News
19 April 2013
The Hive Wins Sustainable Project of the Year at Building Awards
The Hive in Worcester took home Sustainable Project of the Year at last night's Building Awards, adding to its CIBSE Award for Best New Project.
Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Max Fordham, the Hive is the first fully integrated university and public library in the UK. The project achieved the highest ever BREEAM score, an 'Outstanding' rating, for a library building.
The Awards, which took place at Grovesno…
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26 March 2013
SERVICES FOCUS: SOFT LANDINGS
A straw poll of the construction industry shows that Soft Landings is yet to become a familiar term. Among those who have heard of it, the general perception is that it involves enhanced handover and post occupancy evaluation. Indeed, the name draws people to the “landing” or handover part of a project.But the seeds for a Soft Landing are sown during the earliest days of a project. By involving building users and managers during briefing and conceptual design stages, the design is…
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26 March 2013
SERVICES FOCUS: SOFT LANDINGS
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19 March 2013
Max Fordham rebrand wins Gold at 2013 Transform Awards
Max Fordham and design agency David Carroll & Co scooped the gold for Best Creative Strategy at last night’s 2013 Transform Awards, held at The Brewery in London.The Awards, established by Communicate magazine, recognise excellence in rebranding, repositioning and brand transformation.‘It’s very satisfying to be recognised at this year’s Transform Awards,’ noted Guy Nevill, Senior Partner at Max Fordham. ‘We rebranded the Practice after the economic…
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6 February 2013
MAX FORDHAM MAKES IT TWO FROM TWO AT CIBSE AWARDS
For the second year running, Max Fordham has won the Best New Build Project (over £5million) Award at the CIBSE Building Perfomance Awards. The Hive, a fully integrated public and university library in Worcester, was awarded the accolade against some stiff competition that included the World Architecture Festival Building of the Year, the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. The distinctive, gold-capped Hive library drew praise from the judges as 'an excellent example of…
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25 January 2013
LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL REFURB CLEARS ANOTHER HURDLE
The proposed refurbishment of the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall has moved a step closer following its application for funds from Arts Council England’s (ACE) large capital grants programme.The application has successfully moved to stage two consideration from ACE, where the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic will submit detailed design and development plans. Max Fordham forms part of the design team with lead architect Caruso St. John.ACE has proposed a contribution of up to £7.5 million…
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10 December 2012
Greening the Desert
The Sahara Forest Project (SFP) Pilot Plant, a scheme to convert arid desert into fertile land using existing technology, has harvested its first test crop. The project is a multi-national collaboration between a number of designers and technologists, with engineering provided by the Practice. From early feasibility studies to greenhouse cooling design, we have been central to the development of the project.Bill Watts, a Senior Partner at Max Fordham and co-Founder of SFP, says the…
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16 October 2012
Max Fordham wins CIBSE Employer of the Year 2012
Max Fordham has been announced winner of the CIBSE Employer of the Year for medium-sized practices in 2012. Senior Partner, Alasdair Reid accepted the award on behalf of the practice at the annual ceremony, hosted at the headquarters of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in Westminster.The criteria for the CIBSE Employer of the Year focuses largely on the encouragement and development of young engineers. Max Fordham’s in-house training, dedication to mentoring, knowledge-sharing and…
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26 July 2012
Hive Library Breaks BREEAM Record!
The Hive in Worcester has scored the highest ever BREEAM Rating for a public library.The distinctive, gold-capped building registered a score of 86.4% on the scale created by the UK Building Research Establishment for best practice in sustainable design.Designed by FCBStudios with Max Fordham, the building's environmental features include biomass boilers, passive ventilation systems, high levels of internal daylight, rainwater recycling and a river-water cooling system connected to the…
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13 July 2012
What's the Buzz? The Queen opens the Hive in Worcester
The Queen has visited Worcester to officially open the Hive to the public. Inclement weather was no discouragement to hundreds who lined the streets to catch a glimpse of Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh.The Hive is a fully integrated university and public library, with a history centre, archive and council offices, located on the banks of the Severn River. Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios with Max Fordham, the distinctive, gold-capped building has quickly become a local…
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5 July 2012
Max Fordham Knows Sustainability
We have expanded even more of our website. The sections for our specialist services, specifically those relating to our work in the realm of sustainability, have undergone a complete transformation.The newly enhanced services include:Soft LandingsPlanning GuidanceSustainability ConsultancySustainable Masterplanning AdviceBREEAM & LEED AssessmentEach of these services is now presented in a more comprehensive manner, featuring a Details section to articulate our approach for the full range of…
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29 June 2012
The Hive achieves BREEAM Outstanding!
