Berlin's Reichstag dome and ramp in engineered wood

Finnish engineered timber company Metsa Wood has designed a reconstruction of the Reichstag, the home of the German Parliament, in engineered wood. More information and videos on  www.metsawood.com/planb

Aerocene metallic orbs by Tomás Saraceno in Paris' Grand Palais

"By releasing hot air from inside the Aerocene globes, pressure can be regulated and the altitude of the orbs can be controlled. They could also float along natural jet streams, using these as a way of changing direction."

from dezeen.

The World of Charles and Ray Eames at the Barbican until 14 February

The World of Charles and Ray Eames

21 October 2015 - 14 February 2016

Charles and Ray Eames are among the most influential designers of the 20th century. Enthusiastic and tireless experimenters, this husband and wife duo moved fluidly between the fields of photography, film, architecture, exhibition-making, and furniture and product design.

at the Art Gallery 

Barbican Centre

Silk Street London 

EC2Y 8DS

Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy until 13 December

"Ai became widely known in Britain after his sunflower seeds installation in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in 2010 but this is the first major institutional survey of his work ever held in the UK and it bridges over two decades of his extraordinary career.

Curated in collaboration with Ai Weiwei from his studio in Beijing, we present some of his most important works from the time he returned to China from the US in 1993 right up to present day. Among new works created specifically for our galleries and courtyard are a number of large-scale installations, as well as works showcasing everything from marble and steel to tea and glass. 

With typical boldness, the chosen works explore a multitude of challenging themes, drawing on his own experience to comment on creative freedom, censorship and human rights, as well as examining contemporary Chinese art and society."

It's recommended that you book ahead of time.

Royal Academy

Burlington House

Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD

more here and here.

'Interior Tales' Book Presentation, Syracuse University London, 9 December

'Housing Social Life', Technical Studies Lecture by Peter Barber, 10 December

Peter Barber – Peter Barber Architects

The Social Life of Housing

Thursday 10th December, 6.30pm, Room M416 (Evans)

Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment

University of Westminster

35 Marylebone Road

London NW1 5LS

“We think that space conditions, and is in turn conditioned by, society and culture and that architecture can create the potential for social action and activity” Peter Barber Architects

Peter Barber previously worked with Richard Rogers, Will Alsop and Jestico+Whiles prior to establishing his own practice in 1989. He is currently a design tutor at the University of Westminster, teaching MArch Studio with Ben Stringer. He has lectured about the work of the Practice at many institutions, including the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Architectural League in New York, and numerous international and domestic university schools of architecture including Genoa, Frankfurt, Brighton, Kingston, Glasgow and The Bartlett.

In October 2001 the Practice won first prize in the Architecture Foundation's prestigious Innovations in Housing Competition. The project won a Housing Design Award, runner-up in Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, AIA Award and RIBA Award. It was also short-listed to the last 10 for the 2006 Stirling Prize. A series of radical urban housing projects have followed which have variously won Housing Design Awards, RIBA Awards and AIA Awards. Peter Barber Architects have won the Building Design Architect of the Year for Housing in 2007 and 2010. In 2015, Peter Barber Architects landed the Royal Academy’s top architecture prize for its alternative vision for low-cost housing on London’s Mount Pleasant.

Peter Barber will talk about the development of his practices work and in particular the evolution and reinvigoration of housing typologies such as the terrace/courtyard hybrid at Donnybrook Quarter and the McGrath Road project where Barber reexamines the back-to-back housing typology.

For details contact Will McLean / Pete Silver

w.f.mclean@westminster.ac.uk

Installations by Cornelia Parker

"For some years Cornelia Parker’s work has been concerned with formalising things beyond our control, containing the volatile and making it into something that is quiet and contemplative like the ‘eye of the storm’. She is fascinated with processes in the world that mimic cartoon ‘deaths’ – steamrollering, shooting full of holes, falling from cliffs and explosions. Through a combination of visual and verbal allusions her work triggers cultural metaphors and personal associations, which allow the viewer to witness the transformation of the most ordinary objects into something compelling and extraordinary."

not by Parker, but undoubtedly influenced by her:

for more.

