Latest BACA News:

The New Ideas For Housing competition has announced 100 shortlisted ideas to solve Greater London’s ‘housing crisis,’ including BACA’s floating entry. The New London Architecture (NLA) international competition, organised in collaboration with the Mayor of London, attracted over 200 entries from 16 countries around the world.

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The competition invites innovative thinking to explore what needs to happen in the capital to improve the speed, scale and quality of housing. Buoyant Starts, a collaboration between Floating Homes Ltd and BACA architects, addresses the issue by providing high-quality, prefabricated floating homes at an affordable price on the un-used water space of the capital.

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Ten winning ideas, selected by a distinguished jury, will be announced in mid-October. Winning submitters will be invited to join a Greater London Authority working group to examine how their ideas can be applied to real London sites to deliver future housing for the capital.

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To find out more about the competition and its entries, please follow this link

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The 100 shortlisted ideas will be on display in a free public exhibition at the NLA galleries in The Building Centre from 15 October to 17 December 2015, supported by a three-month programme of talks, conferences and tours.

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Robert Barker will present the 4 approaches to flood resilience, as set out in the Metric Handbook at the Resilience, Vulnerability and Climate Change session chaired by Sarah Wigglesworth on Friday 11th September at 15:15.

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- Avoidance

- Resistance

- Resilience

- Flotation

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There will be a special feature about amphibious construction.

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'Aquatecture', BACA’s forthcoming book to be published by RIBA, will be officially released at a launch party at a secret venue early next year.

Addressing the increasing importance of considering water in design, Robert Barker and Richard Coutts explore how to design in flood-risk areas and how water can be used to enhance architecture and design.

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.

The historical relationship between water and architecture over the centuries is explored. 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.

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The Flood Expo returns to the Excel Centre in London on the 14th & 15th of October 2015. The largest event of its kind in the world, the show presents solutions to widespread flooding problems from the world’s leading flood prevention companies, alongside an extensive seminar and workshop schedule highlighting new, cost-effective ways to prevent and manage floods.

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BACA will be presenting seminars in the Marshall’s Theatre on both days. Wednesday the 14th will see Richard Coutts examining how to create a hierarchical risk management plan; looking at how new technology can be used to protect and maintain this infrastructure in the event of a flood (or other natural disaster) to provide protection to a city and also to enable continued occupation of cities that could otherwise be untenable.

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On Thursday the 15th, Robert Barker will explore the technical details behind amphibious and floating construction for both residential and commercial properties. The seminar will also consider the issues of mortgages and finance, demonstrate how to overcome planning issues, and look at some of the urban design benefits of utilising waterspaces.

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BACA Seminars:

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Amphibious Housing UK – Thursday 15th October 2015, 14:00-14:30, Marshall’s Theatre

Adaptive City Planning – Wednesday 14th October 2015, 11.45-12.15, Marshall’s Theatre

Last night’s BACA Summer Party at the soon-to-be-demolished Beadnell Road site was a wonderful evening, even with the heavy downpour! Safely under the cover of one of the disused warehouse areas, food, drinks and conversation flowed to summer sounds – and monsoon-like music from the rain at points.

The team were also pleased to present some of their independent creative works in the form of photography, art and poetry.  Many thanks to all those who attended and contributed to making it such an enjoyable affair. Until next time...

Our clients were so taken with the design of BACA’s Nijmegen Tower, Netherlands, showcased at MIPIM 2015 in Cannes, they felt that the strong silhouette and fluid forms could be evolved for their prominent site on the border between Belgium and Holland.

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The desire to create an engaging public space helped to drive the design for the 250,000 sq ft development. The hotel tower forms the centre piece of the development, supported by a mix of leisure and retail at ground level with residential units above.

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The design is currently in development.

Voting opened this week for the prestigious International Design and Architecture Awards 2015, with our Amphibious House shortlisted in the Residential Architectural Property category.

