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Sketch up
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The Architects’ Journal
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COVER DRAWING: KATHRYN NICKSON
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Week in pictures Pop-up BP pavilion; Thames cable car opens Front page Competition plans for Stirling’s Florey Building UK news Diverse shortlist vying for King’s College campus job Competitions & wins Penoyre & Prasad books library scheme Awards Doolan Prize shortlist: comment People & practice Tracy Williams of Genesis Housing Group Sketch a facade Announcing the results of our drawing contest Footprint Why it’s vital the RIBA Awards recognise sustainability Culture Phnom Penh’s colonial and Sihanouk-era heritage This week online See all 243 entrants to the AJ/Kingspan Benchmark Sketch a facade competition TheAJ.co.uk/facade
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From the editor
An internal intelligence document which emerged at last week’s RIBA Council meeting revealed that nearly half (47 per cent) of RIBA chartered practice members are dissatisfied with the institute’s support services, although 89 per cent of members say they are ‘likely to re-join’ anyway (see news feature, p.12). It’s an interesting conundrum, this unhappy membership that keeps coming back for more. Bryan Avery of Avery Associates describes it as a tax: ‘Every year, like so many others, I have dutifully paid the membership fee like a tithe, for no reason except to promote the good of the profession. And every year the institute finds a new way to obfuscate and cede our collective authority, status and prosperity to others.’ However, some of you have wholly more positive things to say about RIBA membership, especially those who have used their helplines or services. It’s a bit like a gym membership: the happiest customers are those who actually go. Chris Romer-Lee of Studio Octopi claims in the practice’s first years, it was a frequent user of RIBA Client Services, which brought the firm referrals and work. ‘The support offered, particularly in the early years, was second to none.’ Future RIBA president Stephen Hodder has said he believes members are not adequately aware of the RIBA’s range of services, although 70 per cent of RIBA chartered practices see the accreditation as good value. It’s a bit like the Romans sketch from Monty Python’s Life of Brian, says Peter Morris of Peter Morris Architects. ‘All right, all right, but apart from better lectures and a bookshop and education and RIBA Journal and regional offices and public debate programmes and road shows and a sustainability hub and social networks and fundraising auctions and job adverts and advice on appointments… what has the RIBA ever done for us?’ Not enough, say members, to counter the poor public image of architects, the erosion of the architect’s authority, to alleviate the pressure on fees, ..
RIBA LIBRARY PHOTOGRAPHS COLLECTION
What has the RIBA done for you lately? Plenty, and not enough, writes Christine Murray
The truth is that the RIBA’s toolkits for members are adequate. What is lacking is a sustained authoritative voice or ensure that salaries keep pace with the rising cost of education. According to the survey, members want the RIBA to give greater priority to lobbying and promoting the value of architects to the public. The truth is that the RIBA’s toolkits for members are adequate in helping the profession do its job. What is lacking, alongside this programme, is the sustained authoritative voice of the RIBA standing up for architecture. The RIBA’s influence in government has waned, evidenced by Boris Johnson sending a proxy to receive his honorary membership last year. And the reduced coverage of the Stirling Prize over the years must be seen as a cultural defeat. The RIBA needs to tell the government and the public what architects do, and why they are important to society. This must fall to the institute, as it’s more than a president can accomplish in a two-year term. The RIBA should not underestimate the profound psychological effect that a consistent and powerful marketing campaign would have in promoting the status of architects. christine.murray@emap.com
Week in pictures
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PICTURE CREDITS: 01 KPF/ALMACANTAR 02 CRAIG SHEPPARD 03 ANDARCHITECTS 04 ROZ BARR ARCHITECTS 05 WILKINSON EYRE
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Chelsea FC has revealed its rejected proposal to convert Battersea Power Station into a 60,000-seat stadium. Working with KPF and developer Almacantar, the club lost its bid to a Malaysian-based team earlier this month, although sources say the club has not yet given up on its vision for the site 1
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A tropical park in Singapore by Wilkinson Eyre and landscape architects Grant Associates opens tomorrow (29 June). The 54-hectare £500 million Bay South Garden scheme, which the team won in 2006, features 18 ‘supertrees’ and two biomes, and is part of the Gardens by the Bay project 2
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KBW Design and AndArchitects have revealed this pop-up pavilion for oil and gas giant BP at the London 2012 Olympics. The ‘temporary showcase’ structure features a mirrored facade that ‘creates a sense of invisibility by reflecting the surrounding buildings, clouds and sky’ 3
This is a model of Roz Barr Architects’ temporary park for the NLA on Store Street as part of the London Festival of Architecture, which runs until the 8 July. Sponsored by Derwent London and the Arts Council, the scheme will use 7,000 military-grade sandbags and opens 3 July 4
Wilkinson Eyre’s £50.5 million Emirates Air Line cable car started carrying passengers over the Thames today (28 June). Completed by project architect Aedas, the 1.1km crossing is expected to carry up to 2,500 people an hour at heights of up to 90 metres over the river below 5
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Front page
its design decisions, were both unavailable to comment. Irving-Bell said these were ‘early days’ and further discussions about the Grade II-listed building to ‘start the ball rolling’ were planned for autumn. She said: ‘It Richard Rogers and Ricky Burdett advise Queen’s College on is only then that we can discuss redevelopment of Stirling’s Grade II-listed student residences the potential and the architectural approach. But of course the A design competition halls, which were built in 1971. Rogers had advised on working Florey Building is also a technical to overhaul James Stirling’s According to sources close with Burdett and that he matter, as we want it to be controversial Florey Building to the project, the college had agreed to help. more energy-efficient, student residences at administration has yet to decide Rogers, who was and to work well.’ Queen’s College, Oxford, whether to faithfully restore taught by Stirling But a source close Year of completion is to be launched. the building or to pursue a at the Architectural to the project said: of James Stirling’s The college has already taken more ambitious regeneration. A Association, and ‘It’s going to go out to Florey Building advice from Richard Rogers and feasibility study is planned prior Burdett, professor competition at some Olympic procurement boss Ricky to a competition launch. of urban studies at the point – and it will be a Burdett on redevelopment plans The college’s home bursar, LSE, who advised the good competition.’ for the notoriously leaky student Linda Irving-Bell, confirmed that Olympic Delivery Authority on Merlin Fulcher
Oxford college to launch contest for revamp of Stirling’s Florey Building
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UK news
Zaha, Parry vie for King’s College job Diverse shortlist for £20 million campus revamp includes Zaha Hadid, Eric Parry, Hall McKnight and Henley Halebrown Rorrison An eclectic shortlist including Zaha Hadid and two Spanish practices has been chosen to contest the £20 million overhaul of King’s College London’s main campus. The six finalists include Eric Parry, Belfast-based MAC architect Hall McKnight (AJ 10.05.12) and Henley Halebrown Rorrison. Barcelonabased Barozzi Veiga Studio and Carme Pinos, the former wife of Enric Miralles, also made the list. The project will regenerate the university’s Strand Quadrangle, transforming its undercroft into a 3,700m² study area and creating a ‘bridge’ between the university’s Robert Smirke-designed King’s Building and William Chambers’
Somerset House East Wing. King’s College director of estates and facilities Ian Caldwell said: ‘We are very pleased with the variety and high standard of submissions and look forward to the development of an innovative, landmark design that will enhance the surrounding historic architecture.’ RIBA adviser Niall McLaughlin said: ‘The competition attracted a large number of high-quality entries. The client was keen to explore a diverse range of approaches to the commission and chose a list of practices that will ensure an interesting variety of responses in the next stage of the competition. The list includes younger and more established practices as well as a balance of local and international architects.’ The six contenders will each receive a £5,000 honorarium to develop proposals, which are due in mid-August. Final interviews will be held at the beginning of September. Merlin Fulcher
Liverpool World Heritage status threat Liverpool is facing the threat of losing its World Heritage Site status due to the impact of Chapman Taylor’s controversial proposed £5.5 billion Liverpool Waters scheme (pictured right). Later this week, Unesco is expected to put the city on its ‘heritage in danger’ list at its annual meeting in St Petersburg. Inspectors who visited Liverpool late last year have drafted a report stating that ‘the proposed development of Liverpool Waters constitutes a potential danger to the World Heritage property’ and that there was the ‘the possibility of ..
Mushtaq Saleri, of Liverpool’s deletion of the property from the Studio Three Architects, said: ‘It’s World Heritage List, should the understandable, given the effort current project be approved and made to obtain World Heritage implemented’. Status that there is concern over The scheme, for developer Peel, the possibility of losing it. awaits the go-ahead from The title matters, but the Secretary of State does it matter more for Communities and than investment?’ Local Government. Frank McKenna, Liverpool’s World Cost of Chapman of lobby group Heritage status has Taylor’s proposed Downtown Liverpool repeatedly come Liverpool Waters in Business, said: under scrutiny since it scheme ‘Unesco says that the was conferred in 2004. Liverpool waterfront will In 2006, Unesco discussed be “damaged beyond repair” by the possible ‘detrimental’ impact the Peel Waters scheme. This is of developments around its Three nonsense. The regeneration of the Graces, including 3XN’s Museum docklands is an opportunity that of Liverpool building.
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Liverpool would be mad to hold back on.’ But Liverpool Heritage Campaigner Wayne Colquhoun said: ‘If Peel is serious about delivering – and not just selling on the planning permission – it has to be a custodian of history, not a wrecker of it. World Heritage status is not a badge, it’s an honour. Why would you want to lose it?’ Richard Waite
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News feature
RIBA membership survey shock results
The RIBA’s Portland Place headquarters
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RIBA LIBRARY PHOTOGRAPHS COLLECTION
Responses from 635 practices reveals nearly half are ‘dissatisfied’ with the work of the RIBA, calling for more benefits, lobbying and services, writes Merlin Fulcher Nearly half of the RIBA’s chartered members are dissatisfied with the services it provides, according to a new institute survey. The surprise findings emerged from a study of 635 practices, carried out ahead of a wideranging overhaul of institute communications, membership classes and benefits. The results come as the institute announced it was increasing its annual membership fee by 3.5 per cent to £383 following a four-year price freeze. At its council meeting last week, the RIBA also confessed it was £500,000 in the red due, in part, to a £388,000 shortfall in income from bookings at its Portland Place headquarters for events and weddings. According the survey, 4.7 out of 10 chartered practices are now dissatisfied with the RIBA as a support organisation. For non-members, dissatisfaction was 3.7 out of 10. Respondents said they wanted more government and industry lobbying and a review of professional education. They also felt the institute could do more to promote quality and professionalism in the sector and needed to up its efforts in preaching the value of architecture to the public and clients. It was also thought the organisation should do more in the regions outside London and the south east. Respondents to the survey, which will not be released and has been described by RIBA officials as an ‘internal intelligence document’, rounded on chartered ..
members’ benefits, with the fees The institute’s plans to train calculator described as ‘clunky and accredit members of local to use’ and a business support design review panels were also hotline said to be ‘insufficient for criticised by council member an inquiry of any complexity’. Walter Menteth who warned: ‘By RIBA Insurance was also setting up a separate [accredited] doubted to be the ‘best on the standard we are undermining market’ while the discount offered architects as the gold standard.’ on advertising in the Yellow Pages Bryan Avery of Avery ‘attracted widespread derision’. Associates Architects called RIBA executive director for a major review of the Richard Brindley said ‘entire professional and the survey was already educational structure shaping the institute’s of architecture review of its in the UK’. RIBA overspend communications and He said: ‘Ever to date for 2012 membership classes since I’ve been and benefits (see right). a member, the Outcomes of the institute has wallowed communications review, which rudderless, drifting helplessly includes plans to bring RIBA in every political and economic Journal back in-house, have squall that has blown in. already come under fire with ‘Every year I, like so many RIBA Council member Francesca others, have dutifully paid the Weal criticising proposals to membership fee like a tithe, for scrap the 15-year-old RIBA Net no reason except to promote online forum, which is said to cost the good of the profession and the institute £16,000 annually. every year the institute finds a
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new way to obfuscate and cede our collective authority, status and prosperity to others.’ Avery mooted an ‘interregnum’ whereby Portland Place is sold or rented out to allow a ‘year or two of focussed debate’ to take place in somewhere ‘more convivial’. But Chris Romer-Lee of Studio Octopi rallied to defend the institute, which he said was ‘hugely supportive’ in bringing new opportunities to his Southwark-based practice. ‘Of course we’ve had our frustrations with the RIBA, but the support offered by client services, particularly in the early years, was second to none,’ he said. Praising the survey and the attempt to ‘assess and adapt’, Clare Wright of Camden-based Wright & Wright said the RIBA was a democracy and if members were unhappy they should take action. ‘What is lacking more than anything is general involvement,’ she said.