+FARM Winter Studio 2016 in the US: OPEN CALL

'Crafting Technique'

Studio Dates: Wed January 6th - Mon, January 11th
Application Deadline: Saturday, December 20th at 11:59pm
Location: Hall House Farm in Perrysburg, New York, US

The project for this winter intensive design, fabrication, and construction studio is an interactive site specific installation. Studio participants will engage in a dynamic design process culminating in the construction of a full-scale structure that amplifies the unique characteristics of the site into a dynamic full scale structure that takes into account digital and analogue process to craft new techniques for making architecture.

Six applicants selected from the open call will work directly with professional fabricators, architects, digital specialists, and educators exposing the participants to emerging design, computation, fabrication, and construction practices in the field of architecture.

[+++ Click to Apply ]

more info on plusFARM.

'Variations on a Theme Park' by Michael Sorkin

University of Westminster Visiting Professor Michael Sorkin's critique of urban public space has overlaps with a critique of tourism and urban leisure and has implications for public space and tourism in the UK and London.

"America's cities are being rapidly transformed by a sinister and homogenous design. A new Kind of urbanism--manipulative, dispersed, and hostile to traditional public space--is emerging both at the heart and at the edge of town in megamalls, corporate enclaves, gentrified zones, and psuedo-historic marketplaces. If anything can be described as a paradigm for these places, it's the theme park, an apparently benign environment in which all is structured to achieve maximum control and in which the idea of authentic interaction among citizens has been thoroughly purged. In this bold collection, eight of our leading urbanists and architectural critics explore the emblematic sites of this new cityscape--from Silicon Valley to Epcot Center, South Street Seaport to downtown Los Angeles--and reveal their disturbing implications for American public life."

More on the book.

Sorkin is lecturing Thursday 26 November.  

The Byzantine Fresco Chapel by François de Menil

"The Byzantine Fresco Chapel is a part of the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas designed by architect François de Menil. The suspended-glass "walls" are not replicas of the chapel that the frescoes were removed from, but created a new context for displaying the icons. In order not to simply replicate the original chapel, de Menil designed "a mediating external building with an embedded steel structure – a 'reliquary box' – which forms a neutral enclosure for a freestanding chapel," according to Christine Slessor in The Architectural Review."

The Tempietto by Donato Bramante, 1502

"Βramante’s Tempietto  sits on the Janiculum Hill (Gianicolo) in Rome, a small temple incorporated into the larger project of San Pietro in Montorio. Currently, the temple occupies a quadrilateral courtyard and is only visible to the public from a single, fixed, exterior point. However... the Tempietto was intended to be viewed from all sides, surrounded by an additional ring of columns, ultimately creating a series of concentric circular boundaries. The interiority of the Tempietto is placed in contrast to the seeming exteriority of the courtyard, only to be made interior again by the surrounding building." -Michael Vlasopoulos

left: section of the building, right: Harvard University team's reconstruction of the building's intended courtyard.

more here.

Body Building Workshop

For PLAY week, a week of diverse workshops meant to inaugurate the newly renovated studio spaces at University of Westminster, BAIA tutors teamed up with David Scott and Ed Lancaster of the fabLAB to produce 'body agent' figures.  The body agents were conceived, built and installed by groups of Interior Architecture and Architecture students to question, surprise and inspire ideas about occupation and use of the new space.

Lecture by Johannes Torpe: The Design Process. 19th November

TECHNICAL STUDIES OPEN LECTURE SERIES

Johannes Torpe – Johannes Torpe Studios

The Design Process

Thursday 19th November, 6.30pm

Room M416 (Robin Evans Room)

Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment

University of Westminster

35 Marylebone Road

London NW1 5LS

The founder and vision behind Johannes Torpe Studios, Danish designer Johannes Torpe is an unconventional and self-trained creative in every way imaginable. Working in the fields of interior, product, lighting and graphic design, while also producing music and playing the drums, he is not one to conform to established boundaries. He simply calls himself a design activist, dedicated to telling compelling and authentic stories through creativity and design. 

