Hasta La Ideas

Architecture firm Haworth Tompkins has installed a bright red auditorium amongst the brutalist concrete of London’s National Theatre (+ slideshow).

Haworth Tompkins designed The Shed as a monolithic red box, entirely clad with rough-sawn timber boards. This material references the board-formed concrete of Denys Lasdun’s celebrated 1970s National Theatre and was intended by the architects to appear as its opposite.

Four towering chimneys rise up from the corners, helping to draw air through the structure using a stack-effect system of natural ventilation. These chimneys were also planned as a reference to the architecture of the theatre and they mimic the angular geometry of its riverside facade.

A temporary foyer is created beneath the existing balconies and leads straight through into the 225-seat auditorium.

Reclaimed chairs provide all of the seating inside the building, while recycled materials were used for all of the cladding and surfaces.

“This collaboration has been a wonderful opportunity to explore the ways in which temporary public buildings can alter our perceptions of places and organisations,” said practice director Steve Tompkins. “We hope The Shed will be seen as a playful but thoughtful building, both challenging and complementary to the permanent cultural architecture.”

Above: photograph is by Philipe Ville

The auditorium will remain in place for a year, temporarily replacing the Cottesloe Theatre room while it undergoes a renovation.

Pop-up theatres and cinemas have become increasingly popular in London over the last few years. In 2011 a team of volunteers built a cinema under a motorway flyover, while a theatre for an audience of six travelled around Clerkenwell during last year’s design week in the district.

Above: photograph is by Philipe Ville

Other temporary theatres created recently include one made from scaffolding and plastic pond liner in southern England and one in Estonia made from straw bales. See more theatres on Dezeen.

See more architecture by Haworth Tompkins, including the new home for print-making and photography at the Royal College of Art.

Photography is by Hélène Binet, apart from where otherwise stated.

Above: photograph is by Philipe Ville

Here’s some extra information from the architects:

Haworth Tompkins creates temporary venue at the National Theatre ‘The Shed’

Haworth Tompkins announces the completion of The Shed, a temporary venue for the National Theatre on London’s South Bank. The Shed will give the NT a third auditorium while the Cottesloe is closed for a year during the NT Future redevelopment, also designed by Haworth Tompkins.

The artistic programme for The Shed, recently announced by the Director of the National Theatre, Nicholas Hytner, pushes creative boundaries, giving the NT the opportunity to explore new ways of making theatre. In the same way, The Shed has been a test bed for experiment by the architectural design team. Conceived by Haworth Tompkins and regular collaborators Charcoalblue, it was then designed and built in little more than a year, a collaborative process between the building designers, the National Theatre, and theatre-makers who will work in the space, in a way that more closely resembled a theatre show than a conventional construction project.

Above: photograph is by Philipe Ville

Its temporary nature, building on Haworth Tompkins’ earlier temporary projects like the Almeida Theatre at Gainsborough Studios and King’s Cross, permits a structure that can be seen less as a building than as an event or arts installation – a vibrant intervention on London’s South Bank that will entrance, and sometimes bewilder, passers-by for a period of twelve months.

Above: photograph is by Philipe Ville

The Shed occupies Theatre Square, at the front of the National Theatre, beside the river. Its simple form houses a 225-seat auditorium made of raw steel and plywood, while the rough-sawn timber cladding refers to the National Theatre’s iconic board-marked concrete, and the modelling of the auditorium and its corner towers complement the bold geometries of the NT itself. A temporary foyer has been carved out from the space beneath the NT’s external terraces and provides easy connection to the existing foyers. The Shed’s brilliant red colour covering the entire mass of a form without doors or windows, announces its arrival boldly against the concrete bulk of the NT, giving it a startling and enigmatic presence.

Above: photograph is by Philipe Ville

The Shed also represents another step in Haworth Tompkins’ ongoing project to research sustainable ways of making theatres. Built of materials that can be 100% recycled and fitted out with re-used seating, The Shed is naturally ventilated, with the four towers that draw air through the building providing its distinctive form.

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by Haworth Tompkins appeared first on Dezeen.

News: three residential towers designed by Foster + Partners for a riverside development in central London have been given the go-ahead by Lambeth Council.

Foster + Partners’ towers are part of mixed-use scheme led by St James Group on Albert Embankment, a stretch of land on the south side of the river Thames near Lambeth Bridge.

Ranging from 15 to 27 storeys in height, the towers will contain 253 apartments and a bar, gym and pool for residents, as well as restaurants and offices. The smallest tower will be positioned behind the tallest one and can just be seen on the left of the development in the top image.

The scheme is part of the £15 billion Nine Elms regeneration project, which includes plans for 16,000 new homes on a 195-hectare site between Lambeth Bridge and Chelsea Bridge.

