The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is calling for applications for the RIBA AHR Stephen Williams Scholarship 2015. The scholarship provides £5,000 to support one student for a period of postgraduate study lasting up to 12 months in the UK or abroad. AHR will appoint a mentor to the student throughout the period of their scholarship. The scholarship welcomes applications from students who will be entering their first or second year of Part 2. Stephen Hodder, RIBA President, said: ‘This funding scheme is a pleasure to be involved with; the variety of applications received is always a delight to review. The RIBA is very grateful to AHR for the renewed generous support enabling the scholarship to run once again. I am very much looking forward to judging the applications in June.’ Brian Johnson, Director, AHR Architects Ltd, said: ‘AHR are delighted to confirm its continued support for the RIBA AHR Stephen Williams Scholarship. Now in its 7th year the scholarship has helped students to continue their postgraduate studies through the provision of both financial support and personal academic mentoring by AHR staff. Supporting students and young architects continues to be central to the ethos of AHR, and we are looking forward to continuing our work with the RIBA to support this prestigious prize in 2015.’ Since 2008, the scholarship has been awarded to Laura Collins (University of Sheffield, 2009/10), Henry Fisher (University of Bath 2010/11), Joseph Deane (Royal College of Art 2011/12), Kerry Watton (Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow School of Art, 2012/13), Mick Scott (Oxford Brookes University 2013/14) and Chloe Anderson (London Metropolitan University 2014/15). For more information, visit www.architecture.com/ahrscholarship. The deadline for applications is Tuesday 26 May 2015. ENDS Notes to editors: 1. For further press information contact Callum Reilly in the RIBA Press Office: callum.reilly@riba.org 020 7307 3757 2. For more information about the scholarship, visit www.architecture.com/ahrscholarship 3. Interested applicants should contact Hayley Russell hayley.russell@riba.org 020 7307 3678 if they require help with their applications. 4. The Scholarship was established in 2008 thanks to the generous support of AHR (formerly Aedas Architects) and is offered in memory of Stephen Williams, a past Director of Aedas. 5. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members www.architecture.com 6. Follow us on Twitter @RIBA for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA   Posted on Tuesday 17th March 2015 Source link

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today (Thursday 3 September) announced the shortlist for the 2015 Stephen Lawrence Prize. The prize, set up in memory of the teenager who was setting out on the road to becoming an architect when he was murdered in 1993, and sponsored by the Marco Goldschmied Foundation, is intended to encourage fresh architecture talent and reward the best examples of projects that have a construction budget of less than £1 million. A South London house built around a pear tree; a fishing hut in Hampshire; a seaside stage and shelter in West Sussex; a ‘living laboratory’ built from rubbish in Brighton; a converted eighteenth-century threshing barn in Kent; a Wiltshire garden retreat and a low-energy house in Somerset feature on the shortlist: Acoustic Shells, West Sussex by Flanagan Lawrence Ancient Party Barn, Kent by Liddicoat & Goldhill LLP Brighton Waste House, East Sussex by BBM Sustainable Design Ltd Dundon Passivhaus, Somerset by Prewett Bizley Architects  The Fishing Hut, Hampshire by Niall McLaughlin Architects Myrtle Cottage Garden Studio, Wiltshire by Stonewood Design Pear Tree House, London by Edgley Design Stephen Lawrence Prize founder Marco Goldschmied said: “I am particularly impressed with the diversity of the projects shortlisted for this year’s RIBA Stephen Lawrence Prize. Each has been expertly designed to work with rather than against the constraints of the site, whether rural or urban. The shortlist proves that brilliant architecture can be executed on a smaller budget and clearly demonstrates the ingenuity of the profession today. We very much look forward to selecting this year’s winner.” The winner of the 2015 Stephen Lawrence Prize will be announced at the RIBA Stirling Prize party on 15 October at the RIBA in central London. The judges are Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, Doreen Lawrence CBE the mother of Stephen Lawrence, Marco Goldschmied, RIBA Past President and Founder of the Marco Goldschmied Foundation, which established the Stephen Lawrence Prize in 1998 and Murray Kerr, founder of Denizen Works, which won the Stephen Lawrence Prize in 2014. The Architects’ Journal is media partner for the RIBA awards, including the Stephen Lawrence Prize, and professional media partner for the RIBA Stirling Prize. The RIBA Stirling Prize is sponsored by Almacantar. ENDS Notes to editors: 1. For further press information please contact Callum Reilly in the RIBA Press Office callum.reilly@riba.org or 020 7307 3757 2. Previous winners of the RIBA Stephen Lawrence Prize include House No.7 by Denizen Works (2014); Montpelier Community Nursery by AY Architects (2013); Kings Grove by Duggan Morris Architects (2012); St Patrick’s Primary School Library and Music Room by Coffey Architects (2011); Artist’s House by Gumuchdjian Architects (2010); El Ray by Simon Conder Associates (2009); Sackler Crossing by John Pawson (2008); Wooda by David Sheppard Architects (2007) and Wrap House by Alison Brooks Architects (2006). 3. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members. Visit www.architecture.com Follow @RIBA on Twitter for news and updates www.twitter.com/RIBA 4. Almacantar is a property investment and development company specialising in large-scale, complex investments in Central London, with the potential to create long-term value through development, repositioning or active asset management. Since launching in 2010, Almacantar has acquired a number of prime assets with untapped potential in the heart of London, including: Centre Point, Marble Arch Tower, CAA House, 125 Shaftesbury Avenue and One and Two South Bank Place. www.almacantar.com For further information please contact: Finsbury +44 (0)20 7251 3801 Faeth Birch 5. For more information on The Architects’ Journal visit: www.architectsjournal.co.uk  6. The judges’ citations for each building follow: Acoustic Shells by Flanagan Lawrence The Acoustic Shells were a community led project, and extra care was taken to ensure its accessibility and that all of the community could benefit from the new facilities. These measures include: simple level access to both stage and shelter from both the beach side promenade and the coach drop off; enhanced acoustics for the bandstand; 100% auditoria access for wheel chairs via ramped access from the coach and car park; and that the new facility is a clear visual landmark on the promenade, a meeting point, and social hub. Ancient Party Barn by Liddicoat & Goldhill LLP Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the 18th Century threshing barn, dairy and stables are a prominent feature from the North Downs Way. To maintain the barn’s brooding presence – and to provide security and a sense of protection from rolling Channel mists – the barn is usually kept in a closed state. However, industrial-scale kinetic mechanisms create openings that address key views into the countryside. Brighton Waste House by BBM Sustainable Design Ltd From a distance this looks like an ordinary contemporary town house. However when one gets nearer and sees carpet tiles used as wall cladding, it becomes clear this is a project with an interesting agenda. More than a space to live, work and play in, the house is a collective of experiments in which students learn by application the ways whereby recycled materials can be used in construction. Although not immediately obvious, the design process and personal stories behind each wall, piece of furniture and light fitting are simply fascinating. It is a project that will never be fully resolved, will have a continually evolving brief and will always be full of activity, thanks to a dedicated team of supporters. Some of the experiments are extraordinary: from old toothbrushes used as insulation to old carpet tiles used as rain-screen cladding. This project cleverly breathes new life into objects and materials that would normally be discarded. The Brighton Waste House has sufficient scientific integrity to be taken seriously by the construction industry and just enough political clout to influence recycling policy. It is clear this interesting project will continue to question important issues of recycling that affect everyone. Dundon Passivhaus by Prewett Bizley Architects Dundon Passivhaus is an extraordinarily understated and unpretentious building set in a beautiful rural

