Tonight: Zaha Hadid on BBC One's imagine...

Zaha Hadid is the subject of Alan Yentob's interest tonight as part of  BBC One's imagine... series. The programme 'Zaha Hadid: Who Dares Wins' will profile the work of one of the most internationally famous contemporary architects working today, and winner of the Pritzker Architecture Award (the highest possible accolade in the architecture profession) in 2004.

Born in 1950 in Baghdad and based in London, Zaha Hadid's dynamic and often unexpected architectural forms exist at the interface between the natural landscape and human-made systems. Hadid experiments with the latest technologies to produce unexpected architectural forms which are simultaneously fluid and complex in style. She is founder and director of Zaha Hadid Architects which for the past 30 years has revolutionised architectural design through a number of successful global projects. The firm's success secures Hadid's status as the most successful female architect to have lived.

In tonight's programme, the ever-affable Alan Yentob attempts to understand the woman behind such architectural vision: how has Hadid managed to actualise her highly experimental style, bringing her visionary ideas - at one time considered impossible - to exist as some of the world's most exactingly-designed and seminal buildings. The programme profiles many of Hadid's famous designs. We are hoping for an insight into the Galaxy Soho in Beijing, the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati and possibly the design of Glasgow's Riverside Museum.

Watch on BBC One tonight at 10.35pm or replay on the iplayer over the coming few days.

'Uneasy Balance' - New Book Edited by Christopher Platt

Chris Platt, Head and Professor at the Mackintosh School of Architecture is the editor of a new book 'Uneasy Balance,' a memento to the design and construction of the new building by Steven Holl Architects.

Published at the time of topping out, this slim, pocket-sized volume is a fitting tribute to the germination, growth and realisation of Holl's intelligent architectural design. The book is illustrated with specially commissioned photographs as well as drawings and sketches. Some of these drawings are the loose, inky architectural sketches from the office of Steven Holl Architects and some of the Mackintosh Building have been provided by the GSA's Archives and Collections Centre. The book contains four essays and an illuminating interview with Steven Holl in which he imparts the concept behind his "thin skin/thick bones" design, reveals some of his working practices and discusses architecture as art form.

Books are priced at £15 and can be purchased from the GSA shop. We'll also be cataloging a couple of copies to place on the shelves when the books reappear in September.

Scottish Government's 'Creating Places' Policy Document

A national architecture policy for Scotland which emphasises the importance of 'place' in enriching people's lives has been launched this week.

In the 'Creating Places' policy statement, the Scottish Government vows to achieve positive change for communities and for the architecture profession through collaborative design projects. This involves a commitment to work with Architecture & Design Scotland (A+DS) to publish an annual review of emerging Scottish design practices, a commitment to promote community participation in design and planning, and a commitment to support the RIAS Festival of Architecture in 2016.

The report is significant for its recognition of the important role design plays in shaping the quality of people's environments, and the economic benefits to be gained from good design. Through its publication, the Scottish Government appears to be offering an outstretched arm to the architecture and design sector. The  message is clear: successful architecture and place-making are the necessary mechanics to facilitating prosperous economic, social and environmental change in Scotland.

Read the full report here.

'Ghost of Water Row' is RIAS 2013 Award Winner

Edo Architecture's evanescent art installation 'Ghost of Water Row' is among the dozen winners of the RIAS Awards 2013. The list of the twelve best buildings in Scotland was announced at an awards ceremony on Wednesday night with Edo's zero-budget, Govan-based submission scooping the accolade alongside big-budget projects such as The Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock and Aberdeen University's new £30m library.

Now in its second year, the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) Awards recognise architectural achievement in Scotland. The award organisers expressed delight with the number and quality of all 75 submissions with the varied award winners representing a vote of confidence for Scottish architecture.

To learn more about 'The Ghost of Water Row' which commemorates the late sculptor George Wylie, read our previous blog post. The full list of RIAS Award winners is here.

Tall Tales: Creative Writing Inspired by Architecture

"Buildings became unusual to me and I realised this oddness was a lot more interesting... I wondered what would happen if I put my work at the service of the unusual."

Pip Adam, a student from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand has taken a novel approach to her Creative Writing PhD thesis by immersing herself in the world of architecture and engineering. 

She shares her experiences of the influence of architecture on the creative-writing process in an article, 'At the Service of the Unusual,' which appears in The Pantograph Punch, an online magazine reporting on arts and culture in New Zealand. 

The article is interesting for its insight into a creative person's attempt to understand and capture the essence of what constitutes a building, and as a fascinating outside perspective on the world of engineering and architecture. Pip describes how a meeting with an architect-friend shifts her focus from the people in her stories to think differently about the ubiquitous university buildings she sees on campus. She enrols in engineering classes at Victoria University School of Architecture and Design and becomes fascinated by the 'rhythm' of buildings and the relationship between individuals and built forms, bravely surrendering herself to the language and philosophy of an alien world!

