nhds nick hancock design studio
www.nickhancock.com
nick hancock design studio
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hello welcome to nick hancock design studio
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transportation & bridges commercial high-rise sports mixed-use interiors residential masterplans components
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“Nick is a talented and highly capable designer with a comprehensive knowledge of the architectural process� Richard Rogers
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index the studio 8 projects so far 20 past experience 48 01 transportation 02 commercial 03 high-rise 04 sports 05 mixed-use 06 interiors 07 residential 08 masterplans 09 components
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credits
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the studio who we are how we work what we offer Nick Hancock
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we make things that inspire people
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nhds who we are
how we work
Founded in 2008, Nick Hancock Design Studio is a young architectural design practice that builds on the extensive international experience of its founder, Nick Hancock, to create exceptional buildings and structures.
Passionate and talented, Nick Hancock Design Studio’s team has experience on projects ranging from airports to high-rise buildings. The constant factor in the studio’s projects is an insistence on quality and on sustainable, beautiful architecture.
We produce designs of uncompromising quality and technical innovation, with a firm commitment to sustainable design principles. We believe that architecture should inspire and serve people: it should articulate a sense of community and place, and enhance the spaces in which we live, work and relax.
We pride ourselves on our ability to deliver immaculate finishes, elegant and innovative technical solutions, and on our attention to detail at all stages of the design and construction process.
We are currently working on a varied and exciting list of projects, both within the UK, and in South Africa, Singapore and the Netherlands.
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The studio often forms multidisciplinary design teams for projects. We work with leading engineers, cost consultants, landscape architects and contractors to deliver exceptional quality.
what we offer • High-level experience, combined with a small studio’s ability to streamline, innovate and compete. • A dedicated, personal approach to every project. • A broad skill base covering everything from masterplanning to component detailing. • A proven track record in delivering projects to budget and on time, both nationally and internationally. • Considered, practical and cost-effective design solutions. • Extensive site management and construction experience. • Specialism in lightweight steel structures and complex architectural engineering. • Scaleless design ability, with expertise in designing and building everything from stadia to house extensions. • A commitment to sustainable design practices. • A network of leading consultants and contractors, allowing us to deliver buildings of the highest quality, no matter what the scale.
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we believe in simplicity and sustainability
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Nick Hancock principal designer
Born and trained in Australia, Nick came to the UK in 1997 having already worked for some of Australia’s top architectural practices. Once in the UK, he worked on a variety of projects developing his specialisms in complex geometry and lightweight steel structures, before joining Richard Rogers Partnership in 1999. In the five years he worked at RRP, he created landmark buildings in the UK and around the world, becoming a senior designer and working on numerous award-winning schemes. In 2001, while still working at RRP, Nick and a colleague launched Blue Arc London, a boutique architectural studio. With Blue Arc, Nick undertook projects including Fifteen (p. 88), Jamie Oliver’s award-winning restaurant, as well as residential projects and commercial fit-outs. Nick left RRP in 2004 in order to go freelance and moved to Barcelona, Spain, but continued to work closely with the practice, consulting for RSHP on projects including the Las Arenas bullring renovation in Barcelona (p. 84, p. 112), the World Trade Center in New York (p. 66), and a high-end private residence in Singapore (p. 92). Due to growing demand for Nick’s services he returned to the UK, and in January 2008 he launched Nick Hancock Design Studio, a small practice based in London, enabling him to provide high-quality design solutions to a wider range of clients, both in the UK and internationally.
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we create elegant solutions to complex problems
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projects so far Philippi Grandstand The Beeches Flying Bridge Gasholder No. 8 Northwich Cultural Centre Music Stand Staircase for Rose
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dynamic Western Grandstand, Philippi Stadium Cape Town / South Africa
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people Western Grandstand, Philippi Stadium Cape Town / South Africa
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Working with our partners – Designscape, of Cape Town, South Africa – we designed and documented the refurbishment of an extension to the western grandstand of the Philippi Stadium, in preparation for the FIFA 2010 World Cup. The site will be used as a practice venue for visiting teams and a fan park during the tournament. The scheme reuses the existing grandstand structure by clipping a lightweight steel-framed gallery to the top of it, while expanding the site’s facilities. The design increases seating capacity to 1,500 seats, as well as adding commentary box facilities, toilets and kiosk facilities. The sweeping roof structure houses the filming and radio gallery, and security facilities. The project is currently nearing completion.