Hosted by UK interior design magazine, design et al, the awards aim to commend design, recognise talent, create opportunities and quite simply to offer inspiration.

If you would like to vote on the awards and for the Amphibious House, please click on the banner below to visit where your selections can be made.  We wish the best of luck to all shortlisted projects!

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Work continues at White Post Quay, a six-storey building overlooking the Olympic Park in East London that will be utilised by local artists and artisans.

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The building has now been topped out and is watertight. The next phase includes the link block to connect the new canalside building to the existing suite of warehouses. A sample of the feature façade will soon be made up for checking before the full integrated shading and balustrading is installed to protect and articulate the south-facing façade.

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The new building will act as a hub for the sites’ numerous artists and artisans, housing a cafe and exhibition spaces. The building has been stepped back at ground and first floor levels to provide a public apron onto the canal and connection to the new footbridge.

BACA’s 2015 summer party, a pop-up fiesta, will be taking place at Beadnell Mews prior to demolition. The courtyard and small warehouses will make way for a new mews development.

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Expect music, summer catering and a drink or two to celebrate the summer and another successful year.

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For more information, please contact Amy Dron on adron@baca.uk.com.  We hope to see you there..!

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About Beadnell Mews

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Once completed, the development will comprise a three-/four-storey residential block along the street front, with four houses facing onto a shared courtyard to the rear. The front block is divided in two to provide a pedestrian routeway through to the new mews at the rear. Each house has its own garden that opens onto the central courtyard – a communal safe playground for children and a shared place for all the residents. The buildings have been sculpted to maximise light between and over the houses into the courtyard, as well as creating south-facing roofs for solar panels. The front block is designed to create a contemporary form that also provides continuity along the street line, with the roof of the front block crafted to reduce the eaves line.

We are fast approaching the National Environment Research Council's RCUK Water Showcase, 'Water in Future Cities'.  

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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.

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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.

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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'.

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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:

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Green Food & Garden Cityscapes, Flood-proof Cities, Smart Homes & City Networks, Cities & the Underworld and Community Transition Cities

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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.

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The Research Councils UK -sponsored event will facilitate dialogue and collaborations between researchers and research users in industry, government and third sector.

Vision Event, London 2-3 June 2015 – Amphibious And Flood-Resilient Homes Workshop.

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The annual Vision event returns to London’s Olympia next week, bringing together architects, specifiers, clients and suppliers to discuss, debate and showcase the latest innovations and developments in architecture, design and the built environment.  Through a series of lectures, live debates and practical seminars, alongside an exhibition of cutting-edge products, Vision will provide the meeting place for professionals connected to the built environment.

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The practice’s Richard Coutts will be speaking at the Amphibious & Flood-Resilient Homes workshop at 13.00 on the 3rd of June.  Under discussion will be the completed BACA-designed  Amphibious House on the banks of the Thames in Buckinghamshire plus a new generation of floating and flood-resilient homes.  Richard will also present other measures for protecting buildings from damage from flooding, including the demonstration flood-resilient building, in conjunction with Aquobex, planned for the BRE Innovation Park in Watford.

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Amphibious & Flood-Resilient Homes workshop

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Date: 3rd June Time: 13.00 – 14.00Location: Innovation In Architecture & Design Theatre

In a series of summer seminars at University College London (UCL), London’s vital artery, the River Thames, is celebrated and explored. Sponsored by Fuller’s, In Touch with the Thames is organised by The Thames Estuary Partnership (TEP) and open to anyone who would like to learn more about the tidal Thames, its estuary, flood-plains, tributaries, communities, and commerce. Viewing the Thames as a system as much as a location, the lectures are intended to stimulate conversation and the sharing of new approaches to understanding, managing or enjoying the river’s urban and rural hinterland and similar riparian and maritime landscapes in the south-east.

