AIA International Region hosts first virtual conference, 2020 “Catalyzing Change

In 2020, the AIA International Region, like many professional organisations during the Covid-19 pandemic, was faced with the tough task of hosting the annual conference, originally set to take place in Dubai, in a virtual context. Undaunted, the conference committee of over 25 representatives from across the globe put forth an immense collaborative effort that led to the inaugural AIA International Region Virtual Conference. 

The 2020 Conference theme, “Catalyzing Change”, embraced a critical tipping point formed by the intersection of crises in climate action, social justice and health & well being, the threshold of which was swiftly spreading across the globe. Over 2,500 registrants gathered virtually to imagine, debate and celebrate how architecture can be at the forefront of meaningful change that responds to contemporary challenges. 

This 5-day round-the-clock virtual conference spanned the globe, with 60 hours of lectures, panel discussions, building tours and more, all underscored by the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence. Conference sessions were hosted by the 7 IR Chapters in Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, the Middle East, Shanghai, and the United Kingdom, as well as contributions from Country Representatives and volunteers from Argentina, Beijing, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Singapore, and Sri Lanka.

Among the many highlights of the conference were: a poignant conversation between Pritzker Prize-winner Balkrishna Doshi, Hon. FAIA, Sam Oboh, FAIA, and IR President, Lester Korzilius, FAIA; a five-part Women in Architecture and Design series featuring phenomenal speakers including Jeanne Gang, FAIA, Jane Duncan, Hon. FAIA, and Yasmeen Lari and Keynote lectures by Francis Kere, Moshie Safdie, FAIA, Eames Demetrios, and Josef Hargrave.

The UK Chapter, led by three board members, contributed meaningfully to the conference program.  Matthew Heitel hosted Stanislas Chaillou of Spacemaker, Sebastian Andraos of HAL Robotics and Caitlin Mueller of MIT, to discuss the intersection of technology and architecture. Diana Yu, AIA UK’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Chair, led an insightful conversation on grassroots initiatives, with a panel that included Tara Gbolade (Gbolade Design Studio), Cristina Lanz Azcarate (Atelier EURA), and Tayseer Kardash (Studio B.A.D Architects). And Alex Miller, AIA, moderated a panel with Gary Clark (HOK), Dr. Julie Godefroy (CIBSE) and Alex Widdison (AKT II) on net zero carbon strategies in the UK.

The Conference remains available for free on-demand viewing via the International Region website; AIA members can take quizzes that accompany each event to gain Continuing Education credits. 

Following the success of the 2020 Virtual Conference, the International Region will host a Virtual Mini-Conference this spring, with the hopes of gathering in person autumn at the Dubai World Expo 2021.

Written by: Amrita Raja

Continuing Ed Programme off to a Running Start!

The AIA UK’s programme of educational, technical, and building tours is off to a great start.  Already by the first week of February the Chapter hosted or participated in:

• Two legal seminars hosted by Chapter sponsor Beale & Co.

• A technical lecture exploring the future of sustainable bathroom design by Chapter sponsor Roca.

• The Chapter’s annual general meeting.

• And a building tour of the AIA UK Design Award winning Zayed Centre of Research by Stanton Williams.

Attendance at these events would have earned you 5 Learning Units towards the 18 LUs required each year.  All of these events were virtual meaning you didn’t even have to leave your home to attend!

More great programmes are being planned including building tours on the 11th of February and the 11th of March.  Check the Chapter website for registration details.  The board is also working on plans for a “Super Saturday” learning event this summer and events for our Emerging Professions working towards obtaining their licenses.

In spite of the current lockdown, 2021 is shaping up to be a bumper year for earning your Learning Units!

Witten by: Michael Lischer

Keynote Lecture

The 2020 Keynote lecture on November 3rd featured Berlin-based Francis Kéré.  The event was a partnership of the AIA UK and the RIBA.  Originally scheduled to be a live event at the RIBA HQ, the pandemic forced the event to be virtual.  AIA National President Jane Frederick and RIBA President Alan Jones both gave introductory comments.

Kéré is best known in the UK for his 2017 Serpentine Pavilion, the pavilions at the 2019 Coachella music festival in California, and the Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana, all of which he presented.  Less well known, and perhaps more interesting, is the work he has done in his native Burkina Faso which includes several schools, a health centre, and low-density housing.

Kéré’s work in Burkina Faso adapts indigenous materials and construction techniques creatively and innovatively.  Several projects use clay bricks made on the construction site.  The resulting buildings are also well-tuned to the environmental conditions and operate without energy-intensive M&E systems.

AIA UK President Chris Musangi moderated a lively Q&A session and brought the evening to a reluctant close.  One couldn’t help but be inspired as an architect after watching Kéré’s presentation.

The event was sponsored in part by the Iris Ceramica Group.

Written by: Lester Korzilius; FAIA, RIBA

The Brexit Trade Deal - What does it mean for the Construction Industry?

A historic Trade and Cooperation (Trade Deal) was reached between the European Union and the UK on 24 December 2020, just a week before the transition period came to an end.

In this article Beale & Co senior partner, Sheena Sood highlights the key parts of the Agreement for the construction industry.

To read the full article, please click here.

Beale & Co Winter Webinar Series Gets underway!

