News Archive
News By Date
May 2013
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Bye bye HID light
While Ceramic Metal Halide and halogen lamps are inexorably being pushed aside by LEDs, which outperform both on most counts, Gary Heald warns users to do their homework before moving over, as disappointment may lie ahead
One-stop shop for design shows
Four design events – DX London, The ARC Show, Interiors LDN and kbb LDN – will come together in the ExCeL arena London, for a new definitive industry event, The May Design Series.
Go-ahead for Holder Mathias in Swansea’s historic city centre
Architecture practice Holder Mathias has secured planning consent for a £8m scheme that will transform the historic heart of Swansea.
John Robertson Architects revitalises The Helicon building
John Robertson Architects (JRA) has completed the refurbishment of The Helicon, comprising some 11,600 sq m office and 9,000 sq m of retail, on the corner of Finsbury Pavement and South Place in the City of London. Originally designed by Sheppard Robson and completed in 1996, The Helicon helped to start the rejuvenation of Moorgate with its high-tech detailing and provision of substantial modern retail units. Around 40 per cent of the building is occupied by Marks and Spencer and HSBC, creating a strong presence at street level.
Mather & Co tries and converts best project yet for Springboks, South Africa
North West-based design consultancy Mather & Co has won one if its most prestigious international contracts to date – to design the new Springbok Experience for the South African Rugby Union (SARU) in Cape Town.
Speirs + Major honoured with four awards in a week
Speirs + Major has followed up last year’s Practice of the Decade Award at the Lighting Design Awards with a win this year in the Heritage Lighting category for Burlington Arcade. The awards were held at the end of March in London. The lighting design practice’s projects Hedonism Wine Store, Mayfair, and the Twin Sails Bridge in Poole were also commended in the small retail and exterior lighting categories respectively.
April 2013
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£7m Innovation Centre for Science Park
Work on Ryder Architecture’s four-storey £7m Innovation Centre 3 at the Liverpool Science Park has started on site.
Grimshaw submits development application for landmark tower
Grimshaw has submitted a development application on behalf of Parramatta City Council outside of Sydney for a landmark mixed-use tower that could be the tallest in Australia.
Rijksmuseum reopens better than ever
The Rijksmuseum has reopened following a 10-year transformation. Never before has a national museum undergone such a complete transformation of both its building and the presentation of its collection.
Waterloo Station retail balcony is a step up
A new retail balcony designed by SAS International for Waterloo Station has helped reduce passenger congestion and increase retail income.
UK Government website wins 2013 Designs of the Year award
GOV.UK, the new UK Government website has been named Design of the Year by the Design Museum in London, beating 98 contenders including Thomas Heatherwick’s Olympic cauldron, Renzo Piano’s Shard and a folding wheel by Vitamins.
Book your place now for FX and Seymourpowell’s exclusive post-Milan party in London.
It’s that time of year again when the design industry converges on Milan for the Salone Internazionale del Mobile (AKA the Milan Furniture Fair) – without a doubt one of the most important events in the design calendar. This year, FX has got together with design practice and international product researcher Seymourpowell, and on the 25 April, we’re going to be hosting a special drinks reception back in London to celebrate Seymourpowell’s comprehensive Milan research.
BDP wins design for Cardiff and Vale College
BDP has won the competition to design the £23m, 16,000 sq m Cardiff City Centre Community Campus for Cardiff and Vale College. The college is one of the largest in Wales, serving Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, and this project brings together many of the college’s activities on to a single campus in the heart of the city.
John Pawson goes to Miami for Shrager flats
Developer Ian Schrager is back in Miami Beach, this time in the company of architect and minimalist designer John Pawson.
UK practice completes master plan & concept for Chinese museums
London-based architecture practice Office for Architectural Culture has completed the master plan and architectural concept of the 650,000 sq m Tanmen International Oceanic Fishing Culture Centre and Museums complex on the southern island of Hainan, China.
iGuzzini lights up fourth arch at Paddington
Lighting specialist iGuzzini has worked with Oxford Architects and lighting design consultancy GIA Equation on the restoration and lighting of the Edwardian fourth span at Paddington Station in London.
ME is Top-To-Toe Foster design
The ME Hotel – the first flagship hotel in which everything, from the shell of the building to the bathroom fittings, has been designed by Foster + Partners – has opened in London.
Jason Bruges Studio heads up latest Guinness artwork
Art installation specialist Jason Bruges Studio has helped create a newly unveiled giant, hand-crafted monument at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.
It’s War and peace for MET Studio at Duxford
Experiential design practice MET Studio has worked with Imperial War Museum Duxford on a new, permanent exhibition focusing on the former military airfield’s history.
