Powerhouse Company, Bubbles (2012). Courtesy Powerhouse Company / Christian van der Kooy

‘SHIFTS: The Economic Crisis and its Consequences for Architecture’ is an exhibition currently on display until June 9 at The Architecture Foundation in London. Presented by Rotterdam/Copenhagen-based Powerhouse Company and critic and architectural historian Hans Ibelings (the Architecture Observer), the exhibit illustrates the far-reaching impacts of new economic circumstances on architecture’s recent past, troubled present and unknown future acknowledging the onset of an imminent housing crisis in London, and the continuing shrinkage of the architectural profession in the UK. More information on the exhibition after the break. read more »

© Jim Stephenson

Architects: Grimshaw
Location: London, England
Client: The Cutty Sark Trust
Partner: Chris Nash
Associate Director: Diane Metcalfe
Project Architects:
 Jorrin Ten-Have, Den Farnworth
Architect: Joe Laslett
Principal: Steve Brown
Photographs: Jim Stephenson

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With the recent release of the design for the 2012 Serpentine Pavilion by Herzog & de Meuron and collaborator Ai Weiwei, we’re bringing you the 2012 updated infographic, a cheat sheet for the 12 years of the Serpentine Pavilion. Read more about the new design here
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Courtesy of Jump Studios

Architect: Jump Studios – Shaun Fernandes, Markus Nonn
Location: 4-5 Bonhill Street, London, England
Total Floor Area: 2,300 sqm
Project Cost: £ 2.2 M
Client: Google UK Ltd.
Furniture / Lighting: Hay, Modus, Very Good & Proper, Branch Studios, Moroso, Bene, MagisMuuto, Luxo, Erco Jump Studios
Photographs: Courtesy of Jump Studios

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© Bas Princen

The exhibition dedicated to Bas Princen‘s work will be open at the Architectural Association in London until May 26. The photographer based in Rotterdam, who was previously trained as an architect, is particularly focused on the dialogues between architecture and the landscape, from dramatic contrasts to blurred merging typologies.

“The award-winning Dutch photographer’s work has become increasingly familiar: images that blur the artificial and natural, where the real and imagined are hard to separate. Less known – and never previously exhibited – are the A5 booklets Princen makes, consisting of a series of reference images. The booklets are between 24 and 32 pages long and contain images downloaded by Princen from the internet of famous or completely unknown or already long-forgotten scenes and objects involving landscape and architecture, their low resolution disallowing reproduction any larger than 6 x 9 cm. read more »

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2011, designed by Peter Zumthor. Photo by John Offenbach

We now know Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei’s design for the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012. While we waited for it, we decided to prepare a small Round Up with our previous coverage on the famous London’s Hyde Park pavilion. This includes the designs of Peter Zumthor, Jean Nouvel, and SANAA. To complete the Round Up, we have our post announcing the upcoming pavilion, and the special infographic we prepared earlier this year.

AOL Offices in Palo Alto by Studio O+A © Jasper Sanidad

HP, Apple, Google – they all found their success amongst the peach groves and Suburban houses of California. But why? What is it about Silicon Valley that makes it the site of technological innovation the world over?

It’s tempting to assume that the Valley’s success must be, at least in part, due to its design. But how does innovation prosper? What kind of environment does it require? In a recent interview with The Atlantic Cities, Jonah Lehrer, author of Imagine: How Creativity Works, suggests that creativity is sparked from casual exchanges, the mingling of diversity, the constant interaction with the strange and new. In short, and as a recent study corroborates, innovation flourishes in dense metropolises.

Seemingly then, Silicon Valley, a sprawl of highways and office parks, has become a hotspot of creativity in spite of its design. But let’s not write off design just yet.

As technology makes location more and more irrelevant, many are looking to distill the magic of Silicon Valley and transplant it elsewhere. The key will be to design environments that can recreate the Valley’s culture of collaboration. The future Valleys of the world will be microsystems of creativity that imitate and utilize the structure of the city.

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Courtesy of Architectural Association (AA)

Taking place at the Architectural Association (AA) on May 11, the ‘Translate the Intangible’ symposium addresses the challenges of communicating dynamic aspects of contemporary design methodologies through static mediums such as text and images. As current design-oriented fields have amplified the implementation of computational and generative tools for various motives, the process of documentation and representation of the design process has become more difficult to express.

As such, Translate the Intangible will bring together a multi-disciplinary group of leading practitioners from different fields to discuss the challenges involved in expressing the process involved in their work and propose new perspectives addressing this issue. Organized by the AA PhD in Architectural Design students as part of the AA Public Programme, the event will serve as a platform for the PhD in Architectural Design students to present and discuss their individual research. For more information on the event, please visit here.

