The Telegraph: Building a home the green way
How to be green and stay sane - why we must build to better standards
The Observer: Exhibition Road, London - review
After years of wrangling, the new Exhibition Road in South Kensington, home to many of Britain's great museums, proves a triumph for the 'shared space' movement
The Guardian: Interview: architects Richard Rogers, Graham Stirk and Ivan Harbour
Celebrated architect Richard Rogers and his partners discuss £140m penthouses, John Prescott's ministerial 'flair' and Prince Charles's strange ideas about architecture
Construction Enquirer: Off-the-shelf schools to win Willmott Dixon £100m
Warwickshire County Council has become the first local authority to buy Willmott Dixon's cut-price standardised school design.
Evening Standard: Charles's battle to revamp Waterloo
Prince Charles has joined forces with TV property expert Kirstie Allsopp to launch a scheme that would tie together the revamp of the station's former Eurostar platforms with other projects, such as the nearby Shell building.
The Guardian: National Trust to open modernist High Cross House to public
Devon property designed as a simple and sleek 'machine for living', is one of the UK's most important modernist homes
Surface Design Show 'Future Thinking'
Showcases Top 10 Groundbreaking Products
The Future Thinking feature at Surface Design Show 2012 has chosen its top 10 most innovative and exciting new products to showcase during the exhibition on 7–9 February at the Business Design Centre, London.
The Future Thinking products, curated by Annabelle Filer of SCIN, all epitomise the depth of material innovation and creative ideas currently being developed by designers, architects and manufacturers.
3Form presents Ditto, winner of the Surface category in the recent FX Awards, a revolutionary new 3D modular product that plays with structure, form and light to create 3D partitions, wall feature or an art piece, all in a box.
Alexandra Devaux's OZ Wall of light combines natural, crafted, wool felt and a translucent synthetic resin to create a unique, supple material that allows light to pass through and develop new sensorial surface aspects.
Taking inspiration from the natural occurring complexity of biological structures, BREAD's (The Bureau of Research Engineering Art & Design Limited) Sarat Babu and Richard Beckett will explore materiality through surfaces, producing gradiented surfaces which respond to touch in diverse and unexpected ways.
Alicia Tam's 'Invisible' project explores the modern notion of privacy, applying the 'invisible' pattern algorithm to various surfaces, objects and environments, and pushing the boundaries between what our eyes see and what our minds perceive.
Foldtex is a revolutionary new lightweight foldable board, which challenges us to rethink how we design. Traditional fittings, corner connections and surface finishing techniques simply become inapplicable and superfluous.
Graphic Relief produces beautiful textured architectural concrete surfaces whose wide range of designs, textures and graphic effects are suitable for facades, cladding, tiles and artwork, for both interior and exterior use.
Patrycja Domanska in co-operation with Tanja Lightfoot presents "edgy", a three-dimensional tile whose asymmetrical concave and convex surfaces fold into a single plane, creating the effect of visually pulling the user towards itself.
Pavegen's innovative people-powered floor tiling harvests the kinetic energy of footsteps and enables architects and interior designers to incorporate renewable energy flooring into any commercial urban project, indoors or out.
Sue Edwards Design creates conceptual, sometimes subversive, interior textile/surface designs, in the belief that interior surface design can be a canvas for expressing poignant issues. 'Coin Curtain' is a reaction to Britain's dire financial situation, with the process of corroding the coins using a mixture containing urine.
Sky Garden Pocket Green Wall panel is a lightweight modular geo-composite system whose unique growing medium allows designers to create exciting and sustainable vertical green spaces on a range of surfaces and structures.
3DReid brings Whole Foods Market to Scotland
The new Whole Foods Market in Giffnock, designed by 3DReid, opened to the public recently, bringing a new style of grocery shopping to Glasgow's Southside.
The 24,600sq ft store is the retailer's first store in Scotland and replaces the existing foodstore which had stood vacant since 2008.
3DReid's design incorporates a new extension to improve access from the building's existing roof-top car park and the entire front of the store has been overclad with timber and brickwork to unite the new extension with the renovated building whilst presenting a more aesthetically pleasing and practical local store for the main street.
Whole Foods Market's commitment to sustainability embraced the need for local, sustainable materials to be used wherever possible. 3DReid specified locally sourced, durable Scottish larch for the timber cladding, its pale golden colour complementing the surrounding sandstone. The larch was oil treated to prevent weathering and landscaping was designed to soften the elevations.
