5th Studio

Ideas for Waterloo Place
5/07/10

5th Studio were invited to take part in a charrette for improving Waterloo Place, St James's as part of the London Festival of Architecture.

Nash's route was created at the dawn of the English industrial revolution; we became interested in exploring what changes could be imminent for London, and what systems might emerge to address those changes. Water seems likely to become one the key dramas affecting our cities over the next century. Our proposal is to expose latent water topographies and create new ones: Waterloo Place is excavated to the level of the Mall to create a great cistern with a volume of ten olympic swimming pools. The cistern is used to control water in various ways through the year. As with all good systems, this new structure offer many possibilities to occupy and enjoy as a useful bits of urban fabric through the seasons (Autumn illustrated). Read the write up here.

Wood Awards Shortlist
22/06/10

Garden Court, 5th Studio's graduate hostel for St Catharine's College Cambridge, has been shortlisted for The Wood Awards 2010. Now in its eighth year, the Wood Awards is the most respected award for building and design in wood. See the details here.

Fatwalk is Go
22/06/10

The first phase of the Fatwalk has received unanimous planning approval from the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation. The Fatwalk is the primary project in the realisation of the Lea River Park: it will create a public landscape between the Thames and the Olympic Park.
Peter Bishop, LDA Deputy Chief Executive said:
“With planning permission, the work on the Fatwalk can now go ahead and we can see the planned Lea River Park start to take shape. The Lea River Park is part of our plans to build a lasting Olympic legacy in east London before the 2012 games. It will draw on the Lower Lea Valley’s industrial landscape and heritage and be a central part of the area’s regeneration.”

You can find out more about the project at the London Festival of Architecture event on 27 June.

Thirteen and an Award
20/05/10

5th Studio celebrate their 13th birthday with an RIBA Award win for Creative Exchange in St Neots, Cambridgeshire.

The judges' citation reads:

This is an extraordinary and intriguing building and an entirely appropriate response to the issues of business development in the rural context of Cambridgeshire.

The building form is complex. Each floorplate and each elevation creates a distinct 'place' for a small business.The experience is of an exhilarating tree house where the occupants look down on the school-children rushing to and from school.

The choice of materials and fixings is strongly influenced by the budget but also displays a touch of 'Hoxton chic' with experimental choices of materials such as structural glass, second hand plywood linings and face-fixed services. The energy strategy has surprising innovations like a buried earth pipe that provides cooled or warmed air, thus reducing energy costs.

Mayor's Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
10/05/10

As LDA Design Advisors, 5th Studio have commented on the Mayor's draft Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for London. The draft strategy is available here. We would be interested to hear any comments you might have on the document with respect to how it affects the design of the city.