Tag: Technical Studies Lecture Series

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Bruce Bell + Oliver Thomas [Facit Technologies] “Mobile Micro Factory” | Thursday, November 21 at 18:00 (GMT), M416 Robin Evans Room + Livestream

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 21st of November 2024 at 6pm (GMT)

Where: M416 (Robin Evans Room), Marylebone Campus, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online

Amidst a housing crisis and growing sustainability demands, developers have a significant opportunity to embrace new ways of working. Facit offers a viable alternative model to factory-built homes or the traditional construction methods by bringing digital technology to the construction site, which means less labour, more predictability, less design constraints and lower capital expenditure. [Facit Technologies]

Facit Homes were established in 2011 as the world’s first home manufacturer to use a purely digital design and production process. Since featuring on Grand Designs as “the world’s first computer-cut house” – Facit have gone on to become an established, industry-leading company, delivering award-winning low carbon homes across the UK.

In 2024 Facit Technologies was launched and Facit’s Mobile Micro Factory was unveiled in partnership with Tharsus. The Mobile Micro Factory semi-automates the CNC fabrication process, with each factory able to locally manufacture 100 homes a year whilst reducing associated transportation CO2 emissions by 90%. The Facit construction approach uses sustainably sourced sheet-ply to form the Facit Chassis, a hollow box wall and floor system that is structural, with voids filled for thermal and acoustic insulation.

Technical Studies Website

Lecture Archive

w.f.mclean@westminster.ac.uk – For details contact Will McLean

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Giles Smith [Assemble] “Sludge and Rocks” | Thursday, October 31 at 18:00 (GMT), M416 Robin Evans Room + Livestream

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 31st of October 2024 at 6pm (GMT)

Where: M416 (Robin Evans Room), Marylebone Campus, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online

“In our practice we have always seen a care towards the physical construction of a building as a way of caring about the people who use that building, and the people involved in its construction.”

Giles Smith

Assemble is a multi-disciplinary collective working across architecture, design and art. Founded in 2010 to undertake a single self-built project, Assemble has since delivered a diverse and award-winning body of work, while retaining a democratic and co-operative working method that enables built, social and research-based work at a variety of scales: both making things, and making things happen. Assemble won the Turner Prize in 2015.

Giles is a founding member of Assemble, a multi-disciplinary collective working across architecture, design, and art. He studied architecture at the University of Cambridge and the Royal College of Art and has taught architecture at the University of Westminster and the AA and has lectured widely internationally.

Technical Studies website

Lecture Archive

w.f.mclean@westminster.ac.uk – For details contact Will McLean

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Armor Guttiérez [UEL] “Sugarcrete” | Thursday, October 17 at 18:00 (BST), M416 Robin Evans Room + Livestream

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 17th of October 2024 at 6pm (BST)

Where: M416 (Robin Evans Room), Marylebone Campus, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online

“The main innovation with Sugarcrete™ is to challenge the common understanding of biomaterials having low structural performance and to develop a system that can be self-supporting.“

Armor Gutiérrez Rivas

The development of Sugarcrete™ is a wonderful example of a local collaborative initiative, albeit with a necessary international connection. The University of East London’s (UEL) Master of Architecture and Sustainability Research Institute (SRI), with the support of local manufacturer Tate & Lyle Sugars and architectural firm Grimshaw, has developed an innovative low-carbon construction material employing an arable waste product and the clever use of geometry.

Armor is an architect, researcher, and maker, interested in how innovation through sustainability can have a positive impact in our built environment. Prior to joining the University of East London as a Senior Lecturer, he gained extensive professional experience working for some of the world’s most distinguished architecture firms such as Bjarke Ingels Group in Copenhagen, MVRDV in Rotterdam, or KPF in London, where he attained the level of Associate Principal.

https://technicalstudies.tumblr.com

Lecture Archive

w.f.mclean@westminster.ac.uk – For details contact Will McLean

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Jonathan Smales + Cany Ash [Human Nature + Ash Sakula] “The Pheonix Project, Lewes” | Thursday, October 10 at 18:00 (BST), M416 Robin Evans Room + Livestream

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 10th of October 2024 at 6pm (BST)

Where: M416 (Robin Evans Room), Marylebone Campus, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS

“This looks like the beginning of the future.”