Integrating new concepts into an existing building proved challenging, but Whole Foods Market and 3DReid worked closely in developing the design with the main contractor RG Group to ensure that buildability, sustainable material selection and value for money were delivered within a limited timescale.
Simon Dobson, project architect, said, "The original building elevations used a huge variety of different materials so the challenge was to simplify the elevations to suit WFM requirements. We over clad the existing elevations with Scottish larch and used the leading edge of the canopy to tie in the extension, expressing it as a continuous folding element across the elevations and creating a more pleasing form."
3DReid & Muse Developments secure £200 million Basing View regeneration
3DReid's master plan for Muse Developments will link and combine the Basing View business park's five distinct parcels of land to Basingstoke town centre and will provide 55,000 square metres of commercial development including offices and other supporting facilities.
Built predominately in the 1970s and 80s as the town's premier office location, Basing View is now set to transform the area. The project has the potential to double the current number of jobs available at the business park to approximately 10,000 and will provide a critically important focus for real economic growth in Basingstoke and north Hampshire.
Mark Anders, Director at 3DReid said, "We are delighted to be working with Muse and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, playing an integral part in such a significant regeneration project."
The Muse/3DReid proposal won in the face of strenuous competition including John Laing Investments and MAKE Architects.
3DReid appoints Satellite MPR
Satellite MPR is delighted to have been appointed as public relations consultancy to 3DReid, number 7 in the AJ100 top UK architectural practices.
With seven UK studios, overseas offices in the Middle and Far East, and alliances in Australia, China, India, Russia and Europe, the practice operates nationally and internationally across nine sectors: airports; culture and community; education; health; hotels; industrial; offices; residential; retail and leisure; and urban regeneration.
Driven by a team of over 200 individuals, 3DReid takes pride in its strategy to think differently, its sharing of knowledge across disciplines and its collaborative approach to deliver robust, successful projects. The practice specialises in architecture and design, conservation, interiors, masterplanning, partnerships and sustainability, areas which Satellite MPR will now help to develop and showcase.
"The built environment is our business," explains Satellite MPR founder and account director Claire Lalaguna, "We've operated exclusively in this industry for 16 years and love it! We are absolutely delighted to be representing 3DReid – this is a strong and well respected brand with an impressive catalogue and an ambitious business plan. It will be a privilege to work with them."
3DReid's project list spans over 30 years and includes many innovative and dramatic designs such as Edinburgh Airport Traffic Control Tower, the RIBA award-winning Farnborough Airport and Stafford's £23m town centre regeneration. Projects currently on site and which Satellite MPR will be focusing on in the next few months include a new airport for Gibraltar; the National Indoor Sports Arena and Velodrome in Glasgow and The Co-operative Group Head Office in Manchester.
Graham Hickson-Smith, Divisional Director for Marketing and Business Development at 3DReid Architects said, "It has been a tough time for architect practices over the past few years, but we have continued to work hard and have some incredible projects in the pipeline, which will define us going forward and I am very excited at the prospect of working with Claire and her team at Satellite MPR to shout about our efforts."
Satellite MPR awarded contract for Surface Design Show
Satellite MPR is delighted to have been awarded the contract to co-ordinate the PR for the 2012 Surface Design Show which takes place 7-9 February 2012 at the Business Design Centre in London.
Launched in 2004, Surface Design Show is the only UK event focused solely on materials for surface design, enabling architects, interior designers and specifiers to source innovative and inspiring surface solutions. Last year the event welcomed 3,700 visitors, an increase of 43% over the previous year. Now in its 9th year, the event is highly regarded for its quality visitors and vibrant atmosphere.
The show attracts pioneering natural stone, wood, tiles, recyclable materials, metal, living materials, paints, illuminated surfaces and coatings that can be used as flooring, cladding, ceiling and wall coverings (both internal and external).
The show comprises an exhibition, interactive features, live demonstrations, seminars, talks and debates, all reflecting the theme Material Thinking – highlighting the thought processes that go into the development and selection of materials. Whilst the exhibition and features will focus on the latest innovations in surface design for architecture and design, the seminar programme, Fringe Thinking, including sessions hosted by RIBA CPD, RIBA Building Futures, BRE and SBID will feature informative, topical and invaluable insights, presentations and debates that look into the future of building design.
