Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
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Technical & Practice The construction details of three Small Projects p33
Last Orders A new exhibition laments the decline of the Great British pub p39
THE ARCHITECTS JOURNAL GREATER LONDON HOUSE HAMPSTEAD ROAD LONDON NW1 7EJ
Contents
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News 05 Funding cuts spell the end for university building boom 07 Competition launched for left-over land in London 10 Foster + Partners completes its luxury hospital in Bath Comment 16 Leader Hard times bring opportunities for architects, says Paul Finch 50 Ian Martin dreams of his early days on the AJ Features 20 A V&A exhibition space and a retreat in a ruined outhouse appear in the first half of this years AJ Small Projects shortlist 33 Technical & Practice Construction details from three Small Projects 39 The Critics Chris Etchells charts the decline of the pub in his new show Jobs 45 Top jobs: Woods Bagot; Shanly Group; University of Salford; Mark Pinney Associates; University of Bath This week online See exclusive photographs from Chris Etchells exhibition on the Great British pub (see page 39) at www.architectsjournal.co.uk
Editorial enquiries/fax 020 7728 4574 / 020 7728 4601 E firstname.surname@emap.com T 020 7728 plus extension below Acting editor Paul Finch Deputy editor Christine Murray Editorial administrator Crystal Bennes (4574) Digital editor Simon Hogg (4572) News editor Richard Waite (07918 650875) Reporter Merlin Fulcher (4564) Features editor Rory Olcayto (4571) Technical editor Felix Mara (4568) Senior editor, content James Pallister (4570) Sustainability editor Hattie Hartman (4569) Contributing editors Sam Jacob, Patrick Lynch, Ian Martin, Andrew Mead, Steve Parnell, Kester Rattenbury, Joseph Rykwert Contributing photographer Edmund Sumner Editorial assistant James Kitson Editorial director Paul Finch Art director Cecilia Lindgren (4580) Designer Brad Yendle (4578) Chief sub-editor Isla McMillan (4577) Sub-editor Tim Weissberg (4579) Group managing director Natasha Christie-Miller Director of engineering and architecture Jim Wilkinson (4452) Commercial manager James MacLeod (4582) Business development manager Sam Hutchinson (4560) Sales manager Amanda Pryde (4557) Account manager Mary Constantinou (4609) International account manager Edmond Katongole (4561) Classified sales (4558) Recruitment sales (4619) A subscription to the AJ (47 issues) UK 150. Overseas 210. Back issues and subscriptions Tel: 0844 848 8858, website: www.architectsjournal.co.uk/subscription Cover AOC Architecture
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The Architects Journal is registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. 2010. Published by Emap Inform, a part of Emap Ltd. Printed in the UK by Headley Brothers Ltd AJ (ISSN 0003 8466) is published 47 issues, weekly except Christmas and August. Subscription price is $420. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT RAHWAY, NJ and additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address corrections to: AJ, c/o Mercury International Ltd, 365 Blair Road, Avenel, New Jersey 07001. Distributed in the US by Mercury International Ltd, 365 Blair Road, Avenel, NJ 07001.
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News
COMPETITIONS FILE
THE PICK OF THE BEST UK, EUROPEAN & INTERNATIONAL DESIGN CONTESTS
University funding cuts could impact prospects for future high-profile schemes like these by BDP and Henning wORk
Larsen at Plymouth University (left) and Sauerbruch Hutton and RMJM at Sheffield University (above)
The AJs inaugural weekly Competitions File begins with the first major civic competition of 2010: the V&A in Dundee, a new centre of design for Scotland on the citys waterfront. The 47 million project is planned to open in 2014, and expressions of interest are due by 15 February. Another potential blockbuster is the International Centre for Democracy, Peace and Human Rights in Colchester. The University of Essex wants a world-class building that will bring together its humanities departments, and the budget for the project is approximately 5 million, with required professional indemnity at the same figure. But be warned: the client is looking for a designer with experience of fund-raising. Register your interest by 1 February. As well as the Forgotten Spaces competition (see page 7), smaller practices may be interested in Blackpool Councils recent OJEU. The council urgently wants to appoint a design team for its Central Library redevelopment project, funded by the Big Lottery Funds Community Libraries programme. Expressions of interest are due by 23 January. For more competitions visit architectsjournal.co.uk/ competitions
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News
News
Right None of these buildings are even half as tall as the Burj. But London is still expecting to build a string of skyscrapers over the next five years
305.78m
287.90m
225m
209m
202.52m
Squire and Partners has submitted plans for a 247-room luxury boutique hotel opposite Moorfields Eye Hospital on City Road, London (pictured above). The scheme for Soneva Properties will feature a sky-bar on its 17th floor.
