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London: The Latest Architecture and News

The Battle for the Skies Over London

In response to the recent study by New London Architecture, which found that there are currently over 230 tall buildings either planned or under construction in London, an argument is brewing over the UK capital's sudden, seemingly uncontrolled, growth.

The most vocal reaction to all of this has come from Rowan Moore, architecture critic for The Observer, who has teamed up with the Architects' Journal to launch a campaign calling for more rigorous planning and public consultation when it comes to tall buildings. The campaign has support from 80 signatories, a list that reads like a 'who's who' of British architecture, including architects, planners, politicians, developers and artists as well as a range of civic societies.

Read on for more reaction to London's tall building boom.

The Herringbone House / Atelier Chanchan

The Herringbone House / Atelier Chanchan - Houses, Bedroom, Door, Lighting, BedThe Herringbone House / Atelier Chanchan - Houses, Facade, Door, Handrail, BenchThe Herringbone House / Atelier Chanchan - Houses, Facade, Table, Chair, LightingThe Herringbone House / Atelier Chanchan - Houses, Bedroom, Lighting, BedThe Herringbone House / Atelier Chanchan - More Images+ 13

Houses
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London, United Kingdom

Call for Projects: London Festival of Architecture

The London Festival of Architecture will be taking place from June 1 to June 30. Now in its 10th year, the Festival is initiated by The Architecture Foundation, British Council, New London Architecture and RIBA London to celebrate London as a global hub of architectural practice, discussion and debate.

We Need Better, Not Fewer, Buildings

In this intriguing article in the Telegraph, Stephen Bayley critiques protecting cities' "traditional" view corridors out of nostalgia (or fear of bad architecture). On the premise that "not all development is bad" and that "the only cities that do not develop are dead ones", Bayley argues forcefully for better, rather than less, city building. You can read the full argument here.

Hackney Townhouse / ZCD Architects

Hackney Townhouse / ZCD Architects - Extension, Facade, Door, FenceHackney Townhouse / ZCD Architects - Extension, Garden, Facade, DoorHackney Townhouse / ZCD Architects - Extension, Facade, Door, Lighting, ChairHackney Townhouse / ZCD Architects - Extension, Kitchen, Table, Chair, CountertopHackney Townhouse / ZCD Architects - More Images+ 16

Houses, Extension
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London, United Kingdom

Cut and Frame / Ashton Porter Architects

Cut and Frame / Ashton Porter Architects - Renovation, ChairCut and Frame / Ashton Porter Architects - Renovation, FacadeCut and Frame / Ashton Porter Architects - Renovation, Garden, Door, FacadeCut and Frame / Ashton Porter Architects - Renovation, Door, FacadeCut and Frame / Ashton Porter Architects - More Images+ 16

Houses, Renovation
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Greater London, United Kingdom

Bennetts Associates Unveil Plans for Latest Development in London's King's Cross

Bennetts Associates has revealed plans for the latest development in London's King's Cross. Their proposal for a sensitive heritage conversion to "breath new life into a disused Victorian building" will house a new supermarket and cookery school, as well as an events and cultural space. As part of the ongoing transformation of one of London's central districts which has recently seen the completion of John McAslan's station concourse, Stanton William's Central Saint Martins, and an office proposal from David Chipperfield, Bennetts Associates' designs aim to reinvigorate the historic Midland Goods Shed.

London's Impending Tall Building Boom

In a study of all development plans in London, the think tank New London Architecture has found that at least 236 buildings over 20 stories are currently either under construction, approved or awaiting approval in the capital - with over 80% of these projects yet to break ground.

The study, created to support an exhibition by NLA called "London's Growing... Up!," found that 80% of the new towers will be residential, and that the areas of greatest activity were in Central and Eastern areas of London, with 77% of these tall buildings in the City of London or the Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Lambeth, Greenwich, Newham and Southwark.

Read on for more results of, and reactions to, the study...

Could London be Getting its Own Guggenheim Museum?

As part of his strategy to solidify the "Olympic Legacy" of East London, Mayor Boris Johnson has recently been focusing on providing the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with a little more diversity in its buildings, placing an emphasis on bringing cultural institutions alongside the sports buildings. Now, alongside the V&A's plans for new galleries and University College London's proposed design school and cultural centre, The Art Newspaper reports that Johnson is out to grab a headline attraction: London's own Guggenheim.

Read on after the break for more

Designs Unveiled for London's Natural History Museum Urban Redevelopment

Following the news last year that five teams had been shortlisted to redesign and reimagine the grounds of London's iconic Natural History Museum (NHM), five anonymous concept images have been unveiled. The brief called for proposals to "reshape the Museum’s grounds and reinvigorate its public setting" with an aim to creating "an innovative exterior setting that matches Alfred Waterhouse’s Grade I listed building and the award-winning Darwin Centre for architectural excellence, whilst also improving access and engaging visitors."

