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London: The Latest Architecture and News

Survey Results Show More Tall Buildings Planned for London

Since this time last year, an additional 119 new tall buildings have been planned for London, according to a report published by New London Architecture (NLA) and GLHearn. This brings the total number of planned, tall buildings -- buildings of 20 floors or taller -- to 436.

The research conducted by the NLA shows that since last year, the number of tall buildings undergoing construction has inched from 70 to 89. An impressive 223 tall buildings have received planning approval and 114 towers are in pre-application or planning stages. Ninety-four tall buildings, up from 72 buildings in the previous year, were submitted for planning. Of those 94, 43 were approved in the same year. The survey also notes that a significant number of these tall buildings are part of larger scale master plans, which situate multiple towers in clusters.

London Architectural Debate Society “Turncoats” Goes Global

Turncoats, the irreverent architectural debate society from London, is launching an international series, starting chapters in Canada, Scotland, Serbia and the US. Originally created by Phineas Harper, Maria Smith and Robert Mull, Turncoats has “electrified London’s architectural scene” since its inception.

Combining architectural debate with unique settings, alcohol, and an absence of recordings or wireless devices, Turncoats has gathered significant attention, their signature flaming envelope emblem appearing on lapels across the city, and soon all over the world.

Koops Mill / Mark Fairhurst Architects

Koops Mill / Mark Fairhurst Architects - Refurbishment, Door, Facade, CountertopKoops Mill / Mark Fairhurst Architects - Refurbishment, Bedroom, Lighting, BedKoops Mill / Mark Fairhurst Architects - Refurbishment, FacadeKoops Mill / Mark Fairhurst Architects - Refurbishment, Bedroom, Table, ChairKoops Mill / Mark Fairhurst Architects - More Images+ 18

Sam Jacob Studio to Create a Russian Doll-Like Installation at London's Sto Werkstatt

Sto Werkstatt have announced that Sam Jacob Studio will be creating "a unique installation" for their London gallery space that will "explore the exchange of information between digital and physical worlds." Entitled One Thing After Another, the project has its origins with what Jacob considers the most mundane, yet essential form, of architecture: the garden shed. The structure will be 3D-scanned to create a digital copy which will then be processed and scaled to fabricate a new CNC’d version from Verolith, a lightweight type of volcanic stone made of 90% perlite.

LSE Reveals 6 Schemes for its Paul Marshall Building

The London School of Economics (LSE) and RIBA have revealed the six shortlisted proposals for their next major development: 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields/The Paul Marshall. With designs from David Chipperfield, Diller Scofidio + Renfro with Penoyre & Prasad and Herzog & de Meuron, LSE is hoping their new building's "world-class architecture" will appropriately reflect the university's "global academic reputation." AL_A, Grafton Architects, and Niall McLaughlin with Scott Brownrigg complete the shortlist.

“The amount of analysis and intellectual effort that has gone into the designs from each team is staggering and the results are impressive and very exciting. Given its size and prime location on Lincoln’s Inn Fields we want this to be a seminal university building; its legacy will endure for many generations so it is vital that we make the right decision,” said Julian Robinson, LSE’s Director of Estates.

All six schemes are being publicly exhibited at the LSE's Saw Swee Hock Student Centre through March 17. Read on for a glimpse of each. 

HOK’s Hertsmere House Will Be the Tallest Residential Tower in Western Europe

HOK’s latest project, “Hertsmere House” on West India Quay in London’s Canary Wharf has been approved for development by members of Tower Hamlets’ Strategic Development Committee. At 67-stories and 789 feet tall, Hertsmere House will be Western Europe’s tallest residential tower. The design, inspired by flower petals, aims to create a unique addition to the London skyline. Read more about the project after the break.

Greenwich Peninsula Riverside / C.F. Møller

Greenwich Peninsula Riverside  / C.F. Møller - Apartments, Deck, Facade, Handrail, Balcony, Beam, TableGreenwich Peninsula Riverside  / C.F. Møller - Apartments, Kitchen, Door, Stairs, Facade, Handrail, TableGreenwich Peninsula Riverside  / C.F. Møller - Apartments, Courtyard, Facade, Stairs, DoorGreenwich Peninsula Riverside  / C.F. Møller - Apartments, FacadeGreenwich Peninsula Riverside  / C.F. Møller - More Images+ 26

Yalding House / BuckleyGrayYeoman

Yalding House  / BuckleyGrayYeoman - Refurbishment, Facade, Column, Arch, Handrail, LightingYalding House  / BuckleyGrayYeoman - RefurbishmentYalding House  / BuckleyGrayYeoman - Refurbishment, Stairs, Door, Handrail, FacadeYalding House  / BuckleyGrayYeoman - Refurbishment, Door, Facade, ChairYalding House  / BuckleyGrayYeoman - More Images+ 21

