Architects Journal
September 2012

View all stories from this issue.

Bad debt sinks MBLA as tough trading conditions continue

Award-winning Manchester practice MBLA has become the latest outfit to go under as new figures show unemployment among architects is continuing to rise
Eric Pickles sets out new coalition housing push

Read secretary of state for communities and local government Eric Pickles’ full written ministerial statement on housing and economic growth
First look at dRMM's Hastings Pier designs

These are the first images of dRMM’s proposal for Hastings’ fire-damaged pier
Glenn Howells bags planning for contest-winning memorial

Glenn Howells Architects has finally won planning for the £12 million remodelling of The National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, near Lichfield in Staffordshire
Knauf insulation’s earthwool® enhances environment for Devon community

A charity that provides residential accommodation and support in a community environment for people with learning difficulties has received a donation of help in kind from leading insulation manufacturer, Knauf Insulation, as it attempts to improve both the comfort levels for its residents, and the environmental footprint of its facilities.
Liverpool Waters to go to Secretary of State 'within weeks'

Chapman Taylor’s controversial £5.5 billion Liverpool Waters scheme is to go to the Secretary of State for a final decision ‘within weeks’
Meet Battersea Power Station’s new Malaysian owners

A Malaysian consortium completed the £400 million purchase of south London’s most iconic landmark, Battersea Power Station this week
‘Desperate’ Part I student advertises her labour on eBay

Mature student Elaine Grimes has advertised herself on eBay in a desperate bid to find work
100% Design

19-22 September, Earls Court, London
20% ARB fee hike approved

The ARB board has unanimously approved an increase in its annual retention fee from £80 to £98.50
30 St. Mary Axe by Foster + Partners

[OPEN HOUSE] 30 St Mary Axe, the London headquarters of insurance company Swiss Re is one of more than 50 projects taking part in Open House London featured in the Library
3DReid flies into Brazil

AJ100 big hitter 3DReid has unveiled its proposals for a new private airport in Brazil
5 Chalcot Road

A mid-terrace four storey house by Studio Octopi
A first peek at Gregory Phillips' Thameside-home

[FIRST LOOK] Gregory Phillips Architects has released these photographs of its RIBA Regional Award-winning Bishops Close house on the banks of the River Thames in Berkshire
A ring road for aeroplanes and a farewell to the bees

Ian Martin floats the idea of a floating airport
A Tour of Ash Sakula's Canning Town Caravanserai

Footprint pays a visit to the Caravanserai on the eve of Open House weekend
AHMM takes over from Make on Hawley Wharf

Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) has replaced Make as lead architect on the controversial project to redevelop Hawley Wharf in Camden Town
Airflow: New LOOVENT eco Delivers Low Energy with Multi Function Ventilation

Complementing its existing range of ‘ecoair’ ventilation solutions, Airflow introduces the new Loovent eco fan.
AJ exclusive: AHMM scoops Clapham Junction overhaul job

AHMM has been appointed to work on the multi-million redevelopment of Clapham Junction in south-west London
AJ exclusive: RIBA client of the year 2012 shortlist revealed

The Olympic Delivery Authority is, unsurprisingly, on the five-strong shortlist for the 2012 RIBA Client of the Year award.
AJ exclusive: Shanghai shop fronts by Will Alsop, Moxon and Studio Weave unveiled

Installations by architects including Robin Lee, Dexter Moren, Erect, Aberrant, Studio Glowacka and Nicholas Kirk Architects exclusively revealed
AJ exclusive: Shortlist for RIBA Manser Medal unveiled

The RIBA has taken the surprise decision to include two RIBA Regional Award winners ahead of national award-winning schemes on its shortlist for this year’s Manser Medal.
AJ exclusive: Stephen Lawrence Prize contenders announced

RIBA Regional Award-winners feature heavily on the shortlist for the 2012 Stephen Lawrence Prize
AJ exclusive: Worsley New Hall finalists unveiled

The AJ can reveal the designs by the six finalists in the RIBA-backed competition to design a five-star hotel on the site of the demolished Worsley New Hall in Greater Manchester
AJ presents Architects' Question Time at 100% Design

Join AJ editor Christine Murray for Architects’ Question Time at 100% Design this Saturday – guests include The Apprentice’s Gabrielle Omar, Joe Morris of Duggan Morris and David Howarth of DRDH
AJ Small Projects 2013: deadline extended

The deadline for the AJ Small Projects 2013 has been extended until Monday 26 November to give practices an extra week to submit their small-scale gems
AJ Small Projects: It's time to launch our favourite annual event

The search is on for this year’s best designs on a budget, writes Christine Murray
AJ Specification 09.12 – Doors & Windows

Case studies by Bembé Dellinger Architects, Timothy Hatton Architects and Studio Octopi
All change for ARB investigations

The ARB is set to hand over its investigations process to appointed officials who will replace elected board members
Allford calls for ARB boycott in wake of proposed 20 per cent fee hike

AHMM director blasts regulator while architecture minister Vaizey says abolishing the ARB ‘is not a decision I can make alone’
Amended figures shows new construction work at 32-year low

The level of new construction work plummeted to its lowest level since 1980 in the second quarter of 2012, rather than flatlining as government figures had claimed a few weeks ago
'An open house is like an open hand'

Open House admits us into a public exchange of reactions to and opinions about buildings
Aquatecture – Blue Water Thinking

Footprint sails with Baca Architects
ARB 23% fee hike provokes anger

A storm of protest has blown up after the Architects Registration Board voted unanimously to approve the £18.50 rise in the retention fees it levies on architects to remain on its mandatory register
ARB fee set to skyrocket 20% over cash crisis fears

The ARB annual retention fee is set to increase from £80 to £98.50
Architect sought for Fort Albert residential scheme

[Registration deadline 7 October] Developer Cleanslate is seeking ‘innovative’ residential schemes for a site neighbouring Fort Albert on the Isle of Wight
Architect sought for Waterford Cathedral Square revamp

[Completed tenders to be returned by 5 October] Waterford City Council is on the hunt for an architect-led design team to design a €1.2 million regeneration project within its Viking Triangle area
Architects and the New Aesthetic manifesto

The New Aesthetic viral manifesto articulates the digital impetus in the shaping of the world, writes Rory Olcayto
Architecture Foundation seeks exhibition proposals

[Entries are due 12 October] The Architecture Foundation is calling for ‘innovative’ exhibitions and installations to exhibit in its Central London project space
Architecture is forever falling through the political gaps

Paul Finch’s Letter from London: A frustrating reminder that architecture is forever falling through the political gaps
Armstrong launches RIBA-approved CPD on eco-friendly systems

