Another great Open House weekend this year and we were delighted to be featured in the catalogue under Design for Living. The day was completely booked up with people coming from Ipswich and Bournemouth specifically to see Forest Mews. One visitor said ‘Really inspiring talk by Robert – has further excelled my interest in smaller scale residential architecture. Thank you both for taking the time to show us around!’ And our favourite remark of the day was – ‘I would love to come back next year to see how the garden has grown’. Thank you for all of those who attended and thank you for your kind words of praise.        ​

Evening Standard’s Philippa Stockley meets Robert and Jessica Barker at Forest Mews. Robert and Jessica are featured on the front cover of this weeks Homes and Property in the wonderful Thomas Heatherwick golden spun chairs. Given a full tour of the house, Philippa was impressed by the attention to detail and exquisite finishing, not to mention the added value brought about by the architectural design. To read the full article on the Evening Standard website, click here           ​

Baca Architects is seeking enthusiastic and talented Part I, II and III Architects to join the vibrant established London studio, to work on a variety of projects in the UK and abroad. We offer good career progression opportunities in this growing practice. Please send a copy of your CV with illustrations of your work, by post, to Amy Dron: Baca ArchitectsUnit 1, 199 Long LaneLondon SE1 4PNjobs@baca.uk.comBaca is an equal opportunities employer.            ​

Presented with the seemingly simple proposition of designing a house that was streamlined, soft and luxurious like their cars, the client challenged London-based Baca Architects to create a substantial new home that followed the same philosophy. Detailed designs and working drawings for Serenity in Nottinghamshire are now fully developed and the project is ready for the important tender stage, the formal process of issuing plans to pre-qualified building contractors to gather competitive quotes for the construction work. Designed using state-of-the-art computer modeling software and rethinking conventional approaches and tools used in environmental housing design today, the result is an exuberant property that stretches the boundaries of design, structure, and environmental thinking. It also reconciles a difficult combination: a home that is low in energy use but high in aesthetic aspiration and luxurious qualities. Serenity delivers a reconstruction of formal and private rooms set in wings typical of large 18th century houses, but reconstructed within a continual loop around a central sunken courtyard and garden. Achieving the Passivhaus energy standard was extremely demanding for an organic form with high energy and water demands, such as a cinema room and swimming pool. Replacing the drawing room, parlour, ballroom and smoking room of yesteryear are a state-of-the-art home cinema, games room, acoustic music pod, grotto swimming pool, home gym and connected office, all seamlessly wired to incorporate the latest digital technology, security surveillance equipment and triple A-rated appliances. A sweeping roof appears to float above the undulating building, enclosing four wings, or hubs including a formal entertaining hub, a family hub, games hub and an annex. The ceramic tiled roof is perhaps the most striking feature and also provides shading, privacy and screening; it also harnesses enough solar energy to generate the majority of renewable power required to run the property. The house is designed to create a seamless flow of activity, with the grand entrance hall cascading down to the kitchen, which flows in to the family living room and on through the orangery and pool house. The central courtyard creates a protected outdoor formal garden and the free-flowing plan, stepping inside and outside, will enable contained entertaining and also informal family leisure. Designer, Baca Architects, best known for innovative water-based architecture (“aquatecture”), has woven water through the scheme. Rainwater is collected in a reflecting pool at the centre of the house before cascading to create a gentle but dramatic waterfall or ‘water curtain’ in the courtyard whenever it rains, and providing a soft refreshing mist during drier periods. This fascinating outdoor feature also has a very practical application, helping to reduce run-off water and provide cooling for the house. Serenity is uncompromising luxury, underpinned by sustainability; it borrows from history, preserves those elements that work, evolves others that don’t and frames it unapologetically in the 21st Century – one might suggest the true spirit of the English Century House in the 21st Century.——Press – Out of HoursRuth Deans – Baca Architects, Press and Media. Mob:07752 990431 Email: rdeans@baca.uk.com          ​