The Phoenix is the redevelopment of a 7.9-hectare brownfield site within the South Downs National Park, brought forward by Human Nature a campaigning development company led by Jonathan Smales, working with some of the UK’s leading architects, designers, and engineers. The scheme seeks to turn the imperatives of the climate and natural emergencies into opportunities for better design, better placemaking and ultimately healthier and better living. 

Planned to prioritise people over cars, constructed primarily in sustainable timber, powered by renewable energy, and designed to encourage a culture of sharing, it represents a new and regenerative way to make a place, build a community and create a productive and circular local economy. The development will transform a neglected former industrial site into a beautiful green place, providing much-needed homes and jobs, community spaces, a river walk, flood defenses and health centre.

The masterplan for the Phoenix comprises 18 different housing blocks designed by 12 different architects, giving the neighbourhood diversity, character, and housing choice. Architects Ash Sakula are one of the design practices and Jonathan Smales will be joined by founder / partner Cany Ash. Ash Sakula is a thought-leading architectural studio, based in central London. They specialise in working with challenging sites and complex briefs, where fresh thinking and inventive design can most benefit clients and users.

https://technicalstudies.tumblr.com

Lecture Archive

w.f.mclean@westminster.ac.uk – For details contact Will McLean

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Sho Ito “Nature’s Treasures: Celebrating Earth’s Natural Resources” | Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 18:00 (GMT), M416 + Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 30th of November at 6pm (GMT)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online

Sho Ito is a registered architect, educator in the UK and the founder of Studio ITO: Interdisciplinary Thought Operations (www.s-ito.co.uk / Instagram: @studio__ito) a design and research studio working with large-scale housing developments in Cambodia, café renovations in London to private homes in Tokyo. Ito graduated from the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA). He has extensive experience and knowledge in both the academic and architectural industry, having previously worked at Stirling Prize-winning offices, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, dRMM (de Rijke Marsh and Morgan) and AHMM (Allford Hall Monaghan and Morris) in the UK across the commercial sector.

Nature’s Treasures: Celebrating Earth’s Natural Resources is Ito’s research agenda and personal interest where he attempts to analyse and understand ‘space’ that is inherently linked to the extraction of natural resources. Furthermore, exposing how the commodification process of the strategic systems and infrastructures developed in place allows corporations to manipulate and financially gain from resources that should be democratic. Ito explores the unknown and the hidden through critically analysing and articulating conditions that are spatial through multiple scales, from the territorial, urban, block, and building to the room.

By facilitating knowledge exchange and collaboration, the lecture seeks to generate discussion and awareness that responds to balance the needs of current and future generations while safeguarding the planet’s ecological integrity.

For details contact Will McLean

w.f.mclean@westminster.ac.uk

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Mohammed Rahmany + Abderrahim Elmani from AWMA “Recent Projects”, Thursday, November 23, 2023 at 18:00 (GMT), M416 + Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 23rd of November at 6pm (GMT)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online

Based in Brixton, AWMA is an experimental design collective that explores key themes prevalent within social, spiritual, economic and urban realms – from celebrations to challenges – across the cultural spectrum with work that connects people and places. 

Mohammed is an architectural thinker and maker. Having worked for acclaimed international architecture firms over the years, he has played an instrumental role in projects, ranging from airport terminals, residential developments, sports stadiums, and several mixed-use spaces across the globe. Abderrahim is an architectural designer and dreamer. He has worked on a variety of scale projects, ranging from one-off private houses to large mixed-use master plans. His experience has been gained through several award-winning architecture practices, all of which have given him a real insight into the field. Abderrahim’s appetite for a holistic and considered approach is fundamental in any undertaken programme.  

