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Alison Brooks and Rasmus Astrup of SLA: Transforming Urban Landscapes
4.07.2024, London, UK
Alison Brooks and Rasmus Astrup of SLA teamed up for a keynote presentation at the Festival of Place in Boxpark Wembley.
Alison Brooks and Rasmus Astrup of SLA teamed up for a keynote presentation at the Festival of Place in Boxpark Wembley.
The duo showcased three innovative Toronto projects that reimagine the city’s post-industrial waterfront and brutalist legacies.
Their presentation, centred around the theme “Transforming Urban Landscapes,” highlighted the integration of natural elements into the regeneration of Toronto in Canada. Christine Murray, Editor-in-Chief and Director of The Developer and Festival of Place, chaired the double-act.
Alison Brooks and Rasmus Astrup showcased three innovative Toronto projects that reimagine the city’s post-industrial waterfront and brutalist legacies:
- Waterfront Toronto – A bold vision for sustainable urban development featuring an ensemble of mid- and high-rise buildings stitched together by a community forest.
- Bissell Building, University of Toronto – A revitalization of the Brutalist Claude T. Bissell Building, home to the Faculty of Information in downtown Toronto.
- David Crombie Park – A revitalization of a historic 1970s landscape designed to meet the needs of the local urban community.
Their keynote emphasized sustainability, community, and the seamless blend of architecture with natural surroundings, offering valuable insights into the future of urban design and the potential for nature to reshape our cities.
You can watch their conversation here.
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Alison Brooks Appointed to AA Council
We are excited to announce our Creative Director Alison Brooks’ appointment as one of four members to the esteemed Architectural Association Council.
We are excited to announce our Creative Director Alison Brooks’ appointment as one of four members to the esteemed Architectural Association Council.
Joining PQ Choi, Cindy Walters and Steven Ware on the council is a significant achievement which will allow her to have a hand in shaping the next generation of bright young talents at the oldest private school of architecture in the UK. As practicing architects, all four new members of Council will draw on their experience and knowledge to help shape the AA’s future as part of a five-year strategy developed by AA Director Ingrid Schroder.
The new Council members were elected following a vote by AA Members, including current students and staff, in April 2024 and begin their three-year appointment on 15 July.
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Alison Brooks Architects Wins Architizer A+ Best Medium Firm
Receiving entries from over 80 countries, Alison Brooks Architects has won Best Medium Firm in the Architizer A+ Awards.
Receiving entries from over 80 countries, Alison Brooks Architects has won Best Medium Firm in the Architizer A+ Awards.
This achievement recognizes the value of aesthetics, performance, and impact in the act of building – a perfect culture fit with our design ethos.
We’re grateful to all Alison Brooks Architects staff past and present for their contributions.
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Alison Brooks and Carlos Chauca Galicia Lead Workshop for Master of Advanced Studies in Collective Housing
3.06.2024, Madrid, Spain
This June, Alison Brooks alongside Carlos Chauca Galicia, led a studio in the Master of Advanced Studies in Collective Housing – a collaborative postgraduate program for qualified architects offered by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and ETH Zürich.
This June, Alison Brooks alongside Carlos Chauca Galicia, led a studio in the Master of Advanced Studies in Collective Housing – a collaborative postgraduate program for qualified architects offered by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and ETH Zürich.
This program focuses on housing, city, and energy studies, combining practice-oriented design synthesis with integrated disciplines and theoretical issues of dwelling and housing.
In Praise of Shadows: Towers of Madrid Nuevo Norte
In the workshop, the task is to re-imagine the residential tower so that it is liveable, generous, and welcoming of shade and darkness and attuned to the climate of Madrid. The seven tower schemes will evolve the qualities of the city’s finest ‘street architecture’ to find new form and expression, giving darkness and light equal consideration.
Using the text “In Praise of Shadows” by Japanese writer Junichiro Tanizaki, the workshop also addressed the increasing reliance on tower typologies in urban development to fund economic models in Europe’s metropolitan centres. High-density residential developments reflect the costs associated with land purchase, decontamination, infrastructure installation, and the funding of social, economic, cultural, and ecological infrastructure in new neighbourhoods. Tall buildings are thus a prerequisite for new metropolitan neighbourhoods. This principle is evident in the planned regeneration of Madrid Nuevo Norte, where the central urban gesture – a new park over the rail lands – is lined with tall buildings.
Site:
The Madrid Nuevo Norte project, also known as the Chamartín project, aims to transform the northern part of Madrid into a modern, sustainable, and connected district. Covering approximately 2.3 million square meters (3.3 million including the railway tracks), it stands as one of the largest urban regeneration initiatives in Europe.
