Talks & exhibitions
ReCasting at 100% Design ReCasting
21.09.2018 14:00–15:00, Olympia London
Associate Michael Mueller will be presenting ‘ReCasting’ our large scale, immersive installation for the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale at 100% Design.
Associate Michael Mueller will be presenting ‘ReCasting’ our large scale, immersive installation for the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale at 100% Design.
Presenting alongside our collaborators Benchmark and Arup, the session will explore this immense project both visually and through conversation. From its initial abstract conception, they will discuss the process of realising this installation and bringing methodologies of furniture making to an architectural scale.
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Harvard University Graduate School of Design Public Lecture
17.09.2018 18:30–20:00, Harvard GSD, Gund Hall Piper Auditorium
Alison Brooks is providing a public lecture at Harvard GSD, Boston on “Model Building Model: Making Oxford’s New Collegiate Architecture”.
Alison Brooks is providing a public lecture at Harvard GSD, Boston on “Model Building Model: Making Oxford’s New Collegiate Architecture”.
During her lecture Alison will discuss the recently completed Exeter College Cohen Quadrangle and her design methodology that transforms archetypal social, pedagogical and architectural ‘models’ into new tectonic and spatial paradigms. She will also present our large scale installation ‘ReCasting’ which acts as a sensorial model of our built work.
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Living Accordia: 10 Years on Accordia Sky Villas Accordia Brass Building
11.09.2018 15:00–18:30, Accordia, Cambridge
To celebrate 10 years since winning the the RIBA Stirling Prize, Projects Director Michael Woodford provided a public walking tour and lecture of Accordia alongside Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Maccreanor Lavington.
To celebrate 10 years since winning the the RIBA Stirling Prize, Projects Director Michael Woodford provided a public walking tour and lecture of Accordia alongside Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Maccreanor Lavington.
This event organised by the Cambridge Association of Architects in conjunction with RIBA East, returned to the award winning housing scheme in Cambridge to consider its success and the project’s impact on housing both locally and nationally.
“This is high density housing at its very best… The whole scheme is about relationships: between architect and developer / contractor / client; between three very different firms of architects; and between private and public external spaces” – Stirling Prize judges, 2008
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Alison Brooks, John T. Dunlop Design Critic in Architecture, Harvard GSD
Alison Brooks will be teaching a Master in Architecture Design Studio ‘New Formations for the Social Metropolis’ at Harvard University, Graduate School of Design this Autumn.
Alison Brooks will be teaching a Master in Architecture Design Studio ‘New Formations for the Social Metropolis’ at Harvard University, Graduate School of Design this Autumn.
Her studio will explore housing architecture’s latent potential to transform the global project of urbanisation to one of productivity, inclusivity, hybridity and resilience. Students will explore an emerging condition of urban re-industrialisation where new methods of creative production, distribution and exchange are diffused and reconfigured through virtual and spatial networks.
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MCH: Master in Collective Housing
2.07.2018—6.07.2018, Universidad Politécnica of Madrid
Alison Brooks taught a one-week workshop “Ideal Formats for Future Urban Life” as part of the Master of Architecture in Collective Housing (MCH) in Madrid.
Alison Brooks taught a one-week workshop “Ideal Formats for Future Urban Life” as part of the Master of Architecture in Collective Housing (MCH) in Madrid.
The postgraduate professional program of advanced architecture design, presented by Universidad Politécnica of Madrid (UPM) and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) focuses on housing, city and energy studies.
Alison’s brief used an existing City masterplan and a central site in Madrid where students were required to design an urban housing regeneration scheme embedding productive, creative or cultural uses: new formats for Collective Urban Life.
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Norwood Property Lunch
29.06.2018, London Hilton, Park Lane
Alison Brooks was part of a panel discussion at Norwood’s 19th Annual Charity Lunch which raised £550,000.
Alison Brooks was part of a panel discussion at Norwood’s 19th Annual Charity Lunch which raised £550,000.
Alison Brooks alongside AHMM and Coffey Architects discussed the key problems and opportunities facing London’s residential and commercial sectors.
Norwood is the largest Jewish charity in the UK supporting vulnerable children and their families, children with special educational needs and people with learning disabilities and autism. Their annual charity lunch is one of the UK’s largest charity networking events in the property industry. This year the event saw over 750 guests come together to celebrate industry leaders while raising vital funds for the community-based charity.
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York Festival of Ideas: Technology & Transport Ely Court Kilburn Quarter East Parkside Audi Urban Future Initiative
17.06.2018—17.06.2018 12:00–13:30, York
Alison Brooks provided the keynote lecture at the York Festival of Ideas on the subject ‘Technology & Transport’.
