An urban installation as part of the London Festival of Architecture

A neglected cut-through in King's Cross was transformed into an inviting picnic garden this weekend, in response to a brief set by the London Festival of Architecture to transform a forgotten corner of King's Cross into a space for people to enjoy. The large scale installation, titled The King's Cross Picnic, was designed by local architects Squire and Partners in collaboration with landscape designer Jeremy Rye and artist Anna Garforth.

King's Cross Picnic, image courtesy Squire and Partners | Photo by James Jones

Around 500 visitors came to the picnic over the weekend, braving occasional showers to sit outside on our deck chairs and grass beds constructed from recycled palettes, which were covered in real turf and topped with picnic baskets bursting with native English flowers.

King's Cross Picnic, image courtesy Squire and Partners | Photo by James Jones

A large scale graphic moss installation on a railway wall, by artist Anna Garforth, provided a striking backdrop and was gradually added to during the weekend by children armed with buckets of chalk. By Sunday evening the chalk stretched over two streets creating a fantastic mural of pictures and messages for passers-by.

King's Cross Picnic, image courtesy Squire and Partners | Photo by James Jones

The inside space – Victorian warehouse restaurant/bar 6 St Chad's Place – was decked out in more turf, bespoke games tables and seating made from recycled palettes, plus two swings hanging from the rafters which were in constant use by children and adults!

King's Cross Picnic, image courtesy Squire and Partners | Photo by James Jones

Youth dance groups from The Place did hourly performances providing a fantastic visual interaction in both the indoor and outdoor spaces. And the lovely ladies from The Poundshop brought their bespoke mobile kiosk as part of a summer tour, selling wonderful designer/maker items.

+ Architect: Squire and Partners

+ All images courtesy Squire and Partners

If you are a fan of Formula 1, this is a funny video for you. Made by biplaneblues.blogspot.com, this video features an animated timeline of all F1 seasons: 1950-2012.

Image courtesy AC-CA

This is a small introduction of the next competition [CASABLANCA 05]. The aim of this International Competition is to design a New Sustainable Market Square in Casablanca.

A Market square is a public open area where market stalls are traditionally set out for trading, commonly on particular days.
Sustainable Architecture is a general term that describes environmentally conscious design techniques in the field of architecture.

Casablanca is a young and dynamic city in Morocco with a population estimated at approximately 4 million habitants. It is the largest city in the Maghreb and the fourth largest in Africa.

Being an important economic centre, its architecture is a combination of different styles which gives it a unique architectural beauty

+ For more information about the competition, please visit www.ac-ca.org

Note: this is an open international competition hosted by [AC-CA] to generate progressive contemporary design ideas.
There are no plans for the Sustainable Market Square to be built.

Image courtesy AC-CA

Image courtesy AC-CA

Image courtesy AC-CA

The exhibition of ‘Foster + Partners: the Art of Architecture‘ will open at SPSI (Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute) from 25 July to 25 August 2012.

SPSI (Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute) Art Museum,
No. 111, Jinzhu Rd, Shanghai 201103, P.R. China
Tel : +86 21 6275 9930
Fax : +86 21 6209 0687

+ Click here to read more projects by Foster + Partners.

+ Press release

'Foster + Partners: the Art of Architecture' will be staged at SPSI, the Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute, from 25 July to 25 August 2012.

The exhibition is the first major survey of the studio's work to be held in China. It reveals details of a number of new projects underway in the region, including headquarters for Citic Bank in Hangzhou, a new tower in Nanjing and the Vantone development in Shanghai. It is also an opportunity to see the original models and sketches for high-profile completed buildings, such as Beijing International Airport, the Millau Viaduct in France, Hearst Tower in New York and the Swiss Re headquarters in London.

Arranged around the themes of infrastructure, sustainability, high-rise, urban planning, history and culture, the works on display highlight the diversity of the practice's work and showcase a growing portfolio of projects in China. They also illustrate into the changing nature of architectural practice over the past forty years – a timeline will illustrate the 227 projects in 20 countries completed by the practice since its inception in 1967 as Foster Associates. Allowing visitors a unique insight into the workings of the studio, a special exhibit created for the exhibition explores the design process from first client meeting to completed building and post-occupancy studies.

'Foster + Partners: the Art of Architecture' is also timed to celebrate the recent opening of the studio's Shanghai office, which is based in the Jiushi building on Zhong Shan Nan Road – a tower designed by the practice and the first project to be completed a British firm of architects in China.

Student Center for University of Queensland, image courtesy E/L STUDIO

University of Queensland, image courtesy E/L STUDIO

E/L STUDIO has designed new office space for the inaugural UQ presence outside of Australia. The space, which was launched with an international conference the second week of June, will serve primarily to market to those interested in coming to study and research at UQ’s primary campus in St. Lucia, Queensland. As such, it needed to evoke the qualities of that campus, which in spring is flooded with the purple blossoms of the jacaranda tree.

University of Queensland, image courtesy E/L STUDIO

The flowering of the jacarandas is akin to Washington’s Cherry Blossom season and is the gensis of the University’s distinctive colors of purple and green.

University of Queensland, image courtesy E/L STUDIO

The office entry space provides a glimpse of that experience with custom wood panels laser-cut with an abstracted jacaranda tree in full bloom. The entry is also the orientation space connecting three discreet offices for support staff, many of whom ‘hot-desk’ on short visits from Australia.

+ Designer: E/L STUDIO

+ All images courtesy E/L STUDIO