The development encompasses a new financial district along with extensive residential, commercial, and green areas. It will feature 1 million square meters of residential space, including 10,500 new housing units, 20% of which will be affordable. Additionally, there will be 1.6 million square meters of office space and 400,000 square meters dedicated to green spaces and parks.
MCH Students:
Anwar Abbassi, Kailey Akins, Derrick Christensen, Thomas Christensen, Edgardo Cruz, Viktoriia Denisova, Jose Eduardo Delgado, Julio Ferré, Pedro Gaxiola, Rafailia Mandi, Eduardo Maldonado, Karla Madrigal, Diego Martínez, Ximena Real, Elizaveta Nikolskaia, Ayush Patel, Betul Sahin, Kunal Sonawane, Sofia de Luca, Milagros Ucha, Antoine Voruz, Mariam Yasser.
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Computational Design Group Launch
We are delighted to announce the launch of our new Computational Design Group, led by our esteemed colleague Daniel Tihanyi, who will be taking on the role of Head of Computational Design.
We are delighted to announce the launch of our new Computational Design Group, led by our esteemed colleague Daniel Tihanyi, who will be taking on the role of Head of Computational Design.
This research-led group will push the boundaries of computational design, visualization, and AI, while also providing invaluable training for our team.
Since joining ABA Daniel has been a driving force in advancing our digital agenda, introducing innovative software and computational techniques that have radically enhanced our capabilities as a practice. In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, Daniel’s leadership will ensure Alison Brooks Architects remains at the forefront of innovation and technical excellence within the profession.
Stay tuned for more updates as we embark on this exciting journey!
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University of Toronto Competition Win
We are honored to share that Alison Brooks Architects, in collaboration with Adamson Associates, has been selected by the University of Toronto to revitalize the Claude T. Bissell Building for the Faculty of Information.
We are honored to share that Alison Brooks Architects, in collaboration with Adamson Associates, has been selected by the University of Toronto to revitalize the Claude T. Bissell Building for the Faculty of Information.
This landmark project will modernize the 7,000 sqm Bissell Building, a key part of the renowned John P. Robarts Research Library complex, into a sustainable and exceptional center for information studies.
The revitalization will create accessible, inclusive spaces such as research and design labs, classrooms, and makerspaces, supporting the Faculty’s mission to advance technology for the public good. We are dedicated to creating a new, vibrant gateway to the St. George Campus, enhancing its identity and supporting innovative learning.
Our core design team is supported by a talented group: David T. Fortin Architect, ERA Architects, The Planning Partnership, and Arup.
Stay tuned for more updates on this landmark transformation!
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Alison Brooks to speak at OAA Conference in Niagara Falls Quayside
23.05.2024, Ontario, Canada
Alison Brooks will be speaking at the Ontario Association of Architects Conference on Thursday the 23rd of May. Her speech is entitled: “Social Equity and Future Heritage: Housing as Civic Building.”
Alison Brooks will be speaking at the Ontario Association of Architects Conference on Thursday the 23rd of May. Her speech is entitled: “Social Equity and Future Heritage: Housing as Civic Building.”
Urban housing frames the space of our civic commons. It gives both form and identity to our streets and neighborhoods, and, at the same time, “home” provides the physical and cognitive framework through which we experience the world. Housing architecture therefore embodies a critically important relationship between the individual and the collective, the household and society. In the context of the biodiversity crisis, urban housing as civic infrastructure must also play a significant role in transforming the relationship of architecture to nature. The way we conceive, design, and construct housing must start to serve nature, not only humans.
For 25 years, Alison Brooks Architects London has made housing design a pillar of our practice: to restore its civic role as a generous, resilient frame for public and private life. We see housing as mixed-use places for productivity and work, and as places of resilience and adaptability over time. In this talk, Alison Brooks will outline the urban design policies, frameworks, and quality standards that support inclusive and resilient housing in the United Kingdom, and her context-inspired design strategies that have underpinned her work in the U.K. and internationally.
Pictured, The Western Curve, our practice’s tallest building to date—a 69-storey tower and education space at Waterfront Toronto is designed to re-establish local ecologies in Toronto’s emerging Dream & Great Gulf Quayside masterplan.
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Unity Place Receives RIBA London Award Unity Place
Designed in collaboration with Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Gort Scott, our 100% affordable housing scheme for Brent Council, ‘Unity Place’, has been awarded a prestigious RIBA London Award.
Designed in collaboration with Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Gort Scott, our 100% affordable housing scheme for Brent Council, ‘Unity Place’, has been awarded a prestigious RIBA London Award.
