interactive case studies from around the world
FootprintWire 19.11.12

Today’s green news: Sustainable transport in East London with bamboo bike workshops
FootprintWire 20.11.12

Today’s green news: How many kWh/m2/yr does your house do?
FootprintWire 21.11.12

Today’s green news: Greenbuild 2012 displays Paradigm House, designed to LEED Platinum standards
FootprintWire 22.11.12

Today’s green news: A green wedding is a WISE wedding
FootprintWire 23.11.12

Today’s green news: New interactive sustainable design toolkit launched at the BRE, Watford
FootprintWire 26.11.12

Today’s green news: Net-zero desert city developed without water or concrete.
FootprintWire 27.11.12

Today’s green news: A solar tree in a Belgrade park charges visitors mobile phones
FootprintWire 28.11.12

Today’s green news: Human heartbeat generates electricity
FootprintWire 29.11.12

Today’s green news: Shine Architecture and TA Arquitectura have refurbished an exisiting university building in Mexico
FootprintWire 3.12.12

Today’s green news: ZGF Architects designed LEED gold office building in the USA
FootprintWire 30.11.12

Today’s green news: laser lights create virtual cycle lanes
Foster, Peter Cook, Grimshaw and Wilkinson Eyre among West Kowloon finalists

A gaggle of British practices have been named on the seven-strong shortlist in the contest to design Hong Kong’s first art-themed park
Fraser Brown MacKenna completes Hackney affordable housing

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Fraser Brown MacKenna have unlocked a former industrial site to create 62 affordable homes in Hackney
From the archive: John Winter's house

[FROM THE ARCHIVE] The AJ takes a look at John Winter’s cor-ten clad family home in Camden
From the far west to the Far East, the UK is well placed internationally to push sustainability

The UK is leading the way in integrated design, says Hattie Hartman
George Ferguson elected new Bristol mayor

Former RIBA President George Ferguson has become Bristol’s first elected mayor
Gerald Kaye: 'Architects must understand commerciality'

Former British Council for Offices chairman and current development director of Helical Bar Gerald Kaye talks to the AJ after a busy week
GKD: A dazzling appearance in Innsbruck

Sun protection blinds made of stainless steel mesh on the new ASFINAG office complex
Government backs Pidgley's public land for private homes report

The government has welcomed a concept proposal to sell off 18 public sector-owned sites to create 23,000 new homes
Government criticised for lacklustre Energy Efficiency Strategy

New Energy Efficiency Strategy is ‘not going to be a silver bullet solution for our energy woes’ says industry
Government faces fines for EU green construction regs failings

Legal proceedings have begun against the UK government after the European Commission found it failed to deliver a number of environmental regulations
Government launches Energy Bill

The Energy Bill was introduced to parliament by the energy and climate change secretary Edward Davey this morning
Government pledges £400m for college rebuild programme

Vince Cable has announced more than £400million worth of investment in college construction work which will lead to 56 colleges going ahead with redevelopment or refurbishment work
Green Deal woes: Costs of retrofit remain too high

A study by a leading government advisory body has found that the costs of retrofitting still remain too high to be covered by the Green Deal
Green Deal: what does it mean in practice?

Is the Green Deal on track to send the right messages to consumers?
Greenbuild USA 2

Women in Green Power breakfast, the Living Building Challenge, and William McDonough
Gut feeling: Mae in Manchester

Mae’s spacious affordable homes aren’t radical, but they work. James Pallister visits the latest arrival in Alsop’s New Islington. Photography by Tim Soar
Hampshire of the north: Highland Council's Ben Wyvis Primary

[School design] At The Highland Council, we successfully joined two schools into one by responding to the local context, writes Robert Ferrier. Photography by Chris Humphreys
HCA chief: ‘Private investment is crucial for housing delivery’

New Homes and Communities Agency chief executive Andy Rose discusses the future of affordable housing and prospects for architects
Housing crisis: affordable housing drops for first time in 10 years

Call on government to commit to ‘clear and realistic’ definition of affordable housing as output in the sector falls
Housing goes back to back-to-back

[FIRST LOOK] Ollier Smurthwaite says 71-home scheme in central Manchester solves problems that blighted former terrace model
Housing registrations plummet 12%

Fresh data has revealed a 12 per cent fall in the number of new homes registered in 2012 compared to last year
How Soft Landings can fill the building performance gap