Alison Brooks provided the keynote lecture at the York Festival of Ideas on the subject ‘Technology & Transport’.
The theme of the event “re imagining the city” focused on how architecture, technology and transport underpin urban living and how they impact on the environment, our lives, health and happiness. Within Alison’s keynote speech, she addressed the theme using our estate regeneration and large scale housing projects London including Ely Court, Kilburn Quarter, King’s Cross and Greenwich Peninsula.
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Royal Academy of Arts – 250th Summer Exhibition
12.06.2018—19.08.2018, Royal Academy of Arts
Alison Brooks Architect’s exhibited a unique architectural model at the Royal Academy of Arts’ 250th Summer Exhibition.
Alison Brooks Architect’s exhibited a unique architectural model at the Royal Academy of Arts’ 250th Summer Exhibition.
The model, crafted using cherry wood and copper is of our private residential project ‘Mesh House’ in London. Nearing completion, Mesh House is an organic, crystalline form that wraps itself around an outdoor court yard. Each plane of its faceted copper surface – wall and roof planes, are tailored to allow sunlight from the south to reach every room in the house, to allow maximum light into neighbour’s windows, and to maintain the overall rhythm and form of the local streetscape.
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‘ReCasting’ opens at the 2018 Venice Biennale ReCasting
26.05.2018—25.11.2018 10:00–18:00, Arsenale, Venice
Alison Brooks Architects have been invited by the 16th International Architecture Exhibition curators Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects to respond to this year’s theme of ‘Freespace’ by addressing the subject of housing and urban dwelling.
Alison Brooks Architects have been invited by the 16th International Architecture Exhibition curators Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects to respond to this year’s theme of ‘Freespace’ by addressing the subject of housing and urban dwelling.
We have created a large-scale, site specific installation that simulates the critical freespaces of their work in housing as four inhabitable ‘totems’: Threshold, Inhabited Edge, Passage, and Roofspace. The totems invite exploration, emerging from a unifying plinth to frame an amphitheatre and collective gathering space. Each totem offers a particular spatial, emotional and sensory experience, harnessing the Corderie’s specific qualities of light and volume. It has been this practice’s mission to reveal housing architecture’s civic role and its potential for meaningful, subjective experience.
ReCasting will be on public display in the Corderie, Arsenale at the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale from Saturday 26 May until 25 November 2018.
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16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
26.05.2018—25.11.2018
Alison Brooks Architects have been invited to participate at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia curated by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara. The 16th Exhibition runs from 26 May to 25 November 2018. Details of our involvement will be unveiled on the 23rd May.
Alison Brooks Architects have been invited to participate at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia curated by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara. The 16th Exhibition runs from 26 May to 25 November 2018. Details of our involvement will be unveiled on the 23rd May.
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Alison Brooks to present the keynote lecture at Vancouver Design Week
9.05.2018 18:00–21:00, UBC Robson Square
Alison Brooks is presenting the keynote lecture of Vancouver Design Week taking place from 7-13 May 2018.
Alison Brooks is presenting the keynote lecture of Vancouver Design Week taking place from 7-13 May 2018.
In her lecture ‘IDEALS THEN IDEAS: New Urban Housing as Civic Architecture’ Alison will be discussing her practice philosophy, architectural approach and the ideal of ‘civicness’ relating her current and recently completed projects in housing and higher education. These include the Cohen Quadrangle at Oxford University and her exceptional mid-rise, high density residential schemes In London such as Ely Court, shortlisted for the 2017 Mies Award for contemporary European architecture. She will discuss how her architectural ideals of authenticity, generosity and beauty can be embedded in all urban development and will demonstrate the potential of housing to both express local culture and serve the wider community.
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Alison Brooks to speak in Toronto at Architect@Work
12.04.2018 15:00, Enercare Centre
Alison Brooks will speak at Architect@Work, an international convention being held for the second year in Toronto this April.
Alison Brooks will speak at Architect@Work, an international convention being held for the second year in Toronto this April.
Alison Brooks will speak about her practice, the resurgence of building as craft, housing as civic advocacy, and the rise of timber in architecture.
Tickets are free – register on the Architect@Work website.
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Alison Brooks to Speak at RIBA Future Leaders: Learning to Lead
22.03.2018—22.03.2018 14:00–18:00, RIBA
Alison Brooks will be providing a talk at the RIBA Future Leaders ‘Learning to Lead’ half day conference on 22 March. [more..]
Alison Brooks will be providing a talk at the RIBA Future Leaders ‘Learning to Lead’ half day conference on 22 March.
