Photographer: Nick Kane | ArchDaily

Internal Acoustics: Effective Noise Mitigation Techniques in Architecture

Mohieldin Gamal — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 05:00:00 +0000

The internal environment is the focus of this second article about designing for noise to improve well-being. According to several recent studies, noise in cities has become an increasing hazard to health. Environmental noise, that is, noise from traffic, industrial activities, or amplified music, which reaches internal spaces, is not merely an annoyance. It has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, and mental health issues. As the world urbanizes, more people are exposed to excessive levels of noise. In medium- and high-density housing, in office buildings, and in schools, noise pollution can emanate from internal as well as external sources.

"The Building as a Dance Between Design and Habitation": In Conversation with Níall McLaughlin

Maria-Cristina Florian — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 08:30:00 +0000

In an era marked by rapid urbanization, climate emergencies, and evolving societal needs, architecture has a complex role to play and a responsibility to engage actively yet sensibly with cultural, political, and economic considerations. In this context, Níall McLaughlin stands out for his balanced approach rooted in historical contexts, yet aware and responsive to contemporary challenges. His studio, Niall McLaughlin Architects, embraces a dialogue-centric approach, fostering a collaborative environment. ArchDaily's senior editor Maria-Cristina Florian had the chance to sit down with Níall McLaughlin and discuss his perspective on the role of architecture in today's society and the emerging challenges of architectural education.

Round Pillars in Architecture: From the Classical Column to the Modern Sculptural Support

Lilly Cao — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 07:30:00 +0000

The pillar has adorned many of the greatest monumental examples of Western architecture since antiquity, from the Doric columns of the Parthenon to the Corinthian capitals of the Pantheon portico. In the West, the legacies of these classical forms have permutated over the centuries and into modern times: the Doric columns of the Lincoln Memorial, the Ionic columns of the British museum portico, and the Villa Savoye’s pilotis are just a few examples of the classical column’s continued transformation and use over the last few centuries. Today, the round pillar continues to be used in modern design, both functionally and aesthetically. Below, we look into these elements in more detail, including their materials, construction, structural qualities, and several contemporary examples of their use.

Thames Christian School and Battersea Chapel / Henley Halebrown

Pilar Caballero — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The Thames Christian School and Battersea Chapel project in South London underscores Henley Halebrown’s continued interest in exploring buildings that create both small spaces for people to interact and a concentric focal space to which we can gravitate intuitively and, by implication, recede. This type of space can be a courtyard or a central hall as at Thames Christian School where it has also helped to eliminate the need for corridors. Sited next to Clapham Junction railway station the project brings together the Battersea Chapel Baptist Church and Thames Christian School, an independent coeducational secondary school, under one roof. The new 6-story 5,000m2 building provides the church with a new community hall and sanctuary, and allows the school to expand to 400 pupils, of which nearly half are on the special educational needs register, whilst enabling the regeneration of the inner city Winstanley & York Road Estate. The chapel and school share a rectilinear, two-story plinth that gives the project the gravitas of a public building. Within, the chapel’s congregation gathers in the hall and sanctuary which can be combined into a larger space for baptisms and other big events. Meanwhile, the school hall facilitates performance, dining, physical education, and assembly, and is shared with the community for events outside of school hours. For Henley Halebrown this is about making spaces that configure the way people gather; spaces that can democratize and create hierarchies and spaces that can atomize or unite us.

RIBA Announces the 26 Winners of the 2024 National Awards Showcasing UK's Best New Architecture

Nour Fakharany — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 05:30:00 +0000

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has unveiled the 26 winners of the 2024 RIBA National Awards for Architecture, recognizing the finest examples of UK architecture and showcasing the country's design and social trends. Established in 1996, the awards highlight outstanding architectural projects across the UK, from Northern Ireland and Scotland to the south of England. This year's award celebrates projects that feature "inspiring examples of existing buildings and structures that have been given a new lease of life." Recognized for intelligent design and collaboration with clients and local communities, the award winners also showcase innovative construction techniques and thoughtful material selections.

98–100 De Beauvoir Road / Henley Halebrown

Andreas Luco — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 10:00:00 +0000

98–100 De Beauvoir Road continues the practice’s work in the adaptive reuse of existing and historic structures such as Talkback, E.W. Pugin’s St. Monica’s, Hoxton, and the more recent schemes De Beauvoir Block, Laszlo and the Poppy Factory. 98–100 forms part of a range of early twentieth-century industrial buildings immediately west of De Beauvoir Square, and its listed Neo-Jacobean houses, in De Beauvoir Town, an area of London planned after the Grand Union Canal and Kingsland Basin were cut in the 1820s.

Eyemouth Pavilions – Community Centre / Galmstrup Architects

Hadir Al Koshta — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Eyemouth Pavilions is a new public anchor at the heart of the Scottish fishing town Eyemouth. It is also an opportunity to reinvent the wider harbor area and create a new type of civic space. We were inspired by the strong authenticity of the working Harbour and Conservation Area, and the harbour's active transformation towards a new sustainable marine economy. The project consists of a series of pavilions with winter gardens on the ground floor for community use, and self-contained studios for start-up entrepreneurs on the first floor. The first south pavilion is now completed.