Courtesy of RIBA

Hosted by RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), the ‘Towards a new re-construction after 311 tsunami in North-East Japan’ Symposium will take place in London on May 8, where they will present a culmination of over a year’s work by dedicated Japanese architects working closely with local communities in areas worst affected by the disaster. Ideas and proposals will be shared for building a safe and sustainable future for those whose lives and communities were devastated on 11th March 2011. For more detailed information on the event, please visit here.

Courtesy of RIBA

RIBA Competitions recently announced the launch of a new Invited Design Competition on behalf of King’s College London. Expressions of Interest are sought from architects or architectural practices for the redevelopment of the Quadrangle and its associated buildings at the College’s historic Strand Campus in London WC2. This £20 million project to design and redevelop the Quad site will provide an additional 3,700 square meters of teaching space and student facilities. King’s is committed to appointing an architect based on their ability to bring innovative thinking to a significant historical site in order to revitalize a learning community. The deadline for receipt of Expressions of Interest is June 1. More information on the competition after the break. read more »

Aerial photographer Jason Hawkes captures London’s hazy skyline in both day and night. Although still under construction, The Shard appears to already dwarf most to the city. The building is designed by Renzo Piano and is slated to become the tallest in Europe. In addition, Norman Foster’s infamous Gherkin, formally known as the Swiss Re Building, is instantly recognizable in nearly every frame as it is a landmark within the dense metropolis. read more »

Join Crane.tv on a tour of the Rough Luxe Hotel with architect and designer Rabih Hage. Flawlessly balanced between the artistic and the functional, the hotel intricately merges contemporary and antique furnishings. This unique layering between the modern and the traditional features from the original building create an truly opulent and bespoke atmosphere for any guest.

© Luke White

Architect: Studio Verve Architects
Location: Bow Quarter, Fairfield Road, London, England
Structural Engineer: Engenuiti
Builder: Caldera Construction
Completion: 2012
Floor Area: 72 sqm
Project Team: Vivian Chan, Fernando Molines, Ula Witkowska
Photographs: Luke White

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Architect Nathalie Rozencwajg tells Crane.tv the story behind the refurbishment of the imposing Town Hall that has been in the heart of the East End since Edwardian times. Now christened Town Hall Hotel & Apartments, the hotel is old-world elegant but with a modern touch.

© F&C Reit

Architects: Wilkinson Eyre Architects
Location: Soho, London, England
Photographers: Tim Soar, Cinimod Studio, F&C Reit, Wilkinson Eyre Architects

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© Charles Hosea

Located off Broadway Market, south of London Fields in one of the poorer, but upcoming east-end areas, Ada Street accommodates six apartments above two small retail units in an area with the largest number of different languages spoken in the city with the largest population of artist per square kilometer in Europe. With creative shops, bars and clubs to reflect the Local Authority’s more relaxed approach to design aesthetics, Amin Taha Architects formed a structure asymmetrical in appearance with subtly battered and sloping walls and floor plates and a gentle scattering of window openings. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

© Chris Guy

After many years spent fighting to preserve the famous Robin Hood Gardens social housing complex in East London, the architecture community mourns another loss. Tower Hamlets Council and the London Thames Gateway Development Corporations have approved the demolition of the 1960s Brutalist complex in an effort to make way for a new £500 million sustainable development comprised of energy efficient, mixed-tenure homes and an enlarged central park. The historic building was built by modernist architects Alison and Peter Smithson and remains an important piece to Great Britain’s architectural history. Continue reading for more. read more »

© Hufton and Crow

Architect: John McAslan + Partners
Location: London, England
Project Year: 2012
Photographs: Hufton and Crow, John Sturrock, Phil Adams

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Dichotomy / Zaha Hadid - Courtesy of The Big Egg Hunt Co

‘The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt’, launched on the 21st of February, has provided London, England with 209 giant and stunningly crafted Easter eggs, designed by artists, architects, jewelers and designers.  The four presented here were designed by architects Zaha Hadid, Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, Fourfoursixsix and interior design firm Candy & Candy.  The designs are unique, structural and conceptual.  Thirty-one among the 200 will be chosen for a live auction on March 20th.  The rest can be bid on on-line. The proceeds from the auction will go towards the £2million target for Action for Children, a charity for vulnerable and neglected children, young people and families, and Elephant Family, a charity for the endangered Asian elephant.  This Easter egg hunt invites the whole public to participate in finding these eggs throughout the city; the scale of this event is set to break Guinness World Records for the most participants in an Easter egg hunt.

Read on to see the designs after the break.

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© Fletcher Priest Architects

Norman Foster’s Swiss Re Building will soon have a new neighbor! London-based practice Fletcher Priest Architects have designed a 16-story tower that will replace the existing, outdated 1980s office building. Now under construction, the new 230,000 square-foot office building at 6 Bevis Marks will reuse 50% of the original structure and be 80% more energy efficient than the current building. Continue reading for more.

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