‘Learning to Lead’ is the first of this year’s three-part programme, aiming to provide early career professionals with a comprehensive introduction to leadership through industry specific training. It is a dedicated session on what it means to lead. Why is leadership important to practice? What differentiates leadership from management? How do you line yourself up for leadership by adopting a leadership mindset? How do you set about taking those initial steps to shift from an operational to leader mode?
Following the half day conference, Alison will be amongst an inspiring team of female mentors, providing practical tips, guidance and encouragement to delegates.
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If not us, then who?
22.02.2018 18:00–19:00, Great Room Auditorium, RSA
Following Alison Brooks’ appointment as a Royal Designer for Industry, Alison will be this year’s speaker for the annual RSA Bossom event on the built environment and society on 22 February. [more..]
Following Alison Brooks’ appointment as a Royal Designer for Industry, Alison will be this year’s speaker for the annual RSA Bossom event on the built environment and society on 22 February.
In her lecture, Alison will discuss architects’ duties to respond to the social, cultural and physical context in their work within a clearly stated set of values.
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RIBA Gloucestershire: Guest Lecture with Alison Brooks
25.01.2018—25.01.2018 17:30–19:30, Chapter House, Gloucester Cathedral
Alison has been invited by RIBA Gloucestershire to give a lecture on the theme ‘Taking Architecture out of the Straitjacket’ in January.
Wood in Architecture, Milan The Smile
14.12.2017—14.12.2017 16:00–20:00, Milan, Italy
Alison will be presenting The Smile at ‘Wood in Architecture’ in Milan, a seminar jointly organised by American Hardwood Council (AHEC) and The Plan Magazine.
Alison will be presenting The Smile at ‘Wood in Architecture’ in Milan, a seminar jointly organised by American Hardwood Council (AHEC) and The Plan Magazine.
Alison will be joined by Alex de Rijke, Founder of dRMM presenting the Maggies Centre, Oldham and Andrew Laurence, Director at Arup who will be presenting the Warner Strand.
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Alison Brooks to lecture at Greenwich University
23.11.2017—23.11.2017 18.30, University of Greenwich
As part of Greenwich University’s Hawksmoor International Lecture Series 2017-2018, open to all, Alison Brooks is giving a talk on ‘ The Ideal and the Real – why Civicness is the project’ at the Tessa Blackstone Lecture Theatre, Greenwich on Thursday 23 November.
As part of Greenwich University’s Hawksmoor International Lecture Series 2017-2018, open to all, Alison Brooks is giving a talk on ‘ The Ideal and the Real – why Civicness is the project’ at the Tessa Blackstone Lecture Theatre, Greenwich on Thursday 23 November.
In her lecture, Alison will speak about the recent and current work of Alison Brooks Architects, including: The Cohen Quadrangle at Oxford University; a high rise urban block in Kings Cross, London, The Smile Pavilion and housing scheme Ely Court, shortlisted for the 2017 Mies Award for contemporary European architecture. She will discuss the notions of civicness and performance, the role of experimental materials and making, and how these can transform both our expectation and everyday experience of cities.
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Architecture Masters
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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Alison Brooks at World Architecture Festival, Berlin
15.11.2017—15.11.2017 12:00–12:40, Arena, Berlin
Alison Brooks will be presenting on the main stage at this years World Architecture Festival in Berlin on Wednesday 15 November alongside Jacob Kurek, Partner of Henning Larsen Architects. [more..]
Alison Brooks will be presenting on the main stage at this years World Architecture Festival in Berlin on Wednesday 15 November alongside Jacob Kurek, Partner of Henning Larsen Architects.
During the session ‘Performance Spaces’, Alison will be presenting four key projects in relation to performance: Quarterhouse, The Smile, Cohen Quad and Ely Court.
Whilst in Berlin Alison will also be presenting our shortlisted project ‘The Smile’ to a panel of judges for the 2017 ‘Small Projects’ Award.
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Alison Brooks to lecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
9.11.2017—9.11.2017 18:00
Alison Brooks is presenting a lecture at MIT, Cambridge on ‘The Ideal and the Real – why Civicness is the project’. Alison will be discussing her practice philosophy, techniques and the ideal of ‘civicness’ using current and recently completed projects: The Cohen Quadrangle at Oxford University; a high rise urban block in Kings Cross, London; The Smile Pavilion and housing scheme Ely Court, shortlisted for the 2017 Mies Award for contemporary European architecture.
