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ON SITE WITH SYKES CHRISTOPHER SYKES I S A N A R C H I T E C T W H O T R A I N E D AT T H E B A R T L E T T S C H O O L O F A R C H I T E C T U R E AT U N I V E R S I T Y C O L L E G E LO N D O N . A F T E R H E Q U A L I F I E D , H E W O R K E D I N B O T H LO N D O N A N D S W E D E N . H AV I N G W I D E N E D H I S W R I T I N G A N D J O U R N A L I S T I C S K I L L S , H E S U B S E Q U E N T LY S TA R T E D H I S O W N P U B L I S H I N G C O M PA N Y S P E C I A L I S I N G I N B U I L D I N G M A G A Z I N E S A N D E V E N T S . A S A H O B B Y, H E U S E D T O W R I T E S I T C O M F O R T H E B B C .
With its hundreds of straw panels, the UEA Enterprise Centre is considered to be the largest exterior thatched building in Europe. Image ©Nick Caville/BDP.
ONE YEAR LATER COVID-19 has created problems in every sector of life, and the building industry is no exception. However, it is also true that with a crisis like this, people think differently, and lateral thinking certainly creates new ideas and opportunities.
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ne significant advantage that COVID-19 gives to building industry professionals is a new motto to remind them what it’s all about: C for climate, O for opportunity, V for vision, I for innovation and D for development. Other influences include new thinking about adaptable layouts, new home office models, and public space forms that certainly change things. Another is increased interest in modular construction, as proved by the Chinese in creating two hospitals with 2600 beds in just two weeks in Wuhan. This showed how modular construction’s quick and flexible nature could have far-reaching uses outside the medical world. Another FC&A – FEBRUARY – 2021
influence is that the move away from large town and city offices will decrease car reliance. To make the point, BBC Future reported that, after lockdown, Milan would transform over 21 miles of its streets for just cycling – Paris will follow. Another ‘advantage’ of the epidemic is that it provides the time that is not ordinarily available to read, research and absorb new information. A good example is Architizer, the New York website founded with a mission to empower all with the knowledge to build better buildings, better cities and, ultimately, a better world. It is how architects, manufacturers, builders and others search for, evaluate and share building products and projects across teams.
Apart from cassettes of straw panelling inside the UEA Enterprise Centre, glulam beams make up the main timber frame. Image ©Darren Carter/Morgan Sindall.
Winning products With climate change, we have been encouraged to experiment with new materials. We must keep abreast of emerging materials and products that help reduce the environmental impact of construction. Last year’s A+Award winners included acoustic panels made from coffee sacks and shingles crafted from plastic waste. The latest programme is set to showcase even more material innovations. This is also a good reminder of the Enterprise Centre’s fifth anniversary at the University of East Anglia. Dubbed the UK’s greenest building, it is undoubtedly one of the most sustainable. It was also the first large-scale project to target both Passivhaus certification and BREEAM ‘Outstanding’, and meets the highest energy and environmental standard. Designed by sustainable architect firm Architype, in collaboration with contractor Morgan Sindall, it is an excellent signal to innovative thinkers and designers to be equally inspired by COVID-19 in this challenging period. 22