The exquisite design for the mesh facades of forest mews are completed. Now the architecture of the landscape is taking shape in this lovingly crafted urban oasis.     ​

Forest Mews will be on show again this saturday at Open House. A neighbouring builder took this fantastic photograph. Testimony to John Perkins Projects for achieving such a wonderfully crisp finish.        ​

Baca Architects are runner-up in an ambitious plan to build a floating village in London’s Royal Docks, as part of the Mayor of London’s Vision. The team, led by Hadley Mace, developed plans for a floating village conceived as a ‘Crown’ in the Royal Docks. It would form the head of a future necklace of floating settlements that could extend throughout the Docks along a watery ‘Champs Elysee’ boulevard. A fundamental approach to Baca’s plan was that the development should not be an extension of the dock edge. Rather, it should be set away from the dock edge and surrounded by a ‘blue belt’, to provide space to breathe and express the unique ‘aquatecture’. The village design has the bold ambition of the original dock builders and would be innovative, inspirational and iconic: a legacy that future generations could be proud of.Designed and built in Britain, the HM team’s approach was to make a uniquely British floating village, both bold and playful. Their floating village design contains all the components one would expect from a quintessential British village but on water, with small local stores, a village hall/gallery, and even a floating village pub set on the edge of the village blue. ‘The village is set in a giant blue park, where water is the public realm. We envisage all sorts of events to cater for everyone; like dragon boat and rowing races, carnivals, boat shows, gondolas, floating weddings and there is space for people to just sit and look out.’‘Though, sadly, the public were not invited to comment on the shortlisted proposals, hopefully there will be a chance to input into this important new London landmark in due course.’ Baca still plan to build a British floating village somewhere else in the UK. Director in charge, Robert Barker, stated that ‘he wished the winning scheme every success and hoped that this pilot floating village would be the catalyst for more floating development throughout the UK.’           

Aquatecture, a new book authored by Baca Directors, Robert Barker and Richard Coutts, is now being advertised on the RIBA bookshop website. Due to be published by RIBA Publishing, the specialist book incorporates the Practice’s considerable knowledge and research experience in designing with water, from building to masterplanning levels. With water playing such a vital role in our lives and societies, the book lays out the case for the importance of designing for water, now and in the future, in order to best prepare us to adapt to the uncertainties of future climate change. Historical cases of issues with water and innovations in designing with water are examined, along with measures to mitigate the threat posed by water in the form of shortages, such as droughts, and excess, in the form of flooding.   

The Practice is pleased to announce that it’s progressive research, the Climate Adaptive Neighbourhood (CAN) Project, has been shortlisted for the 2014 RIBA President’s Medal for Outstanding Practice-located Research.  Funded by the Technology Strategy Board, the CAN Project advanced the design of an innovative masterplan for flood-proof housing on a prominent regeneration site in Norwich, East Anglia.  A holistic design simultaneously addresses a range of climate issues for East Anglia.  Future climate risks were tested using a variety of methods of advanced simulation modeling. Differing degrees of climate change were examined to adapt the design to current risk; but more importantly to enable a cascade of mitigation measures (selected from a hierarchical series of options) to be easily retrofitted in the future, dependent upon the severity of the climate as and when it changes. Baca’s LifE (Long-term Initiatives for Flood-risk Environments) project won the President’s Medal for Research in 2009.  The 2014 winners will be announced in October, with the awards presented at the RIBA President’s Medals ceremony in December.For more information on the RIBA website please click here                          ​

The UK’s first amphibious house passes the float test with flying colours.  Water from the neighbouring Thames was pumped into the dock in order to float and balance the concrete hull of this groundbreaking building. The float test was recorded on camera for a forthcoming TV show of the pioneering design, located in Marlow.  Members of Baca and the engineering team from Technicker watched as the dock in which the house will rest was filled with water to simulate flood conditions, and the concrete hull the building will rest on tweaked, to perfect its balance and test the waterproofing. The amphibious house is scheduled to be completed this autumn.         ​