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Norman Foster Foundation and Holcim unveil Essential Homes prototype designs for Latin America

2024-06-14T13:24:00-04:00

The Norman Foster Foundation has unveiled details of its new Essential Homes prototype design with Holcim that will deliver low-cost options for emergency shelter in Latin America using low-carbon concrete and cement products in demonstration of the principles of a circular economy.

Image: courtesy Norman Foster Foundation

The prototypes, which are currently being displayed as part of the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London, expand on a presentation made during last year's Venice Biennale and incorporate research performed by the Swiss materials manufacturer. The design has since morphed into a better scalable row house version that will be rolled out next year. The homes are said to be fully recyclable and showcase Holcim's proprietary ECOPact low-carbon concrete and ECOPlanet low carbon cement products.

Image: courtesy Norman Foster Foundation

Foster describes: "This project grew out of a workshop organized by the Norman Foster Foundation for young graduates devoted to the iss...

The Royal Academy's 2023 Architecture Room celebrates 'the art of making and the hand-made'

2023-06-14T17:39:00-04:00

The Peter Barber-curated Royal Academy of Arts summer Architecture Room has opened in London, featuring an exhibition focusing on the role of craftsmanship in architecture.

The room plays into the 2023 Summer Exhibition's greater theme put forth by academician and curator David Remfry, who says his focus was inspired by the famous adage to “Only Connect” as taken from novelist E.M. Forster’s 1910 masterpiece Howard’s End.

A selection of studio models, drawings, maquettes, sketches, and other objects comprise the Architecture Room exhibition, which is on view until August 20th in the RA’s Burlington House main gallery.

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The 2022 Soane Medalist Barber previously stated his intentions of “focusing on the art of making and the hand-made within the design process, which can often be overlooked in the digital age." The works selected, therefore, demonstrate “[an] experimental, provocati...

Grimshaw announces new foundation aimed at inclusivity, youth engagement

2022-07-12T06:00:00-04:00

The new charitable arm of Grimshaw Architects has been announced by its founder at an event held last week at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

The newly-formed Grimshaw Foundation is aimed at promoting inclusivity and will serve a broader purpose to “engage and encourage young people to discover the value of creativity and the inspiration of art.”

Its genesis is the product of more than a year’s worth of coordination between Grimshaw founder Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, the firm’s leadership, and an advisory committee that includes Bartlett honorary professor Neil Pinder.

Grimshaw Foundation board of trustees. Image courtesy Grimshaw Foundation

Speaking in a press release last week, the 82-year-old Grimshaw outlined his goals for the new entity, saying “what the Foundation will do is enable young people, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, to experience the art of making and the making of art and introduce more opportunities and different career paths — opening up th...

Renée Gailhoustet takes home the 2022 Royal Academy Architecture Prize

2022-05-31T12:42:00-04:00

Renée Gailhoustet has been named the winner of this year’s Royal Academy of Arts Architecture Prize in recognition of her work surrounding urban planning and social housing in her native country of France.

The jury commended Gailhoustet for her “strong social commitment that brings together generosity, beauty, ecology, and inclusivity.” The 92-year-old’s breadth of significant works spans from early projects such as the master plan of Ivry-sur-Seine, which includes the Cité Spinoza housing complex completed in 1972, to the La Maladrerie development in Aubervilliers, and, finally, the Le Liégat, where the architect has resided since its completion in 1977.

Ivry-sur-Seine. Image: © Marc Pataut

“By using innovative geometries and mixing uses in her buildings, Gailhoustet has created a compelling argument for blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior, and, collective and individual,” part of the jury statement explains.

Within the long and storied history of social housing i...

“Beauty in unexpected places”: Hélène Binet looks back on her work ahead of Royal Academy retrospective

2021-10-12T11:22:00-04:00

I am very glad to see the genre of photographing architectural space being lifted to the level of portraiture and landscape photography,” Ms. Binet said. This is “not only a profession, not only a service. It’s also a form of art.

Binet’s work for the late Zaha Hadid features prominently in the show alongside 90 other select images showcasing the genius of Peter Zumthor, Le Corbusier, and others. The photographer’s recent centenary examination of Gottfried Böhm’s Cologne churches will be on view as well.

“I think to shoot is like a performance. You have to give the best of yourself,” Binet told Archinect at the opening of her solo show at Woodbury University’s WUHO Gallery 2015. The exhibition opens its three-month run on October 23rd.

First photos of David Chipperfield's new Royal Academy of Arts campus opening this weekend

2018-05-17T16:28:00-04:00

The Royal Academy of Arts in London is in extraordinary party mode: to celebrate the institution's 250th anniversary, the RA will host a weekend-long art festival on May 19 and 20 with plenty of events, tours, performances, tours, displays, and DJ sets.

At the heart of the festivities is the grand opening of the new RA campus, a major redevelopment designed by David Chipperfield Architects which will dramatically increase available spaces to present to the public historic pieces from its vast collection, work of its Royal Academicians and the RA schools as well as hosting events and exhibitions.

Weston Bridge and The Lovelace Courtyard. Credit: Simon Menges.

"One of the key features of the redevelopment is the new Weston Bridge between Burlington House and Burlington Gardens, uniting the two-acre campus and creating a new route between Piccadilly and Mayfair," the RA project outline explains.

Weston Bridge. Credit: Simon Menges.

"The unified campus provides 70% more public space tha...