Chapter sponsor, solicitors Beale & Co’s winter lunchtime webinar series is well underway.  The five webinar series concludes on the 20th of January.  Attendees can earn one Learning Unit for each webinar.  Registration for the two remaining webinars, taking place on the 13th and 20th of January, is here: Where will the Golden Thread lead – the Draft Building Safety Bill   Registration (gotowebinar.com) & Contractual Considerations in 2021 – a New Landscape?  Registration (gotowebinar.com)

The series started on the 25th of November with a webinar called, “Software as a Service – Consultants as Technology Providers and the Legal Ramifications”.   Architects are increasingly taking the role of technology providers and face new legal issues because of this.  Presenter James Hutchinson examined the concept of Software as a Service.  Something as simple as cloud computing can expose architects to liabilities not addressed by traditional and standard forms of contract.  

James cited real world examples and suggested contracts should acknowledge the intellectual property rights are owned by the supplier and should limit the license granted to the client to a specific project or time frame.

The second webinar, “External Wall Fire Safety and Form EWS1” took place on the 2nd of December.  It was presented by Beale & Co partners Will Buckby and Ian Masser.  They discussed the ongoing industry challenges surrounding external wall fire safety on buildings over 18 metres in height initiated by the Grenfell Tower disaster.  The position in relation to new developments is now relatively clear given the 2018 Building (Amendment) Regulations, which ban the use of combustible materials anywhere on buildings over 18 metres in height.  But what about the significant number of existing buildings that already contain combustible materials? This webinar discussed the use and limitations of certifying building safety and combustibility through Form EWS1.  Among their concerns for design professionals is joint and several liability, and the fact the Form does not state how the assessment was carried out or the extent of the investigations.

“Prolongation and Variations in Consultant’s Appointments” was presented by James Vernon and Andrew Croft on the 16th of December.  This webinar discussed the thorny issue of delays caused to consultant’s services due to reasons beyond the consultant’s control.  This is a particularly topical point given the impact of COVID-19 on our project schedules.  James and Andrew looked at how the various standard forms of contract address this issue, or not, as the case may be.  They suggested architects keep detailed records of additional costs incurred by prolongation and raise the issue with the client in a timely manner.  Architects should include “entitlement to additional payment” clauses in contracts and avoid contract clauses that allow the unilateral right for a client to update the project programme. 

Written by: Michael Lischer

Virtual Building Tour – The Stratford by SOM

©Hufton+Crow

As part of its continuing “Virtual Building Tours” series, the AIA UK Chapter’s most recent tour returns to London to visit The Stratford designed by SOM, located east of the city, on 10 September 2020. Christopher Wollaston, Associate Director at SOM's London office, gave an informative and stimulating tour of the multi-use project that was completed and opened in 2018. Situated alongside one of London’s largest and newest transport interchanges, the Stratford International Station, the project consists of residential loft-style and single-story apartments, a five-star hotel, and three sky gardens carved dramatically out of the building’s massing. Both developer and SOM’s vision was to conceive a new model for high-rise living.  

In the tradition of SOM’s long-standing history and success in designing tall buildings, the rigorous design approach, legacy of innovation, and deep understanding of the forces that dominate tall buildings are all evident in The Stratford.  The building is an architectural and engineering feat owing to its double-cantilevered structure and sky terraces that are outwardly cut-out of the seventh, twenty-fifth and thirty-sixth floors.  A collaboration with Space Copenhagen compliments the building through stylish public areas and rooms.  The Danish design studio has provided a timeless, urbane and neutral look, with plenty of stylish furniture and curvilinear object tables, all sat under a tall ceiling enhanced with a distinctive sculptural mobile installation. The atmosphere feels like a “vertical neighbourhood”, with the mixed-use development including a hotel on the first 6 levels, with apartments and long-stay lets above. The combined entry delivers a constantly active ground-floor bar and brasserie, with the potential for residents and guests co-mingling at all times that provides a synergy not evident in traditional high-rise residential developments.

The design of The Stratford concept proposes a more luxurious high-rise experience for residents, with double-height ceilings, a concierge service, members' club and a layout designed to nurture a "vertical community."  Sky terraces have been constructed on three different floor cut-outs each incorporating wildflower gardens, barbecue zones and party areas complemented with bar facilities.  Each of the sky gardens has its own character; “Dynamic, Semi-active/Tranquil, and Reflective.” Timber panelling clad the underside of the overhanging levels, providing a sense of warmth alongside its use of sustainable materials.  White-painted steel girders and raw concrete walls assist in perpetuating the industrial theme throughout the apartments - a signature of the developer.  A unique design methodology within the floor plates was employed to create loft apartments with a single level unit infill between two adjacent lofts resulting in a distinctive variety of residential units.

©Hufton+Crow

As noted, SOM’s historical success in designing innovative tall buildings has resulted in The Stratford’s structurally double-cantilevered tower - a distinctively engineered concrete and steel frame that allows the incorporation of three spectacular sky gardens radically carved into the building’s volume. The building’s unusual tower-structure can be attributed to cantilevered post-tensioned concrete which supports the majority of the floors and a steel-framed perimeter truss system at level 10 and 28. The result is that half of the columns could be removed in order to create open air spaces within the tower, which stands on top of a rectangular podium.  The innovative structural approach results in only 2 columns aside from the core that run the entire height of the building from the ground to the top of the 42 storey tower. The Stratford is a structural triumph that combines world-class hospitality, architecture and landscape to inspire a new generation of high-rise residential living, a new paradigm for modern living.

The AIA UK Chapter will be hosting virtual buildings tours through the end of 2020 on 10 December 2020 as well as into the 2021 season, offering architects the opportunity to visit notable buildings that have particular design interests in the UK and abroad. 

Written by Gregory Fonseca, AIA