Vital Interventions: Assemble wins the Turner Prize

Assemble, a collective of London-based 'sort of' architects who design and make urban interventions and community collaborations has won the 2015 Turner Prize, the UK art world's highest accolade, previously won with such iconic conceptual works as Damien Hirst's cow and calf in formaldehyde and Martin Creed's light going on and off. The work that got Assemble nominated is very different: a regeneration project in Liverpool's dilapidated Toxteth neighbourhood, which is inspiring proof of the power of a determined community and enlightened designers. But what does Assemble winning the Turner Prize mean for work of this kind in the future?

New Architecture: Ireland by AP+E

Recently here in Copenhagen Denmark's leading design school, KADK, hosted an exhibition entitled New Architecture: Ireland, curated and designed by Irish/Danish/Dutch architecture practice AP+E. Showcasing the work of six Irish practices to have emerged during the recession, the exhibition included a range of projects of a non-commercial, social or community-based nature. Using custom-designed armatures which frame the work of the individual practices while unifying the exhibition as a whole, New Architecture: Ireland created a space to study a moment in Irish architecture, complemented by its surroundings in the school's library. Copenhagen was the second of four stops for the project in the Nordic region, having shown first in Tallinn, and most recently in Oslo. The show will finish its tour in Stockholm, opening there on 16 November.

Ad Man Glamour

Originally published in Image Interiors & Living in January of this year, this Sandymount house tour, styled by Sheenagh Green and shot by Mark Scott, has taken on a new relevance. It's the home of mid-century furniture collector Geoff Kirk, who swears by Scandinavia as a source of much of his great collection of furniture, lighting and tabletop objects. For a slice of Nordic decor in Dublin, read on...

Maritime Museum of Denmark

Exhibition space buried underground and wrapping around a dry dock, a bridge leading you to Hamlet's castle housing an auditorium underneath and granite seating looping round a new public space, tapping out a message in morse code: I wasn't long in Denmark before I made a trip to the Maritime Museum of Denmark in Helsingør, and from first sight I was hooked. Opened in late 2013, the competition to design M/S Museet for Søfart, as it's known here, was won by Bjarke Ingels Group with a clever approach to a very restrictive brief. The museum was to be housed in a 60 year-old dry dock sandwiched between Helsingør's new cultural centre and Kronborg Castle, a UNESCO heritage site most famous for being the setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet. The museum would need to make an impression and create its own presence... without disrupting anyone's view of Kronborg. BIG achieved this by putting the museum not in the dry dock but buried on either side of it, using the dock itself as a public space intersected by three bridges: one that leads you to the castle (containing the museum's auditorium) and two that zigzag towards the museum's entrance. The design of the museum is incredibly impressive in that it successfully hides and reveals the museum simultaneously, while carving out a unique urban space in the process.

Framing Family Life

The last of my 'so long London' posts is my most recent piece for Image Interiors & Living, a house tour in London's Islington, styled by Amanda Cochrane and shot by Tim Young. Read on...

'I'm all about framing moments' says Dublin-born Irenie Cossey as she reaches for a piece of artwork by her youngest daughter, Clara. It is a box frame displaying two dolls that Clara, aged six, made from paper and wool, sitting on a shelf surrounded by other colourful creations. As you look around the room you see a host of other keepsakes and mementos, and soon you realise that throughout this spacious north London home you can find ornaments and gifts, family hand-me-downs and children's artwork. Don't let the white walls and modernist furniture fool you: this is a house that treasures memories and perfectly frames the many moments of family life.

Lasdun in London

Denys Lasdun, born in 1914 and alive until 2001, is my favourite British architect (for now, at least, though I can't think of anyone likely to outdo him any time soon). Sometimes classed as a Brutalist for his big, bold, uncompromising buildings, his work is some of the most notable of the British modern movement and he is one of the most distinguished practitioners in the 20th century. I had never considered his work before moving to London, but his buildings there are some of my favourite in the city, so I thought a post about them would be an apt farewell to my former location before moving on to posting about Denmark.

Here's the Heads Up: LFA Edition

The London Festival of Architecture returns for the month of June, exploring the theme 'Work in Progress'. I've already been making my way to a few events, exhibitions and parties, and here are my picks for the remainder of the festival. Enjoy!

