Architecture and design news
Contractor awarded 2014 venue contract
by Pete Hayman | 18 Aug 2009
Glasgow City Council (GCC) has appointed Sir Robert McAlpine as the main contractor for the city's new £120m National Indoor Sports Arena and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome venues. The council's executive committee approved the findings of a report that recommended the selection of the Hertfordshire-based construction company from a shortlist of four firms, which also included Laing O'Rourke, Bovis Lend Lease and BAM. Both the 5,000-seat NISA and the
New £4.5m 'green' sports complex opens
by Pete Hayman | 18 Aug 2009
A new £4.5m sports and community complex, which has been designed to incorporate a number of environmentally friendly features, has opened to the public in west London. The Little Venice Sports Centre on Crompton Street, which is the only venue in the area to be accredited by the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI), includes four badminton courts, a large sports hall with underfloor heating and a multi-purpose dance and exercise studio.
New concert hall for Birmingham
by Pete Hayman | 17 Aug 2009
A new multi-million pound concert hall is set to be built at the University of Birmingham (UB) to provide a new home for the institution's music department and facilities for the local community. Plans for the venue have been drawn up by Glenn Howells Architects to include a 450-seat auditorium designed to accommodate a range of performances – from solo voice to electro-acoustic – as well as associated research, teaching
Construction of 'sunken hotel' gets underway
by Martin Nash | 13 Aug 2009
Construction work has reportedly started on the 5-star Songjiang Hotel, a 'sunken hotel' being created in a 100m-deep water-filled quarry in Songjiang near Shanghai, China. Situated inside the Shanghai Sheshan National Holiday Resort area, the 21-floor hotel will have two underwater levels, 17 floors between the surface of the water and ground-level and two floors above ground-level. The underwater floors will house a restaurant and guestrooms facing an aquarium, while
£10m Amphitheatre to open in Northern Ireland
by Luke Tuchscherer | 12 Aug 2009
The £10m Amphitheatre Wellness Centre in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, is to open on 17 August. Designed by Given Architects, the centre will boast an “Olympic-standard” fitness suite supplied by Technogym, a floodlit synthetic sports pitch, squash courts, a synthetic tennis court, a 25m swimming pool, a soft-play area and a multi-purpose sports hall for badminton, five-a-side football, netball, basketball and gymnastics. The centre was built on the site of the
Contractor set to secure 2014 venue contract
by Pete Hayman | 11 Aug 2009
Sir Robert McAlpine, the Hertfordshire-based company, is set to be named as the main contractor for the new £120m National Indoor Sports Arena (NISA) and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome venues in Glasgow. A report due to go before Glasgow City Council's (GCC) executive committee on 14 August has identified Sir Robert McAlpine as its preferred contractor from a shortlist of four firms, which also included Laing O'Rourke, Bovis Lend
New £1bn Heathrow T2 plans unveiled
by Pete Hayman | 10 Aug 2009
BAA has unveiled plans for the new £1bn Terminal Two building at London's Heathrow Airport, which has been designed to emit 40 per cent less carbon than the existing second terminal facility. The new development will cater for around 20 million passengers each year and forms part of BAA's wider £4.8bn investment in improving services and facilities at one of the world's busiest airports. Plans for Terminal Two, which will
New civic space set for Dublin
by Pete Hayman | 06 Aug 2009
Designs put forward by LiD Architecture have been selected as the winning concept for a new public civil space, which will be built as part of a mixed-use redevelopment of Dublin's docklands in Ireland. Dublin City Council (DCC) and Point Village Limited announced that the Belfast-based firm had been chosen following the conclusion of a design competition administered by the Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland (RIAI). Plans for The
Revamp for Hotel Bel-Air
by Luke Tuchscherer | 05 Aug 2009
The Dorchester Collection’s Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, US, is to undergo a multi-million dollar renovation that will see the hotel shut from October this year till mid-2011. The project will include the renovation of all of the hotel’s 91 rooms and suites, its famous Champagne Bar and its restaurants and private dining rooms. Twelve new villas will also be built within the hotel’s grounds. A new spa is already
Aberdeen pool scheme moves forward
by Pete Hayman | 05 Aug 2009
International construction consultancy, Davis Langdon, and FaulknerBrowns Architects have been appointed by Aberdeen City Council (ACC) to progress plans for the city's proposed 50m swimming pool. Davis Langdon has been selected as project manager, while FaulknerBrowns will head up the design team for the new facility, which is set to provide a regional competition standard facility to help attract visitors to the city. Neil Fletcher, chair of ACC's 50m Pool
