Beale & Co Reports on Decarbonising UK Real Estate

Chapter partner, Beale & Co, brings us a report from the RCIS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) on decarbonising UK real estate. The publication of the Report demonstrates that there is an urgent need to make buildings, their construction, and their management more sustainable if the UK is to reach net zero and outlines the main policy reforms needed to accelerate the reduction of both embodied and operational carbon emissions arising from real estate in line with national decarbonisation targets.

If you would like to read Beale & Co’s summary of the report, please click HERE

Alternatively, for the full report from the RCIS, please click HERE

2022 Autumns Movie Nights

As the mild autumn set in London this year, we returned to Stephen Street, one of the homes of the BFI for the much-loved continuing education event in the AIA UK calendar: The Movie Nights!

INSIDE PIANO

On a Tuesday night on the 18 of October, we resumed the Movie Night Series with a film by two of the foremost architectural artists and filmmakers: Beka and Louise Lemoine. We screened the fifth project of the Living Architectures series, Inside Piano, which is composed of three films on three symbolic buildings of Renzo Piano's career. A visit throughout the prototype-building of the Centre Pompidou. An immersion in the soundproof world of a submarine floating in the depths of the Parisian underground. A journey aboard a luminous magic carpet of a highly sophisticated architectural machine. A humorous, caustic and quirky point of view, as is typical of Beka & Lemoine.

An exciting debate followed the movie screening, with movie attendees discussing what happens after buildings are occupied, specifically the use and maintenance of buildings. The critique in this film is given by the people who work and maintain the three buildings, and viewers get very interesting and honest views, without grandstanding.

The BFI’s home on Stephen Street displays a curious array of movie mementoes…

GEHRY’S VERTIGO

To wind up the 2022 Movie Night Series, on the 8th of November we went a few steps back in the Beka & Lemoine documentary collection and screened the third project of the Living Architectures series, Gehry's Vertigo. This documentary offers to the spectator a rare and vertiginous trip on the top roofs of the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao. Through the portrait of the climbing team in charge of the glass cleaning, their ascensions, their techniques and difficulties, this film observes the complexity and virtuosity of Frank Gehry's architecture. 

This film was akin to a few other Beka & Lemoine documentaries we have screened in the past, in that there was hardly any dialogue. The viewer observed the architecture, and the complexity of working with it as well as maintaining it. Attendees discussed how complex architectural forms affect the use and maintenance of buildings. Some found the complexity of Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbao very costly and ridiculously frustrating to navigate & maintain. Other attendees found it refreshing that the city of Bilbao is forced to continuously maintain this building, leaving it looking almost as new as the day it was built, and the maintenance of this building in turn providing a continuous stream of work to more locals.

What an exciting end to our 2022 Movie Night Series!

On behalf of the AIA UK, many thanks to all those who attended the various screenings throughout the year, and for the wonderful debates that ensued. I wish you all a lovely Christmas break and look forward to welcoming you back in February 2023 for the next Movie Series.

Written by: Chris Musangi AIA

2022 AIA Student Charrette

As the doors of the Building Centre swung open for the 27th annual student charrette, the organisers peered out at the quiet streets nervously. 8:30am on a Saturday morning is a challenging call-time for any event, let alone a student design competition, but it seems the nation's Part 1 students are made of sterner stuff, and as ever, they didn't disappoint. From Sheffield to Bournemouth, and Bath to Canterbury, they arrived from the four corners of the UK to be greeted by the reviving aromas of hot coffee and fresh pastries. In total, students from 8 different universities made the journey to central London to test their mettle against the local contenders and erstwhile champions, Westminster and London South Bank. Returning students found themselves on familiar territory, this being the second time the event has been run at the Building Centre, but a welcome first event there without masks and Covid restrictions.

The day began with the all-important presentation of the brief. This year's brief, titled ‘A West End Wonderland,’ was a natural evolution of the Covid-inspired challenge set last year, and asked students once again to transform the small cobbled crescent directly in front of the Building Centre. Whereas last year's challenge focused on drawing visitors back into the West End with a temporary pavilion, this year, students were tasked with creating a public space that would improve the public realm and create a positive experience for those living, working and visiting the area. Not an easy task for a day's charretting!