Alison Brooks is presenting a lecture at MIT, Cambridge on ‘The Ideal and the Real – why Civicness is the project’. Alison will be discussing her practice philosophy, techniques and the ideal of ‘civicness’ using current and recently completed projects: The Cohen Quadrangle at Oxford University; a high rise urban block in Kings Cross, London; The Smile Pavilion and housing scheme Ely Court, shortlisted for the 2017 Mies Award for contemporary European architecture.
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Boston Architecture Expo: ABX 2017
8.11.2017—8.11.2017 10:00–12:30, Boston Convention & Exhibition Centre
Alison Brooks has been invited by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the first female-owned US practice to win the AIA Architecture Firm Award to take part in a panel discussion alongside Mexican Architect, Rozana Montiel. The discussion will address the extraordinary achievements of female architects in the UK, Europe, North and South America and their strategies to achieve parity in the profession.
Alison Brooks has been invited by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the first female-owned US practice to win the AIA Architecture Firm Award to take part in a panel discussion alongside Mexican Architect, Rozana Montiel. The discussion will address the extraordinary achievements of female architects in the UK, Europe, North and South America and their strategies to achieve parity in the profession.
ABX is the leading design and construction event in New England, bringing the industry together to share information, skills and resources. Attendees explore design trends and discover new technologies and products – this year with an added emphasis on sustainability.
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Festival of the Future City Bath: Preserving Utopia
20.10.2017—20.10.2017 13.00–14.30, University of Bath
Alison Brooks will join a prestigious panel at the Festival of the Future City of Bath to discuss how Bath could evolve in the 21st century and how the city can preserve its UNESCO World Heritage status through new architecture, new infrastructure and welcome new populations.
Alison Brooks will join a prestigious panel at the Festival of the Future City of Bath to discuss how Bath could evolve in the 21st century and how the city can preserve its UNESCO World Heritage status through new architecture, new infrastructure and welcome new populations.
Alison will be in conversation with Henrietta Billings, Director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, who leads campaigns to preserve Britain’s historical environment and Tanvir Hasan, deputy chair of Donald Insall Associates. The event will be chaired by Elena Marco, a passionate Bath resident and Head of Architecture and the Built Environment at UWE.
The first in its series, The Festival of the Future of the City Bath is a three day festival of lectures, discussions, panels, pop up pavilions, walks, family events and more, exploring urban development in the 21st-century. Festival themes include housing, the artist & the city and what makes architecture great.
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RIAI Annual Conference 2017: Challenge, Change, Collaboration
6.10.2017—7.10.2017, RDS Main Hall, Dublin
Alison Brooks will be a keynote speaker this year’s RIAI Annual Conference alongside award-winning Irish journalist Fintan O’Toole, discussing themes of Challenge, Change and Collaboration in architecture.
Alison Brooks will be a keynote speaker this year’s RIAI Annual Conference alongside award-winning Irish journalist Fintan O’Toole, discussing themes of Challenge, Change and Collaboration in architecture.
The Conference will be Ireland’s ‘biggest architectural gathering of the year and an important forum to meet, debate and launch new ideas’. It will run in parallel with the Architecture and Building Expo.
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US Modernist Radio #31 – Alison Brooks
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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London Festival of Architecture: City(e)State City (e) State
Thank you to all those who joined us for our City(e)State exhibition at our studio! This event was part of the 2017 London Festival of Architecture.
Thank you to all those who joined us for our City(e)State exhibition at our studio! This event was part of the 2017 London Festival of Architecture.
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The Cohen Quadrangle: Collegiate Architecture as Future Heritage – LFA 2017 Exeter College Cohen Quad
22.06.2017 14.00–15.00, Embankment Galleries, Somerset House
In a rare public talk and Q&A session as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2017, Alison Brooks will be sharing the ideals and design approach behind the newest building to emerge on the Oxford city skyline; the Exeter College Cohen Quad.[more..]
In a rare public talk and Q&A session as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2017, Alison Brooks will be sharing the ideals and design approach behind the newest building to emerge on the Oxford city skyline; the Exeter College Cohen Quad.
ABA’s campus is due for completion later this year, making it the first complete College commissioned by the University of Oxford since Powell & Moya’s 1974 Wolfson College.
The Cohen Quad is a 21st century reinvention of the collegiate quadrangle, the basis of Oxford’s academic and urban fabric. Weaving together themes of collective memory, spatial experimentation, and the contemporary narrative of the city, the talk also addresses the architect’s role in creating generous and humane platforms for social exchange.
The design of the new quad is based on three key concepts: the journey, places of gathering and sense of home. These concepts are embedded in the formal layout of the building, the variety of its spaces, and its shimmering, curved stainless steel roof. The 6,000m2 Cohen Quad offers a new institutional model for education and creativity. At its heart is the Learning Commons; its multi-layered spaces speak of a future where socialising, eating, drinking, studying and teaching will merge and evolve in a multitude of ways.
