Monthly Archives: May 2017
The Cohen Quadrangle: Collegiate Architecture as Future Heritage – LFA 2017 Exeter College Cohen Quad
22.06.2017 14.00–15.00, Embankment Galleries, Somerset House
In a rare public talk and Q&A session as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2017, Alison Brooks will be sharing the ideals and design approach behind the newest building to emerge on the Oxford city skyline; the Exeter College Cohen Quad.[more..]
In a rare public talk and Q&A session as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2017, Alison Brooks will be sharing the ideals and design approach behind the newest building to emerge on the Oxford city skyline; the Exeter College Cohen Quad.
ABA’s campus is due for completion later this year, making it the first complete College commissioned by the University of Oxford since Powell & Moya’s 1974 Wolfson College.
The Cohen Quad is a 21st century reinvention of the collegiate quadrangle, the basis of Oxford’s academic and urban fabric. Weaving together themes of collective memory, spatial experimentation, and the contemporary narrative of the city, the talk also addresses the architect’s role in creating generous and humane platforms for social exchange.
The design of the new quad is based on three key concepts: the journey, places of gathering and sense of home. These concepts are embedded in the formal layout of the building, the variety of its spaces, and its shimmering, curved stainless steel roof. The 6,000m2 Cohen Quad offers a new institutional model for education and creativity. At its heart is the Learning Commons; its multi-layered spaces speak of a future where socialising, eating, drinking, studying and teaching will merge and evolve in a multitude of ways.
The Exeter College Cohen Quad talk will take place on the 22 June at 2pm in the Embankment Gallery of Somerset House. Entry is on a ‘first come, first served’ basis; please arrive promptly to secure a place.
The London Festival of Architecture is Europe’s biggest annual architecture festival, and returns to the capital from 1-30 June 2017 with hundreds of events exploring ‘memory’. It celebrates London as a global architectural hub, provokes questions about the life of the city, and promotes positive change to its public realm. For more information on the festival, visit www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org.
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Financial Times: Timber advocates reach for the skies The Smile
The Smile features as an exemplar of innovative use of CLT in the Financial Times’ article on the cutting edge of a new timber architecture.[more..]
The Smile features as an exemplar of innovative use of CLT in the Financial Times’ article on the cutting edge of a new timber architecture.
‘After more than three centuries, a wooden architecture is once more taking shape in the city, which is leading the world in large-scale urban timber construction… However, temporary and experimental buildings are starting to nurture that experience. Last year Alison Brooks Architects built the world’s largest CLT tubular structure at site. The Smile… was a single, simple curve erected for the London Design Festival… London may no longer be surrounded by the forests of the Elizabethan era, but it is at least at the cutting edge of a new timber architecture’.
Click here to read the full article.
[less..]Robert Elms in conversation with Alison Brooks
21.05.2017 13:25, Urban Village Fete
Alison Brooks will join BBC Radio’s Robert Elms this Sunday at Greenwich Peninsula Urban Village Fete as part of his series Living for the City.
Alison Brooks will join BBC Radio’s Robert Elms this Sunday at Greenwich Peninsula Urban Village Fete as part of his series Living for the City.
This year Robert will be in conversation with five influential female role models in aspirational industries, discussing their importance in shaping the landscape and celebrating their achievements.
Curated by Hemingway Design, the Urban Village Fete is a contemporary twist on the traditional village fair that celebrates the best in design, music, art, innovative events and modern craftmanship.
The Fete runs from 12pm until 7pm on Sunday 21 May and is free to attend. For more information, click here.
[less..]Green light for ABA’s third project in South Kilburn Unity Place
Durham & Gloucester Court is a step closer to construction as Brent Council announces a Development and Sale Agreement with Telford Homes.[more..]
Durham & Gloucester Court is a step closer to construction as Brent Council announces a Development and Sale Agreement with Telford Homes.
Alison Brooks Architects have designed 84 of the 236 units in this mixed-tenure residential development which forms part of the South Kilburn Estate Regeneration Masterplan for the London Borough of Brent. Phase 3 of the Masterplan is led by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios with Alison Brooks Architects and Gort Scott, with landscape by Grant Associates. The scheme has received detailed planning consent and Telford Homes intend to start on site by September 2017, with completion due in 2021.
Amar Dave, Strategic Director Regeneration and Environment, Brent Council said: “We’re serious about making this borough an amazing place to live and are working hard to build the homes that people need. The partnership with Telford Homes brings us one step closer to delivering our target of 2,400 new homes in South Kilburn.”
Jon Di-Stefano, Chief Executive of Telford Homes, commented: “We are delighted to have been selected as the preferred partner of the London Borough of Brent for the redevelopment of Gloucester House and Durham Court. South Kilburn is undergoing major regeneration and our involvement represents the start of an exciting new relationship with Brent and our first development in the Borough. We look forward to exchanging contracts in the near future and commencing work on site later this year.”
For more about Durham & Gloucester Court, click here.
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