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transparent The Beeches Kent / UK
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sustainable The Beeches Kent / UK
Set in an area of outstanding natural beauty in Kent, The Beeches combines high-tech materials with an elegant, modern aesthetic; it aims to provide a template for low-impact construction. We are aiming for an exceptional Level 5 rating under the government’s Code for Sustainability; the house has a minimal carbon footprint, and is as eco-friendly as it is comfortable to live in. The Beeches is orientated to benefit from the site’s views of surrounding countryside, and also to avoid the worst of the prevailing winds. It uses a palette of advanced sustainable materials, including a sedum grass roof, ultra-high thermal capacity walling and glazing, and solar panels and a ground-source heat pump. Because of its isolated location, The Beeches is designed to be prefabricated and assembled simply on site, without the use of heavy lifting equipment. This ensures a superb quality of finish while minimising construction times and disruption to the rural setting.
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form Flying Bridge Lancashire / UK
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This lightweight cable-stayed bridge, crossing the River Douglas in Lancashire, won second place in an international design competition organised by RIBA and REMADE. Inspired by its wetlands surroundings, the bridge’s form is that of a bird in flight. The project uses sustainable materials and construction techniques: as well as providing a unique and beautiful river crossing, the Flying Bridge requires little maintenance and causes limited disruption to the site’s fragile ecosystem.
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01 structure Flying Bridge Lancashire,/UK Lancashire UK
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The particular ecological demands of the site – which is home to a number of protected species, including the great crested newt – meant that the process of construction had to be at the forefront of our minds, to protect the site’s delicate habitats. To this end, the bridge is designed to be built almost entirely from one bank, with minimal work required on the more fragile bank. The bridge’s materials were selected for their ecological qualities as well as for their durability and beautiful finishes. So, for example, horse-friendly paving is made from recycled rubber, while proposed low-spectrum LED lighting was both low-energy, so as not to disrupt the feeding patterns of local bat populations.
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lightweight Gasholder No. 8 London / UK
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movement Gasholder No. 8 London / UK
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elegant Gasholder No.8 London / UK
Gasholder No. 8 is a focal point of the huge regeneration scheme taking place in Kings Cross, London. In response to a RIBA competition brief, we headed up a multi-disciplinary design team drawing together sustainability experts, Buro Happolds engineers, landscape architects, and artists. The brief called for a multi-use public facility built within the Grade 2 Listed frame of a Victorian gasholder. Our proposal creates a sheltered and flexible public space and amphitheatre, with a movable canopy provided by a number of biomimetic, kinetic fronds. These harnessed solar power to open and close depending on the demands of the weather or specific public events; they also collected water to irrigate the site’s carboniferous landscaping. The site features a ramped section that houses a cafe and site facilities, and which can be used as an observation deck for taking in views over the adjacent canal and wildlife sanctuary; it also provides seating for watching public events. The space within the gasholder features movable landscape that can be set up for outdoor cinemas and events such as London Fashion Week, and on an everyday level as a public piazza.
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public Cultural Centre Northwich / UK
Situated on the banks of the River Weaver in Northwich, this is our entry to the RIBA international competition for the Barons Quay Cultural Centre. As the focus of a proposed regeneration of Northwich, the centre is to be a major public facility, incorporating dance studios, a 500-seat auditorium, an art gallery, and an information centre, as well as restaurant and bar facilities. Our design features all these and two expansive pedestrian-only spaces: a south-facing piazza that serves as a public performance space; and the covered space that links the two buildings, which can be used all year round, regardless of weather conditions. The site itself is demanding: it is adjacent to both the river, and a sewage facility – meaning that the building requires careful orientation to maximise river views while masking the facility. A major pipeline crossing the site limits the building’s footprint, as it must remain accessible. Our solution to this was to create two pavilions linked by a soaring roof canopy, which also provides shelter for the covered open-air area.
