publications
Canadian Architect Salt House
07.2007
“ABA’s Salt House is a hybrid of a North American beach house and a 1th-century English oyster cottage: the design reinterprets the Modern tradition while providing a new analysis of the local vernacular.”
“ABA’s Salt House is a hybrid of a North American beach house and a 1th-century English oyster cottage: the design reinterprets the Modern tradition while providing a new analysis of the local vernacular.”
Alison Brooks is one of three Canadian architects practicing in the UK, profiled in this article, entitled ‘The New English House’.
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Scratching the Surface: New London Façades by London Architects Herringbone Houses
2007
“The wrapping of spaces generates an apparent lightness to the houses which are conceived as an assembly of planar elements as opposed to ‘punched’ masonry.”
“The wrapping of spaces generates an apparent lightness to the houses which are conceived as an assembly of planar elements as opposed to ‘punched’ masonry.”
New architecture in London presents a richly faceted range of contemporary urban designs, including ABA’s Herringbone Houses. Social and political forces require more than just cosmetic packaging for new buildings. The façade as a public face plays a complex role here. While facades used to perform a static, representative guide, the requirements today focus on communication and interactivity. Scratching the Surface surveys the current state of affairs and documents todays technical possibilities.
The book which can be used as a guide due to its handy format shows state-of-the-art façade construction. Its detailed technical renderings are meant to appeal to architects, planners and architecture students as well as civil engineers interested in architecture.
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The Ultimate Urban Makeover Fold House
Elemente VXO House Quarterhouse Herringbone Houses Accordia Masterplan Accordia Sky Villas Accordia Brass Building
05.2007
In response to her Identity Mining lecture in Calgary, Canada, Alison Brooks was asked about culture and identity in relation to architecture, regeneration, and her own previous projects.
In response to her Identity Mining lecture in Calgary, Canada, Alison Brooks was asked about culture and identity in relation to architecture, regeneration, and her own previous projects.
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New London Architecture 2 Wrap House
2007
“Throughout the project the traditional has inspired a dramatically modern result.”
“Throughout the project the traditional has inspired a dramatically modern result.”
Following the tremendous success of Merrell’s New London Architecture, this book presents an entirely new selection of the most exciting building projects of the twenty-first century in London, including ABA’s Wrap House. The architectural renaissance of Britain’s capital continues in the new millennium with the design and construction of ever more striking and imaginative buildings of all types to serve the needs of the city’s population. Projects range in size and budget from such landmark structures as Wembley Stadium and the forthcoming ‘Shard of Glass’ (London Bridge Tower) to such cultural projects as the Young Vic theatre and Britain’s first architecture gallery, near Tate Modern; from offices, schools and hospitals to shops, hotels and private houses. With stunning photographs, drawings and renderings accompanying critical texts, this book offers a compelling portrait of a city eager to embrace the best of the new.
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Houses Now 2 Salt House
2007
This collection of contemporary houses features ABA’s Salt House.
This collection of contemporary houses features ABA’s Salt House.
Beyond the fundamental notion of shelter, what defines a house? The broad-ranging selection of extraordinary dwellings in the Architecture Now: Houses series shows the concept to be infinitely malleable: one house seems to hover above the ground, another is embedded in it; some have stark minimal lines, others have tropical gardens; some are palatial, others monasticall of them displaying remarkable structural and aesthetic mastery.
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Architecture 06: The Guide to the RIBA Awards Wrap House
2006
“An exemplary adaptation: the judges were immediately taken with its passion and joy. Its subtle geometry creates a series of high-quality spaces, using well-chosen materials, that is a tribute to the design team’s skill and flair.”
“An exemplary adaptation: the judges were immediately taken with its passion and joy. Its subtle geometry creates a series of high-quality spaces, using well-chosen materials, that is a tribute to the design team’s skill and flair.”
“The RIBA Awards judges said: ‘A humble commission for a domestic rear extension has become a thing of wonder and delight… Confidence is apparent in the quality of the detailing, and the in the implementation. The design is exquisite and inspiring, creating complexity out of a simple proposition, something ethereal and outstanding. The modest brief and small budget further emphasise the skill of the architect in delivering a beautiful little building.'”
This book is the official annual guide to the awards presented by the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2006.
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Living etc Wrap House
Grand Designs Salt House
07.2006
“Stylish and functional, we can only hope that Brooks’ vision of the Salt House as a ‘prototype for building on floodplains’ comes to pass and more of us can enjoy similar light, open interiors and fascinating geometry.”
“Stylish and functional, we can only hope that Brooks’ vision of the Salt House as a ‘prototype for building on floodplains’ comes to pass and more of us can enjoy similar light, open interiors and fascinating geometry.”
