Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Plans have been approved for a 36-storey tower at 50 Fenchurch Street in the City of London, despite concerns over the impact of its views on city landmarks.

The City of London Corporation's planning committee unanimously approved the plans for the new Square Mile skyscraper, ignoring an objection from Historic Royal Palaces that the building would be intrusive on the protected views of the Tower of London. The committee said the 150 metre-tall building would not impact on the protected views.

The building will deliver a 36-fold increase in public space on the ground-floor level, in comparison with the existing seven-storey office block currently on the same site. It will include a public roof garden on the 10th floor, and will deliver 60,000 square metres of office space and 800 square metres of retail space. Plans also include more than 1,200 cycle parking spaces, and the relocation of a 12th-century chapel crypt, called Lambes, that lies below the current building to a new location in the free public exhibition at lower ground floor level.

The new tower is set to include living walls across 30 storeys to help improve biodiversity and mitigate air and noise pollution.

City of London Corporation planning and transportation committee chair Alastair Moss said: The new 50 Fenchurch Street building will be of the highest-quality design and has a number of innovative features, including extensive urban greening all the way into the higher floors and a new public space. It provides a significant increase in flexible office floorspace, meeting one of the primary objectives of the Citys Local Plan and London Plan policies.

Historic Royal Palaces has been contacted for comment.

Last year Christopher Hayward, the previous chair of the City's planning committee,told Construction News the corporation wanted to encourage more tall buildings and expected the space between20 Fenchurch Street (commonly known as the Walkie Talkie) and the Leadenhall Building (the Cheesegrater) to be filled with a series of skyscrapers.

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New skyscraper approved in City of London despite objections - Construction News

Developers have unveiled plans to extend a highly controversial 310-home development in Faversham by almost 20%.

Barratt David Wilson Homes, which has this week restarted its construction work, wants to add 58 homes to the sprawling Perry Court Farm scheme in the heart of the town's countryside.

The firm has submitted the proposals to Swale Borough Council and stresses the extra homes will boost the council's housing delivery rate, which is currently falling shy of its targets.

The land earmarked for the additional properties is a five-acre parcel of former farmland behind The Abbey School and next to a Grade-II listed oasthouse.

If approved, the new houses will be a mix of two, three and four-bed, while 20 of them will be affordable homes.

Developers say the extension of the development, which has proved to be the town's most contentious scheme in recent memory, will add an extra 400,000 to the local economy each year.

A planning document compiled on behalf of the applicants, states: "The proposals will deliver much-needed new housing that is integrated, has a distinct sense of place and is fit for purpose and will become a successful contribution to the market town of Faversham."

A pond will be installed at the site, while the design of the homes will be "sympathetic to the surrounding area".

But Bergamot Road resident James Charlton fears the scheme is "cramming" too many houses into a small area.

He also harbours fears over the increased traffic on Brogdale Road, on which long-standing rural houses are now being surrounded by new-builds.

"Although improvements to the road have been made, this will add considerable amounts of traffic to an area that was never designed to take the amount that is now being expected of it," he said.

Barratt Homes, however, does believes the road network can cater for the extra 58 homes, and stresses the land is not being over-developed.

Meanwhile, over the other side of the development, just off the A251, plans have been revealed for a terrace of shops next to the already-approved Aldi supermarket.

The new commercial units will be near to the rubber-stamped three-storey Premier Inn hotel and 66-bed care home.

Henry Davidson Developments say the terrace of shops, for which occupiers are yet to nailed down, will either be split into two or three units - offering retail space or becoming food and drink outlets.

The plans for both the commercial units and the 58 extra homes will be decided on by Swale council bosses later in the year.

Work will however continue on the first phases of the original 310-home scheme.

On construction work restarting this week, Paul Kitchingman, managing director at Barratt Homes, said: "Our first priority is the health and safety of our employees, sub-contractors and customers.

"We have created a detailed set of working practices and protocols for employees and sub-contractors to ensure that we can reopen our construction sites safely, in a phased and measured way, which minimises risk."

Head to our business page for all of the latest news about businesses in Kent

Read more: All the latest news from Faversham

Excerpt from:
Bid to expand controversial housing estate by 20% - Kent Online

A major multi-million pound development consisting of shops, offices and housing has been earmarked for Newry city centre.