The event will be complemented by Network Thinking Evenings bringing the industry together to network, excite, stimulate and amuse. As well as a social media persona looking at everything to do with the built environment from a surface/materials viewpoint, a series of sponsored Surface Thinking vlogs discussing controversial topics within the built environment will be uploaded to the Surface Thinking YouTube channel.
Helen Omoh, Marketing Manager at Montgomery Exhibitions Ltd, organisers of Surface Design Show, said, "I am very excited to be working with Satellite MPR as I believe their in-depth industry knowledge and PR skill will help achieve more growth in the 2012 show."
Encouraging Shortlist Announced for Saltire Housing Design Awards
Following another year of encouraging submissions from across Scotland's modern housing stock, a diverse shortlist for the 2011 Saltire Society Housing Design Awards has been announced.
Nearly half of the shortlisted schemes are affordable housing or regeneration initiatives, a progression that allies with the Saltire Society's Housing Design Awards mission to encourage better quality housing and neighbourhoods for everyone in Scotland. International design practice Austin-Smith:Lord has been shortlisted for three different projects within the 'Large Scale Housing Development Award' category, alongside Trafalgar Court by DO-Architecture, Linwood Regeneration by Collective Architecture and Botany Phase 1 by Elder and Cannon Architects.
The Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment, Alex Neil MSP, will present the gongs at the 74th annual ceremony taking place on 23rd November at the Point Hotel in Edinburgh. This year also sees the introduction of a new 'Innovation in Housing' Award, which will be chosen by the Scottish Government. The award has been created to encourage original thinking in housing design and delivery in Scotland and the shortlisted projects for this award are The Resonance Funding Model by Rettie & Co, ANABO by Andrew Stoane Architects and The Glasgow House by PRP Architects. Awards Chairman, architect Malcolm Fraser, will also select his favourite project from the shortlist to receive the Saltire Medal. Welcoming the 2011 shortlist, he said, "Given the difficult times we are in I'm encouraged to see that, alongside all the initiatives and good-practice partnerships we see ongoing, good, simple, people-focussed architecture adds real value to homes and communities."
AR+D Awards for Emerging Architecture Launch 2011 Programme
The AR+D Awards for Emerging Architecture have now launched for 2011 and the programme is open for entries.
Organised and promoted through The Architectural Review, the leading international architectural magazine, the awards are now in their 13th year and represent the world's most popular and prestigious awards for young, emerging architects. The awards are given for excellence across a very broad spectrum of design for built projects by architects under the age of 45. Previous categories have included buildings, interiors, urban design, street furniture, product design, landscape, bridges, temporary structures and theatre works.
This year also sees the return of d line as headline sponsor, together with Austin-Smith:Lord's involvement as a key sponsor for the third year running.
The 2010 awards saw a huge increase in the number of international entries and it is hoped to further extend the international reach of the awards this year. As a result of d line's involvement, not only will the winners be flown in for the awards event and the lectures in London, this year they will also be flown to the exhibition and lecture which d line is hosting in Copenhagen.
The closing date for entries is 2nd September 2011 and AR Editor, Catherine Slessor, will once again chair a distinguished international jury. "The awards give younger practices a valuable impetus on their trajectory to wider recognition," says Slessor. "Only built work is eligible for submission as our view has always been that architecture is not confined to paper or computer-generated theorising, but is a compact with society to build well and to build responsibly. Without doubt, conditions have changed for architects everywhere, and the going is tougher than it used to be, so the Awards have a crucial role to play in celebrating the importance of good architecture and bringing a new generation of talented individuals to public attention."
The awards ceremony will take place at the RIBA on 23rd November 2011, followed by the RIBA exhibition and lectures.
Shortlist announced for The Resourceful Architect 'Day of Ideas'
Following the Open Call for Ideas on the future uses of architecture issued by the Royal Society of Arts and The Architecture Foundation earlier this year, the RSA has announced a shortlist of seven ideas, which will be presented for interrogation and debate by an expert panel and before a public audience at The Resourceful Architect Day of Ideas on 18th May.
Sponsored by Austin-Smith:Lord and Land Securities The Resourceful Architect initiative aims to prompt and provide exposure to new ideas for the future use of architecture in the changing context of professional practice in this climate of financial constraint, emphatic localism and reflexive critique. Some 60 'resourceful' submissions were received from a wide cross-section of architectural professionals and students, from the UK, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, India and Greece, raising innovative ways for architects to connect social need with spatial opportunity, restructure conventional processes, increase the productiveness and resilience of communities and turn limitations of time, space and budget into creative advantage.
