AIA UK 2015 Exellence in Design Awards, Noel Hill Travel Award

Arriving into a hot, humid, Cambodian day, we were greeted by our destination and the place to which we would call home for the next two months. Taking the day to adjust to the time and climate differences we talked over the project in preparation for work the next day.

Waking up in darkness began the early morning routine throughout the project. An ambitious two month time scale had been set to complete the build. Making our way to site which was located adjacent to where we were living in the slum we started work on foundations. To our surprise we found that the demolition company whom we had hired to demolish the existing concrete framed building on site had forgotten to tell us that they had not removed the foundations of the previously existing school the week before our arrival. Being unable to start our build without this job being completed, we hired an excavator on site to simultaneously dig our pad foundation whilst removing the foundations of the previous building. Whilst this was underway on site half of the team set to assembling the vast amount of steel reinforcement cages which had to be assembled for the foundations and full concrete structure.

tarting the second week we prepared for what would be our first experience of pouring concrete foundations by hand on a constrained site. Access to the site was limited. We anticipated that the ready mix concrete truck would not be able to squeeze up the tight dirt path to our site therefore we had to devise a way to procure the concrete on site. This came with the employment of two flat bed trucks and hundreds of recycled twenty five litre paint buckets. The buckets were filled individually in the flat beds at the bottom of the access path, transported to the top of the site where the use of a human chain would send them to the specific pad foundation. This process would repeat throughout the build and become a regular occurrence on each concrete pour. Completing the first concrete pour over two days, with a day of rain delay in-between, we were ready to start on the timber falsework which would support the pour of our main concrete structure.

Our main structure was to be poured in reinforced concrete using an unconventional formwork made from a geo-textile fabric. By using a fabric formwork we saved ourselves an extensive amount of timber, this was beneficial for the build due to the lack of sustainable timber which can be found in Cambodia. The geo textile however required a timber falsework which creates tension in the fabric whilst the concrete is being poured, vibrated and cured. Erecting this structure of timber falsework and fabric formwork created a puzzling maze on site which had to be expertly navigated whilst the concrete structure was curing.

When revealing the concrete structure once it had dried we found that it had a few wobbles due to the manual pouring technique and only being able to hand tighten the fabric formwork in it’s falsework clamps. With the concrete still being structurally sound we noticed that when taking a closer look at the detail that the geo textile formwork had left a fascinating gridded texture in the structure.

Finishing the concrete frame sped the build up exponentially. We moved on to the upper steel ring beams and roof trusses which were manually lifted using a pulley system and welded into place. Following this the insulated aluminium roofing panels arrived on site, again being manually lifted onto the roof and secured intoplace. The site started to become busier with the final push getting near. A team of masons arrived on site 

completing the retaining walls which created raised areas within the playground as well as the perforated brick gable walls, these acted as a double skin meaning that there will always be a cooling air flow around the building. Whilst this was happening electricians wired up the lighting, sliding doors were hung and the brick floor was laid. The building started to come together and we gained a glimpse of the community centre which we had designed.

With the finish line close working days got later and we pushed through to make sure that the school would be ready to move into by the time we left. Working up to the very last minute, we tied the last pieces of bamboo to the doors, stopped and enjoyed the celebration with the local community. Most of the team left the following morning so to say goodbye we joined together in the classroom of the centre with some of the Cambodian workers, with whom we had became close friends throughout the project, for a final meal and time to reflect and dream of what would come next in our architectural adventure.

Author: Ryan McGaffney and Jennifer Taggart

AIA CONTINENTAL EUROPE VIENNA CONFERENCE

The AIA Continental Europe chapter held their bi-annual meeting/conference in Vienna from 1-4 October and approximately 70 people attended.  The conference was excellently organised by CE’s Les Jordan, AIA who said that the London Conference had set a very high bar!

Highlights of the trip included a guided tour of Otto Wagner’s Postsparkasse, a talk and tour of Vienna University that included buildings by Peter Cook, Zaha Hadid, and the surprisingly good lecture building by Laura Spinadel/BUSarchitektur.  There were also interesting presentations by 3XN Architects, and by the very talented Thomas Pucher of his eponymous firm.

There was also a walking tour of historic Vienna to give some balance to the modernist weekend. On our free night, Heather and I visited the Spanish Riding School to see a combination concert of the Vienna Boys Choir and a show of the Lipizzaner horses – magic! – While others managed to get tickets to the renowned Vienna opera.

The weekend was friendly and fun.  For those that haven’t gone on a CE tour – try one! Upcoming conferences are in Barcelona (Spring ’16) and Cypress (Autumn ’16).

Author: Lester Korzilius AIA RIBA

RECEPTION WELCOMES NEW CHAPTER SPONSOR, BEALE & COMPANY

On October 6th, Beale & Company hosted a reception and seminar for Chapter members at their new City office.  The purpose of the event was to introduce members to Beale's new Legal Telephone Helpline and to make attendees aware of the onerous new rules of CDM 2015.  We had a good turnout for the event with many familiar faces and a few new members in attendance.  