The Exeter College Cohen Quad talk will take place on the 22 June at 2pm in the Embankment Gallery of Somerset House. Entry is on a ‘first come, first served’ basis; please arrive promptly to secure a place.
The London Festival of Architecture is Europe’s biggest annual architecture festival, and returns to the capital from 1-30 June 2017 with hundreds of events exploring ‘memory’. It celebrates London as a global architectural hub, provokes questions about the life of the city, and promotes positive change to its public realm. For more information on the festival, visit www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org.
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Robert Elms in conversation with Alison Brooks
21.05.2017 13:25, Urban Village Fete
Alison Brooks will join BBC Radio’s Robert Elms this Sunday at Greenwich Peninsula Urban Village Fete as part of his series Living for the City.
Alison Brooks will join BBC Radio’s Robert Elms this Sunday at Greenwich Peninsula Urban Village Fete as part of his series Living for the City.
This year Robert will be in conversation with five influential female role models in aspirational industries, discussing their importance in shaping the landscape and celebrating their achievements.
Curated by Hemingway Design, the Urban Village Fete is a contemporary twist on the traditional village fair that celebrates the best in design, music, art, innovative events and modern craftmanship.
The Fete runs from 12pm until 7pm on Sunday 21 May and is free to attend. For more information, click here.
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Conscious Cities Conference No. 2 Ely Court
3.05.2017 09.00–18.00, One Sekforde Street, London
Alison Brooks will be speaking on the subject of conscious design and behavioural insight at the Conscious Cities Conference No. 2: Bridging Neuroscience, Architecture and Technology, a full day event taking place in London’s Urban Innovation Centre.[more..]
Alison Brooks will be speaking on the subject of conscious design and behavioural insight at the Conscious Cities Conference No. 2: Bridging Neuroscience, Architecture and Technology, a full day event taking place in London’s Urban Innovation Centre.
Building upon the topics and findings from its first conference examining the relationship between neuroscience and architecture, Conscious Cities’ second conference will disseminate and unify the industries and elements needed to create and build a ‘Conscious City’ that is responsive to human activity and needs.
This conference is divided into four segments:
- What Does Neuroscience Teach Us About The Built Environment?
- How Can We Use High Technology In The Built Environment?
- Creating Conscious Design: How Does Behavioural Insight Affect Architecture And Planning?
- What Do We Want Life To Look Like In A Conscious City? Ethics In The Built Environment.
Alison’s talk will focus on the transformative social and psychological role that architecture can play, using ABA’s EU Mies Award 2017 finalist Ely Court as an example.
For more information on the event and to book tickets, click here.
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EU Mies Award Talks Ely Court
1.05.2017 09.00–11.00, Academie van Bouwkunst of Amsterdam
Alison Brooks and project architect Nelson Carvalho will present EU Mies van der Rohe Award Finalist Ely Court as part of a public lecture series featuring the five finalists in four cities over three days.
Alison Brooks and project architect Nelson Carvalho will present EU Mies van der Rohe Award Finalist Ely Court as part of a public lecture series featuring the five finalists in four cities over three days.
Alison and Nelson will speak on the 1st May at the Academie van Bouwkunst of Amsterdam. For more information on the event, click here.
Following the lecture series, the jury will visit the finalist works and will collect first-hand information from the people who use the buildings, the clients and the architects to aid in their judgement process. Following deliberations, The Prize Winner and the Emerging Architect Winner will be announced in Brussels on 16th May. The process will culminate with the Awards Ceremony on 26th May at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, marking several days of Open Doors throughout Europe during which sites of the shortlisted works will be open for visits by the general public.
The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Mies van der Rohe Award is awarded biennially to works completed within the previous two years. The principal objectives are to achieve a thorough understanding of the transformation of Europe’s built environment; to recognize and commend excellence and innovation in the field of architecture and to draw attention to the important contribution of European professionals in the development of new ideas, the clients who support them and the citizens that enjoy them.
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NLA – Toronto:London
19.04.2017 13.30–15.30, Canada House
Alison Brooks will open Toronto:London, NLA’s International Dialogue event examining and comparing the growth of the two global cities.
Alison Brooks will open Toronto:London, NLA’s International Dialogue event examining and comparing the growth of the two global cities.
This international event, being held simultaneously in both Toronto and London, will bring together experts from both cities for an exchange of ideas and approaches and discovering how both cities can learn from each other.
