Photographer: Dennis Gilbert | ArchDaily

Institut Mines-Télécom / Grafton Architects

Paula Pintos — Sun, 05 Mar 2023 02:00:00 +0000

The building is organised around six spaces: the garden, four external courtyards and the ‘Rue intérieure’ which connects the other spaces and the entrance to form a 'social heart' for the institute. Between the compressed western half of the building and the open garden spans a library ‘bridge’ which connects the community of scholars, professors, and staff with a series of interlocking halls, reading rooms and loggias spaces. The outer form of the block is held by the 800 offices with a fine-grained structure, sitting above the larger laboratories and amphitheatres below which have greater spans. At ground level the structure is as open as possible so the public spaces and garden can flow together to form a continuous civic landscape.

Grafton Architects' Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, and Anna Wirz-Justice Receive the 2022 Daylight Award

Dima Stouhi — Tue, 17 May 2022 06:30:00 +0000

On the occasion of UNESCO’s International Day of Light, The Daylight Award has announced the 2022 Laureates; Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects for their architecture, and Anna Wirz-Justice for her research. The winners were commended for their continuous exploration and prominent humanistic spirit regarding the celebration of daylight in their respective practices, allowing it to celebrate and enhance the quality of life.

7 Finalists Announced for the EU Mies Award 2022

Dima Stouhi — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 06:30:00 +0000

The European Commission and the Mies van der Rohe Foundation have announced the 7 finalists that will compete for the 2022 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. The finalists include 5 projects in the Architecture category and 2 in the Emerging Architecture category, all of which "encourage and become models and references for local city policies". The winners will be announced in April 2022 and the Award ceremony will take place in May 2022.

RIBA Announces 2021 National Award Winners Highlighting UK's Best New Buildings

Andreea Cutieru — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 05:30:00 +0000

The Royal Institute of British Architects has announced the 54 winners of the 2021 RIBA National Awards, highlighting the UK's best new architecture. Ranging from single homes and housing schemes to educational facilities, cultural buildings, sports venues and medical centres, this year's projects illustrate a growing preoccupation with restoration and adaptive reuse, as well as a significant investment in education and culture. Inaugurated in 1966, the awards provide insight into UK's architectural environment and the economic trends shaping the AEC industry.

Maritime Design: Rare Coastal Libraries Around the World

Eric Baldwin — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 04:00:00 +0000

As architecture has evolved to include advanced building envelopes, innovative structural systems, and hybrid programs, new boundaries have been drawn. Sustainable practices and passive strategies have led architects to re-imagine building skins and the relationship between interior and exterior. While different typologies are designed with varied levels of permeability, libraries demand rigorous attention to performative facades and protected programs. This holds especially true when libraries are placed within radically changing landscapes.

St. Paul’s School / Walters & Cohen Architects

Paula Pintos — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 10:00:00 +0000

The school wanted to replace the 1960s CLASP buildings, which were nearing the end of their lifespan, with a new general teaching building fit for 21st-century education. Their vision was for learning, discussion, and interaction to happen everywhere – not just in the classrooms and library – but they were not sure what this could look like. Walters & Cohen worked with the school community to understand their ethos, and then expanded the brief to include breakout spaces, which are peppered around the school to encourage teamwork and collaboration.

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara Named 2020 Pritzker Prize Laureates

Christele Harrouk — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 10:00:00 +0000

This year, architecture’s highest honor, the Pritzker Prize, has been granted to Grafton Architects' Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Dublin, Ireland. The 2020 Laureates, who are both educators and architects, are known for their powerful yet delicate approaches. Their contextual and modern interventions are very attentive to history, demonstrating high levels of sensitivity and craftsmanship.

Grafton Architects: Get to Know 2020 Pritzker Winners’ Built Work

AD Editorial Team — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara founded Grafton Architects in 1978, after they met each other at the School of Architecture at University College Dublin. The practice, named after the street where the duo's first office was located, has been awarded this year’s prestigious 2020 Pritzker Award. Grafton's built work reflects the continued search of architectural excellence, in buildings ranging from small scale housing to large public volumes.