An introduction was made to the exciting new member benefit that is being provided by Beale & Company - the free Legal Helpline!  An experienced team of solicitors is a phone call away and happy to provide members with guidance in respect of issues arising in connection with their practices in relation to:

• Appointments and collateral warranties
• Assignment and novation
• Non-payment
• Disputes
• Intellectual property rights
• IT
• Employment
• Corporate and commercial matters

To get in touch simply telephone +44 (0) 20 7469 0400 (please quote "AIA UK Helpline"!After an enjoyable drinks and canapé reception, attendees earned 1.5 LUs by participating in a discussion about the new CDM 2015 requirements.  These now applies to all construction projects in the UK.

Solicitors Andrew Croft and James Vernon gave an overview of the regulations and spoke specificallyabout the new role of the so called Principal Designer.  The new regulations came into effect on the first of October and expand the responsibilities of the architect.  The regulations apply to every construction project in the UK, no matter how small, if more than one contractor or subcontractor is involved.

There was certainly a great deal of uncertainty among the attendees about the architect's responsibilities and liabilities with the new regulations.  This was reflected in the questions asked by the audience.  Beale & Company have several resources available to help Chapter members better understand CDM 2015.  These include a "white paper" and a pre-recorded webinar.  For those needing additional guidance, please contact Beale & Company on the Chapter's new Helpline.Beale & Company is a commercial law firm with a long history of acting for consultants and architects, with specialist experience in the construction, engineering and infrastructure sectors, both in the UK and internationally.  We are pleased to welcome Beale & Company to the AIA UK!

BEALE & COMPANY HOSTS BIM WEBINAR - MICHAEL LISCHER

On the 16th of September AIA UK Chapter sponsor, Beale & Company, hosted another of their popular lunchtime webinars.  This webinar was entitled, "Taking Stock on the Practical and Legal Implications of BIM", and was co-hosted with Arup Associates.  Andrew Croft from Beale & Company and Casey Rutland from Arup Associates spoke about current best practice and the legal issues that architects need to consider in relation to BIM (Building Information Modelling).

The use of BIM has increased significantly in recent years and the UK construction industry is making progress in the adoption of BIM.  This follows the UK Government’s mandate to use BIM on all public sector projects by 2016.

Casey noted, "there are many benefits to using BIM, there are also barriers to its use".  Benefits include:

• Better communication among project team members
• Information is continually updated
• Enhanced confidence
• Barriers to the use of BIM include:
• Concerns over rights and liabilities
• Intellectual property rights issues
• A lack of case law for legal guidance

Andrew discussed the legal issues and illustrated how the concerns can be mitigated with an understanding of the risks and use of the appropriate contract.  He concluded by stating, "BIM does impact on the architect's rights, obligations and liabilities, and this must be managed.  Agreeing the basis of collaboration is key, and making certain the design contract reflects the use of BIM are the best ways to minimize the risk."  

The webinar pointed out that BIM type collaborative contracts are becoming more common and everyone should be prepared to use them!  

AIA UK members earned 1 learning unit for listening to the webinar.

BUILDING TOUR: THE SHED

On the 3rd of September, Paul Jozefowski, Project Director at National Theatre, provided an inside look into the development and construction of The Shed, by Haworth Thompkins. After winning awards and accolades numbering in the double digits, including our own AIA UK Excellence in Design in 2014, he informed us that the temporary structure’s life was extended into 2017, staying open even after the refurbishment and opening of Cottesloe Theatre. Many of us have remarked on the bright red modern re-interpretation of the National Theatre – noting the clever use of a timber slat façade reflecting the Brutalist board-form concrete of the renowned 1970’s theatre. The Shed undoubtedly stands out amongst the backdrop of the NT and revitalized Southbank area. Although our curiosity has been piqued by the exterior, perhaps not many of us have found our way inside the 225 seat dark (but not black!) box.

Mr. Jozefowski described the process behind the development and execution of such an ambitious project, given the limited budget of just over £1million. The collaboration between the architects, theatre consultants (Charcoalblue) and the many National Theatre members involved in the process brought new heights to the theatre, while still being quick (one year to design and build), cheap (in construction and operation) and environmental friendly. The form derived from the structural solution to building a temporary theatre on top of a car park, creating chimneys for natural ventilation, maximizing seating and views while providing flexible space, and a direct connection to the iconic National Theatre.

While the tour group sat in the balcony level seats, the set builders and lighting engineers below were assembling the set and suspended lighting truss for the upcoming production, Pomona. Due to the unexpected support and interest in The Shed, and the apparent need for theatrical venues of this size in London, the NT management have been inspired by its success. However, Mr Jozefowski insists that we must “say goodbye” to The Shed in April 2017. The design has inspired great performances and productions inside the theatre, but also inspires all those passers-by to stop, peak in and perhaps see a show they wouldn't otherwise. If you have not already - go see it for yourself!