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detail Music stand London / UK
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modular Music stand London / UK
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An elegant stand in stainless steel with a Perspex screen for holding sheet music. The structure’s elements unscrew for storage and transport; a section of the support pole can also be removed for seated performance. The stand is supported by three articulated feet, inlaid with rubber pads for grip. The stand was fabricated as a bespoke piece by CMF steel fabricators.
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simple Staircase for Rose London / UK
This lightweight steel stair, for the home of River CafÊ founder Rose Gray, provides a functional but beautiful transition from the main living area to the terrace. As such, it is a focal point of the main living area. Nick was commissioned to design and oversee the fabrication and installation of this stair. Treads were made of folded perforated stainless steel sheet spanning between stringers, ensuring that the stair feels slightly springy and light underfoot. One consideration on the project was the need to create an element that would sit comfortably and unobtrusively within a home environment. The stair was designed in modular, pre-finished components that could be assembled simply and quickly on-site, causing minimal disruption to the clients’ home and routine.
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nick hancock projects undertaken for others
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design experience 01 transportation Guangzhou Railway Station Pudong International Airport 02 commercial Chiswick Park Viladecans Ebbsfleet South 03 high-rise World Trade Center Heron Quays Canary Riverside Guangzhou Sightseeing Tower 04 sports Westpac Trust Stadium Brisbane Cricket Ground 05 mixed-use Las Arenas 06 interiors Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen 07 residential Nassim Road Bankside 08 masterplanning Antigua Repsol Coto Macairena La Moreleja Ebbsfleet 09 components Chiswick Park casting design Las Arenas stability system
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transport Guangzhou Railway Station Shanghai Pudong International Airport
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Guangzhou Railway Station Guangzhou / China
Nick was senior project designer on this competition entry by Richard Rogers Partnership. The Guangzhou Railway Station serves as an international hub for 89 million passengers a year; it connects high-speed rail, underground, and suburban rail services, and houses a bus terminal. It is the largest station in Asia. The station’s roof is a fan-shaped structure, comprising a series of overlapping concrete shells spanning 500m. The spaces between the shells provide ventilation and flood the inner spaces with natural light. Nick was principal designer on the project.
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Pudong International Airport Shanghai / China
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The Shanghai Pudong International Airport was submitted as Richard Rogers Partnership’s entry to an international design competition; Nick worked on the competition team. The terminal is to be one of the world’s largest airports, with a capacity of 60 million passengers annually. The design creates an airy and light-filled space that travellers pass through with ease, beneath a graceful, undulating roof. The structure itself is bold and iconic, articulating China’s energy and status; the design creates a flexible and highly sustainable building that can adapt to future demand.
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commercial Chiswick Park Villadecans Ebbsfleet South
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Chiswick Park London / UK
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This award-winning business park was created by Richard Rogers Partnership for Stanhope Plc. It developed a 33-acre brownfield site into 12 elegant energyefficient office buildings and on-site leisure and health facilities. Each building is a pavilion surrounded by parkland. The design employs prefabricated components and construction techniques throughout. This cuts on-site construction times and ensures that complex steelwork is installed with immaculate finishes. Nick was a key project designer, helping deliver the scheme from concept design to the construction of Phases 1 and 2. His key responsibilities included developing the project’s complex steel elements, and helping to ensure that the pavilions’ structures are as lightweight as possible. Nick also oversaw construction of Phases 1 and 2, liaising with builders and other contractors to ensure that the finished buildings reflected Richard Rogers Partnership’s design intent.
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Viladecans Business Park Viladecans / Spain
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Nick worked on this business park south of Barcelona, during his time at Richard Rogers Partnership. Working as a key part of the design team, one of Nick’s main responsibilties was developing the structural systems and steel detailing of the pavilions. As well as six office buildings set in landscaped gardens, the site features a hotel and conference facilities. The buildings are designed to use as little energy as possible: they are naturally ventilated and are oriented to derive maximum overnight cooling from the site’s prevailing winds. They also feature systems for water recycling, and solar and wind power.