Today The Hive in Worcester has been awarded the BREEAM Outstanding rating with a score of 86.4%.This is the second Max Fordham project to achieve the rating, which is the highest environmental standard for best practice in sustainable design from the UK Building Research Establishment. The building has also achieved a 50% reduction in carbon emissions below Building Regulations.The Hive is a new, fully integrated, joint library for Worcestershire County Council and University. It will also…
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21 June 2012
Max Fordham reigns strong at RIBA Awards
Almost a fifth of the 50 RIBA National Award winners last night were Max Fordham projects.Our nine recognised UK projects have now gained a place on the Stirling Prize longlist.These include:• The Triangle; • Royal Veterinary College; • St Paul’s Church, Hammersmith; • Brentwood School; • Brockholes Visitors Centre; • Henrietta Barnett School; • Toffee Factory;• National Museum of…
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18 June 2012
Dr Neil Smith becomes Senior Partner
Dr Neil Smith has been appointed Senior Partner at Max Fordham, joining the 14 existing Senior Partners leading the practice.Neil has been with Max Fordham for 12 years, heading up the teams delivering the practice’s major overseas projects, including the MAXXI Contemporary Art Gallery in Rome and the iconic high-speed railway station in Naples.Senior Partners are responsible for setting the vision for Max Fordham’s future. This vision then informs the decisions of the Management…
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7 June 2012
Max Fordham gets good odds for 2012 BCI Awards
Max Fordham projects are strongly represented in the running for this year’s British Construction Industry Awards. In the Building Project of the Year (£3m - £50m) category, four of the nine shortlisted projects had their Building Services designed by Max Fordham. They are:The Hub, Coventry UniversityNew Marlowe Theatre, CanterburyBrockholes Visitor Centre, PrestonNational Museum of Scotland, EdinburghThe BCI Awards form the platform from which nominees for the Prime…
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4 May 2012
London 2012 Water Polo opens with smashing test event
The Water Polo Arena at Olympic Park has hosted the opening game of the Visa Water Polo Invitational test event, with the Australian women's water polo team defeating hosts Great Britain.The venue has received some great feedback from visitors and players alike.The BBC reported that Great Britain goalkeeper Rosie Morris enjoyed her first experience of the Olympic Arena, saying, "It was absolutely incredible - the crowd were so noisy and the pool felt great. Every time I made a…
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30 April 2012
Max Fordham cleans up at the RICS North East Awards
Max Fordham projects were unstoppable at the RICS North East Renaissance Awards last Friday night, scooping three awards, including Project of the Year, and two commendations.The Toffee Factory - a sweet factory converted into offices for the Ouseburn creative community - was the night's big winner, taking home the Project of the Year Award.The project also won the Regeneration Award and was awarded commendations for the Design and Innovation and Commercial category.And the funky…
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19 April 2012
Brockholes wins Building Magazine Sustainable Project of the Year
Brockholes Visitors Centre took home Sustainable Project of the Year at last night's Building Awards, adding a fifth gong to the trophy cabinet.The project, by Adam Khan Architects and Max Fordham, is suspended on a large pontoon designed to provide flood protection and has also won BREEAM Outstanding.The Awards, which took place at Grovesnor House, salute the best-in-class companies and projects from right across the Built Environment.Max Fordham was also shortlisted for Consultancy of the…
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3 April 2012
Sounds like our Acoustics section has expanded!
