-
Architects: Inglis Badrashi Loddo
- Area: 1100 m²
- Year: 2017
-
Manufacturers: EQUITONE, DIY Kitchens, Havwoods, VMZINC, Velfac
London: The Latest Architecture and News
Jeddo Road / Inglis Badrashi Loddo
What Makes a City Livable to You?
Mercer released their annual list of the Most Livable Cities in the World last month. The list ranks 231 cities based on factors such as crime rates, sanitation, education and health standards, with Vienna at #1 and Baghdad at #231. There’s always some furor over the results, as there ought to be when a city we love does not make the top 20, or when we see a city rank highly but remember that one time we visited and couldn’t wait to leave.
To be clear, Mercer is a global HR consultancy, and their rankings are meant to serve the multinational corporations that are their clients. The list helps with relocation packages and remuneration for their employees. But a company’s first choice on where to send their workers is not always the same place you’d choose to send yourself to.
And these rankings, calculated as they are, also vary depending on who’s calculating. Monocle publishes their own list, as does The Economist, so the editors at ArchDaily decided to throw our hat in as well. Here we discuss what we think makes cities livable, and what we’d hope to see more of in the future.
Forensic Architecture Shortlisted for the 2018 Turner Prize
The spatial investigation group Forensic Architecture has been nominated for the 2018 Turner Prize. Based at Goldsmiths University in London, the interdisciplinary group of architects, filmmakers, journalists, lawyers, and scientists have devoted their energy to investigating state and corporate violations worldwide.
The nomination represents the second time a team of spatial designers has been recognized by the prize in its three-decade history, following on from 2015 winners Assemble.
Center Point Tower / Conran and Partners
-
Architects: Conran and Partners
- Year: 2018
-
Manufacturers: Fritz Hansen, Saflex, Vibia, Arflex, Artek, +23
-
Professionals: Multiplex, Speirs + Major, Wintech, Pell Frischman, Sandy Brown
Why We Shouldn't Build a Memorial for the Grenfell Fire—Not Yet At Least
This article was originally published by Common Edge as "Why the Best Response to the Grenfell Tower Fire Isn’t a Memorial."
Memorials play an integral role in marking significant people, moments, or events. In recent years, they have become glorifications of tragedy by attempting to express unimaginable horrors in poetic and beautiful ways. The issue with the many forms that memorials take is that they seek to placate the immediate reaction and hurt of an event, an understandable societal reaction, but one that often feels rote and hallow.
But what if memorials sought to preserve the memory of those affected by offering a solution that addressed how the tragedy occurred? The international response to tragedy has, by default, become to install a statue, build a wall, create a healing water feature, erect an aspirational sculptural object, or simply rename a park. None of these responses are inherently bad—they’re usually well-meaning and on occasion quite moving—but there is another approach available to us: changing the public perception of memorials by looking at them through the lens of solutions, encouraging people to think of them as a testament or proper response to tragedy, not just a plaque that over time goes unnoticed. While this approach might be difficult in some instances, the case of Grenfell Tower fire in London presents a rather obvious solution.
7,500 Barrels To Feature in Christo's First UK Outdoor Public Sculpture
Artist Christo has released images of his proposed temporary sculpture for Hyde Park, London, to become his first major outdoor public sculpture in the United Kingdom. Titled “The Mastaba (Project for London, Hyde Park, Serpentine Lake)," the sculpture will consist of 7,506 horizontally-stacked barrels floating on the Serpentine Lake throughout the summer of 2018.
“The Mastaba” will coincide with an exhibition of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work at the Serpentine Galleries, featuring sculptures, drawings, collages and photographs spanning more than 60 years. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the exhibition will be the artists’ first in a UK public institution since 1979 and will showcase their long-running exploits with barrel forms, chosen initially for their sculptural effect and low cost.