conServAtion
London
Archaeologists call for the UKs only roman chariot racing circus to be integrated into colchester
with respectful distance. Surprisingly, taylor Wimpey has not closed the door to selling on the land. A spokesperson for the housebuilder said: [We are] working closely with colchester Archaeological trust and fully support their endeavour to take ownership of this site for the community. Meanwhile, we are continuing to keep the area tidy and safe, and we are offering access to those individuals who have an interest in working with the society on this exciting project. taylor Wimpey has no plans to develop buildings directly on top of any of the roman circus ruins. Merlin Fulcher AJ 14.01.10
Council-home building across the country has been given a boost with a further 122 million allocated to the programme by housing minister John Healey. It is understood that 73 local authorities will benefit from the cash, with the grants also being matched by councils.
Last weeks online poll Which scheme do you prefer for Manchesters Seiferts Gateway?
10.5% Hodders proposals 89.5% Reinkes proposals
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Main people: Geoff Pickering, James Hindley and Craig Jones Where have you come from? Geoff, James and Craig met while working at SW Foulkes Architects in Manchester. Geoff was an equity director of the firm, which worked principally on large residential and mixed-use developments. James headed up the Georgia office until war broke out in August 2008 and the Georgian economy collapsed. Craig was predominantly involved with the firms multiple housing sites, key worker schemes and masterplanning projects. What work do you have? Were working on ambitious, one-off residential projects for private clients and developers, volume housing schemes with an eco intention, property remodeling and extensions, as well as retail and office fit outs. What are your ambitions? Wed like to build a practice that is respected and recognised for investing that extra attention to detail that marks the fundamental difference between an adequate building and a successful solution. How optimistic are you? Very. If you dont believe in your own potential how can you ever succeed? Weve had an overwhelming amount of support, help and advice from friends and clients, who have recommended us to their peers. We are very fortunate to work with people who share our enthusiasm. Contact www.fparchitects.co.uk, info@fparchitects.co.uk
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ground-floor plan
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2010 David Chipperfield CBE, knighted George Ferguson CBE Gareth Hoskins OBE John Anderson OBE 2009 Paul Morrell OBE Alastair Lansley CBE 2008 Christine Hawley CBE Donald Reeve Buttress LVO, OBE Lord Rogers of Riverside, Companion of Honour
Richard Russell OBE 2004 Sarah Wigglesworth MBE David Chipperfield CBE 2003 Rab Bennetts OBE Julian Owen MBE Joseph Mordaunt Crook CBE Bridget Cherry OBE James Eyre OBE 2002 Nicholas Grimshaw CBE, knighted Paul Finch OBE Frank Walker OBE Zaha Hadid CBE John Spencely CBE Stephen Gardiner OBE David Martin MBE 2001 Richard MacCormac CBE, knighted Michael Wilford CBE Andrew Wright OBE Barry Shaw MBE Terry Farrell CBE, knighted John Cornforth CBE Roger Stephenson OBE 2000 Jeremy Dixon, knighted Romano Paoletti CBE Ian Ritchie CBE Peter Carolin CBE Deyan Sudjic OBE Michael Wildblood MBE 1999 Robin Nicolson CBE Robin Webster OBE Richard Feilden OBE Malcolm Booth MBE Derek Lovejoy OBE
Will Alsop OBE Tom Bloxham MBE Edward Ruddock MBE 1998 Peter Davey OBE Colin Sandy St John Wilson, knighted Piers Gough CBE William Ainsworth OBE Steven Hodder MBE 1997 Francis Duffy CBE David Shalev OBE Roderick Males MBE Spencer de Grey CBE Allen Short Matheson CBE Victor Robinson OBE Brian Lowe MBE 1996 Jane Drew DBE Terry Farrell OBE, CBE Isi Metzstein OBE Margaret Maxwell MBE James Dunbar-Nasmith CBE, knighted Richard Burton CBE Neville Churcher MBE