Both Mohammed and Abderrahim are graduates of the University of Westminster and we are delighted to welcome them back to talk about their experience as a young design practice. 

For details contact Will McLean 

w.f.mclean@westminster.ac.uk 

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Scott Batty + Urna Sodnomjamts “The Architecture of Retrofit”, Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 18:00 (GMT), M416 + Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 16th of November at 6pm (GMT)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online

Scott Batty is an architect with 30 years of experience making, building, designing, and shaping the profession of architecture. As part of The Technical and Professional Studies team Scott has developed the curriculum including initiatives for students to monitor live building sites and he has devised the University of Westminster Sustainable Design Principles. Scott’s work with students has been presented to the Architect’s Climate Action Network (ACAN). Scott Batty has recently initiated and led student and staff visits to the Fire Service Training College, Moreton-in-Marsh for ‘Fire Experience Days’ funded by AXA insurance. These visits provide an invaluable and unforgettable insight into fire and the built environment and have recently featured in the RIBA bulletin.

Scott has first-hand experience with domestic retrofit, and he has developed an innovative design approach to the selective fabric and service domestic upgrade. Scott has stylishly retrofitted his own house and continues to monitor the house for thermal comfort and energy savings.

Urna Sodnomjamts is a recently qualified Architect with three years’ experience as a Part II architectural assistant working for firms such as dMFK, Hut Architecture and Matthew Lloyd Architects. In practice, Urna has worked on retrofit schemes using design & build and traditional procurement with particular sensitivity in understanding client quality requirements and construction viability. Urna is an active researcher in innovative, sustainable construction methods informed by low-tech, environmentally conscious communities. In 2018 Urna co-founded the Association of Mongol Architects a non-profit organisation for architects and architecture students. Urna published some of her research on the vernacular tradition of the Mongolian ‘Ger’ or ‘Yurt’ in Environmental Design Sourcebook by Will McLean and Pete Silver, RIBA Publications 2021.

Urna previously taught part-time as part of the technical studies team and she has recently joined us at the School of Architecture and Cities, University of Westminster as a lecturer in Regenerative Technical and Environmental Design.

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Ana Gatóo “Regenerative Design for Planetary Wellbeing” | Thursday, October 26 at 18:00 (BST), M416 + Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 26th of October at 6pm (BST)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online

Dr Ana Gatóo is a recent graduate of the doctoral programme at the Centre for Natural Material Innovation (CNMI) in the Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge where she is a Cambridge Trust Scholar and an Open-Oxford-Cambridge Doctoral Training Partnership scholar. Ana had previously worked as a researcher at the CNMI for three years developing structural bamboo products as well as improved social housing with natural materials for informal settlements.

Ana is a partner at Light Earth Designs a practice focused on environmentally sensitive architecture and innovative engineering and whose work most notably includes the Rwanda Cricket Stadium in Kigali, which was awarded the 2018 A+Awards Popular Winner in the Stadium category. Ana is also a Board Advisor for Prospectives Journal, and a Committee Advisor for REDER Journal and she has worked for several years with NGOs on emergency architecture, disaster response and development with the use of natural materials and sustainable technologies in various countries.

Ana’s research develops flexible interiors with engineered timber and digital tools for affordable housing, creating a sustainable and adaptable living environment that cares for the planet and the people.

  • Engineered timber acts as a carbon sink.
  • Flexibility of interior spaces has become crucial with social, economic, and environmental benefits.
  • Mass customization, and with the growth of digital factories and open-source designs, interior walls can become affordable, sustainable and creative.

This research, exhibited at the London Design Biennale 2021, has received a prestigious Design Exchange Partnership from AHRC and was exhibited at the Design Museum in London. Ana collaborated with PLP Architecture and colleagues at Cambridge.