As creative director of the studio, he infuses the team with his energy, intuitive approach and comprehensive experience from the many aspects of the design and creative industries he has worked in. He channels his unorthodox approach into building the best team in his studio and creating an environment where the designers and projects can grow to reach their full potential. 

Johannes Torpe additionally conducts creative consultancy work for brands. Most recently he worked with renowned high-end consumer electronics brand Bang & Olufsen as their Group Creative Director from 2011 to 2015.

http://johannestorpestudios.com/

For more information contact: Will McLean

w.f.mclean@westminster.ac.uk

James Corner Lecture: 18 November

James Corner
18 November | 18.30 – 20.00
UCL Chemistry Auditorium
20 Gordon Street | WC1H 0AJ | Map
No booking required | first come, first seated

Intimate Immensity: Public Space in the City

Renowned landscape architect James Corner, founder of Field Operations, will discuss current ideas about the design of vibrant urban public spaces, the importance of seeing cities as landscapes, and the capacity for landscape to create new forms of city-making. He will present his designs for New York’s High Line, Santa Monica’s Tongva Park and London’s South Park at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, among other innovative public realm projects around the world. Read more>>

A new book, The High Line, published by Phaidon, will be available for sale and signing by James after the talk.

'Mirroring Tarkovsky' at BFI, October and November

Director 'Andrei Tarkovsky strove to transcend the limits of his subjects with each new film, thereby expanding our conception of film as art. Ivan’s Childhood remakes the war film into a child’s vision of play and revenge. Andrei Rublev reimagines the Russian history epic through an artist’s unblinking eyes. Solaris stretches science fiction into new realms of psychological disquiet. Mirror’s use of fractured time and vivid recall creates a unique and unforgettable memoir. Cold War conspiracy and paranoia can be found in the mind games of Stalker. An exiled writer’s despair gets tested by Italy’s beauty and mystery in Nostalgia, and The Sacrifice brings Tarkovsky’s belief in self-denial to a blazing conclusion. These films – shown in gorgeous new digital prints – are among the most imaginative, moving and powerful you are ever likely to see.' -Nick James, Sight & Sound Editor

Tarkovsky's films are being shown at the BFI throughout November.  Times and tickets here. 

Symphonie Cinétique by Ólafur Arnalds and Joachim Sauter 2013

A kinetic com­po­sition con­ceived by Ice­landic musi­cian Ólafur Arnalds and Joachim Sauter/ART+COM that combines mecha­nical mo­tion and the poetic synergy of music in a space. The exhibition project focuses mainly on the cor­relation and inter­action of three elements: reflection, sound and movement. Symphonie Cinétique narratively inter­relates the three elements, and brings out their inherent, almost mystic harmony. The result of this process is an artistic synthesis, a unique spatial experience. 

http://www.faithistorment.com/2013/07/symphonie-cinetique-by-olafur-arnalds.html

'Air Structures' and 'Deployable Structures' Book Launch: 9th November

Deployable Structures by Esther Rivas Adrover.

Deployable structures can expand and/or contract due to their geometrical, material and mechanical properties - offering the potential to create truly transforming environments. This book looks at the cutting edge of the subject, examining the different types of deployable structures and numerous design approaches. Filled with photographs, models, drawings and diagrams, Deployable Structures is packed with inspirational ideas for architecture students and practitioners.

Esther Rivas Adrover has experience as an architectural practitioner and educator. After teaching Advanced Descriptive Geometry to architecture students in Spain she studied architecture at Oxford Brookes University where she later taught at degree and postgraduate level. Her interest in complex geometries led her to work for practices including Zaha Hadid Architects, where she worked on various projects in the UK and around the world. She has also exhibited her own work several times at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Air Structures by Will McLean and Pete Silver.

Air can be used in a variety of ways to make lightweight, flexible structures. Filled with photographs, models, drawings and diagrams, this book looks at every facet of the subject, examining air-beam structures, air-cell structures, buoyant structures, inflatable structures and many more. It also looks at the construction methods that use air, such as air-inflated steel and aerated concrete.