Author: Frederick Grier

AIA UK LAUNCHES ONLINE NEWSLETTERS

Welcome to issue No 76 of the AIA UK Chapter Newsletter, the latest issue in a long tradition of AIA news, features, commentary and event reporting started in May 1994.

In May, we issued a trial online AIA UK Newsletter via email to all chapter members.  If you didn’t read it then, check it out now as issue No 75 from here. 

We have also added a Journal section to our website where we publish all of the articles. You can either click and navigate to Journal from the Newsletter or directly go to the Journal from our website . Do not forget to check the AIA UK Journal regularly to be up to date!
Since the trial, the feedback from the membership has been primarily positive, with general agreement that the loss of the hard copy is well offset by a new, simple format that is both flexible and interactive. As well as the built in opportunity for comment on format changes and individual articles, the online Newsletters also allow readers to search through content for specific events, names, etc.

As well as the individual email versions – which will continue to be issued on a more-or-less quarterly basis – recent newsletter articles will be maintained on the website under the heading “Journal” and will be fully accessible to a wider audience of website viewers as well as AIA members.  

With the issue of each new newsletter, a numbered copy of the previous version will also be placed on the website under the heading “Archive.” Currently the Archive contains older newsletter versions dating from 2010.  However, all earlier issues from 1994 onwards have now been scanned and will eventually be accessible on the website. 

To compensate for the loss of the “souvenir” hard copy issues, all future Member Directories will included an expanded series of photo gallery of each year’s events.

The first AIA UK Newsletter from May 1994 was headlined “In the beginning …” and celebrated the arrival of the AIA to the UK on 17 June 1993, when AIA National granted AIA London/UK (as we were then called) a charter as the first international chapter.

Leafing briefly through other past issues from just the years 1994 to 1996 is an exercise in nostalgia by which one can chart the changes that have happened in London and the architectural profession over the last twenty years.  At the same time it is clear that not everything has changed.  Many of the today’s issues and many AIA events retain the same concerns and character as their original versions.
With a view to enticing readers into the archives, a brief summary of other 1994 to 1996 headlines includes:

“AIA and RIBA Pledge Cooperation” – To this day we have maintained a high level of trust and cooperation with the RIBA, but there was a time during the middle years when cooperation reached a low point over the use of the AIA “title.”
“NCARB to Seek Reciprocity Agreement with UK” – In answer to recent members’ frequent questions, yes, the early AIA did try to push for reciprocity from the very beginning with research and analysis of the issue led by Justine Kingham among others.  But even as long ago as 1997, a second headline “NCARB Committee Set Up to Rekindle US/UK Reciprocity” indicated that all was not going to plan. It has been ongoing saga of attempts and disappointments…

“UIA Convention Mobbed as AIA Candidate Elected Vice President” – This intriguing headline merely reports that the UIA Convention was oversubscribed from seven thousand attendees to ten thousand, including our own delegate.

The range of events in those first years also matched our more recent contributions:
The first Annual Design Awards was held in February 1995 and the newsletter article featured pictures of Rick Mather, David Leventhal, Stephan Reinke and jurist, Zaha Hadid, among others. 

The first formal Summer Parties was held at Syon Lodge; the first “Buba” inspired Family Bar-B-Ques was held in Bedford Square.  Coincidentally, this year’s Summer Party turned out to be a Bar-B-Que…

The first Design Charette was held at the US Embassy, with a brief – given long before the current Timberlake design was envisioned for Vauxhall - to consider what should be the best outward expression of America on British soil.  Lee Polisano’s team won the “Best Adaptation of the Existing Building”; Pierre Baillargeon’s team won the “Best New Building”. 
An AIA conference was held in Hong Kong to explore marketing and architectural practice in Southeast Asia

For two years, the AIA was officially represented at NIPIM with circa 10 chapter members - including notably Stephen Yakeley, Stephen Reinke, David Walker, Jonathan Dinnewell and Michael Lischer - participating. The first Continuing Education “brown bag luncheon” seminars were held at KPF, HOK and SOM when CEU credits became mandatory. 

A serious and well attended AIA/RIBA panel discussion on UK and US Planning Laws and Methods included Larry Malcic, Roger Kallman and Peter Rees, then Chief Planning Officer for the Corporation of London.

A dinner at the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects curtesy of Noel Hill brought out the AIA membership in formal black tie attire. 

The first AIA Continental Europe Chapter conference was held in Paris, with Pamela Harriman greeting each and every member attending the Gala Dinner at the US Embassy.
The AIA UK Chapter first went online in June 1996 with a Home Page on Archinet…