Archinect - News

RIBA joins international Climate Emergency Declaration

2019-07-03T14:50:00-04:00

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has agreed to join a global declaration acknowledging the existence of an environmental and climate emergency.

In recent months, New York City, the Vatican, the city of Vancouver, and the government of Ireland, among some 700 additional jurisdictions and governments, have joined the call for "an immediate emergency mobilization to restore a safe climate" around the world.

In a statement announcing the declaration, RIBA President Ben Derbyshire said, “The climate emergency is the biggest challenge facing our planet and our profession," adding, "The implementation of a five-year action plan we have committed to today will ensure we are able to benchmark change and evaluate the actions that make most impact.”

RIBA's announcement comes as the organization works to implement its Ethics and Sustainable Development Commission action plan, a framework that aims to support the United Nations's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The A...

A Bit of Nervousness: Brexit's effect on architecture ft. special guest Rob Hyde from Manchester School of Architecture on Archinect Sessions #70

2016-06-30T13:45:00-04:00

Last Thursday, Great Britain voted to leave the European Union, with a margin of 52% to 48%. The result was a huge surprise—especially for those in creative industries like architecture, many of whom publicly supported the Remain campaign. While no official exit strategy is yet in place, within hours of the 'Brexit' vote becoming clear, the British pound dropped 10% in value against the US dollar (the lowest it's been since the 1980s). Prime Minister David Cameron resigned shortly after, and many British architects are wondering what the hell will happen now.

Speaking from his position as Principal Lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture, Rob Hyde joined us on the podcast this week to talk about the mood in the UK post-Brexit, and how architects are carrying on. Let us know what you think of the Brexit decision in the comments.

Listen to episode 70 of Archinect Sessions, "A Bit of Nervousness":

iTunes: Click here to listen, and click the "Subscribe" button below the logo to a...

Dispatch from the Venice Biennale: Uruguay's underground, Germany's construction site, Britain's housekeeping and more from the national pavilions

2016-05-27T13:40:00-04:00

May 26, 2016

Aravena’s Biennale for architecture to give a damn might imply a specific kind of project, but, after one day on the ground, it is clear that there is no one way for it to respond. For one thing, there is a truly incomprehensible quantity of material to cover. The volume alone speaks to the complex of energy and passion coming worldwide from the discipline. After an incomplete first pass around the Giardini and a tactical visit to the Arsenale, Venice’s two main Biennale sites, I am struck by the inconsistency and individuality across and within these many contributions. Noteworthy trends may, at some point, emerge from the crowd, but, for now, I can list a few, non-representative soundbites only:

The US Pavilion, “The Architectural Imagination,” gives us architecture as we have come to expect it. Through twelve proposals for four Detroit sites, it posits the speculative as the instrument of societal uplift, offering up wild thinking as the means of igniting change. It do...

They're promising us jetpacks again (and deeper basements)

2015-05-26T17:02:00-04:00

Floating cities and high rise farms are also predicted to shape Britain’s landscape for future generations, according to some of the country’s leading experts. In new research they outline the future form of the places where people will live and work. Spaceports for travel to the Moon and Mars are also expected to become a reality within the next 100 years, they say.

Prince Charles calls to reclaim the streets from cars with his 10-point “master plan”

2014-12-22T13:45:00-05:00

Prince Charles urges architects to place pedestrians “at the centre of the design process” as part of a 10-point “master plan” he has devised for the developments of towns and cities. He also calls for many street signs to be removed. “Slow” and “Reduce Speed Now” signs, for example, should be taken down and replaced by features such as squares, bends and trees that “naturally” encourage motorists to reduce their speed.

Six finalists shortlisted for Britain’s Museum of the Year 2014

2014-04-30T15:48:00-04:00

The best museums are more than just expensive buildings that house expensive pieces of artwork. They have original exhibitions, engaging educational programs, and even tell a lot about a city's character. The Art Fund is one step closer to finding Britain's 2014 Museum of the Year, which acknowledges the very best achievements of museums across the UK.

Ranging from iconic national institutions to up-and-coming local galleries, six finalists continue to compete for the £100,000 prize:

Pictured above: Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich

Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth

Hayward Gallery, London

Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, East Sussex

Tate Britain, London

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield

The winner will be announced on July 9 at an award ceremony at the National Gallery in London.

Check out the videos below for more about each museum. Find further details on Bustler.

'Prison-like' student housing wins Carbuncle Cup for Britain's worst building of the year

2013-08-30T13:20:00-04:00

Cramped rooms with low ceilings and one small window facing directly on to a brick wall. If you crane your neck, you can just about see the outside world. It could be a description of the cells in Pentonville Prison, but these are the conditions enjoyed just down the road from the Victorian jail in a new student accommodation block for University College London – today announced as winner of the Carbuncle Cup by Building Design magazine, for the worst building of the year.

Previously: Britain's worst buildings of the year - vote now for your (least) favorite!

Britain's worst buildings of the year - vote now for your (least) favorite!

2013-08-20T18:54:00-04:00

Votes have been open for the Carbuncle Cup's annual naming and shaming since May. And now, here's the shortlist for the ugliest building of the year – from a swirly vertical pier to faux-fronted student flats.

Click here to cast your vote in the poll for the UK's ugliest building of the year, hosted by The Guardian.

In the running for this year's award are:

Avant Garde tower, Bethnal Green, London
UCL student housing, 465 Caledonian Road, Islington, London
Porth Eirias Watersports Centre, Colwyn Bay, Wales
Redcar Beacon aka the Vertical Pier, Redcar, Cleveland
Premier Inn, Waterloo, London
Castle Mill housing, Port Meadow, Oxford

UPDATE: 'Prison-like' student housing wins Carbuncle Cup for Britain's worst building of the year

Airport City Manchester – a £650 million ‘Aerotropolis’

2013-01-07T00:31:00-05:00

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has outlined redevelopment plans worth £650 million to create Airport City Manchester, a future ‘aerotropolis’, close to Manchester Airport, the UK’s third busiest airport.

Architecture in 2012: review of the year in buildings

2012-12-18T15:06:00-05:00

In a year that saw severe funding cuts to schools, libraries and arts buildings and the delivery of new housing rattling along at its lowest level since records began in the Twenties, there weren’t too many rays of light for British architecture. And yet one, at least, shone brightly.