Shepherd’s Bush Extension & Loft Conversion / + Studio 30 Architects

Shepherd’s Bush Extension & Loft Conversion /  + Studio 30 Architects - Extension, Bedroom, Door, HandrailShepherd’s Bush Extension & Loft Conversion /  + Studio 30 Architects - Extension, Facade, Balcony, HandrailShepherd’s Bush Extension & Loft Conversion /  + Studio 30 Architects - Extension, TableShepherd’s Bush Extension & Loft Conversion /  + Studio 30 Architects - Extension, Kitchen, Beam, Facade, Table, ChairShepherd’s Bush Extension & Loft Conversion /  + Studio 30 Architects - More Images+ 24

Monocle 24's 'The Urbanist' Investigates the Legacy of Victorian London

For this edition of The Urbanist, Monocle 24's weekly "guide to making better cities," the team head back in time to explore London in 1891, examining some of the city’s achievements to get a glimpse of what life was like in the British capital. They investigate the architectural legacy of Victorian London, see how the introduction of the railway changed the city, and chat about Charles Booth’s pioneering study into Victorian Londoners’ quality of life. They also take a tour around the country’s first council estate.

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Elmwood Court / C.F. Møller

Elmwood Court  / C.F. Møller - Apartments, FacadeElmwood Court  / C.F. Møller - Apartments, Facade, Door, BalconyElmwood Court  / C.F. Møller - Apartments, Facade, BalconyElmwood Court  / C.F. Møller - Apartments, Kitchen, Door, Table, Lighting, ChairElmwood Court  / C.F. Møller - More Images+ 17

BIG's 2016 Serpentine Gallery Design Revealed (Plus Four Summer Houses)

The Serpentine Gallery in London has unveiled the designs for this year's prestigious Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, designed by BIG, showing an "unzipped wall" which rises to a point above the entrance. In addition to the pavilion, this year the Serpentine gallery will host four smaller "summer houses" designed by Kunlé Adeyemi - NLÉ, Barkow Leibinger, Yona Friedman and Asif Khan. For these summer houses, the Serpentine Gallery asked the participants to take inspiration from Queen Caroline's Temple, a small, classical summer house near to the gallery that was built in 1734.

Read on to find out more about all five designs.

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Call for Works: Drawing Futures

Drawing Futures, a new the international peer-reviewed conference on speculative drawing for art and architecture has launched a call for works.

The two-day conference will bring together some of the world’s leading practitioners in drawing for conversations about the contemporary cutting-edge and future directions using drawing as a critical tool for art and architecture.

“Nursery Fields Forever” Reconnects Early Childhood Education with Nature

Winner of the AWR International Ideas Competition to design a new nursery school, “Nursery Fields Forever” reimagines what nursery schools could be like. Designed by a team from Italy, composed of Gabriele Capobianco, Edoardo Capuzzo Dolcetta, Jonathan Lazar, and Davide Troiani, the entry refutes the modern notion of shaping a child’s perception of the world based solely on urban environments, accepting children as being inherently curious naturalists. This trait is stimulated and guided to create a unique educational approach, holistically combining nature and food cultivation into its curriculum.

12 New Fetter Lane / Doone Silver Architects + Flanagan Lawrence

12 New Fetter Lane / Doone Silver Architects + Flanagan Lawrence - Offices, Facade, Cityscape12 New Fetter Lane / Doone Silver Architects + Flanagan Lawrence - Offices, Cityscape12 New Fetter Lane / Doone Silver Architects + Flanagan Lawrence - Offices, Facade, Cityscape12 New Fetter Lane / Doone Silver Architects + Flanagan Lawrence - Offices, Facade12 New Fetter Lane / Doone Silver Architects + Flanagan Lawrence - More Images+ 15

AIA Elevates 149 Members to College of Fellows

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2016 Jury of Fellows has elevated 149 AIA members and eight international architects to its prestigious College of fellows, an honor awarded to members who have made significant contributions to the profession.

“The Fellowship program was developed to elevate those architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession. Election to fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of architects as individuals, but also their significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.”

Some of the elevated members are:

Call for Entries: Museum of London West Smithfield International Design Competition

The Museum of London and Malcolm Reading Consultants have launched an international search for an outstanding architect or team of architects to create a new building for the museum at West Smithfield in the City of London. The project at the heart of the two-stage design competition has a £130-150m construction budget, and is focused on regenerating a nationally-significant landmark and creating new contemporary galleries within a group of historic buildings on the West Smithfield site. The Museum of London is one of the top ten museums and galleries in the UK capital and responsible for the world’s largest archaeological archive, which currently holds six million artefacts.

Damien Hirst is Extending His Historic London Home – Downwards

Damien Hirst has outgrown his 14-bedroom, nineteenth century London home. As reported by Hyperallergic, Hirst is in the process of enlarging his villa – downwards. In the spirit of the London 'super-basement' trend, for which the Royal Boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea first took opposition to in 2014, the Turner Prize-winning artist's plans appear to be some of the most ambitious yet. The proposed subterranean warren of rooms—including a sauna, a steam room, a cargo elevator leading to a double height "art room", and an 82-foot long swimming pool—will all be excavated from his half-acre back garden. Although the plans have faced local opposition the artist's "lair", designed by Purcell, is now set for construction.