The challenge is to champion a graduated handover process in the face of an uncertain climatic and economic future, writes Gary Clark
How to detail for good levels of airtightness

bere:architects new practical guide shows the keys to achieving Passivhaus levels
How to fake the Christmas shopping

[THIS WEEK] Sophisticated fake shopfronts enter the festive spirit, writes James Pallister
How to gain CPD using the AJ

Here at the AJ we know how difficult it can be trying to find time to fulfil your CPD requirements. So we’ve launched a new portal to make it easier for you
Hudson and Coode-Adams create rural camera obscura

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Hudson Architects and artist Ben Coode-Adams have entered this art installation in Norfolk into the AJ Small Projects Awards
Hypostyle creates Glasgow tenement infill

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] The AJ can reveal plans and pictures of Hypostyle Architects’ RIAS Award-winning Fore Street husing scheme in Glasgow
I made a deal with God, said the priest. I prayed he let me live long enough to see my church completed

[AJ WRITING PRIZE] Winner: J Schützer-Weissmann
If you want to keep our press free, distrust judges and politicians

Journalists, like architects, already face a strict regulatory regime, writes Paul Finch
In pictures: AJ writing prize winner celebrated

The winner of the AJ writing prize was announced by AJ editor Christine Murray at a lunch today
In pictures: Auction of architects' artwork raises more than £80k

An auction of artworks by 100 architects and artists raised more than £80,000 for charity Article 25.
India without aircon

Chadwick International and Buro Happold have dispensed with air conditioning at Xchanging’s new offices near Bangalore, says Hattie Hartman
Inkdesign bags planning for £2.5m East Kilbride office extension

Glasgow-based Inkdesign Architecture has secured planning for this 1,800m² project to extend a fund manager’s offices in East Kilbride
Ireland's first skyscraper saved from demolition

Ireland’s planning appeal board has saved the country’s first skyscraper – Liberty Hall in Dublin – after refusing permission for a 22-storey replacement scheme by Gilroy McMahon Architects
Is a large ground source heat pump suitable for your site?

British Geological Survey launches online tool which screens initial suitability of any site in England and Wales for a large ground source heat pump
It’s almost impossible for architects to design for the client’s needs only, nor should they try

[AJ WRITING PRIZE] Runner-up: Gemma Owen
It’s clear that if we want to keep on winning contracts we are going to have to go beyond our training

[AJ WRITING PRIZE] Shortlisted: Dominic McAndrew
Jestico + Whiles' east end secondary welcomes first students

[FIRST LOOK + PROJECT DATA] Jestico + Whiles has completed the new £23 million Cardinal Pole Catholic School, part of Hackney’s phase 2 Building Schools for the Future programme
JM Architects wins go-ahead for more Islington Wharf homes

JM Architects has bagged planning permission for this 46-home scheme at Islington Wharf, Manchester
John McCall unwraps UK's 'first green' homeless centre

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Liverpool-based John McCall Architects has converted a Victorian convent into an eco-friendly homeless centre
Join Bartlett's 3D whizzes and help scan Kielder's architectural gems

Interested punters, curious geographers, and the odd mountain biker will have the chance to experience the latest in 3-D scanning wizardry at Kielder Forest this weekend
Karakusevic Carson wins go-ahead for more Hackney homes

Karakusevic Carson Architect has won planning for the second phase of the overhaul of the Colville Estate in Hackney
La Malcontenta 1924-1939: Tumult and Order

Part scrapbook, part memoir, part evocation of Malcontenta’s renaissance, this book may be insubstantial, but it has charm, not least because of the many illustrations, writes Andrew Mead
Laidlaw brings added security to Gulliver’s World hotel

Popular family theme park, Gulliver’s World Resort in Warrington, will soon see the completion of its newest addition – The Gulliver’s Hotel, which has been fitted with Laidlaw’s Ferramenta levers and Salto access control systems throughout.
Langley roofing solution breathes new life into Sussex school

Langley Waterproofing Systems Ltd’s superior product offering and expertise were chosen to refurbish multiple flat roof areas totalling 900m² at The Bishop Bell C of E Secondary School in Eastbourne after the existing back asphalt roof covering had come to the end of its useful lifespan.
Larraz, Beguiristain and Bergera unwrap playful Spanish nursery school

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Larraz, Beguiristain and Bergera have completed this colourful nursery school in Berriozar, Spain
Legal & General developer on the shift to smaller schemes

Simon Wilkes, head of business space development at Legal & General Property, on why smaller projects have become important
Lessons learned: from BSF to the paradigm shift

