Archinect - News

Richard Rogers’ Channel 4 headquarters gains Grade II-listed status in London

2023-04-03T11:58:00-04:00

Following an advocacy campaign by Historic England, the UK's Department for Culture, Media and Sport recently granted Grade II-listed status to Richard Rogers Partnership’s 1994 Channel 4 headquarters building in Westminster, London, answering some concerns as to its future after the property was targeted for a private sell-off by the struggling broadcaster just last year.

The group’s official entry praised it as a demonstrative and highly sophisticated design that displayed all the key elements of the High-Tech movement while functioning rather seamlessly as the flexible first home of the country’s high-brow intellectual mainstay.

The Channel 4 Building, 124-126 Horseferry Road, London © Historic England Archive DP434074

Historic England cited this status also in terms of its cultural significance, emphasizing its early-90s commissioning came on the heels of Rogers’ seminal Lloyd’s Building and stating that it was one of the “most significant” UK projects of the Italian-born Briti...

Dig this: Lipton Plant reimagines a WWII bunker as a holiday home on England's Jurassic Coast

2021-08-27T17:08:00-04:00

A unique restoration is turning an old war relic into an offbeat holiday destination on England’s Jurassic Coast thanks to the work of Lipton Plant Architects.

The London-based firm, which specializes in residential projects, has been granted planning approval for a scheme that would transform a Grade II-listed bunker from the Second World War into a private abode for vacationers with a Paul Virilio-esque palette.

The restoration will entail the conversion of the former RAF radio squadron bunker into a two-bedroom retreat thanks to the installation of a glazed “bomb blast” opening and renovation of its 76-square-meter interior complete with exposed original concrete walls, a terrace patio, and full kitchen.

Concept illustration. Image © Lipton Plant Architects

Per the architects: “We hope to celebrate the significant historic yet redundant structure as a historic ruin. By ‘blasting’ a new opening in the elevation, not only can the space be enjoyed as a holiday home, but views of the...

BDP wins Northern Estate Programme - the development of a number of historic buildings for the House of Commons

2016-11-21T12:23:00-05:00

The Northern Estate consists of a series of Grade I and II listed buildings, which provide office space for the House of Commons.

Many buildings on the estate have not been refurbished in over 40 years however they are now non-compliant with a multitude of regulatory and statutory building regulations and refurbishment has become essential.

15,300 sqm of office space will be restored with works due to be completed in the early 2020s.

Architect director Tim Leach said: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to refurbish the buildings on Parliament’s Northern Estate, close to the Palace of Westminster and at the heart of Whitehall, to create a modern office environment and external landscape to meet the needs of the House of Commons, its MPs, researchers and supporting facilities, well into the 21st century.”

Brunel’s Thames Tunnel transformed into an underground theatre

2016-04-14T11:00:00-04:00

Called the Grand Entrance Hall, the underground space – opening today – will be run by The Brunel Museum and is set to host plays, operas, concerts and even weddings. Architects Tate Harmer breathed new life into the 1843 Grade II*-listed shaft – originally designed by civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his father Marc – adding a cantilevered staircase to make the 75ft-deep hall accessible.

Discover more UK content here:

Another Grade II listed building loses its protected status in north east England

2016-03-30T11:39:00-04:00

A “strikingly elegant” office building in the north east of England is set to be demolished after losing its protected status just a year on from being listed. It will be the latest in a series of important modernist buildings in the area to be flattened in recent years.

Sex Pistols graffiti secures famous Tin Pan Alley building Grade 2* listed status

2016-03-22T13:23:00-04:00

The cartoon drawings and graffiti scrawled all over the 1970s hangout of the Sex Pistols - a former silversmith’s workshop attached to a townhouse in London’s Denmark Street – have helped the building be awarded Grade 2* Listed Status. The decision by the Department of Culture, Media & Sport, on advice from Historic England, is a major victory in the campaign to maintain Denmark Street, known as “Tin Pan Alley”, which is widely seen as a spiritual home for British popular music.

The Design Museum's new home to open this November in Kensington

2016-03-22T03:39:00-04:00

The contemporary design champion is moving from its current location in Shad Thames to the former Commonwealth Institute building, a Grade II*-listed 1960s landmark conceived by architects RJMM. Its new home, which is being remodelled by designer John Pawson, will provide three times more space and have a learning centre, auditorium, library and a ‘Designers in Residence’ studio.