Will McLean and Pete Silver teach at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at the University of Westminster and are the co-authors of Fabrication: The Designers Guide (2006),Introduction to Architectural Technology (2013), and Structural Engineering for Architects (2014). They both trained in the Architectural Association under John Frazer, where Pete later taught. They also established pioneering courses on real-time environmentally-responsive systems at the Bartlett (University College London).

Monday 9th November 6pm, Room M416

University of Westminster

Department of Architecture

35 Marylebone Road

London NW1 5LS

Room: M416

Nearest Station: Baker Street

Asif Khan lecture: 28 October

Asif Khan
28 October | 18.30 – 20.00
UCL Chemistry Auditorium
20 Gordon Street | WC1H 0AJ | Map
No booking required | first come, first seated


Sensory City
Kenya Hara coined the term ‘Senseware’ to describe forms of matter which stir our sensory perception. Through a series of reflections on current and past projects Asif Khan will explore the meaning and possibilities offered by a sensory approach to design. Could this thinking offer us a new way of creating architecture?

Bartlett alum Asif Khan established his London-based architecture office in 2007. The studio’s interest ranges from cultural buildings and masterplans to houses, temporary pavilions, exhibitions, installations and products. The design solution in each project is highly distinct, yet unified by a meticulous understanding of place, purpose and potential.

Michael Sorkin Inaugural Lecture at University of Westminster: 26 November

Competition for Wuhan Qingtan Lake Ecological Park Urban Design Competition 2014, First Place.

MICHAEL SORKIN
VISITING PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
INAUGURAL LECTURE

26 November 2015, 18.30 – 20.00

University of Westminster
Room MG14
25 Marylebone Road
London NW1 5LS

City States

In his inaugural lecture as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Westminster, Michael Sorkin will speak about the relationship between equity and sustainability in cities and advocate for a radical assumption of responsibility by cities. He will argue for the necessity of creating both new kinds of urban relations as well as new kinds of cities. The talk will be illustrated by a series of examples of work by the Michael Sorkin Studio and Terreform.

Michael Sorkin is an architect and urbanist whose practice spans design, criticism, and teaching. He is the principal of Michael Sorkin Studio in New York, a global design practice focused on urbanism and green architecture, and Terreform, an independent urban research and advocacy centre whose mission is to investigate the forms, policies, technologies, and practices that will yield equitable, sustainable, and beautiful cities for our urbanizing planet

new issue of a+t: 'Design Techniques'

"How do architects deal with the design process? What inspires them? Design Techniques looks at different approaches to the creative moment. The architects themselves reveal their modus operandi, explain how they tackle the project and discuss motivation, devices, influences, justifications, effects and the origins of their design techniques.

a+t magazine and Harvard GSD initiate the SOLID series, Harvard Symposia on Architecture. Design Techniques is the first volume in the series. Faculty, critics and theorists, and students discuss the different approaches contributing personal experiences, working practices, and opportunities encountered in the field of design."

more here.

Technical Studies Lecture 22nd October: Sang Hoon Kim

TECHNICAL STUDIES OPEN LECTURE SERIES

Sang Hoon Kim – Populous
Olympic Stadium Transformation
Thursday 22nd October, 6.30pm
Room M416 (Robin Evans Room)

Sang joined Populous in 2001 to work on the redevelopment of Ascot Racecourse. As a member of the core team responsible for design of the building, he established the complex geometry of the tensile fabric roof structure. The project was opened to great acclaim by her Majesty the Queen in June 2006 at Royal Ascot.

Following completion of the Ascot Racecourse project, Sang joined the design team of another award-winning project, the London Olympic Stadium and Sang has been involved in this project from initial conceptual design stage through to final completion and transformation.

More recently, Sang has helped to develop the Strategic Masterplan for Lord’s Cricket Ground. Sang has continued his involvement with Lord’s, by leading the coordination of the architectural and engineering design for the redevelopment of the Warner Stand. Sang’s extensive knowledge of sport facility design allowed him to contribute to the sport chapter of the latest edition of the Metric Handbook (Planning and Design Data).

Sang will talk about the London Olympic Stadium, and the Olympic Stadium transformation recently completed for the Rugby World Cup.