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Ebbsfleet South Business Park Kent / UK
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While working at Richard Rogers Partnership, Nick worked on the concept, masterplan and detailed design for this business park in Kent Thameside. The project aims to establish a new focal point for the Thames Valley’s business community, in anticipation of rapid growth thanks to the new high-speed train routes. The site is spread across a hill and requires excellent connectivity to the adjacent international rail terminal. The buildings are modular and are designed to sit unobtrusively within the elegantly landscaped parkland.
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high-rise World Trade Center Heron Quays Canary Riverside Guangzhou Sightseeing Tower
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World Trade Center New York / USA
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World Trade Center New York / USA
Nick Hancock worked as a consultant as part of the Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners design team that produced the design intent for the third tower of the World Trade Center reconstruction project in New York. Nick worked in detail on the integration of the building with the masterplan, and the structural stability and service systems. The overall masterplan comprises four skyscrapers and a huge underground transportation hub; other architects working on the project include Norman Foster, Santiago Calatrava, Skidmore Owens & Merrill, and Fumihiko Maki. The project is currently on site.
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Heron Quays London / UK
Nick Hancock worked as a senior member of the Richard Rogers Partnership team on this major commercial development in Canary Wharf from conception, through scheme design stage, and on to planning. His responsibilities included developing the complex, articulated facades and structural stability system. He also designed the servicing strategies and coordinated the 50-storey project’s lift strategies. Standing at a maximum height of 198m, the dynamic project consists of two towers providing financial trading floors, office space and retail facilities. It boasts the largest single office floors in Europe. Heron Quays has recently been approved by planning and is awaiting a start date for construction.
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Canary Riverside London / UK
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This project comprises two towers on a riverside site adjacent to Westferry Circus in Canary Wharf. It is based on a competition-winning entry that Nick worked on during his time at Richard Rogers Partnership. Nick worked on the project from its beginnings through to the detailed design stage. As part of a four-strong team, he tackled all aspects of the project, in particular its structure and services. Canary Riverside, which is currently under construction, comprises two towers, the taller standing at 236m. The towers and connecting building house extensive commercial space, as well as financial trading floors and retail areas.
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Sightseeing Tower Guangzhou / China
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This elegant, sculptural tower was a Richard Rogers Partnership entry to an international competition calling for a sightseeing and communications tower in Guangzhou, China. As a principal on the project, Nick worked on everything from concept to detailed drawings, and was responsible for delivering the competition entry. In particular, he developed the intricate geometry of the egg-shaped sky lobby at the top of the structure. He also developed the highly complex structural systems that keep the slender tower erect. Standing at 475m tall, the structure would have been the second-tallest tower in the world and the tallest in Asia. It is crowned by the egg-shaped geodesic pod, which houses a viewing platform, communications floors, meeting facilities and leisure facilities.
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sports Westpac Trust Stadium Brisbane Cricket Ground
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Westpac Trust Stadium Wellington / New Zealand
While working for Bligh Lobb Sports, Nick Hancock was a key member of the five-strong design team for New Zealand’s premier multi-use stadium. His work on the project included developing the cladding and facade systems, which had to resist Wellington’s strong winds. He also carried out the design and documentation of the pre-cast seating bleachers and vomitories, and worked on the concourse and corporate box designs. The stadium is on a geological fault line, so a key part of Nick’s work on the project involved developing complex earthquakeresistant technologies. The seating, roof, and supporting structures can each move independently to withstand seismic movement; the seating bleachers form a moving diaphragm that prevents the structure from warping out of shape. The stadium has 34,500 seats and is adaptable for everything from cricket and rugby championships to rock concerts.
