FAÇADE LECTURE SERIES

The first two lectures in the Façade Series were on terracotta (Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Nov 2013) and wood (Schindler Facades, Apr 2014). The latest two lectures - continuing the emphasis on different materials - have been on tensile membrane and glass structures.

All four lectures in the series have been generously hosted by our Sponsor Herman Miller at its Aldwych showrooms

The AIA UK Chapter would like to promote more technical lectures following on from the Façade series.  We would be interested in hearing your ideas on possible subjects.  

Tensile Fabric Architecture – 01 Dec 2014

The December Façade Series lecture stretched the concept of “façade” by including tensile fabric being used for what might more accurately be described as a building “roof” – a roof in the case of the Serpentine Sackler Gallery that has been literally stretched to become the primary building envelope.

The lecture came in two parts, with senior representatives of both Zaha Hadid Architects and Architen Landrell Associates - the specialist tensile structure designer and fabricator – discussing how their technical and creative collaboration brought about this unique building.

Jason Smith, Architen Landrell’s American Engineer and Business Development Manager, led off with an explanation of the elemental shapes of tensile structures and how these shapes could be transformed into architecture.   He then demonstrated various different building fabrics, emphasizing their benefits and practicalities.  The general introduction was followed by a detailed analysis of the fabrication and installation process of the Sackler Gallery itself.

Torsten Broeder, Zaha Hadid Architect’s Lead Architect, talked about the original design concepts of the Gallery – including different layouts and challenges - and his own experience working on this project.

As a follow up on the lecture, the Serpentine Sacklery Gallery hosted this year’s AIA Design Awards Gala on Tuesday, 28th April.

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Glass as a Building Material – 10 Mar 2015

The latest lecture in the Façade Series - presented by Ralf Scheurer, Architect and International Sales Engineer for Sedak GmbH & Co (part of the Seele Group of Companies, Gersthofen, Germany) - was subtitled “New Developments in Processing. “ After a general overview of the historic development and capabilities of building glass, Ralf concentrated on how Sedak’s commitment to advancing glass technology has been pushing these capabilities to their limits.

Along the way, we learned about the critical glass technical issues and what the different processes – annealing, heat strengthening, tempering, etc.  - were able to achieve in terms of design issues such as bending, printing, coating, cutting, drilling, layering and dimensioning.

Laminated and insulated glass were also explained, as well as the all-important methods of testing, quality control and transportation to the sites.

Through Sedak’s extensive, international project portfolio, Ralf was able to illustrate how the different glass processes have led to innovative design applications – from full glass structures, stairs, balustrades and roofs to more unusual art installations, movie screens and undersea viewing galleries.  Many of the projects used to illustrate the design potential of glass can be found in London, including four of the examples below.

In particular, Sedak’s glass tempering furnace and can now process the highest quality glass in sizes up to 3.2m x 15m.  The effects of the larger sizes on visual impact were graphically shown with a comparison of the acclaimed 2006 Apple Glass Cube with an even more transparent 2011 version.

Author: Lorraine King

FILM NIGHTS UPDATE

Our first movie night of the year was the sold out screening of ‘The Edge of the Possible’, which charts the dramatic course of the creation of a the iconic Sydney Opera House building, and includes a rare interview with Jorn Utzon as he reflects on his role in the compelling story of the conception and construction of the Sydney Opera House.

Jorn Utzon, Denmark’s most celebrated architect, was awarded the first prize in an international architecture competition to design an Opera House for Sydney. In 1957 he flew to Australia to begin work on the construction of the greatest building Australia has ever seen and, indeed, one of the finest achievements of modern architecture. Utzon was forced from the project in 1966 after nine years of work on the Opera House. Utzon fled Australia with his young family and never returned.

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The second movie night took us to the West Coast of North America with ‘Coast Modern’, a documentary which showcases the pioneers of West Coast Modernist Architecture, and the homes that have become their legacies. Attendees were able to step inside the most inspired dwellings on the west coast, and feel how the light and space of a classic Modernist home can work together with the natural environment. The relaxed journey took us across three generations of Modernist architecture, featuring images from legendary photographer Julius Shulman.

The movie nights shall resume in the Autumn with even more exciting titles and debates. We look forward to having you join us!

Author: Chris Musangi

AIA GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP AND LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE

The AIA Grassroots Leadership and Legislative Conference offers opportunities for leaders from every AIA regional, state and local chapter throughout the US and the around the globe. This year’s conference was held in Washington DC, over a cold and snowy three days in early March. The AIA UK Chapter joined the other international chapters, and hundreds of state and local chapter leaders for meetings, workshops and lectures centred on development, advocacy, and messaging for the promotion and success of our shared industry.

2014 was an extraordinary year for the AIA, laying a foundation for future growth and propelling the organization into the 21st Century. The ‘Look Up’ marketing campaign has been hugely successful, and The Architects Foundation has already proven itself through influencing positive policy in the realms of public health and quality of life.

The International Region met several times over the course of the conference. First to celebrate the success of the first-ever AIA International Design Awards, along with an exhibition of the award-winning work at the AIA Headquarters during its Open House. The AIA President, Elizabeth Chu Richter, FAIA, and AIA CEO, Robert Ivy, FAIA, joined the other members of the International Region for a productive meeting outlining the next steps for the continued growth and development of our International Region. We are looking forward to another successful year, meeting next at the AIA National Convention in Atlanta, from May 14-16th. 

Photo of AIA International Region meeting at Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill

Author: Frederick Grier

BUILDING TOUR AT THE FRANCIS CRICK BUILDING

On 5 March 2015, Fred Pilbrow of Pilbrow & Partners and Andy Smith, Construction Director, led an informative and inspirational tour of the Francis Crick Institute for the AIA UK chapter, which is currently under construction and in close proximity to St. Pancras station. The design of the world-leading centre for biomedical research was a collaboration between HOK and PLP Architecture while Fred Pilbrow was a design partner at PLP. PLP was invited to collaborate with HOK architects on the development of the design with a particular focus on external massing, public realm design and façade treatment. The building, which was named in honour of British scientist Francis Crick, will serve as a focal point within Camden for the talent and knowledge in the local area with some of London’s leading hospitals and universities nearby. It will also provide scholarships, lab facilities and educational seminars for young students as well as PhD researchers. 

The participants in the tour were able to view several of the labs, which will be fully secured and not open to the public when the building is open later this year. The labs in the main space are located on either side of the central atrium space, which is 40m in height and opens to a public plaza at the main entrance facing St. Pancras. The scientists within these lab areas will enjoy light from all directions and are encouraged to use the centre area as a collaboration space.  The atrium is truly spectacular and the public will be able to enter the main space to experience the grandeur. The AIA UK hosts buildings tours throughout the year to offer architects the opportunity to visit notable buildings in and around London that have particular design interest and integration into the community. The Francis Crick Institute not only stands in the forefront of design, but also in scientific research as it will bring together scientists of all ages and experience levels in order to promote and support experimental and ground-breaking research.

Author: Elizabeth Waters