Capita Symonds, Gatwick North Terminal Extension

As the Olympics draw closer, Britain moves one step nearer to delivering participants and spectators there on time. Capita Symonds have recently completed the complex extension of Gatwick’s North Terminal, the busiest single runway airport in the world. The upgrade involves a new state of the art passenger and transport interchange, Departures and Arrivals concourse extension and new multi storey car park. The extension costing £150+m, will increase the passenger capacity by 10 million.

Hundven-Clements Photography have been onsite to document this monumental structure in the depths of winter. The weather was not our side during the day so the interior was where we begun, later on in the day we were blessed with 20 mins of colour as the sun set. With a multi layered approach to design by Capita, a swift transition between shuttle transport and the departure halls has been created. The dramatic roof generates a pleasant feeling of openness allowing natural light to illuminate the platforms during the daytime.

Photographing operational public structures on this scale comes with an array of logistical and photographic challenges. The first being access, understandably Gatwick has high security regulations in place, so an interview to obtain a permit to photograph was essential. Once onsite we found the general public to be surprisingly accommodating with appearing in photos, I guess the prospect of two weeks in Mauritus away from a British winter helped! Let us know what you think of the new development.

 

 

Landscape Architecture

At Hundven-Clements Photography we relish challenges. So when Link Landskap Arkitektur, based in Oslo, decided to conduct a study of their recently completed landscape projects we were more than happy to help. Landscape architecture has not directly played a prominent role in our core business previously and therefore had to be approached with extra care.

The primary challenge is that projects are often literally the walkways, steps, greenery or our cities infrastructure. So finding the right light to describe the projects was critical. Whilst a range of contemporary day time images focusing on human interaction formed the core of the documentation (which can be viewed here : Landscape Architecture Portfolio), the client was very excited by the more alternative night shots. Here is a small selection. Please let us know what you think.

Marzorati Ronchetti Metal Sculptures

Marzorati Ronchetti is no ordinary metal manufacturer. They produce some of the most elegant refined structures with every type of metal imaginable for the worlds greatest designers. MR concentrate on the high end design market for architects like Norman Foster and notable artists like Anish Kapoor. With the engineering and design capabilities to manufacture unusual solutions tailored for specific environments a diverse range of products are the result.

With the up and coming birthday of the company MR commissioned Hundven-Clements Photography to document a range of their London successes, here are the results.

 

Eger Shopping Centre, Karl Johan Gate, Oslo

This is Norways most prestigious high end retail shopping centre. Based in the centre of Oslo between the central station and the palace on Karl Johan’s Street it sits in a prime location. The renovation and joining of multiple adjacent buildings was Link Arkitekter’s largest challenge. The complex interior space is set across three floors, cleaverly connected by a collection of ramps, walkways and stairs.

London Metropolitan University Renovations

Cartwright Pickard Architects have taken a complex structure in the form of London’s famous Metropolitan University and converted it in to a pure colour experience. The buildings from the 70’s were exhibiting such worn and depressing institutional designs that students have even left because of it. During my documentation of the recently opened renovation one of the lecturers explained that international students specifically from the US were so shocked by the pre-renervation conditions (akin to a mental institute) that they have been known to leave.

Now Peter Cartwright and James Pickard have delivered a stimulating renovation that plays upon the existing architectural features whilst maintaining a very tight expenditure programme.The dramatic use of primary colours and cost effective, textured surfaces has delivered a new energy avoiding the costly expenses of rebuilding.

As government budgets bite hard in the education sector, I think we will be seeing a lot more renovations in the future, let’s hope they’re all as inspiring as this one.

Lombard Street Offices

The historic offices of 6 Lombard Street stand in the heart of London City on top of Bank Underground Station. This dramatic setting is located next to the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England. Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects have been involved with many of the ongoing developments at this site for years. Providing multi functioning office environments that can be tailor designed when a company moves has been PRS main challenge.

The exterior received a face lift with some dramatic detailing on the lighting which automatically turns on just after night fall for a limited period to conserve energy. The ornate Georgian features have been emphasized while achieving a contemporary elegance.

Agder Energy Centre, Kristiansand

The project exhibits a sensitive balance between creative design and energy efficiency.

A competition set by Agder Energy was awarded to LINK architecture AS in 2007, with the completed new HQ due early 2011. A special energy adviser (KanEnergi) participated in the competition and planning process. It was a goal that the building will achieve energy label A in the energy labeling scheme to be introduced in Norway on the basis of the EU building energy directive.

Total area: approx. 24 000m2 of which 14 000 are office space spread over 5 floors above ground and 10 000 m2 of parking, 2 floors below ground. Parking: approx. 10000 m2 spread over 2 floors below ground.

Structural Divinity Slideshow

The symbolic design of contrasting religious architectural buildings across Southern Africa provides a fascinating insight into the colonial ideologies of Europe and the subsequent environments that remain.

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Vågen Videregående Skole, Sandnes, Stavanger, Norway

The Vågen Skole has just been completed as the first excited students begin to arrive. Justifiably very proud of the latest creation by Link Arkitektur AS. The college is situated in the fjords of Sandnes, surrounded by the industrial elements of the town, every inch of space was utilised to mazimise the capacity. The buildings plan ends only centermeters from the council boundaries.

 

A large structure for such a small town is cleverly intergrated by the delicate choice of materials. The sand coloured cladding reflects the nordic light beautifully, creating a positive energy in an otherwise drab part of town. It feels like Sandnes is on the right track to architectural revival.

 

External and Internal Cladding

Here is a selection of images taken for Domus Facades to illustrate the application of their cladding solutions. They have a diverse range of high quality stone surfaces among others. I visited Bolton on a cold wintery day to capture some images of the recently completed College.

Domus Facades solutions are not only suitable for exteriors the range is well suited to luxury interiors with design and quality a high priority. This is the interior of Carmelite Street, London, where Progressive Media Publishing of Blueprint Magazine and New Statesman fame are based. A very minimal, simply designed reception creates a feeling of peace and calm while MP’s wait for a probing interview!