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Brisbane Cricket Ground Queensland / Australia
While working for Daryl Jackson Architects, one of Australia’s leading practices, Nick worked on the second stage of design and documentation of this high-profile extension to Brisbane’s cricket ground. The stand oversails a main road and adjacent primary school playground, and much of Nick’s work was on the resolution of the complex structural requirements caused by this. Large sections of the stands are cantilevered to allow the expansion of the stands to occur without placing structure beyond the site’s boundaries. Nick also worked on the lightweight cablestayed canopy that shelters the stands. Working within the site’s tight boundaries, the project achieved a major enhancement of a public facility. It’s now considered one of Australia’s leading cricket grounds, and is a Brisbane icon.
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mixed-use Las Arenas
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Las Arenas Barcelona / Spain
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While working at Richard Rogers Partnership, Nick was a key team member on this rehabilitation of a disused bullring in Barcelona, and transforming it into a leisure destination. The project preserves the 19th-century façade of the bullring. The building is topped by the world’s biggest geodesic timber dome roof, which encloses a 110m diameter public piazza. This is supported on four giant tensioned V-props, and so is completely independent of the facade. The structure houses a museum, gym, shops and more. The ground beneath the delicate listed facade was dug out and the brickwork was pinned and stabilised so that it could take load; it was then propped so that it is supported above the ground, seeming to float. Nick’s role on the project included setting out the complex radial geometry, services and structural strategies, designing the telecommunications mast, and extensive work on the structure of the dish and the roof. He also developed the structural stability systems of the brickwork facade. Nick continued to work as a consultant to the Las Arenas on-site construction team while living in Barcelona after leaving Richard Rogers Partnership.
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interiors Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen
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Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen London / UK
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Nick’s practice Blue Arc was commissioned to design Jamie Oliver’s flagship restaurant, Fifteen. The building housed the restaurant, bar, delicatessen and chef school, as well as offices above. As a principal of the studio, Nick played a lead role all aspects of the design and construction processes. The project was high-profile thanks to Oliver’s celebrity and the fact that the entire process was filmed by Channel 4 for the fly-on-the-wall TV series Jamie’s Kitchen. The project required the renovation of a gallery on Old Street, transforming the building to accommodate a fine dining restaurant, top-of-the-range kitchen and bakery at basement level, and a delicatessen and bar upstairs. With Blue Arc, Nick also renovated Fifteen’s 20-person offices in the building’s upper storey.
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residential Nassim Road Bankside
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Nassim Road Singapore
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Nassim Road Singapore
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For the past three years, Nick has been working on a consultancy basis for Richard Rogers Partnership (now Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners), overseeing the design and construction of a luxury 2,500m2 home in Singapore. The project comprises three separate pavilions and extensive reception, private and servants’ quarters, as well as a guardhouse, swimming pool and landscaped gardens.
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Bankside London / UK
Nick Hancock worked as a senior member of the Richard Rogers Partnership team on the first scheme for this major residential development in Southwark, for Land Securities. This scheme lies in the heart of the Bankside area of London, close to the River Thames and directly opposite the western entrance of the Tate Modern and proposed gallery extension. The scheme is a mixed-occupancy development, comprising affordable and required-worker housing, private apartments and commercial space. The irregularly shaped site, prestigious location, and the need to allow view corridors to St Paul’s Cathedral on the opposite bank of the Thames and to the Tate Modern, further constrained the design. In addition, the site is within a dense, eclectic urban texture, so the buildings had to avoid seeming monolithic in their urban context. As part of a three-man team, Nick undertook substantial parts of the scheme’s design and documentation.
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masterplans Antigua Repsol Coto de Macairena La Moreleja Ebbsfleet
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Antigua Repsol Malaga / Spain
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Nick worked as a consultant for Alonso Balaguer Architects on this major masterplan, which created a huge mixed-use development on a former brownfield site – owned by Repsol – adjacent to Malaga’s train yards. Nick was the principal designer. The project proposed luxury residential towers, an affordable housing scheme, a shopping centre, a school, a community centre, parklands, and transportation nodes, as well as cultural and leisure facilities. Density was key to the project; it was also the first scheme in Malaga to receive permission to build tall buildings. The masterplan was commissioned by the city to provide a new civic and cultural hub.