qualification. what it means is that your work has had resonance beyond the rIBA and the profession. Glasgow-based Gareth hoskins, who has designed visitor centres for edinburgh Castle and Culloden Battlefield, said: It was a bit of a surprise its always encouraging, particularly when the economic climate makes practice so challenging, to be recognised for the work you are doing. Merlin Fulcher 12
AJ 12.11.09
2006 John Miller CBE Robert Adams OBE Pankaj Patel MBE Stuart MacDonald OBE 2005 John Thorp MBE
1995 Sir Denys Lasdun CBE, Companion of Honour (pictured above) Robert McKinstry OBE Patricia Gupta MBE
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2007 Richard Murphy OBE Colin Porteous OBE Alan Smith OBE Peter Cook, knighted Raymond Kennedy Young OBE, CBE David Adjaye OBE (pictured above) Eleanor McAllister OBE Ruth Kamen MBE Barrie Todd MBE
LUKE HAYES
Astragal
The Hellman Files #1
An occasional trawl through Hellmans archives, in which we uncover gems that are as relevant now as they were then. Hellman writes: This is from AJ 13.02.91, the year in which British Rail blamed network chaos on the wrong type of snow. Now we are much more sophisticated and blame everything on climate change. pumping money into stalled private housebuilder schemes that performed woefully badly when measured against CABEs Building for Life standards, used to assess all applications for Kickstart funding. Ironically, the Building for Life programme is not run by CABE alone, but jointly with the Home Builders Federation (HBF), whose members all have their snouts in the Kickstart trough. Whats going to happen when London Mayor Boris Johnson presents his plans for bigger and better homes at the public inquiry into the London Plan? Already housebuilders are ganging up to torpedo the Mayors admirable aspirations. But what will the HBF do? Are they in favour of better homes or not?
Knight export
David Chipperfields welldeserved knighthood (see page 12) is unusual inasmuch as it came via a recommendation from the Foreign Office (in respect of his work in Germany). Who was the last architect to be recommended in this way? Astragal turns to that repository of knowledge on these matters, Jeremy Melvin, in his Royal Academy eyrie. Could it have been Basil Spence for his British Embassy in Rome, Astragal wonders? Melvin thinks not. In fact, one has to go back to Edwin Lutyens to find precedent of a sort. That recommendation came from the India Office, Melvin reminds Astragal. Read more scurrilous architectural gossip online at architectsjournal. co.uk/astragal AJ 14.01.10
www.louishellman.co.uk
Beautiful game
Maybe its down to the citys famous grey skies, but you can always count on a Mancunian to bring a certain gloom to proceedings. When the worlds tallest building, the 828m-tall Burj Khalifa, opened last week, Channel 4 called upon Manchester-based skyscraper architect Ian Simpson to comment. It would be rather nice if it was a beautiful building, but its not its rather mundane, he said. Then, laying in the boot, 14
Simpson added: It doesnt have any language to it architecturally... the shape is rather dull. So its official: the Burj is ugly, but Simpsons Beetham Tower in Manchester (shown during the interview) is not. And nor is his elbow-shaped tower by Londons Blackfriars Bridge, which is actually a very elegant shape (rather more elegant than the financial situation of his developer client, Beetham, which has just had its accounts qualified and is now dependent on financial partners to keep the project going). The real point about the
Burj is its height, which was scarcely discussed. Its so high that some construction workers toiling at the top of the tower needed help to overcome their nerves. They took Valium.