“During the jury’s visit, residents expressed their delight with the project and their accommodation (…) This project shows how it is possible to provide high-quality, sustainable and affordable housing, embodying the local council’s commitment to elevating the standard of living for its social residents. Through community engagement, careful planning, selection of materials and, importantly, a willingness of the three architectural practices to share a common ambition, language, and goals, Unity Place has set a benchmark for future residential developments.” – RIBA Award Judges
See the full RIBA Journal article of the jury’s thoughts: https://lnkd.in/eiEWSRuR
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Alison Brooks Delivered Closing Keynote at AIBC Conference 2024
24.04.2025, Vancouver, Canada
British-Canadian architect Alison Brooks delivered the closing keynote on April 24, 2024, at the AIBC (Architectural Institute of British Columbia) Conference, held in-person at the Vancouver Convention Centre West.
British-Canadian architect Alison Brooks delivered the closing keynote on April 24, 2024, at the AIBC (Architectural Institute of British Columbia) Conference, held in-person at the Vancouver Convention Centre West.
In her keynote, “Context is Everything,” Alison Brooks, founder of Alison Brooks Architects in London, explored themes such as civicness as a condition of reciprocity, the creation of future contexts, infrastructure for the arts, embracing new global narratives, and identity and inclusion.
Her talk closed the AIBC Conference 2024 in Vancouver, which featured nearly 30 sessions over two days. The conference theme, “Act,” highlighted the pivotal role of architects in the built environment, exploring technical actions, the art and science of architecture, and the impact of architectural professionals on their communities.
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Sodertalje Sweden Finalist Proposal Revealed Luna Masterplan
Alison Brooks Architects, alongside BAU from Sweden, were one of four finalists shortlisted in a retrofit masterplan design competition focusing on the Luna block in Södertälje, Sweden.
Alison Brooks Architects, alongside BAU from Sweden, were one of four finalists shortlisted in a retrofit masterplan design competition focusing on the Luna block in Södertälje, Sweden.
The scheme was focused on re-working a 1970s concrete megastructure to re-imagine a more accessible and legible urban centre. Celebrating the Library and Gymnasium as civic anchors at the site’s most prominent edges, our proposal aimed to revitalize the city center by celebrating its diverse cultures, embracing its natural landscape, and enhancing its unique architectural charm. We were able to retain ~80% of the original structure while utilizing mass timber throughout to make our scheme an exemplar sustainable proposal.
Four our “Interwoven Luna” proposal, we were joined by landscape architects LARK from Norway; Linn Lindfred, a circular sustainability expert; and designers from Kvarteret K. We are immensely proud of our submission and the hard work of every team member. Congratulations CF Möller for their excellent winning proposal, “Heaven is our roof”.
To see our full submission, click here.
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TC 163 – Alison Brooks Architects
Our first practice monograph is now available for purchase! We’re proud to be collaborating with leading architectural publisher, TC Cuadernos, on their first monograph of a woman-led practice.
“The work of Alison Brooks Architects fuses an endlessly inventive architectural imagination with profound sensitivity to the diverse cultural and natural histories that form each project’s provenance. This ethos underpins the extraordinary array of nuanced and joyful works illustrated in this book, collectively described by Alison Brooks as ‘experimental archetypes’. This 386-page monograph charts eighteen built works completed in the past 20 years, extensively documented with descriptive texts, photographs, drawings and emblematic construction details that illuminate each project’s tectonic and conceptual intent.
Our first practice monograph is now available for purchase! We’re proud to be collaborating with leading architectural publisher, TC Cuadernos, on their first monograph of a woman-led practice.
“The work of Alison Brooks Architects fuses an endlessly inventive architectural imagination with profound sensitivity to the diverse cultural and natural histories that form each project’s provenance. This ethos underpins the extraordinary array of nuanced and joyful works illustrated in this book, collectively described by Alison Brooks as ‘experimental archetypes’. This 386-page monograph charts eighteen built works completed in the past 20 years, extensively documented with descriptive texts, photographs, drawings and emblematic construction details that illuminate each project’s tectonic and conceptual intent.
The private houses in this book define Brooks’ early career and continue to be a test bed for experimentation. They illuminate her ability to conjure deeply human architectures of plasticity and informality. Organic geometries and expressive roof forms loosen cartesian boundaries to offer indeterminate spaces: these simultaneously act as a canvas for daily life, workplaces, or private art collections.
As the practice’s work has grown in scale, their urban housing schemes have been motivated by Brooks’ foundational belief that the architect’s duty to the city, and society, is to provide beautiful, sustainable, and accessible housing for all as a framework for individual and community well-being. This book reveals residential projects characterised by spatial generosity and a uniquely sculptural approach to form and material.
