Hana has reviewed Gillian Darley's book "Excellent Essex" for Architecture Today this month, describing it as "an omnivorous miscellany: a gathering of vastly diverse anecdotes, observations and historical footnotes hung together in a delightfully token attempt at categorisation and order." Read more here.
Tom spent some time talking through the Science Museum Smith Centre with Elizabeth Hopkirk of Building Design, who have featured a technical study of the project, available to view here.
"The route to this spectacular space is visually simple and intuitive but that is only thanks to months of patient design development by the architects, HAT Projects, and their team."
Hana has an article in Cambridge Architecture issue 78 about her work with South Cambridgeshire District Council, the development of Village Design Guides and the future of the countryside. View it here.
We are pleased to share that our extension and redevelopment of Ely Museum has just started on site. Set to reopen in late 2020, the museum will benefit from an increased floor area and internal arrangement for the displays and a new multi-purpose space for education and community programmes. More information on the project is available here.
We are thrilled to announce that the Science Museum Smith Centre is now open and in use. These photos are a sneak peek of the project, a new supporters space converted from a Royal Mail sorting office - more to come soon!
For further information about the project please look here.
We are contributors to the Tides of Tendring - a programme of community arts activities exploring the coastline and flooding, and an exhibition to be held at Jaywick Martello Tower between 21st August and 8th September. We are contributing exhibition material that demystifies the nature of flood risk along the coastline, and how other communities around the world are addressing similar questions and adapting their landscapes in response. We are also collaborating with Signals Media Arts to create an animation about flooding and climate change, for sharing online.
Our involvement is generously supported by Flood Re as part of their mission to talk to communities at risk of flooding about how to become more resilient for the future. It draws on the research we have been doing as part of our commission to develop the Jaywick Sands Place Plan.
Tom has been invited to join the Essex Quality Review Panel, helping to offer independent and impartial guidance on the design of new buildings, landscapes and public space.
The Essex Quality Review Panel has been set up to ensure delivery and promotion of high quality new developments through the creation of good design, sustainability and improved quality, creating better places and environments to work and live in the County.
As part of Hana's work with Public Practice, they have published her Practice Note 'Growing Villages: How should village growth be shaped in rural areas?' available to download here. It discusses best practice for rural design; drawing on research carried out as part of a year-long placement in South Cambridgeshire District Council, showing how co-creating simple design principles together with local, rural communities can help justify and shape village growth.
We were thrilled to run a drop-in workshop for kids (and enthusiastic adults) at Firstsite gallery, building and testing out junk-made water towers celebrating Colchester's very own Jumbo water tower for North Essex Heritage's #jumbosummer!
Our work at Redbridge Town Hall has now started on site. Several spaces in the Grade 2 listed Town Hall are being repurposed and converted into arts projects space and workspace, in partnership with SPACE studios. More information on the project is available here.