New Royal Academy of Arts' transformative redevelopment set to open in May 2018

2017-12-13T14:23:00-05:00

Celebrating its upcoming 250th anniversary year, the Royal Academy of Arts will open a new campus to the public in May 2018. The design for the redevelopment is by Sir David Chipperfield CBE RA, and will bring new (and free) collections to the public with 70% more space than the current footprint. The development will also join Burlington House and Burlington Gardens to unify the two-acre campus.

Architecture Studio in 2018 © Hayes Davidson

Exciting tours and exhibitions are planned, celebrating both the history of the institution and works from students in the RA schools. This mix, and the promise of free entry to collections is certain to bring more people to the institution. The artist and architect-led RA will also encourage public involvement with the new Architecture Studio, set in The Dorfman Senate Rooms. These creative spaces invite not only engagement, but the opportunity for the public to become part of this interaction of art and architecture.

David Adjaye elected to join the Royal Academy of Arts

2017-03-21T10:10:00-04:00

The Ghanian-British architect David Adjaye, founder of Adjaye Associates, named as the new Royal Academician by the Royal Academy of Arts together with artist Gilbert & George. Sir David Adjaye RA is conceived as a leading architect of his generation. ''David Adjaye joins us at a time when the Royal Academy architects currently comprise a more distinguished group than at any time in its long history'' - Christopher Le Brun, President of the Royal Academy.

Sir David Adjaye becomes the newest addition to a long list of esteemed designers and architects, including Peter Cook, Frank Gehry, and Norman Foster, recognised for their continuing contribution to the field. Adjaye, who founded his firm Adjaye Associates in 2000, was knighted earlier this year, for his work which spans the globe and all sectors; from the National Museum of African American History, to the recently announced 760-acre masterplan for the San Francisco Shipyard Adjaye is known for his passion for considered designs, and his engagement in architectural discussion; qualities which drive his practice towards greater and greater heights.

This week's picks for London architecture and design events

2017-01-30T14:57:00-05:00

This week is a chance to be inspired by the future, instead of getting caught up in the current climate. Talks and exhibitions focus on the potential found in the next generation of designers and of the possibilities created through new technology and new eyes, whilst exhibitions look at how we become who we are both personally and politically.

Check back regularly to keep up to date with London's latest happenings and our weekly recommendations!

Royal Gold Medal Week: Life by Design London | 3 February

Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust Centre, Image: Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust

As part of the RIBA Gold Medal week, make sure you get to this inspiring talk from leaders in the design world. Chaired by BBC's Razia Iqbal, the speakers will introduce their careers and work to the audience, discussing their inspirations and paths taken on their design journey. The session promises to pass on advice and an exciting spark to the next generation of architects and designers.

Work in Progress...

Honoring the "Maverick" British architects

2016-01-26T13:15:00-05:00

Is there no architecture that can bare its soul without simultaneously crushing you with its ego, that stirs, moves, troubles, provokes, inspires? [...] A glimmer of an alternative is suggested by Mavericks: Breaking the Mould of British Architecture, an installation opening next week [...] The installation is designed by the architect Alex Scott-Whitby, previously best known for proposing that the spires of City of London churches be adapted to make creative workspaces.

"Mavericks: Breaking the Mould of British Architecture" runs at London's Royal Academy of Art from January 26 through April 20, and features the work of FAT, Robert Smythson, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Zaha Hadid, James Stirling, and many others.

Architecture at London’s Royal Academy of Arts - Summer Exhibition 2014

2014-07-11T12:41:00-04:00

Got a day to spend in London this summer? Go and immerse yourself in the Royal Academy of Arts’ Summer Exhibition 2014 which opened to the public last month. The annual event — held every year without interruption since 1769 — prides itself as the world’s largest open submission exhibition. The program aims to provide an international platform for emerging and established artists in various disciplines ranging from painting to printmaking, photography, sculpture, architecture and film.

The Summer Exhibition 2014 will be on display until Sunday, August 17.

Richard Rogers' Homeshell built in 24 hours at London's Royal Academy

2013-08-20T14:33:00-04:00

The pre-fabricated, flatpack homes of Pritzker laureate Richard Rogers are a centerpiece for his 50-year retrospective, “Richard Rogers: Inside Out”, currently at London's Royal Academy of Arts until Oct. 13. The homes, which are an adaptation of his 2007 Oxley Woods housing development, are described as "stepping away from the traditional mud and mess of the domestic building site" and with a full list of pros: easily adaptable, lightweight, energy-efficient, low-cost, fire- and water-retardant, even earthquake and hurricane-proof, and of course, innovative -- just to name a few.

The pieces of the 3-story technicolor Homeshell arrived at the RA last week. It was fully assembled within 24 hours, making a clear statement in the debate for the wider availability of cost- and energy-efficient, mass-production homes in Britain.

Watch the video below to see a time-lapse of the house's construction.
And click here for another video that gives an exclusive look into Rogers' retrospe...

“Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined” at the Royal Academy of Arts in 2014

2013-08-19T21:14:00-04:00

The name of the upcoming exhibit "Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined" at London's Royal Academy of Arts is pretty straightforward. But the task behind it? Not quite. The RA is bringing together some of architecture's most visionary minds around the globe for one challenging objective: Give a new perspective on architecture.

"Sensing Spaces" will feature a notable group of architects: Grafton Architects, Diébédo Francis Kéré, Kengo Kuma, Pezo von Ellrichshausen, two Pritzker Prize laureates Eduardo Souto de Moura and Álvaro Siza, and Li Xiaodong, whose Liyuan Library ShowCase feature went viral on Archinect last October.