The brief sought to challenge students to design within the real-world context of Camden Council's ambitious West End Project, introducing them to the council's plans to develop pocket parks, improve the pedestrian realm and carry out improvements to traffic flow throughout the West End. They were able to visit the newly opened Alfred Place Gardens, which has transformed an underused service road into a generous and well-used public park. One of the key development sites of the West End project, its proximity to the competition site meant that students were able to spend time evaluating how the park is used, by whom, and what activities take place there, feeding the information into their own design process and proposals. 

For any visitors peering through the windows of the Building Centre around lunchtime, the sight would have been an unusual one. With the AIAUK providing all materials and a hearty lunch, the students were free to let loose their creative energies without distraction; students, sandwiches and a vast assortment of drawing and modelling materials were liberally scattered all over the ground floor galleries. Walking through the creative chaos, it was difficult to discern exactly which direction each team was moving in, but assurances were forthcoming from their trusty mentors, who gently cajoled, encouraged and guided students throughout the day, challenging them to refine their ideas and steering them away from dreaded design dead-ends.

Jurors were welcomed early in the afternoon and installed in the Building Centre's upstairs seminar room, blissfully isolated from the frantic efforts below. Their afternoon was a busy one, judging this year's Noel Hill Award submissions, before making their way downstairs to judge the Student Charrette. This year, we were joined by practicing architects from DSDHA Architects (who developed the strategy for Alfred Place Gardens), Haptic Architects, and ADAM Architecture. Each juror brought a slightly different focus, with their experience in designing public spaces, the conservation of traditional buildings, and collaborative design processes all contributing to a productive and insightful judging session. 

All the teams impressed with their creativity and inventive representational techniques, but there could only be one winner. After a lengthy deliberation period, the judges emerged to crown the team from Nottingham Trent University as winners. Their proposal carefully considered existing context and movement patterns through the site, leading to the design of a public space for quiet reflection. The design centred on a large tree and fountain feature, creating an oasis of calm in the hustle and bustle of the West End. Two runners-up were also announced, with Westminster and London South Bank both awarded. Westminster impressed with their proposal for an inflatable pavilion that 'breathed' in response to pedestrian flows throughout the West End, while London South Bank's proposal, 'Life After Bubbles' proposed a series of interconnected spherical pavilions hosting a range of programmes and providing a new focal point for the area.

The winning team, from Nottingham Trent University with their proposal. Mentor: Ellie Measham AIA

Daria Tsukan, Fairea Bahar, Fejiro Fovie, Jemal Medina, Thandiwe Daka, Josiah Prempeh, Arvi Matundan, Jay Earnshaw

Runners Up: Westminster University. Mentor: Stephen Lawler AIA

Isabella Testolin, Sofia Whilby, Victoria Pearce, Darya Prokopets

Runner Up: London South Bank University. Mentor: Francis Hur AIA

Cem Bektas, Ada Bartholomew, Emily Kajdi, Kimberley France, Zara Boshan, Shanai Kedoo-Campbell

AIAUK would like to thank all the students that took part, as well as their mentors Pierre Baillargeon AIA, Jeeun Song Dusoir AIA, Francis Hur AIA, Stephen Lawler AIA, Ellie Measham AIA, Pavlina Stergiadou RIBA,  Martin Vivona AIA, and the judges Jack Penford Baker RIBA, Rory Downes RIBA and Eve Zeltina RIBA for their energy and enthusiasm.

Written by: Nicholas Kehagias AIA, RIBA

2022 AIA UK/RIBA Keynote Lecture - Annabelle Selldorf, FAIA

The 2022 AIA UK/RIBA Keynote lecture featured New York-based architect Annabelle Selldorf, FAIA who is notably the architect for the currently proposed renovations to the National Gallery in London.  The lecture was held on the 2nd of November at the RIBA headquarters.  Notwithstanding a late date change due to a proposed rail strike, the lecture still managed to attract nearly 150 attendees.  

