publications
University of Melbourne School of Design: Interview with Alison Brooks
December 12, 2018
During her visit to the Melbourne School of Design in October, Alison Brooks was interviewed by Professor Donald Bates.
During her visit to the Melbourne School of Design in October, Alison Brooks was interviewed by Professor Donald Bates.
In her interview, Alison discusses her career beginnings, practice philosophy, and award-winning works including Exeter College Cohen Quadrangle, The Smile and VXO House.
To read the full interview, click here.
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Planning Permission Granted for Tottenham Hale Regeneration Scheme
December 12, 2018
The London Borough of Haringey have granted planning permission for a major mixed-use regeneration scheme in Tottenham Hale, London.
The London Borough of Haringey have granted planning permission for a major mixed-use regeneration scheme in Tottenham Hale, London.
Alison Brooks Architects’ 183 unit mixed-use scheme Ashley Road East is one of six residential buildings by Argent Related on the Tottenham Hale masterplan site which features more than 1,000 homes along with retail, co-working and office space as well as a new health centre.
Located on the North Eastern section of the masterplan Ashley Road East will comprise of two podium mounted residential blocks formed around a central courtyard with ground floor retail, office and leisure spaces, and will play a key role in defining the new identity and quality of Argent Related’s redevelopment of Tottenham Hale.
The transformational redevelopment also includes schemes from AHMM, Pollard Thomas Edwards and RUFF Architects.
To read the full press release from Argent related, click here.
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Evening Standard: Homes & Property
November 28, 2018
Alison Brooks was interviewed by the Evening Standard on her life in Queens Park, her Victorian semi-detached house, her decor and her favourite furniture.
Design Council: Leading Women in Design
November 20, 2018
Alison Brooks is featured in Design Council’s ‘Leading Women in Design’ series. The series celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918 which for the first time, granted some women the right to vote in the UK.
Alison Brooks is featured in Design Council’s ‘Leading Women in Design’ series. The series celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918 which for the first time, granted some women the right to vote in the UK.
To mark this anniversary Design Council feature a series of ‘Leading Women’ who have each made invaluable contributions to shape the world that we live in today over a course of twelve months.
In her interview Alison explains why the UK should take a leaf out of Canada’s book when it comes to secondary school education, and why complex problems should always be tackled with simple solutions.
“Alison Brooks is a woman on a mission. Flying to and from Boston to lecture at Harvard, creating an experiential installation for this year’s Venice architecture Biennale, being named as one of London’s most influential people in 2018 by the Evening Standard – there is a non-stop energy in the air. ”
To read the full article, click here.
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Arch Daily: 30 Most Influential Architects in London ReCasting The Smile East Parkside
October 25, 2018
Alison Brooks has been named by Arch Daily’s as one of the 30 most influential architects in London.
Alison Brooks has been named by Arch Daily’s as one of the 30 most influential architects in London.
“The founder of Alison Brooks Architects has been praised for her installation at the Venice Architecture Biennale, while also overseeing major works such as The Smile, and the first high-rise for the Greenwich Peninsula in London.”
To read the full article, click here.
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New London Quarterly
10.2018
Alison Brooks Architect’s scheme Ashley Road East features in this Autumn’s NLA Quarterly.
Alison Brooks Architect’s scheme Ashley Road East features in this Autumn’s NLA Quarterly.
“The application [to redevelop central Tottenham Hale] encompasses five pieces of land, with six buildings delivering 1,036 new homes,15 retail spaces, co-working and office space, a health centre and open space, created by practices AHMM, Alison Brooks Architects, Pollard Thomas Edwards and Grant Associates.”
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The Plan: Housing / Not Housing: Re-thinking the Architecture of the City
10.2018
The Plan magazine have published Alison Brooks’ editorial critique ‘Housing / Not Housing: Re-thinking the Architecture of the City’ in this month’s issue.
The Plan magazine have published Alison Brooks’ editorial critique ‘Housing / Not Housing: Re-thinking the Architecture of the City’ in this month’s issue.
In her editorial critique, Alison discusses the housing crisis and the role of architecture in responding to the ever increasing population influx.
“We can see that the housing crisis lies at the intersection of land economics, planning policy, social policy and daily quality of life” Alison Brooks
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Trailblazing Women in Architecture Who Have Changed Life for the Better
28.09.2018
Alison Brooks features in Homedit’s article on 23 trailblazing women in architecture.