A new CPD based on Armstrong Ceilings’ CoolZone concept is approved by RIBA.Hot on the heels of its launch of the eco-friendly CoolZone system, Armstrong Ceilings has introduced a RIBA-approved CPD on the use of the PCM (Phase Change Material) the concept is based on.
Arts Council launches £20 million grants fund

The Arts Council England is inviting bidders for a chunk of its £20 million grants small capital investment programme
Arup Associates completes Nine Elms marketing suite

Arup Associates with Camlins and Woods Bagot has completed this glass-clad temporary marketing suite close to Kieran Timberlake’s recently approved US Embassy scheme in Nine Elms, south London
Ash Sakula reveals Newcastle homes plan

Ash Sakula is set to submit an planning application for 76 homes on brownfield land next to the River Ouseburn, close to Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Barangaroo begins hunt for masterplanner

[Submissions to be received by 26 September] Sydney’s Barangaroo Delivery Authority is calling for practices to masterplan the city’s former container port
BDP in running for another Danish healthcare whopper

BDP is targeting a wave of health work in Denmark after being named on a strong shortlist for a £430 million hospital scheme in the country
Behind the scenes at Slip House

Footprint tours Carl Turner Architects’ Brixton house, designed to CSH Level 5
Bennetts quits Southbank centre contest

‘Reservations about the brief’ are part of the reason the firm has decided to wash its hands of the Brutalist Thameside redevelopment
Bennetts reveals Chester Odeon overhaul proposals

These are the first images of Bennetts Associates’ proposed £40 million redevelopment of Chester’s Art Deco Odeon cinema
Between the cracks: Stillpoint by Piers Taylor

Piers Taylor’s Stillpoint project in Bath is typical of good new architecture in the city - hidden from view, writes Rory Olcayto. Photography by Peter Cook
Binney: 'Ministers must stand up to bullying councils over Pathfinder-by-stealth'

The president of SAVE Britain’s Heritage Marcus Binney calls for the refurbishment of homes in the former Pathfinder zones and the end to ‘back door’ demolition
'Blank canvas' for Bradford Odeon as controversial plans scrapped

New plans are being sought for Bradford’s Odeon cinema site after controversial plans to demolish the much-loved landmark were scrapped yesterday
Blonde and brazen: dRMM's Festival House

dRMM has brought its expertise with cross-laminated timber construction to bear on a highly unusual project: a combined registry office and tourist information centre on Blackpool’s Golden Mile. Felix Mara reports from Festival House
Books Received - September 2012

Footprint’s pick of the best green reads
Bright Spark in Bangkok

Spark’s pro bono design for the Fai-Fah children’s charity makes an unmissable bold intervention in the Bangkok suburb of Prachautis, writes Narelle Yabuka
Bristol's Old Vic theatre seeks architect for front of house revamp

[Completed PQQs to be returned by 1 October] The Old Vic Theatre in Bristol is seeking to appoint an architect, structural and MEP engineers and QS for the next phase of its £8 million refurbishment
Building study: Thermal Baths, Vals, Switzerland by Peter Zumthor

[Architectural Review archive] Resonant with an elemental materiality and full of myriad therapeutic delights, Peter Zumthor’s thermal baths at Vals are conceived as a cavernous, labyrinthine haven devoted to sensual pleasure
Building Trust International opens photography splicing contest

[Images must be submitted before 1 November] Design charity Building Trust International has launched a photography contest focusing on contrasts in architecture
Business booming for eco-classrooms

Modular teaching space provider stands to double its profits following the successful installation of units in East Anglia
Camden seeks architect for Agar Grove redevelopment

[Requests to participate to be received by 19 October] Camden Council is seeking an architect for the £1.5 million redevelopment of its Agar Grove Estate
Campaigners launch petition against Scottish Parliament extension

A petition has been launched against Lee Boyd’s controversial new security facility for the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood
Capital Idea

As World Design Capital 2012, Helsinki is rediscovering its past and using it to shape its future
Carl Turner completes own home in Brixton

[FIRST LOOK] AJ Small Projects-shortlisted Carl Turner has completed his own home in south London
Carmody Groarke unwraps Swarovski showcase

The Design Museum has opened ‘Digital Crystal’, a multi-sensory exhibition developed in collaboration with Austrian luxury brand Swarovski.
Chipperfield: 'Hepworth overcomes cultural anxiety about Modern architecture'

David Chipperfield has said his Stirling Prize-nominated Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield shows Modern architecture can be accepted in the UK
City of Dredd

Dredd’s Mega City One is one of the most interesting urban design projects ever attempted, writes Rory Olcayto
Cleanslate's Brian Norton: ‘Keen to discover next wave of design talent’

Brian Norton, executive chairman of new development company Cleanslate, on forging links with the next generation of architects
Clover House by Richard Pain Architect

[RETROFIT AWARDS PREVIEW] Richard Pain’s refurbishment and extension to a two storey 1960s house is shortlisted in the Small Housing category
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 04.10.12

Camden’s Agar Grove Estate, Dublin City University and creative solutions to worthwhile causes. The editor’s pick of this weeks top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 06.09.12

Barangaroo masterplan services, the National Media Museum and George Square Glasgow. The editor’s pick of the week’s top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 13.09.12

Bristol Old Vic theatre, Croydon public realm and shelters in Ghana. The editor’s pick of this weeks top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 20.09.12

Fort Albert on the Isle of Wight, Papay Gyro Nights Art Festival and an student contest for Turin. The editor’s pick of this weeks top competitions
Competitions: Editor's Pick, 27.09.12

Waterford Cathedral Square, Northern Ireland’s Schomberg House and Sloan’s House and a theatre design contest for students. The editor’s pick of this weeks top competitions
Confusion as Glasgow George Square contest 'relaunched'

Glasgow City Council has been accused of causing confusion after it decided to ‘amend’ its procurement process for the overhaul of George Square at the last minute
Construction starts tumble 11% in a year

The underlying value of construction projects starting on site is 11 per cent below this time last year – according to fresh research
Contest to masterplan Santiago's civic quarter opens

[Registration must be completed by 16 October] Chile’s Housing and Urban Development Ministry has launched an international contest to masterplan Santiago’s civic quarter
Costs: Doors & Windows

A window on estimating from BCIS. 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 doors, windows and curtain walling.
CPD: Design and specification of lead sheet cladding

Applications to traditional and preformed vertical cladding, weatherings, dormer windows, and door and bay hoods sponsored by the Lead Sheet Association (LSA)
Critical nostalgia in the Padiglione Centrale

The sombre works in the Padiglione are welcome relief from the clamour of the Arsenale, writes Gary Boyd
Crown Estate submits plans for £450m St James' Market

The Crown Estate has submitted four planning applications for a huge 28,000m² mixed-use development off Piccadilly, central London .
Croydon seeks architect for South End High Street public realm

