The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has awarded its 2018 Royal Gold Medal to London-based artist and architect Neave Brown, a revered Modernist architect best known for his visionary Alexandra Road housing estate. Built by London's Camden Council in the 1970s the 500-home estate is, in Brown's own words, a "piece of city" containing shops, workshops, a community centre, a special needs school and children’s centre, a care home for young people with learning difficulties, and a 16,000sqm public park.
The medal is awarded in recognition of a lifetime’s work and is approved personally by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It is given to a person, or group of people, who have had a significant influence "either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture." The medal is being presented earlier than usual—in 2017 rather than 2018—owing to Brown's poor health.
ODA New York’s design for Bushwick II, a high-end residential complex on the former site of Brooklyn’s Rheingold Brewery, is coming to life in the fast-growing neighborhood of Bushwick, New York. Developed by All Year Management, 123 Melrose is already being clad. Meanwhile, Rabksy Group’s development, 10 Montieth, recently topped out.
Together, the projects will cover three full city blocks, totaling 1.35 million gross square feet. Bushwick II will be the largest housing increase this neighborhood of Brooklyn has ever seen.
Videos
Floor Plan of the 10m² apartment in downtown São Paulo. Image via Raquel Rolnik's blog.
The launch of a building in downtown São Paulo - Brazil was the talk of the town due to its surprising apartment sizes of only 10 square meters. This raised the debate about the market trend to produce ever smaller properties and the ability of these properties to meet the needs of its residents.
There is no doubt that, this type of real estate is related to newest trends of family compositions. It is increasingly common for residences to be occupied by only one person, or at most two. According to data from the SEADE Foundation for 2010, in the State of São Paulo, almost 40% of households have these characteristic, 13% of which is made up of a single resident.
The Indigenous Housing Competition Canada invites everyone, students and professionals, to submit ideas for remote access Indigenous Community housing in Canada.
Sam Jacob Studio harbours a long-held fascination with Half-Timbering. In this essay, Jacob examines the historical, cultural, and aesthetic roots of the style.
It’s fair to say that “Mock Tudor”—that black and white facade treatment—has a less than glowing reputation. Take these sneering lines from John Betjeman’s Slough, for instance:
It’s not their fault they often go / To Maidenhead / And talk of sports and makes of cars / In various bogus Tudor bars.
(Perhaps those very same bars that Martin Freeman’s character in The Office notes have “a sign in the toilet saying: Don’t get your Hampton Court”.) “Mock Tudor” is often accused of “bogus”-ness, of lacking authenticity, of fakeness, and many other types of architectural sin.
Courtesy of Kobi Karp Architecture & Levy Public Relations
Miami’s growing art district of Wynwood is set for further development in the form of two projects designed by renowned local architect Kobi Karp – Wynwood 25and Gateway at Wynwood. The first is a $100 million unique mixed-useresidential opportunity in the neighborhood, co-developed by the Related Group in Miami and the New York based East End Capital, and interiors by Meshberg Group, while the second is an upcoming 12-story tower responding to the increasing demand for office rental space.
“Wynwood’s artistic spirit and modern vibe are elements that inspired our designs for Wynwood 25 and Gateway at Wynwood,” explained Kobi Karp, Founder, and Principal of Kobi Karp Architecture and Interior Design, Inc. “This forward-thinking, vibrant area is gaining so much momentum and we wanted this to translate into our designs. It’s an exciting time to be a part of Wynwood’s growth and we aim to create unique designs that merge seamlessly with the area’s culture and unique energy.”
The July 2017 issue of a+u invites Lise Juel, Danish architect and collaborator of Jørn Utzon, to discover "melancholic" quality of contemporary houses located in the Nordic countries.
As anyone who has recently attempted apartment-hunting in a major urban area will know, reasonably-priced housing can be difficult to come by for many and salaries don’t always seem to match the cost of living. This gap is contributing to housing crises in developed and developing countries worldwide. People are simply being priced out of cities, where housing has become a commodity instead of a basic human right. Financial speculation and states’ support of financial markets in a way that makes housing unaffordable has created an unsustainable global housing crisis.
Earlier this year the 13th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey was released for 2017, revealing that the number of “severely unaffordable” major housing markets rose from 26 to 29 this year; the problem is getting worse. The study evaluates 406 metropolitan housing markets in nine of the world's major economies and uses the “median multiple” approach to determine affordability. By dividing the median house price by the median household income of an area, this method is meant to be a summary of “middle-income housing affordability.”
Rotterdam’s skyline is set to welcome a soaring new addition in the form of Cooltoren, V8 Architects’ 150-meter tower that upon completion, will become the city center’s tallest residential tower. Located in the Baan quarter, the design aims to integrate itself within the post-war urban fabric of the district and embody Rotterdam’s historical double layered characteristics – that of the low rise and the skyline.
The average cost of a home in London has now reached over £500,000 ($640,000), a figure far beyond the reach of the large majority of individuals or families on or below the average UK income (£34,473, or just under $45,000, per year). It’s a story which has been told time and again in recent years; the “housing crisis” of affordability continues to exacerbate the lives of a generation.
For Naked House, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to “stripping affordable housing back to the bare essentials,” crisis necessitates a creative response. With support and funding from the GLA (Greater London Authority) and the incumbent Mayor of London, who has awarded a £500,000 grant to the development, they—in collaboration with OMMX—have now made an important step closer to realizing their vision.
https://www.archdaily.com/869909/uk-naked-house-proposal-ommx-aims-to-bring-affordability-to-london-housing-marketAD Editorial Team
The following photo set by Fernando Guerra focuses on Boa Nova Tea House, a project by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira. Completed in 1963, it was one of the first works done by the 1992 Pritzker Prize winner. Built on the rocks that hang over the sea in Leça da Palmeira, the tea house is in close proximity to another iconic project by the same architect, the Leça Swimming Pools, both classified as National Monuments in Portugal.
In this article Marcos Parga, director of the Madrid-based office MAPAA, presents an exploratory essay on the possibilities of living in developed urban centers, taking as a case study a site between two existing party walls in Madrid. The objective of MAPAA's exercise is to seek ways to enjoy the benefits of rural life, such as close contact with nature, in the city.
Renderings have been revealed of KPF’s One Bayfront Plaza, a 92-story mixed-use tower in downtown Miami that when completed will reach 1,049 feet tall, becoming one of 5 new buildings that will share the title of Miami's tallest tower.
The project is being developed by Florida East Coast Realty, and will bring 902 apartments, 200 hotels rooms, 532,000 square feet of office space and 104,000 square feet of retail to downtown Miami. Located at 100 South Biscayne Boulevard, the project will total 3.3 million square feet.
_Bloomimages_7.jpg?1505315925 "Courtesy of ODA New York")
_Bloomimages_8.jpg?1505315959 "Courtesy of ODA New York")
_Bloomimages_1.jpg?1505315031 "Courtesy of ODA New York")
.jpg?1501324422 "Anne Hathaway's Cottage, England. © <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_architecture#/media/File:Anne_Hathaways_Cottage_1_(5662418953).jpg\">Wikimedia Commons user Tony Hisgett</a> licensed under <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/\">CC BY 2.0</a>. Image Courtesy of Tony Hisgett")