[School design special: Introduction] Sunand Prasad of education expert Penoyre & Prasad introduces our school design special and reveals his hopes for the future of the building type.
Liddicoat & Goldhill win planning for 'Tailored House'

Emerging practice Liddicoat & Goldhill has won planning permission for a five-bedroom house in Brook Green, west London
London council to roll out flat pack homes

Hammersmith and Fulham Council in London is working with 3DReid to construct 112 pre-fabricated houses
Mace unwraps shiny new £5 million community centre

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Mace’s Roundwood Centre in Harlesden, London, officially opened earlier this month
Mapei gain OHSAS 18001 Certification

Mapei is thrilled to announce that its UK Halesowen manufacturing facility has received OHSAS 18001 certification. The international Occupational Health and Safety Management System specification, which assists in recognising, controlling and minimising health and safety risks in the workplace, is designed to be compatible with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, which the Halesowen plant achieved in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
Mayor Ferguson talks to the AJ: 'This is the biggest job any architect can have'

Bristol’s new mayor, architect George Ferguson, has spoken to the AJ about his plans to learn from Manchester, create the city’s own star architects and make Bristol the ‘first stop’ outside London for visitors to the UK
McAdam unveils plans for giant French retail complex

[FIRST LOOK] McAdam Architects has released plans for a 6 million m² retail and logistics centre in northern France
MH Architects design West Sussex Passivhaus development

[FIRST LOOK] Standings Court social housing development incorporates 12 houses designed to Passivhaus and CSH level 4 and 26 units that are CSH level 5 certified
MJP submits contentious Jersey plans

MJP Architects and Richard MacCormac has unveiled its plans for a new office block as part of the controversial new St Helier Esplanade Quarter in Jersey
Model pupil: Walters & Cohen

[School design] Earning top marks for over a decade, Walters & Cohen takes its expertise to Scotland and ponders new government baseline designs, writes Rory Olcayto Photography by Dennis Gilbert/VIEW
Monitoring results of Passivhaus projects revealed

[UKPHC Part 3] Post occupancy data from the Camden Passivhaus, Wolverhampton Schools, and Y Foel
More Homes, Better Homes

More Homes, Better Homes is part of our commitment to campaign on your behalf, writes Christine Murray
More homes, better homes: the industry tells us what it wants

The profession talks to us about what it would like to see emerge from a shake-up in the building regulations - and should the government be taking things further with a Mary Portas-style review of planning?
More Homes/Better Homes: AJ08.11.12

Digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 08.11.12 | Number 17 | Volume 236
Moussavi: when the means are less, we need to be more creative

Farshid Moussavi talks exclusively to the AJ about the newly-opened Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, Ohio, the first of her buildings to be completed as Farshid Moussavi Architecture
NEW CPD from Ecophon

Acoustic Design of the Modern OfficeContent and Learning Aims of our NEW CPD:- The evolution of the Modern Office- Sound in the office and how it affects us- Creating the optimal acoustic environment- Acoustic design possibilities- Acoustic standards for open plan offices
New practices: Coppin Dockray Architects

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

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: PARKdesigned

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 tricks: Capita Symonds' St Silas Primary

[School design] St Silas was Capita Symonds’ first venture into Level 2 BIM. On such a complex scheme, this was no small task, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Nick Guttridge
NEX wins Cadogan café contest

Up-and-coming practice NEX Architecture has won the high-profile contest to design a £2 million café in Duke of York Square on London’s King’s Road
No occident: Architecture in non-western geographies

A new type of Modernism based on local materials and techniques could provide a solution for sustainable expansion outside Europe, writes Gökhan Karakus
Not one homeowner takes up Green Deal assessments

Homeowners have shunned the government’s Green Deal with not a single one signing up for an energy assessment since the scheme launched last month
November Book Review: Footprint’s pick

Windfarm Visualisation: Perspective or Perception? by Alan Macdonald
OMA's Glasgow Maggie's Centre wins Doolan Award 2012

Rem Koolhaas’ practice OMA has won the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award 2012 with its Maggie’s Gartnavel in Glasgow
Oslo’s townscape is a striking monument to Hamsun

Hamsun helped shape modern literature, but Oslo can’t embrace him like Dublin has Joyce, says Rory Olcayto
Oval teenies: dRMM’s Four Dwellings Primary School

[School design] Prefabricated engineered timber lends itself to an unusual elliptical layout at dRMM’s Four Dwellings Primary School in Birmingham, part of the BSF framework
Passive and active cooling in concrete buildings