The shortlist includes:- The Redundant Architect Recreation Association (RARA), East London Design. Bureau. A flexible and affordable shared workspace for out-of-work architects to experiment and fabricate.
- 72-hour Urban Action, Alison Killing, Killing Architects, Amsterdam. A real-time architecture competition defined by an extreme deadline, tight budget and limited space to resolve local needs.
- Space for Exchange: A Sustainable Return to Srebrenica, Vernes Causevic, London Metropolitan University. A programme to renew and rebrand war-torn Srebrenica into a sustainable regional centre for vocational education.
- School of Architecture for All (SCHARCHA), Led by Maria Theodoru, Athens. A network of associates re-thinking the relation between architecture and economics by viewing the city as a pool of resources requiring administration.
- Pavement for Las Lomas, Bara Safarova, London Metropolitan University. A DIY instruction manual for making and installing paving slabs for the deprived community of Colonias in Texas.
- Mashup, Richard Brearley and Uli Kraeling, Sidell Gibson Architects, London. An electronic microsite connecting social and personal needs with derelict pockets of land and buildings in London.
- The Architects Adhocracy, Mobile Studio and Yesomi Umolu, London. A competition investigating how much architectural and spatial agency can be achieved for a budget of £40 and within 40 minutes of ideation time.
Merthyr Tydfil's Old Town Hall Receives Major Boost for New Arts and Creative Industries Centre
Plans for a major restoration project and new Arts and Creative Industries Centre at the Old Town Hall in Merthyr Tydfil have been given a boost with the announcement of a funding package worth £6 million, £4 million agreed by The Welsh Assembly Government and a First Round Pass of £2 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund. These will be major contributions to the £8 million funding package proposed for the refurbishment project, which also includes a £100,000 contribution from Cadw and funding from Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.
Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association, who owns the building, is working with Austin-Smith:Lord and Cardiff's Chapter Arts Centre to develop plans to restore the 112 year old building as a vibrant arts and creative industries centre for the community as well as a social focal point for the town. The refurbished building, with over 2,500 square metres of floor space, will include cinema, dance and performance space, offices, rehearsal spaces, studios and work spaces for visual arts and media and will accommodate events such as music concerts, theatre and dance performances and exhibitions.
Deputy Minister for Housing and Regeneration Jocelyn Davies, AM said, "This is great news for the people of Merthyr and an excellent example of how regeneration is about so much more than bricks and mortar. The refurbishment project will provide job and training opportunities as well as improving the appearance of the town, and the Arts Centre will provide the space for the community to come together to experience something new, to learn new skills or meet new friends. It's also an excellent example of organisations working together for the good of the community and I wish Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association and Chapter the very best of luck with their joint venture."
Coun Jeff Edwards, Leader of the Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, said, "The restoration of the iconic Old Town Hall building is a watershed in the regeneration of the town centre. We are delighted that the Council has been able to help win this essential funding."
Martin Roe, Partner at Austin-Smith:Lord commented, "We are delighted to be part of the team for this important project which follows on from some of our previous regeneration work in the town such as the Lower High Street revitalisation and public realm enhancements to the River Taff Corridor, together with the Orbit Centre. This is an excellent opportunity to breathe new life into the building through exciting new community-based use, ensuring important heritage is not lost whilst also improving the long term sustainability and energy efficiency of the Old Town Hall. The creative adaptation and reuse of existing buildings is a particular area of our expertise and a crucial response to the current economic climate."
Emerging Architecture Awards Exhibition Tour Launches in Glasgow
The international tour of the AR Emerging Architecture Awards commences today with a two-week exhibition by Austin-Smith:Lord at The Lighthouse, Scotland's Centre for Design and Architecture.
The Emerging Architecture Awards programme was initiated twelve years ago by the international publication, The Architectural Review. The awards programme is now the most popular and prestigious awards programme in the world for young architects under the age of 45.
The awards were presented at the RIBA event in November 2010, followed by an exhibition and series of RIBA lectures through to February 2011. Now, at The Lighthouse all the winning projects and practices will be on display, providing a fantastic opportunity to see at first hand the winning work of Architects Atelier Ryo Abe from Tokyo, Carmody Groarke from London and Neri & Hu Design & Research Office from Shanghai, as well as all the highly commended entries from all over the world.