Alison Brooks Architects’ more recent educational and cultural projects emphasise architecture as a celebration of time, space, and light. Here Brooks interweaves spatial narratives with structural and material invention, exhibiting ever more sophisticated architectural languages and environments to engender new forms of social exchange.”
Order your copy here.
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Alison Brooks at The Interior Design Show Toronto 2024
18.01.2024
Join Alison Brooks next Thursday, January 18th, as she delivers the keynote speech for the Interior Design Show (IDS) Toronto 2024. In conversation with Deezen’s US Editor, Ben Dreith, Alison will discuss her inspirations, her career journey and the future of the studio.
Join Alison Brooks next Thursday, January 18th, as she delivers the keynote speech for the Interior Design Show (IDS) Toronto 2024. In conversation with Deezen’s US Editor, Ben Dreith, Alison will discuss her inspirations, her career journey and the future of the studio.
Get your tickets here.
When: Jan. 18, 2024 – 12:00 to 1:00pm
Where: Cosentino Main Stage, Metro Toronto Convention Centre North Building, 255 Front St W, Toronto
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2023 Winter Newsletter
Click here to dive into the highlights of our year
All the best for 2024!
Alison Brooks at Toronto International Architectural Roundtable
Alison Brooks will be in Toronto this November for The Buildings Show Toronto International Architectural Roundtable, where she will discuss Design Solutions for the Housing Crisis with Alfonso Femia, Janna Levitt and Ouri Scott. Co-sponsored by the Ontario Association of Architects and moderated by architectural critic Adele Weder, she will outline the challenges presented by the housing crisis both internationally and in Canada. The conversation will explore strategies to tackle these challenges across design and policy.
Alison Brooks will be in Toronto this November for The Buildings Show Toronto International Architectural Roundtable, where she will discuss Design Solutions for the Housing Crisis with Alfonso Femia, Janna Levitt and Ouri Scott. Co-sponsored by the Ontario Association of Architects and moderated by architectural critic Adele Weder, she will outline the challenges presented by the housing crisis both internationally and in Canada. The conversation will explore strategies to tackle these challenges across design and policy.
At ABA, our dedication to inclusive city-building is grounded in the belief of housing as civic building. Working with private and public sector clients and local communities to deliver affordable, sustainable, and diverse neighbourhoods, we strive to foster equitable opportunities for both urban and rural societies. Get your tickets here.
When: Nov. 29, 2023 – 9:00 to 10:30am
Where: Metro Toronto Convention Centre South Building, 222 Bremner Blvd, Toronto
[less..]Alison Brooks appointed as Chair for the Design South East Expert Panel
We are delighted that Alison Brooks has been appointed as Chair for the Design South East Expert Panel. After many years as a Design Review Panel member and Design Council Ambassador, Alison’s new role underscores her commitment to improving the design and quality of buildings and public spaces across the UK.
Design Council’s expert panels deliver constructive guidance that fosters dialogue and collaboration between Planning Authorities, Clients and Architects, to help ensure that design proposals respond positively to their context and maximise benefit to the communities that they serve; values exemplified by ABA projects such as Quarterhouse Performing Arts Centre, Exeter College’s Cohen Quad, Oxford, and our ‘palazzo’ apartment buildings at Knight’s Park, Eddington; frontispiece for this emerging, net-zero operational carbon neighbourhood.
We are delighted that Alison Brooks has been appointed as Chair for the Design South East Expert Panel. After many years as a Design Review Panel member and Design Council Ambassador, Alison’s new role underscores her commitment to improving the design and quality of buildings and public spaces across the UK.
Design Council’s expert panels deliver constructive guidance that fosters dialogue and collaboration between Planning Authorities, Clients and Architects, to help ensure that design proposals respond positively to their context and maximise benefit to the communities that they serve; values exemplified by ABA projects such as Quarterhouse Performing Arts Centre, Exeter College’s Cohen Quad, Oxford, and our ‘palazzo’ apartment buildings at Knight’s Park, Eddington; frontispiece for this emerging, net-zero operational carbon neighbourhood.
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Rubicon wins Best Design for Four Storeys or More at the Housebuilder Awards 2023 Rubicon
We’re pleased to share that our Rubicon project at Eddington, North West Cambridge has won ‘Best Design for Four Storeys or More’ at the Housebuilder Awards 2023.
We’re pleased to share that our Rubicon project at Eddington, North West Cambridge has won ‘Best Design for Four Storeys or More’ at the Housebuilder Awards 2023.
Congratulations to Hill Group and their construction team. ABA are proud to have delivered design, planning and construction documents for this project after our 2025 developer/architect competition-winning bid. Thanks to all our collaborators and individuals who made this project a success!
