Archinect - News

John Leo Gillen's debut monograph remixes the design of temporary utopias from the 60s to today

2023-04-28T18:44:00-04:00

The book explores the history of these ephemeral spaces in club culture. Told through key venues in important cities and moments across dance music history, it examines the rise of localised scenes and clubs, their distinct designs and architecture – as well as their shifts and demises as tastes, clientele and cities evolve.

The Irish-born Gillen studied for a Master's in Ephemeral Architecture and Temporary Spaces at the ELISAVA | School of Design and Engineering in Barcelona. He explains in the book’s introduction: “Club movements are born as causes, in DIY spaces, created out of necessity by marginalised peoples. This often involves some form of ‘hack’ or new model, quickly inspiring copycats and triggering the process of commercialisation.”

The full, 240-page monograph was published April 25th by Penguin Random House's Prestel imprint and is available for purchase here.

Populous attached to proposed Etihad Stadium expansion for Manchester City FC

2023-04-18T18:16:00-04:00

Manchester City Football Club has just released renderings for a proposed expansion of their 24-year-old Etihad Stadium led by Populous.

The submission to the Manchester City Council calls for a “best-in-class” fan experience and year-round live entertainment venue to be integrated into the stadium complex. The scheme was proposed following the results of a monthlong consultation process with fans and members of the local community and will help expand seating capacity during performances to over 60,000.

A 3,000-capacity covered exterior City Square fan zone is also included in the design, along with plans for a 400-room hotel, team store, and museum.

Image courtesy Manchester City FC

A new tier will be added above the stadium’s North Stand section to provide space for the new accommodations. The plan also calls for the inclusion of startup spaces in the development, supported by City Football Group and Etihad Campus. Manchester City is promising investments in excess of £300 millio...

Forensic Architecture reinstates exhibition at University of Manchester following censorship row

2021-08-19T20:55:00-04:00

A statement in support of Palestinian rights put up by Forensic Architecture as part of an exhibition at the University of Manchester’s Whitworth Gallery is back in its rightful place tonight after backlash against the message caused the group to temporarily withdraw the exhibition over censorship concerns.

The group shared a social media post on Wednesday showcasing the re-installation of their statement that decried the “ethnic cleansing” of the country as a prominent introduction to their exhibition titled Cloud Studies which opened on July 2nd. The exhibition outlines FA's initial phase of the latest investigation which explores and exposes how “power reshapes the very air we breathe," according to a brief posted on the group's website.

Our statement is back up! pic.twitter.com/uwE5pJM7Am
— Forensic Architecture (@ForensicArchi) August 18, 2021

Read Forensic Architecture's statement standing with Palestine here.

The move came after the announcement earlier in the week that the g...

Norman Foster on his unlikely start in architecture

2020-06-22T16:05:00-04:00

“How do you get into a school of architecture?,” I asked. “You need a portfolio of drawings,” I was told. So I started to create drawings and paintings – the architectural ones were copies of perspectives that I took from the plan chests after everyone left the office, and which I returned before they arrived in the morning. Other works, in gouache, were inspired by one of my hero artists, LS Lowry.

For The Guardian's Observer Design magazine, Norman Foster, now 85, recounts the early beginnings of his design career more than six decades ago: from leaving school at 16 through finding his first architecture employment at Manchester firm John E. Beardshaw and Partners to overcoming obstacles to get into architecture school.

"Because I had had left school at 16, I did not have A-levels and therefore could not qualify for a degree course," Foster writes. "However, the university came up with a solution."

Demolition of Tadao Ando's Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester now Council-approved

2017-02-16T12:55:00-05:00

Although plans to tear down Tadao Ando's Piccadilly Gardens have been floating about since last late last year, the Manchester City Council just gave its official approval to knock down Ando's quasi-Brutalist structure in favor of a "leisure-led" scheme last week, according to the Architects Journal.

In a thoughtful piece written for The Globe and Mail last year, Russell Smith questioned the role of the experts who had commissioned Ando to design the Gardens versus the opinions of the locals who encountered it daily. He noted that a "sealant, for some reason, possibly economic, was not used to coat the large unadorned surfaces of the Manchester pavilion. That building, basically a shelter to house a small café, occupies half of Piccadilly Gardens, presenting one long curving blank wall of concrete to the south side. The concrete, under the steady British drizzle, did not wear well: it started to stain with dark streaks, to look like the depressing and crumbling masses of postwar brut...

OMA gets permission to move forward with major Manchester project

2017-01-13T13:33:00-05:00

OMA has moved one step closer to securing its first major public project in the UK: the Factory, a proposed £110M arts center for Manchester, was just given the go-ahead by city councillors.

On a site that once housed the Granada Studios, the Factory is intended to significantly boost Manchester’s cultural capital. It’s an integral part of a larger project, which received a pledge of £78M worth of public money back in 2014 and will provide some 2,400 new homes, three hotels, as well as a commercial space.

The 12,077 square meter Factory will comprise a massive, 7,000 capacity glass cube intended to house performances, experimental productions, and other cultural events. The rendering shows a large, irregular form adjoining the cube.

OMA beat out Zaha Hadid and Rafael Viñoly, among other big name firms, to secure the commission.