[Submissions to be returned by 20 September] The London Borough of Croydon is on the hunt for an ‘exceptional’ multi-disciplinary design team to deliver a public realm project for South End High Street
Curtains up on 1104’s Camden PoW memorial

[First look] 1104 Architects’ peace memorial in Mornington Crescent has been formally unveiled
Cypriot common ground

The historic link between Venice and Istanbul could help Nicosia find Common Ground, writes Rory Olcayto
Danish-designed 'sea urchin' greenhouses land in Bristol

Copenhagen-based design collective N55 with architect Anne Romme has completed this £67,000 greenhouse at the City of Bristol College’s South Bristol Skills Academy
David Partridge: Diversity is key to King's Cross' success

Five years since Argent last addressed an AJ100 Breakfast Club, joint chief executive David Partridge told delegates at the quarterly Claridges event this morning: ‘There is a diversity of different uses at its heart – that makes King’s Cross a place that people want to go to’
DC CABE reveals £8k-a-go design review fee

Design Council CABE has announced plans to charge £8,000 for its full design review service
Deportation threat to London Met students blocked

A judge has granted London Metropolitan University students threatened with deportation temporary permission to remain in the UK
Design contest opens for Norway's Charlottenlund Cemetery

[Requests to participate to be received by 21 September] The Trondheim Church Council in Norway has opened a design competition for its Charlottenlund cemetery
Design is the tribute art pays to industry, you might say

Paul Finch’s Letter from London: Scarpa’s glass works, design sensibility and architecture make him the nearest thing to a Renaissance figure in the 20th century
Designer Myerscough unwraps colourful Greenwich 'pop-up'

Graphic designer Morag Myerscough has completed this temporary café and performance space next to Greenwich DLR station, south-east London.
Digital edition: 13.09.12

Digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 13.09.12 | Number 9 | Volume 236
Digital edition: AJ Retrofit Awards

The winners and nominated projects - plus reaction and analysis
Digital edition: AJ Specification, September 2012

Doors & windows
Digital edition: AJ06.09.12

Digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 06.09.12 | Number 8 | Volume 236
Digital edition: AJ20.09.12

The Architects’ Journal | 20.09.12 | Number 10 | Volume 236
Does architectural criticism matter?

Joseph Rykwert, judge on this year’s AJ Writing Prize, on perils and provocations in the business of criticism.
Doors & Windows

In a short interim period between revisions to Approved Document L, we take a breather in this year’s doors and windows overview to look at new products and reflect on relevant design and specification principles and considerations, also taking in ironmongery, blinds and lockers.
Dublin City University seeks architect for new entrance

[Registration deadline 1 November] Dublin City University has opened a single-stage contest to design its new main entrance
Dune House by Jarmund / Vigsnæs Arkitekter and Mole Architects

[MANSER MEDAL 2012] Guest house surrounded by sand dunes with an undulating roof
East reveals West Ham plans

[First look + plans + project data] East has submitted a planning application for this eight-storey ‘apart-hotel’ and housing project on West Ham Lane in east London
Ecophon: The best acoustic ceiling for schools is now ‘kid-proof’

A brand new acoustic ceiling system specifically designed for schools has been launched by Ecophon. Master™ Rigid sets a new benchmark for performance and durability and has been designed with demanding classroom environments in mind.
Ecophon: Walton High School, Milton Keynes

An acoustic solution from Saint-Gobain Ecophon has helped transform the cafeteria and mezzanine in Walton High School, benefitting both pupils and students.
Emergence Summit at the Centre for Alternative Technology

Footprint attends inaugural international arts and sustainability conference at CAT
Emerging stars and newcomers on Cadogan café shortlist

Architecture 00:/, Carmody Groarke, NEX and Duggan Morris Architects have been named on the shortlist to design a £2 million café off the King’s Road in London
Eric Parry to shed jobs

Eric Parry Architects has admitted it is consulting over redundancies – just days after winning the AJ Retrofit Award with its Holburne Museum in Bath
Exclusive images: NRAP submits new West Ham mega-mosque plans

[First look + plans] NRAP Architects has submitted an outline planning application for a 9,500-capacity mosque in West Ham, east London – formerly dubbed the ‘mega mosque’
Exclusive: Victoria Thornton on Open House London

To mark Open House London weekend, founder Victoria Thornton explains the history of the event
Explosive dilemma for Gensler's floating airport dream

Of the potential obstacles to Gensler’s floating island airport proposal, the most explosive is the SS Richard Montgomery.
Fallingwater blueprints for sale at the Wright price

A set of 12 original blueprints for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater have turned up at an auction house in Guernsey
Fallon confirmed as construction minister in BIS reshuffle

New business minister Michael Fallon will take over from outgoing construction minister Mark Prisk’s brief within the Department for Business.
Farrell submits Folkestone harbour overhaul plans

Terry Farrell and Partners has submitted outline plans for 1,000 homes on Folkestone harbour and seafront
FAT and Grayson Perry land planning for Essex holiday home

FAT and Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry have won planning permission for a two-bedroom holiday home in Essex for Living Architecture
FCBS and Purcell win cash boost for St Fagans

National Museum Wales has won second round funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to redevelop Wales’ most-visited heritage attraction, St Fagans National History Museum
FCBS to masterplan Victoria Coach Station district redevelopment

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has been appointed to masterplan a four hectare plot in Belgravia, London which includes the Victoria Coach Station
Fears Japanese building boom will end in 2013

Experts have warned that the construction boom in Japan may end early next year – despite fresh figures showing orders had increased again
Feeringbury Barn, Essex by Hudson Architects

[RETROFIT AWARD WINNER] Hudson’s conversion of a large Grade II listed barn won a Retrofit Award in the Listed Buildings category
Feilden Clegg Bradley wins Southbank centre contest

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS) has seen off an impressive shortlist to bag the contentious revamp of London’s Southbank Centre
First peek at Hudson's super-crisp barn conversion

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Hudson Architects has transformed a pair of 17th and 18th century timber-framed barns in Suffolk into a single house
Flammable centrepiece sought for Orkney island arts festival

[Entrants to register by 11 December] The Papay Gyro Nights Art Festival is inviting architects to design a combustible festival centrepiece
Footprint Product Profile: UGE's off-grid street lamps

Sanya SLN and Sanya SLS models are powered by solar and wind energy
Footprint Wire 20.09.12

Today’s green news: Sanitov Studios’ Inachus floating home at the London Design Festival
Footprint Wire 24.09.12

Today’s green news: New ecological park to provide green lung for Mexico City
Footprint Wire 25.09.12

Today’s green news: Renewable keyboard designed by French company Orée
FootprintWire 01.10.12