To learn more about the award-winning project click here.
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New Practice Leadership
We are delighted to announce two new additions to our Practice Leadership. Please join us in congratulating Michael Mueller for his new position as Board Director and Juliana Rocha, promoted to Associate.
We are delighted to announce two new additions to our Practice Leadership. Please join us in congratulating Michael Mueller for his new position as Board Director and Juliana Rocha, promoted to Associate.
Michael’s new role is a testament to his unflagging commitment to our practice ethos demonstrated by his motivational and inclusive management approach, mastery of technical challenges and consistently brilliant client service. He has led our practice’s high-profile projects in the UK and abroad, at all stages of design and construction. His notable built projects include the Cohen Quad in Oxford; sixty residential buildings across three sites at Eddington, Cambridge; and Cadence, ABA’s landmark arched towers in King’s Cross. Michael builds lasting client and team relationships that extend beyond the world of work to create a supportive practice culture.
Juliana Rocha is one of ABA’s most experienced architects and a dynamic force in our organization. She co-leads our BIM Management team and is ABA’s Timber Construction Lead. Her achievements range from successful competition designs to detailed construction packages. Recently, she has stewarded our mass timber, net-zero carbon Homerton College Entrance Building project through construction documentation. Her collaborative spirit, combined with technical know-how and yoga-infused energy, are a fantastic asset for our practice.
To find our more about our Team and Practice please click here.
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ABA at The British School at Rome
Last month Alison Brooks Architects sponsored our architect Chen Man to attend the The British School at Rome’s new Architecture & Urbanism summer school. Led by Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey (O’Donnell + Tuomey) and joined by architects from 10 other practices, the week’s study ‘A Moment in Rome’ offered students the chance to explore the wonders of the city and the BSR’s archives.
Last month Alison Brooks Architects sponsored our architect Chen Man to attend the The British School at Rome’s new Architecture & Urbanism summer school. Led by Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey (O’Donnell + Tuomey) and joined by architects from 10 other practices, the week’s study ‘A Moment in Rome’ offered students the chance to explore the wonders of the city and the BSR’s archives.
A week-long study of in between spaces in Rome, focusing on moments, thresholds, and transitional passages. The week kicked off at San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, sketching in the pocket spaces of Borromini’s masterful work. Navigating our way through Rome using the Nolli Map, we explored Rome’s public spaces and examined the intricate urban filigree all the while admiring Nolli’s accuracy. A collective ‘Moment’ in Rome, for the group, was experiencing the Pantheon from inside it’s brick walls, observing the brick construction then stepping into the central space. The weeks analysis culminated in a model, synthesising our key takeaways from the trip and how our observations in Rome can influence our work in practice. My piece reflected on the void spaces formed by the spatial adjacency of cornices, arches and vaults that beautifully frame the city of Rome.” – Chen Man
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Knight’s Park Reconnaisance @Eddington Cambridge
Last week Director Michael Mueller and Communications Manager Castana Arango went on a reconnaissance mission to check our multiple buildings nearing completion at Eddington, Cambridge.
Last week Director Michael Mueller and Communications Manager Castana Arango went on a reconnaissance mission to check our multiple buildings nearing completion at Eddington, Cambridge.
Knight’s Park is at its final phase under construction; our second project, Rubicon, on Eddington’s southern edge is finishing soon. Of Rubicon’s five buildings, two are already home to 68 University key workers. It’s great to see the UK’s first net-zero masterplan in action. First stop was our new Knight’s Park neighbourhood of 124 homes, 55 by ABA and its avenues, mews and exemplar car-free Green Street.
‘It’s interesting to see how the inhabited bridge works to connect two of ABA’s three fan-shaped Palazzo apartment buildings. The spaces between these three buildings create differentiated passages into the neighbourhood. Beyond the Palazzos our terraced house & villas mansard roofs with our trademark splayed dormers convey an identifiable domestic character. Along each street our house and block designs are complemented by PTE’s terraced courtyard houses in scale and material. So there are similarities with Accordia but Knights Park has a more intimate semi-rural scale.’
We could see that the Green Street has come into its own, with its footbridges and seating areas, but also its fully functional reedbeds for rainwater filtering and storage benefitting residents, Cambridge’s flood management plan and wildlife. The neighbourhood really delivers our intention of bringing sensory delight, biodiversity, and healthy living to resident’s everyday experience. We are thrilled to see how, as the project reaches completion, first residents have started to care and nurture its green spaces. We’re onside with Alexis Butterfield of Pollard Thomas Edwards, the scale and texture of Knight’s Park is super successful!
