Kohn Pedersen Fox Hosts Inaugural Exhibition: ‘Cities Unknown’
International architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) recenlty announced the inaugural exhibition at its new gallery space in central London, a celebration of the work of German artist and architectural photographer Hans‐Georg Esch. Shown in the UK for the first time, the exhibition presents a selection of photographs taken from Esch’s ‘Cities Unknown’ series. More images and information on the exhibition after the break.
Transformation and Revelation: Gormley to Gaga UK Design for Performance 2007-2011
As part of the V&A’s British Design Season, this display in the Theatre and Performance Galleries taking place March 17 – September 30 will celebrate the work of over 30 of the most pioneering British theatre designers, architects and artists to have created for performance over the last four years. The selected works on show will range from costumes for live opera and drama to video projections for stadium music concerts and will illustrate how each designer looks for new ways to transform space, light, sound and body for the stage. More information on the event after the break.
Bishop’s Square / Matthew Lloyd Architects
Architect: Matthew Lloyd Architects
Location: London, UK
Clients: Hammerson UK and Native Land Ltd
Contract Value: £2m (Twenty Bishops Square apartments)
Completion: 2008
Photographs: Mikael Schilling
City of London Information Centre / Make Architects
Architects: Make Architects
Location: London, UK
Client: City of London
Collaborators: Arup, Davis Langdon
Project Area: 135 sqm
Project Year: 2007
Photographs: Zander Olsen, Make Architects
V&A Museum of Childhood 140th Anniversary Celebration
This February until the first week of July, a selection of photographs and architectural drawings will be displayed at the V&A Museum of Childhood to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Museum opening in Bethnal Green. A Museum of Art and Science was officially opened by the Prince of Wales on 24 June 1872. More information on the event after the break.
Flint House / Nick Willson Architects
Architect: Nick Willson Architects
Location: London, England
Project Area: 170sqm.
Photographs: Gareth Gardner
‘Moving Schools’ Exhibition
Building Trust International will be hosting an exhibition of sustainable, modular, mobile school designs for migrant and refugee populations at a POP up space open to the general public from 10am-7pm on Oxford St, London from February 3-10.
The event will showcase the winning and shortlisted designs from their recent “School 4 Burma” competition. The exhibition will invite a wide range of distinguished architects and designers to attend which will further widen the exposure of the fantastic designs and continue the support for their “School 4 Burma” project.
10 Weymouth Street / Make Architects
Architects: Make Architects
Location: London, UK
Client: Ridgeford Properties Ltd
Collaborators: Alan Baxter and Associates, Arup, Drivers Jonas, Gardiner and Theobald, Maleon, John Sisk and Son Ltd, Savell Bird and Axon, Schatunowski Brooks
Project Area: 1,580 sqm
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Zander Olsen
Grosvenor Waterside / Make Architects
Architects: Make Architects
Location: London, UK
Client: St James Group Ltd
Collaborators: Sheppard Robson, Arup, Barton Willmore, Charles Funke Associates, Davis Langdon, EDP, Faithful+Gould, FPD Savills, Future City, Herbert Smith
Project Area: 25,000 sqm
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Zander Olsen, Make Architects: Charles Funke; Cooper Rose
‘Heatherwick Studio: Designing the Extraordinary’ Exhibition
As part of a season of events celebrating British design, the V&A presents the first major solo exhibition of the work of one of the most inventive and experimental British design studios practicing today.
This exhibition, taking place from May 31 to September 30, will show the enormous variety of projects that Heatherwick Studio have worked on over the last two decades spanning the disciplines of architecture, sculpture, engineering, furniture and product design. Bringing together prototypes, objects of inspiration, models and finished pieces, the exhibition will reveal the Studio’s creative process and spirit of curiosity. Visitors to the V&A at this time can also enjoy free entry to a spectacular specially-commissioned installation in the Museum’s John Madejski Garden. For more information, please visit here.
Critical Territories / Groundlab and Plasma Studio
Opening tomorrow at the AA, Critical Territories will share the work of Groundlab and Plasma Studio -two interdisciplinary firms pushing the envelope of the relationship between and the expression of landscape design and architecture. The installation will share the firms’ top projects, such as the Xian International Horticultural Expo which we having been covering extensively on AD, by way of a site-specific grid arrangement of light boxes covered with technical drawings. The organization of the installation will showcase the underlying themes of the practices, namely their systemic approach and preoccupation with grids, ground and context. The exhibit will be run through February 11.