Alison Brooks features in Homedit’s article on 23 trailblazing women in architecture.
“Architecture has not been an easy profession for women, but from the very start, a talented and courageous cadre of female architects has pushed the boundaries and fought for recognition. Some worked in the shadow of a mentor or spouse, making groundbreaking achievements, only to receive no credit. Throughout the decades, these bold professionals laid the groundwork for today’s talent, allowing their work to be front and center. Moreover, many of these women waged a battle not to be recognized as women in architecture, but simply as talented and innovative architects. Period. Here’s a list of some trailblazers you should know about……… London-based Alison Brooks is best known for designing intelligent, stylish houses but also cultural buildings. Her belief that single-use buildings are obsolete has driven her goal of addressing problems such as the quality of housing and public space.”
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Evening Standard Homes & Property
12.09.2018
Ely Court featured in the Evening Standard Homes & Property article ‘Future London, Kilburn’.
Ely Court featured in the Evening Standard Homes & Property article ‘Future London, Kilburn’.
Brent council is holding a rolling sequence of competitions to choose designs for each phase of the [South Kilburn Estate] regeneration. Winners have so far included Alison Brooks Architects, which designed Ely Court, with 43 flats, for Catalyst Housing.
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Monocle Summer Weekly Issue 1
09.08.2018
Alison Brooks features in the 1st edition of the Monocle Summer Weekly Paper on the fears of Brexit for architecture and creative industries.
Alison Brooks features in the 1st edition of the Monocle Summer Weekly Paper on the fears of Brexit for architecture and creative industries.
“Losing the ability to win projects easily in Europe is a disquieting prospect for architects in particular. The ease with which UK practices can pitch for EU business is key to firms such as Alison Brooks Architects….Brooks fears that after Brexit she might lose access to the Official Journal of the European Union, the industry portal where any government project within the EU which has a building cost of more than 144,000 Euros must be put out to tender and listed.”
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Canadian Architect: The Anglo-Canoids
01.07.2018
Alison Brooks alongside Adam Caruso headlines Canadian Architect’s article on the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale.
Alison Brooks alongside Adam Caruso headlines Canadian Architect’s article on the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale.
“Two of the most astonishing installations at the 2018 Venice Biennale are by Canadian architects whom most Canadian architects have never heard of. Born and educated in Canada, and with only the rare evidence of a round British vowel to give away spending almost their entire professional careers abroad, Alison Brooks and Adam Caruso are amongst the highest-regarded architects of their generation in the United Kingdom. They are both in their fifties, and now arriving at a scale and range of commissions that correspond with their talents. And these two are but the tip of the iceberg of Canadians of all ages working in British offices, and, increasingly, opening their own practices.
To read the full article, click here.
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Venice Biennale 2018: Freespace on a Tight Rein ReCasting
31.05.2018
Alison Brooks Architects ‘ReCasting’ features in the AJ’s review of the 2018 Venice Architectural Biennale, described as “gently optimistic and touchy-feely and unusually coherent”.
Alison Brooks Architects ‘ReCasting’ features in the AJ’s review of the 2018 Venice Architectural Biennale, described as “gently optimistic and touchy-feely and unusually coherent”.
Rob Wilson states “Particularly immersive is Alison Brooks’s contribution: an elemental series of ‘totem’ spaces which you actually walk or slide yourself bodily into: threshold, passage, roof-space. These riff off corners from her housing projects – with mirrored walls and ceilings which complete the spatial experience, visually leading off into infinity around you.”
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The Observer – Venice Architecture Biennale 2018 – A Joyous Treasure Trove ReCasting
27.05.2018
Our installation ‘ReCasting’ features in Rowan Moore’s Venice Architecture Biennale 2018 review in the Sunday Observer.
Our installation ‘ReCasting’ features in Rowan Moore’s Venice Architecture Biennale 2018 review in the Sunday Observer.
“Alison Brooks, Canadian-born and British-based, has built a composite of elements of several of her housing projects – a vaulted threshold, a canted roof space, a cloister – in plywood and mirrors, in order to show how an architect can “frame everyday life” with memorable spaces.” says Rowan Moore
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Design Boom: Alison Brooks Architects Recasts Urban Housing at Venice Architecture Biennale ReCasting
27.05.2018
Design Boom published ‘ReCasting’ following the opening of the Venice Architecture Biennale.
