'NLA on Location' in Westminster - 24/2/2010

NLA’s second ‘on location’ event took place this week in Westminster, with an impressive line-up of speakers including senior Westminster planning officials, developers, estate managers and architects working in the area.

Robert Davis, Deputy Leader of Westminster City Council, gave the keynote speech, highlighting that Westminster aims ‘to encourage, promote and deliver the most sustainable architecture’, as well as green transport technologies and public realm improvements.

With 55 conservation areas, and tourism acting as an important source of revenue for the area, Rosemarie Macqueen, Strategic Director for the Built Environment, explained that this ambition for new sustainable development also has to be carefully balanced with the protection of existing features, and views to and from the City. Intensification within many existing historic buildings means that much of the character of the City has been maintained despite a significant increase in office, retail and residential uses.

In the afternoon, delegates had the opportunity to tour each of Westminster’s three opportunity areas: Paddington, Victoria and the West End, led by Westminster's senior built environment officers along with developers active across each of the areas. The day finished with a spectacular view over the West End from the 17th floor of the Westminster City Hall, with a drinks reception hosted by the Lord Mayor.

US Ambassador unveils KieranTimberlake's winning scheme for new US Embassy in London at NLA - 23/2/2010

US Ambassador Louis Susman unveiled KieranTimberlake as the winning architect for new US Embassy in London at NLA this evening.

The practice was selected ahead of Richard Meier & Partners, Morphosis Architects and PEI Cobb Freed & Partners. The scheme was applauded for its sustainable features, and as the most environmentally-friendly out of the four finalists.

The new scheme will be located in Nine Elms and aims to act as a stimulus to the regeneration of the area, with move-in planned for 2017.

Sir Simon Milton launches new hotels guidance at NLA - 18/2/2010

Deputy Mayor, Sir Simon Milton launched new guidance on London’s hotel development at NLA this morning.

The two documents, 'Delivering Visitor Accommodation', and 'Planning for Visitor Accommodation in London', examine respectively 12 case studies of recently opened and upcoming hotels, and the kinds of drivers and opportunities behind successful hotel provision, aimed at borough planners, developers and applicants.

Sir Simon was speaking at the NLA conference 'London’s Hotels: Planning for Growth', which explored how London is gearing up to become Olympic host city, the strategic policy for visitor accommodation in the capital, and how boroughs can make the most of the regenerative impacts provided by hotel development.

Upcoming hotels presented at NLA - 12/2/2010

Concluding a busy week at NLA this morning was a breakfast talk examining three current and upcoming hotel designs – Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London which opens this month, and the Trocadero 'Pod' Hotel and Art'otel London Hoxton – both of which gained planning permission earlier this year.

The Trocadero 'Pod' Hotel, designed by Dexter Moren Associates and presented by Director Wan Yau, was inspired by Japanese capsule hotels, and will reconfigure the iconic Grade II listed Trocadero into a 459-bedroom hotel, with retail and entertainment facilities. Art'otel London Hoxton, presented by Project Manager Tim Gledstone of architecture practice Squire and Partners, is an 18-storey cylindrical hotel in Hoxton. It will feature a top-floor restaurant and bar, spa and publicly accessible arts centre.

Gene Kohn speaks at NLA Nights - 10/2/2010

At this month's NLA members event, Gene Kohn, founder and chairman of Kohn Pedersen Fox, spoke to an audience of NLA members and their guests.

As head of a firm which has designed buildings in over 80 cities throughout the world, Gene shared his views on how our city continues to evolve; how development in the UK, US and Asia is being affected by the recession; the role that existing buildings play following a recession; and some of the secrets of his, and his practice’s success.

Bankside & London Bridge - 9/2/2010

A conference looking at Bankside & London Bridge kicked-off another busy week of events at NLA this morning. Speakers including Cllr Nick Stanton, Leader of Southwark Council, James Sellar, CEO of Sellar, and Alasdair Nicholls, Chief Executive of Native Land, presented their plans to a packed audience of architects, developers, property investors and local residents groups.

Historically the area has been one of the poorest in London, and before the arrival of the Tate Modern and Millennium Bridge in 2000, was seen to face away from the river. Now a number of large scale schemes including the Shard of Glass, NEO Bankside, Thameslink, London Bridge Station and the Tate Modern extension aim not only to create a new cultural quarter for central London, but also to improve the quality of life for local people.