BREEAM and Passivhaus certified case studies use thermal mass to reduce CO2 emissions
Penoyre & Prasad unwraps first phase of Dubai school

London-based Penoyre & Prasad has completed the initial phase of an international baccalaureate school in Dubai
Penoyre & Prasad unwraps new library at Ruskin College

[FIRST LOOK +DATA] Penoyre & Prasad’s Ruskin College in Headington, Oxford has officially opened
Peterlee, Pasmore and Tower Hamlets' Old Flo: a past era

[THIS WEEK] Graham Farmer’s study on the reception of Victor Pasmore’s Apollo Pavilion has dispriting relevance to Tower Hamlets sale of a Henry Moore sculpture, writes James Pallister
Planning minister: We must build on 1,500 square miles of open countryside

An area twice the size of Greater London should be developed to fight the housing crisis, says Nick Boles, describing many modern housing estates as ‘pig ugly’
Planning win for Fraser Brown MacKenna cor-ten clad classrooms

Fraser Brown MacKenna has been granted planning permission for a new classroom block at Carshalton Boys Sports College, in London.
Price hike for planning applications starts next week

The 15 per cent rise in the cost of planning applications is due to come into force next week
Product profile: Bat Vents by Cembrit

An innovative solution tackles bat roosting issues in buildings
Product profile: Sefaira energy analysis software

Cloud-based Sefaira Concept offers a cost-effective approach to sutainable building design at concept stage
Project 'exploring the notion of shelter' gets students out of the studio

Students from the University of Strathclyde have designed and built 10 woodland shelters
Reaction: George Ferguson's surprise mayoral victory excites industry

Ranked as a 5/1 outsider, George Ferguson’s unexpected mayoral victory in Bristol has been broadly welcomed
Reaction: More Homes, Better Homes gets taskforce backing

Government housing taskforce’s von Bradsky pledges to ‘review and consider’ results of AJ campaign to boost building, as industry leaders tell us what they want from the overhaul, reports Richard Waite
Reader offer - December 2012

Win one of three copies of Atelier Ten’s Green House:Green Engineering
Reader offer - November 2012

Win one of three copies of Routledge’s Designed for Habitat: Collaborations with Habitat for Humanity
Reader Offer - The Green Register seminar: Sustainable Refurbishment in Historic Buildings

[Dec 6] Complimentary ticket for upcoming seminar at PTEa
Reader offer: Complimentary pass for upcoming V&A symposium

Win a ticket to ‘Sustaining Identity III’ at the V&A on November 29
Refunds proposed for planning applications which take too long

A government planning consultation launched last week suggests planning fees could be refunded for applications where a decision takes longer than 26 weeks
Report from Greenbuild USA

I never thought I’d long for ExCel!
Reschooling Oldham: Aedas

[School design] Aedas’ four Oldham schools were among the last BSF schemes to escape the axe. The programme’s scale, budget and civic ambition are unlikely to be seen again. Greg Pitcher goes back to class
Retrofit implies the correction of a problem. It’s time to think of adaptation

Planning portal: Conservation officers shouldn’t ‘insist’ on preservation. We should celebrate the adaptability of historic buildings, says Steven Bee
Revealed: rival plans for Smithfield Market revamp

SAVE Britain’s Heritage has revealed rival plans for the overhaul of London’s Smithfield Market
Richard Murphy team wins Belfast City hospital contest

A team including Richard Murphy Architects and Devereux Architects has scooped the contest to design a new facility at Belfast’s City Hospital
ROCKPANEL: Something to BRE proud of…

ROCKPANEL® products have been independently certified for their environmental performance by the Building Research Establishment (BRE).
Roundtable: Is office design killing productivity?

A panel of office design experts, chaired by AJ technical editor Felix Mara and invited by Saint-Gobain Ecophon, discuss the situation facing office workers today
School special: AJ 29.11.12 plus Footprint

Digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 29.11.12 | Number 20 | Volume 236
Schools: Make or mend?