RIBA President Simon Allford opened the evening and in his comments noted that he did not agree with the 8 former RIBA presidents who had written an open letter criticizing Selldorf’s National Gallery proposals, suggesting instead that any building should be capable of adaptation.  AIA UK President Anna Foden also welcomed the audience and moderated the subsequent Q&A. 

Annabelle Selldorf began her presentation by giving a quick overview of several projects, including the Neue Gallerie, David Zwirner art gallery, 10 Bond Street, the Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility, and the Frick Collection – all located in New York City.  She also presented the renovation and expansion of the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego. 

The bulk of her presentation was then devoted to her firm’s proposals for the National Gallery, primarily focusing on the Gallery’s Sainsbury Wing, designed by Venturi Scott Brown.

Original Venturi Scott Brown sketches for the National Gallery entrance, from Selldorf’s slides.

The main Selldorf changes would create a larger and more welcoming public access at ground level by removing portions of the first floor and introducing double height spaces and opening up a mezzanine; replacing the curtainwall glazing of the grand stair with clear class; and improving the exterior space near the Sainsbury Wing entry by enlarging and paving an existing courtyard.

There was a spirited Q&A after the presentation.  The principal concern was that the main portico of the original Wilkins Building centred on Trafalgar Square would not be reinstated as the main entrance in Selldorf’s proposal.  She countered this by noting that the Wilkins building portico provided access at the first-floor only via stairs, and that the site and listed building constraints would not permit the construction of an access route for all members of the public.  She felt a level access to be of overriding importance.  Additionally, she noted that the Sainsbury Wing, with its grand staircase to the main gallery on the second floor, is currently the main entrance to the museum and works very well.  

After the lecture, AIA UK hosted a well-received dinner for Selldorf and her UK colleagues and advisors and offered the team a chance to relax and prepare for formal presentations to the planning committees on the following days.

For those that were not able to attend the lecture, it can be viewed on the AIA UK website here.  AIA members can obtain CES credit by completing the associated quiz.

Written by: Lester Korzilius, FAIA, RIBA

8 - AIA International LONDON 2022 - Extension Day: 9 Elms to Battersea

Photo credit: Y Kinksky (AIA CE)

Even as it is being developed, the Battersea Power Station district – given the relentless publicity churned out by its owners – already has a wide international reputation.  The Power Station itself is BIG - arguably the biggest brick building in Europe – and its image on the London skyline is iconic.  Unfortunately, it was not opened to the public until 11 days after the London Conference Extension Day on Monday, 3 Oct 2022. 

The 9 Elms Corridor is one of the most controversial new development districts in London, and – like the Battersea district – it is only partially completed, except for the US Embassy, several residential units - including the Sky Pool - and some of the surrounding landscaping.

However – despite the incomplete transformations – it was still worth investigating the pleasant river walk along the Thames Path between 9 Elms and the Power Station. 

Walking Tour – ‘Vauxhall to Battersea Power Station’, Lorraine King, LEADINGPOINT LTD

Photo credit: L Jorgensen (AIA Alaska)

Local resident, LORRAINE KING, guided an Extension Day walk that included a viewing of the new US Embassy, several significant high rises by American architects and segments of a new linear park. Along the way, there was a chance to critique multiple ‘little known buildings by well-known architects’. See walk handout HERE for more details.

The approach via Grimshaw Architects’ new underground station revealed not only the Power Station in the background, but also the Skyline and Flower buildings – respectively designed by Foster + Partners and Gehry Partners.  The two architectural firms worked together to design the residential units and create the Electric Boulevard – part of the vast retail/residential complex.

Photo credit: M Montgomery (AIA I)

The Extension Day was advertised as a RELAXED walk, and everyone enjoyed a lovely autumn stroll and riverside lunch.  Lanre Olusola (AIA I, Director at Large), summed up not only the Extension Day but the whole 2022 Conference in his emailed thank you, ‘the extra day event was an out-of-body experience … The entire Conference was well baked, and the extra day was icing on the cake’.

Contributors to the Slideshow include (in no particular order): L Jorgensen (AIA Alaska), Y Kinksky (AIA CE), M Montgomery (AIA CE), L Petruso (AIA UK) and L King (AIA UK).

