LONDON | Projects & Construction

[Misty2k]

Originally Posted by SO143

The Pump House (Approved)

Beautiful concept.

[LondonFox]

^

Where is this?

[PortoNuts]

This looks great!

Originally Posted by SO143

The Pump House (Approved)

[aarhusforever]

The Pump House looks so great

[SO143]

Originally Posted by LondonFox

Where is this?

Royal Docks, Newham

[SO143]

New London Architecture: Planning for the capital’s future



The NLA (New London Architecture) resides, appropriately enough, in The Building Centre off Goodge Street, Central London. It serves as a resource centre and open forum for architects, developers, politicians and the general public to learn more about, and give their views on, the future of London’s architecture.

hairman of the NLA, Peter Murray, using the model for illustration, talks to Humans Invent about how London will look, architecturally speaking, in the future.

On this mock-up the majority of buildings are grey though there are white ones dotted about. Murray tells me the former are existing buildings whereas those in white are being built or have recently been finished. It’s hard to miss the white, tapering building above London Bridge Station. I ask Murray what he thinks of this oft-spoken about and opinion-splitting development.

Murray says, “I personally think the Shard is great. It is a very elegant, beautiful building. Buildings of this kind are often very big and clunky but this is very fine. I like the fact that I can see it from all sorts of directions in London. One of the strategies at one time for where we located towers was that they should help define the river and this does that.”

The Shard: A one off?

Interestingly though, Murray doesn’t believe that the London of the future will see many more of its kind. He says, “The sort of glass towers that are being built at the moment, like the Shard and some of those other ones that have been on the drawing board for the last ten years, they started building them in a period before we came quite as conscious of energy as we are now. I think the days of the big glass block are probably numbered as we develop buildings that have less windows and more insulation.”

The real issue, however, is not with the new but with the old. Murray says, “The bigger problem is all these grey buildings, the existing ones, which make up 90% of London. They are all old, out of date buildings that have to be retrofitted and brought up to modern standards.”

By 2050, London needs to have cut its carbon emissions by 80% from 1990 levels. Retrofitting involves better insulating an old house, which is necessary if we are to reach those targets. But it is a tricky business: if the brick walls don’t have a gap between them, it won’t be possible to fit insulating foam in between. If this is the case the only other options are to render the outside of the house – visually, this would completely change it – or insulate the inside, which is a long, messy process.

Murray says, “Logistically it is a major problem and I just don’t think the politicians have really got to grips with it yet; certainly people haven’t realised what the long-term implications are.”

While glass skyscrapers maybe a thing of the past, Murray believes London will carry on building upwards. London’s size is defined by the green belt. This means that, unlike in North American cities say, London has finite geographical space. The problem is, as Murray notes, in the next year there will be another 100,000 inhabitants in the city. He says, “That means we need to build another 30,000 new houses, new shops, places for people to work, new roads. We are growing really quite fast in London and an extra million people (over ten years) needs quite a lot of facilities.”
A radical change

So will London’s skyline change that radically in the next fifty years? Murray believes so. He says, “I think it will be quite different; we will have to create a more dense city – the strategy of the London plan is that where you have development which is designed for London it has to take place within the Greater London area.”

Murray points with his red laser to the white grouping of buildings in Nine Elms, where the iconic Battersea Power station lies dormant. The buildings are curved and squeezed together to get the most out of the area per square foot. He compares this with Churchill Gardens across the river, designed in the 1950s. At the time this was considered quite a dense environment but in comparison to Nine Elms, it appears a far more spacious and low-rise development. He moves his laser East over to Elephant and Castle where another group of white buildings reach up into the sky. Murray says, “They are knocking down some 60s and 70s council estates which used to house 2,500 people. When this is redeveloped it will house 5,000 people.”

One thing that won’t change, and what many people believe makes London so unique, is what Murray describes as the ‘mish-mash’ nature of the City.

http://www.humansinvent.com/#!/6811/...pitals-future/

[LondonFox]

Originally Posted by SO143

http://www.humansinvent.com/#!/6811/...pitals-future/

Nice... from that picture you can see the extent of just some of the buildings going up right now.