Out of touch
Media pursuit of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) over the millions it is ploughing into its Kickstart programme is unlikely to end just yet. The HCA, under big political pressure to get housing numbers up, is
Opinion Projects for the elderly are taking giant steps to alleviate the problems of later life, says Richard MacCormac
The retired elderly spend up to 90 per cent of their time at home. This means the quality of the personal environment, space, privacy, security, sunlight and sustainability has become increasingly important. On the Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation (HAPPI) (AJ 03.12.09), we were surprised and impressed by the number of schemes for the over 55s that acknowledged and anticipated the inevitable problems of later life, in particular isolation and loneliness. An exceptional private project at Roskilde in Denmark, From Here to Eternity, exemplifies such forward planning. It consists of 26 affordable single-storey houses with communal facilities, funded using equity released from under-occupied family accommodation. 16
The institutional feel of so much provision for the elderly arises from factors such as the character of circulation and shared space. A key to overcoming this is to ensure that shared space feels like social space, particularly where cost constraints tend towards doubleloaded corridors. In Colliers Gardens in Bristol, a sheltered housing project by Penoyre & Prasad, double-
The institutional feel of so much provision for the elderly arises from factors such as the character of circulation and shared space
loaded corridors open out into sunny, top-lit shared spaces overlooking gardens. At the Postiljonen private nursing home in Sweden, rooms look over the surrounding neighbourhood and circulation, in the form of a broad ambulatory, furnished with old furniture and easy chairs, contributes to an atmosphere like that of a country house hotel. We are familiar with the concept of lifetime homes, less so with lifetime neighbourhoods, in which accommodation for the elderly is embedded in the life of locality. At
Darwin Court, designed by Jestico + Whiles for Peabody in Southwark, London, 76 rented apartments share a swimming pool and caf with the local community, creating a lively local centre. At Groningen in the Netherlands, the De Rokade apartment tower provides 74 private apartments in a complex that includes 200 day care and nursing beds. Built over a local centre in the form of a double-height, covered town square, the apartments have direct access to a restaurant, library and market. An even more compelling image of sustainable urban living as been realised at Bo01, the first phase of a new high-density suburb of Malm, Sweden. Neptuna, a project consisting of 95 apartments for the over 55s, is located in a mixed-use neighbourhood, where shared surfaces prioritise pedestrians and cyclists over cars. The sense of social, urban and architectural integration make this project the most exemplary vision of the future lifetime neighbourhood for the elderly. Richard MacCormac was a member of the HAPPI panel, which made recommendations for provision for the ageing population in its report launched on 3 December AJ 14.01.10
Sponsored by
Introducing the shortlist for the aj small projects awards, our annual competition for projects built for less than 250,000
Bridges, classrooms and a pop-up store have all been shortlisted for this years aj small projects awards, sponsored by InterfaceFlor. every year, the aj recognises the best architecture built for a contract value of less than 250,000. We are happy to show our commitment to architectural practices working on these smaller projects, which enable them to demonstrate their talent, vision and originality through inspirational architecture, says lynne Gawthorpe, UK and Ireland regional director of marketing at InterfaceFlor. The second half of our 24-project shortlist will be published in next weeks aj, and all projects will be exhibited in london and other locations across the UK during 2010. The winners who will be announced on Thursday 25 February at the InterfaceFlor showroom, 1 Northburgh street, london, ec1 will be awarded 2,500 to be shared at the judges discretion.
AOC ARCHITECTURE
This image The bold black block and monochrome decking enhance the surrounding landscape
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outdoor classroom, Heronsgate primary school, london architect: Burd Haward cost: 23,500
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Fishermans Bridge, lake District National park architect: Honey cost: 17,500
This bridge, situated in the lake District National park and made using only local fabricators, allows locals to cross the river even during floods. The bridges shape responds to the forces it carries: deep at mid-span, where loads are greatest, and slender at the edges. a handrail weaves between steel uprights that sway with the movement of people crossing. Using the hollow deck as an amplifier, the uprights, which are cut off at specific heights, play a specially composed tune when struck.
Left Uprights cut at specific heights play a note when struck Below The bridge can be used even when the river floods Bottom A deep mid-span elegantly tapers towards each end
Burd Haward architects designed a new outdoor teaching space, after a successful collaboration as part of the rIBa Greener london initiative in 2007. The brief was to create an economic, bespoke outdoor classroom that would build on designs made by the children during an earlier collaboration and accommodate 30-plus children with built-in benches and desks. The structure (see pages 34-35 for detail drawings) was designed to be an easily assembled kit, comprising shaped cNccut Kerto-Q timber ribs and benches, a translucent, water-resistent polyester covering and an acrylic rooflight. all elements were delivered to site prefinished and constructed over three days.
1. Approximate line of fabric cover 2. Inclined timber bracing panels 3. Timber desks
4. 5. 6. 7.
Timber benches Timber rib Timber shelf Vertical timber bracing panels
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BURD HAWARD
Above The outdoor classroom has seating for up to 120 children Right A wide entrance
and an acrylic rooflight fill the interior space with natural light
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RAlPH PARKER
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Telling Tales exhibition, Victoria & albert museum, london architect: Nissen adams cost: 75,000
Nissen adams designed the exhibition space for Telling Tales: Fantasy and Fear in Contemporary Design, which ran from july to october last year. Working closely with lighting designer Zerlina Hughes at ZNa consultancy, Nissen adams defined three distinctive themed spaces within the exhibition, which were then filled with design objects corresponding to the theme of each area. spaces were defined with a series of transparent screens of abstract trees; a mirrored room and large graphic decorative motifs as wallpaper and floor; and darkened corridors with a slowly moving video on the ceiling, with slot windows that allow fragmented views of the objects behind.