93-Building Shortlist Announced for 2018 RIBA London Awards
Since 1996, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has hosted awards for exemplary buildings across the UK by RIBA Chartered Architects and RIBA International Fellows. This year, 93 projects were shortlisted out of 203 entries for the 2018 RIBA London Awards; including designs by Foster + Partners, Hawkins\Brown, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, and Make Architects. Each project will be visited by one of five London juries during the month of April. Winners will be announced at the award ceremony on May 15th at the RIBA headquarters at 66 Portland Place, London.
Scroll down to see a complete list of the shortlisted architectural works.
The Curated Home / Mustard Architects
-
Architects: Mustard Architects
- Area: 250 m²
- Year: 2017
-
Manufacturers: Barnaby Reynolds, Cavendish Equipment, K&D Joinery, The Concrete Flooring Company, The Small Home, +2
Madison Square Garden Unveils Images of Spherical Events Venue in London
The Madison Square Garden Company has unveiled images of its proposed MSG Sphere in London, a next-generation venue seeking to “redefine live entertainment” through an array of technology geared towards transformative, immersive connections between artists and audiences.
To accompany the London scheme, an MSG Sphere will also be located in Las Vegas. Both are to be designed by Populous, a global firm responsible for a large number of stadia and arenas across the globe.
Pascall+Watson to Design Stansted Airport’s Transformation
After Pascall+Watson’s success with their concept design for the £130m Arrivals Terminal at Stansted Airport, the firm have been selected for the £600m transformation programme by MAG (Manchester Airports Group owners of Stansted Airport). As demand for air travel continues to increase, Pascall+Watson’s plans aim to provide a greater choice of airlines and destinations by making use of the airport’s spare runway capacity and supporting the future growth.
Adjaye Associates Among Team of Designers To Create Strategy for Grenfell Estate
Adjaye Associates is among a team of high-profile architects tasked with generating ideas for the overhaul of Lancaster West Estate, an area of London containing the ruined Grenfell Tower, tragically destroyed by fire in 2017.
The team, comprising Adjaye Associates, Cullinan Studio, Levitt Bernstein, Maccreanor Lavington, Murray John Architects and Penoyre & Prasad, will work with the local community for the housing estate’s refurbishment to produce “resident-led” ideas for the area.
AKK Studios / Fourthspace
-
Architects: Fourthspace
- Area: 4500 ft²
-
Manufacturers: Havwoods, Metwin, PMF Roofcraft
Butterfly House / Biasol
-
Architects: Biasol
- Area: 90 m²
- Year: 2017
-
Manufacturers: Ferm Living, Dulux, Fern, Flos, Mandarin Stone, +3
A New House and Studio / Anthony Carlile Architects
-
Architects: Anthony Carlile Architects
- Area: 100 m²
- Year: 2017
-
Manufacturers: Coleford Brick & Tile, Limetec, Olson, Pitzl, Sunsquare
-
Professionals: PITA Construction Consultants, Solmaz, Corbett & Tasker
There’s a Gender Pay Gap at Foster + Partners (Unsurprisingly)
Disparity between men and women in the workplace has long been cause for concern, both within the architectural profession and beyond. To raise awareness of the need for gender pay equality, the British government in 2017 demanded that UK-based organizations with more than 250 staff publish annual reports of the gender pay gap within their offices.
As one of the largest architecture firms in the world, and based in Battersea, London, Foster + Partners has released their report into gender pay issues, becoming one of the first architecture firms to do so. The report reveals significant under-representation of women at senior level resulting in a pay gap across the firm, and outlines a commitment to encouraging gender diversity at all levels of management.
Eva Franch i Gilabert Selected as the New Director of the Architectural Association
The Architectural Association has announced that Eva Franch I Gilabert has been selected as their new Director, following a public months-long search to replace former Director Brett Steele and interim Director Samantha Hardingham.
The AA School Community, consisting of students, staff and Council members, selected Franch i Gilabert from a shortlist of 3 candidates by a majority vote of 67%, the highest percentage received in a contested election since 1990. Over 1,000 total ballots were cast.