Views from the members The RIBA membership is good value for money and it always seems to do a lot with the money it gets from membership. Few people realise how much RIBA Enterprises subsidises the RIBA’s activities. As with any membership organisation, the subscription costs seems better value the more you get involved. Membership benefits are only worth something if you use them. The £13 increase is modest and is merely keeping up with inflation after four years of effective reductions. One inconsistency, though, is the modest cost of RIBA chartered practice membership compared to individual membership; a tiny amount relative to the size and turnover of the practice and relative to the membership benefits. A curiosity not helped by the fact this has been frozen for 2012-13, whereas individual chartered membership has not. Luke Tozer, director, Pitman Tozer Architects ..
The question ‘is the RIBA value for money?’ reminds me of the Monty Python film Life of Brian. Instead of the Romans, we superimpose the RIBA. The conversation might have gone like this: ‘All right, all right... but apart from better lectures and a bookshop and education and RIBA Journal and regional offices and public debate programmes and road shows and sustainability hub and social networks and fundraising auctions and job adverts and advice on appointments... what HAVE the RIBA ever done for US?’ The RIBA could be a lot more proactive. For instance, I would like to see it lead more on lobbying the government and industry, or promoting architects to a wider audience and diversifying education to allow architects to lead from the front, rather than giving away roles such as BREEAM, SAP Calculations and CDM to another consultant. Peter Morris, director, Peter Morris Architects
The RIBA champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members. How we will do this is set out in our ambitious 2012-2016 Strategy ‘Leading Architecture’. Our vision is that by 2017 we will be recognised internationally as the leading authority on architecture and the built environment. This is a challenge, particularly within the context of the current global economy. But the RIBA is prepared for this. The strategy was developed through extensive consultation and involvement with RIBA members. The RIBA Chartered Practice Survey, produced in November 2011, formed part of this and it has helped us better understand the perceived benefits, weaknesses and expectations of chartered practice membership. Since then we have undertaken a comprehensive membership review to ensure that we deliver the best for our members. The RIBA Board has approved an increase of 3.5 per cent in membership subscription fees for 2013 which was endorsed by RIBA Council when it met on 21 June. This subscription fee rise will help the RIBA achieve its strategic vision, from the redeveloping the RIBA website, creating user friendly online directories, working with policymakers and demonstrating the importance of architecture for the economy. Richard Brindley is RIBA executive director for membership and professional support
News on TheAJ.co.uk
THIS WEEK ONLINE
‘Counter-Modernist’ Domenig dies at 77 Austrian architect Günther Domenig was best known for Z-Bank and his concrete Steinhaus home, which he added to over 30 years
SPPARC wins judicial review of Quill tower
UWE’s Parnaby elected new ARB vice chair
Investream, the Academic Richard developer behind SPPARC Parnaby has been elected as Architecture’s Quill skyscraper, ARB’s new vice chair. has won a legal battle to build The University of the West of the 31-storey project in England architecture professor Southwark, London. defeated rival Andrew The Quill will house Mortimer for the job. 500 student rooms Parnaby said: ‘I next to the Shard at look forward to Storeys in the London Bridge. contributing to the controversial Quill Appeal Court important work of skyscraper judges ruled that the the board during the London Borough of coming year, which Southwark had been promises to present us right to grant planning with a number of challenges.’ permission to the contentious Parnaby was backed by Bartlett tower. Adjoining landowner director of professional studies Threadneedle had launched Susan Ware and University of a judicial review against the Bath head of architecture Alex planning decision. TheAJ.co.uk/quill Wright. TheAJ.co.uk/arb
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RIBA Awards 2012
58 covers, 58 winners on the Stirling Prize longlist Dune House by Jarmund/Vigsnæs Arkitekter and Mole Architects
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RIBA Awards 2012 £4.95 THE ARCHITECTS’ JOURNAL THEAJ.CO.UK
58 covers, 58 winners on the Stirling Prize longlist H27D, Kraus Schoenberg Architects
£4.95 THE ARCHITECTS’ JOURNAL THEAJ.CO.UK
Check out the AJ’s live blog of the London Festival of Architecture, including reports from Will Alsop’s art symposium and Terry Farrell’s Wren Talk at St Bride’s Church today (28 June) at 7pm. TheAJ.co.uk/LFA
RIBA LIBRARY PHOTOGRAPHS COLLECTION
Günther Domenig, the ‘expressionistic, counterModernist’ Austrian architect has died aged 77. Best known for his free-flowing Zentralsparkasse bank in Vienna (right), with its overhanging metal ‘mouth’, Domenig (above, right) influenced the likes of Frank Gehry and Daniel Libeskind. The architect’s own concrete home, the ‘Steinhaus’ at Lake Ossiach near Klagenfurt, became
a ‘personal manifesto’ which he worked on and added to for more than 30 years. Paying tribute to Domenig, fellow Austrian Wolf Prix of Coop Himmelb(l)au said: ‘Long before the convoluted computer architects started using parametric tools to give their lame design a boost, Domenig had not only designed the first three-dimensional facade, but actually built it, too. Domenig’s other stand -out schemes include the OWI-Zentrum university building at Karl Franzens Universität, Graz (1996) and the Nazi Documentation Centre, Nuremberg (1998). Richard Waite
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Read coverage of every UK student show beginning online later this week with a Student Shows special issue of the AJ appearing on 26 July. TheAJ.co.uk/studentshows 2
Zaha Hadid defends against Times tax slurs Zaha Hadid has slammed reports linking her to alleged tax loopholes which could have seen her save about £1 million a year. Hadid was condemned by the Sunday Times for receiving a loan of £2.66 million from her company, which the paper claimed would allow her to sidestep a 50 per cent tax had the sum been paid as salary. A spokesman said the ‘one-off ’ loan had been taken out to buy a home in Miami, where she was working, and had been paid back with interest within nine months. He said: ‘She pays the full rate of tax on earnings and has derived no benefit from this. If anything, she has lost out.’ TheAJ.co.uk/hadid
See all 58 covers of last week’s AJ – plus your last chance to purchase a reprint of the magazine with your practice on the front cover. TheAJ.co.uk/RIBAAwards2012 3
Browse images, drawings and data for 235 RIBA Award winning projects from the last 50 years – including 25 of this year’s winners in the AJ Buildings Library. AJBuildingsLibrary.co.uk 4
Catch up with the latest developments in sustainability with Hattie Hartman’s daily round-up of the newspapers, blogs and Twitter, every day at noon. AJFootprint.com 5
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Competitions & wins
Penoyre & Prasad books library scheme COMPETITIONS FILE Complementary facade proposal sees off strong field of rivals to take £12 million revamp and extension to Kent University’s Templeman Library
1ST The Zagreb Society of Architects in Croatia has launched three ideas competitions revisiting past contests. Students and professionals are invited to submit proposals for the Peak Leisure Club in Hong Kong, won by Zaha Hadid in 1983, the Yokohama Port Terminal (pictured), won by Foreign Office Architects in 1994 and the Blur Buildingin Switzerland, won by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in 1999 [Submissions must be uploaded by 17 July]
Penoyre & Prasad has won the competition to design a £12 million extension to the Templeman Library at Kent University, Canterbury. Working with Max Fordham, Price & Myers and Fabrik Landscape, the team saw off Hawkins\Brown, BDP, Shepheard Epstein Hunter and Associated Architects to land the project. As well as adding a 5,200m2 extension, the scheme will overhaul the William Holforddesigned building, built in three phases between 1965 and 1990. According to the practice, the facade of the proposed extension ‘inverts the balance of the original brutalist styling of the building to create a strong and holistic architectural identity’. Construction is due to end in September 2014. Richard Waite ..
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THE AJ DOES NOT ORGANISE, ENDORSE OR TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR COMPETITIONS
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Barnfield College in Bedfordshire is seeking an architect to progress phases two and three of its Bedford Road campus project from RIBA stage C to completion. The project has a £12 million budget. Phases four and five are subject to funding success [Requests to participate to be received by 19 July] Space Syntax and Hype! have opened a photography competition for the London Festival of Architecture. Entries should capture London’s public spaces and public interaction with ‘fresh eyes’. Prizes will include photographic equipment [Images should be received by 1 July] Sean Kitchen TheAJ.co.uk/competitions
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Awards
Doolan Prize shortlist announced
’ , (. ) OMA
, (.) Hypostyle Architects ..
‘’ , (,) Gokay Deveci Chartered Architect
() Reiach and Hall Architects
(,) Dualchas Building Design
, , (,) Cameron Webster Architects
, (.) G1 Group ..
THIS PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM, LEFT TO RIGHT: PHILIPPE RUAULT, STUART JOHNSTONE, TOM MANLEY, DAVE MORRIS, DUALCHAS BUILDING DESIGN, DARPLE PHOTOGRAPHY, RENZO MAZZOLINI
The AJ can reveal the 14-strong shortlist vying for the this year’s largest cash prize in British architecture: the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award
THIS PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM, LEFT TO RIGHT: ALAN DICKSON, PAUL ZANRE, ICOSIS ARCHITECTS, ANDREW LEE, PAUL ZANRE, GAUTIER DEBLONDE, ANDREW LEE
The finalists for this year’s Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award are made up of the 18 inaugural winners of RIAS’ own awards minus the projects which were up for the Doolan Prize last year. In a break from tradition, the RIAS announced the shortlist last
() Rural Design
week at the same time as RIBA announced its national award winners. Previous winners of the £25,000 architecture prize include Archial Architects’ Small Animal Hospital (2009), Elder and Cannon’s Shettleston Housing Association offices (2010) and Gareth Hoskins’ £37 million overhaul of the National Museum
, () Zone Architects
, (,) Icosis Architects
’ , () LDN Architects ..
of Scotland (2011). Supported by the Doolan family and the Scottish Government, the victor will be announced in November. Meanwhile, this year’s winner of the RIAS/Forestry Commission Scotland Wood For Good Award has been announced as Gokay Deveci’s Model ‘D’ House at Insch, in Aberdeenshire.