5m
Cross section
Top right A large motif covering the walls and ceiling sets the backdrop to one
Top The living room opens on to an enclosed terrace Top right The striking new staircase links
the two spaces visually and allows natural light to filter down to the lower level
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HUFTON + CROW
Dr martens pop-up store, old spitalfields market, london architect: campaign cost: 15,000
campaign constructed the interior fit-out of a store for shoe brand Dr martens in londons old spitalfields market. The brands trademark yellow is used throughout the space; with footwear displayed against an illuminated back wall and an 18 x 3.5m pVc curtain dividing the shop floor. The warehouse vernacular includes Gypframe metal wall systems, construction-site lamps and loading pallets.
Bottom The Douglas fir window replaced a collapsed exterior wall Bottom right The bedroom is lined with cedar wall panels
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This self-build project serves as an annexe to a mill house. an existing ruined outhouse was patched up and a new timber bedroom, bathroom and dressing room were added. The exterior still resembles a ruin except for a Douglas fir window, which replaced a collapsed external wall. The bathroom and dressing room are housed within an existing lean-to addition and a wide oxide-red gutter joins the roofs of these two historic parts. The building is entirely self-sufficient, with a photovoltaic panel and battery for the buildings electrical needs.
1. Bedroom 2. Top-lit washroom 3. Cedar closet 4. Chimney 5. River-stone terrace 6. Fig tree 7. Glazed-tile courtyard 8. Water leat 9. Unmade track 10. Slate cutting
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Floor plan
1 1. Entrance 2. Cash desk 3. Window display system 4. Mid-floor display system 5. Gallery wall system 6. Display system 7. Cage system 8. Gallery 9. Curtain 10. Mid floor 11. Stock room 12. Office
Top A heavy-duty bright yellow PVC sheet divides the shop floor Left The pared-down approach to the interior mirrors the brands values
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a Hut for Gazing & canoodling architect: We made That cost: 20,000
We made Thats winning commission for the lincolnshire county council Bathing Beauties competition to re-imagine the beach hut for the 21st century, is one of a series of bespoke huts on the lincolnshire coast. The black bituminous fibreboard exterior of a Hut for Gazing & canoodling is livened up with a bright pink and red screen-printed plywood interior. The lower levels secluded canoodling bench invites couples to enjoy the uninterrupted sea views, while the upholstered seat on the upper level provides a space for contemplation. aj 14.01.10 aj 14.01.10 29
lYNDON DOUGlAS
Left Triangular glass ceiling panels allow plenty of natural light into the extension
This image The extension reflects the unusual geometry of the house
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out of sight a stealth roof extension, Islington, london architect: spaced out architecture studio cost: 58,000
u/s Ceiling Bathroom F.F.L
Bathroom
Fred perry reception area, covent Garden, london architect: BuckleyGrayYeoman cost: 52,000
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Bedroom 2 Stairs
This double-pitched, mansard roof extension adds an extra storey to a small maisonette. The client had two previous planning applications rejected and one dismissed planning appeal. spaced out gained planning approval thanks to a design for a roof-top room and terrace that didnt interfere with the existing terrace features, achieved by setting back the extensions facade behind the existing front parapet. The extension is covered in reflective stainless steel.
2nd Floor F.F.L u/s Ceiling 1st Floor F.F.L Ground Floor F.F.L
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Living Room
Stairs
SectionExisting
BuckleyGrayYeoman designed the reception space to Fred perrys new headquarters opposite covent Garden station in london. The design centred on creating a minimal white box to house a single feature element embodying the heritage and aspirations of the brand. This feature piece is a stand-alone sculptural form, which accommodates the reception desk, seating area and external signage. Built from 400 sheets of birch plywood, it spans the length of the reception area and creates a connection between james street, the visitor, and the office.