Next stop Rubicon…
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Home Ground @ABA for the London Festival of Architecture 2023
This June, the office welcomed visitors to experience our Home Ground installation. After being exhibited at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale ‘How will we live together?’ and then travelling to Germany in 2022 for the Biennale Meets Roma exhibition, our installation finally found a home at our studio in Kentish Town.
This June, the office welcomed visitors to experience our Home Ground installation. After being exhibited at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale ‘How will we live together?’ and then travelling to Germany in 2022 for the Biennale Meets Roma exhibition, our installation finally found a home at our studio in Kentish Town.
As part of the festival, we held an event where Alison Brooks and Associate Ceri Edmunds discussed the role of the Biennale in architectural culture, the ideas behind our installation and the projects it represents.
Alison Brooks and Associate Ceri Edmunds discussed our approach to the installation, the process of making it during Covid-19 times, and the projects it presents. We finalised the evening with a conversation about the role of the Biennale in the making of architectural culture.
One of our initial intentions for the installation was to generate a space for discussion. It brings us much joy to see the exhibition’s continued significance.
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Architects, not Architecture Keynote Speech
Alison Brooks spoke of her Canadian upbringing and architectural inspirations in a unique London event that prohibits speakers from talking about their practice’s work.
Watch the full keynote speech by clicking here.
Alison Brooks spoke of her Canadian upbringing and architectural inspirations in a unique London event that prohibits speakers from talking about their practice’s work.
Watch the full keynote speech by clicking here.
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Reconceptualizing Urban Housing at the Venice Biennale 2023
ABA work is on show at the Palazzo Mora in Venice as part of the Reconceptualizing Urban Housing exhibition. Organized by the ECC and curated by Canadian architect Heather Dubbeldam, the exhibition brings together a group of women-led practices from around the world presenting new housing models that redefine what collective housing can be and how it can support liveability for its inhabitants. The exhibition features our projects Unity Place, London and Quayside, Toronto.
ABA work is on show at the Palazzo Mora in Venice as part of the Reconceptualizing Urban Housing exhibition. Organized by the ECC and curated by Canadian architect Heather Dubbeldam, the exhibition brings together a group of women-led practices from around the world presenting new housing models that redefine what collective housing can be and how it can support liveability for its inhabitants. The exhibition features our projects Unity Place, London and Quayside, Toronto.
Participants:
Alison Brooks Architects, UK
Adengo Architecture, Uganda
Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, Canada
Manuelle Gautrand Architecture, France
Eleena Jamil Architect, Malaysia
Fernanda Canales Arquitectura, Mexico
Studio Gang, USA
Meyer-Grohbruegge, Germany
Mecanoo, Netherlands
The exhibition will be on from May 20 to November 26, 2023 at Palazzo Mora in Venice, Italy.
Visit the exhibition’s website here.
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Unity Place wins Best Residential Scheme at the Brent Design Awards 2023 Unity Place
Unity Place won the Best Residential Scheme at the inaugural Brent Design Awards 2023. The awards aim to shine light on the most exceptional and innovative buildings and open spaces that have had a positive impact on the London Borough of Brent’s communities.
Unity Place won the Best Residential Scheme at the inaugural Brent Design Awards 2023. The awards aim to shine light on the most exceptional and innovative buildings and open spaces that have had a positive impact on the London Borough of Brent’s communities.
‘Residents deserve great places to live and work, a nd high-quality design can help us achieve this.’ – Councillor Shama Tatler, Chair of the Judging Panel and Cabinet Member for Regeneration Planning and Growth.
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Two Projects Shortlisted for Inaugural Brent Design Awards Unity Place Kilburn Quarter
Both Unity Place and Kilburn Quarter have been shortlisted for the London Borough of Brent’s first celebration of design excellence.
Both Unity Place and Kilburn Quarter have been shortlisted for the London Borough of Brent’s first celebration of design excellence.
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Unity Place Shortlisted for RIBA London Award Unity Place Ely Court Kilburn Quarter
Unity Place has been shortlisted by the RIBA London Jury for a prestigious London Award.
Unity Place has been shortlisted by the RIBA London Jury for a prestigious London Award.
Working with Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Gort Scott as a large collaborative project, Unity Place is the latest phase of Brent Council’s twenty-year South Kilburn Regeneration in North West London. Alison Brooks Architects have designed a cluster of three modern mansion blocks to replace two derelict 1960’s towers. The scheme re-integrates the site and its communities into the wider South Kilburn neighbourhood. Three buildings provide exceptionally high quality, bright and spacious units.
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Practical Completion in Tottenham Hale One Ashley Road
We are thrilled to announce the end of the construction period of One Ashley Road in North London.