, (.) Holmes Miller
(,) McGregor Bowes + Haworth Tompkins
, (.) Page\Park Architects
This year’s Doolan Prize highlights no less than 14 schemes, which is not what I would call a shortlist. The RIAS must avoid diluting that most valuable commodity: in-depth local media coverage that demonstrates why good architecture doesn’t come only from London. As the list includes this year’s RIBA National Award winners, it’s hard to see why the shortlist should be much larger than that, making due allowance for the different awards timetables. Of the five national awards, Gareth Hoskins’ National Museum of Scotland and Reiach & Hall’s Dundee House are excluded, because they vied for last year’s Doolan prize. Hoskins eventually won. However the remaining three – by Page\Park, OMA and Rural Design – certainly hold their own with award-winners at any level. But hold on a minute, where is Dame Zaha Hadid’s Transport Museum? Are there really 14 better buildings in Scotland this year or is there a little bit of anti-London baggage here? If the RIAS’ intention is to rise above the nationalist fray, it needs to do better than that. Also, most of the major projects within this year’s crop were begun before insanely low fee bids strangled the recessionhit Scottish market, so what can the RIAS and the future Doolan judges do to protect and promote Scotland’s legacy? Rab Bennetts, Bennetts Associates
International
Architects at risk from China ‘scam’ Gianni Botsford and Mole approached with ‘too good to be true’ offers to build luxury villa project in Kunming Architects across Europe, including Lubetkin Prize-winning Gianni Botsford Architects and Cambridge-based Mole, have been targeted by an alleged Chinese scam. The studios, who together are designing a 71,000 square metre resort in Hsinchu, Taiwan, were separately told they had won a luxury 130-unit villa development in Kunming, southwest China and invited to the country to sign a contract. Believing it could be ‘too good to be true’, the companies contacted the China-Britain Business Council, which said it
was ‘certain it was a scam’ and advised against the meeting. Botsford said: ‘The scam, we are told, is usually to get you to China, to wine and dine you, to get you to pay for everything (they say it shows respect), to go to a special shop to buy gifts, and the following day, on signing the contract, to pay a lawyer’s fee of between $5,000 and $10,000. ‘On returning from what seemed a successful trip, you find they have all disappeared, do not answer calls and emails, and you do not, in fact, have a contract.’ The AJ understand architects in Italy have also been targeted.
In 2010, a group of architects in New York fell victim to a similar swindle involving an office tower and housing scheme in China’s Henan province. Botsford said he felt ‘very foolish’ because searching the internet proved such scams were common. A UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) spokesperson advised ‘due diligence when trading in China’. The UKTI’s trade services partner for mainland China, the ChinaBritain Business Council also offers company checks to verify the legal status of Chinese outfits. Merlin Fulcher TheAJ.co.uk/china
■ A plausible but poorly specified request for a quote is received, often by fax using convincing letterheads ■ The value is usually above £500,000. Terms are often favourable with up to a 30 or 50 per cent proposed down-payment with minimal negotiation ■ The supplier is invited to China to sign the contract. Large sums may be required to ‘smooth procedures’ ■ Once in China there may be negotiations involving demands for commission and/or cash payments or gifts. Meetings may take place in genuine-looking offices. Contracts may be signed ■ Back in the UK, the initial payment is not received. Communication ceases and any cash parted will be lost :
Building in Japan up 37% BDP wins Danish hospital Japanese construction for major private schemes were orders soared by more up 41 per cent to ¥1.7 trillion. than a third in April 2012, Construction orders received by official data has revealed. the top 50 contractors increased Government figures this 16 per cent year-on-year to April. week showed that spending However, work on-site on building work in the remained stable, with country amounted to separate figures showing ¥3.1 trillion (£24.6 10.9 million square billion) in April 2012. metres of building This was 37 per starts in April 2012 Spending on cent higher than the – up less than 1 per building work in figure for the same cent year-on-year. Japan in April month a year earlier. Despite the excellent According to the figures, RICS economist The Royal Institution of Andy Wu added a note Chartered Surveyors (RICS), of caution: ‘We believe Japan rebuilding after the earthquake will revert to a more moderate and tsunami of March 2011 growth outlook in the near-term kickstarted the industry. as a result of the uncertainty Spending on public sector surrounding the eurozone debt prime projects was up 29 per crisis and a continuing strong yen.’ cent to ¥436 billion, while orders Greg Pitcher. TheAJ.co.uk/Japan
bn
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BDP has won the international competition to masterplan a new hospital and psychiatry unit at Bispebjerg, in northern Copenhagen. The practice, working with Danish architects TKT and engineers Rambøll, saw off fellow finalists Drees & Sommer Nordic, to land the Dk 4 billion (£430 million) project. It is the first time a company, lead by a foreign practice, has won one of the hospital competitions run through the Danish government’s quality funding programme, which started in 2007. The winning project splits the site into four quarters with a green park in the centre. The scheme includes 121,000 square metres of new build and 96,000 square metres of
renovation work, including the overhaul of a series of heritagelisted pavilions by Martin Nyrop. BDP’s design places the proposed psychiatric facility in the north-eastern part of the site – an ‘alternative solution’ to the suggested division of the buildings in the eastern and southern parts of the site as set out in the competition brief. The project is expected to last from 2014 until 2025. Greg Pitcher TheAJ.co.uk/BDP
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People & practice
‘Variety brings vibrancy’
NEW PRACTICES
What schemes are you working on? We have a development programme of approximately 2,500 homes, many of which are part of major regeneration projects or large scale mixed tenure developments. One of our most exciting developments is a 700 home scheme including a 43-storey tower by Stock Woolstencroft in Stratford next to the Olympic Park. How have the last few years been? Inevitably very tough for all new development activity. Confidence in the development industry has been at an all-time low and this has led to much greater scrutiny of the risks involved, especially where investment decisions are based on mixed tenure or market housing, as well as social housing. I foresee much lower levels of investment in new housing over the next few years and demand for new homes far outstripping supply in London. How do you create successful communities in residential developments? There is no magic formula for a successful community, though we continue to promote a variety of tenure types as a means to bring diversity and vibrancy, and a sense of place through well managed common spaces. We like to work with architects who, as well as having vision, can work with us to come up with practical, innovative and cost-effective ideas based on how people live in the real world.
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How do you find your architects? We have a framework of consultants, but also increasingly undertake fully OJEU-compliant competitions for our own sites. We also work with architects introduced by developers where we’re providing the affordableonly element of a scheme. Will social housing schemes in the capital surpass pre-recession levels in the coming decade? No. Social housing at pre-recession levels needs considerable subsidy that is unlikely to be available for the foreseeable future. We do see a growth in other areas, such as market rented products. Genesis also has a good track record in delivery of shared ownership housing, which needs less public subsidy and appeals to first-time buyers due to lower mortgage and deposit requirements. Which of your projects is your favourite and why? The most challenging: the redevelopment of the former Mildmay Mission Hospital in Shoreditch by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Matthew Lloyd Architects. It started on site in December 2011 and will include 139 new homes with a mix of social rent, shared ownership, private rent and sale, as well as a modern church and hospital facilities. It is a very constrained site with a long history; start on site was a culmination of almost 10 years of work to achieve a viable scheme with planning consent and lots of hard work.
RUTH BRENNAN ARCHITECTS
Deputy director of development at Genesis Housing Group, Tracy Williams applauds architects who respond to the way people live
Ruth Brennan Architects Ruth Brennan Norfolk September 2011 ruthbrennanarchitects.co.uk Where have you come from? I joined Feilden and Mawson as a technician and after being made redundant, ran my own practice while studying for Part 1, 2 and 3 as a work-based learner. I joined Purcell Miller Tritton four years ago. After being made redundant again, I set up my own practice to concentrate on conservation projects. What work do you have? A mixed bag, ranging from an industrial unit and a small housing development to repairs to a Grade I-listed church tower (pictured). There are two on site, both consisting of re-ordering traditional Norfolk houses. I’ve had fun adapting them to make better use of some very convoluted, dark spaces. I have just inspected the ruins
of a priory ready to prepare a specification for repairs and I’m looking for more conservation projects, especially church repairs and reordering. What are your ambitions? To concentrate on historic buildings, adapting them to modern needs and improving them to suit the people who use them. The practice will grow over the next few years and will be known for personal service from sympathetic experts. How optimistic are you? My last practice began in the crash of the early 90s and did very well, so I am optimistic this time that things will stay busy. Many clients prefer the personal touch that only a small practice can provide.
Astragal
Private & confidential
WWW.LOUISHELLMAN.CO.UK
Last week’s RIBA Council kicked off to a riproaring start with past president Owen Luder slamming the institute for emblazoning ‘private and confidential’ across council papers which contain only a sliver of secret material, stating: ‘Please can we make sure everything we do can be seen to be open and transparent.’ In response to further criticism from Luder, president Angela Brady called for a show of hands in support of publishing council papers online to which the assembled council members agreed: ‘That is a confirmed decision’, she said. But what is so sensitive it
must be discussed only during RIBA’s ‘closed camera’ sessions? The unexpectedly contentious honorary fellowship of City of London planning officer Peter Rees. The council was forced to vote on making an exception to its own rule about honorary fellowships after a clerical error meant Rees – who is an ARBregistered architect and eligible to be a chartered member of the institute – was chosen for the gong. Honorary fellowships are only conferrable on nonarchitects. Fortunately for Rees, who presumably won’t have to pay the newly hiked £383 annual membership fee, the council sanctioned his exception. But as one unnamed councillor explained: ‘The fact they made
it confidential is clearly to cover their own embarrassment.’
RIBA price hike Why must architects now pay £383 for RIBA membership and not £385, as they do in Scotland? The reason is down to a somewhat shambolic episode in RIBA Council history. Shortly after vice president for membership Stephen Hodder announced plans for a consumer price index-linked 3.5 per cent fee rise to £383, a vote was called on whether to bring it in line with the RIAS. President Angela Brady held a quick vote and announced the decision passed. But this was quickly followed
by an outburst from councillors who started pointing at the press stalls complaining the hike was ‘bad publicity’ and demanding it be counted properly. The vote was duly taken again and this time triple-checked, with the result: 18 backing £383 and 29 supporting an increase to £385. But, as everyone gasped for air, past president Owen Luder said the procedure had been invalid, as there had been no formal motion or seconder. Brady turned to her board for advice and moments later announced: ‘To move on, we’re going to keep it at £383’. And so history was made.
Royal approval The Shard, Europe’s tallest skyscraper (pictured), will receive a smidgen of royal approval next week when Prince Andrew and Qatari prime minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al Thani officiate at its inauguration. The presence of the former UKTI special representative, who is also a friend of the developer Irvine Sellar, points to a difference of opinion from his brother, the Prince of Wales, who in 2003 likened Renzo Piano’s landmark to a ‘salt cellar’. Was the Prince of Wales invited? Clarence House confirmed HRH has other engagements and will be away from London that day.
The Hellman Files #71 A trawl through Hellman’s archives, in which we uncover gems that are as relevant now as they were then. Hellman writes: ‘It was the first Rio 92 Earth Summit 20 years ago and they are ..
there again at Rio+20. It refers to a 1933 Astaire film, but I have bunged in Carmen Miranda, the Brazilian Bombshell, she of the fruity headgear.’ ..
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Letter from London
Architectural discourse would benefit from a little more volume and a lot more time, says Paul Finch To hear the way that architecture is frequently discussed, you would think it is almost entirely a matter of external appearance. Mind-numbing controversies about the merits or otherwise of particular buildings centre on two-dimensional images of facades. Take the Danny Libeskind proposal for the Victoria and Albert Museum, for example. The Times famously showed an elevation of Danny’s design which made it appear that the side of the building redesigned was in fact the front. This sort of drivel no doubt contributed to the pitiful failure of the National Lottery to make funding available for that fine scheme, or indeed to Danny’s other Lottery contender, the Imperial War Museum outpost in now-fashionable Salford. Both were denied funding on the grounds that they were insufficiently distinctive architecturally, a gigantic lie that helped to discredit the Lottery’s pretensions to cultural authority. If the English establishment could not understand, or take kindly to, the notion of deconstruction, still less has it been able to come to terms with the idea of architecture as occupied volume. The almost criminal lack of concern about the living conditions of many of our citizens in respect of space and volume has infected the architectural profession to the extent that otherwise civilised designers refer to ‘over-size’ dwellings, which are in fact one up from rabbit hutches. As this column has remarked before, the only politician to stand up for decent living space in new housing is Boris Johnson, and all power to his elbow. He, at least, has understood that the volumes enjoyed by the moneyed classes are part of what makes a decent life. Of course, we cannot all live in castles or manor houses. But that does not mean we have to accept that, 40 years after the abolition of Parker Morris minimum standards for homes, we should live like Hobbits. In taking his stance, Mayor Johnson has, unusually, declined to fall into the trap of assuming that quality and quantity are inevitably different sides of the environmental coin, doomed to perpetual conflict. The ..
reality is that sensible regulation on minimum sizes would not affect provision by one jot, for all sorts of reasons that don’t need to be rehearsed here, other than the reminder that the principal cost of the construction of almost any house is land, not materials or (within limits) size. It is a pity that architects don’t talk more often about volume. After all, the manipulation of three-dimensional space is, potentially, what designers are really good at. The idea of sequence through changing volumes is incredibly powerful at a big scale, and a matter of real importance in relation to the dwelling. The fact that volume and sequencing are difficult to communicate and are almost invariably absent in the single images generally used at architectural award
It does not mean that 40 years after the abolition of Parker Morris minimum standards, we should live like Hobbits ceremonies, does not alter the fact that they are critical elements in the creation of any new building, of any scale. That is why, many years ago, Cedric Price wrote a programme for a student awards scheme run by the AJ, which asked competitors to describe the sequence of volumes in a museum of the 20th century (the competition was set in 1995). A number of competitors gave sequences of areas, but very few a sequence of volumes. Perhaps because they had not appreciated the relationship between volume, use and time. Time, which is little discussed in relation to architecture, is the architect’s potential friend, way beyond the ideology of the project manager, inevitably obsessed with the contractual present. A building’s true success is in satisfactory use through time. Plumbing can be replaced. Volume is more difficult. ..