Our Acoustic Team have launched an expanded website section, which has just gone live!The section better explains how we deliver outstanding acoustic environments and details the different services offered by the Team.It also features biographies from the Team and case studies to explain how these services delivered results on real life projects.Take a look at the website pages here.…
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29 March 2012
PLENTY OF ROOM AT THE INN
The New Inn Visitor Centre for the renowned landscape gardens at Stowe had its grand opening last week.Acquired by the National Trust in the 1980s, the New Inn was built in the 17th Century to provide accommodation for visitors to the Gardens. Following a programme of restoration to the Gardens, New Inn has undergone a dramatic restoration and reconstruction led by Cowper Griffith Associates.The design has transformed the existing buildings and seen a contemporary reinterpretation of the…
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19 March 2012
Max Fordham trio takes on Ecobuild
Three Max Fordham speakers will be taking the stage tomorrow at Ecobuild, the UK's largest construction event.Both Senior Partner Guy Nevill and Sustainability Expert Bill Gething will be presenting in the Sustainable Architecture & Design seminar stream. Head Electrical Engineer Rupert Lodge will speak in the Energy and Innovation in Buildings seminar stream. 12.30pm - Bill Gething Presenting the “green overlay” to the RIBA plan of work3.10pm - Guy Nevill and Matt…
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9 March 2012
Max Fordham double in the Top 50 Green Leaders
Two of Max Fordham's own were recognised for their sustainability achievements in today's BD Top 50 Green Leaders list.Founding Partner Max Fordham made the top ten, reaching ninth spot, while sustainability expert Bill Gething hit number 31.BD’s inaugural list features the 50 most influential people in UK sustainability, from a range of careers including politicians, scientists, campaigners, developers, architects and engineers.The greatest weight was given to people who are…
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5 March 2012
Max Fordham projects clean up at the Civic Trust Awards
All four Max Fordham projects submitted for the Civic Trust Awards took home a gong last Friday in a ceremony at The Hub in Edinburgh. The Brockholes Visitor Centre and National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, both bagged Special Awards, while Corby Cube and The Triangle were awarded Commendations.Brockholes Visitor Centre won the Special Award for Sustainability, recognising its excellent sustainability credentials in terms of overall design parameters, material selection, construction…
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27 February 2012
Sahara Forest Project takes root in the sand
A Pilot Plant for the Sahara Forest Project, a scheme to turn arid desert areas into fertile land, will now be built in Qatar, thanks to a cooperation agreement signed today.The Sahara Forest Project AS signed the agreement with Yara International ASA and the Qatar Fertiliser Company, Qafco, who will fund the estimated US$5.3 million project on one-hectare of land inside the Qafco 5 site in Qatar.The Plant is expected to be fully operational by December 2012.Sahara Forest Project Partner Bill…
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16 February 2012
Shortlisted for Building's Engineering Consultant of the year
Max Fordham is one of six finalists in the engineering Consultant of the Year category for the 2012 Building Awards.The Building Awards - run by Building magazine - recognise outstanding achievement in the UK construction industry.Two Max Fordham projects have also been shortlisted.In the Housing Project of the year category, The Triangle, Swindon has made the final list. The Brockholes Wetland Nature Reserve Visitor Centre in Preston has been shortlisted in the Sustainability Project of the…
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9 February 2012
Max Fordham the big winners at 2012 CIBSE Awards
Max Fordham scooped the New Build categories at last night's 2012 CIBSE Awards. The practice was recognised for an outstanding year, winning the Best New Build (Public) prize for John Hope Gateway in Edinburgh, and the Best New Build (Private) for the Brockholes Visitor Centre in Preston.The Awards judges noted the innovative engineering in both winning projects. The John Hope Gateway building at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh drew praise for how it 'clearly delivered a building…
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7 February 2012
Ink dries on Central Bank of Iraq contract
Max Fordham are now officially part of the Central Bank of Iraq Headquarters design team, after signing the contract in a ceremony at the V&A Museum last week. The $550M project, led by Zaha Hadid Architects, will see the construction of the Bank’s new headquarters on the River Tigris in Baghdad, which takes a major step forward in modernising the institution. In one of their largest projects to date, Max Fordham will provide mechanical and electrical design, architectural…
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17 January 2012
Max Fordham projects shortlisted for Civic Trust Awards
The building industry award season is in full swing, and Max Fordham projects have proven their prowess again, with four shortlisted Civic Trust Awards.This follows Max Fordham being shortlisted for four CIBSE Building Performance Awards in December.Projects on the Civic Trust Awards shortlists include:National Museum of Scotland Brockholes Visitors Centre Corby Cube The Triangle For more information on our range of projects take a look here. Winners will be announced at The…
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10 January 2012