Sang Hoon Kim is an alumnus of the Department of Architecture at the University of Westminster.

For lecture details contact Will McLean / Pete Silver
w.f.mclean@westminster.ac.uk
www.technicalstudies.tumblr.com

Funambulist Magazine Launch 2nd November

The Westminster Law & Theory Lab kindly invites you to

the London Launch of The Funambulist Magazine: Politics of Space and Bodies

on Monday, 2nd of November, at 7pm

at The Pavilion, University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish St, W1W 6UW

Presentations of her article for the third issue by Reina Lewis, University of the Arts, on Islamic Fashion

Presentation of the first three issues by Leopold Lambert 

Reina Lewis is professor of Cultural Studies at London College of Fashion, and the author of Muslim Fashion: Contemporary Style Cultures (Duke University Press, 2015)

Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos is the Director of the Westminster Law and Theory Lab and the author of Spatial Justice: Body, Lawscape, Atmosphere (Routeledge, 2014)

Leopold Lambert is the founder and editor of The Funambulist Magazine and the author of Weaponized Architecture (dpr-barcelona, 2012) 

The Funambulist Magazine is a bimestrial publication about the political relationships of the designed environment with the bodies. It operates alongside a blog and a podcast (Archipelago) that both share the same editorial line. 

List of the first four issues:

- 01 September 2015: Militarized Cities

- 02 November 2015: Suburban Geographies

- 03 January 2016: Clothing Politics

- 04 March 2016: Carceral Environments 

Followed by drinks reception

The event is free but places are strictly limited.

Please RSVP via https://www.eventbrite.com/e/london-launch-of-the-funambulist-magazine-politics-of-space-and-bodies-tickets-19004492950

Sound Installation in Estonia by Birgit Õigus

At Pähni Nature Centre in Estonia... "art academy students have developed and set up huge wooden megaphones to make the never-ceasing but scarcely noticeable calls and movements of forest inhabitants completely audible. The student Birgit Õigus designed the funnel-shaped megaphones for a project in the "Outdoor" auditorium at the academy. Hannes Praks, Head of the Interior Architecture Departments, explains, 'Being three metres in diameter at their widest point, the megaphones create a bandstand for the sounds that the forest produces.' Visitors can settle down comfortably inside the megaphones to enjoy the surreal backdrop of sounds."

more at DETAIL blog.

Technical Studies Open Lecture: William Alsop. 15th October.

TECHNICAL STUDIES OPEN LECTURE SERIES

Professor William Alsop – ALL Design

Progress Report

Thursday 15th October, 6.30pm Room M416 (The Robin Evans Room)

University of Westminster

Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment

35 Marylebone Road

London NW1 5LS

Will Alsop OBE RA was born in Northampton, the shoe making capital of Britain. He studied architecture at the Architectural Association in the 1960s and worked for the sartorially monochrome iconoclast Cedric Price for four years. He has been awarded the RIBA Stirling Prize for Peckham Library, London and the first RIBA World Award for The Sharp Centre for Design (OCAD), Toronto, amongst numerous other prestigious accolades for a multitude of projects. His work encompasses all sectors of architecture including urban design and planning. His studio practice also incorporates painting and product design.

His practice is founded principally to 'make life better' - the philosophy extends from the design of individual buildings to embrace broader principles of urbanism and city development and he uses painting, writing and 'playing' to further understanding of design. He sits on the architectural advisory boards for Wandsworth and Kensington & Chelsea Councils. He is visiting Professor of TU Vienna; Professor of Architecture at Canterbury School of Architecture, UCA and this year was awarded the degree of Honorary Doctor of Design (HonDDes) from the University of Greenwich, in recognition of his achievements.

“Because of his avant-garde and strikingly different buildings, Will Alsop has always been considered something of a ‘maverick’ or ‘infant terrible’ in the British architectural scene. Once dubbed "architecture's Mr. Blobby" by the press, Alsop's buildings often don't always look like buildings at all- most are a riot of bright colours, blobby pods, spindly supports and look nothing like the surrounding environment. His government offices in Marseilles are painted in Yves Klein Blue (YKB) and attract one million visitors a year, despite being intended only as the French equivalent of a county hall.