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Black box
Don’t wreck one of Britain’s finest gridiron townscapes with gimmicky urban design, pleads Rory Olcayto One of Britain’s finest towns is under threat by wellintentioned architects who have completely misread the nature of the place they are lucky enough to be dealing with. The culprit is Austin Smith: Lord. The town is Helensburgh, at the mouth of Gare Loch on the Clyde. Earlier this week residents voted on public realm works planned for the town’s Colquhoun Square. Not on whether or not they should go ahead – that’s a given – but which of three AS:L schemes should be built. The tragedy here, is that none of them are any use. At the moment, the square is divided into four greens by a crossroads. The basic AS:L move is to pedestrianise the north side (with sub-Gross Max twaddle) and bend the east-west road southwards, Home Zone-style, away from the square’s exact centre to “enable pedestrians to safely enjoy the four way vista of the Helensburgh grid; the only location this can be achieved in the town”. Two of the three proposals centre on providing this money shot moment. The third, which offers the same duff landscape but with no bendy road, warns: “No safe place for pedestrians to enjoy the four way vista of the Helensburgh grid.” Yet, as residents will attest, and I was one for many years, the roads within the grid are calm. You walk in the middle of them most times because the paths can get muddy. Every day, every night, people wander the
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grid: teenagers looking for parties, parents strolling with kids, joggers, dog walkers, mountain bikers, postmen. There are plenty of “four way vistas” to safely enjoy. The grid itself is one of the largest in Britain. Google map it, then open another page for central Glasgow and you’ll see they are a proportional match. Helensburgh would, in fact, have made for a more practical Glasgow than Glasgow itself, if the original 1750s plan for the town, as a centre of manufacturing, had taken off. You could imagine a city here, given the grid’s scale and the easier topography to build on. It’s better positioned on the Clyde in terms of transport links, too. But, instead, it developed as a residential town for wealthy city merchants. So the grid has wide grass verges on either side and cherry blossoms lining long vistas that stretch westwards towards the Highlands and south down a gentle slope to a shingle shore with views across the Firth of Clyde. Massive villas occupy each of the plots, “embosomed soft in trees”. Yet it feels urban: the town centre has tenements, the churches are big and there is an impressive Victorian rail terminal with a barrel-vaulted roof. It’s hard to overplay Helensburgh’s significance within British architectural and urban design culture. At least that’s what Hermann Muthesius thought, during his reconnaissance for the German government at the turn of the 20th Century. He wrote widely about the town in Das Englishe Haus, recognising the residential designs of William Leiper for their blend of French and Scottish vernacular sources. And he chose two of the town’s best villas, Mackintosh’s Hill House and Baillie Scott’s White House, as exemplars for his seminal book. There’s another Mackintosh in the town, a red sandstone elevation among the parade of shops on Sinclair Street, a ‘Greek’ Thomson Villa down on the shore, and three miles away in Cardross lies the crumbling Modernist ruin of St Peter’s Seminary. The grid, however, trumps them all in terms of architectural vision. It deserves more than childish ideas. Plans here: www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/sites/default/files/ Helensburgh CHORD Referendum Details of Options.pdf ..
DAVID MORLEY ARCHITECTS
AJBuildingsLibrary.co.uk
Project of the Week The Hurlingham Club, outdoor pool David Morley Architects London, 2011 This outdoor pool at a members club sits within a conservation area in west London and is one of 30 winners of 2012 RIBA Awards in the library. Search for ‘Hurlingham’ to see nine photographs and six drawings on AJBuildingsLibrary.co.uk ..
AJBuildingsLibrary.co.uk Browse thousands of projects in the AJ Buildings Library, a digital archive of built work, part of your AJ subscription
Letters
Last issue AJ 21.06.12 Established 1895
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RIBA Awards 2012
58 covers, 58 winners on the Stirling Prize longlist Royal Veterinary College Student Village by Hawkins\Brown
£4.95 THE ARCHITECTS’ JOURNAL THEAJ.CO.UK
Letters should be received by 10am on the Monday before publication. The AJ reserves the right to edit letters. The letter of the week’s author will receive a bone china AJ mug. Post to the address below or email letters@architectsjournal. co.uk
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Imposter cheats us all It’s interesting to compare the level of financial punishment applied to Ibbitson (Anthony Ibbitson ordered to pay a £1,000 fine for unlawfully using the title ‘architect’, AJ online) with the cost of putting yourself through higher education in order to qualify as an architect and thus legitimately use the title. A total £3,350 (£1,000 in fines and £2,350 in costs) is paltry when you note that a home-grown student wishing to qualify as an architect will pay university tuition fees of up to £9,000 per annum (before materials, living costs etc). If you include the cost of Part 3 qualification as well as the five years at university, you could reasonably expect very little change from £50,000. Mr Ibbitson, you got off lightly – your fine and costs only represent 6.7 per cent of the cost of qualification. The ARB’s website says that anyone prosecuted under section 20 of the Architects Act 1997 is liable to a fine LETTER OFK THE WEE
Editor Christine Murray Deputy editor Rory Olcayto () Acting administrator Rakesh Ramchurn () Digital editor Simon Hogg () News editor Richard Waite ( ) Reporter Merlin Fulcher () Editorial intern Alvaro Menendez Technical editor Felix Mara () Senior editor James Pallister () Group special projects editor Emily Booth Sustainability editor Hattie Hartman () Sustainability intern Sahiba Chadha AJ Buildings Library editor Tom Ravenscroft () Art editor Brad Yendle () Designers Tom Carpenter, Ella Mackinnon Production editor Mary Douglas (on leave) Acting production editor Abigail Gliddon () Acting sub-editor Alan Gordon Asia correspondent Hyunjoo Lee Contributing editor Ian Martin Editorial director Paul Finch Chief executive officer Natasha Christie-Miller
of up to £2,500 for each offence. Why has this maximum figure not been applied in this instance and why is the fine fixed when costs of qualification are rising? The profession needs to consider lobbying the ARB about its ‘successful outcomes’, as a £1,000 fine is feeble. So, I ask the RIBA, as a professional body representing both the formally qualified and those undergoing the slow and expensive process of trying to become qualified, if there is anything we can do to open discussions with the ARB on this issue? Ewan Graham, London
Remembering Speirs For about four years in the early 90s, Jonathan Speirs (AJ 21.06.12) and I shared an office in an old shop on Blair Street, Edinburgh. It was ‘early days’ for both of us and we shared each other’s successes and commiserated on any failures, although I don’t recall that he had too many of those. He was always charming company and totally committed to what
Managing director of architecture and media Conor Dignam () Group commercial director Alison Pitchford () Commercial director James MacLeod () Business development managers Nick Roberts (), Ceri Evans () Group advertising manager Amanda Pryde () Account managers Hannah Buckley (), Simon Collingwood (), Steph Atha () Classified and recruitment sales Mark Malone ()
he was doing. After out-growing Blair Street it never surprised me that he went on to create with Mark and others such an outstanding company. He had ambition and ability in spades. A lovely man. Richard Murphy, Richard Murphy Architects, Edinburgh Jonathan will be much missed. He was one of the most talented designers globally and one of the most delightful, friendly, modest and humorous people I have ever had the joy of knowing. He lit up the world in more ways than one. Douglas Read, Edinburgh
Corrections In last week’s RIBA Awards issue the cost of Maggie’s Nottingham should have read £1.45 million, not £14.5 million. David Chipperfield Architects’ Turner Contemporary was illustrated with an image of Hepworth Wakefield, which was missed from the citations altogether. Centre Pompidou – Metz should have been credited to Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastine Architectes with Gumuchdjian Architects.
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AJ Benchmark Competition
AJ Kingspan Benchmark Sketch a facade
Get your pencils out Rory Olcayto
W
e knew this competition would be popular. But 222 registered competitors submitting 588 sketches between them? We were not expecting that. The story begins in March when, together with Kingspan Benchmark, the AJ launched its Sketch a facade competition with a lecture by Professor Alan Dunlop at KPF’s new gallery on Langley Street in Covent Garden. It was a full house: over one hundred attendees with quite a few standing. Alan gave an impassioned talk, discussing the central role sketching and drawing plays in the design and development of good architecture. Using his own work and the drawings of past masters, including Paul Rudolph, Louis Kahn, Frank Lloyd Wright and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, as well as artists Ed Ruscha and Patricia Cain, Alan kept the audience’s attention with a slew of incredible images and smart observations.
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At the evening’s close there was a buzz in the air. Soon after, Twitter came alive: ‘Professor Alan Dunlop is an absolute hero,’ tweeted Robert James Mawson. ‘Some beautiful hand drawings tonight with Alan Dunlop. Paul Rudolph is inspirational @ ArchitectsJrnal #handraw keep it alive!’ said MAP Architcture. J-J Lorraine added: ‘@ArchitectsJrnal fantastic event at KPF Alan Dunlop lecture on the beauty and integrity of drawing over the “ busted flush” of CGIs.’ We’d obviously touched a nerve. Architects like to draw, but too often reach for the computer when thinking about how to show their designs to prospective clients. That’s starting to change. Partly because clients have also realised the value of the
Clockwise from top left A trio on Arne Jacobsen’s Danish Embassy by Catherine Hennessy Shopfront by Gemma Thompson; Munkenbeck + Marshall’s Jerwood Space by Owen Pomery
After the lecture, the sketches began to arrive. A trickle, then a torrent. Then a flood
architects’ sketch. In fact, the drawing Alan made of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studio’s Broadcasting Tower in Leeds to advertise our competition, which uses Kingspan Benchmark’s facade system, so impressed the sponsor that it now hangs in its office. After the lecture, the sketches began to arrive. A trickle, then a torrent. Then a flood. Picking winners from 588 entries was going to be tough. Alongside Alan, we recruited his friend and internationally recognised artist Patricia (Trish) Cain as a fellow judge. And after hours of discussion, which included commentary from Kingspan Benchmark’s Rachael Morris, we picked our favourites. The overall winner has received £500 and student winner has won an annual subscription to both the AJ and the Architectural Review. We’ve published those here, along with others that caught the eye. We hope you like what you see – and that they inspire you draw again, from time to time, and not just for fun. ..