Design Boom published ‘ReCasting’ following the opening of the Venice Architecture Biennale.
Responding to the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale’s theme of ‘freespace’, Alison Brooks Architects creates a large-scale, highly experiential installation. called ‘ReCasting’, the work addresses the subject of housing and urban dwelling, specifically with a focus on the practice’s related work.
The space, which also comprises an amphitheater, is divided into four inhabitable ‘totems’: threshold, inhabited edge, passage, and roofspace. each one offers a particular spatial, emotional and sensory experience, revealing housing architecture’s meaningful civic role. this is through forms of mirrored surfaces, organic geometries and forced perspectives that harness the corderie arsenale’s specific qualities of light and volume.
[less..]The Guardian: Venice Architecture Biennale Review ReCasting
24.05.2018
Upon the opening of the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale Architettura 2018, Alison Brooks Architects’ installation ‘ReCasting’ features in The Guardian’s ‘Venice Architecture Biennale review’.
Upon the opening of the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale Architettura 2018, Alison Brooks Architects’ installation ‘ReCasting’ features in The Guardian’s ‘Venice Architecture Biennale review’.
Oliver Wainwright writes “London-based Canadian architect Alison Brooks has constructed a tableau of habitable totems that recreate in-between moments from some of her buildings, using a clever combination of plywood and mirrors to conjure a curving colonnade, an infinite cloister and a grand vaulted threshold. They are dreamlike fragments that speak of the potential of housing to create moments of delight beyond the dwellings alone.”
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FT Series: Venice Biennale 2018 ReCasting
May 15, 2018
Alison Brooks was interviewed by the Financial Times, ahead of the unveiling of the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia on 23 May.
Alison Brooks was interviewed by the Financial Times, ahead of the unveiling of the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia on 23 May.
Alison Brooks Architects have been invited by Curators Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara to participate at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, running from 26 May to 25 November 2018. The theme for Biennale Architettura 2018 is FREESPACE, a word which describes a generosity of spirit and a sense of humanity at the core of architecture’s agenda.
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Alison Brooks Interview with the Globe & Mail
02/05/2018
Following her keynote lecture in Toronto, Alison Brooks was interviewed by The Globe & Mail, Canada’s most widely read newspaper, on the responsibility of architects to make great buildings, better cities, and to deliver high quality design, joy and beauty.
Following her keynote lecture in Toronto, Alison Brooks was interviewed by The Globe & Mail, Canada’s most widely read newspaper, on the responsibility of architects to make great buildings, better cities, and to deliver high quality design, joy and beauty.
“Her career of three decades in Britain suggests a lesson for design professionals: That fighting for the ideal building and city is their job, and sometimes they can even win.” writes Alex Bozikovic. “Her buildings are respectful of traditional urban design, sensitive to the city around them and are both beautiful and inventive.”
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Building: Women in Architecture – on a role
08.03.2018
Alison Brooks was interviewed by Building, along side fellow female architects, Karen Cook, Teresa Borsuk and Gorana Shepherd on International Women’s day.
Alison Brooks was interviewed by Building, along side fellow female architects, Karen Cook, Teresa Borsuk and Gorana Shepherd on International Women’s day.
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Ideals then Ideas ABA 21
01.01.2017
This book marks 21 years since the founding of Alison Brooks Architects. It presents an overview of ABA’s built and unbuilt work within a set of conceptual, formal and material themes that have emerged over the past two decades.
This book marks 21 years since the founding of Alison Brooks Architects. It presents an overview of ABA’s built and unbuilt work within a set of conceptual, formal and material themes that have emerged over the past two decades.
It also aims to communicate four ‘ideals’ that underpin Alison Brooks’s work in architecture: Authenticity, Generosity, Civicness and Beauty. The naming of these ideals is an attempt to distil the motivations behind the urban, spatial, tectonic and experiential qualities of ABA’s architecture. They intend to provide an alternative to the assumption that architecture is the result of a reactive orchestration of project criteria (site condition, building economics, spatial and technical performance, legislation) into a formal organisation of architectural ideas that may or may not represent the architect’s values, experience, or place and culture in which the project appears. Without subjectivity, the architect loses authority. An alternative narrative is that the motivation of the 21st Century architect and the source of his or her invention could be their particular ideals; social, political, cultural and artistic, that form the source material for an architecture of specificity through which a client’s and a community’s needs can be met.