Sustainability expert Bill Gething joins forces with Max Fordham
Sustainability expert Bill Gething is collaborating with Max Fordham to develop the work of its growing sustainability consultancy team. Gething, a former partner of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, is an internationally renowned communicator of sustainability in architecture and also a visiting Professor at the University of Bath."The role feels like the natural progression of a 15-year personal association with Max Fordham" said Gething. Gething is helping widen the…
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20 December 2011
A Room for London has landed! Get in quick to stay aboard
A Room for London has landed on the Queen Elizabeth Hall's roof at the Southbank Centre.The one-bedroom boat, for which Max Fordham designed the mechanical and electrical services, has been lifted to its perch and will be ready for its first visitors before the year is out.Overnight stays at the venue are expected to sell-out when tickets go on sale in January, following a massive response for the first half of 2012. A Room for London booked out immediately for dates in…
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12 December 2011
Victory in a Bottle rolls on
After 18 months on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, Yinka Shonibare’s scale model of Nelson’s HMS Victory in a Bottle is moving to a new home.The British artist’s work will be removed from Trafalgar Square in January, before being moved to its permanent location outside the new wing at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, providing enough funds can be raised.With the bottle exposed to all seasons at its original home in central London, Max Fordham was…
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5 December 2011
Max Fordham features on Kevin's Grand Design
Max Fordham’s work has made it to the small screen, thanks to Kevin’s Grand Design airing on Channel Four on Thursday 8 December.The show follows the development of The Triangle, a social housing project by architect Glenn Howells for Kevin McCloud’s development company HAB Oakus.We were brought on-board the design team to help deliver homes which are comfortable, desirable and have low carbon emissions. As building services and environmental engineers on the project, we…
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18 November 2011
Royal Museum of Scotland wins RIAS Doolan Award
The Royal Museum of Scotland took home the UK’S largest architecture gong last night, being named “Best Building in Scotland” at the RIAS in Scotland Doolan Awards.The recently completed refurbishment was chosen from 13 shortlisted projects.Max Fordham worked on the mechanical and electrical service design, focusing on minimising energy consumption without compromising the Museum’s needs or the historic fabric of this Grade-A listed Victorian building.Close-controlled…
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22 July 2011
BREEAM Excellent for The Hub, Coventry University
The Hub, a mixed use Student Centre at Coventry University has been certified at BREEAM Excellent.It scored particularly well in most of the credit areas, including in the Management, Health and Wellbeing, Energy, Water, Land Use and Ecology and Pollution.We provided M+E engineering and Acoustics on the project by Hawkins Brown, including:using borehole water as the heat rejection medium for the central cooling plant;specifying 70m2 solar thermal collectors for hot water;designing the natural…
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19 May 2011
Max Fordham Projects win big at RIBA and RICS Awards
Eight different Max Fordham projects have won regional RIBA Awards and RICS Awards in the last week.Max Fordham projects triumphed at the RIBA Awards, with seven of its projects winning their regions, each securing a spot on the longlist for the 2011 RIBA Stirling Prize.A complete list of our winners is below featuring different projects across the cultural, education and workspace sectors.Six of the total 97 buildings honoured will be chosen for the 2011 Stirling Prize shortlist, with the Prize…
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14 April 2011
London Library celebrates AIA UK award win
The London Library took out the Best Refurbishment category at the prestigious American Institute of Architects UK Excellence in Design Awards last night.The awards, which received nearly 40 entries this year, are highly valued by architects, because they offer trans-Atlantic recognition to entries sought from architects throughout the world for built projects in the UK. The jury, which included RIBA president Ruth Reed and AIA UK President Elizabeth Waters, said they had a real challenge…
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29 March 2011
Cambridge’s best new building is Trinity Hall Wychfield
Trinity Hall Wychfield won the David Urwin Award, recognising it as the Best New Building in Cambridge in five years by the Cambridge City Council.The judges were impressed with the buildings’ design, materials used and landscaping of the grounds, which they felt all contribute to the scheme's success.Max Fordham are pleased to be part of the design team, having helped design and deliver the efficient, low energy buildings, which includes 150 undergraduate rooms, 11 graduate flats,…
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1 March 2011
Max Fordham trades ideas at MIPIM
Max Fordham LLP is heading to MIPIM 2011! We’re taking the opportunity to talk with the industry’s leading thinkers about a subject close to the heart of engineers at Max Fordham – the value of engineers working collaboratively as part of the building design team from an early stage.Senior Partners Henry Luker and Adam Ritchie will be proponents of this approach at a round table discussion hosted by Paul Finch and The Architect’s Journal. Other attendees include…