Central Saint Martins

Up until about a month ago I worked in the Students' Union at the University of the Arts London (UAL), which is a relatively recent bringing-together of six of London's top art schools. UAL has a host of campuses all over the city, designed in different eras or repurposed in different ways. While I wasn't based there all the time, one of my favourite sites within UAL's impressive portfolio is the recently completed Central Saint Martins campus in King's Cross. Designed by Stanton Williams Architects, it's the anchor in the ongoing redevelopment of the King's Cross area by developers Argent and it opened its doors to 5,000 students in 2011.

Social House London

Though not my intention at the outset, my first ever Open House London experience last weekend saw me visiting, among other sites, a number of social housing schemes, giving me a little more insight into the work done by London authorities to house thousands of families in the 60s and 70s. While definitely not exhaustive, I got a sense of high-rise in Elephant & Castle, low-rise in Tulse Hill and a mixture of the two in the most high-density development of the three in World's End, Chelsea. Each tour was a fantastic insight not only into the design and intentions behind each development, but the daily life of each scheme, as each tour was led by residents. Britain has an amazing stock of post-war housing, but it's very much a depleting stock: I recommend opportunities such as Open House to see them while you still can, while books such as Concretopia by John Grindrod and A Guide to the New Ruins of Great Britain by Owen Hatherley give good insight into the rise and fall of postwar socially-minded architecture here in the UK.

The Coolest Charity Shop

While visiting Ealing as part of my History of Architecture course we came across Mary's Living and Giving, one of the coolest charity shops I've EVER SEEN. Charity shops in west London can often be pretty great, as west London's full of rich people who buy high quality things and then get rid of them soon after (a complete and utter generalisation I know, but you do stand to find some top notch stuff this side of the city...). But Mary's Living and Giving goes a step further by employing clever design to present their amazing stock to great effect. RCA interior design students Naomi Grieve and Flett Bertram used swathes of coloured fabric, plumbing pipes and filament bulbs to create a unique and inviting space, giving the shop a trendy boutiquey feel. It's unlike any other charity shop I've been to and it's well worth a visit if you find yourself on that end of the Central line...

More Short Course Mayhem: History of Architecture

I recently took a 5 day course in History of Architecture and Interiors at Chelsea College of Arts, which didn't actually take place in the college. Instead, we spent 5 days roaming the streets of London and travelling to the city's outer zones to experience England's classical architecture first hand. While at times learning about classicism is like eating vegetables for a modern and contemporary enthusiast such as myself (very good for me, but not the most appealing thing), the course was really informative, interesting and enjoyable. We began our travels at the Banqueting House at Whitehall, the first classical building in England, designed by Inigo Jones in 1619, and finished in Sir John Soane's Museum to see his amazing Regency-era experiments from 1792 to 1824. In between we visited country houses in Ealing, Marble Hill, Chiswick and Osterley, the Royal Society of Arts, Somerset House, Greenwich and St Paul's Cathedral. We learned an incredible amount and I took a HEAP of photographs. Here are some of the highlights, giving you a TINY flavour of what I saw...

Irish Architecture is Taking Over the World

Irish architecture has never before enjoyed the international profile it has gained in the past number of years. In 2008 Grafton Architects won the inaugural World Building of the Year award for their Università commerciale Luigi Bocconi building in Milan and won the Silver Lion for their contribution to David Chipperfield's Venice Architecture Biennale in 2012. Heneghan Peng have won international competitions to design major museum buildings such as the Palestinian Museum, the Grand Epyptian Building and the National Centre for Contemporary Arts in Moscow. London-based Níall McLaughlin was the favourite for last year's Stirling Prize (in a shortlist that was 50% Irish) and was recently announced as the architect of a new extension to London's Natural History Museum. In 2012 O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects were awarded Icon magazine's Architecture Practice of the Year and recently were announced as being on this year's Stirling Prize shortlist for their Saw Swee Hock Student Centre at LSE, their fifth appearance on the shortlist. Younger practices regularly feature in the Architectural Review Awards, the Wallpaper* Architects Directory and other international barometers. Why is that? Why now?!