Cost: £40
Please note we are currently out of stock.
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CLADmag
21.02.2018
Alison Brooks features as the cover article on CLADmag’s first issue of 2018.
Alison Brooks features as the cover article on CLADmag’s first issue of 2018.
Following The Smile winning the Display Award at the 2017 World Architecture Festival in Berlin, Alison was interviewed on timber building, protecting the public realm and the unsung role of architects.
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The Plan – Did you say “wood”? The Smile
12.12.17
The Smile features in this month’s issue of The Plan on the technological innovation of it’s use of CLT panels.
The Smile features in this month’s issue of The Plan on the technological innovation of it’s use of CLT panels.
The article looks at three very different projects illustrating the use of hardwood as a structural building material; The Smile, Maggie’s Centre Oldham (dRMM Architects) and Warner Stand at Lords Cricket Ground (Populous).
“The Smile’s disarming simplicity conceals years of research into the cross-lamination of hardwood fibres and is the first structure built with industrial-sized panels of hardwood CLT” The Plan
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Celebrating Excellence in Wood Architecture: 2016-17 Wood Design Award Winners The Smile
01/10/2017
The Smile has been published in the Wood Design & Building Awards’ book ‘Celebrating Excellence in Wood Architecture’ which features all 2016-17 winning projects across the globe.
The Smile has been published in the Wood Design & Building Awards’ book ‘Celebrating Excellence in Wood Architecture’ which features all 2016-17 winning projects across the globe.
“This structure cleverly uses site placement and materials. It’s a symmetrical, lifting, heavy object in front of an old building that is heavily grounded, and the two work together beautifully. It has this automatic connection with such incredible difference that it’s surprising and delightful.” – Jury
Books will be available to purchase shortly.
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designboom: Interview with Alison Brooks
17.11.2017
At the World Architecture Festival 2017 in Berlin, Alison was interviewed by designboom about our award winning ‘The Smile’ and why she thinks the public should be involved in discussions about architecture.
At the World Architecture Festival 2017 in Berlin, Alison was interviewed by designboom about our award winning ‘The Smile’ and why she thinks the public should be involved in discussions about architecture.
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The Modern Timber House in the UK Herringbone Houses
01.09.2017
Herringbone houses features in Peter Wilson’s ‘The Modern Timber House in the UK: New Paradigms and Technologies’, published in September 2017.
Herringbone houses features in Peter Wilson’s ‘The Modern Timber House in the UK: New Paradigms and Technologies’, published in September 2017.
Uniquely sited in a backlands plot, overlooking a Wandsworth bowling green, Herringbone Houses consists of two 400sqm urban woodland houses for developer Lyford Investments. Like a Victorian house turned inside out, the building’s herringbone cladding is a traditional timber floor pattern transferred to facades, creating an optical illusion of accordion-like surfaces. Light filled atriums illuminate suspended stairs at the centre of each house; high-ceilinged open-plan spaces interlock with gardens; full basements decrease the footprint but add space.
These houses are a rare example of a developer aiming to match the craftsmanship of neighbouring Victorian villas within a contemporary architectural language. The houses were conceived from the principle of manipulating two continuous planes of timber and graphite render, that extend from exterior to interior, forming walls, floors, external decking and fences.
Copies of the book can be purchased for £35 online.
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Architecture Masters
20.11.2017
Alison Brooks was interviewed by Owen Wainhouse for episode 11 of Architecture Masters, the new podcast from the London Festival of Architecture.[more..]
Alison Brooks was interviewed by Owen Wainhouse for episode 11 of Architecture Masters, the new podcast from the London Festival of Architecture.
In this episode Alison talks about her early experience, her career, current projects and housing in Britain.
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Kiosk: Spaces
22/09/2017
Alison Brooks profiled in issue 3 of Kiosk., where she speaks to David Michon, former editor of Icon Magazine, about her time living and studying in Rome, her practice, work and ideals.
Alison Brooks profiled in issue 3 of Kiosk., where she speaks to David Michon, former editor of Icon Magazine, about her time living and studying in Rome, her practice, work and ideals.
“One architect that has been captivated by Villa Adriana’s masterclass, is the Canadian-born Alison Brooks. In 1984, 20-something Brooks was living and studying in Rome; drawn to the Villa, she spent three weeks there in “solitary drawing and speculation”, understanding the art of the place – its nuanced design, its interaction with an undulating and disjointed landscape and its ability to surprise and delight.