An application for the development which would create substantial jobs during construction and upon completion has been submitted to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council for consideration.

The would-be developer the Belfast-based Kerr Property Holdings Ltd has plans for a site in excess of 10,000 sq metres.

This includes over 2,000 sq metres of office space, taking in the three-storey listed building at 47 Merhants Quay, the former Renault car sales showroom and garage. It was owned by the Goss family from Mayobridge, but has been vacant for many years.

The development would also include three retail units, each with service yard area.

There would be a coffee bar incorporated too, this to be located within the ground floor of the listed building.

The ambitious proposals would also involve a substantial programme of demolition of existing properties with replacement new-builds.

Buildings at Merchants Quay and Cornmarket would be taken down and the site completely redeveloped and transformed.

There is a major emphasis on housing as part of the scheme.

A total of 82 units is planned. These would be within multi-storey blocks and the residential accommodation will consist of a mix of both private and social housing.

There would be landscaping too as part of the plans.

And tenants of the new units would have access to parking and a communal courtyard around which the properties would be constructed.

In all three applications have had to be submitted.

A full planning application, as well as two others one for Listed Building Consent and the other DCA, which is permission for demolition within a conservation area.

The DCA bid is for demolition of the former car sales showroom/garage located at Nos 49-54 Merchants Quay and the premises located at No. 46 Merchants Quay, Newry.

The listed building consent is specifically for 47 Merchants Quay.

It seeks approval to develop a vacant storage unit to proposed commercial use, consisting of coffee bar at ground floor with office accommodation above. This would then connect at the rear to a new proposed office complex.

It would require remedial works to external and internal fabric of the listed building including repairs to stonework and brickwork; timber beams and joists and the roof structure, which would involve glazing, as well as the repair or replacement of timber windows and doors.

The three retail units as yet for unspecified tenants are located elsewhere on the site.

All three applications relation to this scheme are due to be publicly advertised this week.

Original post:
Multi-million pound retail, office and housing plans on site of former car showroom in Newry - Armagh i

Home Design

Brought to life by Flavin Architects and designer Lindsay Bentis, the house takes cues from destinations like Turks and Caicos and Jackson Hole.

An Eilersen sectional from Lekker Home and a purple swivel chair from Ligne Roset bask in the light afforded by the family rooms sliding glass doors, which open to a bi-level patio. / Photo by Nat Rea

When it came time to build their dream home, a boisterous Newton family of five took cues from places theyd stayed during their travels. They count among their influences beach resorts on Turks and Caicos, ski resorts in Jackson Hole, and hideaways on the rugged coast of Big Sur. The use of natural woods, stone, concrete, and metals [in those properties] were all relevant when defining the architecture we have come to love, the husband says.

The couple commissioned Flavin Architects to design their house. The firm, known for its natural, contemporary aesthetic, was the perfect fit. We wanted modern, but also warm, the wife explainsa house that would still fit in with its traditional neighbors. In other words, something different, but not too different. We can be as different as desired, says principal architect Howard Raley, who worked alongside firm founder Colin Flavin. They didnt turn that dial way up.

The recessed front entrance creates a sheltered porch, while adding visual interest. / Photo by Nat Rea

At 8,885 square feet, the house has clean lines and lots of glass, but doesnt feel austere or out of place, Flavin says, thanks to the teams nods to New England design. There are divided-light windows rather than single expanses of glass, for instance, and hipped roofs rather than flat ones. Flavin also melded Northwestern-esque materials with wholly Northeastern ones: Stained western-red-cedar boards compose the shingled faade, while raw-concrete retaining walls juxtapose the foundations local ledgestone veneer. The houses galvanized steel gutters are no stranger to New England either, yet evoke a modern, industrial flavor.

Organic materials were the jumping-off point for Lindsay Bentis, who designed the homes interiors. Throughout most of the first floor, walnut and oak windows are earthy accents against white walls. Rooms, meanwhile, are made cozy with wood ceilings, textured tiles, trails of burnished-brass details, surprise moments of pattern, and sumptuous textiles. We spent a lot of time sourcing lighting [together, too], Bentis says. The fixtures act as sculptures in these rooms.