Heating installers gear up for Gas Safety Week Published:  03 August, 2016 Swale Heating is throwing its weight behind Gas Safety Week by giving away free CO monitors. The south east heating firm is working with Gas Safe Register (GSR) to make sure members of the public are fully informed about the gas safety message. Swale Heating’s sales director, Matthew Edwards, says giving away the monitors may be one of the most effective ways of protecting customers. “Members of the public are not always gas safety aware, despite our best efforts. We know from Gas Safe Register’s own survey that many householders are very trusting and don’t always understand how important it is to use a registered engineer. “Giving away CO monitors during Gas Safety Week is a way of encouraging householders to come to a professional, fully registered company and have equipment installed that could save a life.” The company will provide CO monitors free of charge with any private purchase of a boiler during Gas Safety Week, which runs from 19 to 25 September 2016. Swale Heating has agreed a number of other events with Gas Safe Register including a social media campaign and a gas safety feature placed in newspapers throughout Kent. Are you doing anything to mark Gas safety Week? Let us know via Twitter or by emailing us: hvpmag@hgluk.net.com.  Source link

A Government taskforce has been launched to look at ways to help people with learning disabilities access apprenticeships. Led by Paul Maynard MP, the committee will examine how to give an even wider group of people the chance to learn skills for a rewarding career in areas such as construction while taking home a wage. It forms part of the Government’s efforts to create three million additional apprenticeships by the end of the decade. Figures suggest that only 6% of people with learning difficulties are currently in employment. It is hoped that opening up the world of apprenticeships will create even more training opportunities for this group. Commenting on the new taskforce, Skills Minister Nick Boles said he hoped it would help more people benefit from the vocational training schemes. “Our commitment to apprenticeships is giving people everywhere the chance to develop vital skills while working in a real job and being paid,” he said. “This taskforce will focus on how apprenticeships can be more accessible to people with learning disabilities so everyone can be part of the apprenticeships success story.” The taskforce has been set up by the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Department for Education. Its members will meet three times throughout May and June, first to identify the areas of concern, then to focus on finding solutions before finally offering recommendations to ministers. Justin Tomlinson, Minister for Disabled People, said: “Apprenticeships offer fantastic opportunities for individuals to learn whilst they earn, developing the skills and knowledge they need to progress their careers in a wide variety of occupations and at a range of levels.”