And Tivoli seems to have had a lasting impression. Her best work, in tune with Hadrian’s villa, is a version of housing that is distinctly civic-minded (even if edged by countryside). It is built to last, with above-average understanding of good city-building, relishing in the collage of urban space.”
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Architectural Review: Women in Architecture
10.2017
Alison Brooks Architects features in October’s Architectural Review among practices that have made a commitment to support and enable change through the Women in Architecture programme.
Alison Brooks Architects features in October’s Architectural Review among practices that have made a commitment to support and enable change through the Women in Architecture programme.
“Alison Brooks Architects is delighted to sponsor the Women in Architecture programme as a partner. The programme has raised awareness of the often unrecognised contributions women have made to contemporary practice and historically; it has initiated a huge array of opportunities for women to meet and exchange ideas; and it has stimulated debate on workplace equality. All of this we hope will lead to industry change. The programme celebrates the achievements of women in the profession while reminding us that we can all change the status quo.
ABA has grown to a practice that’s 50 per cent female and more than 50 per cent international; we support all forms of diversity. We ensure women are equal in leading our project teams and encourage them to engage in events and discourse outside practice – to make their voices heard. We’re convinced that the practice of architecture must evolve and share the WIA programme’s broader aspiration to create an inclusive profession where there are no social or gender-based boundaries. This is an essential campaign not only for women’s equality, but the quality of the built environment and the future of architecture”
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Architects’ Data File: The Smile The Smile
September 26, 2017
The Smile forms the front cover of the September issue of the Architects’ Data File, in recognition of its nomination for the IStructE Structural Awards 2017.
The Smile forms the front cover of the September issue of the Architects’ Data File, in recognition of its nomination for the IStructE Structural Awards 2017.
The timber pavilion has been shortlisted in the category for ‘Small Projects (of under £1million)’. ABA collaborated with The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and Arup, whose Special Structures team in London described the project as ‘the most complex piece of CLT engineering in the world’.
The IStructE awards celebrate the role of structural engineers as innovative, creative design professionals and to showcase the world’s cutting edge engineering projects. Winners will be announced at a ceremony held on Friday, 17 November 2017 at The Brewery in London.
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US Modernist Radio #31 – Alison Brooks
July 24, 2017
Alison Brooks was interviewed by US Modernist Radio’s George Smart on her career development, her achievements and also on the development of housing in Britain.
Alison Brooks was interviewed by US Modernist Radio’s George Smart on her career development, her achievements and also on the development of housing in Britain.
US Modernist Radio talk and laugh with people who enjoy, own, create, dream about, preserve, love, and hate Modernist architecture, the most exciting and controversial buildings in the world.
The podcast is free to download from iTunes.
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Casabella: Ely Court feature Ely Court
July 14, 2017
Ely Court features in this month’s edition of Italian magazine, Casabella. The mixed tenure scheme within the South Kilburn Estate Regeneration masterplan was recently a finalist for the 2017 Mies van der Rohe Award, the biennial European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture.
Ely Court features in this month’s edition of Italian magazine, Casabella. The mixed tenure scheme within the South Kilburn Estate Regeneration masterplan was recently a finalist for the 2017 Mies van der Rohe Award, the biennial European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture.
“The arrangement of the new volumes reveals an almost surgical interest in mending the context through actions that alter the nature of the block itself… Simple elements like walls and enclosures are ennobled by the use of brick and connected to the building with the aim of constructing a single architectural element capable of designing and containing public space. These details reflect a clear intention to put the new architecture at the service of the neighbourhood, and to use it to reconfigure the identity of the context.”
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Alison Brooks honoured with AJ100 Contribution to the Profession Award
June 14, 2017
Voted for by employees of the UK’s top architectural practices, Alison Brooks was awarded with this year’s AJ100 Contribution to the Profession Award at a gala ceremony at Tower of London.[more..]
Voted for by employees of the UK’s top architectural practices, Alison Brooks was awarded with this year’s AJ100 Contribution to the Profession Award at a gala ceremony at Tower of London.
The award was a particular privilege, with previous recipients including Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers and David Chipperfield. Click here to read the full article by Ruth Slavid in The Architects’ Journal.