A wallcovering by MissPrint lends a playful, feminine feel to the wifes office. / Photo by Nat Rea

The powder room includes a textured, ceramic-tile backsplash and a custom concrete countertop. / Photo by Nat Rea

The husband worked closely with the architects to develop an ergonomic design for the staircase in the entry. The low, deep tread makes it easy to go up and down, he says. A painting by a family friend, Rubin Gold, hangs nearby. / Photo by Nat Rea

A cloud-like pendant light by Apparatus, for one, provides a warm welcome in the 19-foot-high foyer, where porcelain floor tiles echo the feel of the retaining walls out front. The star of the space, however, is the single-stringer staircase with steel-edged glass rails and white-oak treads. Flavin and Bentis credit the husband on his vision for the piece, which looks spectacular at night through the wall of double-height windows, lit from within.

Off to the right, the kitchencreated in collaboration with Tone Amado, of Design Group 47is a study in spare design, with grainy wood cabinetry that softens the effect of a room with many hard surfaces. A trio of walnut windows frames a leafy view above matching base cabinets, topped with porcelain slabs. A tall wall of stained cabinetry that matches the island hides appliances. [The husband] hates clutter, Bentis says. Everything has a place.

In the kitchen, spun-aluminum pendant lights by Louis Poulsen hang above the island. A pass-through window to the screened porch makes grilling easy. / Photo by Nat Rea

Bentis chose purple for accents throughout the house, including the dining room rug, because it was one of the few colors the husband and wife both liked. / Photo by Nat Rea

The public living spaces, oriented around the kitchen, are where organic materials, sculptural furnishings, and saturated colors coalesce. The couple, who regularly entertain family, needed the dining room to seat many, but feeling crowded wasnt an option. Bentiss solution? A glass table that takes up little visual real estate and doesnt obscure the purple carpet, slim side chairs, and a Larose Guyon light fixture, discovered during a designer/client field trip to a furniture fair in New York. Sunlight bounces right through the room, Bentis says.

The dining room opens into the living room, a moody, womb-like space with charcoal walls, velvet swivel chairs, a built-in bar, and curtains that wrap the room at the press of a button. The bar at the 11 Howard hotel in SoHo, where the wife and Bentis stayed on a trip to New York, served as the inspiration. She wanted that dark and smoky atmosphere, Bentis says.

To achieve a moody feel in the living room, designer Lindsay Bentis chose Benjamin Moores Blue Note for the walls and trim work. / Photo by Nat Rea

The gold-tone legs of the coffee table in the living room echo the brass finish on the base of the dining room table. / Photo by Nat Rea

The family room furniture faces a massive television and linear gas fireplace surround, clad in steel plates that weigh about 1,000 pounds and sport a hand-rubbed wax finish. / Photo by Nat Rea

From there, custom steel doors open to a large family room: the heart of the home and the soul of this materials-rich project, with its rift-sawn, white-oak floor, walnut ceiling, and monolithic marble coffee table. To satisfy the couples request to incorporate metal elements that reflect architectural styles they admired on visits to the West Coast, Bentis commissioned Loki Custom Furniture to create a hot-rolled, steel-paneled surround for the fireplace. The metal has a patina with blue, purple, and silver tones that feels very organic, Bentis says.

The rooms flow easily from one to the next, as well as to the outdoors, which was an important consideration for these frequent hosts. A bi-level patio offers more space to entertain and easy access to the lawn, where the kids are in a constant state of motion. Theres also quite the setup in the basementan impressively outfitted sports court, complete with a flat-screen television. Were down there every day, the husband says. Raley calls the subterranean project, which involved removing more than 10 feet of ledge, a tremendous feat.

He and Flavin, along with Bentis, marvel at the familys involvement. Everywhere we go, we look at design details, inside and out, the wife says. There are cool elements everywhere; you just have to look.

