MEMBER NEWS / Architects at the Art Biennale?

Image Credit: Elizabeth Casqueiro

The LONDON ART BIENNALE – claiming ‘artistic excellence from all over the world’ - took place from 30th June to the 4th of July 2021 at the Chelsea Old Town Hall on the King’s Road.  Not sure how many artists displaying are also architects, but there was at least one – our AIA UK Past President (2003), Elizabeth Casqueiro, AIA.  

Unfortunately, Elizabeth could not attend in person from Washington, DC, due to Covid travel difficulties, so the Chapter was represented instead by Lester Korzilius and Lorraine King, both past Chapter Presidents who know Elizabeth well.  And, Lester at least is both an architect and an artist.

The ornate interior of Chelsea Town Hall was largely camouflaged by the proliferation of art – art on the walls, art on stands, art in the sub rooms, art in the corridor… But Elizabeth’s work was easily identifiable by its unusual tall shape AND its overall quality. Read more about here successful, post architectural career HERE.

Written by: Lorraine King, AIA 
This note has been written as part of the AIA Newsletter’s commitment to member news. If you are aware of UK Chapter members’ involvement in newsworthy projects, research or events, please bring them to our attention via secretary@aiauk.org and we will publish the story. We will not know what has been achieved unless someone tells us!

Virtual Building Tour – Carnaby Court by Rolfe Judd Architects

As a new member of the AIA UK Board, I agreed to take on the responsibilities of managing the chapter’s 2020 building tour series and set about arranging that year’s first traditional site visit to 1 Finsbury Ave, developed by AHMM. In an all too familiar scene by now, the pandemic’s arrival changed everything.  Whilst the ensuing health crisis upended daily life and left an indelible mark on the globe, on the local scale it also forced us to innovate new ways of working, learning and rebuilding our sense of community.  Hence, the AIA ‘Virtual Building Tours’ were created and kicked off in July 2020. 

During the past year, I have had the pleasure of hosting a variety of tours ranging from noted industry stalwarts like Zaha Hadid Architect’s Leeza Soho to lesser known works such as CSK Architect’s Cork House.  We have had the opportunity to learn about these award-winning projects from concept to completion and explore the completed designs that ranged from intimate scale installations to large-scale buildings.  While the physical experience of interacting and exploring a building could never be fully replicated, the virtual tours have added a new dimension to our tour experience.  They have enabled us to broaden our geographic scope and engage with the primary principals who have educated us on the genesis of concepts, delved into the minutia of the detail and the explained the fabrication processes of a variety of innovative construction technologies and materials.  This tour intimacy has opened up a refreshing way to explore newly completed and innovative buildings.

The 2021 series of the AIA UK Chapter’s “Virtual Building Tours” of AIA UK Design Award winners continued on 08 July with a visit to Carnaby Court, designed by Rolfe Judd Architects (RJA) and completed in 2019. 

Jonathan Carter, RJA Board Director, led us through a detailed visit of the six-storey, mixed-use building consisting of two linked structures, located at 22-25 Kingly Street and 14-18 Foubert’s Place in Soho, London. The building is uniquely positioned just off iconic Carnaby Street, well-known not only for its past contributions to commerce and the arts but also as a modern retail and leisure destination.  Jonathan began the tour with a pictorial history of Carnaby Street from the 1930’s to present day to give us a sense of the character of Carnaby Court.  Some amazing historic photographs included one of John Lennon standing in front of the gentleman’s loos on Broadwick Street.  

The project consists of retail space and a restaurant at ground level with commercial space on the first and second levels on Kingly Street. Sophisticated and adaptable residential apartments, including terraces and balconies, are located on the second and fourth levels of both Foubert’s Place and Kingly Street, with individual access through an internal courtyard.  The twelve apartments were fully fitted out to a high standard, with simple and crisp details with flexibility in-keeping with the current ethos of contemporary living.

This award-winning project is a significant part of the revitalisation of Carnaby Village. As highlighted in the tour, the site was previously cleared and developed as a shopping centre in the late 1960s.   Demolishing the shopping centre created the opportunity to “repair the urban grain,” with a new high-quality development. The project area, primarily owned and curated by Shaftesbury PLC, is now a bespoke mix of uses creating a unique community spirit that makes a positive contribution to the character of the area.  The building was described by Carter simply as “a place where you could eat, shop, work, live and play.” He went on concluding that such mixed-use developments are “the future of where we go as a city”.

During the tour, Jonathan gave a detailed explanation of how the facades were developed and the street elevations designed in response to simple urban design principles of ‘block, width and height’. The façade development articulates these principles using a base frame, a secondary frame and infill elements.  The result is a building that sets up contextual plot widths, mediates between adjacent buildings and provides rhythm to the street scape.  

The architectural response to scale and rhythm of the facades was based on a rigorous contextual approach. A key ambition, however, according to Carter was to develop a language that responded to the very heart of the historical character of Carnaby Court which was vibrant, fun and expressive.  RJA developed a materials palette that mixes a simple base brick with a stunning mix of green and blue Pyrolave-glazed, stone bricks and panels from the south of France. The two street elevations have been given different, but similar, colour combinations to give each facade an individual but related expression.  The attention to detail and the articulation of each element is noteworthy and crisp.  This layering has resulted in a building that is both respectful of its current context and of its colourful past.

The AIA UK Chapter will host its last virtual building tour series for the 2021 season on 12 August 2021.  Follow this link for further information to participate in the next tour of Belle Vue by Morris + Company. In our return to physical tours, we hope we might be able to combine features of virtual tours with traditional ones for an enhanced experience.

