Planning approval for Leinster Avenue 04.06.21

AHMM’s proposal for Leinster Avenue in south Bristol has received planning approval. The 100% affordable housing scheme will create 71 new homes across a mix of apartments, terraced housing and wheelchair accessible bungalows, and includes a new public green space and a pedestrian priority mews street. Leinster Avenue has been designed in conjunction with the neighbouring Knowle DGE Academy sixth form annexe, which includes two independent living units. These will house up to eight students and have been designed to blend seamlessly with the new housing development. Construction of the project is due to start later this year.

Progress at 2 Ruskin Square 25.05.21

Works at 2 Ruskin Square are now well underway with foundations laid and the first level of core walls built. Following the signing of a 25-year lease by the Government Property Agency, 2 Ruskin Square will become the home of a new government hub. On completion the ten storey mixed-use block in east Croydon will create over 300,000 square feet of flexible office space, with a landscaped roof terrace at the ninth floor and retail accommodation at the ground level.

Proposals launched for 334 Oxford Street 21.05.21

Proposals have been launched for the future of 334 Oxford Street, the whole central London city block formerly occupied by Debenhams. The project is being managed by the London based commercial real estate practice Capital Real Estate Partners. The AHMM scheme for client 334 Ramsbury Oxford Limited will retain the existing building’s structure, introduce new sustainable facades, and create three additional storeys at upper levels with terraces benefiting from urban greening.

The proposals also include the reprovision of three floors of retail on Oxford Street, with Grade A flexible workspace at upper levels, and a flexible mix of uses on Vere Street, Marylebone Lane and Henrietta Place. Subject to feedback on the consultation, a planning application will be submitted to Westminster City Council in summer 2021.

Chronicle shortlisted for D&AD award 21.05.21

Chronicle, AHMM’s latest book from its publishing project Fifth Man, has been shortlisted for a D&AD award in the Book Design category. Chronicle is a catalogue of 206 completed projects from AHMM’s three decades in practice, and was designed by BOB Design with images curated by photographer and long-time collaborator Timothy Soar. 

D&AD is an education charity that promotes excellence in design and advertising. Each year, the D&AD Awards gather the world's best creative work from across the commercial design, advertising, production and craft disciplines to be judged by more than 400 creative leaders, practitioners and innovators. Read more about the shortlist here. 

Topping out in Tower Hamlets 18.05.21

Tower Hamlets Town Hall has reached its highest point with a topping out ceremony held on site. The event was attended by Paul Monaghan and members of the construction team, as well as the Mayor of Tower Hamlets. To commemorate this stage of the construction Mayor John Biggs was invited to complete the concrete finish to the council chamber steps. Once complete in 2022, the redeveloped and extended Grade II listed former Royal London Hospital building in Whitechapel will become the new headquarters for the London borough of Tower Hamlets, offering public facing services and a café, library and residential hub.

SOLO’s Park and Pub now open 11.05.21

AHMM’s first dog friendly restaurant has celebrated its grand opening, welcoming visitors and their furry friends. SOLO’s Park and Pub is a dog park, bar and restaurant, located in Chisholm Creek, northern Oklahoma City. The building has been designed as a box within a box to create well defined separate spaces, the dog park, a shared sheltered terrace for pets and their owners, and a people-only restaurant.

Construction begins at 1 Broadgate 07.05.21

Work has begun on site at 1 Broadgate, a mixed use scheme within the Broadgate Campus near Liverpool Street station in the City of London. 1 Broadgate will create 546,000 square feet of new office and retail space arranged around a new arcade with office space above. Demolition of the existing 1980s office block is now underway ready for construction to begin. 1 Broadgate is AHMM’s second project as part of British Land’s revitalisation of the Broadgate campus, following the award winning 1 Finsbury Avenue.

Work begins at Tottenham Hale 06.05.21

Works have begun on site at North Island, the first of three AHMM buildings for Argent Related in the north London borough of Haringey. The scheme is part of the wider Heart of Hale plan that will create a new centre for Tottenham Hale. North Island is an 18 storey residential development that will provide 136 new homes including 80 shared ownership apartments. The project is expected to complete in late 2022, with the neighbouring two AHMM buildings at Heart of Hale starting on site at the beginning of 2022.

Egham Gateway West tops out 05.05.21

Construction on Plot C at Egham Gateway has reached its highest point. At seven storeys, the residential building, which also contains a cinema, is the tallest of four new buildings within the AHMM designed masterplan in the Runnymede borough of Surrey. Arranged around a pedestrianised public realm, the development creates a new gateway from Egham Station to the town centre. Plot A, a five storey residential building with retail at ground floor, will be the first to complete later in the year with practical completion expected in early 2022.