Grant Brooker, senior partner at Foster + Partners, commented: “We hope to transform this important and highly visible site into a vibrant riverside community that sets a benchmark for the regeneration of this part of the river.”

In 2010, Philadelphia architect Kieran Timberlake won a competiton to design the new US embassy in the UK, also located in the Nine Elms area – see all architecture in London.

Foster + Partners recently unveiled a polished steel canopy in the harbour of Marseille and announced plans to research 3D printing on the moon using lunar soil – see all architecture by Foster + Partners.

Images are by Foster + Partners.

Here’s the press release from Foster + Partners:

Planning granted for landmark mixed-use scheme on London’s Albert Embankment

Lambeth Council has approved plans for St James Group’s new mixed-use scheme at 20-21 Albert Embankment in London. Consent was granted for three landmark buildings designed by Foster + Partners, ranging from 15 to 27 storeys in height and providing 253 apartments, including affordable homes for senior living, along with offices, restaurants and a residents’ bar, gym, pool and spa.

The scheme is the latest development to achieve planning in Nine Elms – a 195-hectare site between Lambeth Bridge and Chelsea Bridge on the South Bank, which represents the largest regeneration initiative in Europe. The £15 billion Nine Elms project will include 16,000 new homes and 6.4million sq ft commercial space with planning consent.

Cllr Lib Peck, Leader of Lambeth Council: “This new development on Albert Embankment is another important stage of the transformation of Vauxhall. Developments like 20-21 Albert Embankment are essential to bringing new jobs, new affordable homes and inward investment into Lambeth which will secure our long-term economic growth.”

Sean Ellis, Chairman of St James: “St James is in the fortunate position of owning a number of developments that will have a lasting impact on London and in this case its riverscape. This is a responsibility we take very seriously and are therefore committed to working with the world’s best architects and designers to produce developments which help enhance our world class city. Over 90% of the homes will have their own balcony, many with stunning views of the river and the Houses of Parliament. In addition, St James has carefully considered the landscape architecture as part of the wider strategy, delivering public realm spaces on all three sites that will be of exceptional quality.”

Grant Brooker, Senior Partner at Foster + Partners: “We are absolutely delighted that 20-21 Albert Embankment has received planning permission – working alongside our clients at St James and with great support from Lambeth and the GLA, we hope to transform this important and highly visible site into a vibrant riverside community that sets a benchmark for the regeneration of this part of the river.”

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for London’s Albert Embankment appeared first on Dezeen.

London studio David Mikhail Architects has renovated a nineteenth-century house in London and added a glazed kitchen and dining room at the rear (+ slideshow).

Recent additions and extra staircases were removed to make room for the new rear extension: a larch-framed glass box that stretches along the rear elevation to create an open-plan kitchen and dining room at the lowest ground floor level. This room is double-height on one side to accommodate a staircase and mezzanine library.

As well as using Siberian larch, the architects specified pale brickwork for both interior and exterior walls. Doors and windows are framed by chunky timber surrounds, while balustrades are made from bronze.

“These materials were all chosen to provide texture and scale and to achieve a domestic intimacy, which can so easily be lost with the tendency towards abstract planes and surfaces,” David Mikhail told Dezeen. “They also need to mediate between both the feel and the construction of the new and the older parts of the house, the inside and the outside.”

Other additions include a pivoting wall, which links the study with a billiard room, and a new landscaped garden comprising tiered patios and built-up planting areas.

The house was first constructed in the 1830s at three times the width of most London terraces, resulting in a later conversion into three separate residences. David Mikhail Architects’ job was to restore the original logic of the building so that it could again be used as a single family home.

The architects tracked down early photographs of the building and consulted other architects that had worked on the property in the 1980s to piece together plans of the original design and layout.

In front of the library is the original grand staircase, which winds up between the upper ground floor and first floor of the house. Previously there were no corridors beside this stair, but now residents can walk around it to reach the new rooms beyond.

One of these corridors leads through to a study in the north-east corner of the building. The architects extended this space to add an extra metre in length, creating a top-lit window seat beneath a large skylight. This extension also increased the size of a living room underneath.

“Our philosophy was to give the building back its dignity as a single house, and to be mindful of the likely original plan form,” David Mikhail told Dezeen. “But to combine original features with modern details is a question of both philosophy and detail; it needs an absorption in both to work.”

David Mikhail launched his studio in 1992. Other residential projects in London by the practice include a set of houses with triangular skylights and an extension that is just one metre wide.

See more residential extensions on Dezeen, including a barrel-vaulted addition to a farmhouse.

Photography is by Tim Crocker.

Here’s some more information from David Mikhail Architects:

East London House

Introduction

The East London House is the principle house of a picturesque development built in the 1830s and Grade 2 Listed. At 16m, it is the width of three typical London houses. The original house had been subdivided into three units, with an uneasy relationship to the garden. A glass conservatory to the rear gave the only rear access via an internal spiral staircase. These multiple alterations over time changed what was once a grand home into a jumble of dark, disconnected rooms, with no meaningful access to the large garden.