Today’s green news: Simon Conder Associates’ passive solar houses in Cornwall
FootprintWire 02.10.12

Today’s green news: Wooden geodesic dome produced from locally sourced timber
FootprintWire 03.10.12

Today’s green news: European award for TYIN Tegnestue Architects, designers of this naturally ventilated Co-op Centre
FootprintWire 10.9.12

Today’s green news: Wayward Plants’ Helsinki Plant Tram
FootprintWire 11.9.12

Today’s green news: Baby Plumen to launch at London Design Festival
FootprintWire 12.9.12

Today’s green news: Portable solar radio with manual recharge
FootprintWire 13.9.12

Today’s green news: John Thompson & Partners win Moscow zero carbon masterplan competition
FootprintWire 14.9.12

Today’s green news: British artist Morag Myerscough’s pop-up Movement Cafe now open in Greenwich
FootprintWire 17.9.12

Today’s green news: London Met students bring ‘Heliomet SunBloc’ to European Solar Decathlon
FootprintWire 18.9.12

Today’s green news: Chairs by Jean Nouvel with 80% recycled aluminium on display at Paris Design Week
FootprintWire 19.09.12

Chinese bamboo house leads Solar Decathlon
FootprintWire 21.9.12

Today’s green news: Undercurrent Architects retrofit a Southwark railway arch
FootprintWire 26.09.12

Today’s green news: French Canopea House leads the 2012 Solar Decathlon
FootprintWire 27.09.12

Today’s green news: Anne Romme’s greenhouse boosts biodiversity in Bristol
FootprintWire 28.09.12

Today’s green news: Homes damaged by flooding may face demolition
FootprintWire 6.9.12

Today’s green news: Buro Happold / Kengo Kuma landscape design for Danish museum
FootprintWire 7.9.12

Today’s green news: latest GreenSkyThinking programme includes green buildings, green roofs, allotmentsand more
Forbo: Metro takes Flotex in a new direction

Forbo has launched Flotex Metro, a stylish and versatile range of flocked floor coverings available in 50 x 50cm tile and 2m sheet format, with a bright palette and understated pattern designed for wide appeal, conveying colour and texture without definite form.
Former RMJM employee loses constructive dismissal claim

Former RMJM landscape architect Kirstin Taylor has vowed to appeal after losing an employment tribunal in Edinburgh against the company for constructive dismissal
Foster joins London ‘skycycle’ project as authorship controversy flairs

Foster and Partners has joined the design team behind an ambitious project to create a raised cycle network along London’s railways. A practice has meanwhile claimed they proposed a similar idea three years ago
Foster sets up in Sao Paulo as Brits win Brazilian work

British businesses have won £70 million of contracts for the 2014 World Cup and Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic games, the prime minister said today (28 September)
Foster's Chinese mega-centre emerges from ground

Construction work has started on a huge Foster + Partners mixed-use scheme in central Shanghai
Frank Lloyd Wright archives to join Columbia and MOMA collections

The vast archives of Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) have been jointly acquired by the Columbia University and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and will become part of their permanent collections
Free RIBA CPD Online Learning from Wood Campus

Learn more about the building material of the future and earn CPD points at the same time.
French extension: Maison L joins Manser Medal shortlist

[FIRST LOOK] Shortlisted for the 2012 Manser Medal, Christian Pottgiesser’s Maison L is an extension to a private 18th-century residence
Fringe benefits

The alternative to bread and circuses is on London’s fringe, writes Merlin Fulcher
Fully-glazed frameless partitioning system from SAS International

SAS International’s new System 8000 fully-glazed, frameless partitioning system combines aesthetics with outstanding acoustic, fire and structural performance.
Galloway demands inquiry into Bradford Odeon and Westfield debacles

George Galloway has called for a government inquiry into the ‘regeneration crisis’ in Bradford after controversial plans to demolish the city’s much-loved Odeon cinema were scrapped last week
Gold Museum Budapest: Woven shell for the history of Southeast Asia GKD

While searching for the ideal location to house his Southeast Asian Gold Museum a few years ago, István Zelnik discovered a villa in Budapest that is steeped in history. The building in Andrássy Avenue was built with limestone tiles at the end of the 19th century for the businessman Ferenc Rausch and still carries his name to this day. In Villa Rausch, Zelnik found the ideal venue for his precious collection of artworks and cultural objects, so he had
Golden Lane Leisure Centre by Cartwright Pickard Architects

[RETROFIT AWARD PREVIEW] The refurbishment the Grade II Listed leisure centre designed by Chamberlin Powell and Bon is shortlisted in the Public Building category
Government moots planning free-for-all

The government has revealed proposals to temporarily remove planning requirements on house extensions and conservatories
Government unveils vision for 15% smaller schools

The government has revealed its vision for a new wave of standardized schools up to 15 per cent smaller and £6 million cheaper than previous designs
Government vows £1bn council housing investment

The government has pledged £1 billion pounds to overhaul council-owned housing stock over the next two years
Green Preview: London Design Festival 2012

What’s green at London Design Festival [14 - 23 September]
Green Sky Thinking launches

Over 100 people gathered at Gardiner & Theobald’s offices to launch next week’s GreenSkyThinking programme - BOOK NOW!
Green Sky Thinking: Ash Sakula's 'Adaptable Neighbourhoods' workshop

Serious engagement with social sustainability means architects need to change the way they work
Green Sky Thinking: district heating for London unraveled

Penoyre & Prasad’s Crouch Hill scheme suggests one way forward
Green Sky Thinking: Green Tea - Fit for the Future?

Footprint tours AHMM’s Green Tea Building
Green Sky Thinking: Retrofit in conservation areas with Marks Barfield

Post-occupancy monitoring demonstrates the potential for savings in a Victorian retrofit
Green Sky Thinking: Scott Brownrigg on 'carbon minus' design

King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, Woolwich
Green Sky Thinking: TfL's Green Wall in Central London

Footprint climbs Biotecture’s green wall at Edgware Road Station
Green Sky Thinking: Urban ecology at the Phoenix Garden, Covent Garden

‘Sustainable by Design’ discuss wildlife and education in the heart of London
Green Sky Thinking: What would Walter do?