Open University

'Transforming Data' Symposium at University of Westminster

TRANSFORMING DATA: CREATIVE AND CRITICAL DIRECTIONS IN THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES

Westminster School of Media, Arts and Design, University of Westminster

Saturday, 24 October 2015 from 11:00 to 17:30 (BST)

London, United Kingdom

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/transforming-data-creative-and-critical-directions-in-the-arts-and-humanities-tickets-18860406985

In recent years cultural, social and political landscapes have been redrawn as unprecedented amounts of data has entered the public domain. This in turn has posed significant questions cutting across issues of privacy, security, culture and politics, giving birth to new aesthetic, political and social practices. This free one-day symposium brings together an interdisciplinary mix of artists, designers, academics and developers to reflect upon this phenomena, show work, exchange experiences and signpost important trends.

Questions the symposium will explore include:

How are artists and designers using data? What approaches are they taking? What issues are they tackling?

What can and can’t data tell us about the world? What are its limits in terms of representation and application?

What cultural institutional structures are emerging in response to data, what opportunities does this provide for creative practitioners?

How can we understand a political economy of data, and what alternatives to its use might this approach enable?

Speakers include:

Mark Graham: Oxford Internet Institute (OII), University of Oxford.

twitter.com/geoplace

Christian Fuchs: Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI), University of Westminster 

twitter.com/fuchschristian

Julie Freeman: Artist, Open Data Institute, Queen Mary University of London

translatingnature.org

twitter.com/misslake

Hannah Redler: Independent Curator

twitter.com/hannah_redler

Joanna Boehnert: Designer and design theorist, Centre for Research in Education, Art and Media, University of Westminster (CREAM).

(eco-labs.org)

twitter.com/Ecocene

Tom Corby and Gavin Baily: Artists, Centre for Research in Education, Art and Media, University of Westminster (CREAM). 

twitter.com/tom_corby1

Doug Specht: Doctoral Researcher and Visiting Lecturer at the University of Westminster

twitter.com/DougSpecht

Giles Lane: Director Proboscis

proboscis.org.uk

gileslane.net

Anastasia Kavada: Symposium chair, is Senior Lecturer in the Westminster Faculty of Media, Arts & Design at the University of Westminster.

twitter.com/AnastasiaKavada

-------------------------------------

The project is the result of collaboration between: the Centre for Research in Education Art and Media (CREAM), the University of Westminster; and the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford and is funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) as part of its Digital Transformations theme.

www.ahrc.ac.uk/research/fundedthemesandprogrammes/themes/digitaltransformations/

Aesop Store by Tacklebox

In this video Jeremy Barbour of Tacklebox explains the approach to the design of the Nolita Aesop store.

See more of Aesop's Taxonomy of Design videos here.

La Monte Young 'Dream House' Installation

'Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Dream Festival ... Dia presents a newly acquired, site-specific iteration of Dream House by La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela, and Jung Hee Choi at 545 West 22nd Street in New York City.

Dream House has been described as “a time installation measured by a continuous frequency environment in sound and light, in which a work would be played continuously and ultimately exist in time as a living organism with a life and tradition of its own.” 

“Dream House is a landmark contribution to the history of sound and light, a truly immersive experience, and one of the most important manifestations of Young and Zazeela’s collaborations,” said Jessica Morgan, Director, Dia Art Foundation.'

read more about the installation here.

National Sawdust in Brooklyn by Bureau V

National Sawdust is a multi-purpose space that "...aims to be many things: an acoustically sound concert hall, a rehearsal and recording studio, an incubator for contemporary music, and a restaurant and bar featuring an award-winning chef."

photos by Kim Nowacki/WQXR)

You can read more about the space and the design here, and listen to a news story below.

'Ordinary Streets' Film Launch, 6th October at LSE

Tuesday 6th October, 6.30-8pm, Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building, LSE

‘Ordinary Streets’ is a short film based on an ethnographic and visual exploration of the spaces, economies and cultures of ‘street’. Through the lens of Rye Lane in Peckham in south London, the film engages with issues of migration, urban multiculture and regeneration.