Sou Fujimoto chosen for 13th Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013 is to be designed by multi-award-winning Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto.
March 2013
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Designs of the Year go on show at the Design Museum
The contenders for this year’s Designs of the Year competition have gone on show at the Design Museum in London and include The Shard by architect Renzo Piano, the Olympic Cauldron by Thomas Heatherwick and a chair made our of detritus collected from the sea shore by Studio Swine.
Discount for FX readers on tickets to Country Living Spring Fair
Country Living magazine is offering FX readers a special discount on tickets to the Country Living Spring Fair, which takes place from 20 to 24 March.
Richard Deacon unveils his new sculptural cornice for St James’s Gateway, Piccadilly
Artist and Turner Prize winner, Richard Deacon has revealed his striking sculptural cornice for the façade of a newly redeveloped building in London’s Piccadilly. The building, St James’s Gateway, is The Crown Estate’s first constructional redevelopment in its 10-year plan to transform the area of Haymarket.
Design by RCA MA student goes into Topshop store
The new MA programme in interior design at the RCA has teamed up with retail brand Topshop to redesign the new ‘Boutique’ area of its Oxford Street store.
Special suites served with ice
Icehotel in Swedish Lapland features work by UK-based yacht design consultancy Andrew Winch Designs, alongside other specially designed suites and installations by artists and designers from 15 countries.
Dyson critisises proposed revisions to the D&T national curriculum
James Dyson is urging people to contact their local MP in order to stop proposed revisions of design & technology (D&T) in the new national curriculum for schools in England.
Le Corb work for major show
The Museum of Modern Art in New York is to stage a major retrospective of the work of architect and designer Le Corbusier this summer.
They’re in the money
Barber Osgerby has designed a limited edition £2 coin to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the London Underground.
Three new levels for college
Stafford College has opened a new multimillion pound building designed by CPMG Architects.
February 2013
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Speirs + Major design lighting scheme for London's historic Burlington Arcade
Speirs + Major, working alongside heritage architectural specialist Blair Associates, has designed a new lighting scheme for the Burlington Arcade in London’s Piccadilly.
Practice creates itself a new look in old setting
Nottingham-based brand and packaging design consultancy We Are Pure has invested £200,000 in new offices, transforming a rundown building in one of the most historic parts of the city.
New restaurant project contains much creativity
Mackenzie Wheeler has created a bar and restaurant out of recycled metal shipping containers at Portishead Marina on the Bristol Channel.
Design Museum calls for new Designers in Residence
The Design Museum in London is now accepting entries for its annual Designers in Residence programme, where young and up-and-coming designers are given a bursary to produce new work for an exhibition in September.
Finalists announced for 2013 Mies van der Rohe Award
A city hall in Ghent, Belgium by Robbrecht en Daem architecten and Marie-José Van Hee architecten, and a home for elderly people in Alcácer do Sal, Portugal by Aires Mateus Arquitectos are among the five buildings nominated for the 2013 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award.
The art of getting listed
The Sainsbury Centre for visual arts at the University of East Anglia – one of Norman Foster’s first completed buildings – has been given Grade II* listed status by heritage minister Ed Vaizey, who called the building ‘a highpoint in the British high-tech movement’.
Students score for public hub
Students from the RCA have designed a new community building for the district of Wembley, north-west London.
January 2013
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United Visual Artists creates pyramid of light for Dubai Mall
United Visual Artists has created a sculpture for the shoe section of a shopping centre in Dubai.
Internship opportunity at FX
FX is looking for an intern to work alongside the editorial team for between two and four weeks.
Michael Grubb launches Michael Grubb Studio
After 15 years at Sutton Vane Associates, where he rose to the position of director, lighting designer Michael Grubb has set up his own practice, Michael Grubb Studio.
Designs of the Year 2013 nominations announced
The Design Museum has announced the nominees for the sixth annual Designs of the Year, which include the best designs from all over the world across seven categories of Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Product and Transport.
Rem Koolhaas to curate 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale
Putting an end to speculation, organisers have confirmed that the 68-year-old Dutch architect will direct the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, which will take place from 7 June - 23 November.
Jestico + Whiles back to school for new add-on
Stoke Newington School in Hackney, East London is to have a new sixth-form building designed by Jestico + Whiles.
Station’s new look on the right track
AEDAS Architects has completed an £8.5m redevelopment project at Rotherham Central railway station.
FX hosting the Live Debate at Surface Design Show
In only a month’s time, the 10th edition of Surface Design Show will take place at London’s Business Design Centre from 5 – 7 February and FX is delighted to be hosting the evening’s popular Live Debate event on 5 February.