“I represent a generation that operated in the transition between the high Modernism of the 20th Century through Post-modernism and Post-postmodernism and all the isms until finally everybody ran out of isms. We realised that we can have diversity and influences from history without being historicist. We can be sensitive and responsive to existing cultures. I feel fortunate to have been part of taking architecture out of its straitjacket.” – Alison Brooks.
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Financial Times: Timber advocates reach for the skies The Smile
May 16, 2017
The Smile features as an exemplar of innovative use of CLT in the Financial Times’ article on the cutting edge of a new timber architecture.[more..]
The Smile features as an exemplar of innovative use of CLT in the Financial Times’ article on the cutting edge of a new timber architecture.
‘After more than three centuries, a wooden architecture is once more taking shape in the city, which is leading the world in large-scale urban timber construction… However, temporary and experimental buildings are starting to nurture that experience. Last year Alison Brooks Architects built the world’s largest CLT tubular structure at site. The Smile… was a single, simple curve erected for the London Design Festival… London may no longer be surrounded by the forests of the Elizabethan era, but it is at least at the cutting edge of a new timber architecture’.
Click here to read the full article.
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Christie’s International Real Estate: Meet the Architects Lens House
March 28, 2017
Alison Brooks advises Christie’s International Real Estate Magazine’s readers on how best to work with architects to design and build their dream home in The Architecture Issue.
Alison Brooks advises Christie’s International Real Estate Magazine’s readers on how best to work with architects to design and build their dream home in The Architecture Issue.
In this feature, the potential of both new builds and renovations – in the form of ABA’s Lens House in London – are explored:
‘A home is such a high-performance piece of architecture… People experience their home every single day, and it is tested at all times; it has to live up to this scrutiny. An architect’s skill is to be able to make domestic space, form, and materials work as art, and in ways you would not have thought of yourself, such as inventive approaches to working with light, capturing unexpected views, and creating new relationships – it’s about connecting spaces and people more joyfully.’
To read the full article, click here.
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Dezeen: Ely Court Feature Ely Court
March 22, 2017
‘Balconies with bronze frames break up the brick exterior of these three housing blocks in northwest London by Alison Brooks Architects – a finalist for this year’s Mies van der Rohe Award’.
‘Balconies with bronze frames break up the brick exterior of these three housing blocks in northwest London by Alison Brooks Architects – a finalist for this year’s Mies van der Rohe Award’.
‘Brooks’ London firm designed Ely Court to create 44 new homes as part of the South Kilburn Estate Regeneration Masterplan – one of the largest regeneration schemes in London.
The 6,509-square-metre complex is made up of three residential blocks named Terrace, Link block and the Flatiron arranged around a garden square’.
To read the full piece, click here.
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Azure: 30 Must-Know Women Architects Ely Court
March 8, 2017
Alison Brooks features among prominent UK and Irish architects on Azure Magazine’s international must-know list of women architects.
Alison Brooks features among prominent UK and Irish architects on Azure Magazine’s international must-know list of women architects.
Azure states: ‘In honour of International Women’s Day, we present this list of 30 women architects from across the globe whose names (and works) everyone should know’.
‘Born in Ontario but based in London, England, Brooks has become one of the U.K.’s most acclaimed architects and the only one to have ever won the U.K.’s most prestigious prizes: the Stephen Lawrence Prize, the Manser Medal and the 2008 RIBA Stirling Prize.
Why you should know her: Brook’s Ely Court, a residential development in northwest London, is one of five finalists vying for the prestigious Mies van der Rohe Award this year’.
For the full list, click here.
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The Guardian: To solve the housing crisis we need new ideas, not garden cities Newhall Be
February 10, 2017
In her article in The Guardian, Frances Holliss uses ABA’s Newhall Be as an exemplar of design for home-based work.
In her article in The Guardian, Frances Holliss uses ABA’s Newhall Be as an exemplar of design for home-based work.
‘Few contemporary home-based workers live and work in conditions that suit them. But they could. Instead of building miserable cookie-cutter housing, the home and the workplace could be combined in all sorts of ways to make “workhomes”. These could be built with street-facing workspace, like Alison Brooks Architects’ prize-winning Newhall Be scheme outside Harlow…’
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The Times: Is this the cleverest new town in Britain? Knight’s Park
January 23, 2017
Cambridge University’s exceptionally ambitious North West Cambridge Development, including ABA’s Veteran Oak Quarter, has been featured in The Sunday Times’ property section.