KnoxBhavan Studio / Knox Bhavan Architects

Daniel Tapia — Fri, 03 May 2019 19:00:00 +0000

KnoxBhavan Architects has transformed a former stationery shop and warehouse in Peckham into a beautiful new studio to house their practice. Dedicated to the idea that the workplace environment directly affects health and wellbeing, they saw an opportunity to design a health-conscious new studio, while showcasing the work of the practice through testing and experimenting with ideas, prototypes, materials, and details.

Why Norman Foster Scoops Daylight into his Buildings

Thomas Schielke — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 08:00:00 +0000

While many architects consider windows for brightening interior spaces, Norman Foster is intrigued by natural light from above. The British star architect has long held Louis Kahn and Alvar Aalto in high esteem for how they handled daylight - especially with regard to the roof. In particular large public buildings benefit from this strategy creating enjoyable spaces. Therefore, Foster regards daylight from above as indispensable when he develops megastructures for airports on the ground or tall skyscrapers for work. But daylight from above is much more than an aesthetic dimension, remarks Foster: "Quite apart from the humanistic and poetic qualities of natural light there are also energy implications."

An Architectural Guide to Belfast: 20 Unmissable Sites in Northern Ireland's Capital

Niall Patrick Walsh — Mon, 24 Dec 2018 09:00:00 +0000

The city of Belfast is enjoying a resurgence of life. Having been gripped by decades of conflict over politics and religion, the Northern Irish capital has been transformed by peace over the past ten years, and now hosts an array of sublime architecture old and new, by renowned architects past and present.

An Architectural Guide to Dublin: 30 Things to See and Do in Ireland’s Capital

Niall Patrick Walsh — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 05:30:00 +0000

Dublin is one of the world’s most beloved cities. The Irish capital welcomes over 5.6 million tourists every year from around the world, seeking out the city’s red brick rows, cobblestone streets, and lush green parklands.

RIBA Announces 2018 National Award Winners

Tom Dobbins — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 18:00:00 +0000

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the 49 winners of the 2018 RIBA National Awards. From skyline-altering buildings to sensitive small-scale sculptures, this year’s top projects showcase a wide-ranging selection of scales, featuring designs from Foster + Partners, Hawkins\Brown, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, and Niall McLaughlin Architects.

Longwall Library - Magdalen College / Wright & Wright Architects

Cristobal Rojas — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Wright & Wright Architects’ reworking of a Grade II* listed building, is a radical reinvention of the concept of a library.

17 Projects Win 2017 RIBA East Awards

Rory Stott — Fri, 19 May 2017 13:15:00 +0000

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced 17 winning projects in the 2017 RIBA East Awards. Topped by Walters & Cohen Architects' Vajrasana Buddhist Retreat Centre in Suffolk which won the RIBA East Building of the Year Award, these 17 regional winners will go on to compete in RIBA's national awards, with the best in the national awards ultimately going forward to compete for the Stirling Prize.

6 Projects Win 2017 RIBA West Midlands Awards

Patrick Lynch — Tue, 16 May 2017 12:00:00 +0000

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the first wave of their 2017 RIBA Regional Awards, beginning with the West Midlands region. Six projects were selected as winners from the region, which includes the city of Birmingham and its surrounding area.

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara Awarded 2017 Thomas Jefferson Medals in Architecture

Osman Bari — Sun, 05 Mar 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Yvonne Farrell and Shelly McNamara, directors of Grafton Architects, have been recognized along with three other individuals as winners of the 2017 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medals. The award, presented by the University of Virginia and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, recognizes “the exemplary contributions of recipients to the endeavors in which Jefferson excelled and held in high regard”, including Law, Citizen Leadership, Global Innovation, and Architecture.

New Boarding Accommodation at The King’s School / Walters & Cohen Architects

Sabrina Leiva — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 06:00:00 +0000

In early 2014, Walters & Cohen won an invited competition to design new boarding accommodation for the school which was looking to increase pupil numbers and strengthen its co-educational balance by enhancing provision for girl boarders with an additional 50-60 places.