Hasta La Ideas

Dezeen Wire: The Guardian reports on a campaign to persuade high-street retailers to respect the intellectual property of independent designers following the case of English pattern designer Rachael Taylor, who last week spoke out after finding a product almost identical to her own on sale at Marks & Spencer (above and below; Taylor’s designs are on the right in both photos).

The Commission It, Don’t Copy It campaign was launched in April by Anti-Copying in Design and has so far been supported by retailers John Lewis and Selfridges.

In May, the UK government announced changes to bring rights of designers into line with other creatives following a campaign to protect designers’ copyright initiated by Elle Deco editor Michelle Ogundehin to persuade retailers and industry to commission new products rather than copying existing ones.

See our interview with Michelle Ogundehin | See all our stories about Elle Deco’s anti-copying campaign

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Dezeen Wire: the organisers of the London Festival of Architecture have announced that the summer fair will now take place every year.

This year’s instalment of the formally biennial festival concluded last weekend and featured 16 days of exhibitions, lectures and events that took place in locations across the city.

See more details in the press release below:

The London Festival of Architecture to become an annual summer fixture

The organisers of the London Festival of Architecture, the city-wide celebration of architecture and architectural talent, have announced plans to hold the popular summer showcase on an annual basis beginning in summer 2013.

Previously organised as a biennial event, with the most recent edition concluding last weekend, the Festival is due to return for another three weekend / two week run next year from 22nd June to 7th July 2013.

This year’s event, which saw the adoption of both “The Playful City” theme and the pineapple – a symbol of welcome and hospitality – as the Festival’s official emblem, incorporated hundreds of innovative events and attractions held in various hubs across the capital during an unprecedented summer of cultural and sporting attractions.

Peter Murray, chairman of NLA and Festival Founding Director said:
“The sheer energy and enthusiasm that has been invested in this year’s Festival, by many hard-working organisations and individuals, strongly suggests that an annual event would be well received.

“The London Festival of Architecture receives core funding from the voluntary donations of the 250 Club, but as you’d expect with any ambitious project of this nature, we will need to raise additional funding to ensure we can deliver another Festival of similar ambition and scope in 2013. Needless to say, the will is certainly there to make it happen and we’re already in the early stages of speaking to potential sponsors.”

The annual London Festival of Architecture is curated by The Architecture Foundation, British Council, New London Architecture and RIBA London. This year’s Festival saw a packed programme of events and attractions held in various hubs including the City of London and Southwark, Fitzrovia and Victoria, and King’s Cross and Hoxton.

This year’s many Festival highlights included The Developing City exhibition, which will run at the Walbrook Building until 9th September (New London Architecture); Gibbon’s Rent, the participatory creation of a permanent new pocket park, reclaiming a forgotten cut through in Southwark (The Architecture Foundation); The British Council’s International Architecture and Design Showcase 2012, which will continue to run until 23rd September; and WEATHER – IT’S RAINING OR NOT: Hoxton Square’s playful interactive parasols and a graphic display of “the Weather Yesterday” which will be on display until 9th September (RIBA London).

In addition, to satisfy the enthusiasm and interest that this year’s Festival has generated, additional events are being planned to tie in to some of the key installations over the rest of summer 2012.
This year’s Festival was sponsored by Land Securities and Berkeley Group, and supported by the Mayor of London and through public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

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to go annual appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Wire: applications to architecture and design courses in the UK have fallen significantly this year, according to figures published by UCAS, the University and Colleges Admission Service.

The number of students applying to study architecture fell by 12%, while applications to design courses dropped by nearly 15%.

The overall number of students applying for a degree in the UK has fallen by 9%. Last year the cap on tuition fees for English students was raised to £9,000 a year.

See the UCAS figures for student applications here.

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and design in the UK appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Wire: as the shortage of housing in the UK worsens, British architects including Charles Holland of FAT, Glenn Howells and Sarah Wigglesworth offer their opinions and solutions – The Guardian

“I’d like to see more rent regulation and buildings reused in creative ways,” says Holland, while Wigglesworth suggests that “what we need is greater flexibility.”

The article follows the news that New York City are seeking designs for “micro-units” to help solve the shortage of of small apartments in Manhattan.

See more stories about housing on Dezeen »

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on UK housing crisis appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Wire: a major exhibition of work by architects Foster + Partners will open in China later this month at the Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute.

Foster + Partners: the Art of Architecture will be on show from 25 July to 25 August and will give an overview of the 227 projects in 20 countries completed by the practice since its inception in 1967 as Foster Associates.

See all our stories about Foster + Partners »

Here’s the full press release:

Foster + Partners exhibition to open in Shanghai this month

‘Foster + Partners: the Art of Architecture’ will be staged at SPSI, the Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute, from 25 July to 25 August 2012.

The exhibition is the first major survey of the studio’s work to be held in China. It reveals details of a number of new projects underway in the region, including headquarters for Citic Bank in Hangzhou, a new tower in Nanjing and the Vantone development in Shanghai. It is also an opportunity to see the original models and sketches for high-profile completed buildings, such as Beijing International Airport, the Millau Viaduct in France, Hearst Tower in New York and the Swiss Re headquarters in London.

Arranged around the themes of infrastructure, sustainability, high-rise, urban planning, history and culture, the works on display highlight the diversity of the practice’s work and showcase a growing portfolio of projects in China. They also illustrate into the changing nature of architectural practice over the past forty years – a timeline will illustrate the 227 projects in 20 countries completed by the practice since its inception in 1967 as Foster Associates. Allowing visitors a unique insight into the workings of the studio, a special exhibit created for the exhibition explores the design process from first client meeting to completed building and post-occupancy studies.

‘Foster + Partners: the Art of Architecture’ is also timed to celebrate the recent opening of the studio’s Shanghai office, which is based in the Jiushi building on Zhong Shan Nan Road – a tower designed by the practice and the first project to be completed a British firm of architects in China.

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to open in Shanghai appeared first on Dezeen.