HASTINGS’ Post

Stonehenge, St Pancras…the Ringway? Ahead of the crucial vote this week by Birmingham City Council’s Planning Committee, Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud has backed our campaign to save the Smallbrook Ringway Centre - a landmark mid-century modern building, currently threatened with total demolition. In a recorded video message to councillors, McCloud invokes Stonehenge, New York’s Grand Central Station, and London’s St Pancras Station, as now celebrated landmarks that at various points in their history, were also undervalued or faced the threat of destruction. Describing the Ringway as ‘a ribbon of craftsmanship, [and] of 1960s optimism’, he calls for the building to be imaginatively reinvented. The Ringway Centre was designed by James Roberts between 1958-60 - the same architect behind the city’s celebrated Rotunda tower - and has been described by historians as ‘the best piece of mid-20th century urban design in Birmingham’. Known for its dramatic 230m long elevation that curves along Smallbrook Queensway, and sweeps over Hurst Street on great V-shaped pilotti, it is thought to be the longest single retail frontage in the country. The planned redevelopment would see the building levelled to make way for three residential towers between 44 and 56 storeys. Of the 1,800 residential units, only 4.4% of would classify as affordable housing – well below the councils own 35% target for developments of this scale. Meanwhile the scheme would have a devastating carbon cost of 187 million kg of CO₂ - equivalent to driving a family car around the earth 33,000 time. This horizontal skyscraper, straight from the Mad Men era, deserves better than the bulldozer. With a little imagination, it's ready to be renewed and revitalised, fit for the 21st Century. Read more: https://lnkd.in/evMkFkFB

Landmarks Illinois is accepting nominations for the 2024 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois. Anyone, including residents, local community groups and city officials, can submit a nomination for a site in Illinois to be included on the 2024 Most Endangered list. Nominated sites should be in critical need of preservation. They do not need to be locally or nationally designated landmarks but should be valued by local residents and/or celebrate local history or culture. Listed on the 2023 Most Endangered list, the Baxter International Headquarters Campus is an important work of Midcentury Modern design by the renowned architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). Unfortunately, the campus has no landmark protection of any kind to prevent or discourage demolition. Baxter International joins other suburban office campuses of the mid-20th century that are threatened by a decline in demand for office space. Rather than demolish the existing campus, this is an excellent opportunity to reuse a unique and high-quality architectural resource. If you or your community have a space like Baxter Campus, please submit a nomination: https://ow.ly/yIPM50QlaNi

Exciting news in London's construction scene! 🏗️🌆 Multiplex has secured a landmark project: the construction of 50 Fenchurch Street. This isn't just another skyscraper - it's a glimpse into the future of sustainable urban development. Key highlights: 1. Low carbon design 💚 2. 62,000+ sq m of flexible office space 3. 150m tall with innovative vertical landscaping 4. Incorporates two listed buildings This project showcases how we can blend heritage preservation with cutting-edge sustainable design. The vertical greenery is particularly intriguing - a step towards greener cityscapes. Kudos to AXA Investment Managers for backing this vision, and to Eric Parry Architects for the inspiring design. Projects like these push our industry forward. They challenge us to think creatively about sustainability, urban space utilization, and the integration of nature into our built environment. What are your thoughts on this development? How do you see projects like these shaping the future of our cities? #SustainableConstruction #UrbanDevelopment #LondonArchitecture #GreenBuilding Original post credit: London Build Expo

“Honour the past, create the future.” The value of this adage, in business and in life, can be seen tangibly in architecture. London is covered with old buildings which have been redesigned into new modern structures. Battersea Power Station is a perfect example - Initially a coal fired power station beginning in 1933, it then sat derelict for 3 decades before its redevelopment in the 2010’s into a vast retail, dining, entertainment, residential & commercial complex. Developing something new from something old is challenging. It might have been simpler to demolish and rebuild, but the end result - a modern structure that retains a clear connection to its past - imbues the building with a rich history and a sense of permanence. The thoughtful blend of old and new creates something truly timeless and enduring.