A philosophically-complex piece of writing that challenges our thoughts and ideas about the building and the creative thought-process around trying to tackle the subject.We particularly enjoyed Pip's humorous observations and easy-to-read, conversational style. Who knew for example, that Dostoevsky, Robert Louis Stevenson, Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer were all engineers!?

Glasgow Architect Practice Make Shortlist for RIAS Award

The Ghost of Water Row, an architectural art installation which existed for one night in Govan, has made it to the final 25 nominees for Scotland's most coveted architecture prize. The phantasmagorical structure made of Scottish pale spruce and permeable fabric will be judged against multi-million pound ventures, including Edinburgh's redeveloped Assembly Rooms, when the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) select a 2013 award-winner.

The comparatively modest project by Edo Architecture pays homage to the weaving trade which was established at Water Row in Govan before being replaced by Glasgow's flourishing ship industry in the early 20th century. It was built as part of a community engagement project and coincided with commemorative celebrations for the late Glaswegian sculptor George Wylie. Despite being created on a shoe-string budget, the structure's retrospective emphasis on local history has won favour among the judges who are also inspired by its ambition for a creative future in a site better known for its redevelopment focus than rich cultural heritage.

By encouraging the local community to engage with a bygone time, Edo Architecture hope to raise the ghost of Govan's cultural past. Read more about the project and the history of the site at the links below:
http://edoarchitecture.com/
http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5995

New Online Journal - Architecture_M_P_S

A new online academic journal has just come to our attention. Architecture_Media_Politics_Society or, 'Amps' for short, operates a forum for the analysis of architecture in the mediated environment of contemporary culture. According to the journal's editors, the social context is intrinsic to the design of buildings which we could therefore, regard as 'phenomenon'. Contributors to the journal can add their publication to the burgeoning online resource repository which acts as a useful information resource in its own right.

One 'interview article' with an architect professional or researcher is published monthly. The journal is heralding this as a new genre for academic writing in that the interviews expand on the references made by the interviewer or interviewee, thereby forming a quasi-academic literary form. For some, this written format will really help to summarise the complex issues being discussed while for others, the use of footnotes could help broaden the argument out.

This month's article is by renowned architecture mogul Daniel Libeskind who characteristically, has written an article entitled 'The Socio-Political Minefield of Symbolic Architecture'. Read here:

http://architecturemps.com/

We Made That! London's Architecture & Design Practice

We Made That is a young, London-based architecture and design studio that works in a broad range of contexts - predominantly delivering public works for community use. Interest has been growing in the firm for some time, not least since it scooped the 2011 Architecture Foundation-organised Three Mills contest to design a new play space next to the Olympic park in London. The contest's organisers praised the 'Wild Kingdom' project design for its combination of imaginative vision and down-to-earth approach, a sentiment echoed in the studio's mission to produce work that is at once considered, pragmatic and charming.

Co-founders Oliver Goodhall and Holly Lewis who studied at the Royal College of Art and the Bartlett School of Architecture, London respectively, place a great amount of importance on conservation and collaboration in their projects. These have included 'Beach Hut' on the Lincolnshire Coast and 'Unlimited Edition,' a series of speculative newspapers, complied using the snapshot contributions of artists, designers and community members living in the A11 postal area of London. Have a look here:

http://www.wemadethat.co.uk/index.html

Yale Women In Architecture

Read a free, online article about the history of women students at Yale University since the School of Architecture's first female graduate in 1949. Nina Rappaport wrote the piece which looks at the architecture profession as one which has been traditionally male-dominated despite a near fifty-fifty split between the sexes on enrolment to architecture degree programmes in later decades.

In 2012, while the disparity is diminishing, Yale has hosted the first event of its kind to celebrate the accomplishments of its alumnae and to consider the future contributions that women may make to the benefit of the architecture profession at large.

Two book titles by the same author can be found on the GSA Library catalogue.
http://www.aya.yale.edu/sites/default/files/images/Women%20in%20Architecture%20Constructs.pdf

JCT student essay competition

The Joint Contracts Tribunal's (JCT) Education and Training Initiative was launched last year to provide the construction sector with a complete education and training package, including groups to support both students and education providers. As part of the Initiative, JCT has launched a student essay competition on one of two topics: “A Vision for the Future of Construction” or “The Future of Construction Contract Management in the Digital Age”. Generous prize monies are on offer, and students can enter as individuals or as a team of up to three. 

Architectural procurement in Scotland

The RIAS (Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland) has just published its long-awaited report on architectural procurement, which is freely available online. The report suggests that the process in Scotland is costly, inefficient, and damaging to both the economy and construction employment, and makes recommendations to improve the situation.

ScottishArchitecture.com relaunched

Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS) have revamped their website and given it a totally new look. It's aiming to appeal to a very wide audience, with comprehensive and regularly updated news, diary details of forthcoming events, features on new buildings and places, and an education resource for learners of all ages.

The future for architects?

The RIBA's 'Building Futures' think tank has just released a new study which speculates on how the professional landscape might look in 2025. Amongst its predictions are high growth in emerging markets; architects moving away from traditional job descriptions to expanded and interdisciplinary roles; and new consultative and networked ways of working.