TAMSIN HANKE WRITES ARTICLE ON RUSSIA FOR THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW
FEBRUARY 2014
Tamsin Hanke, member of the practice and recent winner of the Dissertation Medal at this year’s RIBA President’s Medal Student Awards, has written an article for the Architectural Review, commenting on the current political and urban landscape in Russia. Under the title ‘Don’t get Distracted: Russia under the Spotlight’, the piece gives context to the built fabric of the country, explaining its links to rapid industrialisation during at the first part of the 20th century. The article calls for an understanding of the complexities of contemporary Russia beyond recent attention grabbing headlines and stresses the need for new urban methods to solve the historic contradiction between policy and infrastructure.
To read the full article click here
ATHLETES OCCUPY OLYMPIC HOUSING
AUGUST 2012
In the run up to the London Olympics, the Athletes’ Village housing block N15, is now occupied with athletes’ preparing for the games. Niall McLaughlin Architects have designed the external skin of the housing block on a ‘chassis’ designed by Glen Howells. The facade samples fragments of the Elgin Marbles, scanned from the British Museum and converted into 3D pre-cast panels depicting galloping horses from the Parthenon Frieze.
Niall McLaughlin commented on the practice’s approach to the unusual commission in Building Design. ‘I was very interested in the principle of the facade being delaminated from the building’s core form. Usually it’s something one tries to swim against to retain a sense of ‘authenticity’, but here we decided to embrace it….I like the idea of setting Ruskin’s conception of the craftsman against the absolute Taylorism of the construction process. Through digital reproduction, these deracinated stones are now doubly lost.’ (Building Design 27.01.2012)