Archinect - News

Rowan Moore picks his favorite UK projects for 2022

2022-12-30T15:22:00-05:00

Playful, elegant additions to universities and colleges were the class acts to follow, while the newly opened Elizabeth line exceeded all design expectations.

Grimshaw’s long-awaited Elizabeth Line finished second (behind Grafton’s Marshall Building for the LSE). Moore said: “The Elizabeth line, when it finally opened in May, revealed an alternative universe of underground railway travel where everything is bigger, brighter and swisher. This is due to the sheer scale of the stations and to their design – unified and orderly but also curvaceous and a touch baroque.”

Notably absent were any projects by the new Soane Medal winner Peter Barber, any other social housing projects, or the Stirling Prize-winning The New Library, Magdalene College from Niall McLaughlin. The Guardian critic did say he admired Theaster Gates’ community building-inspired Serpentine Pavilion, adding that the all-black design “nicely captured shadow and light and views of surrounding greenery.”

Grimshaw will deliver a new production studio campus to Downtown LA's Arts District

2022-08-29T12:14:00-04:00

Grimshaw has revealed its design for a new 16-studio production campus to be located in Downtown LA’s Arts District.

The project will transform a disused 15-acre industrial site that was recently purchased by East End Studios. According to Urbanize LA, the site will also include four office buildings totaling 292,000 square feet, another 106,000 square feet of production spaces in addition to the total 321,000 square feet of studios, and below-ground parking that will allow for 1,327 vehicles daily. In addition to Grimshaw, Studio-MLA has been attached to provide a landscaped connection to the intersection of 6th and Alameda streets, with a new open public space sited along Mill Street to the eastern side of the new “campus on top” studios.

Image courtesy Grimshaw

“By taking a vertical approach to the campus design, we free up valuable land area for larger studios and base camps while also creating better pedestrian and vehicular circulation between the soundstages and creative work...

Grimshaw and Arup unveil designs for their massive Union Station revamp in D.C.

2022-07-26T18:35:00-04:00

A short month removed from its last update on the $10 billion project, Grimshaw Architects has unveiled renderings for the expansion of Union Station in Washington, D.C. that provide a clearer picture of how the revised plan will take shape over the coming two decades.

At the center of the design is the new train concourse defined by a clear-span roof canopy and beset with a series of skylight features lying directly north of the existing Beaux-Arts hall from 1907. Much of that original structure has been left untouched, while transportation upgrades are present in the form of expanded rail platforms, an elevated and greenery-lined new drop-off area, and new entry portals that alleviate crowding from the Columbus Circle side while allowing access to the nearby H Street corridor.

Image courtesy Federal Railroad Administration via U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

Image courtesy Federal Railroad Administration v...

Grimshaw announces new foundation aimed at inclusivity, youth engagement

2022-07-12T06:00:00-04:00

The new charitable arm of Grimshaw Architects has been announced by its founder at an event held last week at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

The newly-formed Grimshaw Foundation is aimed at promoting inclusivity and will serve a broader purpose to “engage and encourage young people to discover the value of creativity and the inspiration of art.”

Its genesis is the product of more than a year’s worth of coordination between Grimshaw founder Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, the firm’s leadership, and an advisory committee that includes Bartlett honorary professor Neil Pinder.

Grimshaw Foundation board of trustees. Image courtesy Grimshaw Foundation

Speaking in a press release last week, the 82-year-old Grimshaw outlined his goals for the new entity, saying “what the Foundation will do is enable young people, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, to experience the art of making and the making of art and introduce more opportunities and different career paths — opening up th...

Grimshaw reveals final designs for City Rail Link, New Zealand's largest ever infrastructure project

2022-06-10T16:29:00-04:00

Grimshaw has released the final designs for City Rail Link (CRL), the largest infrastructure project ever in New Zealand. Situated in Auckland, it includes three train stations, designed in collaboration with WSP as part of the Link Alliance, a consortium of seven companies delivering the main station and tunnels for the project. Upon completion, CRL will double the capacity of the city’s rail network and will serve as a powerful expression of Māori cultural heritage and history of Tāmaki Makaurau.