Landscape architect Michael DAngelo helped the design team refine the scheme of the patio off the family room. / Photo by Nat Rea

The screened porch, which has a cedar ceiling and window trim, exudes a modern, rustic vibe. / Photo by Nat Rea

A sports court in the basement offers the couples three kids a distraction from electronic devices, especially in the winter. Their friends are here all the time, the wife says. / Photo by Nat Rea

The mudroom, which connects to the front entry, the garage, and the basement stairwell, features a walnut-lined wall with hooks and a bench. An inky wallcovering from MuralsWallpaper adorns the hall beyond. / Photo by Nat Rea

A gray wallcovering creates a cozy backdrop for the Hupp bed from Casa Design Group in the master bedroom. An industrial-style Vortice chandelier with a black enamel finish by Lucent Lightshop pops against the oak ceiling. / Photo by Nat Rea

Etched marble tile lines the master bath. / Photo by Nat Rea

ArchitectFlavin Architects

ContractorsDerba Construction, MB Development

Interior DesignerThread by Lindsay Bentis

Landscape ArchitectMichael DAngelo Landscape Architecture

See more here:
Flavin Architects Designs a Home Inspired by the Owners' Travels - Boston magazine

William Duff, founder of San Francisco firm WDA

Architects are spending a lot more time at home and its giving them a new perspective on design.

For architects who designed their own homes, stay-at-home orders mean theyre putting their own designs to the test. Some are thinking of making changes, according to the Wall Street Journal.

William Duff, founder of San Francisco firm WDA, designed his own home around large open communal spaces. It wasnt until he was forced to work from home beside his wife and two children that he realized the open floor plan allowed sound to bounce across the house, making phone calls and video conferences difficult.

Hes forced to take calls and work in his isolated basement. Cooking at home more often has him thinking of expanding his kitchen and food storage.

Architect Marlon Blackwell wants to build a separate structure on his Arkansas property for family members to use when they need some space from the rest of their clan.

The realities of pandemic living have inspired others to dream up new amenities for future projects. Tucson, Arizona-based architect Rick Joy is exploring a no-contact delivery system, something like a mailbox with two open ends for food delivery drivers and the like to drop deliveries without having to come into contact with residents.

I know my clients are going to ask for that in the future, he said. [WSJ] Dennis Lynch

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In isolation, architects are putting their own designs to the test - The Real Deal

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David Baker Architects has been recognized with 2020 AIA California Firm Award. Photo_AnneHamersky.

San Francisco-based practice DavidBakerArchitects has been recognized with the 2020 AIA California Firm Award.

The award is presented to an architecture firm each year, according to theAmerican Institute of Architects, California Council (AIA CA), that has "consistently produced distinguished architecture for a period of at least 10 years." The award, AIA CA adds, recognizes "the firm not only for the quality of its work, but also for its impact-driven design philosophy dedicated to helping solve the housing crisis."

Regarding where he thinks the firm is headed over the next five to ten years, David Baker told Archinect last year: "We are transitioning to our third generation of leadership. Architectural practice continues to evolve, and we will continue to adapt. Our practice has decentralized to three offices in the past few years, and I think that trend, enabled by new technology, will continue. The diversity of leadership will broaden our practice areas, from custom fabrication to interiors to research to larger-scale planning. But the only thing certain about the future is that your predictions wont be quite right."

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David Baker Architects receives 2020 AIA California Firm of the Year award - Archinect

Architecture and the building industry are one of the most essential industries as they fulfill the need of shelter for humans. Architects who have worked in the industry have pointed out several drawbacks and lack of tech penetration.

To help bridge the gap in the industry, these women architects turned into entrepreneurs to provide solutions for fellow architects and designers.

Here is a look at women who are creating innovative tech products and creative solutions to help architects grow in the industry.

Vijayadurga Koppisetti, an architect from Hyderabad believes greener solutions are not only important to safeguard the environment but also the health and wellbeing of occupants. In 2018, she founded Architude, an infra-tech startup to provide green buildings with solutions that are affordable and easily adoptable.

By leveraging new age technologies, Architude is developing products and services to help foster sustainability and reduce the construction industrys carbon footprint by providing green solutions. The Hyderabad-based startup has built an AI (artificial intelligence) product called KNOWYOURBUILD that suggests lists of suitable and sustainable materials tagged with time, cost, energy efficiency and maintenance information.

The virtual prototype models built using Architude products behave exactly like real buildings. The cost of the construction, time schedules, energy efficiency of the building and the data needed to maintain the building can all be extracted from these models.