The Shard of Glass, by developers Sellar, is currently under construction, and once completed in 2012 will be the tallest tower in London. James Sellar CEO predicts that the viewing gallery will attract around a million visitors a year, therefore playing an important role in attracting tourism, as well as providing prime office space.

The development of NEO Bankside is also proving a prime residential market, and is being marketed for its proximity and accessibility to the City, river, culture and education.

However, with narrow street patterns and a number of pinch points along the Thames path, Tim Stonor, Director of Space Syntax warned that a number of improvements to the public realm will need to be made in order to manage the increased footfall expected in the area.

Don't Move, Improve! - 23/1/2010

Nearly a thousand people visited The Building Centre for NLA's ‘Don't Move, Improve!’ day on Saturday, organised in conjunction with Time Out, RIBA London and The Building Centre. Free architects' surgeries and seminars provided a wealth of inspiration, ideas and advice to people who were interested in improving and extending their homes.

Winning and shortlisted architects from NLA’s ‘Don’t Move, Improve!’ competition to find London’s best housing extension gave free advice and inspiration to anyone looking to take on their own home extension project.

Home improvement experts including David Littlefield, author of ‘HOME: Investing in Design’, architect Barbara Weiss, and winner of the ‘Don’t Move, Improve!’ competition Patrick Michell of Platform 5 Architects, also gave talks on the dos and don’ts of extending your home, getting through the planning process, and saving energy.

Furniture retailers, including Molteni&C Dada, Heal’s, LOMBOK and BoConcept also took part in the events, with interior design surgeries and discounts for visitors during the day.

The ‘Don’t Move, Improve!’ exhibition, highlighting the 32 shortlisted schemes is still on display at NLA until the end of the month.

Edward Jones and Christopher Woodward at NLA Nights - 21/1/2010

Edward Jones and Christopher Woodward presented their seminal guide to the capital's architecture: 'A Guide to the Architecture of London' at this month’s NLA Nights event. The guide, which was originally published in 1983, covers all of London's building history, from its Roman foundation to its massive expansion of the nineteenth century, and has been updated to cover developments in the capital over the last two decades.

The two authors presented their take on London's development through the ages, as well as some of their favourite and most interesting buildings in the guide.
 

Paul Morrell speaks at 'Retrofit vs Rebuild' - 20/1/2010

Paul Morrell OBE, the new Government Chief Construction Adviser, gave the keynote speech at NLA’s ‘Retrofit vs. Rebuild’ conference this morning, held in association with GVA Grimley.

Paul Morrell has been challenged to guide the government’s construction procurement strategy, and to bring the construction industry together in order to identify how best to deliver carbon reduction commitments by 2022. He explained that the industry needs to come up with a carbon reduction plan that covers everything from housing to commercial developments to infrastructure, and that brings together the full range of construction and property industries involved.

He was joined by a prestigious line-up of speakers including David Shaw, Head of Regent Street Strategy and Development at The Crown Estate, Liz Peace, Chief Executive of the British Property Federation and Neil Pennell, Head of Sustainability and Engineering at Land Securities, who, along with an audience of property investors, developers, architects, planners and government policy makers, explored the challenges faced to marry commercial viability with energy performance and sustainability targets when looking at the redevelopment of commercial property sites in central London.

The conference highlighted an increasing trend towards refurbishment, due in part to tightening building regulations, demand for energy efficient space and the shorter time spans involved in retrofitting as opposed to new build. Discussions also highlighted that whilst the construction industry has an important role to play, it is those involved in investing and managing property in London that ultimately have the most influence in creating more energy efficient commercial space.

London's Natural Signatures - 15/1/2010

In NLA’s first breakfast talk of the year, Alison Barnes from Natural England, and William Filmer-Sankey from Alan Baxter & Associates presented ‘London’s Natural Signatures’, a report which aims to reconnect Londoners with the underlying nature of the city and highlight the integrity of natural features to London’s local character.

The report specifies 22 distinct landscape types, including river valleys, floodplains, plateaus and valleys, which have had a significant impact on London’s development throughout history, and although often forgotten or ignored, have the potential to become powerfully symbolic in the future planning of London.

The talk was attended by a large audience of architects, planners, students and engineers, reflecting both the wide interest in the report and the potential impacts it could have on London’s development. To find out more about the report click here.