Cambridge University’s exceptionally ambitious North West Cambridge Development, including ABA’s Veteran Oak Quarter, has been featured in The Sunday Times’ property section.
“Is this the cleverest new town in Britain? A development on the edge of Cambridge will offer affordable housing for academics, as well as student digs and open-market homes.
“’We want this to be an exemplar development,’ says Heather Topel, acting project director for the North West Cambridge development… The residents won’t have to deal with the messiness of a weekly bin day. Instead, the 700 rental apartments will be served by underground bins, with an electronic monitoring system sending a message to a control centre whenever one is full. The university has commissioned a special lorry to do the emptying.
“A series of artificial lakes is being created on the edge of the development to contain excess rainwater runoff, which will then be recycled back into the system and used for washing machines and toilets, as well as to irrigate green spaces. Gravel dug out of the first lake has been piled up to create a grassy hill and block out traffic noise from the nearby M11. Once complete, the lakes will be a refuge for wildlife, walkers and runners, with public art installations designed to function like modern-day follies.
“A dedicated energy centre will provide hot water and central heating, doing away with the need for boilers in every property. In addition, the roofs will have solar panels and 20% of all the energy consumed will be produced on site.
“Cars will be parked underground, and running right through the development will be a “green superhighway” for pedestrians and cyclists. Residents will be able to cycle to the city centre or Cambridge North station (due to open in May) within 10 minutes.
“And because the development will be home to bookish types from around the world, each flat will have extra storage space for reading matter and suitcases, as well as a designated study area. Vents covered in noise-limiting material will allow fresh air to circulate without the need to open windows, which might distract hard-working researchers. All of the flats will have generous ceiling heights — reminiscent of older Cambridge buildings.”
“Rob Hall, deputy managing director of Hill Residential, the developer responsible for the homes for sale, sees the university’s project as being akin to Bournville, the village near Birmingham established by the Cadbury family in the late 19th century to accommodate workers at its chocolate factory. “It’s an employer trying to look after its staff,” he says. “Frankly, there is not enough accommodation in the city. The university is to be applauded for identifying and acting on this huge need.”
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Alison Brooks featured in The Spear’s 500
January 20, 2017
Alison Brooks has been featured in the architecture category of the 2017 edition of The Spear’s 500. Launched by Spear’s in 2014, the directory is the world’s first comprehensive guide to the top private client advisers, wealth managers and HNW service providers.
Alison Brooks has been featured in the architecture category of the 2017 edition of The Spear’s 500. Launched by Spear’s in 2014, the directory is the world’s first comprehensive guide to the top private client advisers, wealth managers and HNW service providers.
“‘I try to avoid styles and focus on ideas. The greatest work is always the result of a concept or an ideal that leads the design into uncharted territory’. So says the formidable Brooks, who, since founding her practice in 1996, has become one of the world’s most sought-after architects; she was recently named as one of Britain’s 500 Most Influential people by The Sunday Times.
Her London-based studio has a portfolio ranging from one-off houses to education buildings, high-end residential developments and masterplans. ‘Each of our projects is unique in its concept and detail: our designs respond in a very specific way to each client, place and brief,’ she says.
Brooks has won numerous awards, including Architect of the Year and Housing Architect of the Year 2012 and is the only UK practice to have won the RIBA’s three most prestigious awards for architecture; but the greatest achievement of her practice so far, she says, was winning the commission for the Cohen Quadrangle for Exeter College at Oxford University which is due to be completed in early 2017.”
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Structure as Finish: The Smile features in this month’s Frame The Smile
January 10, 2017
Frame magazine has featured The Smile in its latest issue, No 114 Jan – Feb 2017.
Frame magazine has featured The Smile in its latest issue, No 114 Jan – Feb 2017.
“You can build a friendly house out of flooring. For the American Hardwood Export Council and the London Design Festival, Alison Brooks Architects worked with Arup to realize, in cross-laminated tulipwood, the Smile: a 34-m-long rectangular dwelling. The hollow ‘tube’ illustrates the structural and aesthetic potential of an engineered timber harvested from fast-growing trees and suitable for building walls, floors and ceilings. Said to be stronger than concrete and machinable to super-high tolerances, the material can reduce construction time by up to 30% when used for prefabrication.”
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