Alison will focus on key the opportunities for civic, cultural and economic value offered by waterside regeneration and will describe the ways London can learn from Toronto. She will join a panel discussion at the end of the session.
Key speakers include:
Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Planner, City of Toronto
John Campbell, President & CEO, Renovo Advisory Services Ltd, former President & CEO, Waterfront Toronto
Donald Schmitt, Partner, Diamond Schmitt Architects
Professor Will Alsop, Director, All Design
Peter Murray, Chairman, New London Architecture
Toronto:London is a New London Architecture member-only event. For more information click here.
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Housing Innovation: New methods of construction and delivery Ely Court City (e) State Kilburn Quarter Unity Place
30.03.2017 09.00–13:00, NLA
Alison Brooks will give a presentation and join a panel discussion at Housing Innovation: New methods of construction and delivery, New London Architecture’s half day conference.
Alison Brooks will give a presentation and join a panel discussion at Housing Innovation: New methods of construction and delivery, New London Architecture’s half day conference.
The NLA Housing Innovation conference aims to examine the barriers we must overcome and assess how we can be innovative in our approach to affordability and construction within the new parameters set out in the supplementary Planning Guidance and the Housing White Paper.
Alison will give a short presentation during the second session on new approaches to estate regeneration referencing examples of ABA’s work including our EU Mies van der Rohe Award 2017 shortlisted Ely Court in South Kilburn. She will then join a panel discussion on new approaches to delivery. Other panellists include Ben Derbyshire – partner at HTA and president-elect at RIBA, Russ Edwards – head of design at Pocket and Kieran White – Vision Modular Systems – Tide Construction.
For more information on the conference and speakers, click here.
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Margate Arts Creativity and Heritage Conference (MACH) Quarterhouse
1.02.2017 13.30–19.30, Turner Contemporary
Alison Brooks will give a keynote speech at the Margate Arts Creativity and Heritage Conference (MACH) on the 1st February at the Turner Contemporary, Margate.
Alison Brooks will give a keynote speech at the Margate Arts Creativity and Heritage Conference (MACH) on the 1st February at the Turner Contemporary, Margate.
The event brings together government and cultural agencies, creative businesses and practitioners to celebrate learning from almost 10 years of culture-led placemaking in Margate, with a focus on the legacy of the innovative Margate Arts Creativity Heritage partnership programme, and with a view to the future of economic and cultural development across Thanet.
Alison’s speech – Big Ideas for Culture-led Placemaking and Regeneration – will focus on The Folkestone Quarterhouse as an example of ABA’s approach to arts and education-led regeneration.
The RIBA award-winning Folkestone Quarterhouse Performing Arts Centre is a key element of the arts-led regeneration of Folkestone. It was conceived as both a beacon announcing a new cultural hub for Folkestone, and as an urban building bookending the curved east facade of late Georgian buildings that form Tontine Street.
For more information on the event and to book tickets, click here.
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New Zealand Institute of Architects Conference 2017 Exeter College Cohen Quad The Smile Ely Court
9.02.2017—11.02.2017, ANZ Viaduct Events Centre, Auckland
Alison Brooks will speak at the national conference of the New Zealand Institute of Architects 2017. It runs from 9–11 February 2017 in Auckland.
Alison Brooks will speak at the national conference of the New Zealand Institute of Architects 2017. It runs from 9–11 February 2017 in Auckland.
Other speakers include David Adjaye, Mauricio Pezo & Sofia von Ellrichshausen, Benedetta Tagliabue, Ian McDougall, Barbara Bestor, Todd Saunders, Hua Li, John Wardle and Christopher Hawthorne. Alison will speak on Thursday 9th February at 10.45am (GMT+13) and will host an informal breakfast at 8am (GMT+13) on Friday 10th February.
The theme, in:situ, is about architecture and the contexts in which it occurs – physical and intellectual, geographical and typological, social and historical. It has a wide focus on the forces and circumstances that influence architects’ work and their careers. The conference speakers traverse much of the contemporary architectural terrain. They work on a wide range of projects of varying scales in very different places, and have built diverse and accomplished careers. In doing so they have responded to the changing nature of practice and proved the continuing relevance and importance of the role of the architect. Alison will speak about ABA projects Ely Court, The Smile and Exeter College Cohen Quad, University of Oxford.
The event has sold out, but you can follow and join in the conversation on social media using the hashtag #insitu2017.
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Disegno x Moooi: The Future of Public Spaces
23.11.2016 18:30–21:00, Moooi London
Alison Brooks was in conversation with Ab Rogers and Jon Harrison on the role of architects and designers in shaping indoor public spaces. A panel talk hosted at Moooi London.