WWF centre is wild for pods
An installation for the entrance to wildlife charity WWF’s new headquarters in Woking, Surrey, has been designed by Jason Bruges Studio.
Kenneth Grange knighted for services to design
Kenneth Grange – the designer of the InterCity 125 train, the UK’s first parking meter and hundreds of other everyday household items – has been knighted for services to design in the New Year Honours list.
New England– CrestJMT Leather Collection 3
New England is part of the new Collection 3 range of upholstery leathers from CrestJMT Leather which combine careful selection of raw materials from around the world to produce six great value ranges, each with their own unique look and characteristics, to give customers a far greater choice of quality.
MIPIM 2013 – 12 to 15 March, Palais des festivals, Cannes, France
FX and Blueprint in association with FUTURE Designs, invite you to join them for a cocktail on the beach on 12thMarch. FX enjoys bringing business together and that means putting readers in touch with architects /designers / developers / clients / engineers / suppliers to close the circle for a successful partnership. If you’d like to enjoy some networking with us, MIPIM security requires a guest list, so it’s important to pre-register by emailing Theresa at tdowling@Fxmagazine.co.uk with MIPIM PARTY in title bar. See you there!
FX Award winner Jenner has scent of success
Christopher Jenner’s latest project, the interior of perfume emporium Penhaligon’s in London’s Regent Street, is due to be completed later this month.
Beach date with FX at MIPIM 2013
FX and Blueprint in association with Future Designs are holding a drinks networking event in on the beach at MIPIM 2013, in Cannes, 4pm-7pm on 12 March for designers, architects, clients and developers. If you’d like to join our party, MIPIM security requires a guest list, so you must flag up your intention to attend by emailing Theresa, editorial director, at tdowling@fxmagazine.co.uk and put MIPIM PARTY in the title bar. See you there from 4pm-7pm!
December 2012
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Love lights the way at Atrium showroom
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and Lighting retailer Atrium has entered into the festive spirit with a new window display, made up of lighting installations by multi-disciplinary design collective GNI projects.
Precious Stones
Antique suggestions have given life to the Fiandre Precious Stones collection.
Time is running out to enter Lexus Design Award
Luxury car brand Lexus has launched a design competition open to young designers from the fields of architecture, product design and fashion.
Reggiani put Picasso’s work in a good light
Lighting from Reggiani has been used to illuminate the works of Picasso in the touring exhibition Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso in Paris, showing at the Palazzo Reale, Milan until 6 January.
HI-MACS adds to Swiss centre’s exclusivity
An exclusive medical centre designed by Swiss practice Patrice Reyoud Architects has been fitted-out in the solid surface Hi-Macs by LG Hausys.
New development in Victoria
A new development of commercial and residential space was unveiled in London in November. Designed by the architecture practice Rolfe Judd for developers Doughty Hanson and Terrace Hill, Howick Place in Victoria boasts approximately 13 290 sq m of commercial space alongside 23 luxury apartments.
Scholarship fund remembers Jonathan
A scholarship to provide support to students of architecture who wish to enter the architectural lighting profession has been set up in memory of Jonathan Speirs, of Speirs + Major, who died earlier this year.
Close encounters of the Ross Lovegrove kind...
British designer and winner of this year’s FX Award product designer of the year, Ross Lovegrove, has created two futuristic modes of transport for two major exhibitions in France and Belgium.
The Shard gets the view ready
Renzo Piano’s London skyscraper landmark The Shard is set to open its visitor experience on 1 February.
Emirates Arena opens for 2014 games and beyond
The only new sports facility for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow is to be the £116m Emirates Arena, containing the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. Opened to the public this autumn, it was designed by 3DReid.
November 2012
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Outdoor swimming pool by David Morley Architects wins this year’s Wood Awards
An outdoor swimming pool and clubhouse designed by David Morley Architects (DMA) has won the Gold Award at this year’s Wood Awards.
Hi-Lite, technological creations
The Hi-Lite collection by Iris Ceramica deviates from traditional ceramics to give life to a material rich with inspiration and originality.
Kossmann.dejong to design a new exhibition for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Kossmann.dejong, the exhibition architecture studio based in Amsterdam, has been selected by the Royal Shakespeare Company to design its new exhibition on making theatre.
RSA announces 12 new Royal Designers for Industry
Mark Major and the late Jonathan Speirs of architectural lighting design practice Speirs + Major are among 12 designers to have been named Royal Designers for Industry this year.