Baban seth Quarry community classroom, Navi mumbai, India architect: asD projects cost: 2,300
asD projects built this classroom with help from a local non-governmental organisation and quarry residents. It is set within the stone quarry communities of Navi mumbai, beside a large industrial zone, and all work had to be carried out manually due to restricted access to the location. stone from the quarry has been used in the construction of walls, seats and floor tiles, stone dust for render and rubble for hardcore. a painted, small-section steel frame and grille create an enclosure for the classroom. The laminated corrugated pVc roof has a translucent central section to admit light and rests on steel trusses on a steel frame. 31
Above left The gleaming extension facade reflects the sky Left A small sun terrace creates a private area
Above The classroom has been built for the local children of quarry workers Right Building work during the four-week construction project
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1. Frameless double-glazed unit with black spacers bonded to PPC aluminium angles, stepped
cladding on Tyvek breather membrane on 18mm WBP plywood, fixed to stained hardwood
Roof section, Park Avenue South, London, by Studio Octopi (see page 28)
This extension uses a lightweight steel frame to form a faceted surface for the glass and zinc roof. The setting-out of the steel frame was immensely complex, given the angles and twists of every beam. By digitising a simple plywood model we produced detailed setting-out drawings for Famella, the main contractor. The secondary timber structure allows for the roof and walls to be super-insulated, offsetting the
large area of glazing. All doubleglazed units have low e-coating, to provide an element of solar shading. Internally, a tertiary timber structure was used to set out internal plasterboard ceilings. With Roles Broderick Roofing and Famella, we modified traditional zinc details to allow standing seams to track up the walls and across the pitch and fall of the roof. Careful detailing at the heads and sills of the
doors enabled us to incorporate drip details within the face of the cladding, allowing doors to sit flush with the external walls. Specifying VM Zinc removed the need for a ventilation zone the zinc tucks over the aluminium glazing support angles. The matt-black spacer within the glazing unit was then lined through with the internal finishes. James Lowe, director, Studio Octopi
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1. Adjustable fabric tensioner and mild steel galvanised bracket 2. Keder rail fixed to ribs 3. Support block 4. 45mm Kerto rib 5. Fabric canopy 6. 33mm-thick bracing panel and desk 7. 33mm Kerto-Q support blocks fixed to ribs 8. 33mm-thick Kerto bench with two layers 9mm ply to front and rear 9. 12mm thick galvanised 3
mild steel base plate 10. Concrete blinding 11. Concrete footing 12. Timber support block in 33mm Kerto 13. 8mm clear acrylic rooflight 14. 33mm Kerto ring beams to pick up ribs 15. Canopy fabric secured to rib with Keder rail 16. Adjustable fabric tensioner and bracket 17. Vertical timber bracing panel in 33mm Kerto
18. Galvanised mild steel bracket fixed to rib 19. 12mm-thick galvanised mild steel base plate bolted to rib with threaded socket bond into Kerto 20. Base plate resin anchored and packed with grout to footing 21. Threaded socket bonded into rib 22. Counter sunk S/S bolt 23. 15mm galvanised mild steel plate
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Enclosure, outdoor classroom, Heronsgate Primary School, London, by Burd Haward Architects (see page 22)
This projects very limited budget called for a structure that was simple to manufacture and quick to assemble, despite its asymmetric shape. The design was refined and simplified until only 12 different types of timber component were required. All these ribs, bracing panels, benches and ring beams were cut from large sheets of 33 or 45mm-thick Kerto-Q (a laminated veneered lumber) by a five-axis CNC router. The two-part tapering ribs were
joined together with concealed resin-bonded M10 steel rods. The benches were then fabricated and all components factory finished with a totally clear, yet UV-stable water-based wood stain. The fabric covering was designed as a series of separate segments, with four different types spanning between the ribs in order to simplify installation and the replacement of damaged panels. These segments were supported by Keder rails, fixed
along the edge of each rib and tensioned at each base by turnbuckles. Purpose-made galvanised steel base plates and a clear acrylic skylight completed the kit of parts. After the small concrete pad foundations had been cast, the base plates, frame and canopy were all installed within three days, and watched with much interest by the children and staff of Heronsgate Primary School. Buddy Haward, partner, Burd Haward Architects
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Staircase, Ravey Street, London, by Theis + Khan Architects (see page 25)
The staircase is a dogleg with winding treads on the turn. It sits over an existing straight staircase that provides access to the flat from the common hall, and connects the main living area on the third floor with the new roof extension. The existing staircase, which was part of the common hall and was partitioned off, has been absorbed into the flat by relocating the entrance to the bottom of the flight at secondfloor level, and replacing the