Read on to see the competing teams, including individual concept images from BIG, Stanton Williams and Feilden Clegg Bradley.

Drake's / Hawkins\Brown

Drake's / Hawkins\Brown - Interior Photography, Interior Design, Table, ChairDrake's / Hawkins\Brown - Interior Photography, Interior Design, Table, ChairDrake's / Hawkins\Brown - Exterior Photography, Interior Design, Facade, DoorDrake's / Hawkins\Brown - Interior Photography, Interior Design, Door, ChairDrake's / Hawkins\Brown - More Images+ 11

Refurbishment, Store, Interior Design
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Greater London, United Kingdom
  • Architects: Hawkins\Brown
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  4320 m²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2013
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Crittall
  • Professionals: Heyne Tillett Steel, Gilbert-Ash

West End Offices Reconversion to Apartments / Emrys Architects

West End Offices Reconversion to Apartments / Emrys Architects - Adaptive Reuse, Facade, Handrail, BalconyWest End Offices Reconversion to Apartments / Emrys Architects - Adaptive Reuse, Facade, CityscapeWest End Offices Reconversion to Apartments / Emrys Architects - Adaptive Reuse, FacadeWest End Offices Reconversion to Apartments / Emrys Architects - Adaptive Reuse, Bathroom, Door, SinkWest End Offices Reconversion to Apartments / Emrys Architects - More Images+ 17

Apartments, Adaptive reuse
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London, United Kingdom
  • Architects: Emrys Architects
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  3720 ft²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2011

Bermondsey Warehouse Loft Apartment / FORM Design Architecture

Bermondsey Warehouse Loft Apartment / FORM Design Architecture - Interior Photography, Apartment Interiors, BedroomBermondsey Warehouse Loft Apartment / FORM Design Architecture - Interior Photography, Apartment InteriorsBermondsey Warehouse Loft Apartment / FORM Design Architecture - Interior Photography, Apartment Interiors, Kitchen, Lighting, TableBermondsey Warehouse Loft Apartment / FORM Design Architecture - Interior Photography, Apartment InteriorsBermondsey Warehouse Loft Apartment / FORM Design Architecture - More Images+ 11

Renovation, Apartment Interiors
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London, United Kingdom

Exhibition: Agnese Sanvito - Absorb/reflect/scatter

Architectural photographer Agnese Sanvito will be exhibiting a selection from her portfolio at The Building Centre in London. Her works, which include photographs of buildings by Renzo Piano, Jean Nouvel, Santiago Calatrava, Wilkinson Eyre, and Sou Fujimoto, focuses on the ways color shapes our sense of buildings.

Six of Britain's Best Shortlisted for Crystal Palace Project

After an open competition that sought to attract "the very best British architecture can offer," six architects - including Zaha Hadid and Richard Rogers - have been selected as the potential architects of the project to rebuild the Crystal Palace in south London. See the full shortlist after the break.

AOR Unveils Floating Platform for the London Wildlife Trust

AOR Unveils Floating Platform for the London Wildlife Trust - Landscape Architecture
Courtesy of The Finnish Institute in London / Architecture Foundation

The Finnish Institute in London and The Architecture Foundation have unveiled Viewpoint, a floating platform on Regent's Canal in the centre of Camley Street Natural Park, London. Designed by Erkko Aarti, Arto Ollila and Mikki Ristola of Finnish practice AOR, the platform will be operated by the London Wildlife Trust. The permanent structure is intended to bring visitors to London's most central nature reserve, connecting them with the wildlife of the park and the Regent’s Canal. In addition, it will also provide the park with an additional workshop space and learning facility, becoming "an architectural focal point of King’s Cross."

Critical Round-Up: 'Sensing Spaces' Strikes a Chord With Critics

As the most ambitious architecture exhibition hosted by the Royal Academy of Arts in a generation, Sensing Spaces was inevitably going to be under a lot of scrutiny from architecture and art critics. According to the Academy's Chief Executive Charles Saumarez-Smith, the momentous exhibition "represents a shift away from postwar modern architecture where it was about problem solving, to thinking about architecture in terms of experience, material, light and space."

Fortunately the exhibition seems to have struck a chord with critics, who have almost universally praised the exhibition's premise and have, to varying extents, been highly complementary about the individual exhibits.

Read on after the break for a round-up of the critics' opinions

Critical Round-Up: 'Sensing Spaces' Strikes a Chord With Critics - Image 1 of 4Critical Round-Up: 'Sensing Spaces' Strikes a Chord With Critics - Image 2 of 4Critical Round-Up: 'Sensing Spaces' Strikes a Chord With Critics - Image 3 of 4Critical Round-Up: 'Sensing Spaces' Strikes a Chord With Critics - Image 4 of 4Critical Round-Up: 'Sensing Spaces' Strikes a Chord With Critics - More Images+ 1

Videos: Viewpoint / Finnish Architects

Videos: Viewpoint / Finnish Architects - Image 1 of 4