Phineas Harper’s Post

I love this piece by Donna Ferguson in The Guardian today as I used to live in Crystal Palace and would often spend time wandering around the remains of the building that still stand today with my first SLR camera loaded with 35mm film - probably while I should have been revising or writing essays for university. But what also struck me is the story it tells about the standardization of construction methods. It was the first time a building had been built using nuts and bolts of a standard size and thread, making it much easier to swap in and out and manufacture over and again. It seems obvious today but this was groundbreaking in 1851 and an early example, dare I say, of modern methods of construction. Spin forward 170 years or so and we are still working hard to develop ways of building things quickly and to scale, nowhere more so than in the housing market. Our social and affordable housing developer EDAROTH UK has honed its innovative production methods to be able to deliver new, sustainable homes that perform to the highest standard across their whole life cycle. Much like the nuts and bolts production for the Crystal Palace, it would be great to see EDAROTH's innovative approach to housing for those most in need, become the standard for years to come. How they built the Crystal Palace: https://lnkd.in/eP7KYD6x #Construction #MMC #Housing #IndustrialProduction #CrystalPalace

Fantastic way to keep public spaces cleaner and safer

🌟 The Future of London's Skyline: One Undershaft Tower 🌟 The City of London Corporation has approved the construction of One Undershaft, a skyscraper set to become the tallest building in the City of London, standing at 309.6 meters (1015.8 feet). This towering structure will be situated between the Gherkin and the Cheesegrater buildings, and will feature a public garden on the 11th floor, as well as a London Museum education center. While many celebrate this as a step towards economic growth and a boost to the city's cultural offerings, others have voiced concerns. Historic England and Tower Hamlets Council have raised objections, citing potential negative impacts on heritage assets like the Tower of London and public spaces. Safety concerns from London City Airport and Heathrow Airport have also been noted. Additionally, some critics are calling the One Undershaft Tower "soulless," arguing that it lacks the character and charm of London's historic architecture. They fear that such modern developments might overshadow the rich cultural heritage that defines the city. What are your thoughts on this development? Is One Undershaft a bold step forward for London, or does it pose too great a risk to our historic skyline and public spaces? 💬 Let's discuss! #OneUndershaft #LondonSkyline #UrbanDevelopment #Heritage #SafetyConcerns #Architecture #StructuralEngineering #BuildingEnvelope

London to become the 'Manhattan-on-Thames' London is on the brink of a skyline transformation, resembling a 'Manhattan-on-Thames', according to a recent report by New London Architecture. The report unveils plans for an impressive 583 towers across the city. Among these, nearly 600 towers, each soaring over 20 stories tall, are eagerly awaiting their turn in the development pipeline over the next decade. 🌆 This surge in vertical construction significantly surpasses the 270 skyscrapers erected in the previous decade alone. Peter Murray co-founder of New London Architecture, emphasized the profound impact tall buildings have had on the city's landscape over the past two decades and underscored their continued necessity. With London's population projected to soar to 10 million by 2030, Murray highlights the inevitability of further tall building developments to accommodate this growth. 🏙️ #londoncontruction #constructionnews #skyscrapers

A lot of debate over zoning and intensification is rooted in the unspoken assumption that new buildings can/should/must be of similar size and massing as the old ones. For lots of reasons that's not realistic, but part of why it persists is that most of urban North America is on its first round of development. So look at this building in Old Montreal. The massing of both the original building and the first, larger one that replaced it is visible in the masonry wall of the current, still larger building that succeeded them both. That's normal over a few hundred years. What's not normal is expecting your neighbourhood of one-storey balloon-frame bengalows to still be that 100 years later.

This post is not about buildings! In construction, older buildings dominate the skyline; strong, familiar, and well-established. But when a new building rises, with bold designs and fresh ideas, the skyline takes notice. The resistance begins. Shadows are cast. “Why don’t they fit in?” “Why are they standing out?” Here’s my truth: There’s room for both the established and the emerging. So: Stand tall. Build strong. Be different! Alafu you not here to compete, you’re here to complete the view.

With all the justified excitement about how the new metro will transform Sydney, it’s fascinating to reflect on Bradfield's original "underground" plan for the city. This plan envisioned an integration of the inner-city suburbs with the broader rail network. Bradfield's design included underground loops through the inner east and inner west, with stations proposed in locations such as Paddington, Waterloo, Randwick Racecourse, SCG/Showground, Balmain, Callan Park, and Annandale. These lines would have connected to existing stations like St James, which was built with two additional unused platforms (hence the unusually wide platform and dual staircases today). The design, finishes, and signage of Museum and St James stations look very similar to the London Underground. Supposedly these lines were abandoned due to the Great Depression and capital needs of WW2. It’s interesting to imagine how Sydney might have evolved if these lines and stations had come to fruition. For an interesting read https://lnkd.in/gmP9kZH8

| A bittersweet moment: reflecting on the past and embracing the future. Bill Pier reflects on demolishing a building he helped design, only to build a greater building in its place. Check out our latest blog, link down below 👇 https://lnkd.in/g6fC3Dhj

Was interviewed last week by Cloe L. for a Canada's National Observer piece on the climate mitigating benefits of point access blocks/single stair buildings. 'Most of the world builds multi-family housing with what are called “point access blocks,” explains Michael Eliason, founder of Seattle-based #architecture think tank Larch Lab. Instead of building #apartments around two staircases (which is the norm in .Canada and the United States), compact buildings are constructed with just one staircase. He points to walk-up buildings, rife with character and community, in places like Berlin, Mexico City and Tokyo. “The way we build housing in the U.S. and in Canada as well, where we typically have at least two stairs, a corridor separating them, and then units on either side...is a little bit of an anomaly,” he explained.' Great to see Ravi Kahlon and Conrad Speckert discuss their leadership on the subject in Canada. The movement for more livable, climate adaptive, and family-friendly #multifamilyhousing continues to grow. I believe this is also the first publication to reference my forthcoming Island Press book, 'Building for People.' 💪 #citiesforpeople #climateurbanism #betterbuildings #multifamily #stadtplanung #livablecities https://lnkd.in/gmmhUC9T