AHMM designs new cookery school for Migrateful 22.04.21

AHMM has designed a new permanent cookery school and kitchen for Migrateful at the Peel Institute’s 3 Corners Centre in Clerkenwell, close to AHMM’s London office. The pro-bono project builds on the practice’s ongoing partnership with Migrateful over the past three years, which has included funding food hygiene training for chefs and cooking equipment sets, as well as hosting cookery classes for staff. Having received £45,000 in funding from the Mayor of London to deliver the project, Migrateful has reached its crowdfunding target but is seeking further donations for an outdoor garden space. Find out more and donate here. 

Established in 2017, Migrateful runs cookery classes led by refugees, asylum seekers and migrants struggling to integrate and access employment. The cookery classes provide ideal conditions not just for learning English and building confidence, but also for promoting contact and cultural exchange with the wider community.

AHMM: Constructing a Practice 19.04.21

The April 2021 issue of Architectural Design is a special edition focusing on AHMM, exploring the development of the practice from its early work to the idea of the practice itself as a project. Edited by Professor Neil Spiller, the edition includes contributions from Isabel Allen, Frances Anderton, Patrick Bellew, Sir Peter Cook, Martyn Evans, Paul Finch, Hanif Kara, Jay Merrick, Joe Morris, Morag Myerscough, Ellis Woodman, Roger Zogolovitch and Simon Allford. Read more about it here and buy here.

UKGBC Whole Life Carbon Roadmap 16.04.21

AHMM’s Head of Sustainability Dr Craig Robertson has been appointed to a steering group focusing on the decarbonisation of the built environment in the UK. The UK Green Building Council Whole Life Carbon Roadmap will build a common vision and agreed actions for achieving net zero carbon in the construction, operation and demolition of buildings and infrastructure, bringing together stakeholders from across the built environment industry. The cross-sector Steering Group will provide industry review and strategic oversight to the five task groups that will develop the Roadmap, which is expected to be launched at the UN climate change conference COP26 later this year.

Find out more about the roadmap and the steering group here. 

One Waterloo planning finalised 15.04.21

One Waterloo, previously known as Elizabeth House, has been officially granted planning consent following completion of its Section 106 agreement. Since gaining resolution to grant planning permission in October 2019, the client HB Reavis has now finalised plans with Lambeth Council, with a commitment to provide a £100m package of public benefits, signalling the next phase for one of central London’s largest and most significant commercial developments. These will include contributions to new step-free access to the underground station at Waterloo, over £33m of discounted workspace memberships, and a tailored local employment and skills strategy. The 1.3million sq ft multi-purpose scheme, which targets both BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Platinum accreditations, will provide a publicly accessible garden promenade elevated two floors above street level and connected to Waterloo Station via a new footbridge. Three acres of outdoor space with over 100 planted trees will be created, including brand new public squares and cascading terraces, as well as a unique urban sky farm.

Katharine Storr elected President of AIA UK chapter 15.04.21

AHMM architectural designer Katharine Storr has been elected President of the American Institute of Architects UK chapter for 2021. Along with a commitment to increase initiatives and programming that address climate change, Katharine will be focusing during her year-long tenure on the chapter’s work to improve equity, diversity and inclusion.

The American Institute of Architects has more than 95,000 members globally and the AIA UK chapter serves over 200 members in the United Kingdom, working closely with the RIBA to promote architecture and the architectural profession.

Allford Hall Monaghan Morris announces new Director role 31.03.21

Allford Hall Monaghan Morris has introduced the new role of Director to its architectural operations, sitting between the Executive Board (made up of the four Founding Directors and the Finance Director) and the existing position of Associate Director. As a natural evolution of our existing structure, this new position recognises that the role performed by our talented group of Associate Directors, some of whom have been in that position for up to 15 years, has expanded and evolved beyond the remit when the role was originally established.

All 15 of our existing Associate Directors will be promoted to this new position from 1 April 2021. We are also pleased to confirm the promotion of a further 13 architectural staff to the position of Associate Director and 37 to the position of Associate.

These changes are a response to the practice’s growth over the past decade in the number of architectural staff the practice employs, as well as in the practice’s professional capabilities and those of its people.

Planning approval at Barking Riverside 24.03.21

AHMM’s proposal for Plot 209B at Barking Riverside has been granted planning consent by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham’s planning committee, receiving unanimous support for approval. The mixed use scheme for Bellway Homes will create 229 new homes, retail and restaurant space, across eight new buildings on a brownfield site at Barking Riverside. Work is expected to start on site in summer 2021.

Civic Trust Awards 2021 08.03.21

Three AHMM projects have been recognised in this year’s Civic Trust Awards, which were announced last Friday (5 March). 1 Finsbury Avenue and The Post Building won awards and The Officers’ House at Royal Arsenal was highly commended. The Civic Trust Awards recognise outstanding architecture, planning and design in the built environment – winners also demonstrate strong sustainability credentials, a high level of inclusive design, and a positive civic contribution. Read the full list of winners here.

Planning consent in Camden 26.02.21

Camden Council’s planning committee has voted in favour of a linked application for Belgrove House and Acorn House for client Precis Advisory.