Te Wai Horotiu Station. Image render courtesy of Grimshaw.

CRL is New Zealand’s first completely underground railway line. It comprises a 2.14-mile twin-tunnel underground rail link up to 138 feet below Auckland’s city center. The project also includes the transformation of the Britomart Transport Center into a two-way through-station, the construction of two new underground stations, and a new interchange station.

Karanga a hape Station. Image render courtesy of Grimshaw.

The station desig...

'Architectural worker' Muyiwa Oki chosen to challenge for RIBA presidency

2022-05-06T14:59:00-04:00

Oki, a qualified architect at global construction company Mace, has been chosen by an informal collective of early-career architects, students and architectural activists keen to shake-up the institute and move it beyond ‘empty slogans and self-serving initiatives’.

The campaigning collective behind Muyiwa Oki’s nomination includes grassroots organization Future Architects Front (FAF), past and current RIBA Council members, and RIBA’s Future Architects members.

As previously reported by Archinect, the group announced in March its intentions to put forth a “drama-free RIBA president who enacts positive, ethical and progressive change” as well as someone who would better address issues such as employment rights and climate change. This, the collective believes, would come from an early-career architectural worker who is likely to be more active and connected to these concerns.

Previously on Archinect: A group of UK architects is pushing for youth movement at the top of RIBA’s leadership

Oki, who obtained his Bachelor and Master of Architecture from The University of Sheffield, with previous experience at Grimshaw, will challenge for the position left by current president Simon Allford when his term ends in 2023.

However, he still needs to acqui...

Grimshaw tapped to design first of four metaverse spaces for pax.world

2022-04-14T14:27:00-04:00

A noteworthy development in the expanding field of digital architecture as Grimshaw has been tapped to design their first-ever blockchain project for the forthcoming metaverse platform pax.world.

The endeavor will be the first of four ‘Metaserai’ metaverses that take their name from ancient trade-friendly roadside inns called Caravanserai which carry a symbolic significance to the platform’s digital commerce-oriented mission. In the quest for further development of its nascent 20,000-parcel footprint, pax.world will lean on Grimshaw’s long-established history of working on design’s cutting edge to attract prospective buyers as it begins the initial sale of land parcels ahead of an official public launch set for later this summer.

“From our founding, Grimshaw has led the design and architecture industry in the development of buildings that are adaptable, consider change, flexibility of use, and sustainable principles to extend their life and use,” Grimshaw Chairman Andrew Whalley sai...

New LAX Airport Metro Connector station expected to break ground this fall

2021-05-03T12:37:00-04:00

A vote taken last week by the Metro Board of Directors approved a nearly $900 million budget for the long-awaited rail link to LAX, setting the stage for work to begin for the new light rail station in coming months. The Airport Metro Connector, planned for a 9.5-acre site at the intersection of Aviation Boulevard and 96th Streets, will connect Metro's Crenshaw/LAX and Green (C) Lines with the airport's new automated people mover system.

Grimshaw Architects is in charge of the station's design. It will include: a 16-bay bus plaza with capacity for charging infrastructure, a multi-level active transportation and bike hub, a vehicle drop-off zone, a customer service center, public toilet facilities beyond the fare paid zone, commercial space, and a sculpture by Los Angeles artist Glenn Kaino.

Early site work for the Airport Metro Connector station is reportedly expected to begin in May. Following that, a full construction contract is scheduled to be granted in Summer 2021, which would allow for the station to officially break ground in the Fall.

Construction of the new station will likely overlap with the launch of the currently under-construction Crenshaw/LAX line. This would mark another setback for the line, which was originally expected to open in 2019.

The Airport Metro Connector station’s nearly $900 million budget is a more than $260 million increase from a previous estimate of $637 million. Construction of ...