[SO143]

London 2012: Sustainable homes in Olympic Park’s future

Homes built on the Olympic Park will be constructed to zero carbon standards and set new benchmarks for sustainable living, according to the company in charge of the Park’s future.



Key facts

The location:

• Over 4 million people within a 45 minute drive time
• 27.2 million annual footfall through Stratford Regional Station
• Five major universities within 5 miles, with more than 83,000 students
• 1.9 million square feet of state-of-the-art retail and leisure space
• £17 billion invested in transport improvements in the lead up to the Games
• All of London’s major railway terminals within 35 minutes travel
• Less than 3 hours journey time to Paris
• 20 minutes to London City Airport and 1 hour to Heathrow

The Park:

• 5 world-class permanent sporting venues
• 22 miles of new cycle paths and footpaths
• 9 miles of new roads
• 4 miles of improved waterways

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park - as it will be renamed following the end of the Games - will be the site of up to 8,000 homes, five permanent sporting venues, event spaces, 45 hectares of bio diverse habitat and a network of pathways, cycle routes and waterways.

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which is in charge of the future of the Park, yesterday released a new sustainability guide.

Your Sustainability Guide to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 2030 is a vision for life in and around the Park in 2030. It sets out the LLDC’s objectives for transforming the area into a place where people can live, work and visit sustainably.

Andrew Altman, chief executive of the LLDC, said: “Our legacy plans are further advanced than any previous host city, this includes working to make sure the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will become a benchmark for sustainable living.

“This guide sets out an ambitious plan to not just deliver sustainable parklands, homes and jobs but also to create an environment that drives behavioural change.

“This ambition will shape every development on the Park from the low energy homes, to the ticketless events, to the beautiful bio-diverse habitat we plan to create.”

Among the targets the guide sets out is an aim to reduce drinking water use by Park residents to 105 litres per person per day, compared to a London average of 144 litres, a commitment for 100 per cent of the timber products used in creating the homes to be from sustainable sources, and to send zero municipal waste to landfill by 2025.

The LLDC’s wider sustainability aims include attracting permanent jobs, building family homes, and improving opportunities for the people in the six Olympic host boroughs - Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Greenwich, and Barking and Dagenham.

http://www.london24.com/2012-olympic...ture_1_1359169

[SO143]

London Southend Airport Announces Terminal Extension

London Southend Airport has acquired permission for an extension of its terminal building from Rochford Council, the local authority.

Phase 1 of the terminal has been operational since February 28, 2012, and the new extension is expected to offer more passenger facilities as the airport grows towards handling around two million passengers a year by 2020.

Easyjet, a UK-based airline, is currently operating out of the newly opened terminal building with three A319 aircraft, providing 70 flights per week to different European destinations, including Barcelona (Spain), Faro (Portugal) and Ibiza (Spain).

The airport managing director, Alastair Welch, said, ‘We are very pleased that Rochford Council has indicated they support this extension, which will ensure that we are able to maintain the high levels of customer service we intend to be the hallmark of London Southend Airport as our passenger numbers grow. This is also further evidence of the role the redeveloped airport is playing in supporting the regeneration of the wider economy.’

The terminal expansion will include a greater number of check-in desks and baggage drop off points, as well as number of security screening channels, baggage reclaim facilities, and a bigger immigration area at the Arrivals Lounge. The Departure Lounge will be extended to provide a more comfortable ambience for passengers waiting to board after clearing security. The expanded terminal building will also be hosting a number of retail and catering facilities.

The airport is connected to London’s Liverpool Street and Stratford railway stations, with a frequent rail service, making it an attractive option for visitors to the 2012 Olympic Games.

http://www.travel-news.co.uk/3441/20...nal-extension/

[SO143]

ISIS waterside regeneration submits detailed plans for the first phase of its development in Brentford



ISIS Waterside Regeneration has lodged a detailed planning application for phase one of its proposed mixed use scheme with Hounslow Borough Council.

The developer secured outline planning consent on the 520 residential unit scheme, situated on the banks of the Grand Union Canal in Brentford, in March 2012 and is forging ahead with the next stage of planning for the 11 acre development site, known as Brentford Lock West, located off Commerce Road.