The Poppy Factory / Henley Halebrown

Andreas Luco — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 16:00:00 +0000

The Poppy Factory is located in Richmond alongside the River Thames in South West London. It is a charity founded between the World Wars focused on identifying employment for veterans and raising funds for families affected by war. Its premises in Richmond have evolved over the years and occupy a group of buildings including a 1930s Art Deco 3-storey factory where poppies are still made as a symbol of Flanders Fields to mark the end of WWI hostilities on Remembrance Day.

The Laszlo / Henley Halebrown

Andreas Luco — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 02:00:00 +0000

The Laszlo is on a largely residential street in a conservation area close to Highgate in North London, and a neighbor to the University of Arts, London. The 5-story building dates from c. 1900. Originally the Batavia Mills, it was used for manufacturing and printing. During World War II gas masks were stored in the building. The facades are brick, with pronounced piers and arched set-back window openings layered to create a facade with depth and shadow. Inside the structural frame is steel.

333 Kingsland Road & Hackney New Primary School / Henley Halebrown

Paula Pintos — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Located on Kingsland Road, one of Hackney’s busy arterial roads on the edge of a conservation area, Hackney New Primary School combines a community-led school with affordable homes and shops at street level. It represents an exemplary approach to hybrid architecture combining different functions without losing the strengths of either the original educational or residential building typologies.

Magdalene College Library / Niall McLaughlin Architects

Paula Pintos — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 05:00:00 +0000

We were appointed to design Magdalene College’s New College Library through a competition held in 2014. The new building replaces cramped and poorly equipped facilities in the adjacent Grade 1 Listed Pepys Building with a larger library, incorporating an archive facility and a picture gallery.

RIBA Announces the 2022 National Award Winners Showcasing UK’s Best New Architecture

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 05:30:00 +0000

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the 29 winners of the 2022 RIBA National Awards for architecture. Ranging from net-zero carbon office buildings to family homes, schools and education facilities, urban developments and cultural buildings, this year’s projects provide an insight into the key trends that shape UK’s architectural and economic environment. Many projects focused on uniting communities, by creating spaces as a result of a collaboration between the local residents and the architects, or by offering unique venues for musical or cultural events. The future of housing was also addressed, with projects illustrating a vision for modern rural living or creating new city blocks centered around community gardens. Another area of interest was the restoration and adaptation of existing buildings, be it a 900-year-old former dining hall of the Cathedral or an iconic 1950s Modernist house.

333 Kingsland Road & Hackney New Primary School / Henley Halebrown

Pilar Caballero — Tue, 24 May 2022 02:00:00 +0000

Located on Kingsland Road, one of Hackney’s busy arterial roads on the edge of a conservation area, Hackney New Primary School combines a community-led school with affordable homes and shops at street level. Designed by Henley Halebrown, the project represents an exemplary approach to hybrid architecture combining different functions without losing the strengths of either the original educational or residential building typologies.

RIBA Announces 2022 London Awards Winners

Dima Stouhi — Thu, 05 May 2022 08:00:00 +0000

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the winning projects for the 2022 RIBA London architecture awards. The list of 42 buildings includes projects ranging from a sustainable council housing development to a cookery school for children, showcasing the best architectural interventions in London over the past two years. The projects were selected by a regional jury, who visited all 66 shortlisted projects. RIBA London Award winners will now be considered for a highly-coveted RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, which will be announced in June.

Taylor & Chatto Courts + Wilmott Court Frampton Park Estate / Henley Halebrown

Andreas Luco — Sun, 03 Apr 2022 17:00:00 +0000

Taylor Court, Chatto Court & Wilmott Court has won the Civic Trust Awards 2022 National Panel Special Award, selected by the National Panel members as their favourite scheme from the year’s award-winning projects. The scheme designed by Henley Halebrown on the Frampton Park Estate was given the Special Award as “a bold and ambitious project commissioned by the London Borough of Hackney, representing the best of council-led housing.”

London School of Economics Marshall Building / Grafton Architects

Paula Pintos — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 06:00:00 +0000

In 2016 Grafton Architects were selected as winners of an international competition to design a new university building for London School of Economics and Political Science in Lincoln's Inn Fields.

City Park West / Pollard Thomas Edwards

Andreas Luco — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 12:00:00 +0000

City Park West is a mixed-use neighbourhood in Chelmsford of more than 600 homes featuring cafés, restaurants, workplaces, community facilities and public art. Located by the railway station, it includes five new residential buildings, including a 14-storey tower, four new public squares, and three refurbished buildings, one of which is listed. The brief from Notting Hill Genesis called for a high-density development with a range of house types from one-bedroom extra-care flats to three-bedroom mews homes with rooftop terraces and their own front doors.

RIBA Announces London’s Best New Buildings

Eric Baldwin — Tue, 21 May 2019 05:00:00 +0000

47 London buildings have been awarded 2019 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Regional Awards. Each year, RIBA Regional Award-winning buildings set the standard for skilful, accomplished architecture across the UK. All winning buildings are now in the running for RIBA National Awards, which will be announced on June 27, 2019.