Client brief

This was to re-establish the elegance of the original, whilst removing the feeling of their being separate dwellings. At the same time, to inject a fresh, modern feel, maximising natural light and harnessing the potential of a large rear garden. The clients have children and other family members often stay. They had several ideas about how the house could function, but guidance was sought on how to connect the various levels and to make sense of the warren of rooms and staircases.

Spatial Strategies

Spatial remodelling has focused on the rear, the basement and the attic. The garden has also been designed by David Mikhail Architects (with planting by Jane Brockbank) and is the other major addition to the building. Much of the remainder of the work was about meticulously restoring the original, with recent works such as staircases and extensions removed. Upper ground and first floors were refurbished to respect the original. For example, one wall has been rebuilt on the upper ground floor to concord with the original plan form, making resultantly smaller, but more usable rooms. (Study/Billiards rooms). The basement and rear garden were excavated to give level access and a sense of openness to the landscape while the gentle terracing of the garden avoids the sense of being underground. The garden forms two spaces, a formal walled garden with water features and raised beds, and beyond it a rougher area for play, with garden sheds and turf.

Upon entering the house the original sweeping staircase is now presented in its original form, with the entrance hallway fully restored. Originally there were no views through beyond the stair, and no real connection to the garden, but now the stair hall is a prelude to the main event. Moving forward either side of the stair, you pass through the rear wall of the main house into a naturally lit double-height library with views to the garden and a bronze staircase down to the dining area. We were keen that this journey from the old to the new was explicitly experienced. The extension itself is a modern open-plan kitchen and dining space giving full views of the garden, with the junction between old and new highlighted through the use of linear flat roof lights.

Planning constraints

Although many original-styled features were present, some were later additions. Unfortunately, many records had been lost. We tracked down the local architects that had worked on the terrace in the 1980s and also used images from the Metropolitan Archive. We were able to use their records to form an understanding of where original details lay, and presented this knowledge to planners in the form of a room-by-room analysis. The extension was designed to clearly differentiate the new from the old, making our own works legible in the future. Even so, the design challenge of such a strategy is to do so in a way that resonates with the scale and sensibility of the original.

Materials and construction

The rear-half of the basement and rear garden was excavated and underpinned to increase head height and accessibility. The extension is a predominately timber and steel structure. Where two-storey, steel gives way to posts and beams of laminated Larch, forming a timber portal frame. The engineering required to achieve such a thin library floor was challenging.

All the timber used in the project is a white-oiled Siberian Larch, including the bespoke sliding doors designed by the architects, the floors the joinery and the external cladding. A white brick with light-grey lime mortar is used inside and out. Metalwork and ironmongery is bronze. A specialist precision metalwork company, where joints are glued rather than welded, constructed the fine bronze stair.

Above: basement floor plan – click for larger image

Above: ground floor plan – click for larger image

Above: first floor plan – click for larger image

Above: second floor plan – click for larger image

Above: third floor plan – click for larger image

Above: cross-section – click for larger image

Above: rear elevation – click for larger image

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David Mikhail Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

L’Atelier Zündel Cristea avait proposé en 2012 pour le concours ArchTriumph un pont gonflable à Paris. Cette année, ils proposent de repenser « The Battersea Power Station » à Londres en lui offrant un circuit proche de ceux des parcs d’attractions. Un projet ambitieux et insolite, à découvrir dans la suite de l’article.

Crédits photos : Charles Wallon et Tanguy Aumont pour Airstudio.

Dutch firm UNStudio has unveiled images of its first UK project: a 30-storey residential tower on London’s City Road.

Named Canaletto, the tower is designed with a curving facade of metal and glass that breaks the volume into a series of three-to-five-storey clusters. Each of these clusters are imagined as individual “neighbourhoods in the sky”, with balcony terraces that afford views of the City of London to the south and the basin waterways to the north.

“I often find it difficult that if you look at the history of residential towers, they’re so neutral and monolithic in their appearance,” UNStudio founder Ben van Berkel told Dezeen, “but that when you walk away from [this] tower you can point to your own apartment and you can say ‘well I’m living in the third cluster’. You can play with that identity.”

Van Berkel also compares the articulation of the facade to the expression of detailing in furniture design. “The elegance is found in a texturing of the facade, giving it more of an unusual scaling,” he said. “Maybe it’s related to my fascination for furniture design and the idea of how one can extend an interior to its facade.”

The building will provide 190 apartments, in addition to a health club, a swimming pool, a private cinema, a restaurant and a members’ club for residents. It is set to complete in 2015, when the first apartments will go on sale.

