Contents
- The University of East London Moves Into Their New Building
- Napier University Principal's Office Completed
- 400 Seat Lecture Theatre, Computer Library and Education Faculty Buildings Submitted for Planning Permission
- Competition in Vejle, Denmark
- New Projects
- Shortlisting for Projects
- Awards
- Exhibitions
- Press
- Lectures
- And Finally... Other News
The University of East London Moves Into Their New Building
The Department of Podiatric Education and Physiotherapy has been handed over to the University of East London and formal teaching will commence mid-May.
This £4.2 million project is the first of a series of commissions fulfilling our master-plan for the Stratford Campus of the University. The building forms a long side to what will become a new University green. Its chief internal feature is the two storey high space containing ‘opera boxes’ of podiatry treatment cubicles, a unique arrangement to guarantee both patient privacy, supervision of students and a pleasing outlook for all the podiatry patients during their treatment.
Napier University Principal's Office Completed
The refurbishment of a wing at the Craighouse campus at of Napier University for the use by the Principal and her staff has been handed over. The facility includes the Principal’s office itself, conference facility, administration and entertainment facilities. Pictures are now on our web page.
400 Seat Lecture Theatre, Computer Library and Education Faculty Buildings Submitted for Planning Permission
The second and third major projects for the University of East London at their Stratford Campus are now submitted to Newham Council and work continues with a view to a start on site in December 2006.
The lecture theatre and computer building is a £6 million development and also includes teaching space. This building will form two sides of the new University ‘green’ (facing our podiatry building) and also a new entrance to the campus itself.
The education building is an atrium-organised teaching faculty and is the first part of a second University courtyard which will be completed by the eventual construction of a University library in approximately three years time. New web pages will shortly be created for both these projects.
Competition in Vejle, Denmark
We are pleased to say that this competition has now commenced and Graeme Armet, Peter Guthrie and Richard Murphy will be flying to Denmark at the end of April. The competition is for the reuse of spinning mills as an arts space and we have been invited to participate, along with Brückner & Brückner and Ortner & Ortner from Germany and Austria who join five Danish architects.
New Projects
We have been commissioned by CALA Homes to design nineteen new houses in Balerno, near Edinburgh.
Porthia Developments have asked us to look at the feasibility of a mixed use development at Lemon Quay in Truro, Cornwall.
Shortlisting for Projects
We are delighted to announce that we are on the shortlist for the forthcoming Shetland Arts Centre in Lerwick and have also been shortlisted for a commercial and housing development at Justice Mill Lane, Aberdeen by North Invest.
Awards
The Edinburgh Architectural Association gave a “High Commendation” to our housing at Cramond.
The Scottish Design Awards have shortlisted Galeri Caernarfon Creative Enterprise Centre for ‘Best Building for Public Use’ and Housing at Dean Bank Lane, Edinburgh under ‘Best Residential Project’.
In addition, Richard Murphy has been nominated as ‘Scottish Architect of the Year’ (Gordon Murray is the other nomination). Whilst we find these beauty contests faintly embarrassing, if you want to vote for Richard (or indeed Gordon!) then please visit the , Scottish Design Awards website before 13 May.
Exhibitions
Richard was elected as the convenor for architecture at the Royal Scottish Academy’s Annual Exhibition. This exhibition is now open to the public in the RSA, the Mound, Edinburgh and runs from 8 April to 21 May 2006. Over 250 architects were contacted and as a consequence the architecture show is one of the largest in living memory featuring virtually every architect of note in Scotland and occupies three of the new rooms created on the lower floor.
The practice itself is exhibiting our house for Brian and Lesley Knox in Circus Lane, the new British Embassy in Skopje in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and a very large model of our feasibility study demonstrating the redesign possibilities of the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh. This last project sets out to show how Edinburgh can have a 1200 seat flexible auditorium, much larger foyer and back stage facilities and all accommodated on the same site and behind the façade and steeple of the existing building.
Press
Railwalk Housing at Westport featured in Building Design Magazine on 7 April. The project is regarded by many as an antidote to the mass suburbanisation of Ireland in recent times and is quoted in the article as being "unusual because it contrasts with the low quality urban sprawl being developed in much of Western Ireland"
On 16 April, another of our housing projects this time at Cramond featured in the Sunday Times "Homes" section. With the title "Shock in the Suburbs" Bill Black, Senior Associate and Project Architect said "We have created houses that don’t just float like islands within an ill-planned plot!" and "We were inspired by the opportunity to create an alternative to the kind of suburban housing you find in every part of the country ……..".
We are also very pleased to see the practice featuring twice in the 10 Years of the Stirling Prize publication produced by the RIBA and featuring our Stirling Prize shortlisted buildings - 17 Royal Terrace Mews (1996) ("This is a remarkable piece of pocket sized architecture") and Maggie’s Centre (1997) ("A model for other similar centres in the United Kingdom").
Also, Richard’s own house at Regent Terrace Mews is to feature in the Independent shortly.
Lectures
Richard has been lecturing about the work of the practice at De Montfort University, Leicester, Bath University, to the Maltese Society of Architects at Valetta in Malta and to students at the Barcelona School of Architecture and the College of Architects in Tarragona.
He will also be lecturing to Dundee University on the evening of 2 May and is a participant in the RIAS Annual Convention which takes place in Perth on 5 May, discussing the impact of Dundee Contemporary Arts on the City of Dundee with Mike Galloway of Dundee Council. This presentation coincides with the tenth anniversary of winning the competition.
And Finally... Other News
Richard Murphy has been greatly honoured to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.