Ian Elder, Lighthouse Manager, said, "As Scotland's Centre for Design and Architecture we are delighted to have the opportunity to exhibit the work of these emerging talents."
The exhibition will be on display at The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow G1 3NU from Thursday, 24th March to Saturday, 9th April 2011.
Opening Times:
- Monday to Saturday (excluding Tuesday): 10.30am to 5.00pm
- Tuesday: 11.00am to 5.00pm
- Sunday: Closed
Architects Austin-Smith:Lord secured for Hereford Buttermarket revamp
The Cardiff studio of award-winning, international design practice Austin-Smith:Lord has won the RIBA Open Design Competition to regenerate the Grade II Listed Buttermarket in the historic cathedral city of Hereford.
From a starting line-up of 50 of the UK's top architectural practices, Austin-Smith:Lord's creative design proposals impressed the judging panel enough to ensure success. Martin Roe, Partner at the practice's Cardiff studio said, "We are delighted to have won this prestigious competition and are excited to develop the project further. It is a testimony to the skill and hard work of our team here in Cardiff. Austin-Smith:Lord has a long history of working with existing and historic buildings and of finding ways to breathe new life into them through innovative re-use and adaptation."
This win underpins the launch last week of the practice's new RENEW Group, led by partner Jennifer Dixon, as one of five key sector drivers of the practice. The RENEW initiative will make the breadth of Austin-Smith:Lord's experience available to a wide variety of client organisations as the industry moves into a period where considered renewal of building stock of all typologies becomes critical to development activity. Regeneration projects like the Buttermarket represent the future lifeblood of our UK towns and cities and are of crucial importance as we seek to preserve our environmental and economic assets.
The Buttermarket regeneration project holds many conceptual similarities to the redevelopment of Newport Indoor Market, another city centre grade II listed building, which Austin-Smith:Lord completed in 2004. Both schemes see the traditional Victorian market transformed into a modern space for shopping and events on the ground floor, with the upper floor given over to small businesses in the creative industries sector.
Cllr Adrian Blackshaw, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for economic development and community services, said, "The Buttermarket has enormous potential and we're delighted with the quality of vision and the range of ideas which have come forward. The winning entry has brought together many ideas, which some of the others suggested individually, and produced a wonderfully creative vision with innovative and thrilling use of the space available. This is an exciting time for the city centre and we hope the Buttermarket will be central to this. It has a key role to play in drawing in visitors and shoppers and will, I'm sure, provide the space to become a showcase for locally produced goods."
Hereford was holding regular open markets as far back as the 10th century and the city centre's prominent Buttermarket Hall was originally constructed in 1860 during a programme of redevelopment. In the early 1920s the building was devastated by fire and subsequently redeveloped in 1928. Since then, the market has remained in the same structural form, but its popularity has gradually declined. The aim of the regeneration project is to provide the city of Hereford with a revitalised, sustainable but contemporary Buttermarket that will enhance the shopping experience within the city for residents and visitors, showcase Herefordshire produce, boost commercial opportunities and also act as an important bridge between the two existing regeneration schemes initiated for the city centre. The project is expected to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating.
RSA's 'Day of Ideas' Initiative Launches with The Resourceful Architect
Austin-Smith:Lord is proud to be sponsoring a new initiative by the RSA in collaboration with The Architecture Foundation. The RSA is developing a series of 'Day of Ideas' events and the first such event, to take place on Wednesday, 18th May is The Resourceful Architect, which aims to prompt and provide exposure to new ideas for the future use of architecture in the changing context of professional practice in this climate of financial constraint, emphatic localism and reflexive critique.
The RSA has now issued an open Call for Ideas for this event. The ideas can be entirely new and prompted by this call, or they may be already in development. They may also be completed but under-exposed; above all, they should be resourceful. Entry is open to architects, students of architecture or multidisciplinary teams. The closing date for entries, fees and work is 6pm on Friday, 8th April.
The shortlisted entries, established by a jury of experts convened by the RSA and The Architecture Foundation, will be mentored prior to the main event on 18th May, when the expanded ideas will be presented before an international panel of critics who will appraise the proposals live before an audience of potential collaborators, patrons and clients at a public 'Day of Ideas' in the RSA's historic Great Room auditorium. This public event will conclude with a keynote speech and debate on architectural education and the announcement of the winner(s), who will also receive a cash prize of £3,000 to be distributed at the jury's discretion.