Grimshaw's mangrove tree-inspired design proposal wins international Shenzhen airport and transport hub competition

2021-04-14T15:51:00-04:00

Grimshaw adds another transportation hub to their portfolio after being selected as winners of an international competition for Shenzhen Airport East Integrated Transport Hub. Sponsored by the China National Railway Corporation Limited and Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, the winning proposal answered the brief's call for "an aspirational vision to create an integrated intermodal transport hub to act as a new urban gateway and landmark for the Greater Bay Area."

Shenzhen Transportation Hub - "A design consortium led by Grimshaw, alongside Mott MacDonald, China Aviation Planning and Design Institute (AVIC CAPDI) and Beijing Urban Construction Design and Development Group (BJUCD) has been selected as the winner of an international competition for Shenzhen Airport East Integrated Transport Hub." Image and text courtesy of Grimshaw

Shenzhen transportation Hub. Image courtesy of Grimshaw

Aiding in the transportation of a thousand daily commuters, Grimshaw shares the proposal will p...

Grimshaw adds two new bridges in Amsterdam with an ecological design

2021-03-22T13:03:00-04:00

In 2001, Grimshaw Architects completed the Enneüs Heerma Bridge that connected the neighborhood of IJburg to Amsterdam. Twenty years later, the man-made archipelago of IJburg is about to receive two more bridges from the practice that will serve as a connection to Strandeiland, a future neighborhood of 8,000 dwellings and a beach stretching 750 meters.

View along the truss of the bridge © Grimshaw

Similar to the Enneüs Heerma Bridge, the two new bridges that are planned to span 60 meters and 90 meters will be held by continuous undulating steel trusses built on the theme of stones skipping over water. With the intention of the two new bridges being the main entry into Strandeiland, the arrival points were designed with two flexible use pavilions on the flanks of the bridges to offer space for commercial opportunities. To introduce light and the views of the water, voids were added on both the top and side of the central decks. The design of the pavilions was developed in collaboratio...

ZHA, Grimshaw, and other large firms pen open letter decrying issues with Revit

2020-07-27T19:49:00-04:00

Anyone who spends time working in Revit has surely experienced the common frustration of not being able to accomplish seemingly basic tasks without the need for some type of convoluted "workaround." Well, some of the leading BIM-forward architectural practices in the world, including Zaha Hadid Architects, Grimshaw, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, and others have finally had enough.

An open letter published by the trade publication AEC Magazine highlights these firms speaking out against a variety of issues, both with Revit software itself as well as with Autodesk's business and licensing practices. The letter, according to the magazine, represents an unprecedented effort, with AEC's editors writing "In the thirty years we have been following the AEC technology market and the 18 years in which AEC Magazine has been dedicated to the BIM process, we have never seen the likes of this — an open letter from a community of national and international design practices venting their angst ...

Grimshaw unveils design for new Santa Monica College arts complex

2020-06-05T12:27:00-04:00

Grimshaw, in collaboration with Little Diversified Architectural Consulting as architect of record has unveiled the initial designs of the new 21,000-square-foot arts complex for Santa Monica College (SMC) in Southern California. The building will replace an existing car park and serve as the western "gateway" for the school.

Grimshaw worked closely with SMC arts faculty to create an open program that encourages cross-disciplinary discovery and engagement. "Working alongside the arts faculty of SMC to design a building that bolsters their visionary take on the importance of the arts in an evolving entrepreneurial landscape has been inspiring and energizing," said Andrew Byrne, a Managing Partner at the Grimshaw LA studio in a statement. "We are excited to work with such a supportive college to create this landmark building for the community."

The design is composed of three distinctive volumes that are linked by overhead exterior shaded spaces. The external circulation of the comple...

New Miami Frost Science Museum faces lawsuit from contractor Skanska over unpaid bills

2018-04-25T16:14:00-04:00

The Frost Science Museum has been open for nearly a year, and it’s already been visited by almost 1 million people. But it’s not finished, and the nonprofit and the general contractor are fighting over who should pay to complete the work. The museum faces a lawsuit from its main contractor claiming the nonprofit unfairly held back payments and left construction work undone as budget strains forced it to cut costs in the final months of building the mostly tax-funded $300 million project [...].

