New City Architecture Awards Decision Day

The Winners of the Company's New City Architecture Awards for 2011 were announced and certificates presentedby Sheriff Wendy Mead at the Livery Banquet on Wednesday 14 March.The short listed buildings can be viewed on an earlier post.

The assessors (pictured below sans Clerk) were The Master - Michael Wilkey; The Renter Warden, Jaki Howes; Paul Finch OBE (Chairman); Liveryman Barry Munday, Alex Scott-Whitby (student representative) and the Clerk, David Cole-Adams

The assessors' report is as follows:

Unusually, the weather was fine for the Assessment tour and the jury marked this singular event by deciding unanimously that two buildings should be joint winners of the New City Architecture Award for 2011 – an award given for the best work of architecture in the City of London completed free of planning conditions in the qualifying year. This was not as a result of an inability to make a decision, but for positive reasons related to the qualities and characteristics of the architecture.

The jury has picked buildings that both respond to Wren, that are both office-led developments, but which then differ utterly in the contributions they make to City life. By coincidence, both have lead architects from outside the UK, working in the City for the first time. This is further evidence of the global nature of the Square Mile.

The two could scarcely be more different in terms of the challenges they presented to the architects in terms of programme and site. Each contributes to the evolving nature of the City of London, and each has been the subject of some controversy, especially in the pre-planning phase. As built, they both bring positive elements to the City and are worthy joint winners.

One New Change, designed by Atelier Jean Nouvel with executive architects Siddell Gibson, is on a hugely sensitive site opposite St Paul's Cathedral. The architects have managed to deliver a thoroughly contemporary piece of architecture which nevertheless respects its historic neighbour, not least by providing wonderful views both from ground and roof level.

 

The creation of arcades within the development gives urban grain to what might otherwise have seemed a relentless block. This is particularly true of the Cheapside elevation, where the glazed facade is not only broken to create a route into the scheme, but is also given visual variety by use of fritting, and angled canopy panels reflecting the tops of the buildings opposite.

This is an excellent example of how an office development, by including a substantial retail element, can bring activity to the street and life to the area for workers, visitors and residents alike.

The Award recipients were Kiran Pawar of Owners Land Securities, Hala Wardé of concept architects Atelier Jean Nouvel (seen right receiving her certificate from the Sheriff and Master), Ron Sidell of executive architects Sidell Gibson and Phil Clarke of Management Contractors Lend Lease .

 The other winner - New Court, Rothschild's new home in St Swithin's Lane, is designed by OMA with executive architects Allies & Morrison. It is located on a very tight site with one of the city's narrower lanes providing access. In order to provide sufficient space not merely for staff offices but also for the Rothschild archive, housed at ground level, the architects have produced a modest tower with stacked 'boxes' emerging on the City skyline. This is uncompromising and refined architecture which has created a striking landmark.

In some ways, however, the ground treatment is even more important. Here the building opens up to reveal the rear of Wren's St Stephen Walbrook, and its beautifully restored garden. What might have been a fortress has provided a new City gem. 

Sadly Tony Chapman of owners Rothschild Bank was unable to be present but Ellen van Loon of OMA (shown left), Andrew Dean of Allies and Morrison and James Pearce of Lend Lease collected their respective certificates.

Arrangements will be made for the Award plaques to be fixed to the buildings in due course and for them to be unveiled by the Lord Mayor.

The Company at Haberdashers' Hall

A significant number of members of the Company find Haberdashers' Hall - a Michael Hopkins building which was the winner of the New City Architecture Award some years back - an agreeable place in which to hold the Annual Livery Banquet. This ensured that there was virtually a full house for this year's event on Wednesday 14 March.

The Master hosted our official guests - Sheriff Wendy Mead and Mr Robert Tipping, Sir David Brewer CMG and Lady Brewer and the Master of the Fletchers' Company (our own Senior Past Master Deputy John Owen-Ward MBE), the Prime Warden of the Basketmakers' Company (Deputy John Barker OBE) and the Master Furniture Maker Hugh Garforth-Bles and their respective ladies. The York Guild of Building was represented by Past Master and Clerk Steve Bielby.

pictured (from left) The Clerk, David Cole-Adams; Upper Warden Dr Mervyn Miller and Mrs Ann Yorke; Mr Robert Tipping; Lady Brewer; Sheriff Wendy Mead CC; The Master, Michael Wilkey; Sir David Brewer; Mrs Susan Wilkey; Renter Warden Mrs Jaki Howes; Honorary Chaplain Rev Canon David Parrott; Junior Warden Dr Geoffrey Purves and Mrs Ann Purves.

In her response to the Civic toast The Sheriff  passed on greetings from the Lord Mayor who was currently abroad on City and national busuiness and drew attention to the role played by the Company in helping to improve the environment of the City. She congratulated those who were about to be revealed as the wnners  of the New City Architecture Awards for 2011.

Sir David Brewer, in responding to the toast to the guests, put in a serious plug for support for the development of the new premises being developed for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at Milton Court. The Master is seeking to encourage members of theCompany to contribute to an appeal he has launched in support of the School.