Tadao Ando's Landmark Manchester Piccadilly Gardens wall to be destroyed

2016-11-16T01:45:00-05:00

Pictures of a planned £10m revamp of a Manchester landmark described as a "concrete monstrosity" have been revealed. Manchester City Council said it had taken public opinion into account to remove the current wall and pavilion in Piccadilly Gardens. It said it will improve the quality and safety of the area. The plans, to be funded by leaseholders Legal & General, will go before the executive committee on 16 November.

Manchester's economic boom threatens its cultural identity

2016-06-09T07:27:00-04:00

Last year, Greater Manchester’s economy outgrew that of inner-city London. Further devolution of powers from Whitehall are about to be realised, and the campaign for the title of first elected mayor of Greater Manchester has picked up pace. However, Manchester is also about to contend with the capital in other ways. A major housing crisis lurks, and a growing deficit of office space needs to be dealt with. To make amends, Manchester’s skyline is heading for dramatic change.

Read more article concerning the housing crisis spreading across UK cities:

Norman Foster's secret garden: a tour of Foster + Partners' Maggie's Center

2016-05-04T13:07:00-04:00

Cancer survivor Lord Norman Foster gave HRH Duchess of Cornwall a tour of his newly completed Maggie's Center in his hometown of Manchester at the cancer facility's official opening April 27th, showing her a design that emphasizes natural light and a connection to nature. This has lead to numerous sliding glass doors and walls throughout the rectilinear plan, as well as the intention to plant vines on the signature triangular timber frame. Additionally, each treatment and counselling room comes with its own private garden.

As Foster noted, "Our aim in Manchester, the city of my youth, was to create a building that is welcoming, friendly and without any of the institutional references of a hospital or health centre – a light-filled, homely space where people can gather, talk or simply reflect. That is why throughout the building there is a focus on natural light, greenery and views; with a greenhouse to provide fresh flowers, and an emphasis on the therapeutic qualities of nature and ...

“Inflatable Museum” to provide additional learning support to disadvantaged areas of Manchester

2016-04-18T12:43:00-04:00

An “Inflatable Museum” is about to be launched in Greater Manchester with the aim of bringing exhibits and educational programmes to schools in disadvantaged districts of the city. It is transportable in a van, can be blown up in under half an hour and can accommodate a full school class. It incorporates moveable cabinets, a large open presentation area and high definition projection equipment.

Relating stories in the Archinect News:

Rem Koolhaas to design Manchester arts center, "The Factory"

2015-11-30T14:46:00-05:00

Rem Koolhaas/OMA will design The Factory, the proposed £110 million (approx. US$166.3 million) Manchester Arts Centre in England. Koolhaas won the commission ... over fellow starchitects including Zaha Hadid, Mecanoo, Grimshaw Architects, Rafael Viñoly, DS+R, and Haworth Tompkins. [...] Named after the Manchester-based record label, The Factory is described as a cutting-edge, flexible cultural institution that ... will also be a major component in the cultural redevelopment of the city.

Creating a Northern England Powerhouse

2015-05-20T05:00:00-04:00

It's insane. Each city in the North is too small to fight against that. We can only drag some of that investment northwards if we work together

In England efforts have begun to corral the North's population of 15 million into a collective force that could begin to rival that of London and the South East. A minister for the Northern Powerhouse has been appointed and the initial/low hanging fruit would include, devolution of some fiscal powers and regional cooperation on issues of major public investment, such as in transport infrastructure.

Manchester man gets potholes fixed by drawing giant penises around them

2015-04-28T13:22:00-04:00

After claiming he saw his friends injured in pothole-related bike accidents, one anonymous resident has taken matters into his own hands. He goes by Wanksy. And using what appears to be an industrial level chalk, he draws penises around the potholes, creating moments of visual terrorism that the city can’t ignore. [...] within 48 hours of Wanksy’s efforts, many of Manchester’s problematic potholes, which had been a nuisance for years, were filled. Within a week, even more were fixed.

This recent case of vandalism for the public good, albeit juvenile and a bit obscene, seems to have gotten the job done. It's hard to make the case that this is the best tactic for enacting public safety measures, but Wanksy seems to have hit a sweet spot of using public shaming and vandalism to increase awareness and provoke action. Plus, it's way funnier than a hashtag.

Here are a few examples of Wanksy's public work:

2014 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist is revealed

2014-07-17T15:48:00-04:00

It's that time of year again. Six buildings were just announced for the 2014 shortlist of the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize for best new building in the UK. Each contender will be judged particularly for its design excellence and its significance in the evolution of architecture and the built environment.

Find out more on Bustler.

Nicholas Grimshaw to offer mentorships to emerging architects in Manchester’s NOISE Festival 2014

2014-06-18T21:02:00-04:00

Every year since 2005, the Manchester-based NOISE Festival gives thousands of aspiring architects the opportunity to get their portfolios recognized by some of the design industry's most well-known names. The nationwide Festival, which takes places online and through exclusive events, showcases undiscovered talent in over 14 categories including Architecture, Design, Illustration, Games, Fashion, Music, Fine Art, and Film.

Among the panel of noteworthy Curators who will judge the submissions, British architect Nicholas Grimshaw of Grimshaw Architects is this year's Architecture Curator. He'll be offering a one-on-one mentorship to five entrants whose submissions he rates the highest.

If you're eager to join, do it now -- it's free and open to all ages! The deadline has been extended to July 6, 2014.

Head over to Bustler to find out more.