Student Salon The LSE London School of Economics / Feix & Merlin Architects
Architects: Feix & Merlin Architects
Location: St. Clements Lane, LSE Campus in Holborn, London, England
Client: The LSE London School of Economics
Constructor: Sykes & Son Limited
Use: Student Salon – a social space for the Students of the LSE
Project Area: 30 sqm
Project Year: 2011
Photographs: Andy Matthews
Redevelopment of 150 Holborn / Make Architects
Ocubis Ltd, development manager for owners Laffly Ltd, has announced that planning permission has been granted by the London Borough of Camden in early December for the comprehensive renovation and redevelopment of 150 Holborn, situated at the corner of Holborn and Grays Inn Road. The building designed by Make Architects, which is located immediately adjacent to Chancery Lane Tube station, will be substantially remodelled and extended to create 80,000 sq ft prime office space and six one, two and three-bedroom apartments, which together complement the existing 30,000 sq ft of retail space at ground-floor level. More images and project description after the break.
Update: The Shard / Renzo Piano
We have been covering Renzo Piano’s Shard for London throughout its design and construction process. Slated to become the tallest building in Europe, the Shard will make a remarkable impression of the London skyline, dwarfing most of the metropolis as the 1000ft+ tower streamlines toward the sky. The tower has been constructed in an era of economic uncertainty, and although its height alludes confidence and a feeling of power, as it takes shape, many question the motives behind the project and its future implications on the city.
More about the Shard after the break.
Update: Foster + Partners Thames Hub proposal faces opposition
Foster + Partners Thames Hub proposal has continuously made progress throughout the year of 2011, however reports say the practice is facing some opposition in the new year. In early November, Foster + Partners revealed the £50bn project that plans to include a £20bn high-speed Orbital Rail line around London; a new £6bn Thames Barrier and crossing; and a £20bn international Estuary Airport, with annual capacity for 150 million passengers.
As seen on BD, Councilors in Essex plan to rally up their colleagues in January in attempt to battle the “disastrous” proposal. Councilor Peter Martin stated, “Lord Foster has been known to build all over the world, so we cannot sit idly by and let this happen. We must have a loud voice when it comes to opposing the airport.”
It will be interesting to hear their critiques of the project and see what pans out in the New Year for the Thames Hub proposal. What are your thoughts on the project?
Reference: BD
Lloyd’s building joins Grade I Elite
The futuristic Lloyd’s of London building has become one of the few postmodern buildings to be granted Grade I listed status, elevating the building to the top 2.5% of all listed buildings. Following Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano’s success with the great Pompidou Center in Paris (1977), Rogers designed the Lloyd’s building to replace the insurance company’s original headquarters in London’s medieval financial district. The building was completed in 1986 after eight years of construction, requiring 33,510 cubic meters of concrete, 30,000 square meters of stainless steel cladding and 12,000 square meters of glass to construct.
Continue reading for more information and images.
Video: Hampstead Lane / Duggan Morris Architects Winner of RIBA Manser Medal
The renovation of a house, Hampstead Lane in North London, won Duggan Morris Architects the RIBA Manser Medal of 2011 for the best new house or major extension in the UK. The video gives an inside look with the architects of the project on the design and renovation of the house.
More after the break.
Playground Charlotte Sharman Primary School / de Matos Ryan
Architects: de Matos Ryan
Location: Southwark, London, UK
Client: Charlotte Sharman Primary School
Structural Engineer: Price & Myers
Building Contractor: Robert Grzybowski
Playground Safety Inspector: Morral Play Solutions
Photographs: David Grandorge
The Krishna-Avanti Primary School / Cottrell & Vermeulen Architecture
Architects: Cottrell & Vermeulen Architecture
Location: London, UK
Project Team: Brian Vermeulen, Richard Cottrell, Simon Tucker, SangSoo Bae
Client: I-Foundation
Temple Design: ARP Associates
Planning Consultant: DP9
Photographs: Anthony Coleman
V&A Christmas Tree / Studio Roso
To celebrate the festive period, the V&A has commissioned design duo Studio Roso to create a Christmas Tree for the Grand Entrance of the Museum until January 5th. The handmade ‘tree’ is made up of 3.3 miles of elastic cord and will reach over 4 meters high. A total of 1500 individual strands have been combined to create the outline of a traditional Christmas Tree. Within these cords Studio Roso has created a number of geometric shapes, referencing both traditional Christmas ornaments and the crystalline structure of snowflakes and icicles, providing a decorative garland throughout the installation. The design for the tree was inspired by the intricate craft of bobbin lacing, a technique often used in traditional Christmas decorations. More images after the break.
Design Teams Announced to create New Public Spaces for London’s Olympic Park
Olympic Park Legacy Company has announced the winners of two competitions that will transform the north park and south plaza at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. New York-based James Corner Field Operations’ proposal for a 50 acre urban landscape consisting of a tree-lined promenade connecting flexible event and cultural spaces was selected as the winning entry for the south plaza.
The north park winning proposal by London-based firm erect architecture consists of an imaginative community hub building that is integrated within the parkland and river valley. Along with community hub, the design proposes an interactive playground that inspires children to “climb trees, build dens and have everyday adventures in nature.”
Continue reading for the complete team list and their design proposal boards.