First resort in The Rocco Forte Collection launches
by Martin Nash | 04 Aug 2009
The latest hotel to form part of Sir Rocco Forte's portfolio of luxury accommodation has opened in Sicily. The £120m (US$203.3m, 141.1m euro) Verdura Golf & Spa Resort joins famous names such as St. Petersburg's Hotel Astoria, The Balmoral in Edinburgh, Geneva's Le Richemond, Brown's Hotel in London and the recently opened Augustine in Prague as the 13th hotel in the Rocco Forte Collection (RFC). Covering an area of 175
Matlock leisure centre design debated
by Luke Tuchscherer | 04 Aug 2009
The £12m leisure centre planned for Matlock, Derbyshire, looks set to be given the green light by Derbyshire Dales District Council. As previously reported in Leisure Opportunities, the centre is set to include an eight-lane, 25m swimming pool, two sports halls, a dance studio and a fitness suite. However, the designs – created by Dyer Architects – have come under fire from both Matlock Town Council and Matlock Civic Association,
West Rhyl revamp masterplan to be drawn up
by Pete Hayman | 31 Jul 2009
The Welsh Assembly Government has announced that 2DPP Shape, part of Welsh planning consultancy DPP, has been appointed to draw up a new masterplan for the redevelopment of West Rhyl, Denbighshire. Architects, urban designers and regeneration specialists will form part of a team that will be tasked with developing new proposals for the regeneration of the area to the west of Rhyl's town centre, including the creation of new green
New Suffolk arts venue named
by Pete Hayman | 31 Jul 2009
A new multi-purpose public arts venue, which is currently under construction in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, is to be called The Apex. St Edmondsbury Borough Council (SEBC) met on 29 July to approve the new name for the venue, which is scheduled to open in 2010, will incorporate a multi-purpose auditorium with a 500-seat capacity for theatre performance and seminars and standing capacity for 700 people for concert performances. Space
New £20m pool unveiled in Corby
by Pete Hayman | 29 Jul 2009
A new £20m Olympic-sized swimming pool, which has been included as a potential training facility for teams ahead of the London 2012 Games, has officially opened in Corby, Northamptonshire. The 50m Corby East Midlands International Pool was unveiled by Olympic swimmer Mark Foster on 24 July and is equipped with moveable floors and booms to accommodate international junior diving events and short and long course races. Designed by S&P Architects,
British Museum's expansion plans rejected
by Tom Walker | 28 Jul 2009
Camden Council has turned down a planning application for a £135m extension to the British Museum in London, UK. The proposed development, designed by architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP), had secured the support of English Heritage but had angered a local conservation group, Bloomsbury Conservation Area Advisory Committee (BCAAC). RSHP's plans included a new 1,000 sq m (10,760sq ft) building at the rear of the museum, replacing the
Major revamp for Newport station
by Pete Hayman | 28 Jul 2009
Construction work has started on an 11-month refurbishment of Newport railway station in South Wales in a bid to cater for an increase in passengers travelling to the 2010 Ryder Cup golf tournament. The new 2,100sq m (22,604sq ft) station, which will be nearly twice the size of the existing site, has been designed by an architectural partnership between Atkins and Grimshaw to improve accessibility and safety, as well as
Public exhibition for Bradford proposals
by Pete Hayman | 24 Jul 2009
Revised plans for the £55m New Victoria Place scheme in Bradford, West Yorkshire, are set to be submitted to the local authority by developer Langtree Artisan and regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward. A public exhibition is scheduled to be held on 24 and 25 July in order for local residents to comment on the proposals, which will be located on the site of a former Odeon cinema and is set
New £50m Cardiff stadium opens
by Pete Hayman | 23 Jul 2009
A friendly match between Cardiff City Football Club (CCFC) and Glasgow Celtic Football Club has marked the opening of a new multi-million pound sports stadium at Leckwith, Cardiff. The 25,000-seat venue was built by Laing O'Rourke and developed by PMG Estates on a site adjacent to the football club's former Ninian Park home, while the Cardiff Blues rugby team will also be relocating to the stadium from its current home
New £350m London hotel topped out
by Pete Hayman | 22 Jul 2009
A topping-out ceremony has been held in London to mark the completion of external construction work on one of the capital's largest ever purpose-built hotels, the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. The £350m property, which is scheduled to open in early 2010, is situated on land once occupied by the former Greater London Council building and will boast more than 1,000 bedrooms and 2,700sq m (29,062.6sq ft) of meeting space. London
Work starts on 2012 Handball Arena
by Pete Hayman | 21 Jul 2009