Located on Euston Road opposite King's Cross and St Pancras stations, Belgrove House is a new-build specialised laboratory and office building for the life-sciences sector to be occupied by MSD as a UK Discovery Research Centre and HQ.

The scheme is targeting a BREEAM Outstanding rating. It is designed to be innovative, highly sustainable and an example of carbon emissions reduction in construction, operation, and future refurbishment. Operational energy is reduced through a 'biophilic' double-skin facade allowing natural ventilation and providing a zone for planting.

It is a green building with numerous planted terraces and an extensive landscape plan to bring trees and plants to the surrounding streets. The project offers an excellent opportunity to dramatically enhance the surrounding area, bringing active facades where there are currently blank walls, by removing street clutter and bringing greenery to all four sides of the building.

Acorn House, on nearby Gray’s Inn Road, replaces a 1960s office block with a residential-led mixed-use scheme that includes 33 affordable homes, affordable workspace and retail units.

Work is expected to start on site later this year, subject to approval by the Mayor of London and issue of full planning permission.

Lorimer House completes 18.02.21

AHMM’s Bream Street masterplan has taken a step closer to completion as the first residential building on site has been handed over to the client. Lorimer House is a seven storey building comprising 64 one, two and three bedroom apartments with commercial units at ground floor. It is one of six buildings designed by AHMM on the canalside site close to the Olympic Park in east London. The remaining buildings are due to hand over by the summer with the project completing in June.

A new phase for Kingswood Academy 08.02.21

Planning approval has been granted for a new extension to Kingswood Academy, the RIBA award winning school in Hull originally completed in 2012. This new addition will allow the school to expand from 1350 to 1500 students by creating a new teaching and dining block to the north east side of the school. It arranges 12 new classrooms and two offices over three floors around a central atrium, with the new dining space at ground level.

Big win for Tiny Homes 05.02.21

Tiny Homes, a collection of houses specifically designed for young adults aged 16-19 who are aging out of the foster care system in north Oklahoma City, has been awarded the ULI OK Impact Award for Outstanding Community Building. AHMM has designed three of the homes, each one unique and using materials donated to the project. The winners of the Impact Awards have been announced on social media throughout this week, and you can view the presentation here. Now in their seventh year, the ULI OK Impact awards recognise projects that exemplify best practice in the responsible use of land and their contribution to the built environment and the public realm.

On site at City Road 04.02.21

Work has started on site at 225 City Road, also known as The Arc, a 22 storey mixed use tower in east London. On completion the residential-led scheme will create 100 new homes, including a mix of studios and one, two and three bedroom apartments, above a 150,000 sq ft podium of office and retail space. Shared residential and office amenities include an expansive rooftop terrace on the seventh floor and a communal lounge, gym and fitness suite. The scheme also includes a cinema and restaurant with retail units at street level. The building is due to complete in late 2022.

On site in Birmingham 03.02.21

Work has begun on site at Birmingham Hippodrome. The first phase of the project at the Hippodrome, which is the UK’s busiest single theatre and the home of Birmingham Royal Ballet, involves the reworking of existing levels, creating a new entrance, and improving the public realm to provide safer access and egress for patrons. This initial phase of work will enable the theatre to continue operating during the course of the wider redevelopment, while providing increased social distancing for the future front of house.

AJ Retrofit Awards shortlist 2021 29.01.21

Two AHMM projects have been shortlisted for AJ Retrofit Awards this week. The Officers’ House at Royal Arsenal has been shortlisted in the Houses and Housing category; the project has refurbished and extended two Grade II listed buildings, saving them from the Historic England Buildings at Risk register in the process. Meanwhile, 1 Finsbury Avenue has been shortlisted in the Listed Building category. The redevelopment of the groundbreaking 1980s Arup Associates office building at Broadgate won the New London Architecture Conserving Prize in November, and is the subject of a recent book by Ken Powell.
The winners will be announced at a virtual awards event on Wednesday 24 February – find out more and register here.

On site in the Wheeler District 22.01.21

Work is now well underway at Western Gateway Elementary, AHMM’s first school in the US. The timber framed single storey building in the new Wheeler District of Oklahoma City wraps around an internal courtyard that will create a space for collaborative learning and play, and provide protection from the strong Oklahoma wind and summer sun. Western Gateway Elementary joins AHMM’s mixed use Wheeler Block 13, which recently topped out, in a new neighbourhood replacing the disused Oklahoma City airfield.

Civic Trust Awards 06.01.21

The Post Building, 1 Finsbury Avenue and Royal Arsenal have been announced as three of the 40 recipients of 2021 Civic Trust National Awards. Founded in 1959, the awards recognise projects whose architecture and environmental design have made a positive contribution to the local communities they serve, improving the built environment through design, sustainability, inclusiveness and accessibility. The awards will be presented in March – find out more here.