Working in the industry for close to two decades, Tithi Tewari had witnessed several problems and situations while communicating design intent to clients through traditional tools and mediums that did little to aid their overall understanding. Despite the extensive use of 3D renders and walkthroughs, she realised that clients had trouble visualising the end-product.

Tithi and her husband Gautam Tewaris startup SmartVizX launched Trezi, a fully-immersive VR product for the construction industry in 2018. The startup claims it is Indias first such product for this industry.

Trezi is a SaaS product, which transforms design communication in the building construction industry. It allows users to step into the virtual world with co-designers and clients to interact with their design, and each other, in real-time, within immersive environments and over desktop systems alike. It allows users to explore, review, and modify their designs at full scale and colour.

It was Minal Dubeys childhood dream to become an architect. However, when she became one, she says people around her did not really understand what the work of an architect entailed.

Turning to entrepreneurial solutions, Minal identified that the key was to encourage architects and interior designers to document their work. Her startup Spaciux creates content for an online community of architects and interior designers.

Realising the potential of documentation for architects and designers, she began to offer services to architects to document their work. After the documentation process, the startup makes the best of social media sites like Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube to showcase their work and help architects connect with potential clients.

A major milestone has been producing a web series called Spaciux Incredible Architects which showcases various types of Indian architecture on Amazon Prime, which was released in the US and UK as well.

With a background in the design industry and having worked with many firms as an architect, Tanya saw a gap in designers, their practice, and business communication. She realised that design and architecture firms were only focusing on their work, and not using communication to ensure growth.

Keen to bridge this gap, Tanya started Epistle Communications in 2011 from her home, a one-of-its-kind agency that offers bespoke strategic communication consulting for design, architecture, and allied industries.

The startup has more than 30 design and allied brands as clients. The list includes Indias top 10 architecture firms. It has helped clients get featured in over 1,800 online and 1,500 print publications and has helped small and big firms get global recognition and access to new business opportunities.

How has the coronavirus outbreak disrupted your life? And how are you dealing with it? Write to us or send us a video with subject line 'Coronavirus Disruption' to editorial@yourstory.com

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These architects-turned-entrepreneurs are building innovative products and solutions for architects - YourStory

in district 2 of ho chi minh city, nha dan architects has carved out an introverted yet voluminous living space called bunker house. spanning five floor levels, including a basement and roof terrace, the interior spatial experiences are designed around the concrete structure, resulting in a sense of robustness and an honest expression of materiality.

all images courtesy of nha dan architects

in previous projects by nha dan architects, a system of concrete beams and columns was used to free the floor plans of columns, better connecting the different spaces while letting the outdoors in. in bunker house, they employed this concrete system not only as structure, but also as spatial partitions and the projects guiding aesthetics.

a series of concrete columns grouped into 3 legs serve as structural anchor points for the cantilevered waffle slabs. these 3 legs define the spatial experiences throughout the house: on the first floor, the first leg protects the living spaces from the outside world; the secondessentially an elevator coreand the third leg together delineate a soft border between served and service spaces. the first and second leg accentuate the living and dining room with the added height. on the upper levels, these legs merge with non-structural walls to define the limits between the interior and the outdoors, and partition off the upper level into smaller rooms.

the raw aesthetic and texture from the waffle slabs ribs are continued onto the concrete and metal pergolas on the outside, and also the ceilings and walls. the resulting interior space feels contained and sturdy, like a bunker, and yet fluid, airy and full of natural light.

project info:

project name: bunker house

type: residential

location: district 2, ho chi minh city, vietnam

architect: nha dan architects

status: completed

design: 2018

construction: 2019

construction area: 9493.77 ft2 (882 m2)

architects in charge: nguyen dinh gioi, tran minh phuoc

contractor: nhadan co., ltd

Originally posted here:
the bunker house by nha dan architects exposes the raw texture of concrete in vietnam - Designboom

Reopening Schools

With the school year ending soon, schools across the country are looking ahead to the fall. The CDC recently released a one-page checklist for administrators to consider when reopening schools that include screening students and staff upon their arrival, increasing cleaning and disinfecting throughout facilities, social distancing, promoting regular hand washing and employees wearing face coverings.