Written by: Lorraine D King, AIA (aka Secretary@AIAUK.org)  

7 - AIA International LONDON 2022 - Day 3 – Colour, the City & Beyond

Photo credit: E Fitzpatrick (AIA UK)

Sunday, 2 Oct 2022, was Marathon Day, meaning more closed roads, more traffic congestion, more people piling into central London, but also adding a cheery, sporty atmosphere to London’s historic financial district - the City - which on a weekend can otherwise be drearily depopulated.   

All Day Venue – Convene at 22 Bishopsgate

22 Bishopsgate is one of London’s – and Europe’s - newest and tallest buildings.  It was described by the London Times in 2018 as the City’s ‘smartest building’.  Convene at 22 Bishopsgate proved to be the perfect venue for a day filled with seriously good talks.

Photo credits: (top) S Gold (AIA I) and (bottom) L King (AIA UK)

Talk – ‘Beyond the Surface – Transformative Colour’, Fiona McLachlan, Professor of Architecture Practice, UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

Photo credit: P Salathe (AIA CE guest)

FIONA McLACHLAN was selected by AIA CE as an inspirational speaker on the topic of colour.  In introducing her, Bari Wetmore Salathe (AIA CE) related how McLachlan was put forth by Sheila Farouk, an AIA CE emerging professional who was unfortunately unable to attend the Conference.    

Colour is a topic dear to ALL designers, but – admittedly – it is often sadly neglected. Perhaps, suggested McLachlan, ‘architects are nervous about colour’?  Then, to dispel any idea that using colour was EASY, she baldly stated, ‘get this from the start – colour does not make bad architecture good’.  Fundamental to understanding colour is to know that ‘colour is dependent on context’.  Surely that maxim is akin to ‘water runs downhill’.  It should never be forgotten. 

Giancarlo Alhadeff (AIA CE) summed up the mood of the audience most eloquently when he saluted McLachlan at question time with a simple ‘THANK YOU’.   She certainly had the audience on her side so that - all through break time - everyone could only talk COLOUR, showing off their most extravagant contributions.  

Talk – ‘Exchange Place’, Deborah Saunt, Co-Founder, DSDHA

Photo credit: L Petruso (AIA UK)

DEBORAH SAUNT, from DSHDHA, ran through her various urban design successes and kept the audience fully on her side.  The overall mood can accurately be described as one of laughter and bonhomie.   

Saunt started with poignant pictures of stragglers huddled around the edges of an empty, circular plinth and an end-of-the-week, testosterone fueled drinks party at the pre-improved Broadgate Bearpit. 

Photo credit: G Alhadeff (AIA CE)

‘Let’s get out of our silos and invest in landscaping!’ was Saunt’s call as she talked through her design methodology for a safer more sociable Bradgate Exchange Place - including CCTV footage, movement studies, ‘smile tests’ and student interviewers, etc.  

Is landscaping cost effective?  Yes, it appears that the improvements at Exchange Place paid for themselves through increased square footage rents.  ‘People’, says Saunt, ‘divert to greenery’.  

Talk – ‘22 Bishopsgate – A Vertical Village’, Karen Cook, Co-Founder SPICE

Photo credits: H Giblin (AIA CE)

KAREN COOK – architect of 22 Bishopsgate – has been a member of AIA UK since the early 1990s, and the Chapter has watched with pride as her career progressed over the last three decades.  She is now one of AIA UK’s most illustrious and well known designers and co-founder of one of London’s newest architectural practices, SPICE. 

Her talk included a technical summary of 22 Bishopsgate’s history, design, sustainability credentials and construction, and highlighted aspects that set it apart from other high rises – particularly the humanistic touches.  ‘Quality of living’ - even at the scale of 12,000 occupiers and 62 floors – was an ever paramount consideration.  The project has been honoured by the International Well Building Institute in terms of ‘air, water, nourishment, light, fitness and comfort’ control. 

Special features include among others: A tenant’s gym with climbing wall; retreat spaces; a free public viewing gallery; a private food market (open to public in non-office hours); a large cycle park and associated changing areas; personalised control of one’s workspace environment….