The event Schools: make or mend? cleared up why school refurbishments usually end up as new build
Scotland’s best school: Holmes Miller's Heathfield Primary

[School design] The skilful mix of new and old at Heathfield Primary won it a commendation in this year’s Doolan Prize, writes Neil Baxter. Photography by Andrew Lee
Sculpture recalls maritime history

Artwork in form of dockside moorings celebrates anniversary
Self-confidence and identity are key to the renewal of our blighted urban centres

We should aim to create first-rate small towns rather than third-rate versions of bigger neighbourhoods, says Paul Finch
Shedkm scoops Brighton jackpot

Shedkm has won the competition to transform the municipal market on Brighton’s Circus Street into a £100 million mixed-use scheme including 200 homes and 4,200m2of offices and shops
Sheppard Robson wins go-ahead for £180m Barts Square scheme

Planning permission has been granted for Sheppard Robson’s £180 million mixed-use Barts Square development in central London
Shortlist revealed in Glasgow George Square contest

High Line mastermind and post-Games Olympic Park designers James Corner Field Operations has been named on a six-strong shortlist in the competition to overhaul George Square in Glasgow
'Significant opportunites' for architects in China says Aedas chief

China will remain a critical market for architects to target in 2013, according to a senior figure.
Small practice special: Ten steps to 'green' your workflow

Lynne Sullivan at the RIBA
Smart solar glass launches in UK

Layers of fine steel strands in glazing let sunlight in selectively to control solar heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter
Sometimes you just don't know whether to laugh or cry

The Home Builders Federation’s more thoughtful members are interested in good standards, not bad ones, says Paul Finch
Soundforms: Peak performance

BFLS’s demountable stage shell is shaped by precise acoustic engineering, writes Felix Mara. Photography by David Grand
Spoof Southend Pier airport plan revealed

An outfit calling itself ‘Makeit Architects’ has mooted a satirical proposal for an international airport hub on Southend Pier
Spot the difference

Pop-up at the UK Passivhaus Conference compares Part L 2006 and Passivhaus specifications
Stallan-Brand replaces RMJM on Scottish schools framework

Contractor Kier has replaced RMJM on its South Lanarkshire schools projects after the practice’s three UK divisions went into receivership last month
Starlets squeeze three-storey home onto tiny plot

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS] Emerging practice 31/44 Architects have entered this three storey house in Lewisham, London, into this year’s AJ Small Projects Awards
Story of a shell: Kennedy Town Swimming Pool

Terry Farrell’s zinc-clad swimming pool heralds a sea change for Hong Kong’s Kennedy Town, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Marcel Lam
Surprise findings in Retrofit Awards survey

Only a fifth of respondents to AJ/ZBP survey believe occupier behaviour affects environmental performance of retrofit projects, writes Laura Mark
Swedish vacuum waste system Envac withstands Sandy

Installed on New York City’s Roosevelt Island in 1971, Envac remained operational throughout the hurricane
Tall buildings will change London for ever

‘The new towers of London will make this world city even more world class,’ says Rory Olcayto
Taxing housing and development is an odd way to promote growth

When will we wake up to the fact that house builders cannot provide the new homes we need? Residential development should be free of all planning gain, affordable housing and other taxes on delivery, writes Paul Finch
The AJ is now on iPad - download it free today

The Architects’ Journal’s new iPad edition is now in the App Store with a free sample issue of the AJ, single issues for sale, and free access to subscribers until April 2013
The AJ Women in Architecture campaign continues into its second year

The AJ Women in Architecture campaign strives to secure equal pay and status
The Architectural Association is doing very nicely, despite headlines that might have misled you

The AA’s building programme continues apace, via Wright & Wright’s masterplan, now entering its third phase, says Paul Finch
The BCO IntelliBuild conference

The office of the future: from algae to bioresponsive PV membranes
The best of Scotland: Doolan and RIAS winners in the AJ Buildings Library

See images and drawings of this and previous years’ Dolaan prize winners along with the shortlisted projects in the AJ Buildings Library
The deserving and the undeserving moderately well-off

Ian Martin remodels The Entire Notion Of Social Housing
The good, the bad and the grid matrix: how the new RIBA Plan of Work 2013 will affect you

As the 50-year-old RIBA Plan of Work stages A-L are consigned to history, Felix Mara explains what architects should expect from the institute’s new schema for progressing construction works
The Hellman cartoon: AJ01.11.12

A trawl through Hellman’s archives, in which we uncover gems as relevant now as then. ‘This cartoon is from AJ16.08.89. The shanty town in the final image may yet be realised if the present government’s inadequate housing policies continue’
The Marriage of the Year?

