European Architectural Barometer

Posted on: 22 February 2013
By: mackene
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In 2009 Arch-Vision launched the European Architectural Barometer. The European Architectural Barometer presents a view on the construction market (future buildings volumes and major building tends)  for France, Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, the UK, Belgium and Poland. 1.600 architects are interviewed every quarter, and based on this information, a building volume prediction model has been developed which describes the construction outlooks for the current and the coming 2 years. Each quarter also focuses on a specific building trends or main marketing topic like sustainability, information sources, building information modeling, technology trends, design trends, etc. This information helps to identify opportunities and is useful by the determination of the marketing strategy. Full results are only available on subscription, but press releases provide a summary of the findings.

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Design Review: Principles and practice

Posted on: 15 February 2013
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The Cabe team at the Design Council, the Landscape Institute, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institute of Architects (RIBA) have joined forces to produce an update to the widely acknowledged, industry standard best practice delivering Design Review, Design Review: Principles and Practice. The publication of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in 2012 re-iterated and reinforced the role of Design Review in ensuring high standards of design. The new guide lines clearly sets out the updated 10 principles that underpin the independent and effective delivery of the process and provides authoritative advice for Design Review panels of all types to help them operate in a consistent way and to uphold the quality of the independent, expert advice that they provide.

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What is the key to making modern tall buildings liveable?

Posted on: 14 February 2013
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Each month the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat ( CTBUH) spotlights a short video featuring leaders in the tall building industry addressing key questions related to the field. The latest video poses the question: What is the Key to Making Tall Buildings “Liveable”? An archive of previous videos is available.

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It’s alive! Can you imagine the urban building of the future?

Posted on: 6 February 2013
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The study, undertaken by Arup’s Foresight + Innovation team, describes how buildings in our cities could look and function in 2050. It foresees that structures will be fully integrated into the fabric of the city, responsive to changes in the external environment, and designed for continuous adaptability, according to real-time needs and demands of its users. This is illustrated with a series of artist’s impressions, to demonstrate how the futuristic components, such as photovoltaic surfaces and algae producing bio-fuel pods – can theoretically enable buildings to produce food, energy and resources.

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Urban Research Unit

Posted on: 31 January 2013
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Grimshaw and Futurecity have announced the launch of their Urban Research Unit (URU). This is a one-year research project which seeks to influence the architecture, masterplanning, public realm, and the external relationships needed to design new urban spaces of scale, ambition and quality. Established in New York and London, this joint initiative will consider and challenge the conventional approach used to plan and develop contemporary urban centres. URU will develop a toolkit of key issues and considerations to be applied as New York and London’s urban environments prepare for the future.

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101 rules of thumb for low energy architecture

Posted on: 30 January 2013
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This book encourages the designer to think clearly and intuitively about the fundamentals of low energy buildings. With reliable, simple rules of thumb that will provide new ideas and refresh the designer’s palette, each page focuses on a single piece of advice or guidance along with a clear hand-drawn illustration, while there are also plenty of tips and more detailed information for those who wish to dig deeper. The emphasis is on passive low-energy principles, and the rules of thumb cover all the design fundamentals from site and location to orientation and form, peppered with some which will help the designer to think ‘outside the box’ about the design process itself. The information is applicable throughout the world in any climate region. Price £17.99

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The city at eye level: Lessons for street plinths

Posted on: 28 January 2013
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Rotterdam/ Amsterdam- based urban planning firm, Stipo B.V has issued a new, a collaborative effort of five editors and 43 professional contributors from the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Demark, USA, UK and Germany, It examines the concepts, philosophy, and strategies behind planning the ground floors (“plinths”) of urban environments. Interviews, case studies, and first-­‐hand stories highlight important examples of best practices from cities in the Netherlands (in particular, Rotterdam) as well as Copenhagen, Antwerp, San Francisco, and elsewhere.

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Vauxhall: The missing link competition

Posted on: 17 January 2013
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Design ideas are being sought from urban designers, landscape designers and architects to improve the public realm in Vauxhall, south London. The RIBA London Vauxhall – The Missing Link International Design Ideas Competition is being launched with Vauxhall One, the new Business Improvement District (BID) for the area, and is looking for a designers or multi-disciplinary teams to suggest ideas to improve and enhance the public realm in Vauxhall, providing the ‘Missing Link’ between the New US Embassy Quarter and London’s South Bank. The RIBA says the competition is also open to urban design and architecture students. The closing date for Stage 1 submissions is 12 March 2013.

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Can interior design improve the quality of life in extra care housing?

Posted on: 4 January 2013
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This Factsheet is intended to be used as a discussion tool and aid when considering the interior design for a new build or refurbishment housing scheme for older people, including extra care housing. It is not about building regulations and correct design guidelines, but rather about finding inspiration for making purpose-built housing desirable and an attractive place where older people want to live.

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Planning for custom build housing: A practice guide

Posted on: 7 December 2012
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This Guide is intended to help all those involved in making it easier for people to build their own home in England, including local authority planning and housing officials and their elected members, housing associations, developers and self build community groups. The Guide is not intended to be prescriptive as each area or site will have its own particular set of circumstances, so each will require a bespoke approach. The Guide therefore provides some pointers and ideas as to how the subject could be approached and, above all, it aims to inspire action to grow the self build sector. This is the first edition of the Guide, which is intended to be a ‘living document’ that will be updated regularly with examples of new, emerging policies and practices.

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