The judging process How do you pick a winner when they’re each so different in style and execution, asks Patricia Cain
I
t’s difficult to define exactly what a sketch is: like the term ‘drawing’, you want it to be open-ended in order to encompass the varied ways that sketches are used in the architectural process to express different ideas or qualities. We definitely got a sense of the different processes behind the drawings. Some were hasty, undetailed drawings or paintings made as preliminary studies. Others were closely observed drawings that captured the qualities of a facade – with the level of observation that only happens when you really ‘look’ at something, rather than simply ‘see’ it.
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Some drawings were obviously studio-based, others done on the spot. Often it was possible to identify some sort of struggle by the maker to get their expression on paper and inevitably, it was the actual making of the sketch that helped them work their ideas out in the end. In choosing the winning entries the judges discussed all these distinctions and, although we didn’t define our consensus about what a ‘sketch’ is through our choice of winners, we were surprisingly united in our assessment of the strength and quality of their drawings.
AJ/Kingspan Benchmark Sketch a facade Jay Merrick on drawing
In praise of the quizzical line Jay Merrick
THE ARCHITECTS’ SKETCHBOOK
I
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n 2006, in an apartment overlooking Copacabana beach, the 98-year-old Oscar Niemeyer led me to a cramped corner where a slanting desktop and an A3-wide roll of drawing paper were fixed to the wall. He tore off a large sheet of paper and smoothed it down. Picking up a thick felt-tip pen he outlined, in half a dozen strokes, the shape of a Communist Party memorial that Moscow apparatchiks had asked him to design. Three things struck me: the stillness of his unblinking gaze; his small fingers holding the felt-tip, and the way his curving lines wavered for a moment and then became certain as the felt-tip moved more rapidly. The marks suggested very little until the final line had been drawn. Niemeyer promptly drew the form several times more, as if looking for something else. Is this looking for something else – this taking a line for a walk, as Paul Klee famously put it – still fundamentally important to 21st century architects, and to those who teach them? CGIs have become central to a psycho-pathology of design that craves a more marketable certainty of vision. Today, you can encounter startlingly impressive visuals that make it difficult to know whether an architectural student is profoundly intelligent, or will eventually become famous for transforming Croydon into a ‘vibrant’ conflation of Singapore and CentreParcs. An antidote is needed. Pencil, nib, ink, paper – in relation to eye, hand, thought, doubt, accident, emergence. To those words we might add Juhani ..
THE ARCHITECTS’ SKETCHBOOK
BARBICAN/PHILADEPHIA MUSEUM OF ART
No mouse, no pixel, no certainty. No instant architectural heroism in drawings, just potential
Pallasmaa’s engrossing phrase, the thinking (and making) hand. Let’s fold in some poetry, too: ‘Between the idea/ And the reality/Between the motion/And the act/ Falls the shadow.’ Those lines appear in TS Eliot’s poem, The Hollow Men, which concerns the aftermath of the first world war. Eliot’s shadow refers to the post-war existential and political morass. But the idea of a pregnant, fraught space between intention and action transfers easily to the act of drawing. That sombre shadow becomes a lacuna; a charged and not quite identifiable space in which the unexpected form, created in an intrinsically uncertain, physical way, may arise. Drawing is hazardous. There is no instant clarity. Drawing forces you to think again, and again. Drawings cannot be finished. Pens, pencils and paper are the primary building materials; sketches are the first intimations of the tense physicality and potential of architecture, and the effect that even the smallest details may have. Drawings are marks on what the art historian, John Berger, describes as the ‘eddies of time’. ..
And he adds: ‘When the intensity of looking reaches a certain degree, one becomes aware of an equally intense energy coming towards one... the encounter of these two energies, their dialogue, does not have the form of a question and answer. It is a ferocious and articulate dialogue.’ In comparison, Piet Mondrian’s ‘fixed laws, which govern and point to the use of the constructive elements of the composition’ seem bossy and trivial. To draw in a fertile way is to imagine that you’re in the process of seeing and substantiating one kind of form, and then realising that you are creating something different and self-challenging. At best, drawings are provisional answers that remain fissile and questionable. Unlike a CGI, a properly exploratory drawing made by hand cannot exude the virtualised aura of a completed architectural product. In drawing, the relationship between hand, eye, intuition, emotion, and thought is febrile and equivocal. It can produce an astonishing range of expression, as is well shown in Will Jones’ book, Architects’ Sketchbooks, by C. Errol Barron’s exquisitely
Book The Architects’ Sketchbooks by Will Jones, Thames & Hudson, £29.95
Left Rafael Viñoly’s drawing for the Kimmel Centre, Philadelphia Top left A sketch by architect and designer Alessandro Mendini Top right A Tomb in Three Parts by Paul Klee, 1923
delicate watercolours, for example; the virtuosity of drawings and paintings by Rafael Viñoly, and Witherford Watson Mann; Sean Godsell’s architectural spoor, in the form of crude clumps of ruthlessly simplified figurations. No mouse, no pixel, no certainty, no instant architectural heroism in this kind of work, just potential. In The Hollow Men, Eliot speaks of: ‘Shape without form, shade without colour/Paralysed force, gesture without motion.’ Is CGI leading to something like this dehumanised simulacrum of creativity? Here’s Deanna Petherbridge, author of The Primacy of Drawing: ‘I believe that many of the rich potentialities of drawing have been repressed in our time and need to be rediscovered and revalued. In particular, drawing needs to be reaffirmed as intelligent practice, which is as much as much about thinking, seeing and interrogating as inventing, and which communicates as intensely with others as it refers to the affective self. ‘One of the purposes of drawing should be to challenge the philosophical and artistic tedium of the ready made. In a sea of tired, secondhand and endlessly recycled images, the indigestible dross that has passed many times through the body politic only to resurface again and again in the sewers of cyberspace, the drawn image that springs from the visual imagination of the individual is infinitely more potent and subversive.’ Note the elegant demotion of solipsistic visual invention, and the promotion of drawing as an expression of democratic contact. The latter is certainly what I experienced in that cupboard in Rio de Janeiro. When Niemeyer finally put his felt-tip down, he asked which of the drawings I liked best. Was this a maestro-supplicant routine? Not at all. He just wanted to find out what the sketches had made me, an incidental stranger, think of. Jay Merrick is architecture critic at the Independent
AJ/Kingspan Benchmark Sketch a facade Sponsor’s statement
Sketch a facade Kingspan Benchmark
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ingspan Benchmark is proud to have worked closely with the AJ on the Sketch a facade competition. Alan Dunlop’s talk on drawing at Kohn Pedersen Fox in London was insightful and inspiring and taught us that every sketch is technically and creatively unique. The high quality of entries and different approaches that had been taken showed how relevant this skill remains in today’s computer driven society. It was exciting to see which facades, elevations or buildings would inspire the participants and impress the judges across a range of sectors. The entrants had used their sketching skills to create both traditional and contemporary facades in domestic and commercial settings.
critical path, which can considerably reduce programme time. The modules can be up to seven metres high, and incorporate an integral cavity for ventilation and to carry services. Once installed, they are ready for fit-out of internal plasterboard and external panels alike, with pre-glazing as an option and an achievable air permeability of less than 3m3/hr/m2 at 50Pa. Once the system is in place, your imagination can take over using the Benchmark facade range. It is suitable for any size and shape of building in any setting. Evolution
Left Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, created using the Benchmark Ceramic Granite facade and Karrier Panel System Below Quartermile in Edinburgh, Benchmark’s first Connect project
Kingspan Benchmark
At Kingspan Benchmark we see our wall systems as a blank canvas. We pride ourselves on providing a highperformance, insulated panel system that creates a weatherproof building, preparing it for the artist to begin. You can then choose from a vast array of facades, materials, colours, textures and sizes, to bring the building to life. At Benchmark, we are always looking to raise the bar and provide new products that can match the imagination and expectations of today’s architects. We have just launched a ‘next generation’ unitised wall system called Connect, which is set to invigorate facade design for ‘quickassembly’ buildings while guaranteeing exceptional technical performance. Our Connect wall product is a multi-spanning, modular building system. The units are assembled offsite and, once on-site, can be bolted internally, requiring no envelope scaffolding. Weathertightness is assured once the modules have been fixed into position allowing the internal fit-out to begin and removing the facade from the ..
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Evolution was our innovation for 2011. The Evolution range provides a stylish, sleek, laser flat panel with a unique series of design features that allow maximum creative flexibility. A stunning new section has been created within the Benchmark website to showcase the true potential of this exclusive panel. On the website you can see the simple, contemporary design brought to life through flowing animations and case studies. An interactive diagram highlights the various >>
AJ/Kingspan Benchmark Sketch a facade Sponsor’s statement
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ALAN DUNLOP
ways in which Evolution can benefit a project, from tailor-made custom design to lifetime insulation continuity, thermal performance and air tightness. There is also a video animation showing how the folded edge of Evolution Q2 panels can be used to create a 3D view of the vertical joint. An ever increasing range of case studies is also available on the site, showing how the products provide designers with greater freedom and flexibility than ever before to create spectacular structures. You can also see how the panels give you the ability to create the illusion of varying panel widths and new vertical joint detail options. We understand the importance of technical detail and specifications, so on the website you can find a wide range of information for each Evolution product, including a product overview, detailed product specifications, downloadable CAD details and colour options. Suitable for either horizontal or vertical installation, the panels can also be mechanically curved to a minimum radius of 2,500mm horizontally or 191mm vertically, for those more unusual projects. Evolution panels are available in a range of stunning solid colour and Euramax coating options including the dual tone EuraMica and zinc or copper EuraDesign finishes. To simplify the construction process the Evolution range also easily accommodates openings and complex facade designs and accelerates build speed thanks to its single component installation. To access the Benchmark Evolution website section, along with information on all other Benchmark products, please visit: kingspanbenchmark.com/products/ design-wall-series/evolution
Left The Benchmark Evolution campaign relied heavily on a sketched background to bring the panels to life Above Alan Dunlop’s sketch of Broadcasting Place, Leeds
we offer a complete selection of systems for creating imaginative and effective rooflines. Attention to detail is always important, so we provide a wide range of ancillaries that perfectly complement our panels. Of course, you also have the full support of our experts in the Benchmark technical team, which is always on hand to help at any stage of the project. The AJ ‘Sketch a facade’ competition promoted the exact same principles of creativity, freedom and technical skill that we aim to embody in our Benchmark range. We would like to congratulate the winners and thank all of those who took part. We thoroughly enjoyed viewing all 588 sketches submitted and hope that all those who took part continue to promote the important art of sketching.
Completing the range
Our roofing products complete the Benchmark range. From Standing Seams to Green Roofs ..