"Frost is already in litigation with its original contractor, Suffolk Construction, which the museum fired in 2014, two years after starting one of the most complicated construction projects in the Southeast," the Miami Herald reports.

Grimshaw Architects designed the ambitious museum complex in downtown Miami after winning the architectural competition in 2007.

NY Governor Cuomo selects Mott MacDonald and Grimshaw-led team to implement $10-billion JFK Vision Plan

2017-09-25T13:26:00-04:00

[...] announced the Port Authority's selection of a Mott MacDonald-led consulting team [...] for the redevelopment of John F. Kennedy Airport. This announcement is the next major step in the Governor's plan to transform JFK Airport - which welcomes more international passengers to the United States than any other U.S. airport -- into a unified, world-class operation to accommodate substantial forecasted passenger growth, while helping to further boost the New York City regional economy.

Image via JFK Vision Plan

Without mentioning specific details at this point, the announcement from Governor Cuomo lays out the general scope of this ambitious airport redevelopment project based on the January report from the Airport Advisory Panel, including "the creation of a seamless, interconnected terminal system, world-class customer service, a vastly overhauled roadway access network to reduce time-consuming bottlenecks, enhancements to JFK AirTrain together with the expansion of rail mass transit with the focus on developing a one-seat ride to and from the airport, development of modern cargo facilities and improvements to aeronautical infrastructure."

Image via JFK Vision Plan

The Mott MacDonald and Grimshaw Architects-led team also includes a variety of expert firms such as TranSolutions, Harris Miller Miller & Hanson, VJ Associates, ACB Architects, EnTech Engineering, Naik Consulting, Reichman Frankle, and Holmes Keogh.

Brexit means Brexit: architects Rob Hyde, Katy Marks and Mark Middleton on how Brexit could change UK-architecture (and how architects could change Brexit), on Archinect Sessions #74

2016-07-28T18:18:00-04:00

We're now about a month past the UK's historic 'Brexit' vote to leave the European Union, and, well, lots has happened. David Cameron stepped down as Prime Minister, and was replaced two weeks ago by fellow Conservative, Theresa May. The economy has drastically slowed down as the value of the pound against the dollar dipped to historic lows, and while there's plenty of gloomy prospects, there are even more unknowns.

To check in on how UK architecture is getting on, and it's sights for a post-EU future, we are joined by architects Rob Hyde (principal lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture), Katy Marks (founder of Citizens Design Bureau), and Mark Middleton (partner at Grimshaw in London). We last spoke with Rob in our first Brexit check-in, "A Bit of Nervousness".

While the separation from the EU could be severe for UK architects—in particular its threat to the EU's "free movement" that entitles its members to live and work in any of its constituent countries—our guests were...

Grimshaw chosen to design Heathrow's new terminal

2016-07-20T11:48:00-04:00

Heathrow Airport has chosen Grimshaw to draw up concepts for a ’hub airport of the future’ as part of its ambitious £16 billion growth plans The practice, which saw off Zaha Hadid Architects, Benoy and HOK, was praised for ’pushing the boundary of what an airport could and should be’ and for showing ’how Heathrow could be expanded in a sustainable but affordable way’.

Grimshaw has been chosen to design a new terminal for London's Heathrow Airport. However, it remains up in the air wether the plans for a third runway will be given permission by the UK government. Many critics of Heathrow's expansion have been given top posts in Teresa May's new Cabinet, causing speculation that the expansion could be thwarted.

However, Head of Design at Heathrow, Barry Weekes maintained that “With the Concept Architect and Programme Client Partners now in place, we are now ready to begin the process of expansion once the Government makes the right choice for the whole of Britain.” Going further, Andrew Thomas, a partner at Grimshaw stated "We believe the expansion of Heathrow is vital to maintaining the UK’s place within the global economy". This announcement in the aftermath of Brexit is undoubtedly an attempt to solidify the case for Heathrow's expansion.

Read related articles on Archinect:

Creative Currency, post-Brexit: Mark Middleton of Grimshaw weighs the good...