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has announced that construction work on the 2012 Handball Arena has started two months ahead of schedule at the Olympic Park in East London. Buckingham Group Contracting has been appointed to construct the venue, which will host qualifying games for the handball competition during the London 2012 Olympics, as well as the modern pentathlon fencing and goalball during the Paralympics. After the Games, the Handball
Birds Nest picks up Lubetkin award
by Tom Walker | 20 Jul 2009
China's Olympic stadium, the Birds Nest, has won the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Lubetkin award for outstanding architecture for an overseas project. The £217m stadium, designed by previous RIBA winners Herzog & de Meuron, played host to the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and beat off stiff competition from five other shortlisted buildings for the prize – including the Beijing National Swimming Centre nicknamed (The Cube), and the Museum
Ironbridge Gorge centre opens
by Tom Walker | 20 Jul 2009
A new visitor centre has opened at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum's Blists Hill Victorian Town. The centre forms part of a £12m redevelopment of the town, which has been funded by Advantage West Midlands and The European Regional Development Fund. The building was designed by specialist architectural practice Nash Partnership of Bath with support from Osbornes Architects and was constructed by Mansell Construction Services Ltd. As well as the different
£24m National Cycling Centre proposals unveiled
by Luke Tuchscherer | 16 Jul 2009
Proposals for a £24m indoor BMX centre in Manchester's Sportcity development have been announced. The 110,000sq ft (10,220sq m) National Cycling Centre, designed by Ellis Williams Architects, will boast a 2,000-seat BMX arena and offices for the headquarters of the British Cycling Federation. The centre will be surrounded by new public spaces, including outdoor freestyle cycling areas, forming a velopark. Eddie Smith, chief executive of New East Manchester, which is
Leisure centre for Rushden
by Helen Patenall | 16 Jul 2009
A £13m leisure centre will be built at Manor Park in Rushden, Northamptonshire, to replace outdated facilities at the Splash Leisure Pool and the Pemberton Centre. The scheme will comprise a six-lane, 25-metre swimming pool and a teaching pool, as well as a four court sports hall, dance/exercise studios and a health and fitness suite. The facility will be project managed by global consultants Mace, whose previous projects include the
Funding secured for Bradford City Park
by Helen Patenall | 16 Jul 2009
The development of a £24.4m City Park in Bradford offering residents a large water feature, green spaces, public art, relaxation and play areas will soon be underway. The six-acre site will be centred around a 4,200sq m (45,200sq ft) mirror pool with causeways, special effects and a series of fountains reaching up to 30m high. Although the use of water is central to the design, the park can also be
No change to Olympic Stadium plans
by Helen Patenall | 15 Jul 2009
Olympic minister Tessa Jowell maintains that the 80,000-capacity athletics stadium being built for the 2012 Games will later be downsized to a 25,000-seat venue. In response to London Mayor Boris Johnson's suggestion that the Stratford venue be maintained in size to potentially host the 2018 World Cup, the olympics minister insisted: "We don't need another football stadium - we've got Wembley. "We made a very clear commitment in the bid
Design team appointed for Southampton’s Sea City Museum
by Luke Tuchscherer | 14 Jul 2009
Southampton City Council in the UK has appointed architects to design its new £15m Sea City Museum attraction. London-based architects Wilkinson Eyre won the contract to design the attraction, which will be located in the council’s Civic Centre, previously occupied by Southampton’s magistrate courts and police headquarters. The museum is intended to provide access to and interpretation of the city’s maritime heritage, and will include an exhibition on the Titanic,
Bramston Sports Centre revamp
by Helen Patenall | 13 Jul 2009
Bramston Sports Centre in Witham, Essex, is set to be overhauled to provide improved facilities for local residents. Braintree District Council plans to replace the ageing facility with a new building housing a 25-metre, six-lane swimming pool; a 10-metre learner pool; and a spectator area for 100 people. Also under discussion is the provision of a diving pool, a gymnasium and two squash courts, costing a further £3.5m. The cabinet
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct designated UNESCO site
by Helen Patenall | 13 Jul 2009
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal in north-eastern Wales was awarded UNESCO status at the 33rd session of the World Heritage Committee held in Seville, Spain, last week. Thomas Telford's pioneering engineering achievement of the Industrial Revolution is the nation's 28th UNESCO site. A further 10 cultural sites were added to the World Heritage List, including Stoclet House in Belgium, the Ruins of Loropéni in Burkina Faso and Mount Wutai in China.
company profile
Robert D Henry Architects (RDH-Architects) was founded in 1990 in New York City by Bob Henry, known as the
“sensuous architect of serenity.”
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