14/11/2018
Paul Monaghan has been appointed by Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, as the city region’s first Design Champion. The announcement was made at an event earlier today (14 November), hosted in collaboration with RIBA North West, which works closely with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority on a programme of activities to improve the quality of design in the city region. Steve Rotheram said: “The appointment of Paul Monaghan as our first Design Champion is a huge step towards putting the issue of good design higher up the agenda. I am very pleased he has accepted the role and I look forward to working closely with him.”
The role of Liverpool City Region Design Champion will be to promote good design and kick start a conversation about the importance of design throughout the city region. Find out more here.
14/11/2018
Planning permission has been granted by St Albans Council for the new BRE Open Innovation Hub, the first major new building to be constructed on the leading research institute’s Garston campus in twenty years. The Open Innovation Hub, part funded by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, will provide office and collaborative space on split levels for large organisations, SMEs and start-ups to come together to work and develop new technologies and processes for the construction industry. Daylight and thermal comfort, alongside passive design strategies, have been intrinsic to the project since inception; reflecting the BRE’s mission, the Hub’s design will represent a partnership between architecture and engineering, and demonstrate the BRE’s own standards and tools – fittingly, it will be the first building in the world to target BREEAM Outstanding accreditation using the updated and more stringent New Construction 2018 assessment.
09/11/2018
Continuing a successful week in awards, Television Centre has won the Commercial Award at the Brick Awards. Judges described it as ‘a thoughtful and well-conceived development that successfully rehabilitates Television Centre into a mixed use residential, office and retail development ... [it] responds well to the existing fabric and integrates the new additions carefully and with respect.’ See the full judges’ comments and other winners here. Meanwhile, three AHMM projects have been named Civic Trust Regional Finalists. Weston Street, White Collar Factory and Television Centre will now be considered for national awards, announced in December. Find out more about the Civic Trust finalists here.
07/11/2018
Allford Hall Monaghan Morris has been named Architectural Practice of the Year by Building Magazine. Announced at a ceremony last night (6 November), the award recognises the practice’s all-round performance including commercial success, projects, and approach to staff, clients, partners and the environment. Weston Street, White Collar Factory, Signal Townhouses and Television Centre were also shortlisted for project awards at the pan-industry event held in London. This is AHMM’s second practice award of 2018, having been named AJ100 Practice of the Year in June.
25/10/2018
Founding director Paul Monaghan has been appointed as a trustee of the Design Council, joining the board responsible for the charity’s strategic direction, governance and delivery. Established in 1944 to support Britain’s economic recovery, the Design Council is an independent body whose purpose is to make life better by design, encouraging public debate and informing government policy. In 2011, the Design Council merged with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), extending its remit into design for the built environment where it delivers independent and expert design consultation; Paul has previously been a member of CABE’s National Design Review Panel and chaired its Schools Design Review Panel. Find out more about the Design Council here.
10/10/2018
AHMM architect Dora Felekou has won a competition to design a new café for Croydon as part of the AHMM-designed Taberner House development. The project’s client HUB launched the competition in July, challenging AHMM architects to design the café in response to community design workshops focusing on the Queen’s Gardens, which are adjacent to the Taberner House site and form part of the overall project. Eight shortlisted teams presented their designs to the client and local stakeholders to decide the winning entry. Dora’s ‘House of Cards’ entry was announced as the winner at an event held at AHMM’s London office, hosted by associate director Susie le Good and Steve Sanham, managing director at HUB.
09/10/2018
Edinburgh City Council has resolved to grant planning permission for a series of AHMM-designed office buildings within a wider mixed use masterplan led by Dixon Jones Architects six miles west of Edinburgh city centre. The buildings will provide over half a million square feet of offices and related amenity facilities, as part of the extension and re-invention of the existing office campus. The first new building, at five storeys, will provide offices, a 200-seat conference centre, a café, and a restaurant and music venue facing onto a new public square, with trams serving an adjacent stop. The wider proposals for the 43-acre masterplan developed for landowner Parabola include up to 1800 new residential units, a centralised car-park and energy centre, and a series of public squares and gardens. Construction is expected to begin in early 2019.