Creative Currency, post-Brexit: Mark Middleton of Grimshaw weighs the good and bad for UK firms as split with EU looms, on One-to-One #30

2016-07-11T15:31:00-04:00

Mark Middleton, partner at Grimshaw in London, has been facing the Brexit decision's aftermath like many of his architecture-compatriots—with positive pragmatism. While prominent architecture and design professionals lent their support to the "Remain" campaign, they now have little choice but to #keepcalmandcarryon, while carefully reevaluating how ties with the European Union could affect business, as well as London as a design capital.

Middleton joined me on One-to-One to sort through the current mood for practitioners in the UK, and the effects Brexit could have on architecture projects and policy in the years to come.

Find more Brexit news here.

Listen to One-to-One #30 with Mark Middleton:

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Download: this episode

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Benoy Announced in Heathrow Shortlist for Terminal of the Future Expansion

2016-05-20T11:37:00-04:00

Benoy has been shortlisted along with three other British design firms including HOK, Grimshaw and Zaha Hadid to create a a new concept for the country's global gateway. The architects were asked by Heathrow to consider the purpose and potential of an airport with the resulting designs showcasing bold new strategies for a world class sustainable airport. The designs focus on innovative passenger experience and the integration of local communities.

Benoy Global Director Tom Cartledge commented on the appointment saying;

“The Aviation sector is incredibly exciting at the moment as we are rapidly evolving our expectations and imaginations of what an Airport represents. We are extremely honoured to be included in the shortlist and our concept has reimagined Heathrow as a ‘Destination’ in its own right, transforming the site to be at the forefront of the next generation of airports.”

Take a look at Benoy's design concept below:

Find relating articles here:

Future sustainable skyscrapers wi...

Grimshaw completes the nature-inspired Ecorium, their first project in Asia

2013-11-25T20:14:00-05:00

Grimshaw Architects recently announced the completion of the Ecorium at the National Ecology Center in Seocheon, South Korea -- making this the firm's first project in Asia.

The newly built ecological educational and research center gives visitors a first-hand experience to learn about the Earth's ecosystems all in one place.

Below are more details on the project:

"The project, which was secured through a turnkey design and build competition hosted by Korea’s Ministry of the Environment, uses nature as an immersive teaching tool to showcase the world’s diverse ecosystems. Grimshaw’s New York studio was appointed by Samsung Construction and worked alongside Samoo Architects and Engineers.

The project concept is inspired by the form of an oxbow lake, an aquatic body created by the evolving erosion of a meandering river. The masterplan guides the visitor flow through a series of botanical gardens and into Ecorium."

"Visitors travel through five biomes, seeing, hearing...

Grimshaw submits Development Application for landmark tower

2013-04-07T18:56:00-04:00

Grimshaw has submitted a Development Application on behalf of Parramatta City Council for a landmark mixed-use tower. The Aspire Tower emerged from a design excellence competition held by the Council and is set to establish a new benchmark for innovative, passive-environmental design in Australian high-rise developments. Designed to act as a catalyst project for Parramatta Square, the tower provides high density, urban residential living which is not only affordable but also sustainable.

As one of the tallest structures in Australia, the engineering of Aspire Tower consciously orientates itself to the wind and to sunlight. The highly adaptable facades accommodate all of the various planning arrangements of apartment type into a modular system. The tower’s striking sculptural form twists upwards from its Church Street alignment to maximise the capture of the sun, the breeze and northern views for its residents.

The accommodation within the tower is situated in two east an...

Cutty Sark wins award as worst new building in Britain

2012-09-13T13:37:00-04:00

The architects, Grimshaw, have taken something delicate and beautiful and surrounded it with a building that looks like a 1980s bus station. Clumsy and ineptly detailed, their new glass greenhouse around the Cutty Sark totally ruins her thrilling lines, obscures much of her exquisite gilding and cynically forces anyone who actually wants to see her to pay their £12 and go inside.

Grimshaw unveils Manhattan project

2011-09-06T13:27:00-04:00

Grimshaw Architects has revealed designs for two Manhattan city “superblocks” as part of New York University’s city-wide development programme.