This is the tale of a popular marriage - Football and Kalwall! It’s the FA’s new National Football Centre. Nearly 3000sqm of Kalwall translucent cladding system has been specified by RedBox Design Group for the indoor football pitch and separate sports hall to create perfect playing conditions, diffusing natural daylight without glare or shadows. In the sports hall (images opposite and below), the highest levels of daylight insulation and energy efficiency have been achieved by incorporatin
The opposite of Shard: Piano in Oslo

Renzo Piano’s new Astrup Fearnley Museum is so laid back it’s horizontal, writes Rory Olcayto. Photography by Nic Lehoux
The pros and cons of a decentralised London

EDGE debate highlights trend towards ‘third place’ working
The red house is not perfect, but the grace of humanism is visible in the gleaming oak staircase

[AJ WRITING PRIZE] Shortlisted: Poppy E McNee
The regs: Geoff Wilkinson pours fuel on the bonfire of the regs, saying the government review doesn’t go far enough

‘Past working groups have consistently recommended that the system be simplified’
The ventilation system is the message

Ian Martin is full of sparkling Christmas anticipation
The frame of the beast: Rogers in Sydney

Rogers’ new office tower in Sydney is a single-minded manifestation of his philosophy, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Brett Boardman
Theoretical barchitecture has its day

Ian Martin devises some inflatable rhetoric for the mayor of London
This year we asked this question: Do Architects have a duty to anyone but their client?

[AJ WRITING PRIZE] Introduction
Three low carbon research positions at Oxford Brookes University

Oxford Brookes’ Low Carbon Building Group is offering three research positions in low carbon communities, carbon counting and building performance evaluation [application deadline : 3 December 2012].
Touching the void: Marina Bay Sands

Ruth Slavid books into Safdie Architects’ surreal Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore, the venue for this and next year’s World Architecture Festivals. Photography by Timothy Hursley
'Unblemished' architect rapped for terms of engagement blunder

Architect Robert Baxter has been reprimanded by the ARB’s professional conduct committee for failing to give his clients written terms of engagement before carrying out work
US architecture work continues to increase

US architecture workloads have grown at their fastest monthly pace for almost two years, according to a respected survey
V-Cut: Redefining the design scope of plasterboard

Dry lining has traditionally offered little in terms of design sophistication, with curved and complex forms having to be cut on site and fitted to a suitable framework. V-Cut offers curved, recessed, L, U and Z-shaped profiles in a choice of thicknesses and varying angles. With GRG bespoke detailing being so costly this offers the perfect solution for tight refit and new build schedules.
Welcome to 'Earth Style'

Business hotels. Chain stores. Airports: they all look the same, it’s the new ‘Earth Style’, writes Rory Olcayto
What will prepare students for life in modern practice?

Last week the AJ pledged its support for the Ryder Architecture-led Future of the Built Environment Education Campaign. Here Arup structural engineer Tristam Carfrae, who is on the pan-industry task force, suggests a way forward, while Merlin Fulcher picks out highlights of the LinkedIn debate
Wigglesworth becomes Royal Designer for Industry

Sarah Wigglesworth has become the first female architect to be appointed a Royal Designer for Industry
Windhampton – a breath of fresh air

Ian Martin develops the inhabited windmill
Winner of the 2012 RIBA ICE McAslan Bursary revealed

The RIBA 2012 ICE McAslan Bursary has been won by architect Nicola Antaki for her school design project in India
Woods versus Gilliam: Lebbeus swipes back

Lebbeus Woods’ successful copyright claim was a rare thing in an industry built on copying, says Rory Olcayto
Workload falls for Australian architects

Australian architects have been dealt a blow with official figures showing that buildings work fell in the third quarter of the year
You asked for it. We built it. The AJ is now on iPad

The AJ iPad edition is now available to download in the App Store and is free to subscribers until April 2013, announces Christine Murray
You’ve less than a week to enter AJ Small Projects. Don’t miss your chance

It’s your last chance to enter the AJ Small Projects Awards this week, celebrating architectural design delivered on a budget of £250,000 or less
Zaha Hadid lined up for first UK housing scheme

Zaha Hadid Architects is understood to be behind a new housing project on the fringe of the City of London
Zaha Hadid wins Japan national stadium contest

Zaha Hadid Architects has seen off 10 global big hitters to win the contest to overhaul Japan’s national stadium
ZMMA creates twisted brick farmhouse for developer Crispin Kelly

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] ZMMA’s Four Oaks house in Wiltshire was declared the ‘Best Housing Development’ at the Brick Awards last week

Architects JournalNovember 2012

Architects Journal
November 2012