The event is sponsored by Austin-Smith:Lord and Land Securities and will be promoted via various industry channels.
People's History Museum Celebrates Architectural Excellence with Civic Trust Award Win
At the prestigious Civic Trust Awards ceremony held at the People's History Museum in Manchester on 4 March, the Museum itself, designed by Austin-Smith:Lord, was honoured with an award for its architectural excellence and civic contribution.
In urban design terms the People's History Museum is outstanding. Its £12.5million re-design with a sensitive restoration and extensive refurbishment - a successful balance of new and old buildings, clearly links the building to its local setting whilst commanding a prominent landmark to the city. The Museum has become well utilised and a popular destination venue. Its transformation has opened up the museum to a whole new audience, providing flexibility for conferences and exhibitions, as well as an archive store, café and impressive textile restoration laboratory.
From 333 national and international entries, 57 projects were recognised by the Civic Trust and 27 Awards were presented to the best new build, conservation, restoration and public realm projects by Civic Trust Awards Patron, architect and TV presenter George Clarke.
Civic Trust Awards Managing Director, Malcolm Hankey said, "Increased financial pressures on all aspects of the industry have once again dominated the last 12 months, but the Civic Trust Awards continue to encourage design excellence and promote the concept of positive civic contribution. 333 projects were submitted for consideration, including some intriguing international entries, three of which were presented with an Award. I would like to congratulate all of this year's winners on their much deserved success."
Special Awards presented, demonstrating outstanding credentials in a specific area, included Norwich Cathedral Visitors Centre by Hopkins Architects; Stonebridge Hillside Hub in Brent by Edward Cullinan Architects; The West Centre in Glasgow by Anderson Bell Christie; The Briggait in Glasgow by Wasp Studios/Nicoll Russell Studios; McManus Galleries in Dundee; V&A Museum Medieval & Renaissance Galleries in London by MUMA and Tyne Cot Cemetery in Zonnebeke, Belgium by Govaert & Vanhoutte Architectenburo.
Speaking from the People's History Museum, Director, Katy Archer, said, "We are extremely pleased to have won a Civic Trust Award for the recent redevelopment of the People's History Museum. Having opened our new building exactly a year ago, the award is a fantastic birthday present for everyone involved in the project. The museum's extension, designed by Austin-Smith:Lord, has given the museum a new lease of life and made a big impact on our profile, our audience and the services we provide. We now have a landmark building in Manchester City Centre. The building brings the old and the new together with the preservation of the original Edwardian Engine Hall, the contemporary interior which is open and welcoming for our visitors and the unusual Corten steel exterior, which reflects our story and embraces our philosophy that 'there have always been ideas worth fighting for'."
The Civic Trust Awards, one of the longest standing award schemes in Europe, are presented to projects that make an outstanding contribution to the quality and appearance of the built environment. Award level schemes demonstrate excellence in architecture or design, sustainability, inclusive design and provide a positive social, cultural, environmental or economic benefit to the local community.
French Lycee In Kentish Town Nears Completion
Designed by Sidell Gibson Architects for The French Education Property Trust, the new French school in London's Kentish Town, which is due to be completed in July 2011, reached a key milestone on Friday with its 'topping out' ceremony.
The project, which was subject to listed building consent and full planning permission, involves a major conversion and extension of a three-storey, Grade II listed Victorian London Board School building to provide modern infant, primary and secondary school facilities for 700 pupils of the local, French speaking community.
The design entails an imaginative and sensitive reuse of the existing building (a traditional Victorian school construction of architectural and historic interest, first designed in 1874 by E R Robson) to meet essential current legislation for schools, including disabled access, means of escape requirements, environmental standards and sustainability. New interventions include the expansion of the multi-use hall to accommodate dining for the whole school, self-contained entrance points and outside play areas for infant, primary and secondary pupils, glazed roof corridor link to single-storey playground changing room with toilet facilities and a new classroom block for secondary and infant pupils. The three school tiers will share a number of common facilities, such as the library, dining hall, etc.