Written by Gregory Fonseca, AIA

Member News / Diana and the Paradigm Network

I am pleased to announce that Diana Yu, AIA - a fellow AIA UK Board Member and successful Chair of the Chapter’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Committee since its inception last year -  has been appointed as Committee Member of the Paradigm Network.  Congratulations to Diana on her prestigious new role! 

The Paradigm Network is a professional association of architects who are passionate  about increasing Black and Asian representation within the built environment. It exists to support, encourage, and help talented architects from Black and Asian backgrounds in education, and as they progress in their careers. It is also keen to promote the development of Black and Asian-led practices. 

The Paradigm Network believes that encouraging a more diverse design team reflects the society we live in and creates a richer one. Architecture can drive the potential to transform people’s quality of life, stimulate the economy, and enhance the environment.

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Diana has been living in the UK for the last eight years and qualified as a US architect whilst abroad in 2019.  She is currently a Senior Associate at ADAM Architecture and has a broad range of experience on projects including speculative housing schemes, inner-city urban regeneration work, and residential new builds.  She is also currently the Events Coordinator for the Traditional Architecture Group (TAG) and a Young Professional Member of the International Network of Traditional Builders, Architects, and Urbanists (INTBAU). She aims to use her experience and various roles to champion and inspire the next generation of young architects from all backgrounds.

The AIA UK chapter is committed to promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the architectural profession. We strive to understand how social mobility, gender parity, BAME & LGBTQ+ representation, mental health & well-being, and the inclusion of those with disabilities can be improved. Through our events and initiatives, we seek to raise awareness of the challenges which are still prevalent within our industry and to offer our support and resources to those who may need it.  Please lookout for the AIA UK Membership survey which is being launched on 13 Sep 2021. This survey will help us understand the demographic makeup of the Chapter’s membership, what kind of events might be of interest, and what subjects might be of relevance for all of our future initiatives in the upcoming few years. 

To learn more about our Committee, contact AIA UK Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at edi@aiauk.org. 

Written by: Christopher Musangi, AIA 

This article has been written as part of the AIA Newsletter’s commitment to member news.  If you are aware of UK Chapter members’ involvement in newsworthy projects, research or events, please bring them to our attention via secretary@aiauk.org and we will publish the story.  We will not know what has been achieved unless someone tells us!  We welcome pictures as well as stories…

Koutammakou, Land of the Batammariba

The AIA UK Board is ever endeavouring to find new and varied Continuing Education opportunities for its members, either generated by our own internal resources or via collaboration with other organisations.

In mid-July, the Board was alerted that the World Monument Fund was presenting a lecture on the preservation of African vernacular architecture for which the AIA NY Chapter had already arranged CE credits.  A chance to broaden our membership’s architectural experience with a lecture on a different (and sustainable) technology in a diverse culture could not be missed.  Although working within a short 3-day lead period, the Board was able to contact WMF London; establish AIA UK as a supporter; issue an invitation to our membership; and publicise the event on social media - all just in time for the 15 July event. 

The Batammariba tribe of modern-day Benin and Togo has a strong cultural identity ‘anchored in their building traditions’, in particular through their ‘takienta’ or traditional house – now used primarily for ceremonial purposes.  A Takienta typically consists of 8 cylindrical structures dedicated to different living functions – kitchens, bedrooms, storerooms, granaries, etc. - all held together by a continuous mud wall.  

According to the WMF, the Batammariba tribal name translates as ‘those who are the real architects of earth’. 

The hour lecture, presented by Steve Battle, WMF Principal Project Director, and Ibrahim Tchan, Executive Director Benin Corps of Volunteers, explained how the building of these fascinating structures was not only an exercise in technology, but also one of understanding culture.   Through the eyes of the Batammariba, architecture and culture become inseparable. 

If the short notice and unusual time frame – 5:00pm in line with NY lunch time lectures – made viewing the live lecture inconvenient, it available in full on YouTube via the WMF website HERE .  {Please note that the WMF is a charitable organisation and would welcome any donations for this worthy project.}  

Pleased that obtaining CE credits for this lecture proved to be straightforward, the AIA UK Board is currently in discussion with the WMF London on the potential promotion of their other local and international initiatives, with – we can only hope – longer notice periods for the viewer’s convenience. 

Written by: Lorraine King, AIA 

All images curtesy of WORLD MONUMENT FUND

World Architecture Day - 4 October 2021

Created by the UIA in 1985, World Architecture Day is celebrated on the first Monday of October each year in parallel with UN World Habitat Day. By choosing the theme “Clean environment for a healthy world”, the UIA, International Union of Architects, hopes to contribute to the global conversation on the 2030 development agenda by focusing on three key areas: housing, public spaces and their relation to climate change.

Housing: The UIA firmly believes that all humans have the right to adequate housing. According to UNHabitat, more than 1.8 billion people worldwide lack adequate housing. It estimates that by 2030, 40 percent of the world’s population will need access to adequate housing, a precondition for access to employment, education, health and social services.

Public Spaces: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact in shaping how we view the future of public buildings and open spaces. Cities on the frontlines of the health crisis and response efforts around the world are uniquely prepared to rebuild sustainably and resiliently while reducing inequalities and focusing on inclusion.

Climate Change: The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that cities are responsible for 75 percent of global CO2 emissions, with transport and buildings being among the largest contributors. Architects are equipped to respond to the complex challenges of the built environment. The UIA SDG Commission works to create a bridge between the UN initiatives and the practices of architects around the world. It aims to ensure that architects are not just responsive to the new Agenda for Sustainable Development, but instrumental in its implementation and evolution.

Read more HERE

AIA Strategic Council