If Walter Gropius was setting up the Bauhaus today - how would he tackle sustainability?
Greenshoots? Homes boost in US

The pace of US housing construction increased in August, official figures have revealed
Grimshaw partner Chris Nash retires

Former Grimshaw managing partner Christopher Nash has retired after 30 years working for the company
Halliday Clark bags Bradford free school project

[First look + project data] Halliday Clark, as part of a Kier-led team, has landed the £3.2 million project for the new Rainbow Free School in Bradford
Hardship hits 700 more RIBA members

Around 5.8 per cent of RIBA members are now on reduced subscription rates due to hardship
Harvey Court by Levitt Bernstein

[RETROFIT AWARD PREVIEW] The refurbishment of the Grade II* listed brick student accomodation block is shortlisted in the Post War Listed Buildings category
Hatcher Prichard bags planning for Bristol free school

[First look + project data + plans] Hatcher Prichard Architects has won planning permission for this £6.5 million free school project in Bristol
HCA shortlists 105 schemes for 'Get Britain Building' fund

The Homes and Communities Agency has announced 105 schemes have been shortlisted for funding under the £570 million Get Britain Building fund
Hear Here: Studio Weave's listening trumpets complete

Studio Weave’s country house ‘listening trumpets’ have opened to the public
Here's 6 ways to help house-build our way out of recession

Paul Finch’s Letter from London: Paul Finch returns from Venice to find a bucket of cold water being poured over housing and planning
Highpoint Flats by Tecton Group

[OPEN HOUSE] Tecton’s Grade I listed seven-storey modernist appartment block is one of more than 50 projects taking part in Open House London featured in the Library
Hong Kong slowdown fears grow

Fresh warnings have been sounded about the Hong Kong property market
Hopkins' Brent Civic Centre wins UK's first BREAAM outstanding

Hopkins Architects’ £60 million Brent Civic Centre is officially the greenest public office building in the country
Horsted Park Residential Development

Proctor and Matthews Architects
House N

Bembe Dellinger Architects and Urban Planners
Housing approvals plunge by a third

The number of new homes landing planning permission plummeted 32 per cent in the second quarter of this year
Hugh Broughton scores Polar hat-trick

Hugh Broughton Architects has bagged its third polar region project after winning the contest to design the Greenland Atmospheric Watch Observatory
Hunt begins for new Hong Kong museum design team

An international competition has been launched to design the new M+ Museum - the ‘largest and highest profile’ of the 17 cultural venues planned for the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong
Ice Angels at the V&A

Dominic Harris and Cinimod Studio’s work at the V&A allows visitors to become ‘virtual angels’ using an interactive light installation
Ichioka, Meades and Merrick among new RIBA Honorary Fellows

AJ contributor Jay Merrick and Sarah Ichioka, the director of the Architecture Foundation have been named among 12 new RIBA Honorary Fellowships today (27 September)
In partnership: Open House London and the AJ

Open House gives us a window into other people’s homes, writes Emily Booth
In pictures: Duggan Morris wins floating cinema job

Practice wins Olympic legacy competition with proposal for floating cinema with screenings, tours, talks and workshops
In pictures: Eric Parry’s Holburne Museum crowned 2012 Retrofit Building of the Year

Casper Mueller Kneer, KKE, Paul Davis + Partners and John McAslan and Partners also triumphed last night in the AJ Retrofit Awards 2012
In pictures: Post Works unwraps Writtle radio station pop-up

[First look] Artist Melissa Appleton and emerging practice Post-Works have created this pop-up radio station at Writtle College in Essex
In pictures: 'Walkie Talkie' development in London takes shape

The AJ’s sister title Construction News was taken on a tour of the the ‘Walkie Talkie’ skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street yesterday, as media viewed the central London development for the first time.
Industry reaction: ‘Never a good time’ for ARB fee hike

An architect has called on the ARB to stagger a planned 20 per cent increase to annual retention fee
Industry reaction: Housing fund offers just £20k per affordable unit

An architect has criticsed the government’s £300 million affordable housing fund for providing only £20,000 per unit
Industry reaction: Smaller schools risk ‘pressure-cooking’ students

Architects have given a mixed-reaction to the government’s standardised schools proposals, with some claiming smaller buildings could hamper education
Informing the client of additional costs early will save you a lot of toil and trouble

Legalese: Too often clients will ignore notifications or respond in a confrontational or evasive manner, says Mark Klimt
Irish exodus continues

A leading Irish architect has warned of a talent drain from the Emerald Isle as a report showed the country was still suffering huge falls in house prices
Japan’s Fumihiko Maki to design Aga Khan university in London

Pritzker Prize winner Fumihiko Maki of Japan has been chosen to design an Aga Khan university and cultural centre in King’s Cross, London
JRA completes Bishopsgate offices eco fit-out

[First look + plans + project data] John Robertson Architects (JRA) has taken the wraps off this 13,600m² retrofit of an eighties office block in the City of London
Kalzip is BIM ready!

Kalzip has produced a set of freely downloadable Building Information Modelling (BIM) objects to provide specifiers with a standard range of Kalzip system build ups. This initial family of intelligent objects has been produced using Autodesk’s Revit, and comes complete with supporting documentation including; NBS specifications, a user guide and comprehensive technical details providing construction professionals with a complete BIM ready solution.
Keiichi Matsuda’s Prism

The V&A’s cupola has been opened to the public for the very first time to host Prism, an installation by Keiichi Matsuda
Kengo Kuma's Dundee V&A outpost wins planning

Kengo Kuma and Associates has won the go-ahead for its proposed new £45 million outpost for the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in Dundee
Kieran Timberlake scoops planning for US Embassy scheme

Philadelphia’s Kieran Timberlake has won detailed planning permission for its new US Embassy scheme in Nine Elms, south London
Knauf AMF acoustic solutions for feel-good rooms

Knauf AMF Ceilings is pleased to offer Heradesign, an exciting range of wood wool ceilings that deliver quality acoustics with an exceptional appearance. High impact resistance and outstanding sound absorption values make Heradesign an ideal choice for education, sports halls, hotels and leisure facilities.
Labour ‘would build 100,000 affordable homes’ from 4G sale

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls has called for £3billion from a windfall sales of 4G network licences to be spent on building affordable homes, rather than paying down national debt
Ladlecombe by Found Associates

[MANSER MEDAL 2012] A modern interpretation of the local vernacular
Last chance to enter: The 2013 Civic Trust Awards

[Submissions to be received 5pm 12 September] Entries to the Civic Trust awards close today
Last chance to enter: Waltham Forest seeks architect for Blackhorse Workshops

[Interest must be received by 20 September] The London Borough of Waltham Forest Council is on the hunt for a multi-disciplinary practice to deliver a new public workshop
LCA brought to life in timber by RCA students

Out of the Woods exhibition at the V&A
Lib Dem conference: RIBA bangs housing drum

The RIBA’s Sam Wilson shares his experience of the Liberal Democrat conference in the first of a three-part guest column
Lib Dems reject planning reforms

The Liberal Democrats have passed an emergency motion against government proposals to relax English planning laws, casting new doubt on the plans by calling on government to withdraw them
Libeskind to judge Detroit riverfront contest

