Four architects from Haworth Tompkins led an all-day workshop for year-six classes in conjunction with 15Billion EBP, an east-London charity dedicated to promoting social mobility and raising aspirations among young people. Edoardo Milli, Jonnie Rees, Charlotte Madgwick and Jerry van Veldhuizen spoke to the children from Handsworth Primary School in Waltham Forest about architecture; what an architect does and how buildings are designed taking into account considerations such as purpose and environmental concerns. Using the scale model of London at the NLA in the City Centre, they talked about the historical aspects of London architecture which was followed by a walking tour around Bank introducing the children to different architectural styles and asking them why they thought each building had been designed in the way it was. This is part of a week-long project during which they will design their own buildings using everything they have learned.
Following a two-stage competition, Haworth Tompkins has been selected to masterplan the Tendring and Colchester Border Garden Community, a 700-hectare new garden community east of Colchester in Essex. The project, for Clarion Housing Group and their development arm Latimer, will realise a community of 9,000 new homes delivered over the next 20 years. HT will lead a team including Kjellander Sjöberg, Grounded_Practice, Periscope, Arup and Michael Pawlyn. The masterplan offers an opportunity to synthesise many strands of work HT are passionate about – thinking about how we will live, collaborate, exchange and work with respect and understanding for our natural environment. The project team will be working to an outline planning application to be delivered in 2024.
Malmö Stadsteater has reopened following a five-year refurbishment by Haworth Tompkins architects and White Arkitekter. The project, for the Malmö Stadsteater team and Malmö City Council, will welcome new audiences and communities into the 120 year old former circus venue. A refurbished flexible format auditorium creates an intimate performance space with potential for boundless theatrical creativity. The auditorium is connected to the street by a new link building that part-covers an existing courtyard providing an informal events space as well as an inviting route between a new theatre street entrance, café & workshop space and the refurbished theatre foyers.
The new Architecture + Urbanism (A+U) Framework has been announced by The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. It's organised into ten different categories and Haworth Tompkins has been selected for three of these: 05 Civic, Cultural & Social Infrastructure, 06 Commercial, Workspace & Industrial and 08 Housing & Mixed Use. All successful suppliers were assessed across a two-stage procurement process to ensure their suitability.
Haworth Tompkins has completed Lightroom, a new immersive venue in London’s Kings Cross for London Theatre Company and performance design specialists 59 Productions. Envisaged as a sister space to the Bridge Theatre, Lightroom is capable both of exhibiting and provoking innovative digital work. The opening show is David Hockney's Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) which is on until June.
Our major restoration of the Grade I listed Theatre Royal Drury Lane has been shortlisted for a RIBA London Regional Award. The project, for LW Theatres, involved seven years of painstaking research, analysis, design and craftsmanship to bring London’s grandest venue gloriously back to life. The jury will visit all the shortlisted projects later this month before announcing the winners in May.
Open Door 2022, an exhibition featuring the Grade I Listed Bristol Old Vic, is now open in Shanghai until 14 March 2023. Hosted by RIBA, British Council, and the URBANCROSS Gallery, the showcase displays a series of outstanding conservation projects from the UK and mainland China. The projects, divided into 20th century buildings and those built before 1901, exemplify how architects can address sensitive cultural heritage and sustainability issues while preserving our existing environment. Details about Open Door can be found here, and you can watch the exhibition video about our work in Bristol here.
Today marks the release of The Deck Access Housing Design Guide by Rory Olcayto and Andrew Beharrell. Focusing on the contemporary use of deck access housing it shares practical guidance, provides in-depth case studies, and presents historical context on this evolving housing type. Silchester, our major urban regeneration for Peabody in west London, is featured amongst the selection of contemporary housing in the UK and throughout mainland Europe, along with projects by Pollard Thomas Edwards, Maccreanor Lavington, Levitt Bernstein and many more.
Plans for the transformation of Smithfield Birmingham have been submitted for planning approval, following an extensive consultation on the proposals. The regeneration of Smithfield, an area in Birmingham city centre known for its rich trading history, is a joint venture between Birmingham City Council and Lendlease and we have been working with them both on one of the plots within the Prior and Partners masterplan. A decision on the planning submission is expected in 2023 and, if approved, construction on site would begin later this year.