The scheme has been designed to maximise the water frontage, with generous outdoor spaces and living accommodation, to create a thriving waterside community which will encompass residential, commercial and leisure space.

ISIS, the UK's leading waterside property developer, submitted an application to redevelop the site in November 2010 following an 18 month period of stakeholder engagement and public consultation, receiving commendation from the Sustainable Development Committee at Hounslow Borough Council and an Urban Design Award in February 2012.

Phase one of the scheme has been designed by leading architects Duggan Morris, Karakusevic Carson and Riches Hawley Mikhail, who won the contract following a design competition in September 2011. Planning Consultants for the development are Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design.

The first phase will comprise a mix of 150, one, two, three and four bedroom apartments and townhouses, all for private sale, together with commercial units in the retained art deco buildings. An upgraded and widened towpath, connecting through to the public realm within the development, will help create a stunning waterside destination for the Brentford community.

Subject to planning consent, works on site are due to commence in winter 2012, with the first homes being completed in winter 2013. A marketing hub will be established on the site in spring 2013.

Katie Sully, Development Director at ISIS Waterside Regeneration, said: “Brentford is a fantastic location and with all of the regeneration that’s taking place we’re excited to be playing a key part in breathing life back into the area. ISIS knows how to harness the unique natural qualities of our waterways to create genuinely sustainable places for people to live, work and enjoy and Brentford Lock West will allow residents to make the most of waterside living.

“The scheme has been carefully designed to maximise the water frontage, while offering stylish and unique homes that are focused around a sense of community, with plans for allotments and public spaces all factored into the design. Having already secured the outline planning consent, we have been working closely with the architects to design and create the initial phase of this development, which we hope to launch to the market next year.”

Of the overall 520 residential homes, 20% will be affordable homes. The scheme will also deliver 7,000 sq metres of commercial space, helping to create around 300 new jobs for the area. £2 million has been allocated for investment into local health and education facilities. In addition, community uses are incorporated as ISIS have been working with the local canoe club, EDGE, in association with Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, and Cultivate London who are already established on site.

ISIS Waterside Regeneration is a multi-award winning developer, having previously completed two highly successful, residential developments: Islington Wharf in Manchester and Granary Wharf in Leeds. ISIS is a partnership company, owned by British Waterways, igloo (the regeneration fund of Aviva) and MUSE Developments, with 50% of its returns re-invested by British Waterways in the maintenance and enhancement of the UK Waterway network. It is committed to revitalising Britain’s waterways by creating sustainable waterside communities and delivers high quality and well-designed schemes based around complementary, mixed uses.

http://www.brentfordtw8.com/default....mercerd002.htm

[SO143]

Balfour Beatty wins Guy’s hospital tower revamp



Balfour Beatty has clinched the job to refurbish and reclad Guy’s hospital tower in London.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust aims to refurbish and reclad the exterior of the 34-storey tower located next to the Shard construction site.

The extensive overhaul is designed to stop concrete deterioration, replace failing windows, and improve the building’s carbon footprint.

The towering hospital building is divided into two main sections, one housing the main wards and offices and the other services and stairwells.

Architect Penoyre & Prasad’s design will see new aluminium cladding fitted to the services tower section, while concrete balconies of the main tower will be cleaned and new glazing fitted.

This will improve the tower’s energy efficiency and give the 38-year-old concrete building a face lift so it sits more easily alongside the imposing Shard building now under construction at London Bridge.

“Following a period of careful planning, we’re extremely excited to have signed the contracts with Balfour Beatty,” said Steve McGuire, director of the trust’s facilities and estates department.

“We are confident that Balfour Beatty together with Arup, the project managers, will deliver the project to a high standard.

“We aim to transform the tower’s external appearance, to deliver a sustainable landmark design that benefits the trust as a whole, and with an impact reaching beyond the hospital site into the London Bridge Quarter and beyond.”

[SO143]

Park House Oxford Street U/C

image hosted on flickr

IMG_9405 by chalkie, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

IMG_9379 by chalkie, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

[LondonFox]

Originally Posted by SO143

Balfour Beatty wins Guy’s hospital tower revamp



Balfour Beatty has clinched the job to refurbish and reclad Guy’s hospital tower in London.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust aims to refurbish and reclad the exterior of the 34-storey tower located next to the Shard construction site.