Alison Brooks was in conversation with Ab Rogers and Jon Harrison on the role of architects and designers in shaping indoor public spaces. A panel talk hosted at Moooi London.
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‘Making New Places’ roundtable in Oxford Mosaics
24.11.2016 12:30–17:30, Oxford Town Hall
Alison Brooks discussed our Barton Park project at a roundtable themed ‘Making New Places’ at Oxford Town Hall.
Alison Brooks discussed our Barton Park project at a roundtable themed ‘Making New Places’ at Oxford Town Hall.
This event focussed on the high level of detail, planning, legislative constraints, placing a special spotlight on the process from inception through to design of the Barton Park development in Oxford. Topics included identifying the key initiatives and challenges, the planning framework for growth, setting design principles, the architects perspective and the community feeling to look at key learnings and what makes good design.
Speaker panel:
- Alison Brooks, Creative Director, ABA
- Glynn Mutton – Development Manager, Hill Developers
- Alexis Butterfield – Associate Partner, Pollard Thomas Edwards
- David Edwards – Executive Director, Oxford City Council
- Clare Harrison – Senior Programme Manager, Grosvenor
- Paul Comeford – Director, Aecom
- Dr Riette Oosthuizen – Partner, HTA Design LLP
- Jon Rowland – Chair, BOB-MK Urban Design Network
RIBA and Cornwall Architectural Trust Lecture
11.11.2016, Falmouth Maritime Museum
Alison Brooks delivered the 2016 RIBA and Cornwall Architectural Trust Lecture on 11th November at Falmouth Maritime Museum.
Alison Brooks delivered the 2016 RIBA and Cornwall Architectural Trust Lecture on 11th November at Falmouth Maritime Museum.
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Masterclass at the V&A The Smile
22.09.2016 15:30–17:00, Victoria & Albert Museum
Alison Brooks was in conversation with Andrew Lawrence, Associate Director at Arup and collaborator on The Smile, along with Andy Toohey, Partner at Price & Myers.
Alison Brooks was in conversation with Andrew Lawrence, Associate Director at Arup and collaborator on The Smile, along with Andy Toohey, Partner at Price & Myers.
They discussed new kinds of urban building that are spatially and structurally inventive, contributing to the art of city-building.
The Global Design Forum is the London Design Festival’s annual programme of talks and discussions exploring the role of design in a sustainable and prosperous future.
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Alison Brooks Architects design landmark installation for London Design Festival 2016 The Smile
16.09.2016—12.10.2016, Chelsea College of Arts
Alison Brooks Architects has collaborated with The American Hardwood Export Council, Arup and the London Design Festival to present a cross-laminated tulipwood structure on the Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground of the Chelsea College of Arts from 17 September until 12 October.
Alison Brooks Architects has collaborated with The American Hardwood Export Council, Arup and the London Design Festival to present a cross-laminated tulipwood structure on the Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground of the Chelsea College of Arts from 17 September until 12 October.
Alison Brooks Architects has designed ‘The Smile’, an urban installation that showcases the structural and spatial potential of cross–laminated hardwood using American tulipwood. The Smile is one of the Festival’s Landmark Projects; a timber structure that can be inhabited and explored by the public.
With expertise from top engineering firm Arup, and using construction sized panels of hardwood CLT for the first time, Alison Brooks’ concept is a spectacular 3.5m high, 4.5m wide and 34m long curved rectangular tube – the first ever hardwood ‘mega-tube’.
Alison Brooks says, “The Smile is a huge curved hollow tube made of cross-laminated tulipwood. It touches the ground at one point, like a wheel. Entering The Smile through an opening where the curved form meets the ground, the visitor can walk from end to end of the 34-metre-long tube to discover a new kind of space that gradually rises toward light. All four sides of The Smile’s interior will be made of same beautiful hardwood panels as the structure. It will offer a complete sensory experience of colour, texture, scent and sound. The Smile’s two open ends will illuminate the funnel-like interior space and act as balconies to the city.
Along the walls, perforations will allow sunlight to draw changing patterns on the floor throughout the day. The perforations will also give the visitor an understanding of how the structure performs as they’re located in positions where there are fewer structural stresses. At night the interior will be illuminated by linear light strips that trace its dynamic curving floor.”
For AHEC, The Smile is one of the most important developments in a decade of research and development into structural timber innovation with Arup, and one that could broaden the use of CLT in the construction industry. Andrew Lawrence, Associate Director, Arup says, “The Smile is the most challenging structure ever constructed in CLT. Every aspect is pushed to the absolute limit. It really shows the potential for hardwoods in construction.”
