UNITED KINGDOM
British television presenter Kevin McCloud's development company, Hab, and housing group, GreenSquare, have submitted plans for a 42 home scheme in Swindon. The Triangle was designed by Glenn Howells Architects with landscape architects Studio Engleback, who plan to create a contemporary interpretation of Swindon's mid-Victorian railway cottages. The houses have been designed to meet Level 4 of the UK's Code for Sustainable Homes and include fittings, connections and space to allow easy retro-fitting of solar thermal and PV panels. Work on The Triangle is due to start by the end of 2009, with completion expected by December 2010.
UNITED STATES
The American Institute of Architects' June billings index dropped sharply, dashing hopes of a recovery for the sector. The index, which is seen as an indicator for the construction profession, dropped to 37.7 from May's 42.9, representing a significant drop in earnings. Results since May had suggested that the worst of the recession was over and, despite this recent slump, the new project inquiry score was 53.8, making June the fourth month in a row that practices have reported an increase in enquiries.
UNITED KINGDOM
Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners' $271.5 million British Museum extension project has been rejected by Camden Council. The planning committee rejected the extension but the exact reason for the decision remains unclear. Opposition councillor Paul Braithwaite said; "This is over-development in a most dramatic fashion and I will be voting against it." Fellow councillor David Abrahams, who also voted against the extension, said it "encroached too closely on the existing buildings", while Hugh Cullen of the Bloomsbury Conservation Area Advisory Committee said the proposal "mutilates the museum". News of the rejection came just days after doubts emerged over the proposed government funding for the project.
RUSSIA
The Moscow Architectural Preservation Society (MAPS) has warned that the city's identity and architectural heritage is at risk due to the furious pace of development. Publishing the Moscow Heritage at Crisis Point report, MAPS said that buildings at risk include the Bolshoi Theatre, the Central House of Artists and the Children's World Department Store. The report is a follow up of the original 2007 document which warned of threats to St Petersburg's heritage, medieval churches and post-war developments. "Such treatment of historic buildings falls well short of internationally accepted best practice. There are plenty of specialists capable of proper restoration and imaginative but sensitive conversions of historic buildings in Moscow," the report editors said.
GERMANY
A permanent exhibition promoting the importance of technology and sustainability has opened in Wolfsburg, Germany. J. Mayer architects and Art+Com Berlin were commissioned to develop ‘Level Green’, which aims to promote scientific research and the use of modern technology as necessities for survival in the future. The exhibition covers approximately 1,000 sqm and, similar to a continuous organism, the single elements of the exhibition are connected into one homogenous structure that houses all the content and technical installations.