Architecture firms Foster + Partners and SOM are also working on proposals for residential towers in the area. The developers claim that this is a reaction to the growth of digital businesses in the area: “The emergence of Old Street as a centre for technology and creative industries is driving demand for residential properties with architectural excellence in the surrounding area,” said Aref Lahham, founding partner of development group Orion Capital Managers.

Amsterdam-based UNStudio are also working on a tower in Singapore with chunks missing from its facade and a pair of towers in Hangzhou, China. See more design by UNStudio.

Here’s a press release from UNstudio:

City Road Basin – a new centre of architectural excellence for London with Canaletto, designed by internationally renowned UNStudio

Internationally respected architects UNStudio are bringing their visionary interpretation of how buildings should interact with their environment to a part of London which is at the nexus of some of the capital’s most creative and exciting communities.

City Road Basin, on the northern periphery of the City, adjoins London’s trendiest and most creative districts; Hoxton, Clerkenwell and Shoreditch, as well as leafy residential Islington and the emerging high tech cluster around the Old Street area. Part of a major redevelopment of London’s Regent’s Canal, City Road Basin is becoming one of the most vibrant new London residential hotspots.

The jewel in the crown here is Canaletto, a new 30-storey tower by the celebrated Dutch architecture firm. Canaletto offers 190 apartments, ranging from studios to a large penthouse. The development’s superb views, restaurant, health club, swimming pool, private cinema and residents’ club on the 24th floor, with an expansive terrace, will make Canaletto a social hub at the centre of an exciting neighbourhood.

Canaletto’s innovative design defines a new aesthetic for residential high-rises in London and will make the building a landmark in its own right. The architects have created a multi-faceted façade giving a pleasing appearance from all aspects. The building is broken into multiple ‘neighbourhoods in the sky’, accentuated through organic shapes conveying a sense of scale and intimacy unprecedented for a building of this height. Careful detailing and fluid transitions between interior and exterior spaces further add to the exceptional quality of living Canaletto will offer.

Ben van Berkel, UN Studio’s co-founder and principal architect comments:

“The City Road Basin area is in a unique position, in close proximity to the City yet redefining itself as an up-and-coming residential borough. As such, our design for the Canaletto tower required a distinctly contextual response; one which acknowledges the need for an explicitly residential identity.”

“Near and distant townscape views are enhanced through scale, detail, and material variation which gives the building a soft, nuanced silhouette. The tower’s façade groups sets of three to five adjacent floors together to create a series of ‘neighbourhoods in the sky’. Contrasting materials are employed within each grouping, where the ‘outer’ metallic element is complemented by an ‘inner’ use of textured materials. Throughout the building, the cluster concept of the facade is designed to maximise levels of transparency and frame the views towards the sky.”

“The materiality of the facade is drawn from examples of detailing and the contrasting of materials expressed in product or furniture design. The modelling of the balconies within each grouped cluster lends variability to the facade and the living experience for the residents in the building.”

“Outdoor spaces play a large role in the enjoyment of living environments. Therefore the attention to creating unique, sheltered spaces of high quality was a driver in early design development.”

“The aspect of using a both textured and smooth materials contrasts with the typical high-rise glass and metal construction and lends this facade a contemporary residential ‘twist’.”

“The elevation also offers sustainability benefits. The surface modelling creates opportunities for shading, balancing good internal daylight and views with reduced heat gains. The articulation of the façade will additionally reduce wind down drafts and, in combination with canopy proposals at the base of the building, provide an improved pedestrian microclimate.”

“A landscaped garden on Wharf Road provides access to the residential lobby, whilst the ground floor garden provides an attractive entrance and a green oasis off the busy City Road.”

Aref Lahham, managing director and founding partner of Orion Capital Managers, who commissioned UNStudio to bring their design to the building, comments:

“The emergence of Old Street as a centre for technology and creative industries is driving demand for residential properties with architectural excellence in the surrounding area, and living waterside, alongside the canal, is an added benefit for many prospective buyers.”

“UNStudio’s exciting design for Canaletto highlights the arrival of City Road Basin as an increasingly prime residential area – convenient not only for the City but also Islington, Clerkenwell and Hoxton.”

Commenting on the London development market, Richard Pine-Coffin, Residential director at Jones Lang LaSalle comments:

“We are seeing increasingly strong demand for good quality product in zone 1 and 2 London locations. Purchasers want to make logical investment decisions ensuring they are placing their capital in a market where they will get the best returns for their money and London remains the number one destination for safe haven assets. Canaletto ticks all the boxes. This 30-storey tower designed by renowned architects UNStudio comprises 190 apartments and is located on the fringe of the City, next to some of London’s trendiest areas. Developed to the highest spec, offering number of features including a 24th floor residents sky bar, swimming pool, gymnasium and cinema room with top of the range amenities, Canaletto will offer exceptional living in the heart of London.”

First completions at Canaletto are scheduled for 2015 with prices starting from £390,000.

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