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Will Alsop's posthumous Neuron Pod completes at Queen Mary University of London

2019-03-08T15:08:00-05:00

Will Alsop's posthumous building, the £2m Neuron Pod, has completed at the Queen Mary University of London's campus. Shaped like a giant porcupine, the structure comes complete with illuminated fibre-optic spines and will serve as the school's new neurological education pod, where science shows, youth member activities, workshops, new adult initiatives and weekend activities will take place.

Courtesy of aLL Design.

The pod is a new addition to the school's Blizard Building, which houses the School of Medicine and Dentistry and was also designed by Will Alsop and his former firm, aLLDesign. Now, a RIBA award-winning building, the Blizard is a vast subterranean laboratory featuring fantastical architectural elements that demonstrate Alsop's knack for instilling his designs with a sense of humor and amusement.

Courtesy of aLL Design.

Similarly, Neuron Pod—a 23-meter-long creature poised on three legs—inspires a joyful response. From the street, the rusted steel exterior is punctured wit...

Will Alsop, British maverick architect, remembered after unexpected death

2018-05-14T19:47:00-04:00

The news of British architect Will Alsop's death over the weekend was met with an outpouring of sympathy from fellow architects and journalists around the web.

A recipient of the RIBA's Stirling Prize for his Peckham Library building in 2000, an avid painter, and master of seemingly floating buildings on playful stilts, Alsop never settled for the expected but rather embraced the 'maverick' reputation for balancing genius and wacky, recognized and controversial.

RIBA Worldwide Award winner: Sharp Centre for Design, Ontario College of Art & Design, Toronto, Canada, 2004. Photo: Taxiarchos228/Wikipedia.

"Will has inspired generations and impacted many lives through his work," Marcos Rosello, director of Alsop's firm aLL Design, said in response of his passing. "It is a comfort to know that due to the nature of Will’s work and character, he will continue to inspire and bring great joy. He had an exceptional ability to recognize particular strengths in individuals which he would draw ou...