I have no real intention of following the interminable shenanigans surrounding the new library. However, I reckon it’s worth announcing that the contract to design the new building has been given to Mecanoo (whose buildings had better be more attractive and useable than their website). The new library, which at the rate things seem to … [Read more…]
A project that has been taking shape for the past year is just coming to completion with a film, book and exhibition. The project records the personal life of Birmingham’s most iconic building, unveiling the many human stories that have influenced and shaped its existence. The exhibition can be seen at: the Central Library (6th … [Read more…]
Birmingham: Shaping the City is a new book published by RIBA about our fair city written by Ben Flatman after years of research. The photographic editor was Craig Holmes who took photos at the launch night. Here’s the blurb: “Birmingham: Shaping the City” is an authoritative and objective assessment of the redevelopment and regeneration of … [Read more…]
Andy at Substrakt wonders, what’s up with Eastiside? Considering he works there and has friends who live there he’s surprised to realise he doesn’t know exactly what’s going to happen with the redevelopment. So he digs around online and finds… not much really. On the one hand this isn’t too surprising. The Eastside development is … [Read more…]
[Update: My mistake – it’s running until Feb 29th.] Model Cities was a neat sounding exhibition currently on at M.A.D.E. of photos from the Model Buildings project run by Stans Cafe at St Albans School last year before it was rebuilt. The children were encouraged to imagine “that small details of the old school were … [Read more…]
The Birmingham Architecture Association are running a monthly series of six talks at the Old Joint Stock Theatre on the theme of “What does it mean to be a Second City?” Is it important to be second? The BAA lecture series seeks to explore the different aspects of ‘second city’ and how this affects the … [Read more…]
I’ve written about Silent UK on my own blog but coming across his/their Deviant Art profile (courtesy, as ever, of D’log) made me realise I’d not brought him/them to your attention. What’s going on here is urban exploration where folks gain entry, usually illegally, into abandoned buildings, underground tunnels and other areas not usually visited … [Read more…]
One for the built environment buffs – Revealing the Town Hall is a talk given by Anthony Peers at, yes, the Town Hall this Saturday Sunday afternoon. “Anthony has been researching the history of the building for close to a decade and was involved in the planning of the recently completed scheme of repairs and … [Read more…]