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AJ/Kingspan Benchmark Sketch a facade Overall winner
Winner Paul Middleton
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aul Middleton wins for his beautifully observed, composed and crafted Behind Whitechapel (right), Before Vinopolis (far right) and London Skyline (below) drawings. These are ‘sketches’ in the true sense; highly evocative and spirited, drawn on-site and in real time. Behind Whitechapel is particularly interesting because he has taken what could be considered a low-key subject matter and done something creative with it, through detailed observation and with an artist’s eye, so you see the subject in a new light. That’s what art is. Alan Dunlop
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AJ/Kingspan Benchmark Sketch a facade Student winner
Student winner Oscar Plaistow
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scar Plaistow is the clear winner of the student award, for the quality of a number of drawings in his sketchbook and his obvious commitment to drawing and the art of architecture. Alan Dunlop Oscar has a good range and wide drawing vocabulary. I like Cinema on the Waterfront (top) but East India Dock (bottom) was the winner for me. His range was excellent, and he had a good knowledge of the form he was drawing. Patricia Cain
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AJ/Kingspan Benchmark Sketch a facade Runner up & third place
Runner up Adrian Baynes
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n exceptional work and meticulously drawn ellipse, flawless in its execution and done by a highly skilled draughtsman. The grading of shadow, solid to glass, and the roof ellipses shown beyond – particularly the rendering of the transparency – is incredibly difficult, but very convincingly done here. Adrian is not my winner because the drawing was done in a studio and set up as a perspective, which goes against my idea of a ‘sketch’. His date seems to be May 2012, so it may have been drawn especially for the competition. Alan Dunlop
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Third place Richard Hutchinson
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ve spent considerable time looking for flaws in this drawing, but I can’t find any. It is a stunning rendering of a romantic subject in architecture, which immediately draws you to it. It is, however, a rendering done in a studio (in my view) and, I would think, from a photograph not on site, nor in real time; like Adrian’s it goes against my idea of a ‘sketch’. If he had done workup sketch drawings in preparation for the final drawing then he might have been my winner. Alan Dunlop
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AJ/Kingspan Benchmark Sketch a facade The judges
Judges in dialogue: narrowing it down
Patricia Cain
Alan Dunlop
Rory Olcayto
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f we take a sketch as being ‘a hasty or undetailed drawing or painting often made as a preliminary study’, then Paul Middleton’s drawings come closest to that definition. The things that bother me about Adrian Baynes’ drawing is that I think it’s actually more of a presentation drawing. I feel less that way about Richard Hutchinson’s work (even though you could say it’s quite fastidious) because I get a sense of his struggle to capture the materials of the structure in pencil on the paper. One of the reasons that Paul Middleton has not been my frontrunner, is because that struggle is rather lost in both his pen and pencil marks; there is little unevenness in his lines, which makes the energy of the picture less interesting. This has definitely got me thinking about how quickly sketches must be done in order to describe them as sketches. I know I take ages if I make a sketch myself – speed doesn’t always satisfy the level of detail required to get a full impression of the subject. Having said that, I can see that Middleton’s drawings best fit the definition outlined above. patriciacain.com
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ad Richard Hutchinson won, I’d have been in agreement, as his drawing was flawless and, frankly, left me in awe. But, in my opinion it was a finished rendering, not a sketch, though stunningly executed. It’s funny that Adrian Baynes looked like the favourite as we all shortlisted him but in the end he was third, in my opinion, for the reason you mentioned, it is a presentation drawing. I take the point about the preciseness of Paul Middleton’s lines but for me, a sketch is not about quickness at all, it’s about observation, done on the spot, on the site and in real time. As fas as I’m concerned, Middleton’s work meets my definition of a sketch better. The other judges may have all come to separate conclusions. It comes down also to subjective opinion, a drawing that just gets you, reaches the parts where other drawings can’t reach. It was a great debate, I enjoyed it and it has made me think about how we define sketch and drawing and I’m heartened that there are architects and students still interested enough in hand drawing for the competition to encourage 500 submissions. That, I think, has been the real success. alandunloparchitects.com
here’s a confidence in Paul Middleton’s work that shows that the artist understands how to compose an image on the page and how buildings fit together; how they are actually constructed. I also recognise the parts of the city he’s drawn, not through the iconic nature of the subject – he’s drawn ordinary, everyday stuff – but more by the look and feel of the townscape and materiality. These are the facades we see when we look out of train windows and see the backs of housing, or when we’re taking a shortcut. It may be everyday stuff, but it looks beautiful. In the purest sense, Paul has sketched a facade (or two), probably on site, and that puts him above Adrian Baynes for me. Bayne’s drawing is very cool. You’d frame it. It feels classic. But it also feels like a presentation drawing, and doesn’t crackle with energy the way a winning sketch should do. Richard Hutchinson’s work is intense, gorgeous, painstaking. It doesn’t quite show evidence of being truly special however – it’s just very, very good. The artist is quite clearly talented, but this isn’t the best drawing they will do. A runner-up in my opinion. 28.06.12
Clockwise from top left New York Streetscape and Baker Street Tower by Allen Lucini (Commended); Richard Seifert’s Civil Aviation Building, London, by Matthew Green; Allies and Morrison’s Blue Fin Building, Bankside, by Amandeep Singh Kalra
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AJ/Kingspan Benchmark Sketch a facade Drawings
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Clockwise from far left Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum, New York by David Ross; Temple Facade, Khajuraho, India by Oliver Mould; Bond Street Frieze by George Saumarez Smith; Hyde Park Barracks by Matthew Northover; Renzo Piano’s Shard by Tim Richardson; Steven Holl Storefront Gallery by Teresa Park; San Carlino by Tim Gough; Doorway by Tao Jingwen
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AJ/Kingspan Benchmark Sketch a facade Drawings
Clockwise from top left Centre Point by James Barnett; watercolour sketch by Alexey Korolyev; A Gaudí Elevation, Barcelona, by Jan Fuller; 103 Highfield Road by Mike Allen; Pigeon Loft, Greece by Dimitra Zoi; Rafael Moneo’s Ayuntamiento de Murcia, Spain by Colm Cantillon; Casino Marino, Dublin by Tim Richardson; Elevation, Pudding Chare, Newcastle by Matthew Drury
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AJ/Kingspan Benchmark Sketch a facade Drawings
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Clockwise from top left Chiswick House by Slavka Gancheva; Jodhpur by Avinav Venkat; Church Doorway by Aurora Hoxha; Foster + Partners’ 30 St Mary Axe by Caroline Koo; Kirkudbright by Pol Gallagher; Chamberlin Powell and Bon’s Barbican Centre by Alastair King
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FOOTPRINT
IOANA MARINESCU
Why it’s vital that the RIBA Awards recognise sustainability
From the sustainability editor
I’m currently in Rio, a city I have visited periodically for many years. Most of the action for Rio+20, the UN conference for sustainable development, is taking place about an hour from the centre city (see opinion, p.59), so the Copacabana beachfront is eerily calm, except for a rather extraordinary multi-media exhibition called Humanidade 2012 (right). Constructed in a spectacular location at the end of the bay over the early 20th century Copacabana fort – it is built entirely with temporary materials. Queues of all ages lined the side street for entry, and I was very grateful for a press pass. Lots of impressive statistics on real-time panels bring home the harsh reality of today’s world. Humanidade 2012 culminates with a model of Calatrava’s Museum of Tomorrow, due to complete in 2014. This will be Rio’s first encounter with starchitecture. On a more optimistic note, BioRegional’s Pooran Desai reports his impressions of Rio+20, which run contrary to the rather dispiriting global media coverage. Dialogue pushes the agenda forward, even if the lack of any targets in the global framework agreement render it frustratingly hollow. Closer to home, this year’s RIBA Awards are also encouraging. If they are an accurate barometer, 2012 represents a step-change in the UK green building landscape. Over the four years that I’ve been tracking the awards, this is the first year where there are more than a handful of green buildings. I’ve reviewed the lot and highlighted my favourites in this month’s Footprint feature. My list is not exhaustive, so don’t be disappointed if your project is not featured. In this month’s Footprint column, Jeremy Till explains his recent work on scarcity and challenges the premises of a narrow technical approach to sustainable design. His accuses the profession of being ‘addicted to the idea that adding more and more shiny artefacts to the world [is] the supreme act of the architect.’ Rio+20, the green RIBA award winners, and Till’s critique all suggest that a fresh approach to architectural design is needed to meet today’s challenges. Deborah Saunt of DSDHA, chair of the RIBA Awards Group, likens the current dilemma to cargo pants. When you first see them, you say ‘What’s that? But pretty soon, you’re wearing them too.’ Likewise for green design. AJFootprint.com ..
ANTONIA BATALHA
Despite Rio+20, sustainable design is gaining traction in the UK, says Hattie Hartman
17,000m
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Quarry spoil transformed into wetland at Brockholes (see p.62)
217 Delegates participating in Rio+20 roundtable negotiations
70% Predicted heat and hot water demand from biomass at Wexford County Civic Centre (see p.64)
0.15% Proportion of UK buildings with an A-rated Energy Performance Certificate
8.44kg
Predicted annual CO2 emissions of BSkyB Harlequin 1 (see p.66) ..
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The month on AJFootprint.com
Green Sky Thinking
10 best practice ideas for Green Sky Thinking
Open-City is looking for proposals for its Green Sky Thinking programme in September. The free five-day event centres on architects and construction professionals sharing best practice in sustainable design. Last year more than 20 practices opened their doors for the week. Highlights included a tour of Lambeth’s green roofs, a visit to David Morley’s Isis Education Centre in Hyde Park (pictured) a Pecha Kucha hosted by Aedas on the important subject of building performance monitoring. Green Sky Thinking takes place from 17-22 September. For further information, contact Sarah Yates at Open-City syates@open-city.org.uk
If you’re thinking of taking part in the Open-City event, (see Green Sky Thinking, left) these simple tips could make your practice’s open day a success
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Splash out for the 6:30pm slot and serve drinks
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Consider a Pecha Kucha format and invite in outside specialists
Concentrate on one or two key messages
Targets help clean cities Cities with greenhouse gas emission targets report three times the reductions of cities with no targets, according to data released by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). The annual global report is produced with AECOM and in association with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. CDP, which works with businesses and cities globally towards reducing emissions, claims establishing targets is paramount as a catalyst for behaviour changes. ..
Nothing tells the story better than performance data; if you’ve got some, share it
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Engage junior staff with opportunities to present Remember to invite your clients. Green sky thinking is an easy way to show off green credentials and you never know who might walk through your door
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Use the event as a pretext for an office clean-up
The proof is in the pudding – communicate your track record
10 Serve high tea with china cups, cakes and scones
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Is it right to be sceptical about Rio+20? To summarise Ban Ki-Moon’s words in a plenary session as the Rio+20 climate summit on sustainable development concluded, ‘You might be disappointed, but this is just the start.’ Though nations failed to agreed on deep, binding commitments to sustainable development, to write off Rio+20 totally is unfair. There is now consensus as to what constitutes sustainable development, but what lacks is a clear road map. Rio+20 has not had the output of the first Rio Summit in 1992, which included Local Agenda 21 and treaties on climate change, biodiversity and desertification.