Daniel Libeskind is to judge a competition to redesign a section of the riverfront in Detroit
Living la vida Ponti

What is it to live ‘alla Ponti’?
London Design Festival 2012: What to expect

The London Design Festival is celebrating its tenth year with a series of initiatives, including new exhibition spaces, the launch of the Global Design Forum and an app to make navigating the festival easier
London's airport debate: Cable snubs Heathrow as Gensler reveals new estuary plans

Business Secretary Vince Cable has pledged that an expansion of Heathrow is ‘not going to happen’ as polls show that support for an estuary airport is growing
Louis Kahn's Roosevelt memorial park in New York finally set to open

Louis Kahn’s Four Freedoms Park will open next month, nearly four decades after it was designed
L-shaped Versailles mansion wins 2012 Manser Medal

France’s Maison L by Christian Pottgiesser of architectures possibles has won this year’s Manser Medal
Magma reveals sand dune-like Sharjah theatre overhaul

Magma, the architects behind the temporary London 2012 Olympic shooting venue, has completed the conversion of the Masrah Al Qasba theatre in Sharjah
Maison L by Christian Pottgiesser, Architecturespossibles

[MANSER MEDAL 2012] Linking existing buildings, this house is buried beneath a sloping site
Malcolm Fraser to champion Scottish high streets

Malcolm Fraser is to spearhead a review of Scottish town centres which is expected to focus on bottom-up regeneration and cultural renewal
Manser Medal 2012

Chosen from the winners of the RIBA Awards and Regional Awards, these five houses represent the best one-off house designs for 2012
Manser Medal: AJ27.09.12

Digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 27.09.12 | Number 11 | Volume 235
Mark Prisk pledges to free up housing finance

The new housing minister, Mark Prisk, has said he wants to ensure ‘a continuing dialogue’ with housing experts and wants to tackle problems holding back housing finance.
Masonry

Although it is often argued that the resurgence in brickwork design is driven by concerns with cost and sustainability, cultural factors also play a part. In parallel with this his brickwork renaissance, there is widespread innovation in the manufacture of masonry products.
Masterplanner sought for Blyth's Commissioners Quay

[Requests to participate to be received by 27 September] Arch Corporate Holdings is seeking a multi-disciplinary team to masterplan a mixed-use scheme in Northumberland
More work in West Kowloon up for grabs

A fresh slice of work on Hong Kong’s £1.7 billion West Kowloon Cultural District is expected to go to market this autumn
Moving towards PRrchitecture

Black box: Pop-up practice Pernilla & Asif brought PRchitecture to the masses, writes Rory Olcayto
MPs champion design quality in damning procurement report

A parliamentary committee has called on the government to protect design quality as it seeks to save 20 per cent on construction costs
MSA completes Marquez-inspired 'boat machine'

Matthew Springett Associates (MSA) has completed work on an installation in New Hampshire, USA, inspired by Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short story ‘Light is Like Water’
National Media Museum seeks mediatheque architect

[Completed applications to be returned by 20 September] The National Media Museum in Bradford is on the hunt for an architectural designer to create a new ‘BFI Mediatheque’
National Trust picks Knole House victor

Rodney Melville + Partners wins £2.5 million barn overhaul in Kent, but fellow competitor criticises ‘disproportionate’ procurement route
Neolithic homes planned for Stonehenge

English Heritage is planning to construct three, life-sized Neolithic homes at Stonehenge in Wiltshire
New code of practice from Stone Federation

The Stone Federation Great Britain has released an updated code of practice for the design and installation of internal flooring.
New planning push threatens design quality

Government proposals to temporarily relax rules for house extensions in effort to boost building could see architects marginalised as homeowners turn to cheaper options, writes Merlin Fulcher
New practices: Hoffice

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: London Atelier

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: SOUP 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 video: Battersea Power Station regeneration

Battersea Power Station’s new owners have revealed a fresh video showing plans for the Grade II*-listed building’s regeneration
Newcastle's hip hotel

The facades of Clash Architects’ budget hotel for the design-conscious Sleeperz chain are tailor-made for its Newcastle city centre context, writes Felix Mara. Photography by Ann Norman
Newham moots self-build design contest

The London Borough of Newham is planning an architectural design competition calling for a new ‘London vernacular’ for self-build and co-housing projects
NKA launches Ghana shelter design challenge

[First session begins October 2012] The NKA Foundation has opened an international design and build challenge for a shelter in the Ashanti region of Ghana
No 'call in' for 5 Plus-designed Chatham Waters development

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government’s Eric Pickles has rubberstamped 5 Plus Architects’ £650 million mixed-use development at Chatham Docks
Nord's Pert to head Down Under

Alan Pert, director of Glasgow and London-based Nord Architecture Ltd, is to take up a full-time position as director of the Melbourne School of Design
NRAP’s West Ham mosque recommended for refusal

NRAP Architects’ 9,500-capacity mosque project in West Ham, east London has been recommended for refusal by planning officers
Office for Architectural Culture reveals Chinese zen centre

London-based Office for Architectural Culture has secured a scheme to masterplan a meditation centre in China.
Old Bearhurst by Duggan Morris Architects

[MANSER MEDAL 2012] This partly buried building respects the oast house of its former life
Olympic employment legacy in doubt, says report

Research released today by a recruitment website has found that two-thirds in the built environment are sceptical about the long-term employment legacy of the Olympics
Olympic feel-good factor was a result of masterly design

Games Maker Yasmin Shariff on how the Olympic Park was transformed by architects and the community of volunteers
Olympic legacy chief Moylan steps down to take on airport role

Daniel Moylan has stepped down as chair of the London Legacy Development Corporation just three months into the role
Olympic legacy planning chief revealed

Vivienne Ramsey will take charge of planning decisions at the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) from 1 October
One week left to win £1,000

The deadline to enter the AJ/BGS Writing Prize is fast approaching – you’ve got until Monday 1 October to submit your entries
Open House 2012: The AJ's highlights

Engineering, landscape design, East London regeneration and Green design are all programme highlights in Open House London 2012
Open-City 2012 photo competition: capture the changing face of London

Open-City has launched a new photography competition, supported by the AJ and The Photographers’ Gallery
Opposition grows to proposed planning free-for-all

The government’s proposals to remove planning permission for house extensions has been slammed by voters in a YouGov poll commissioned by the RIBA
Orange Lodge seeks architect for £3.6m refurb

[Requests to participate 25 October] The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland is seeking an architect, engineer and other design professionals for the £3.6 million refurbishment of Schomberg House in Belfast and Sloan’s House in County Armagh
Oxford's Bodleian Library opens chair design contest

[Expressions of interest due by 7 December] The University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library has launched a competition to design new seating
Page\Park wins Dunoon Burgh Hall restoration job

