Will Robin Hood Gardens Be Listed At Last?

Architect Richard Rogers is renewing attempts to have Robin Hood Gardens – a residential estate in east London designed in the 60s by Alison and Peter Smithson – listed, writing to some 300 leading professionals in the construction industry to ask them to lend their support to the campaign.

According to Architects Journal, the listing recommendations for the site could be put before Tracey Crouch, new heritage minister, by today (June 19th), although it’s possible that the campaigners may have time to drum up even more support as Historic England is still to submit its report.
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4 Of The Best Buildings In England

Westminster Abbey. This stunning building has been around since the 960s and has been thoroughly spoiled by various monarchs over the years. It’s set the standard for architecture in the country for centuries and is an absolute must-see for any architecture student who feels the need for a bit of inspiration in their own work.
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Architects Come Together To Tackle London Housing Crisis

Architects in Southport will no doubt be interested to read some of the ideas that their peers have come up with to help address the housing crisis in London, with the aim in mind being to find innovative ways of increase the housing density without affecting quality of life.

Think-tank New London Architecture (NLA) collected 100 ideas from architects around the UK, as part of the group’s plans to find a way to construct 440,000 new properties in the capital. In all, ten of the ideas will be shown to mayor of London Boris Johnson and later considered by town planners working on changing London in the future.
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Brutal Utopias Launched To Celebrate Brutalist Architecture

Architects in Bury and elsewhere in the UK may be interested to go on a new tour of the UK being launched by the National Trust to celebrate Brutalist buildings in the country.

Dubbed Brutal Utopias, the project will feature behind-the-scenes tours of numerous buildings in cities across the UK, including the University of East England, Park Hill flats in Sheffield and London’s Southbank Centre.

In addition, guided tours will also be put on around London on board the organisation’s 1962 Routemaster Coach with cultural and architectural experts charting the visions and outcomes of this particular building style.
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The Carbuncle Cup Goes To… The Walkie Talkie

This year’s Carbuncle Cup Award goes to the Walkie Talkie, a skyscraper in the City of London that has had rather a chequered history since it was completed in April last year.

The 37-storey office block came under fire in 2013 for melting rather expensive cars on the streets below by reflecting light during the summer.

According to the BBC, Jaguar driver Martin Lindsay returned to his car after a two-hour absence to find that the badge and wing mirror had melted.
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Who Would You Like To See On The New £20 Note?

Members of the public are now being asked by the Bank of England to nominate their favourite architects, designers, painters, photographers and filmmakers, one of whom will be chosen to replace economist Adam Smith.

“There are a wealth of individuals within the field of visual arts whose work shaped British thought, innovation, leadership, values and society and who continue to inspire people today. I greatly look forward to hearing from the public who they would like to celebrate,” Mark Carney, governor of the Bank, said at the launch of the nominations period at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London this week (May 19th).
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#BUILDABETTERBRITAIN With RIBA

A new campaign has been launched by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) to draw attention to issues in the built environment, including developing flood-proof communities, building good quality homes, providing energy-efficient buildings and addressing the state of school buildings in the country – a scheme that any Manchester architect may like to get behind.

Dubbed #BuildaBetterBritain, the initiative is calling for the government to ensure that homes are built that people actually want to live in. In all, 300,000 properties must be built each year, with 1.5 million new homes required during the next parliamentary term.
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Sustainable Buildings Key To Energy Efficiency Future

As award-winning architects in Manchester, AWA understands the importance of sustainability in modern design. And it appears we’re not alone, with the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) recently calling on the government to put environmental issues first when constructing new-builds.

The CCC made a number of recommendations in a new progress report that highlighted the dangers of ignoring energy efficiency measures. One of the key suggestions was the development of new infrastructure that helps tackle encroaching climate change.
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Designs Of The Year 2015 Exhibition

A new exhibition that Warrington architects and others around the UK might like to visit is Designs of the Year 2015, on at the London Design Museum between March 25th and August 23rd.

Now in its eighth year, the awards are intended to celebrate design that perfectly encapsulates the year in question’s spirit, extends design practice, enables access or delivers change, with 76 nominees over six categories – architecture, digital, fashion, graphics, product and transport.
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Future Of British Architecture Revealed

The new report suggesting how the face of British architecture will change over the coming years, with high rise farms and floating cities predicted to take centre stage in the future.

New research from a think tank made up of Linda Aitken, Toby Burgess, Arthur Mamou-Mani and Dr Rhys Morgan of the Royal Academy of Engineering suggests that underground basements will become a reality as people seek to create additional space, the Independent reports.
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