Jeffry's House, Ards Forest Park

Framing views of the Atlantic ocean from Ards Forest Park in Donegal, Jeffry's House is the first architectural folly of its kind in Ireland. Following in the footsteps of Norway's National Tourist Routes, Jeffry's House is created by architect Thomas O'Brien and artist Emma Mannion and the thatched structure combines contemporary design with traditional building techniques in a unique setting. Designed to invite and intrigue, O'Brien and Mannion aim for it to be 'a respite from the elements and from the everyday'. Jeffry's House reveals the sea, sand dunes and mountains of the area through its architecture, while the project reveals the potential the right architecture has to enhance our experience of our natural resources. Initiated by Donegal County Council with the Irish Architecture Foundation, Coillte and Earagail Arts Festival, I look forward to experiencing it in the flesh. If you get there before I do, you'll find Jeffry's House along the Sand Dune Trail from the main car park and you'll get more info over on the IAF website...

Here's the Heads Up #21

Here are a few upcoming events in Dublin and London (including one I've got going on in LSE's new student centre... ahem), should you want to spend some time indoors and away from the warm weather...

Infra-Éireann

The 14th International Architecture Exhibition, the Venice Biennale, opened last weekend. Running until 23 November, it is curated by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and takes the title Fundamentals. The theme Koolhaas has given to the national pavilions is Absorbing Modernity: 1914–2014, questioning the Modernist movement and considering, among other things, to what extent Modernism in various countries around the world created either homogeneity or diversity. Irish curators Gary Boyd and John McLaughlin have responded to this theme with their exhibition Infra-Éireann, exploring how the Modernist aesthetic and ideals were employed in the design and development of Ireland's infrastructure from 1916 onwards, running parallel to the development of Ireland as an independent nation.

Glasgow School of Art, May 2014

On 23 May 2014 one of the most beautiful buildings in the UK - the Glasgow School of Art's Mackintosh building - suffered a very serious fire. Designed by native Glaswegian Charles Rennie Mackintosh and built between 1897 and 1909, the GSofA is an incredible example of Art Nouveau architecture as well as a space designed meticulously for its purpose as an art school. The Glasgow School of Art was awarded 'The Stirling of Stirlings' when it won a public vote run by the RIBA in 2009 to find the best building in Britain. It's a building I've admired for a long time and one I feel - especially now - so lucky to have visited.

Mirimalism - the Photography of Miri Berlin

Berlin-based photographer Miri Berlin does an envious amount of travelling, taking photos of architecture and cities around Europe and even further afield in Japan and Israel (where she is originally from). With a keen eye for the beauty of minimalist and Brutalist architecture and the patience to wait until the sun comes out before she takes a photo, Miri's work is bright and bold, but with a quiet confidence and a calm feel. My favourite collection of hers is 'Mirimalism', her shots of minimalist or Brutalist architecture cropped to let in the vast blue sky above. Click through to see more (do it! They're fab!) and keep an eye out on Miri's website for upcoming work exploring Berlin, Tel Aviv and the city of Sarajevo.

If Artists were Architects...

Barcelona-based illustrator Federico Babina has something of a preoccupation with architecture, creating series of illustrations on architectural alphabets, the architecture of cinema and more. I recently stumbled upon this one, named Archists, which imagines a city of buildings designed by famous artists in their trademark styles. A simple concept which is delivered in Babina's trademark charming style, click through to see some of my favourites.

Sensing Spaces

Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined, curated by Kate Goodwin at the Royal Academy in London, runs until 6 April and is an ambitious exploration not just of contemporary international architecture but of how architecture can be exhibited. Taking the form of a series of site-specific responses to the Royal Academy's lush Beaux Arts interiors by seven architectural practices from around the world (including Grafton Architects from Ireland, pictured above and Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto de Moura from Portugal), the exhibition brings a slice of an international biennale or triennale to one of London's major art galleries.

IAF Love

Right, so I'm TOTALLY biased cos I used to work for these guys, but the Irish Architecture Foundation have recently launched a membership scheme to help fund all the great things they do and I've signed myself up. Even without being based in Ireland I get goodies like a new tote bag and some of the IAF's great publications and if I find myself back at home any time soon I can avail of priority booking for their events, 10% off in the Irish Design Shop and other great shops in Dublin AND the warm fuzzy feeling associated with donating to a good cause. Man, I am such a great person... More info here and see who else has signed up (loads of cool people - don't be left out) over on Twitter.