At the RIAI Annual Conference on the 4th of October Niall McLaughlin will give a talk titled ‘ Town and Country’ and will be looking at four recent projects: Two urban housing projects in London and a chapel and hut in idyllic rural locations. The chosen theme for the conference is Strength, Utility and Grace, reminding delegates of the three qualities that Vitruvius demanded of his work, and qualities that posses an enduring relevance for today.
The Japanese journal a+u has published an account of the practice’s student accommodation for Somerville College, Oxford. The theme of this month’s publication is ‘New Landscapes of Wooden Architecture’ and features an international selection of projects that explore new aspects of wood technology and its potential within cities. The article gives a description on the themes and processes behind the project, placing it within the context of the historic university city and the surrounding Radcliffe Infirmary Quarter.
It is illustrated with working details of the bespoke timber glazing for the stair tower lanterns, as well as the prefabricated timber projecting bay window units for the student bedrooms, with their integral desk and bench seat overlooking the street.
‘We chose to make the glazed elements in the stair towers and student rooms in wood because we wanted them to be like warm lanterns, internally lit in the evening, bringing light to the narrow street…Wood allowed us to make more three-dimensional details…we owe a debt to Louis Kahn’s work at Philip Exeter Academy Library.’ NM