These guidelines, along with input from state and local health officials, will impact the learning environment moving forward. We asked designers and architects from across the country what they anticipate classrooms will look like in the fall if they were to reopen, how the coronavirus will impact school design in the long-term, and suggestions on design concepts schools can implement right away to help with social distancing in facilities. Their answers offer insight to available design options and possibilities that can help school leaders plan and make the best decisions for their students and staff.

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Within classrooms, there may be a need to create physical distance by making operational decisions such as staggering the number of students within the physical space. Perhaps by deploying remote learning tools and strategies, students can join the classroom instruction from another location within the school building. James E. LaPosta Jr., FAIA, LEED AP, Principal, Chief Architectural Officer at JCJ Architecture

Because schools dont have the time or the funding to build additional classrooms or make the ones they have bigger, they are left with options that strategically alter how existing space is being utilized. For example, schools could use colored tape to mark circulation patterns and six-foot queueing distances on the floor (as were now seeing in grocery stores) around offices, lunchrooms and other locations. Other strategies may require enacting changes in social design, such as dividing the students into groups on a rotating schedule of in-person and distance/online learning. As for classrooms often already challenged with overcrowding schools may need to make tough choices. In classrooms where there is a support area, temporarily removing the support area furnishings may allow desks to be sufficiently separated. Alternatively, larger classes could be moved into the gymnasium or the cafeteria, or even outdoors should weather permit. Julia McFadden, AIA, associate principal and K-12 sector leader for Svigals + Partners, New Haven, CT

As students return to K-12 classrooms in the fall they will be greeted with the next normal a classroom hyper-focused on hygiene, social-distancing, and enhanced air filtration. Most, if not all of these next normal will become routine but will they take away from the learning experience, after all they are bolt-on measures born from reaction rather than proactive design thinking. Billions will be spent by schools all over the world to react in this way and it will not improve the learning environment for our children. After all we are social creatures and we learn by doing in an interactive, socially engaged environment. Jason Boyer, AIA, LEED AP, Principal at Studio Ma, Phoenix, AZ.

The Fall (of 2020) is way too early to anticipate meaningful, long-term, changes of any kind, in life, or in anything at all as planning, design and building take significant time; months, years. Sure, Fall 2020 will be a different experience for the class of 2024 and maybe the classes of 2025, 2026 and 2027.

But will it stay that way? There is no telling. So, in what ways might it change? This remains to be seen.

The shift in thinking the COVID19 crisis will precipitate will likely take five years or more to manifest itself in measurable ways certainly that long in new buildings; most likely more time than that. John Kirk, AIA, Partner, Cooper Robertson

Schools will likely step up the level of monitoring of each individual students health with daily (or more frequent) symptom checks while promoting hygiene in the daily routine. The latter will probably include handwashing stations at building and classroom entrances coupled with increased cleaning and sanitizing protocols for students, faculty and staff. Mark A. Sullivan, AIA, LEED AP, partner with JZA+D

Read the original post:
Here's What Designers and Architects Anticipate Schools Will Look Like in the Fall and After COVID-19 - Spaces4Learning

The ber Shed 2 / Jost Architects

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Text description provided by the architects. Theber Shed 2 is the second rural building we have designed on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. The project came about because the client had a lot of stuff and needed more space to store it, display it and enjoy it.

His collection included vintage cars, WWII army jeeps, model planes, GI Joes, art, old signs, signed guitars, antique tram ticket dispensers etc etc etc.

There was an existing off the shelf blue corrugated shed which was only 4 years old with galvanised structural steel still shiny. The problem the client had apart from the need for more room was that he couldnt get his classic, stainless-steel Airstream bus in due to the access being too low in height and could just not see how keeping the existing shed was going to work.

We convinced him that we had to keep the existing structure, adapt, reclad and add to the building to make it work both functionally and visually to look like it was always one building.

It improves a usually bland utility into a piece of elegant architecture set in an amazing setting. It realizes the fact that there isnt really a preconceived idea about what a shed should look like and proves that a shed can look really great.

Theres not really much more to say about it as the photos pretty much tell the story. A favourite project of ours with a fantastic client and builder who did our design justice.

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The ber Shed 2 / Jost Architects - ArchDaily