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17 January 2011
Sahara Forest Project lands in Jordan
The Sahara Forest Project has taken a step closer to reality, with the project team signing a land-use agreement to develop a pilot system on 200,000sqm of land in Aqaba, Jordan. The project will now move onto the next three development stages; in-depth studies throughout 2011, construction of a Demonstration Centre, expected to start in 2012, and commercial-scale development beginning in 2015.Max Fordham LLP, which contributed to the initial feasibility and climate studies, will continue…
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10 January 2011
Brockholes wins BREEAM Outstanding
In a Max Fordham project first, the Brockholes Visitors Centre has been awarded BREEAM Outstanding, the highest environmental standard for best practice in sustainable design from the UK Building Research Establishment.The project is zero-carbon both in use and production, with a preference for locally sourced, natural and recycled materials as well as on-site energy generation and waste treatment.Congratulations go to the project team, who won an international competition to design and build…
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17 December 2010
Max Fordham shines in BD’s World Architecture Top 100 survey
Max Fordham has been voted in the top three service engineers to work with by architecture practices surveyed in Building Design’s World Architecture Top 100. To be voted as one of the favourite professional associates by some 1,400 architectural practices worldwide is an honour, which pays tribute to Max Fordham’s strong relationships with clients and colleagues alike.Max Fordham Senior Partner Henry Luker said the practice was thrilled to receive this recognition from its…
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15 December 2010
Beautiful Engineering
Here at Max Fordham, we specialise in beautiful engineering – energy efficient services seamlessly integrated into the architecture, creating buildings that work better for those who use them.Looking at buildings differently allows us to deliver the small details that complete the big picture. We are designers, who understand how engineering contributes to its environment both operationally and visually. We know the importance of detail in a project, and we’re proud of the striking…
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9 December 2010
Turning the Mulberry flagship store green
The recently opened Mulberry flagship store is expected to receive a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ – a very unusual achievement for a retail space – thanks to Max Fordham’s role as consulting engineers.Max Fordham completed the project’s mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as providing sustainability consultancy addressing the environmental concerns of the whole design team by integrating energy efficient concepts into the store.A key feature of this…
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16 November 2010
MAXXI wins World Building of the Year
MAXXI has been named this year’s best new building in the world at the World Architecture Festival, adding yet another prestigious award to it’s fast-growing credentials.This is the second prize in as many months for MAXXI, a centre for contemporary arts in Rome – and we are thrilled the building is being acknowledged for it’s integrated and innovative design.According to World Architecture Festival content director Paul Finch, judges described the building as, “an…
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2 November 2010
Launch of the Environmental Handbook website
Last week saw the launch of the online version of FeildenCleggBradleyStudio’s Environmental Handbook. The website a collaboration between FCBS, Max Fordham and The University of Westminster is intended to be an online resource for students (and anyone else) interested in understanding the basic principles of sustainable building. The site includes a Notebook feature which allows you to bookmark sections, highlight text and view your history. This information goes with you wherever you…
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25 October 2010
Max Fordham best of the good employers
We are very proud to announce that the Building Magazine Good Employer Guide has recognised Max Fordham as the top engineering employer and in the top 5 of all employers across the whole of the construction industry. Particularly high scoring categories for us were 'Inspiration' and 'Ability to contribute'. The award is based on surveys completed by employees and analysed by Building Magazine for The Good Employer Guide. We particularly like and value this…
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4 October 2010
MAXXI wins RIBA Stirling Prize
The bookies were right; Zaha Hadid’s MAXXI won and we are immensely proud that one of our buildings took home this year’s Stirling Prize.Here is a link to RIBA where you can read the complete review of MAXXI.There’s one description in the review that we particularly like: ‘The whole is bravely day lit with a sinuous roof of controllable skylights, louvres and beams, whilst at the same time conforming to very strict climate control requirements of modern galleries; the…
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2 September 2010
Max Fordham Launch Sustainability Matrix In The AJ
We have recently updated our sustainability matrix to reflect Part L2010 for four different building types. These will be published as a pull-out in the Architects Journal each week through September 2010 under the title 'Decoding Sustainability'. The first issue is specific to new build green offices. The matrices for office refurbishments, schools and finally museums and galleries follow on.The matrix is a communication tool first developed in 2005 to help explain to the National Trust…