partition with a balustrade wall. This has allowed the returns of the existing L-shaped living area to be visually linked, with the new staircase as its focus. The staircase is effectively hung from the steel trimmer on the top landing, with a bearing on the steel trimmer at the bottom. It is formed from 12mm steel treads, welded to curved 250 x 25mm steel stringers. Steel uprights of 25 x 25mm welded to the stringers form the framework for the slim, painted
balustrade walls. The original detail shows the staircase balustrade wall connected to the returns at the lower level, along the edge of the existing straight flight below, forming a continuous ribbon. After it was constructed, we felt that the curved balustrade returns looked heavy, so we decided to cut them out and separate the two elements with just two steel rods to provide stability. Patrick Theis, director, Theis + Khan Architects
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In this section: Last Orders at the Bar: The Demise of the Great British Pub // Keith Williams: Architecture of the Specific
The Critics
ExHIBItIoN
In the last year, thousands of pubs closed their doors for the final time. Photographer Chris Etchells new exhibition charts the decline of the Great British public house
destined for demolition; the rest for set conversion or a long, empty wait. Etchells snaps them in this intermediate stage, their welcome mats, lace curtains and etched glass shuttered behind metal grilles. Etchells interest in derelict pubs stems from his work as a press photographer. His Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire beat alerted him to the ubiquitous >> 39
Last Orders at the Bar: The Demise of the Great British Pub, Surface Gallery, Nottingham, NG1 1DL, 1630 January, free, www.surfacegallery.org
The Critics
The Critics
Clockwise from centre Keith Williams Wexford Opera House; the basement swimming pool in the
Long House, London; Williams shortlisted 2001 entry for Turin Library
boarded-up pub. outside town centres they are everywhere. You only need to drive down a high street and you will see one, he says. The pubs in most trouble are those that sprang up with the rapid urbanisation of the mid-19th century, thanks in part to some helpful legislation. The Beer Act of 1830 allowed any householder to apply for a license to sell beer in his parlour one of many rules aimed at encouraging Britains
The charm of pubs signage and brickwork counts for little in the face of changing work patterns and cheap supermarket booze
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drinking away from gin palaces to respectable licensed premises, such as the late-Victorian gem The Shipperies (pictured top). This helped cement the domestic qualities beloved by Etchells. The old furniture, the carpet: they all contribute to make you feel like you are in someones front room, he says. Now the charm of these pubs signage and brickwork counts for little in the face of changing work patterns, local unemployment and cheap supermarket booze. Extinct pubs litter once vital, now troubled suburbs, such as Kensington in Liverpool and Holbeck in Leeds. The process, Etchells laments, is irreversible: once the pubs gone then thats it. Its a slice of British history that you will never get back. James Pallister
BooK
Its never straightforward to review a monograph of a contemporary architect: there is an inevitable confusion between an attempt to examine the work as opposed to the book the contents or the content. to look at the work first, Keith Williams has constructed an extremely consistent and elegant oeuvre in a short time. His work falls neatly into a particular brand of British modernism, which has proved more popular elsewhere in the EU than at home something he shares with his former partner terry Pawson, as well as with Stanton Williams and others. It is defined by an architecture that confronts the civic realm with a generosity, a language of modernism, a clarity and a confidence that is peculiarly un-English. The superb Wexford opera House (AJ AJ 14.01.10 AJ 14.01.10
rOs KavanagH
This is very much a study of architect as creator, the photography exhibiting the finality of the completed
16.10.08), for example, is a deceptively impressive achievement a major civic structure delicately inserted into the smalltown fabric. It reveals an auditorium of real urban grandeur and intensity, eschewing the iconic in favour of the warm embrace of theatrical space, yet it nevertheless allows its flytower to rise as an urban marker. His Long House (2005) in Londons St Johns Wood does something similar in the domestic sphere, presenting a modestly modernist facade to its mews setting, yet revealing a rich interior world that alludes carefully to both Louis Kahn and Mies van der Rohe. With two more major buildings on site, the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury and the Chichester Museum, it will be intriguing to see how the office confronts yet more complex and historic urban juxtapositions. This book itself is conventional. There is seductive photography, a foreword by Paul Finch and an essay by Kenneth Powell, but there might have been room for something more oblique. This is very much a study of architect as creator, the photography exhibiting the finality of the completed. A little more uncertainty, some recognition of the afterlife of architecture, of imperfection and the world beyond building might have leavened it. Nevertheless, this is an exceptionally well-produced book amid an undistinguished genre that elegantly documents the work of an architect whose office is becoming one of the most dependable on the London scene. Edwin Heathcote is architecture critic at the Financial Times 41