The developer’s approach to its tenants is also unusual.  Construction proceeded without a major pre-let.  Instead, the developer concentrated on multi lets for smaller – even start up - companies, with all tenants treated equally.  

Panel Discussion – ‘Façade Design in the Age of Sustainability’, Karen Cook, Co-Founder SPICE; Claudia Farabegoli, Design Director, THORNTON TOMASETTI; Julian Sutherland, Building Services Partner, CUNDALL; Chair - Cedric Hamers, DOW.

Photo credit: K Storr (AIA UK)  

In a departure from the typical Conference talk format, after lunch focused on a panel of experts addressing aspects of façade design.  As CEDRIC HAMERS, representing the Conference sponsor, Dow, was unable to attend at the last minute, LESTER KORZILIUS (AIA UK) took over as chair.  

Although Dow was not in attendance, a video which highlighted its newly developed, carbon neutral silicone was presented on its behalf.  Dow emphasised that it aims to have its entire business carbon neutral by 2050.  Currently, it takes a project-by-project approach to offset silicone’s carbon footprint, with audited Carbon Certificates coming from upstream operations.

KAREN COOK spoke first, describing in detail 22 Bishopsgate’s full-height triple-glazed façade with internal blinds controlled by the Building Management System - in short, a closed cavity system. The panel debated the merits of a traditional insulated glass façade compared to a closed cavity system.  Surprisingly, the two approaches are nearly equal in life-cycle carbon usage.

CLAUDIA FARABEGOLI – who has more than 20 years’ experience in façade design – also talked about the life cycles.  She made the somewhat challenging assertion that timber facades, and the use of timber generally, is not necessarily a sustainable approach to material selection, given that - at the end of a building’s life - timber is typically burned, releasing all embodied carbon back into the atmosphere.  

JULIAN SUTHERLAND, who spearheads sustainability efforts at Cundall, identified a 7-step program to achieve Net Zero Carbon.  He used the Grade I listed Palm House at Kew Gardens – a Victorian, single glazed greenhouse currently being renovated – to highlight several steps, including façade replacement, improved lighting, and heat pumps.  Fortunately, heritage officers are now becoming more flexible on how historic buildings might be adapted to suit net zero aspirations.  

Talk - ‘Quay Quarter Tower: Lessons in Transformation from Sydney to London’, Audun Opdal, Senior Partner, 3XN

Photo credit: S Gold (AIA I)

AUDUN OPDAL addressed another aspect of the sustainability debate – what to do with existing, ofttimes obsolete - building stock?  His personal, practical solution is to ‘demolish, retain and expand’ – save energy, save carbon, save time by revitalising ‘old buildings with good bones’.  

He provided multiple examples of how to do this – from simple to complex projects.  His most complex example, Sydney Quay Quarter Tower, looked like a project that could have gone seriously out of control during construction, but Opdal managed to pull it off by relying – as he recommends - on a strong, collaborative team of designers, engineers, and specialist consultants.  

Not all old buildings can be saved, so Opdal’s advice for the future is ‘to design new buildings that will be easy to change’.

Opdal is from Denmark, but he has lived long enough in London to know that the English can imbue words such as ‘nice’ and ‘interesting’ with subtle insults - ‘Oh, that’s interesting…..’ - sounds good superficially, but can be downright insulting.  

So, when he described the subject of his talk as ‘interesting’, he had to clarify that he meant ‘interesting’ in the Danish sense of – well –  just interesting, without recourse to quotation marks.

Opdal’s talk was the last of the day and last of the Conference, but - for those attendees who found AIA International LONDON 2022 truly interesting - there is more to look forward to at AIA International MEXICO CITY 2023.  

Please see below Jose Luis Salinas’ (AIA I) video preview of next year’s Conference – 2 to 6 Nov 2023.

Fortunately, Salinas did make it back to Mexico - complete with his wayward luggage - and he can now concentrate on his upcoming year of detailed planning. 

Written by: Lorraine D King, AIA (aka Secretary@AIAUK.org) with input from L Korzilius, FAIA, on the Facades Panel.