Page\Park has won a competition to redevelop Dunoon’s Burgh Hall
Pardey and Ström complete rural self-build sensation

John Pardey Architects with Ström Architects has completed this self-build house in the village of Bourne End, Buckinghamshire
Pathfinder outrage: revamp funds unlawfully used for demolition

The government has admitted that money earmarked for renovating homes in controversial ‘Pathfinder’ areas has instead been used for further demolitions
Penroyre and Prasad host inaugural SSoA alumni event

Sheffield School of Architecture’s alumni hold their first London gathering
Peter Zumthor wins Royal Gold Medal

The world famous Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has won the RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2013
Piano at Oslo gallery opening: 'The white cube approach is wrong'

Renzo Piano has dismissed the ‘white cube’ approach to gallery design in a wide ranging talk to mark the opening of his £65million Astrup Fearnley Museet in Oslo
Piercy & Co lands go-ahead for Hampstead homes

Piercy & Company has succeeded in winning planning for four terraced houses in Hampstead on a site with ‘a long history of refused consents’
Piers Taylor: Visible man

Interview: Piers Taylor’s very public rebirth seems to be paying off - Invisible Studio has been busy from day one, says Rory Olcayto
Pinball wizards: How to design and build amazing pinball tables in 24 hours

Teams from across the country were given just a day to create a pinball table as part of Hendzel + Hunt’s 24HR Design Challenge
Pinnacle build 'won't restart before Christmas'

Work on KPF’s Pinnacle will not start up again before the end of the year, meaning the £800 million City tower will have stood less than half-built for almost 12 months
Polyflor Scores

The home team changing rooms at The Cardiff Millennium Stadium, the home of Welsh rugby, have been kitted out with Polysafe Standard Silver Birch flooring and they have had their logo waterjet cut into the floor for added effect.
Populous snares QPR sports hub job

Olympic Stadium architect Populous has been appointed to design a training facility and community sports hub for Queens Park Rangers (QPR) football club in west London
Programmes like Open House promote architecture and the profession

It’s amazing that Open House London has people queuing up for architecture, writes Christine Murray
PRP unwraps Kilburn affordable housing

[First look] PRP has completed this 153-residential unit scheme in Kilburn, north London
Rafi Segal scoops Israeli national library job

New York-based Rafi Segal has been appointed to design a new National Library of Israel in Jerusalem
RCA Dyson Building: 'Swanky arts factory' opens doors

[First look + project data] Haworth Tompkins has taken the wraps of its £21 million Dyson Building for the Royal College of Art in Battersea
Reader offer - 3 passes to IHDC (Integrated Habitats) conference

Natural History Museum, London on October 15
Reader offer - [Oct 17] Engineering Environmental Architecture conference

Three complimentary passes to an event on integrated design teaching at the University of Bath
Reader offer - October 2012

Win one of three copies of In Detail’s Building Simply Two
Reinvigorating the countryside with exciting new dreams

Ian Martin answers the chancellor’s call
Report: viability of on-site energy generation in offices ‘highly questionable’

A new report has blamed ‘contradictory’ government policy for office developers installing ‘very inefficient and badly performing’, small-scale renewable energy generators
Retrofit debate: Office-to-residential conversions ‘a one-way journey’

Government plans to ease the conversion of disused commercial space and offices into homes were the big talking point at last week’s AJ Retrofit Awards
Revealed: 20-strong High Line for London competition shortlist

From vertical gardens to book exchanges, judges were impressed by the diversity and vision of the 170 entries from around the world to the competition to enhance the capital’s green infrastructure, inspired by New York’s High Line
Revealed: 6a Architects' £10m Chelsea pad for billionaire Abramovich

[First look] Plans by 6a Architects’ to overhaul a 1670s Chelsea mansion for Roman Abramovich have emerged
RIBA opens new Hong Kong outpost

The RIBA has launched a new chapter to represent its 600 members in Hong Kong and mainland China
RIBA president pay debate heats up

Angela Brady leads demands for role to be paid salary of upto £50,000 to attract best candidates and avoid uncontested elections
RIBA slams fresh planning shakeup

The RIBA has hit out at government plans to temporarily remove planning requirements on house extensions and conservatories
RIBA-run York Guildhall ideas competition opens

[Submissions are due 6 November] The City of York Council has launched a RIBA-organised ideas competition for the future of the city’s Guildhall and riverside complex
Richard Arnold: building a new sporting future and a life after the Olympic Games

Richard Arnold, the client behind the London 2012 Velodrome and now head of Wrenbridge Sport, on life after the Olympic Games
Rings a bell? Studio Meda's smaller Bankside bike shed

[First look] Studio Meda has completed this competition-winning bike shed scheme in Bankside, London
RMJM submits plans for £81m Sheffield University scheme

Sheffield University has submitted plans for its new £81 million RMJM-designed engineering building ‘at the heart’ of its existing campus
Rob Tincknell: ‘Committed to Battersea’

After years of delays and false starts Rob Tincknell, chief executive of the Battersea Power Station Development Company, talks about delivering the latest vision for the new owners of the iconic London landmark
Rockfon takes the high road to success

Rockfon, the UK ceiling systems division of Rockwool International, is currently enjoying substantial growth in the Scottish market. Working closely with Linear Projects of Glasgow, a Rockfon Active Installer, Rockfon has provided a wide selection of acoustic ceiling and wall solutions to a trio of new developments in the region.
Rogers out, Farrell in at Wood Wharf

Terry Farrell has been appointed to take over the masterplanning of Wood Wharf on the Isle of Dogs, East London from Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP)
Royal College of Physicians by Denys Lasdun & Partners

[OPEN HOUSE] Denys Lasdun’s Grade I listed modern building is one of more than 50 projects taking part in Open House London featured in the Library
Royal Commonwealth Pool Refurbishment by S&P Architects

[RETROFIT AWARD PREVIEW] The refurbishment of Edinburgh’s Grade A listed swimming pool is shortlisted in the Post War Listed Buildings category
RSAW opens Welsh terrace ideas contest

[Submissions deadline 12 November] The Royal Society of Architects in Wales has launched an ideas competition for the low carbon future of Welsh terraced streets
Scotland's Forestry Commission launches framework agreement

[Requests to participate are due 9 November] The Forestry Commission in Scotland is seeking planning and development design teams to participate in a four year framework agreement
Seven cities gain funding for Green Deal trial

Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield have been awarded a share in £12million worth of funds
Sheppard Robson’s Tower Hill citizenM scheme goes to appeal

Sheppard Robson is supporting an appeal against Tower Hamlet’s decision to veto its plans for a 370-bedroom citizenM hotel in Tower Hill, London
Showtime for Siemens’ east London ‘Crystal’