So, what are the positives of Voluntary Commitments has Earth Summits? They create been introduced, including dialogue and a statement of intent, everything from countries and outputs help drive policies committing to renewable energy and implementation. Government targets to universities committing delegations meet representatives to teach sustainable development. from the major groups of civil For architects, there is a society and business who are restating of huge opportunity passionate about and challenge of rapid sustainable global urbanisation. As development. In these a World Bank expert respects Rio+20 was said, for each city on Increase in global inspiring. the planet now, we populations since The Summit called will build another in Rio 92 summit for a ‘coalition of the the next 40 years, so we willing’ to move forward. It must build these cities at was a chance to secure the highest standards in commitments ranging from the sustainability. creation of new marine reserves in The summit also highlighted Australia to countries committing the limitations of GDP as a to produce natural capital measure of progress. Statistics accounts alongside financial from various global wealth and accounts. A formal process of well-being indexes were aired,
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which will gain credence in the future and promise to change our economy and decision-making. The message from Rio+20 is that the choice is back with us as individuals, organisations and separate countries: you can either hope the scientists are wrong or join the ‘coalition of the willing’. Pooran Desai, co-founder, BioRegional. BioRegional has been contributing to the Rio+20 process since 2010. Below: Sustainability workshop in Rio’s Tabajaras favela. See AJFootprint.com for more
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Sustainability feature
Greenest in show T
he very notion of a ‘sustainability award’ is a subject of ongoing debate within the RIBA. Is it appropriate to single out one project each year as the UK’s greenest building? The RIBA had a brief flirtation with just such an award from 2007-08, but suspended it in 2009, ceding to the view that every building honoured by an RIBA accolade should have a strong sustainability agenda. This laudable aspiration befits increased global concern with the future of the planet, but in this year of the Rio+20 conference, buildings notable for outstanding environmental performance have yet to dominate the profession’s most respected peer-judged awards. Interestingly, the RIBA regions, which organise their own awards independently of RIBA HQ, have all opted in favour of nominating ‘most sustainable building’ this year (see p.68 for full list). In my view, the regions have got it right: we need to single out outstanding exemplars to drive change. The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE), has recognised 10 buildings annually across the
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Right Adam Khan’s RIBA Awardwinning Brockholes visitor centre, where retractable awnings provide flexible solar shading
country as sustainability exemplars since 1997. ‘The COTE Awards were intended to be temporary – in place only until sustainability became a key driver for all buildings,’ Bob Berkebile of Kansas City-based practice BNIM, one of the founders of the awards, told me recently at the AIA convention. Back in the UK, a timely overhaul of the RIBA Awards (AJ 21.06.12) process shows that environmental responsibility is starting to percolate through this annual snapshot of the profession. DSDHA’s Deborah Saunt – now in her second year as chair of the RIBA Awards Group – has said that in order to be considered for the Stirling Prize, a project will now need to be sustainable. ‘A building can be a really amazing piece of architecture without being green, but to make it’s way up the [awards] ladder, it must demonstrate a high degree of sustainability,’ says Saunt. This means the sacrosanct Stirling Prize ‘mid-list’, from which the shortlist and eventual winner is selected, will be vetted for environmental performance by a new regime, formed at the instigation of the Sustainable Futures Group chaired by Alan Shingler. Two members of the
IOANA MARINESCU
If you want to win the Stirling Prize, your building had better be sustainable. Hattie Hartman picks the low-energy contenders
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awards group, Peter Clegg of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Atelier Ten’s Patrick Bellew (new to the group this year), were asked to review the mid-list, drilling down into each project’s environmental data as well as its overall approach to sustainability. I can’t help but wonder if Zaha Hadid’s Evelyn Grace Academy would have made it through to the shortlist last year had this process been in place. Another promising development is the refinement of the Sustainability Statement required as part of the awards submission process. In addition to key energy metrics, which have to be predicted as the buildings are too new to have measured data, the submission form now requires information on RIBA Stages L2 and L3 – building handover and client feedback. This simple but important gesture points the way to how the profession can begin to address the critical gap between predicted and actual performance. A quick look back in time at the history of the Stirling Prize shows just how far we’ve come in recognising green buildings. This is the 10th award cycle since Bill Dunster Architects’ BedZED made the Stirling shortlist in 2004. Three of the four buildings shortlisted for the RIBA 2007 Sustainability Award – Architype’s refurbished barn at Upper Twyford, van Heyningen and Haward’s >>
We need to single out outstanding exemplars to drive change ..
RIBA Awards Sustainability in focus
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Right A cluster of buildings on a floating pontoon house a visitor centre, restaurant, shop, exhibition hall and education centre Far right The form and height of the spaces and the use of rooflights optimise natural light and ventilation
Legend 1. Café 2. Servery 3. Kitchen 4. Office 5. Plant 6. Shop 7. Lobby 8. Reception 9. Exhibition 10. Classroom 11. Breakout 12. Conference
BROCKHOLES VISITOR CENTRE ADAM KHAN ARCHITECTS Footprint’s gold goes to Adam Khan Architects’ eerily sublime floating Brockholes Visitor Centre in Samlesbury, near Preston. An environmental client makes it easier to respond with a sustainable building: achieving BREEAM Outstanding was part of the brief. Yet Brockholes is much more than a one-off environmental prototype. The form and orientation of its floating pavilions are an inspired response to the ecology and climate of the site. The use of SIPs with polyurethane insulation and FSC-certified sheet timber achieves a U-value of 0.1W/m2/K for the walls, resulting in a 40 per cent reduction in heat loss compared to a notional Part L building. A ‘common sense’ approach to sustainability pervades the project, from the involvement of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s own ecologist throughout design and construction to ensuring implementation of a low-carbon travel plan for visitors with local transport information and cycle facilities.
There are enough green contenders in 2012 for a gold, silver and bronze
IOANA MARINESCU
RSPB Environment and Education Centre, and Bucholz McEvoy’s Environmental Research Institute for University College Cork – were oneoff responses to a strong environmental brief. By 2010, Hopkins’ Kroon Hall at Yale with its PV-clad roof won AJ100 Building of the Year, though that year’s Stirling shortlist (AJ 30.09.10) was still dominated by buildings notable primarily for their architectural quality regardless of environmental credentials. But last year, the UK green building landscape took a significant stride forward with two shortlisted projects where sustainability was embedded in the design brief from the outset: Hopkins’ Velodrome and AHMM’s Angel Building. Pat Borer and David Lea’s WISE Building at the Centre for Alternative Technology’s, an RIBA Award-winner last year, marked the maturation of that institution’s commitment to educating a diverse body of students in green building design and technologies, also evident in the recent proliferation of postgraduate courses in sustainable design across the UK (AJ 17.12.10). And so what of 2012? The following three projects are what I consider the most notable green buildings in the awards. For the first time, there is a multiplicity of choice. In keeping with this Olympic year, there are enough contenders to name a gold, silver and bronze.
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Robin Lee Architecture’s Wexford County Council Building in southeastern Ireland, Footprint’s silver pick from this year’s awards, contrasts markedly with Brockholes in its hightech approach to an environmental building. A shimmering double-skin insulating facade wraps the civic government building’s six individual office blocks that house different government departments, along with four landscaped courtyards and a central atrium. An exquisite handling of light – from the atrium and courtyards, to rooflights and perimeter windows – creates a subtle variety of internal spaces despite the deep plan. The exposed concrete soffits, which help even out summer temperatures, are a study in elegance and should convince any sceptical client of the virtues of this approach. Another hightech green government building in the pipeline, Kieran Timberlake’s new US Embassy in Nine Elms, south London will provide an interesting point of comparison when it completes in 2017.
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ANDREW LEE
Legend
Above Staff canteen on second floor Right Steps leading to entrance on north elevation
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1. Entrance road 2. Entrance steps 3. Set-down area 4. Main entrance 5. Civic forum 6. Courtyard 7. Roof terrace 8. Accessible parking bays 9. Terraced parking bays 10. Delivery bay 11. Exit road 12. Entrance hall 13. Department reception 14. Public stair
Opposite The ‘civic forum’ features exposed concrete soffits and limestone walls
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RIBA Awards Sustainability in focus
Site plan
BSKYB, HARLEQUIN 1 ARUP ASSOCIATES
Left East elevation detail Right East elevation with expressed ventilation shafts, solar shading fins and film coating to high-performance glass
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CHRISTIAN RICHTERS
Footprint’s bronze goes to Arup Associates’ west London Harlequin 1 building, which houses recording and transmission facilities and office space for almost 1400 BSkyB employees and visitors. The 100 metre-long by 50 metre-wide building is distinguished by enormous chimneys that provide natural ventilation driven by waste heat from the recording studio lights. The building’s final design resulted from detailed study of 10 different approaches to servicing the building, each with multiple sub-options. A compact, well-insulated envelope and a combined cooling, heat and power plant fueled by biomass mean that the building has no boilers. This building may not correspond to prevailing notions of architectural beauty, but it’s time we think again.
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FUTUREPROOFING SUPPORTED BY ARUP
Viewpoint Futureproofing the UK’s built environment Jo da Silva, Director of Arup’s International Development team, delivered the 9th Brunel International Lecture at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) on Monday 21st May. Her theme was ‘Shifting agendas: response to resilience - the role of the engineer in disaster risk reduction’. The context for her talk was that in 2010 alone 300 million people globally were affected by natural disasters such as floods, storms, droughts and earthquakes, and the number of people vulnerable to these types of events in cities in the developed and developing world is projected to reach 1.5 billion by 2050. This is largely due to increasing urbanisation and the impacts of climate change. Given this, the ICE is calling for a new approach to managing risks and hazards in the built environment. An approach that places a priority on creating resilient communities and cities able to respond and adapt to changing circumstances and disruptive events, if and when they occur. To achieve this requires: a more holistic understanding of risk; taking a systems perspective; encouraging a new culture of safety; recognition of the value of collaboration and partnership and the development of appropriate strategies. ‘Futureproofing’ is about integrated planning, design and engineering. In the UK, built environment professionals including architects and engineers are getting to grips with this paradigm shift in design and management of our built environment. The projected impacts of climate change are a key driver. In the UK we may be less exposed and vulnerable to natural hazards than some countries but we have extreme weather events and climate change projections to address. It is four years since the Climate Change Act 2008 made the UK the first country to have a legally binding long-term strategy to cut carbon emissions as well as adapt to the impacts of climate change. There has been a considerable amount of activity during this time. In 2010 the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) launched its ‘Design for Future Climate’ competition aimed at multi-disciplinary design teams working on ‘live’ building and masterplan projects in the UK. Approximately 50 projects have received funding to assess climate related risks such as flooding, overheating and water scarcity in order to develop appropriate risk reducing strategies. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) are disseminating outputs from these projects to inform and guide architects and engineers. We must not underestimate the impact of Bill Gething’s report ‘Design for Future Climate: opportunities for adaptation in the built environment ‘published two years ago by TSB. In it he identified key design challenges and explored how to interpret the scientific climate data for building design projects. He addressed issues around thermal comfort, flood risk management and the treatment of water as well as issues of structural design and construction. In a parallel and related universe, the first UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) was published by the government in January 2012. This identified 100 main climate change risks across 11 key
Polly Turton
sectors, including the Built Environment, and analysed their likelihood, scale of consequence and urgency of action required. In response, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are now leading on the National Adaptation Programme (NAP), working across sectors and professional silos to increase the UK’s resilience to climate change. Multi-sector and multi-disciplinary engagement and knowledge sharing are absolutely vital. Defra are working closely with the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Environment Agency (EA) on the Built Environment aspects of the NAP. This involves identifying the costs and benefits of adaptation strategies, and highlighting existing policies, standards and regulations which may help or hinder adaptation action. The EA recently launched their ‘Climate Ready’ support service which provides practical guidance and tools to enable more ‘climate risk aware’ decision making. The Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network (MBE KTN), which Arup is a part of along with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA), is working with these organisations to ensure the UK construction industry benefits from the 50 projects and that they feed into the design and delivery of projects. There is a strong business case for a more resilient UK built environment. Managing complexity and uncertainty is challenging and completely ‘futureproofing’ our built environment is impossible. However the information and ideas needed to ensure we create more resilient built environments that work for people and business ARE out there. Good planning, design and engineering skills are essential to deal with the increasing risks posed by natural hazards both in the UK and abroad. UK based architecture and engineering firms have plenty of these skills. We just need to inform ourselves of the risks and work in a more integrated way on the right strategies, in the right places. Author Polly Turton, Senior Climate Consultant, Arup 9th Brunel International Lecture: ‘Shifting agendas: response to resilience - the role of the engineer in disaster risk reduction’ by Jo da Silva, 2012 http://www.jodasilva.me/2012-brunel-international-lecture.html ‘Design for Future Climate: opportunities for adaptation in the built environment’ by Bill Gething, 2010 http://www.innovateuk.org/ourstrategy/innovationplatforms/ lowimpactbuilding/design-for-future-climate-report-.ashx Futureproofing supported by Arup http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/futureproofing
RIBA Awards Sustainability in focus
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PAUL RAFTERY
EDMUND SUMNER
Left Bennetts Associates’ Mint Hotel features a nine-storey green wall Middle left Gokay Deveci’s Model-D house, a prototype affordable low-energy house Middle right Glenn Howells Architects’ Triangle housing, Swindon Bottom left AHMM’s Tea Building in Shoreditch Bottom right The London 2012 Olympic Stadium
STUART JOHNSTONE
REGIONAL SUSTAINABLITY WINNERS
MORLEY VON STERNBERG
ROB PARRISH
Best of the rest Many more quality environmental buildings are among the ‘best of the rest’ in this year’s awards. Glenn Howells’ Swindon Triangle has been previously lauded in these pages (AJ 10.11.11) and Bennetts Associates’ Tower of London Mint Hotel pushes environmental performance in a challenging building type. AHMM’s Tea Building in Shoreditch points the way forward for retrofitted workplaces and demonstrates practical ways to engage with occupiers. Another retrofit, PJ Carroll’s Factory in Dundalk, Ireland makes clever use of an existing frame that was jacked by more than one metre while subtly introducing perimeter glazing. Architype’s Bushbury Hill Primary School (AJ 23.02.12) in Wolverhamption and Gokay Deveci’s Model-D House are both important examples of replicable approaches to affordable environmental buildings for their type. Finally, it is worth noting that the ODA and Populous took a bold move when they removed most of the hospitality concessions from the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, enabling a much leaner design. It is now up to the London Legacy Development Corporation to deliver a solution for the stadium’s future that respects the intent of its original design. There are many others worthy of mention and this is why it’s important to highlight those that are paving the way towards a greener future. We can all learn from the best examples. ■
East Midlands: Loughborough Design School, Burwell Deakins Architects West Midlands: Bushbury Hill Primary School, Architype East: Private House, Mole Architects North East: Toffee Factory, Xsite Architecture North West: Brockholes, Adam Khan Architects Yorkshire: Saxton Leeds, Union North South West: The Triangle, Glenn Howells Architects South: Shulman Lecture Theatre, BGS Architects South East: Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, Feilden Clegg Bradley London: BSkyB Harlequin 1, Arup Associates ..