This creation of a brand-new product and a new use of hardwood will transform the way architects and engineers approach timber construction.
“This structure proves that hardwoods have a role to play in the timber construction revolution,” says David Venables, European Director of AHEC. “All our previous LDF projects – Timber Wave, Out of the Woods, Endless Stair and The Wish List – have been significant projects.
“But The Smile, designed by Alison Brooks Architects, is the most significant advance because it will create the first-ever use of industrial-sized panels of hardwood CLT. These panels will be produced by Züblin Timber in Germany, one of the pioneers of this manufacturing process. They believe in the potential of tulipwood CLT as bringing a revolutionary new element to wood construction.”
Arup’s engineering team is working to derive the most efficient structural form, using only 60 cubic metres of wood to create a 150 square metre enclosed space. The forces of tension and compression working in the CLT walls will be expressed by perforations in its elevations. ABA has used these to generate patterns of light across The Smile’s interior spaces during the day, it will become an urban lantern at night.
“The Landmark Projects are a key part of the Festival’s commissioning programme. They are at a scale that gets noticed and are always in major public places reaching a very wide audience,” says Ben Evans, the Director of LDF. “The choice of architect is key and Alison Brooks Architects are known for their innovative use of materials. Alongside a strong commitment to ambitious ideas they made an ideal choice for this year’s Landmark project with AHEC.”
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HDA Seminar Ely Court Kilburn Quarter Unity Place
11.07.2016 14:00–17:30, IET London: Savoy Place
Alison Brooks Architects will join South Kilburn Estate Regeneration collaborators Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands and Brent Council to speak at the Housing Design Award Seminar 2016: Beyond Housebuilding.
Alison Brooks Architects will join South Kilburn Estate Regeneration collaborators Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands and Brent Council to speak at the Housing Design Award Seminar 2016: Beyond Housebuilding.
“Britain needs to build some 250,000 new homes each year, but business as usual can’t meet demand. Where else could the numbers come from?”
Tickets are now available for the annual Housing Design Awards seminar, featuring in-depth discussion of innovative approaches to housing procurement and design – from consumer responsive offsite production, to custom-build and co-housing, and local authority direct commissioning.
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La Biennale di Venezia Exhibition Ely Court City (e) State Kilburn Quarter Unity Place
28.05.2016—27.11.2016, Palazzo Mora
ABA is participating in the Time-Space-Existence exhibition at the Palazzo Mora, along with 100 other established and emerging practices from a range of countries and cultures. In the exhibition ‘City(e)State’, Alison Brooks Architects documents the evolution of state-sponsored housing architecture as a reflection of the social, economic and political values of the day.
ABA is participating in the Time-Space-Existence exhibition at the Palazzo Mora, along with 100 other established and emerging practices from a range of countries and cultures. In the exhibition ‘City(e)State’, Alison Brooks Architects documents the evolution of state-sponsored housing architecture as a reflection of the social, economic and political values of the day.
The exhibition uncovers qualities found in Britain’s monumental urban housing estates, and how these have become synonymous with economic and social segregation. These are examined in relation to four specific urban paradigms found in a north London neighbourhood: 1890s suburb; 1960s modernist estate; contemporary masterplan; and intensified, ‘ideal’ future.
The practice considers housing design to be the most fundamental form of city-building, constituting urban form, civic space and community identity as well as the intimate space of dwelling. ABA’s own work in housing explores new typologies, identities and hybrid uses as vehicles for urban transformation.
“As catalysts for social diversity and inclusiveness, housing architecture can be reconceived as civic buildings of the everyday,” says Alison Brooks, principal and creative director of ABA. “A strategy of proactive council involvement as commissioners and stewards of urban design offers an alternative model for development to purely market-led regeneration.”
The Venice installation will include ABA’s ongoing work with the London Borough of Brent on the regeneration of South Kilburn Estate, one of north London’s largest modernist housing estates. Here, the Council is leading a 15 year masterplan to reintegrate the community, its architecture and public spaces into the fabric of the city. The Council’s plans new projects embed diversity, with a 50/50 mix of social and private housing. Ten London architects have been working in the regeneration including three competition winning schemes by Alison Brooks Architects.
“Our three South Kilburn projects – one complete, one under construction and one planned – recharge streets as a forum for public life framed by higher density, equitable housing. Our work supports the local authority’s renewed commitment to delivering long-term social and urban value.” says Brooks.
“Time Space Existence” at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition, 28 May – 27 November 2016. Palazzo Mora, Str. Nuova, 3659, 30121 Venezia, Italy.
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