We are thrilled to announce the end of the construction period of One Ashley Road in North London.
Our scheme’s hexagonal plan geometry, colour and patterning are inspired by Tottenham’s historic local context. The Eagle Pencil Co, later taken over by Berol, operated a factory in the Hale from 1907 to 1992. With a rich orange brick outer skin and a faceted metal courtyard façade, our design employs the graphic colours and hexagonal forms of the iconic Berol Eagle Pencil. These have been translated formally as abstract surface patterns within the architecture of the building, gathering and reflecting light into its heart.
A secluded residents podium garden and resident’s co-work space at third floor level is sheltered from street noise; at 7th floor level, a south-facing communal roof garden is visible from afar. With a double-height colonnade offering a civic frontage to Tottenham Hale, this building will bring identity, character, human scale and joy to its new and existing communities.
Visualization shows the view of the building directly after exiting Tottenham Hale station
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Winter Newsletter
Happy New Year from Alison Brooks Architects!
View our winter newsletter containing some of our 2022 highlights here: Season’s Greetings from Alison Brooks Architects (mailchi.mp)
Happy New Year from Alison Brooks Architects!
View our winter newsletter containing some of our 2022 highlights here: Season’s Greetings from Alison Brooks Architects (mailchi.mp)
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Toronto Quayside Development Agreement
Waterfront Toronto and Quayside Impact confirmed an agreement to develop the Quayside site this December.
Waterfront Toronto and Quayside Impact confirmed an agreement to develop the Quayside site this December.
This announcement follows the competition success of Quayside Impact’s team earlier this year featuring Adjaye Associates, Henning Larsen and Alison Brooks Architects.
Co-leading a talented international team, we hope to transform the area into a vibrant new ecologically minded community. Our Western Curve Tower is the cornerstone to the masterplan’s design, featuring innovative balconies that will promote extensive planting.
The development will offer:
- 800+ Units of affordable housing
- 3.5 Acres of connective green public space
- Low carbon design; mass timber structures
Read Waterfront Toronto’s full announcement here.
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IE University Guest Lecture
In November, Alison Brooks travelled to IE university to present her works to graduate students, placing an emphasis on sustainable, context-driven design.
In November, Alison Brooks travelled to IE university to present her works to graduate students, placing an emphasis on sustainable, context-driven design.
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Siza Talks 2022
16.11.2022—18.11.2022, Porto, Portugal
Alison Brooks Features at the Monterey Design Conference
Headlining alongside an impressive list of international design talents, Alison Brooks featured as a keynote speaker in Monterey, California for CAIA’s famed Monterey Design Conference.
Headlining alongside an impressive list of international design talents, Alison Brooks featured as a keynote speaker in Monterey, California for CAIA’s famed Monterey Design Conference.
Learn more about the event and speakers by clicking here.
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Opening Keynote Speech ‘Transformations’ Cadence Exeter College Cohen Quad
30.09.2022—2.10.2022, Samsung KX
Alison Brooks spoke for the American Institute of Architects, kicking off a 3-day conference focused on London, King’s Cross and its transformations since the last AIA London Conference in 2014.
Alison Brooks spoke for the American Institute of Architects, kicking off a 3-day conference focused on London, King’s Cross and its transformations since the last AIA London Conference in 2014.
Alison Brooks presented her work with a talk entitled ‘Context in Architecture.’ Cadence, Cohen Quad and the LSE Global Hub design proposal were all covered as case studies.
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Unity Place Shortlisted for Four Design Excellence Awards Unity Place
Our 100% social housing project completed for Brent Council last year, Unity Place has been shortlisted for an NLA award, a WAF award, an AJ award and a Housing Design award.
Our 100% social housing project completed for Brent Council last year, Unity Place has been shortlisted for an NLA award, a WAF award, an AJ award and a Housing Design award.
With collaborators Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Gort Scott, the fully barrier-free scheme has transformed the South Kilburn Estate through providing bright, robust and spacious apartments for all tenants.
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Shortlisted London School of Economics Design Proposal Revealed London School of Economics Global Hub
We are pleased to reveal our design for the LSE Firoz Lalji Global Hub and Institute for Africa. Collaborating with Nigerian practice Studio Contra, Alison Brooks Architects were one of six finalists chosen to prepare designs from 190 international submissions.
We are pleased to reveal our design for the LSE Firoz Lalji Global Hub and Institute for Africa. Collaborating with Nigerian practice Studio Contra, Alison Brooks Architects were one of six finalists chosen to prepare designs from 190 international submissions.