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Grand Designs
The Plan: Architecture & Technologies in Detail Wrap House Salt House Fold House
03.2006
“Canadian-born, London-based architect Alison Brooks is a reinventor of housing design typologies… In the eight years Alison Brooks Architects (ABA) has been in existence the practice has maintained its commitment to experimental work in urban design, housing, interiors and landscape, dominated by a string of highly acclaimed new housing schemes that have given her fame.”
“Canadian-born, London-based architect Alison Brooks is a reinventor of housing design typologies… In the eight years Alison Brooks Architects (ABA) has been in existence the practice has maintained its commitment to experimental work in urban design, housing, interiors and landscape, dominated by a string of highly acclaimed new housing schemes that have given her fame.”
In its profile of Alison Brooks Architects, issue 013 of The Plan features the projects Wrap House, Fold House and Salt House.
The Plan is among the most widely distributed and read magazines in Italy and worldwide, with an important readership of professionals from the sectors of architecture, design, building and real estate as well as universities faculties.
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Architecture Today Wrap House
Azure Salt House
2000 Architects Accordia Brass Building
2006
“[Accordia] represents one of the most innovative high density and sustainable urban developments in the UK today.”
“[Accordia] represents one of the most innovative high density and sustainable urban developments in the UK today.”
“ABA’s design approach is intensely site and client specific, drawing from the broader cultural context of each project to produce highly inventive work that seeks to communicate with a wide audience. The team defines this as ‘cross-fertilization’, integrating urban design, landscape, and interiors with disciplines outside conventional realms of architecture. This approach has generated an award-winning body of work noted for its inspired manipulation of space, inventive use of materials, clear structural expression, and the ability to create profound emotional and sensory experiences for its users.”
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Icon Wrap House
11.2005
“The Wrap House is a hovering timber extension designed by Alison Brooks Architects for an Edwardian house in west London.”
“The Wrap House is a hovering timber extension designed by Alison Brooks Architects for an Edwardian house in west London.”
Icon is a leading design and architecture magazine. Every edition has the latest news, cutting-edge projects and exclusive interviews with the worlds most influential designers and architects. Icon explores a central theme in each issue that underpins the culture of the industry. The magazine features the highest quality editorial, design and photography. For global brand awareness, Icon is essential. Beautifully presented and accessible, rigorous and insightful, Icon shows you exactly whats happening in architecture and design today, and what it means for the future.
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The Architectural Review Fold House
10.2005
“Though [Fold House] is a meticulously crafted one-off, Brooks sees it as a useful prototype which feeds into an ongoing process of experimentation and discovery… In an era besotted by conspicuous gestures, it is especially pleasing to see humble or disregarded materials used imaginatively. Brooks’ architecture has always reflected a concern for making and materials, and her latest project consolidates this lineage.”
“Though [Fold House] is a meticulously crafted one-off, Brooks sees it as a useful prototype which feeds into an ongoing process of experimentation and discovery… In an era besotted by conspicuous gestures, it is especially pleasing to see humble or disregarded materials used imaginatively. Brooks’ architecture has always reflected a concern for making and materials, and her latest project consolidates this lineage.”
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Anglo Files: UK Architecture’s Rising Generation Salt House Fold House VXO House Atoll Spa Hotel Accordia Masterplan
2005
“Alison Brooks loves the complexity in architecture that can emerge from a simple approach…. Brooks’ emerging body of work strongly demonstrates her interest in transforming architecture out of its customary context.”
“Alison Brooks loves the complexity in architecture that can emerge from a simple approach…. Brooks’ emerging body of work strongly demonstrates her interest in transforming architecture out of its customary context.”
Featuring a cross-section of ABA’s work, this book demonstrates the work of some of Britain’s foremost emerging talents.
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1000 Architects VXO House Atoll Spa Hotel Accordia Masterplan
2004
This comprehensive directory of the world’s leading architects features a profile of Alison Brooks Architects.
This comprehensive directory of the world’s leading architects features a profile of Alison Brooks Architects.
“Alison Brooks Architects, founded in 1996, has the aim of producing an experimental yet accessible architecture with direct impact on quality of life and the wider urban environment. ABA has developed an international reputation with work that extends the boundaries of architectural experience, both conceptually and materially, in areas such as urban design, commercial interiors, housing and landscape.
ABA’s work is both a site-specific collaboration and the result of intensive cross-fertilization with the non-architectural and the sensory, creating a fertile mulch of ideas that maximizes the idiosyncrasies of the brief to create the unexpected. Within this inclusive design framework the practice aims to integrate innovative construction techniques with a sustainable response to local conditions.”
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New Architecture in Britain VXO House
Metropolis VXO House
2003
Documenting the 5th São Paulo Biennial for Architecture and Design, this book features ABA’s VXO House in its survey of London’s contemporary architectural scene.
Documenting the 5th São Paulo Biennial for Architecture and Design, this book features ABA’s VXO House in its survey of London’s contemporary architectural scene.
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