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A challenger to The Shard’s title as the tallest skyscraper in the UK is moving forward with plans to construct a new building designed by Eric Parry Architects that will equal its record height of 309.6 meters (or 1,015.75 feet). The height is limited by aviation safety rules for the City of... View full entry
The BBC is reporting on an effort led by family members of victims of the fatal 2017 Grenfell Fire tragedy to hold Studio E, the architectural firm responsible for its design, accountable in front of the UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB). The action outlines Studio E... View full entry
The BBC is reporting that a proposal from Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) for what will be the first all-wood soccer stadium design in the world is finally moving forward after planning approvals were granted in Nailsworth, UK. We covered its initial announcement back in 2016, when it was... View full entry
‘Tis the season for the UK's annual Gingerbread City design contest, which draws in some of the country’s top names and is hosted by London’s Museum of Architecture. Llewelyn Davies' design for The Gingerbread City. Image: © Luke O'Donovan WilkinsonEyre's design for The... View full entry
UK media outlets report that Brighton's i360 tourist attraction has filed for administration. Initially launched as "British Airways i360," the seaside 531-foot moving observation tower had great expectations of attracting huge crowds pinned on it when it opened in August 2016 as a "vertical... View full entry
In Britain, as our government has promised, we’re going to have a “council housing revolution”, the building of as yet unknown numbers of homes at genuinely affordable rents, a return to policies of 50 and more years ago in order to address the well-known housing crisis. Which is welcome.
Luckily there are, close at hand, outstanding examples of how this might be done, in cities and countries on the continent of Europe.
— The Guardian
Moore points to Vienna, the city known for its ambitious development model for social housing, and Barcelona as two examples of what he says is a healthy "willingness to experiment" to be applied back home in the UK. The new Labour Party government has promised to usher in a "revolution" in... View full entry
Plans for the upcoming restoration of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) 66 Portland Place headquarters in London have become clearer with the release of an updated proposal detailing the scope of work on the new House of Architecture project. Benedetti Architects will be... View full entry
CNN has confirmed the planned demolition of Stephen Hodder‘s RIBA Stirling Prize-winning Centenary Building at the University of Salford. A spokesperson from the university told the network: "While the Centenary Building has been part of our university estate for a number of decades... View full entry
British architectural historian Joseph Rykwert has died. The influential academic and writer who was considered to be a leading critical voice of his generation, taking aim at the banality of modernism and its encroachments on the urban sphere, lived to be 98 according to his New York Times... View full entry
I find that competitions are stimulating, exciting and keep up the momentum of thinking and exploring. [...] I have often had difficulty convincing my Partners who are much less supportive of the competition process and much more prone to the disappointment of not winning. For me not winning is not taking part. Losing is learning. And I’ve learnt a lot. — LinkedIn
Competitions are an essential part of professional practice and academia, dating to antiquity and counting even the Acropolis in Athens as one of their numerous contributions to at least Western culture and society. Williamson mentions his participation with the Norman Foster Foundation on the... View full entry
Unlike traditional swimming pools, which contain chlorine, natural pools rely on plants and rocks for filtration instead. An underwater retaining wall separates the swimming area (where humans — and sometimes fish — swim) from the regenerative zone, which closely resembles wetlands filled with aquatic plants like water lilies or water lotus. Pumps, and sometimes waterfalls, keep the water moving, and the rocks and skimmers filter sediment and large debris. — The New York Times
The alternative pools gained popularity in the UK before the trend was imported here. Costs range from between $50,000 to $200,000 to install and have the added bonus of self-winterization. One drawback might be the intrusion of some unwanted animal guests; however, the Times says: "Natural... View full entry
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced the appointment of Harvard GSD professor and architect Farshid Moussavi to a new two-year pilot program to improve public space and high streets in the city. The Town Architects program includes ten total names and is meant to "support the creation... View full entry
A new student-led project from the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA) that combines robotic fabrication processes with new software applications has been shared with Archinect as part of the school's Design + Make 2022-24 cohort. Image: courtesy Design + Make course... View full entry
This small but rewarding show is a celebration of architectural skill and ingenuity, spurred on by whatever complexities might arise. Its exhibits include models and drawings supplied by contemporary practices, and taken (albeit, regrettably, only as reproductions) from RIBA’s collections.
Some projects seek to soar above the mucky stuff. Others embrace the difficulties, making them into an occasion to create something that would never otherwise have come into being.
— The Guardian
Speaking to the more than 20 building projects selected for the show, Moore added: "The qualities of thought on display are as relevant as ever, as the physical demands of climate emergency, and the challenges of providing new housing on a restricted supply of land, bring a whole new level of... View full entry
The 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize — the annual honor of the UK's best new architecture — has been conferred to the London Underground system's new Elizabeth Line designs from Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation, and AtkinsRéalis. The official jury citation mentions ten separate Underground... View full entry