The conclusion of the evening was the presentation by The Sheriff and Master of the New City Architecture Award Certificates for 2011 to the owners, architects and main contractors of New Court, St Swithin's Lane (the new Rothschild Bank Headquarters) and One New Change. Further details of these awards will be included in a the next post.

It's all part of the Master's Lot

On the day on which the London Evening Standard reported a further lapse in the behaviour of  the nation's Members of Parliament (some were caught cheating in the annual pancake race between the elected members, the House of Lords and the Parliamentary press corps), The Master, pictured above, took part yesterday in what is becoming an established City Tradition - The Guildyard Yard Pancake Race Meeting. This is organized by the Poulters' Company in conjunction with The Cook and the Butler caterers with races being held in different categories - Masters, Liverymen, Ladies and a fancy dress event. You could be forgiven for thinking that the Masters pictured were in the latter category.

I won't bore you with the rules - suffice it to say that special hats, gloves (health and safety considerations) and aprons have to be worn as do Masters Gowns and badges. A predetermined amount of tossing is required and, should you drop the pancake, you either beat it to the ground (as my old school cadet Sergeant Major used to say about dropped rifles) or you suffer penalty point deductions.

I would like to report that, while the Master looks as though he was behind at this stage, he came through to breast the tape in record time. Sadly not. Still, as we should know in this Olympic year, the Corinthian ideal is of paramount importance. Ther's always next year.

New City Architecture Award for 2011

At its main Livery Dinner in March the Company will announce the winner of its coveted New City Architecture Award for 2011. The eligible buildings / works of architecture are those which have been completed free of planning conditions in the year to 30 September 2011. The award is made specifically to the building which, in the opinion of the judges, makes the most significant contribution to the street scape and skyscape of the City of London.

The assessors this year were Paul Finch OBE (Chairman), Michael Wilkey (the Master), Jaki Howes (The Renter Warden), Barry Munday (Court Assistant) and Alex Scott-Whitby (Student Member of the Company). They were assisted by the Clerk, David Cole-Adams, who led the way and organized the necessary food and beverage stops. By way of showing that they took their task seriously regardless of the weather they are depicted alongside rugged up against the unseasonal weather.

There were four buildings on the shortlist:

One New Change, London EC4

New retail and office complex

Architects: Atelier Jean Nouvel (Concept) and Sidell Gibson Architects (Delivery)

Building Owner: Land Securities

Main Contractor: Lend Lease

1 Bartholomew Lane, London EC2

New offices  behind a part retained part new facade

Architects: Sidell Gibson Architects

Building Owner: Hines UK

Main Contractor: Balfour Beatty

Mint Hotel, Pepys Street, London EC3

new hotel building

Architects: Bennetts Associates

Developer: Mint Hotel Group

Main Contractor: Laing O'Rourke

New Court, St Swithins Lane, London EC4

New headquarters building for NM Rothschild & Sons

Architects: OMA (concept) and Allies & Morrison (delivery and fitout)

Building Owner: Rothschild

Main Contractor: Bovis Lend Lease








As noted above, the Assessors decision will be made known on Wednesday 14 March - watch this space and feel free to register your comments on the likely or your preferred outcome.

Court Rooms and culinary confusion

 

The Company's New Year Year Court was held at Bakers' Hall yesterday - the first time the Company had visited this particular venue. The building, the fourth or fifth owned by the Company on the site was completed in 1963 after its predecessor was seen off by the Luftwaffe in 1944. Its design - both external and internal - is typical of the times. The Hall itself features some stained glass panels from the studio of John Piper which portray a graphic image of the various fires which destroyed the previous halls. 

The Court Room (shown below left) followed the form of what was the accepted norm for the design of such chambers set down centuries ago. To the best knowledge of the Clerk there is only one other of this type in the City - that found in its original form in Tallow Chandlers' Hall.

This particular room was a trifle disconcerting  for both Master and Clerk with the latter sitting with his back resolutely to the Master during the entire proceedings. It might be appropriate to offer a small prize for the best bubble caption that can be applied to this photograph.

Among the more normal business of the Court, Yasmin Shariff was admitted to the Livery, and Kent Jackson - a senior Director of Skidmore Owings and Merrill's London Office and Christopher Dyson - principal in his own Spittalfields based practice - were admitted to the Freedom of the Company. 

A new Student member was also admitted to the Company. Naveen Anandakumar was indentured for the period of his studentship to Chartered Architect and Citizen of London Mrs Anne Markey. The admission is based on the City of London's traditional Binding of Apprentices.

Naveen is the most recent of 17 current Apprentices / Students; all will, hopefully go on to become Freemen and Liverymen when they have satisfied their respective Part 3 examiners on completion of their studies. A number of their predecessors have already taken this step.

The culinary confusion referred to above relates to the decision that the meal should take the form of a buffet first course followed by a dessert. This was done as something of an experiment to see if the cost benefit of such an arrangement and the consequent lower ticket price would encourage greater attendance. It did - numbers were 50% up on those for the previous couple of years at this function.The jury is out on whether a significant majority approved of the arrangements. Many seemed to have done, some did not. Watch this space.