Driving an Ecological Agenda with Project-Led Research

Here Hugh Whitehead, Irene Gallou, Harsh Thapar, Giovanni Betti and Salmaan Craig of the Specialist Modelling Group (SMG) at Foster + Partners directly address the underlying premise behind the issue. They argue the case for the architect as generalist or ‘centralised controller’, coordinating an often specialised and diverse collaborative design team. As an in-house consultancy within Foster + Partners, SMS provides expertise in complex geometry, computer programming, parametric design and rapid prototyping and environmental simulation, aiming to provided directed specialist support whenever required. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Albion Wharf

The conspicuous glazed volume, which houses the luxury private flats of Foster and Partners' Albion Riverside, have become a prominent landmark on the River Thames, in full view from London's Chelsea Embankment. Stephen Archer describes how this signature building contrasts with, and is reinforced by, a new block of affordable housing, also by Fosters, for the Peabody Trust. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nile street: mixed-tenure housing

Bruce Stewart describes how Munkenbeck and Marshall, a practice whose work is more often associated with high-end design, have, at a site in Hackney near the City of London, produced a complex scheme for Peabody that is considered in its treatment of mixed tenure. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Gold Mine: A Ludic Architecture

As an educator and architect, Nic Clear is renowned for his passion for film and science fiction; he teaches a unit in film and animation at the University of Greenwich, London, where he is Head of the Department of Architecture and Landscape. Here, in a recent speculative project, the Gold Mine, he weaves together a science fiction-like narrative that is heightened by its attention to visual and narrative detail.