The site of what may soon become the tallest structure in the US is unexpected. According to an ABC News article, if the designs are accepted, the tower will be located in Oklahoma City, an improbable city, rather than anywhere close to New York. Developer Matteson Capital and architect AO Architects announced the updated plan. If authorised, the 'The Boardwalk at Bricktown' project would comprise a 1,907-foot tower. In addition, it would rank as the sixth-tallest structure in the world. According to a statement from Matteson Capital, "The symbolic height honors the year that Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th state of the United States." Additionally, they want to "ask the city's zoning board for a variance to build the massive project. Over three acres and over two million square feet of residential, hotel, retail, eating, and entertainment space would be included, according to AO Architects. The towers that make up the complex will include hotel and residential buildings, and "each feature their own unique luxe amenities, creating a dynamic urban hub for tenants and visitors." Three towers, each measuring 345 feet, would be part of the project. Legends Tower, the fourth tower, would be 1,907 feet tall. "Dining, retail, and open plazas enhance and enliven the streetscape, fostering interaction and connection and welcoming visitors from all over to enjoy what OKC has to offer," the statement reads. The Boardwalk, a driving force behind urban development, honors Oklahoma City's vibrant past, vibrant present, and bright future by embodying its spirit." #us #world #building #tallest #newyork #architecture #record #news #thesocialtalks

The specs of the property — which are all anyone ever seems to want when it comes to #industrialrealestate — are impressive: - 207,000 square feet of space with 40-foot ceilings; - 12 acres of land with 200 parking spots; - 56 trailer stalls, 32 exterior loading docks and two drive-in doors. Then there’s the easy access to Interstate 80, Garden State Parkway, Route 46, New Jersey Turnpike — all of northern New Jersey and New York, in fact. Clark Machemer, the senior managing director in the Industrial Group of Crow Holdings Development, prefers another number: 150,000. That’s the number of bricks that were used to give the modern building an old-time feel. A building Machemer feels is unlike any other in its asset class. “Trophy doesn’t get used with industrial buildings,” he said. “I would dare say that this is a trophy industrial building. I’d even pause to call it industrial — it’s just a trophy building in New Jersey.” To read why Crow Development's efforts in Elmwood Park may start a new trend, click below.

Mission Rock: San Francisco’s Waterfront Future. Developed as a public-private partnership between the San Francisco Giants, Tishman Speyer, and the Port of San Francisco, it’s far more ambitious than most cities’ stadium-adjacent developments (aka Ballpark Villages), featuring office and residential buildings designed by MVRDV, Studio Gang, WORKac, and HENNING LARSEN ARCHITECTS SL; 40 percent affordable housing units; and active ground floor uses, highlighted by local retail favorites like Arsicault Bakery, Ikes Love & Sandwiches, and Proper Food. The newest piece, tying the project together and connecting it to San Francisco Bay, is the 5-acre China Basin Park, designed by New York-based SCAPE Landscape Architecture DPC, whose local office is just around the corner. Their park, connected to the larger development via textured pedestrian paseos jutting between buildings, opens Mission Rock to stunning views of the stadium and the Bay Bridge—but it also protects it from quickly-emerging tidal threats via a soft, flexible approach that is slowly (perhaps too slowly) gaining steam in the U.S. “Business as usual is the sheet pile bulkhead,” says Orff. “How do you make that space between building and water something that is fluid and flexible, but understand that’s not a fixed edge?” https://lnkd.in/ep_WYTwH

Architecture and Historic preservation: strange neighbours, compromise or architectural diversity? For me, it definitely adds to the neighborhood. A couple of thoughts- how does a non- combustible building deal with combustible construction so close to it? And secondly, how cool would it be if the main entry to the office was through the front porch of the storefront?

Renovation as well as preservation without distortion of the skyline……Program and project management at it’s best to ensure the delivery of a good finished product…..