Ana has recently joined us at the School of Architecture and Cities, University of Westminster as a lecturer in Regenerative Technical and Environmental Design

For details contact Will McLean – w.f.mclean@westminster.ac.uk

Technical Studies Lecture Series: architect Hugo Braddick (Haworth Tompkins Architects) + client Amandeep Singh Kalra (Be First) on “Industria” | Thursday, October 12 at 18:00 (BST), M416 + Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 12th of October, 6pm (BST)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online (see tumblr page below for link)

Architect Hugo Braddick (Haworth Tompkins Architects) talks with client Amandeep Singh Kalra (Be First) about the incredible new ‘Industria’ building in East London. 

Hugo has 20 years’ experience in delivering large, design-led construction projects for complex client bodies, on challenging urban sites, with a particular emphasis on residential and mixed-use buildings, workspace and masterplanning. Hugo leads the industrial intensification team with Graham Haworth, including the regeneration masterplan for Albert Island, a 100,000sqm brownfield development in London Docklands, in collaboration with the GLA, and Industria, an innovative 12,000sqm ramped, multi-level industrial workspace project for BeFirst, at Creek Road in Barking.Hugo currently sits on the NLA experts for logistics and industry and brings a deep working knowledge of urban industrial design at both macro and micro level, combined with an understanding of the market and development economics in the sector, and familiarity with its complex policy requirements.

Amandeep is an Architect and Urban designer. He is an Associate Director at Be First (LB Barking & Dagenham’s regeneration company), working at the intersection of public and private practice. He leads a team that is responsible for strategic visions, brief writing, research, design, and procurement, while actively engaging with residents, planners, policy makers, developers, and politicians to bring these ideas to the table. Amandeep works across urban design & architecture with over ten years’ experience across both public and private sectors. He has worked across a range of scales including large scale masterplans, regeneration schemes alongside small infill sites. More recently he has led the development of retrofit lead design codes and strategies for intensifying industrial land.

Amandeep is trustee at the charity London Neighborhood Scholarship where he continues to champion equality by providing scholarships for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. He is a Design Council Expert, member of the Bromley, Harrow, Kingston (Vice-Chair) and Hackney (Chair) Design Review Panels and was invited to join the Open City Accelerate advisory board. He has served as a guest critic at Kingston, Westminster, UCL and Sheffield University and mentors with Future of London.

For details contact Will McLean – w.f.mclean@westminster.ac.uk

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Technical Studies Lecture Series: Michael Jones, Foster and Partners “Building Bloomberg” | Thursday, December 8 at 18:00 (GMT), M416 + Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 8th of December, 6pm (GMT)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online (see tumblr page below for link)

Michael Jones is a deputy head of studio at Foster + Partners. Alongside Senior Executive Partner Stefan Behling, he oversees almost 100 architects working on a wide range of international projects. He was awarded a bachelor degree in architecture in 1986 and joined the practice in the same year as an architectural assistant.  In 1988, he continued his studies at the Royal College of Art, gaining his master’s degree in architecture in 1990. He subsequently returned to Foster + Partners, where he qualified as an architect in 1994. 

He initially worked on a number of education buildings, starting with the Deuxième Lycée de Fréjus in the South of France, followed by the Law Faculty for the University of Cambridge. Thereafter, he focused on working with historic and listed buildings, initially as the project architect of the new International Rail Terminal for London at St Pancras Station, then as project director on the detail design and procurement for the Great Court at the British Museum. In 2000, he began work on the large-scale masterplan and expansion of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. During this time, he was leading the design of the UK Supreme Court in Westminster, the new Winspear Opera House in Dallas and a major a new Faculty Building for Imperial College London. 

Most recently he has been responsible for the new European headquarters for Bloomberg in the City of London and the ongoing renovation and expansion of the Imperial War Museum in London, the first phase of which was completed to coincide with the centenary of the First World War in 2014. 

https://technicalstudies.tumblr.com/

For details contact: Will McLean – w.f.mclean@wmin.ac.uk