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It has been a long time coming but a decision on whether east London will get a slice of Las Vegas in the form of a state-of-the art entertainment venue almost as tall as St Paul’s may be nigh. [...]
But the project, the brainchild of MSG’s chief executive, James Dolan [...] is proving divisive.
— The Guardian
The Guardian reports that the public consultation period for the enormous Madison Square Garden Sphere entertainment venue — officially filed for planning application in March 2019 — had to be extended for a third time until the beginning of December due to locals' concern over... View full entry
Executives who sold combustible insulation for use on Grenfell Tower perpetrated a “fraud on the market” by rigging a fire test and making “misleading” claims about it, a public inquiry has heard.
Celotex, a subsidiary of the French construction materials company Saint-Gobain, behaved in a “completely unethical” way, admitted Jonathan Roper, a former assistant product manager.
— The Guardian
Plans for Fotografiska's gallery in London’s East End—billed as the world’s largest photography venue by the British Journal of Photography—has been quietly cancelled, with the founders citing Covid-19 and uncertainty around Brexit as the reasons for pulling out of the project.
The Stockholm-based photography hub Fotografiska was founded in 2010 by brothers Jan and Per Broman.
— The Art Newspaper
The ambitious proposal for a 89,000 sq ft Fotografiska London satellite first appeared on Archinect in 2017. View full entry
Open House, the volunteer-led festival of London's urban landscape, has created a collection of card models of iconic London buildings. The collection is one of a number of new "virus-proof" initiatives celebrating London's architecture during the pandemic. There are a total of sixteen card... View full entry
Will Hunter, a founder of the London School of Architecture (LSA), has announced a plan to step down as the chief executive of the institution. The Architects Journal reports that Hunter aims to transition out of his current role at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year. Hunter founded the... View full entry
Walking into Yinka Ilori’s west London studio from the drab suburban business park outside is to enter an oasis. Floor-to-ceiling shelving is lined with the brightly coloured, upcycled chairs, painted or upholstered in West African fabrics, that made Ilori’s name when he first left college. [...]
“My work is very much about inclusivity and how people enjoy design,” says the 33-year-old.
— The Guardian
Emerging British-Nigerian designer Yinka Ilori in conversation with The Guardian's Observer Design magazine. Asked about his growing courage to also take on architectural-scale projects, such as his collaboration with architects Pricegore on the 2019 Dulwich Pavilion The Colour Palace, Ilori... View full entry
In a statement issued this week, London Metropolitan University announced the decision to rename its Art, Architecture and Design School and remove the name of John Cass, an English merchant who was instrumental in the early development of the slave trade in the late 17th and early 18th century... View full entry
London Mayor Sadiq Kahn has announced a new commission that will "review and improve diversity across London’s public realm to ensure the capital’s landmarks suitably reflect London’s achievements and diversity." A press release announcing the creation of the commission states: "The... View full entry
In a pursuit to create the most accurate floor plan of Buckingham Palace available on the internet, HomeAdvisor embarked on a research project to scour every available photo and video of the palace interiors to uncover the layout of every room. Researchers then collected additional information... View full entry
For the first time since the annual program was founded, Serpentine Galleries will not host the 2020 Serpentine Pavilion designed by Johannesburg-based practice Counterspace this summer. The commission has now been extended into a two-year endeavor in which the practice will collaborate with the... View full entry
The Urban Projects Bureau (UPB) has recently completed its second building at Graveney School in Tooting, London. The Observatory Block came from a long-term collaboration between the school and UPB. The UPB team recieved funding for a new 8-classroom teaching block in 2017, which after additional... View full entry
Online courses, activities, and programming have increased as the globe adjusts to this "new normal" of social distancing measures and safety precautions amid the current pandemic. However, museums across the globe have shifted their efforts towards bringing art to the homes of millions of... View full entry
Work on the giant Battersea Power Station redevelopment site will not restart until the end of April at the earliest.
Construction was paused last week on the scheme where Mace and Sir Robert McAlpine are main contractors on phase two and three.
But an update from Battersea Power Station Development Company boss Simon Murphy has clarified the client’s position.
— Construction Enquirer
As COVID-19 health precautions are being tightened in the UK, London's in-progress Battersea Power Station megadevelopment also just extended its temporary site closure through the end of April. The delay impacts construction progress on the $11 billion project master-planned by Rafael... View full entry
“Stone,” says architect Amin Taha, “is the great forgotten material of our time. In 99% of cases, it’s cheaper and greener to use stone in a structural way, as opposed to concrete or steel, but we mostly just think of using it for cladding.” — The Guardian
Oliver Wainwright's takeaways from The New Stone Age, a current exhibition at the Building Centre in London. The "great forgotten material of our time" appears to be bracing for somewhat of a comeback with architects like Amin Taha of London-based practice GROUPWORK (also one of the exhibition's... View full entry
Amina Kaskar, Sumayya Vally, and Sarah de Villiers, who form the Johannesburg-based architectural studio Counterspace, have been commissioned to design the 2020 Serpentine Pavilion. All born in 1990, the trio are the youngest architects to design the Serpentine Gallery's iconic pavilion in its... View full entry