A second phase, new build, three-storey teaching wing, due for completion in December 2011, will incorporate sustainably sourced timber cladding over a brick base, pitched roofs in black zinc panels and green roofs to single storey areas. Green roofs to the new classrooms will enhance rainwater retention, bio-diversity and heat and sound insulation. The building will be naturally ventilated with passive cooling utilising the internal thermal mass and is expected to achieve a BREEAM rating of Very Good. The whole existing building envelope is improved thermally, by introducing window double-glazing, roof insulation, insulation on the inner face of external brickwork and ground floor slab insulation. Long life low energy lighting is provided throughout, switched and dimmed to daylight sensors. High efficiency gas boilers supplying energy saving low surface temperature convector heaters provide the primary heat source with hot water under floor heating coils in larger open plan spaces.
Richard Brearley, project director for Sidell Gibson Architects commented, "The project is an exciting challenge to regenerate an unused Listed Victorian School integrated with imaginative contemporary architecture to serve the needs of the French community in London."
The project team comprises Sidell Gibson Architects, Fairhurst GGA structural consultants, Cundall M&E consultants and Beadmans project management and QS services.
£6m Restoration and Regeneration Project Commences at Carmarthenshire's Historic Llanelly House
Award-winning, international design practice, Austin-Smith:Lord has been appointed as executive architect to deliver this exciting restoration project for Carmarthenshire Heritage Regeneration Trust. Progressing the designs of concept conservation architect Craig Hamilton Architects Ltd, this full restoration, with some adaptation, will provide a major new sustainable community heritage centre with visitor experience, café/restaurant and provision for educational and community groups.
Llanelly House in Llanelli is a Grade I listed Georgian Town House, originally rebuilt around the 17th century mansion house in 1714 by Sir Thomas Stepney. It is undoubtedly one of the most important historic houses in the Llanelli region of its date and its restoration will be a great asset to the regeneration of Llanelli. As Project Director for the Carmarthenshire Heritage Regeneration Trust (CHRT), Craig Hatto, explains, "BBC Restoration finalist, Llanelly House is considered one of the finest Georgian houses in Wales. For us, it is the heartbeat of Llanelli. The house reflects the triumphs and tribulations of the town, embracing the industrial revolution and sparking prosperity in the area with the emergence of coal mining, pottery production and the manufacture of tinplate and steel, but also witnessed Llanelli's sustained economic decline during the 1970's. The house is a barometer of these times, which is reflected in its current dilapidated state. With the proposed £60m planned investment within Llanelli over the next few years, the house is to once again be restored to its former glory and will shine as a beacon to the town's, people, place and identity."
The primary funders of the project are Heritage Lottery Fund, Cadw, Welsh European Funding Office , Llanelli Town Council and Carmarthenshire County Council as secondary funders and partly financed by Finance Wales.
With the nation's current economic cut backs and reduced new building, conservation is a key sector for Austin-Smith:Lord. Project Architect and conservation expert, Sophie Teague, commented, "We are very excited to be involved in the conservation and restoration of not only one of the most delightful historic buildings in Llanelli, but given its Grade I listing, a building of significant national importance."
Informal City Of Century XXI Comes To London
Following a resounding success at Aedes Gallery in Berlin, international design practice Austin-Smith:Lord is bringing the Informal City of Century XXI and Measure of Man/Measure of Architecture exhibitions to London.
Developed by Aedes Network Campus Berlin and the city of São Paulo, the Informal City of Century XXI portrays a vision for the future of the 'favelas' in São Paulo, Brazil. The city of São Paulo agglomerates more than 1,500 slums and it is an immense challenge to transform them into districts integrated within the territory, a reality common to almost all metropolises on all continents. The exhibition displays the results of various collaborations between Brazilians and international architects, incorporating alternative technologies for water, sewage, energy, erosion control and transport, as well as proposals for housing, infrastructure and parks.
Emerging Architects Celebrate at the RIBA
Last night's ceremony for the internationally acclaimed Architectural Review Emerging Architecture Awards, sponsored Austin-Smith:Lord, was a glorious celebration of the industry's top emerging architectural talent across the globe.
Judged by an international jury of some of the top names in architecture, including Nigel Coates (London); Florence Lipsky (France); Daniel Bonilla (Colombia); Gurjit Singh Matharoo (India); Austin-Smith:Lord's Jennifer Dixon and chaired by AR Editor Cathy Slessor, the programme attracted entries from around the world. Read more...