Our proposal aims to express the cultural, economic and environmental significance of Africa on one of London’s most prominent civic stages, Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
These readings underpin our primary urban approach: subtly curved symmetrical facades that embrace their context, sculpted terra cotta cladding that echoes clay-based architectural traditions, and stepped massing, emphasizing rootedness and heft.
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Green Light for Lot 4 Lot 4
Planning permission has been granted for the 88 unit, mixed typology ‘Lot 4’, our latest addition to the Eddington, Cambridge master plan.
Planning permission has been granted for the 88 unit, mixed typology ‘Lot 4’, our latest addition to the Eddington, Cambridge master plan.
Our architectural approach takes inspiration from the eclectic collegiate clusters around Cambridge, where varying but related architectural styles lie in harmony. Responding to the neighbourhood with new colour, detail and massing, a range of tenures and typologies is envisaged to support a diverse and engaged community.
Visit the project page here.
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Mass Timber Planning Permission Success Homerton College Entrance Building
Planning permission has been granted for our net zero carbon Homerton College, Cambridge Entrance Building.
Planning permission has been granted for our net zero carbon Homerton College, Cambridge Entrance Building.
Alison Brooks Architects’ scheme is inspired by the Homerton College campus, its architectural eclecticism and its Arts & Crafts legacy. In the tradition of the Arts & Crafts house, a sheltering and protective Verandah makes a clear gesture of welcome toward the Hills Road approach.
Key to our design is an expressed timber frame and its inherent sequestered carbon. Timber proved appropriate for this pavilion-like entrance building; limited beam spans lead to a very rational structural grid and a pure overall form. Glulam columns, beams and ribbed CLT floorplates will create an environment of primarily warm, natural materials that will enhance this building’s acoustic, tactile and olfactory qualities.
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Biennale Meets ROMA
3.06.2022—17.11.2022, ROMA KG Campus Burgau, Germany
The ‘Home Ground’ installation will be exhibited at the ROMA KG campus in Burgau, Germany until November.
The ‘Home Ground’ installation will be exhibited at the ROMA KG campus in Burgau, Germany until November.
We are glad to be featured in this exhibition alongside models by Peter Pichler Architecture, Michael Maltzan Architecture, Storia Na Lugar, LOVE Architecture, Kozo Kadowaki, Enlace Arquitectura, Daniel López-Pérez, and Reiser + Umemoto. →
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Planning Permission Granted for International Quarter London Stratford Cross
A unanimous decision was cast in favour of the 350-unit new development, adding to one of London’s newest neighbourhoods.
A unanimous decision was cast in favour of the 350-unit new development, adding to one of London’s newest neighbourhoods.
The organic, sculpted tower geometry with stepped ‘park ledges’ allows greenery to climb the towers in a spiraling movement. The two towers’ distinctive, faceted forms capture and reflect light dynamically throughout the day and are softened by swept cornices that emphasize each park ledge as the forms rise toward the sky.
Supporting a new mixed use neighbourhood culture, our scheme’s ground floor incorporates retail and services spaces, a community project space and a ‘super-lobby’ that expands into a co-working space.
Sustainability is at the heart of this project; our towers’ bespoke blue-glazed, undulating terra-cotta cladding is not only evocative of the character and craftsmanship found in early 20th century towers, but is thermally stable, reduces heat gain and is fully recyclable.
Alison Brooks commented, ‘This project has been a rare opportunity to rethink the nature of residential towers in London, how they can contribute to life of the street and how they can act as neighbourhood catalysts.’
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Cohen Quadrangle Wins RIBA South Building of the Year Exeter College Cohen Quad Fitzhugh Auditorium
We are honored to announce that the Cohen Quadrangle for Exeter College Oxford has been awarded RIBA South Building of the Year from a very strong list of 2022 RIBA South Award winners.
We are honored to announce that the Cohen Quadrangle for Exeter College Oxford has been awarded RIBA South Building of the Year from a very strong list of 2022 RIBA South Award winners.
The RIBA commented that, ‘(the) Cohen Quadrangle is an S-shaped building that succeeds in accommodating a very complex brief on a constrained site in a conservation context, and it does so with ambition and vigour.’
We congratulate our Client, Exeter College, and everyone involved in the making of this exceptional building. Conceived as a place of gathering, the scholarly home will serve the College’s undergraduate, graduate and teaching communities for generations.
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Positions Available
We are looking to expand our London office with highly skilled architects from diverse backgrounds.
We are looking to expand our London office with highly skilled architects from diverse backgrounds.
Contact us if you are an experienced and talented architect with Revit skills for projects in Stage 3 and Stage 4, or if you are a graduate/assistant architect with advanced 3D rendering skills hoping to strengthen our cultural building and high-rise design groups.
careers@alisonbrooksarchitects.com
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