Myfanwy Taylor from Just space will provide a commentary on the film.

‘Ordinary Streets’ is a film by Sophie Yetton, based on research led by Suzi Hall at LSE Cities.

The film screening will be followed by a drinks reception, which will take place directly outside the Wolfson Theatre.

– For further details of the research, please go to the ‘Ordinary Streets’ project page.

– For details about our latest ESRC research across streets in Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and Leicester, please go to the ‘Super-diverse Streets’ project page.

– For full details on the launch event please see the ‘Ordinary Streets’ event page.

Image: Rye Lane, Peckham (Photo Credit: Nicholas Palominos, Ordinary Streets, LSE Cities, 2012)

University of Westminster BAIA 'Selfie Series' project

selfie at the West India Quay/Canary Wharf and Stratford by 3rd Year student Marilyn Masen

The 2nd and 3rd Year design students started the term off with a charrette that had to do with the theme of 'being a tourist in your own city.' They were asked to visit a place in London that they hadn't previously and document that through a series of selfies. The selfies were meant to reconsider the conventional selfie to not only show themselves but also an embodied experience of place. 

 You can see the results here.

University of Westminster 2015-16 Autumn Term 'Open Lectures' announced

Sharp Centre for Design by Alsop Architects (Will Alsop lecturing 15th Oct.)

Technical Studies ‘Open Lectures’ Autumn Term 2015-2016


Thursday 8th Oct, 6.30pm - Michael Ramage - University of Cambridge

Thurdsay 15th Oct, 6.30pm - Prof William Alsop – ALL DESIGN

Thursday 22nd Oct, 6.30pm - Sang Hoon Kim – Populous

Thursday 29th Oct, 6.30pm - Theodore Spyropoulous – Director of Minimaforms & AADRL

Thursday 5th Nov, 6.30pm - Esther Rivas Adrover

Thursday 12th Nov - Play Week / Special event organised by Sean Griffiths

Thursday 19th Nov, 6.30pm - Johannes Torpe – Creative Director for Bang & Olufsen

Thursday 26th Nov - Inaugural Professorial Lecture

Thursday 3rd Dec, 6.30pm - Gerry O'Brien – AKT II Engineers

Thursday 10th Dec, 6.30pm - Peter Barber – Peter Barber Architects

Thursday 17th Dec, 6.30pm - Andrew Watts - Newtecnic

Bartlett Autumn 2015 Lecture Series announced

Steel and Glass Staircase by Incorporated

"Contemporary design and fabrication processes were used to produce a staircase with 'wing-shaped' folded steel treads at the heart of this renovated New York City apartment."

more at dezeen.

New book: Refurbishment ('best of DETAIL' series)

"...the amount of work to be done on existing buildings is steadily increasing. This is partially a reflection of the advancing age of buildings, but it is also due to constant changes in building and social requirements.

The desired or necessary measures, however, are always personalised and vary considerably. As a result, there is no standardised or widely understood term that can be used to describe the range of construction activities related to existing buildings. Reflecting this, "best of DETAIL Refurbishment" presents a comprehensive range of highlights from DETAIL on the topics of renovation, extension, restoration, refurbishment and conversion. 

In addition to specialised theoretical contributions, the publication features an extensive section with examples of projects. From small-scale measures to the supersized category, it offers abundant inspiration as well as a variety of approaches to solving problems."

browse through selected pages here.

order from DETAIL.

Bartlett B-Pro Show 2015. 29th September-10th October

Exhibition of the work of students from The Bartlett School of Architecture's post-professional Masters programmes, B-Pro:

MArch AD (Architectural Design)
MArch UD (Urban Design)

Exhibition party and speeches
Tuesday 29 September 18.30 – 22.00

Exhibition open to the public
Tuesday 29 September – Saturday 10 October
Wednesday 30 September – Sunday 4 October 10.00 – 19.00
Monday 5 October – Friday 9 October 14.00 – 19.00
Saturday 10 October 10.00 – 19.00

Venue
The Bartlett School of Architecture UCL
140 Hampstead Road
London NW1 2BX