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Coto de Macairena Granada / Spain
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Nick consulted as principal designer for Barcelona practice Alonso Balaguer Architects on the concept design for this major sustainable sports and leisure development, in Granada, southern Spain. The brief called for concept designs indicating ways in which the site could attract tourism revenue to the region year-round. The scheme, which formed part of a larger scheme by Richard Rogers Partnership, comprised a theme park, water museum, golf course and sculptural park, a major central piazza, as well as a major hotel and conference centre, shops, cafes and a transport hub.
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La Moreleja Spain
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This masterplan and concept design for high-class residential apartments in La Moreleja, Spain, was a competition that Nick worked on during his time at Richard Rogers Partnership. The homes were designed to have spectacular views, natural ventilation, privacy and top-of-the-range fixtures and fittings. The site was hilly and narrow, with height restrictions that presented masterplanning challenges. In addition to the housing, the site had to accommodate underground parking, transportation links and leisure and services buildings for the adjoining club. Working as part of a four-man team, Nick oversaw the development of the unit plans and masterplan, as well as collaborating on the detailed design and documentation of the individual housing types.
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Ebbsfleet Kent / UK
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While working at Richard Rogers Partnership, Nick worked on the concept, masterplan and detailed design for this business park in Kent Thameside. The site is spread across a hill and requires connectivity to the international rail terminal. The buildings are modular and are designed to sit unobtrusively within the elegantly landscaped parkland. Aside from contributing to the masterplanning, Nick also worked on the facade engineering, structural frame, and sun shading systems, including the signature timber roof canopy.
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components Chiswick Park stairs and castings Las Arenas stability system
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Chiswick Park London / UK
As a senior project architect on this major Richard Rogers Partnership development (see p.58), Nick was involved with Chiswick Park at all stages. One of his key responsibilities was the design and detailing of the steelwork – a key part of the lightweight steel pavilions’ structure. Nick’s work on the steelwork included developing structural support systems, suspended staircases, shading louvres and all steel components – this required him to design detailed, custom-made castings.
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Las Arenas stability system Barcelona / Spain
A major part of Nick’s work on the Las Arenas renovation of a Barcelona bullring (see page 84) was involved with the structural stability system of this complex and highly delicate project. The project transforms a 100-year-old brick bullring into a state-of-the-art shopping and leisure destination, topped by a geodesic timber dome. While consulting for Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Nick undertook to create the elaborate structural systems that hold the original bullring’s facade in place, seamlessly integrating it with the modern building within.
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image credits
copyright
12 / 16 / 25 / 26 / 30 / 32 / 34 / 36 / 40 Jacek Grabowski. © NHDS
Nick Hancock Design Studio © 2010 Copyright for text: the authors
Index / 6 / 14 / 18 / 28 / 38 / 100 / 101 / 102 / 103 / 114 © Nick Hancock
Copyright for images: the listed bodies and individuals
90 / © Alex Morris Visualisations
Copyright for publication: Nick Hancock Ltd.
10 / © Chris Haughton 46 / © Natxo Alonso 42 / 44 / 45 / © www.toyberg.com 59 / 82 / 84 / 85 / 98 / 104 / 105 / 106 110 / 111 / 112 / 113 / © www.rsh-p.com 86 / 88 / 89 © www.grant-smith.com 58 / www.hayesdavidson.com 50 / 52 / 54 / 55 / 56 / 60 / 61 / 62 / 63 64 / 66 / 68 / 70 / 71 / 72 / 73 / 74 / 75 92 / 94 / 95 / 96 / 107 / 108 © www.teammacarie.com Book design: Nick Hancock Design Studio Edited: Alice Ross
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The publishers have made every effort to trace and contact the copyright holders of the photographs and images reproduced in this book. However, they would be pleased, if informed, to correct any errors or ommissions in subsequent edditions of this publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from Nick Hancock Design Studio www.nickhancock.com
credits
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nh nick hancock
design studio
17 Ovanna Mews 19a Buckingham Rd London N1 4EY United Kingdom +44 207 722 1572 +44 7711 367 634 hello@nickhancock.com www.nickhancock.com
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nhds nick hancock design studio
www.nickhancock.com
nick hancock design studio
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