We are fast approaching the National Environment Research Council's RCUK Water Showcase, 'Water in Future Cities'.
Taking place at The Crystal, London on the 30th of June 2015, the event will see policymakers, businesses and researchers exploring five distinctive visions for these cities of the future:Green Food & Garden Cityscapes, Flood-proof Cities, Smart Homes & City Networks, Cities & the Underworld and Community Transition Cities.
Richard Coutts of BACA will be running a workshop on Flood-proof cities with Dr. Jim Wharfe, one of the parallel workshops on Business of Water in Cities that will explore possible routes to realise these visions.
The Research Councils UK-sponsored event will facilitate dialogue and collaborations between researchers and research users in industry, government and third sector.
We are fast approaching the National Environment Research Council’s RCUK Water Showcase, 'Water in Future Cities'. Taking place at The Crystal, London on the 30th of June 2015, the event will see policymakers, businesses and researchers exploring five distinctive visions for these cities of the future:
Green Food & Garden Cityscapes, Flood-proof Cities, Smart Homes & City Networks, Cities & the Underworld and Community Transition Cities
Richard Coutts of BACA will be running a workshop on Flood-proof cities with Dr. Jim Wharfe, one of the parallel workshops on Business of Water in Cities that will explore possible routes to realise these visions.
The Research Councils UK -sponsored event will facilitate dialogue and collaborations between researchers and research users in industry, government and third sector.
In celebration of World Water Day 2015, BACA’s Andrew Scrace will be speaking at the Roca London Gallery . Organised by the We Are Water Foundation and supported by Roca and the Landscape Institute, the evening aims to raise awareness about water, weather and the importance of good design.
The first United Nations General Assembly’s World Water Day took place in 1993, to celebrate water and make a difference for members of the global population who suffer from water-related issues. In the twenty-two years since then, awareness of the vital importance of water to civilization has been brought into sharp focus.
To discuss 2015’s theme of ‘Water and Sustainable Development’, Andrew will be joined by Sue Illman, Managing Director of Illman Young Landscape Design. Drawing on Baca’s expert knowledge and award-winning research, the LifE Project, along with examples of the Practice’s pioneering designs, including the UK’s first Amphibious House , ideas will be shared on how we can work with water when designing homes and public spaces, and how future designers can be inspired.
- World Water Day 2015 Trailor
- BACA architects’ forthcoming book ‘Aquatecture‘, RIBA Publishing
Event Address/Contact:
Roca London Gallery
Station Court,
Townmead Road,
London,
SW6 2PY
020 7610 9503
info.londongallery@roca.net
@RocaLONGallery
Nearest station: Imperial Wharf
The masterplanning and research elements of the Practice were recognised in two major awards in 2014. Part of the Dutch ‘Room for the River’ programme, the Eiland Veur Lent ‘island retreat’ project in Nijmegen, Holland, was awarded the MIPIM Future Projects Award for Regeneration and Masterplanning in Cannes in the Spring.
In the recent RIBA President's Medals, the Climate Adaptive Neighbourhoods (CAN) Project was awarded a commendation for Research for its holistic design approach to adapting domestic buildings in flood-prone areas.
Work has begun on-site for a modern five-bedroom family home in picturesque West Devon. Located on an old farmyard overlooking Dartmoor National Park, the edgy home is designed to sit in harmony with the landscape and the surviving outhouses. The original granary will be completely refurbished to become part of the accommodation, accessed via a covered glass walkway from the main kitchen.
Natural materials will be employed, with an emphasis on local stone to soften the modern form and create sympathy with the granary, and combine with extensive highly insulated glass that will allow generous natural lighting and fantastic views across the stunning countryside. An innovative Sustainable Drainage System will not only enable effective rainwater collection and harvesting, channeling the water down a stepped promenade under the walkway between the house and the granary, but also create a feature rainwater pond.
BACA’s Brook Street flood-resilient home is close to completion and will be ready to welcome it’s family-owners in time for Christmas. The main structure has been completed with finishing touches to the interior and landscape now underway.
The elevated building, located in an historic Oxfordshire village, is situated next to a brook that can flood during periods of heavy rain. During a flood, water is conveyed underneath the house, yet in dry periods its elevated nature means the house appears to float above the surrounding wildflower meadow. The sculpted landscape enables water storage and provides a gradual warning of an approaching flood.
The family home is low in profile and simple in form with a nod to converted barns in the area; the series of interlocking buildings, clad in timber, glass and steel, provide open-plan living space that also manages to maintain the intimacy of separate rooms.