10x10 Drawing the city: London exhibition and auction
The second 10x10 Drawing the City: London exhibition in aid of the disaster relief charity Article 25 is on display at Somerset House in London. The exhibition includes specially commissioned interpretations of different parts of London’s West End by 100 architects and artists, including Zaha Hadid, Lord Norman Foster and David Adjaye.
Camira Fabrics launches new fabric into the commercial market
Camira Fabrics has announced the commercial launch of its binary fabric, originally designed for the BBC’s MediaCity headquarters in Salford.
Jason bruges’ airport lounge design set to fly
Jason Bruges Studio has been commissioned to create an innovative lounge for passengers as part of the major expansion and on- going arts programme at San Diego airport. The commission from the San Diego Airport Authority follows the studio winning a globally held competition.
One new change HQ is ‘Best of the Best’
Bold interior architecture by LSM at the iconic One New Change building opposite St Paul’s Cathedral has led to the space being crowned the best in the country. The British Council for Offices has named LSM’s interiors for law firm K&L Gates the ‘Best of the Best’ and ‘Best Fit Out of Workplace’ in the UK at its annual national awards.
A new ‘third city’ community for London
The 500-acre centrepiece of the South Bank’s Nine Elms regeneration programme, Embassy Gardens is set to be opposite a new embassy for the United States of America.
Has your design the winning ege?
If you have what it takes to come up with a best-selling carpet design then ege Carpets would like to hear from you. In association with FX, ege is giving a designer or design student the chance to see their carpet design go into production.
Pull up a chair, your chair, in the Bodleian
A chair design competition has been launched by the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries, to find a new icon for the Weston Library, formerly known as the New Bodleian Library.
Refurbishment for a North London theatre
The London-based interior design agency Ranne Creative Interiors has created a new office and rehearsal environment for the Almeida Theatre in Islington.
October 2012
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New NY City landmark, from a British design practice
A new landmark building for New York city is to be designed by British practice Foster + Partners.
Areen designs new gateway to MECCA
Interior design and procurement specialist Areen has designed the interiors of several new buildings at the King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA Airport) in Jeddah.
Plans lodged for offices over tube
Architecture practice Grimshaw has submitted a planning application on behalf of Crossrail for an over-site development next to Paddington Station.
Gensler to design new head office for National Bank of Abu Dhabi
The National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) has appointed architecture practice Gensler to design its new global head office in the heart of the new Abu Dhabi Central Business District on Al Maryah Island.
Mark Humphrey sculpture unveiled at Chelsea Harbour
Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour has welcomed its first ever art installation, Orchid, by artist-designer Mark Humphrey
New lease of life for old RAF control centre
Construction services firm ISG is to restore a derelict Grade II listed former RAF control tower in a £1.5m refurbishment and extension project.
Gensler flies in with airport plan
Architecture practice Gensler has unveiled its vision for a new airport for the South East thatwould float in London’s Thames Estuary.
FX Drawing at Work – deadline extended
Drawing competition for architects and designers everywhere – with a £500 prize! Deadline for all lessons has been extended to 31 December.
Historic mill to get the Heatherwick treatment
Thomas Heatherwick has designed a new distillery and visitor centre for gin brand Bombay Sapphire on the site of an abandoned Hampshire paper mill, which had links to the Bank of England.
Architects vie for opera house study
The Royal Opera House in London has launched a competition for architects to redesign its entrances.
New showroom opening in Exeter
Aich, 20th September 2012 - By opening its 12th UK bulthaup showroom in Exeter, the premium brand bulthaup, which has its headquarter in Germany, is extending its UK presence to South West Great Britain. With its new trading partners Mark Newbery and Ross Pollard from Sapphire Living Space, Bulthaup can now be found in one of the most beautiful and affluent parts of the United Kingdom.
Interior design: Theory and process
Interior designer and writer Anthony Sully introduces his new book Interior Design: Theory and Process.
Decorex 2012
At the interior design show Decorex, held in London, designer Mark Gillette selected a product worthy to be the recipient of this year’s FX Best Contemporary Design. We report from the event in Chelsea
September 2012
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Strata tiles see service on the new air line
Strata Tiles has supplied flooring for the Emirates Air Line service in London, the new cable car system designed by Wilkinson Eyre that links two important Olympic sites at Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks.
Mather & co goes footie mad
Exhibition and interior design consultancy Mather & Co has designed a new home for the National Football Museum in Manchester’s Urbis building.
Giorgio Borruso puts Best foot forward for top award
The interior design scheme of the Carlo Pazolini shoe shop in Milan by Giorgio Borruso Design has won the Red Dot Best of the Best award.