The extensive overhaul is designed to stop concrete deterioration, replace failing windows, and improve the building’s carbon footprint.

The towering hospital building is divided into two main sections, one housing the main wards and offices and the other services and stairwells.

Architect Penoyre & Prasad’s design will see new aluminium cladding fitted to the services tower section, while concrete balconies of the main tower will be cleaned and new glazing fitted.

This will improve the tower’s energy efficiency and give the 38-year-old concrete building a face lift so it sits more easily alongside the imposing Shard building now under construction at London Bridge.

“Following a period of careful planning, we’re extremely excited to have signed the contracts with Balfour Beatty,” said Steve McGuire, director of the trust’s facilities and estates department.

“We are confident that Balfour Beatty together with Arup, the project managers, will deliver the project to a high standard.

“We aim to transform the tower’s external appearance, to deliver a sustainable landmark design that benefits the trust as a whole, and with an impact reaching beyond the hospital site into the London Bridge Quarter and beyond.”

The cranes are on site now!

[erbse]

What was in place of the Park House at Oxford Street before, btw? Just hope nothing of historical value.

[LondonFox]

Originally Posted by erbse

What was in place of the Park House at Oxford Street before, btw? Just hope nothing of historical value.

These beautiful new apartments are replacing these old ones from the 70's... you will be most pleased to know

[SO143]

^ this eyesore tower was there as well. so glad it was demolished.












that one will be transformed into this one ..

[LondonFox]

Yes, I forgot that tower was also there... in my opinion.. its all muchly improved!

[SO143]

there are many other incredibly ugly residential towers in south london. i do encourage the mayor to demolish and replace them with better looking buildings. i've always been a massive supporter of boris's regeneration projects which not only create plenty of jobs for the locals but boost the economic output and make the community a better place to be.

check this out, the sky news mayoral debate was held in the newly built Heron Tower on the 19th of April. there were some brilliant aerial shots of it and the city, and the inside of the building. they also show the aerial live pictures at various points during the whole debate:



Part 2 Part 3

[SO143]

breathtaking aerial video footage of the shard and the city, it's worth sharing ...

[SO143]

Centre Point could be new luxury flats - Developers Almacantar, reveal plans to convert West End landmark



Published: 27 April, 2012
by DAN CARRIER

Centre Point tower could be given a new lease of life as a luxury block of flats.

The new owners of the 1960s office block in the West End, which is a Grade II-listed landmark, have said they are ready to ask for planning permission to convert the 36-storey building on the corner of New Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road into homes.

Developers Almacantar, founded in 2010, bought the site in 2011.

They currently rent out floors to businesses but believe the best way of ensuring the future of the building – which has always suffered from a shortage of tenants – will be to turn it into flats.

Development director Kathrin Hersel said: “Centre Point is a very well known and much-loved building.

It is part of the London scene, but it is a flawed icon.”

Plans seen by the West End Extra show a pedestrianised base, and every floor, from the second up to the 36th, converted into homes.

It also includes a ground-floor piazza with shops and cafés.

And by the time the conversion is finished – due if planning permission is granted to be in 2015 – the corner site of Charing Cross Road, Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street will be more pedestrian-friendly when the work is completed.

Ms Hersel said: “The fact the building does not work in its current guise is reflected in the tenants there.

They are on very short leases.”

Almacantar took on the building after its previous owners Target had gone into receivership.

The building has never been easy to rent out, even when it first opened, it spent nearly a decade without any tenants, and has never paid its way sufficiently.

According to Ms Hersel, the size of each floor is one of the reasons it is not full of satisfied tenants.

Ms Hersel claims it is simply too small for today’s businesses, who want large, open-plan floors that help people work together.

“It has a very small floor plate,” she said. “New offices provide much bigger floors and that is more attractive to how modern companies operate.”

Larger floors are also more efficient to run while companies also want high ceilings not just to impress their customers and clients but to provide a core stimulating working environment for staff.

[....]

http://www.westendextra.com/news/201...s-convert-west