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Ian Martin. 20 years of stuffed lions, epic spacefilling and very long lunches
MONdAY. Theres something about 2010 thats messing with my head. Perhaps its how futuristic the date suddenly looks. It makes me remember the 20th century, when we thought 2010 would be all Gerry Anderson hoverscooters and Star Trek holodecks and origami buildings that refold themselves to suit your mood and a new communitarian world order and sex robots. 2010. ugh. Optimism and nostalgia make poor bedfellows. One of them is relentlessly perky and insatiable; the others always snoring. TuESdAY. I tell Rock Steady Eddie, the Middle East fixer, about my preoccupation with the past. Oh, that reminds me. Ive heard Israels planning an international design competition. Theyre after a world-class wall along the Egyptian border, yeah? And this time they want to pre-ironise it, so Banksy and a thousand other scribbling graffiti hoodies cant amble over there and take the piss... What about a living wall? It would be expensive to maintain but... Love it. Homeland security, booming and blooming. He leans in to whisper. Keep shtum, yeah, but Ive heard theres plenty more decorated infrastructure on the way. Wall round the West Bank, wall round Israel. From the air itll look like the North Circular and the M25. until the ROOF goes on...
illustration by Hanna Melin
However, I have introduced exciting new concepts. Such as individual social networking booths, an indie band rehearsal space, e-reader treadmills, a Blu-Ray lounge with probiotic wi-fi and a Stephen Fry Experience in which the nations favourite books are wittily summarised by the nations favourite person in 140 characters (more if theyre by dickens or Gabriel Garca Mrquez).
THuRSdAY. Cant shake this whole nostalgia/foreboding thing. Or Rock Steady Eddie. He rings to warn me not to speak to any journalists this week. Apparently people are very keen to see the secret 2003 plan I helped devise for the lying shit Blair. The idea was to redesign Iraq giving it more of an open, democratic feel. Less oily was the brief. I suggested sexing-up Baghdad with wavy roofs and metrosexual planters. There was even a bold proposal to create quarters. Literally: cultural, media, Sunni, Shia. It all came to nothing. Certain uS interests wanted their own Fifth Quarter, and the Kurds went all nimby. Thank goodness the Afghanistan remodellings turning out to be such a success. Obviously there are a few bumps in the road but traffic calming is a small price to pay for getting a Kabul debenhams. FRIdAY. design a new housebuilding framework for the Homes and Communities Agency. Its made of recycled materials, with specially cut corners. SATuRdAY. Eddie rings with a heads-up. This weeks client buzzword is reburjing. Its like rebadging but involves magical realism. The Burj dubai was an
awkward mix of hubris and humiliation last month. Now theyve renamed it Burj Khalifa, its saucier than Blackpool Tower. Easy, I tell him. Ive been reburjing for decades, with miraculous results. I remind him it was my idea years ago to rebadge Windscale. Once they started calling it Sellafield all those local so-called leukaemia clusters disappeared and... wait a minute. Ive remembered something.
WEdNESdAY. Finish drawings for my Tamworth Mega-Library. It will incorporate the existing historic building as a sort of ironic nod to traditional notions of silence and study.
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SuNdAY. Oh NOW I get it. Its 20 years ago THIS WEEK that I wrote my first column taking the piss out of architects, right here in the AJ. A strange, chilly feeling overwhelms me and I retire to the recliner. I have a weird dream, in which its January 1990. No internet. Lots of architects still directly employed by local authorities. Margaret Thatcher is Prime Minister. Only super-rich yuppies can afford these new mobile phones. Theyre so unwieldy you might as well be pulling a Routemaster with a K6 jammed into it. Brr, its FREEZING. Where am I? Ah, Queen Annes Gate. I enter the fabled Architects Journal of Yesteryear. Beneath creaking Georgian floors, a composite Victorian pub assembled from bits of salvaged blitzam. Theres a stuffed lion, and spuds baking in the fire. The three funniest people in architecture Berthold Lubetkin, Martin Pawley and Cedric Price are at the bar, inventing neo-sarcasticism. Hey, and Im smoking... indoors! Wake up, coughing. I suppose I ought to thank everyone whos read the column over the last 20 years. Then I shrug and go back to sleep. twitter.com/IanMartin
AJ 14.01.10