Practice gets curtain call back to university
Burwell Deakins Architects is to design a new performing arts centre for Plymouth University.
Bespoke floor echoes Dahl’s famous words
Forbo Flooring has created a bespoke floor for an exhibit recreating Roald Dahl’s famous ‘writing hut’ at the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Buckinghamshire.
ege carpet design competition
ege and FX magazine invite entries to create a new carpet design and win a two day internship with ege’s design team in Denmark. The winning design will be developed and entered into an ege design collection, with the designer to get 3% of all gross sales three years from the date of launch.
Work begins on Stonehenge new centre for visitors
Architecture practice Denton Corker Marshall has begun work on a new visitor centre at Stonehenge, part of a £27m renovation by English Heritage of the site in Wiltshire.
Sketchmob
meet The Big Draw at the V&A
New Terre collection from Iris Ceramica
Iris Ceramica’s new Terre product offers rustic floors and covering. The colour palette ranges from the natural effect of Terre Argilla [Clay] and Terre Creta [Potter’s clay] to the metallic hues of Terre Ruggine [Rust].
Biennial festival’s summer of success prompts it to move to being yearly
The London Festival of Architecture (LFA), which has taken place biennially since it was established in 2008, is to become an annual event as of next July.
London College building in running for world award
The new King’s Cross Campus of Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London by Stanton Williams and the Vanke Triple V Gallery in Tianjin, China by Ministry of Design are among the buildings shortlisted for awards at this year’s World Festival of Architecture, which takes place next month in Singapore.
V&A heads for the underground
London’s V&A Museum has been granted planning permission for a £41m redevelopment project, which will include a new underground gallery beneath Exhibition Road in South Kensington.
Titanic building on course for LEAF Interior Design Award
The Titanic Belfast visitor centre has been shortlisted for the International Interior Design of the Year award at LEAF, the Leading European Architects Forum, which takes place in Amsterdam this month.
Sleep 2012: International showcase of hotel design, development and architectural excellence
Sleep, Europe's longest running event dedicated to hotel design, development and investment is back for 2012 in November at Business Design Center in London.
August 2012
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FX Drawing at Work
Drawing competition for architects and designers everywhere – with a £500 prize!
Open House London 2012, 22-23 September: 20th anniversary edition of London’s greatest architectural showcase
Open House London is a city-wide celebration of the buildings, places and spaces where we live and work. The year 2012 is the 20th anniversary edition of Open House London and of the Open-City organisation as a whole
FX Drawing at Work
Drawing Competition for Architects and Designers Everywhere
WORKTECH launching in Latin America
WORKTECH, the leading global conference series which explores the future of work and the workplace, is launching in Latin America in April 2013.
V&A to get in touch in furniture gallery
The V&A museum in London is to open a dedicated furniture gallery in December, complete with touchscreen information panels – a first for the museum.
Jonathan speirs remembered fondly for his passion for lighting design
Mark Major, co-founder of architectural lighting design consultancy Speirs + Major, has paid tribute to his friend and business partner Jonathan Speirs, who died of cancer in June at the age of 54.
July 2012
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FX Work-experience/intern placements available
Bookings are now being taken for work-experience/intern placements with FX magazine, the publication for professional contract interiors. Applications are invited from post-graduate or undergraduate journalism students hoping to specialise in design journalism.
Global Design Forum
On 18th September 2012, the London Design Festival is staging its first thought leadership event, the Global Design Forum, which brings together a star-alliance of design luminaries, organisations and talents to debate the issues and pressure points that are really affecting the design industry.
Flavours of Mexico contained in festival’s pop-up restaurant
Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca has opened a pop-up eatery made of shipping containers at London’s Southbank Centre.
£3m cultural centre craned into place on Southend Pier
Southend Pier in Essex has a new 350 sq m cultural centre designed by Swedish practice White Arkitekter and London-based architecture practice Sprunt.
June 2012
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V&A sets a new fashion in major gallery renovation
The V&A has reopened its fashion galleries following renovation and refurbishment work by 6a Architects.
Design award winner looks to the future
British designer Tom Foulsham is among the three recipients of this year’s W Hotels Designers of the Future Award.
Bumper British crop makes its mark with design guild
The Furniture Makers Company has awarded the Design Guild Mark to 27 pieces of furniture this year, including work by Nigel Coates, David Chipperfield and Katerina Zachariades.
BA carries Kingston tutor’s dove design for Olympics
Artwork by designer and Kingston University tutor Pascal Anson is being painted on to nine British Airways jets to mark the London 2012 Olympic Games.
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