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Sustainability in practice
The scarcity of our planet’s resources may shift how the architectural profession sees itself, writes Jeremy Till
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growth is used as the justification for the imposition of punitive austerity programmes. For the architect, scarcity may cause the way the profession sees itself to shift. At present, the practice of architecture is defined through the design of buildings. Under sustainability, attention has focused on ensuring these buildings have as small a carbon footprint as possible. The competing systems of control and regulation (BREEAM, Passivhaus, Codes for Sustainabile Homes, LEED, etc.) have the unfortunate effect of essentialising scarcity, treating it as a pure and inevitable limit, there to be measured and controlled. The more complex readings of scarcity challenge this view of sustainability as a limit, in which attention is fastened to building as an object rather than what
Scarcity upsets the assumption that architects should be defined solely through adding stuff to the world
HANNA MELIN
In a conference in Barcelona last week, the brilliant architect Anne Lacaton of Lacaton & Vassal showed a picture of a pretty, if slightly rundown, provincial town square in France, which they had been asked to renovate. ‘The place is already rather nice,’ she says to the client, ‘why bother to embellish it?’ And with this walks away from the job. This was just about the most radical thing we’ve heard said by an architect in the past few years. The so-called boom of recent decades got the profession addicted to the idea that adding more and more shiny artefacts to the world was the supreme act of the architect. At a stroke, Lacaton dismisses that assumption. For the past two years we at the University of Westminster, together with partners in Vienna and Olso, have been investigating what these immanent conditions of scarcity might mean to the way that architects operate in the future. Starting with a straightforward definition of scarcity as lack, our observations and readings have led us into a much more complex reading of the subject. Scarcity is real – things running out – but it is also constructed, in the way that wider forces of capital construct scarcity through inequalities. An obvious example is food: there is enough food in the world but it is in the wrong places. The machinations of the global food corporations, of farm subsidies in the global north, and of uneven demand have created skewed distribution patterns, resulting in hunger in some areas, mirrored by excess and waste in others. The same is true of the construction of scarcity of space: there is enough empty space in the UK to address housing and commercial need, but it is in the wrong hands, tied into certain tenures and locked up by systems of lending and planning legislation. Still more disturbing is the way that scarcity is used to justify the imposition of inequitable social programmes. There is nothing new in this; ever since Malthus used the threat of future food shortages to justify population control, and the accompanying abandonment of the poor, scarcity has been used as a spectre, most clearly in the contemporary age where lack of capital liquidity and
comes before or after it. Scarcity, if defined solely as lack and limit, would ask us to do much the same, but with less; this approach is exactly what is arising out of the current programme of austerity. Against this, we argue that a critical conception of scarcity can upset much of that which neo-liberal economics is based upon (such as the notion of endless growth), and with this upsets the assumption that architects should be defined solely through adding stuff to the world (which in turn is a mode of extracting from the world). Architecture can be about much more than designing buildings. Scarcity: Architecture in the age of depleting resources, edited by Jon Goodbun with Deljana Iossifova and Jeremy Till, will be published by Academy Editions in July and the authors have also joint-edited the July issue of AD on scarcity. Their research is funded by HERA and can be read at scibe.eu ..
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Culture
IMPRESSIONS OF PHNOM PENH Colonised. Rebuilt with a unique Modernist twist. Evacuated. Bombed. Squatted. Few cities have had to contend with such scale of upheaval as the Cambodian capital, finds photographer Shannon Sadler ..
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Above Lecture halls at Phnom Penh’s Institute of Foreign Languages by Vann Molyvann
ALL IMAGES SHANNON SADLER
Following the fall of Pol Pot’s brutal regime at the end of the 70s, Cambodians who had been evacuated to the countryside to work on collective farms and forced labour projects returned to a Phnom Penh left empty for years. Churches, a cinema, a fine hotel from the colonial period came to serve as shelters for the survivors of the purges. Today, many of these adapted buildings are still there and still squatted, though the government, having already sold the land for development, is attempting to move the squatters out. In 2008, a much-loved theatre by Vann Molyvann, the former state architect under Sihanouk, was emptied and razed in just two days. A group of young Cambodian architects
based at Manolis House, a squatted former hotel, are documenting the threatened buildings and conducting architectural tours of the city. You can see the result of their work on their website, www.ka-tours.org. Luckily, there are still many examples of buildings by Molyvann and other architects of the vigorous Modernist moment of growth and development known as the Sangkum Reastr Niyum era, a dynamic period of rapid development which took place between independence in 1953 and the coup d’état that deposed Sihanouk in 1970. ■ Shannon Sadler is an Italian-French photographer now resident in Cambodia
Culture Phnom Penh
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James Pallister gets into the swing of the London Festival of Architecture
Clockwise from top left Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh (1964) by Vann Molyvann; squat with makeshift party walls in a former catholic church; a former French colonial hotel, now squatted; a squat resident; Molyvann’s library at the Institute of Foreign Languages, now part of the Royal University of Phnom Penh
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London Festival of Architecture started for me on the top of the Architecture Foundation’s HQ, in David Kohn’s Skyroom. The occasion was what must be a very rare event: the launch of a new publishing company. Justin McGuirk, former editor of Icon and design critic at the Guardian is now director of publishing at the Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design, the not-for-profit organisation which offers free architectural education from its Moscow complex. The venture aims to introduce a new model into the staid world of architectural publishing by making a series of long essays available digitally, for consumption on the Kindle and other tablet hardware. I suspect that clever pricing has a lot to do with steering a successful transition in reading and purchasing habits – as they do too, pricing the essays at £2 each, with £20-£30 for an annual subscription. Other LFA highlights include ‘Architecture as Antidote: should cities make us fit?’, a debate at the Wellcome Foundation on 4 July that will pick up some of the ideological battles hinted at in the title of David Morley’s lecture of 26 June: ‘Evolution versus Revolution’. It promises to be a lively evening as Clare ‘Moral Maze’ Fox presides over a panel which includes Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet and Mirko Zardini of the CCA. Attendants would do well to swot up by getting hold of a copy of Imperfect Health: The Medicalization of Architecture, the accompanying book to Zardini’s recent exhibition of the same name at Montreal’s CCA. No doubt there will be fireworks as the rights and wrongs of interventional design strategies that aspire for greater health for us all at the expense – or otherwise – of individual freedom are argued over.
read Essays published by the Strelka Institute of Media, Architecture and Design www.strelka.com listen Architecture as Antidote: should cities make us fit? Debate, an event in the London Festival of Architecture, at the Wellcome Foundation, 4 July, 7pm. Entry £5
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Ian Martin
Observing the space limit, sending out the right signals FRIDAY. A boring, miserable day stuck in an airless room with a group of architects and engineers at a Spatial Awareness Course. It’s run by the Spatial Constabulary and was offered as an alternative to three points on my designer’s licence. Insurance is steep enough, even though I’m only on ‘third party, fire and breach of intellectual copyright’. We all sit slumped and sullen as Julie, our bright-faced facilitator, coughs up one platitude after another: ‘When you point the finger of blame, remember. There are always THREE fingers pointing back at YOU’. The atmosphere is one of wounded innocence. We all have excuses for why we were exceeding spatial limits in a built-up area. The aesthetic controls were malfunctioning. We were overtaking a smaller practice. We were going downhill at the time. I am more innocent than the others because I have several excuses: I was driving an innovative vehicle of social aspiration, I was unused to both the gearing and the moral suspension, I’d taken a wrong turn stylistically, I had no idea I was spatially accelerating so fast in a residential planning zone. Julie’s heard it all before. She puts us into groups and gives us stupid bloody exercises to do. We have to estimate the stopping distance for a standard family mansion. ‘Factor in thinking distance and stopping time. You may be in the fast lane, foot down, then suddenly there’s an obstruction. Client’s business goes tits up. A particularly awkward bunch of Green Party campaigners banging on about particulates or lapwings. ‘By the time you’ve gone “ooh, I’d better reduce my space” BOOM. You’ve crashed into a brick wall or worse, a solicitor on a Pashley bike.’ On and on it goes until late afternoon, when I find the nearest pub and cheer myself up with several pints. Driving home – fast, as stayed far too long in pub – I reflect on the day. If I’ve learned anything it’s that when driving a project through a residential planning area, keep it in third gear. The bloody space police are always watching.
MONDAY. I’m conceptualising a boutique urban microvillage for the ultra-chic ‘historic quarter’ of Tamworth. The local, anonymous client has made a fortune recently. My fixer Rock Steady Eddie did say how but I’ve forgotten. MD of a payday loan company, maybe. Drug dealer, private landlord, education tycoon, I can’t keep up with capitalism’s late Rococo flowerings. We have to be careful with this boutique microvillage, it’s in an incredibly sensitive conservation area. Nothing new has been built there for a century. I propose swaddling the whole thing in heavily textured masonry and 300-yearold ivy to cause minimum offence, but I’ve been warned by Eddie about the vocal residents group. We arrange a meeting to find out how to bribe them. Correction, listen to their concerns. TUESDAY. Design a new £500,000 shortfall for the Royal Institute for the Pop-Uption of British Architects. I’m giving it a distressed, antique feel with flailed underscoring and a pedimented overdraft.
THURSDAY. Meet the ‘vocal residents’ group’ about my Tamworth microvillage. What a relief. Eddie got it completely wrong, they’re a ‘residents’ vocal group’. Yes, they wanted us to listen to them. They wanted us to listen to them doing a recital of madrigals, barbershop classics, medieval polyphony and songs from Glee. It’s even worse than the usual nimbyism, to be honest, but we grit our teeth and make it through to the end. Afterwards everyone shakes hands and looks forward to some well-heeled tenors, many of whom will be setting up home with younger second sopranos. ..
HANNA MELIN
WEDNESDAY. The Coalition has invited me ‘to architecturally metaphorise the Big Society Reboot’. A split infinitive is the least of their problems. Officerclass millionaires accusing the poor of wallowing in a culture of entitlement is just one adverb away from satire. After some thought I propose the exciting ‘vertical community’ now being created in Europe’s Tallest Building as a ‘workable microcosmological analogy’. Three words, fourteen syllables. That’s London weighting for you. Big Society Reboot Summary: hurried bleakness at the bottom, opinion-formers and donors at the top, limited room inside, sorry we don’t make the rules.
SATURDAY. Five-a-zeitgeist theoretical football. England Architectural 2, Renaissance Italy 4. Penalty shoot-out after goalless draw, enigmatic sketches and disenfranchised civic aspiration. SUNDAY. Form spatial bump in the recliner. ..
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