[First look + project data] Siemens’ £30 million Royal Docks pavilion in east London designed by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will opened to the public this week
Skylon-inspired sculpture raised in South Ken

Light artist Adam Barker-Mill’s ‘Notting Hill Skylon’ lands on top of an estate agents in west London
Soup Architects extends Foster's rural revamp

[FIRST LOOK + PLANS + DATA] Soup Architects has polished off the overhaul of a Grade II-listed stable block in Richmond, completing a project started by Foster + Partners
Spa days

A pop-up spa helps a Barking car park scrub up well, finds Abigail Gliddon
Spark's Bangkok youth centre: AJ06.09.12

Digital edition | The Architects’ Journal | 06.09.12 | Number 8 | Volume 236
Squaring the Circular: Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art

On Sydney’s Circular Quay, Sam Marshall has turned the Museum of Contemporary Art’s back on the iconic Sydney Opera House, writes Alan Miller, winner of the 2011 AJ Writing Prize. Photography by Brett Boardman
Starchitects think journalists should toe the line

That’s not how it works, says Rory Olcayto
Staying local: Open House London

[OPEN HOUSE] Duggan Morris’ Kings Grove and Richard Paxton’s 15 1/2 Consort Road are two of Southwark’s highlights
Student contest for positive change launched

[Entries to be completed by February 2013] The Design Council is supporting a student competition focusing on ethical, moral and worthwhile causes
Student housing, Somerville College

Niall McLaughlin Architects
Successful Photomontages by Foundation CGI

A successful photomontage needs careful consideration from the start. Some frequently asked questions: Is the photomontage for planning and marketing?Planning images should help the scheme blend in with the context while marketing images should make the scheme stand out and feel optimistic.
Survey shows architects most trusted on sustainability

Architects are best placed to draw up the briefs for sustainable, low-carbon retrofit projects, according to new research
Talking Houses by Colin Ward

Ward’s radical ideas appear pertinent amid this planning chaos, writes Charles Holland
Tasmania ideas contest opens

[Registration to be completed by 30 November] The Office of Urban Transformations Research in Melbourne, Australia has launched an ideas contest for the future of Tasmania’s Latrobe district
The bolt-on flagship: Wilkinson Eyre's Crystal

The Crystal has been turned into a low-carbon exemplar project with add-on technologies, writes Hattie Hartman. Photography by Edmund Sumner
The Diary of an Anonymous Academic #7

The seventh in a series about the unreported trials and tribulations from the frontline of architectural education. This week: Pop(ularity)
The Diary of an Anonymous Architect #12

The latest in an ongoing series about the day-to-day travails of an experienced and embattled practitioner. This week: ‘regional’ awards
The flame game: Heatherwick's Olympic cauldron

The visual spectacle of Heatherwick Studio’s Olympic cauldron was hand-crafted in the workshop and refined with digital modelling, writes Felix Mara
The new Manser Medal rules undermine the RIBA's message on architectural quality

Houses that were not good enough for a full-blown RIBA Award are good enough for the top house award. Confused?
The removal of temporary Games mode structures will release platforms for 5,000-8,000 homes

Kay Hughes sums up the challenges facing the ongoing development of the Olympic Park
The wax and the fire

At its best, the Royal Academy’s autumn show, Bronze, has an alchemy that conjures the luminous and sublime out of dense surfaces and forms
Theatre institute opens student ideas contest

[Applications are due 7 December] The United States Institute for Theatre Technology has opened an international student contest to design an ideal theatre
Think you can write? You could win £1,000

Enter the AJ Writing Prize for the best young architecture critic for under 35s, deadline 1 October
Thinking beyond pop-uption to metarchitecture, and then beyond that…

Ian Martin redesigns autumn
This is World Green Building Week

Over 90 countries are hosting green building events across the globe
Thomas Heatherwick

Felix Mara review’s Heatherwick Studios’ Olympic Cauldron in today’s AJ, see seven Heatherwick projects in the Library
Top 10 tallest: Why Moscow is the new European capital of skyscrapers

Five out of the ten tallest skyscrapers in Europe are now in Moscow, according to new research
Turin polytechnic opens urban farming ideas contest for students

[Registration to be completed by 21 November] The Polytechnic University of Turin in Italy has opened an international student ideas contest to design the future face of the city
Two passive solar gain houses by Simon Conder Associates

[MANSER MEDAL 2012] Two houses with a sea view nestle into the hillside
Vaizey: 'I'm not prejudiced against Modernist buildings'

New architecture minister Ed Vaizey has spoken about his passion for Modern architecture at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Design Museum’s new home in Kensington
vHH completes another nature reserve scheme

London-based van Heyningen and Haward’s ‘drum-shaped’ visitor centre at the Thurrock Thameside Nature Park has opened to the public
Victoria leisure centre showcases B&K structures capabilities

The Victoria Leisure Centre, which opened its doors to the public in Nottingham during 2012, demonstrates both the design capabilities and the product portfolio offered by B & K Structures, involved as a package contractor for Carillion Plc.
Video: Studio Weave practice profile

Studio Weave co-founders Maria Smith and Je Ahn talk about how they are trying to breakthrough and win larger public commissions
Vineyard

An extension to a Grade II listed building by Timothy Hatton Architects
Vinoly, dRMM and Simpson to deliver £8bn Battersea Power Station overhaul

Battersea Power Station’s new owners have retained masterplanner Rafael Vinoly and phase one architects Ian Simpson and dRMM to deliver the high-profile £8 billion redevelopment job
West Hampstead Thameslink Station

Landolt + Brown
White completes end of Southend pier showstopper

White Arkitekter’s cultural centre on the end of Southend pier – the longest pier in the world – has opened to the public
Who Cares? Design and diplomacy in the Pathfinder demolition zone

Liverpool planning consultant Jonathan Brown urges the new housing minster to ‘re-learn’ lessons of local involvement in design
Why the sudden interest in paying the RIBA president?

Paul Finch’s Letter from London: Perhaps the RIBA should stop thinking their president is more important than everyone else’s and reduce the term to a year
Win free Open House London tickets: Heron, St Pancras, Trellick

The Architects’ Journal has three pairs of tickets to give away for Open House weekend (Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 September)
Work set to begin on Viñoly's £100m Man City Academy

Work is due to start within weeks on Rafael Viñoly’s proposed huge training facility and academy next to Manchester City’s current Eastlands home
Yo!Home launches at 100% Design

At the annual design interiors trade event, a pioneering living space offers a prototype for affordable residential conversions
Young designer's organic design awards launched

[Registration to be completed by 17 October] Design practice Fenn has launched an international young designers award open to entrants aged 18 to 33

Architects JournalSeptember 2012

Architects Journal
September 2012