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Tuesday the 19th of May saw Richard Coutts of BACA presenting research along with Thames-side projects that utilise the practice’s expertise in water-related design. Plans for the Creekside Educational Trust’s Visitors Centre in the Thames Estuary were discussed along with the proposed Thames Tideway Tunnel and an update on the award-winning LifE (Long-term Initiatives for flood Risk Environments) Project.  Building on the success of the UK’s first Amphibious House, Richard expanded on the BACA design and presented some of the practice’s forthcoming projects including next-generation Amphibious Houses, an Elevated House & designs for further Flood Resilient Homes.

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We would also like to say a big thank you to London brewer, Fuller’s, for supplying delicious complimentary craft beers at the event.

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BACA’s forthcoming book Aquatecture from RIBA Publishing can be purchased by clicking on this LINK

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Some of the practice’s water-related designs are presented in Built on Water from Braun Publishing, available for purchase via the following LINK

This weekend, the Landscape Institute’s AGM in Norwich will be accompanied by a series of inspiring talks exploring the pivotal role that water has in its purer landscape form: rivers. A group of expert speakers will be sharing their experiences in dealing with rivers in various design fields and disciplines at The River Is Everywhere event.

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Robert Barker of BACA will be discussing the practice’s designs for The Deal Ground in East Norwich, recently granted planning permission. The BACA-led consortium of designers had to consider the site’s numerous constraints, not least the issues of flood-risk, ecology and access. He will joined by Jenny Mant of The River Restoration Centre, Eoghan Sheils of SheilsFlynn and Richard Haine of Frog Environmental.

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Following the seminar, Eoghan Sheils will guide a walk along the River Wensum. If you would like to attend the event, please follow the link HERE to book tickets.

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BACA’s submission proposes a high-tech mixed-use and cultural hub @ Soar Island, inspired by the former use – Flour Mills. The ‘mill wheels’ become the modern wheels of industry in this high tech hub and provide form to the pavilions, with a new cafe, a centre for start up businesses and residential flats interspersed into a vibrant waterside island setting.

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United by the flows of movement through the site, the holistic strategy for the island builds on existing linkages that weave through the site to create unique settings for a variety of activities that become destinations in their own right.

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Water is a key feature, with a waterside plaza, amphitheatre, canal boat moorings, revolving cafe cantilevered over the water and best of all, a innovative ‘horizontal water wheel’ – a unique feature.

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A big thank you to everyone who attended BACA’s Green Sky Thinking event, Treasuring/Taming the Thames, hosted by the Creekside Educational Centre in Deptford. The themes for this year’s Open City Green Sky Thinking Week, Green Infrastructure, Social Sustainability and Intelligent Design, saw a number of interesting topics explained.

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Richard Coutts and Robert Barker expounded on BACA’s Amphibious House design and the latest designs for further can-float homes currently in the pipeline. The proposed Thames Tideway Tunnel was discussed, and Bettina Kabutz of Creekside described the value of the Centre’s work and the local ecology.

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Thanks also to RIBA Publishing, who brought along some of their latest titles, along with a preview of the practice’s forthcoming book, Aquatecture. Group discussions on potential solutions to issues of designing with water in cities were very interesting, as were the views on how the next phase of Creekside’s expansion, in development with BACA, should proceed. Thanks again to all, and we look forward to next year’s event.

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We are pleased to invite you to a Green Sky Thinking event on the 21st of April, 18:30 – 20:30, at the Creekside Discovery Centre, Deptford.

The National Environment Research Council’s RCUK Water Showcase, 'Water in Future Cities', will take place at The Crystal, London on the 30th of June 2015. The event will bring together policymakers, businesses and researchers to explore 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.

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BACA Director, Robert Barker, 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 by:

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• Discovering the latest knowledge on infrastructure planning and business models.
• Finding out about finance and funding available for innovation.
• Selecting innovative water services or products for national competition.
• Exploring water interdependencies.

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The Research Councils UK -sponsored event will facilitate dialogue and collaborations between researchers and research users in industry, government and third sector.

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