Why are some practices opening new offices during a downturn?
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Will
Ing talks to three practices that have recently set up new studios – and asks what role coronavirus played in their decision
The UK economy is expected to contract by more than 11 per cent in 2020, and many architects are facing a similar-sized reduction in their income.
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Hundreds of architects have been made redundant, and the AJ has already reported on one business – a Manchester-based subsidiary of Darling Associates – that has entered liquidation.
But three practices have set up new offices – in Manchester and the Midlands: AJ100 firms TODD Architects and Weston Williamson, as well as Cullinan Studio.
Dezeen s top 10 architecture trends of 2020
Prefabricated cabins
Factory-made homes are a hot topic in discussions of addressing global housing shortages, but 2020 was the year that architects explored their dreamier qualities. Perhaps it was the seemingly endless isolation, but prefabricated cabins that can be packed off to remote locations for living out an off-grid fantasy were very popular this year.
Muji was first out of the gate with Yō no Ie, a single-story dwelling designed for rural areas that features an expansive deck – complete with a sunken conversation pit – to encourage outdoor living.
Italian architects Massimo Gnocchi and Paolo Danesi provided a romantic vision of modular construction with Mountain Refuge, a concept for a plywood micro home designed for relaxing in the wild.
24 Dec 2020, 11:40
Liverpool’s corruption probe, Kellogg’s 500,000 sq ft St Helens warehouse deal and Stockport’s £1bn metrolink bid all feature as
Place North West looks back at the most popular stories of this year.
See below for the best-read stories broken down by month, and then a top 20 round-up for the whole year at the bottom.
Best read stories by month
January
The council and Transport for Greater Manchester started to draw up a business case for the Metrolink extension, set to cost between £500m and £1bn. They said at the time that if funding is granted, a start on site could begin by 2025.
Weston Williamson housing in doubt as Merton looks to scrap development company
1/4 Weston Williams and Partners Farm Road housing scheme in south London
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Merton Council is set to wind up its fledgling development company which was set to go on site with its first schemes: four housing projects designed by Weston Williamson + Partners.
The south-west London local authority will hold a special committee meeting on 21 December to vote on a recommendation to close the company, Merantun, after a review showed that costs had soared and predicted returns had plummeted.
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Merton’s planning applications committee had granted consent to the housing projects less than six months ago and work was due to start on in February 2021, but now a report to the subcommittee overseeing the company has called on councillors to scrap the schemes.
AHR’s Farringdon Crossrail station has become the first on the central London section of the route to reach a handover landmark – a week after the railway was handed a £825m bailout by the government.
Farringdon has been given a T-12 rating, meaning the station is substantially complete and is now considered to be 12 weeks away from being ready for handover to Transport for London (TfL).
Work at the station, which has been built by a Bam, Ferrovial and Kier (BFK) joint venture, will now focus on the testing and commissioning of systems. The BFK team has now begun demobilising ahead of the handover process.