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'Architecturally, the ends of the bridge are abysmal: they are sort of hacked off. It’s not a good termination of the bridge – it’s inelegant – and the views of the ends of the bridge are particularly poor and ungraceful. It doesn’t look good. It isn’t a nice piece of work.' — Piers Gough — The Guardian
As the cherry on top for the widely dreaded Thames Garden Bridge, The Guardian rounds up a somewhat entertaining mix of critical reactions from prominent British architects, novelists, and artists on the proposed project, which faces an imminent judicial review.Previously:Further legal setbacks... View full entry
New York and London remain the world’s most global cities, as they are the only cities to rank in the top 10 of both the Global Cities Index and the Global Cities Outlook according to the A.T. Kearney Global Cities 2015 [...]. San Francisco leads the Global Cities Outlook due to its strength in innovation. Other cities ranking at the top of the Global Cities Outlook include London (#2), Boston (#3), New York (#4), and Zurich (#5). — atkearney.com
For lovers of city rankings:Melbourne named world’s most liveable city for fourth consecutive yearForbes Releases Baffling "Coolest Cities" ListFor skeptics: The Top 6 Reasons to Be Wary of City Rankings, Ranked View full entry
RIBA celebrated the winners of the 2015 London Awards, which highlights top-notch architectural design within the London capital region. Starting from 159 entries down to a final shortlist of 67 projects, 38 projects won awards during a recent evening ceremony at the National Theatre. A few of the... View full entry
Airbnb is sailing a full-size floating house along the Thames this week to celebrate new rules to support home sharing in London.
The publicity stunt follows the passing of the Deregulation Act last month, which means Londoners are now free to rent their homes for up to 90 days a year without risk of fines or having to secure planning permission before doing so.
— theguardian.com
For more information and your chance to stay in the floating house click here. View full entry
Summer DLAB from London's AA School of Architecture is gearing up for its 2015 cycle. Starting July 27 through August 14, the summer workshop emphasizes the integration of algorithmic / generative design methodologies and large scale digital fabrication tools. Student participants get to explore... View full entry
Today it houses one of London’s best permanent collection displays, but the 1991 Sainsbury Wing extension to the National Gallery in London was almost scuppered when Prince Charles and the other trustees opposed the architect of the new building, Robert Venturi.
The row was over a false Corinthian column that the US architect wanted as a decorative feature on the Trafalgar Square façade of the new extension.
— The Art Newspaper
Created from low-cost, low-energy, shipping containers, the refreshing design has a focus on sustainability and efficiency. The converted units will create a mini-city, providing much needed flexible studio, retail, office and workshop space in one of London’s most vibrant communities. — POP Brixton
For those of you that miss the Dekalb Market in Brooklyn, a new shipping container campus will be opening later this month in London. Designed by Carl Turner Architects, POP Brixton promises to be an incubator space for start-ups and small business, as well hosting private parties, community... View full entry
Arts patrons continue to support the restoration of the Painted Hall at the Christopher Wren-designed Old Royal Naval College at the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London. Over the next three years, the ORNC's three-stage conservation project would clean and restore the... View full entry
Campaigners opposed to the planned Garden Bridge over the River Thames in London have won the right to challenge a council's approval for it.
The judicial review of Lambeth Council's decision to give planning permission for the £175m bridge will be heard in June.
Questions were raised about bridge's funding and its impact on views across the river of St Paul's Cathedral.
— bbc.com
Previously: Let the fighting begin: London Garden Bridge faces legal challenge View full entry
Boris Johnson’s term as London mayor has produced a surprising mix of spectacular and workaday projects – along with some famous follies. But will he leave the city looking better than it did seven years ago? — theguardian.com
Now visitors will be able to descend from the Hayward gallery’s glass pyramid ceiling to its entrance level on one of two 15-metre slides commissioned for an exhibition opening later this year. Built into the gallery’s exterior wall, the slides will “constitute a graceful sculptural installation” while also being a device for “experiencing an emotional state that is a unique condition somewhere between delight and madness”, [Carsten Höller] said. — The Guardian
Previously, Höller had created a similar installation for the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall in 2006. The slides were very popular with the public, although also responsible for several injuries.For his upcoming exhibit at the Hayward Gallery, Höller has also created "Flying Machines," which are... View full entry
To promote its Nightstop program, in which volunteers offer homeless people ages 16 to 25 spare beds, homelessness charity Depaul UK launched a poster campaign Thursday that uses the architecture of buildings to help win the hearts and minds of passersby.
Publicis art director Dan Kennard and copywriter Ben Smith told me in an email that the idea for the design came from “that quite true observation that in life, there are two sides to pretty much every story.”
— Slate.com
Somewhere between a supergraphic and a PSA lies the ever-developing territory of outdoor advertising, an area in which Publicis London is making thoughtful, eye-catching displays. View full entry
Later this summer, London's Flea Folly Architects—Pascal Bronner & Thomas Hillier—will be running a workshop in what they broadly call "narrative architecture" at the Tate Modern.
"What would a town inhabited by Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder and Man Ray look like?" they ask. [...]
Their own project, Grimm City, is perhaps an example of what might result.
— BLDGBLOG
The Trans-Eurasian Belt Development would see the construction of a vast motorway across Russia. It would connect with existing networks in Europe, making road trips to eastern Russia a far easier proposition. While roads do currently run across most of Russia, the quality tends to deteriorate the farther you travel from Moscow. [...]
A new high-speed train line would also be constructed, along with pipelines for gas and oil.
— Business Insider
Protestors against low-income housing demolition are not just fighting for their homes, but often for their ability to stay in London at all. The small amount of “affordable” housing being discussed as a replacement is really a figleaf. — citylab.com