Project Greylight 3 | Toolkit Overview

Project Greylight 2 | USD Lingo & The Problem to Solve

This article first appeared in The Checkup,MIT Technology Reviewsweekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first,sign up here. Every journalist has favorite topics. Regular Checkup readers might already know some of mine, which include the quest to delay or reverse human aging, and new technologies for reproductive health and fertility. So when I saw trailers for The Substance, a film centered on one middle-aged womans attempt to reexperience youth, I had to watch it. I wont spoil the movie for anyone who hasnt seen it yet (although I should warn that it is not for the squeamish, or anyone with an aversion to gratuitous close-ups of bums and nipples). But a key premise of the film involves harmful attitudes toward female aging. Hey, did you know that a womans fertility starts to decrease by the age of 25? a powerful male character asks early in the film. At 50, it just stops, he later adds. He never explains what stops, exactly, but to the viewer the message is pretty clear: If youre a woman, your worth is tied to your fertility. Once your fertile window is over, so are you. The insidious idea that womens bodies are, above all else, vessels for growing children has plenty of negative consequences for us all. But it has also set back scientific research and health policy. Earlier this week, I chatted about this with Alana Cattapan, a political scientist at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Cattapan has been exploring the concept of women of reproductive agea descriptor that is ubiquitous in health research and policy. The idea for the research project came to her when the Zika virus was making headlines around eight years ago. I was planning on going to the Caribbean for a trip related to my partners research, and I kept getting advice that women of reproductive age shouldnt go, she told me. At the time, Zika was being linked to microcephalyunusually small headsin newborn babies. It was thought that the virus was affecting key stages of fetal development. Cattapan wasnt pregnant. And she wasnt planning on becoming pregnant at the time. So why was she being advised to stay away from areas with the virus? The experience got her thinking about the ways in which attitudes toward our bodies are governed by the idea of potential pregnancy. Take, for example, biomedical research on the causes and treatment of disease. Womens health has lagged behind mens as a focus of such work, for multiple reasons. Male bodies have long been considered the default human form, for example. And clinical trials have historically been designed in ways that make them less accessible for women. Fears about the potential effects of drugs on fetuses have also played a significant role in keeping people who have the potential to become pregnant out of studies. Scientific research has excluded women of reproductive age, or women who might potentially conceive, in a blanket way, says Cattapan. The research that we have on many, many drugs does not include women and certainly doesnt include women in pregnancy. This lack of research goes some way to explaining why women are much more likely to experience side effects from drugssome of them fatal. Over the last couple of decades, greater effort has been made to include people with ovaries and uteruses in clinical research. But we still have a long way to go. Women are also often subjected to medical advice designed to protect a potential fetus, whether they are pregnant or not. Official guidelines on how much mercury-containing fish it is safe to eat can be different for women of childbearing age, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, for example. And in 2021, the World Health Organization used the same language to describe people who should be a focus of policies to reduce alcohol consumption. The takeaway message is that its women who should be thinking about fetal health, says Cattapan. Not the industries producing these chemicals or the agencies that regulate them. Not even the men who contribute to a pregnancy. Just women who stand a chance of getting pregnant, whether they intend to or not. It puts the onus of the health of future generations squarely on the shoulders of women, she says. Another problem is the language itself. The term women of reproductive age typically includes women between 15 and 44. Women at one end of that spectrum will have very different bodies and a very different set of health risks from those at the other. And the term doesnt account for people who might be able to get pregnant but dont necessarily identify as female. In other cases it is overly broad. In the context of the Zika virus, for example, it was not all women between the ages of 15 and 44 who should have considered taking precautions. The travel advice didnt apply to people whod had hysterectomies or did not have sex with men, for example, says Cattapan. Precision here matters, she says. More nuanced health advice would be helpful in cases like these. Guidelines often read as though theyre written for people assumed to be stupid, she adds. I dont think that needs to be the case. Another thing On Thursday, president-elect Donald Trump said that he will nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services. The news was not entirely a surprise, given that Trump had told an audience at a campaign rally that he would let Kennedy go wild on health, the foods, and the medicines. The role would give Kennedy some control over multiple agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates medicines in the US, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which coordinates public health advice and programs. Thats extremely concerning to scientists, doctors, and health researchers, given Kennedys positions on evidence-based medicine, including his antivaccine stance. A few weeks ago, in a post on X, he referred to the FDAs aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals and anything else that advances human health and cant be patented by Pharma. If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you, continued the post. 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags. Theres a lot to unpack here. But briefly, we dont yet have good evidence that mind-altering psychedelic drugs are the mental-health cure-alls some claim they are. Theres not enough evidence to support the many unapproved stem-cell treatments sold by clinics throughout the US and beyond, either. These treatments can be dangerous. Health agencies are currently warning against the consumption of raw unpasteurized milk, because it might carry the bird flu virus that has been circulating in US dairy farms. And its far too simplistic to lump all vitamins togethersome might be of benefit to some people, but not everyone needs supplements, and high doses can be harmful. Kennedys 2021 book The Real Anthony Fauci has already helped spread misinformation about AIDS. Here at MIT Technology Review, well continue our work reporting on whatever comes next. Watch this space. Now read the rest of The Checkup Read more from MIT Technology Reviews archive The tech industry has a gender problem, as the Gamergate and various #MeToo scandals made clear. A new generation of activists is hoping to remedy it. Male and female immune systems work differently. Which is another reason why its vital to study both women and female animals as well as males. Both of the above articles were published in the Gender issue of MIT Technology Review magazine. You can read more from that issue online here. Women are more likely to receive abuse online. My colleague Charlotte Jee spoke to the technologists working on an alternative way to interact online: a feminist internet. From around the web The scientific community and biopharma investors are reacting to the news of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Its hard to see HHS functioning, said one biotech analyst. (STAT) Virologist Beata Halassy successfully treated her own breast cancer with viruses she grew in the lab. She has no regrets. (Nature) Could diet influence the growth of endometriosis lesions? Potentially, according to research in mice fed high-fat, low-fiber Western diets. (BMC Medicine) Last week, 43 female rhesus macaque monkeys escaped from a lab in South Carolina. The animals may have a legal claim to freedom. (Vox)

This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. How this grassroots effort could make AI voices more diverse We are on the cusp of a voice AI boom, as tech companies roll out the next generation of artificial-intelligence-powered assistants. But the default voices for these assistants are often white AmericanBritish, if youre luckyand most definitely speak English. And if youre one of the billions of people who dont speak English, bad luck: These tools dont sound nearly as good in other languages. This is because the data that has gone into training these models is limited. In AI research, most data used to train models is extracted from the English-language internet, which reflects Anglo-American culture. But there is a massive grassroots effort underway to change this status quo and bring more transparency and diversity to what AI sounds like. Read the full story. Melissa Heikkil Azalea: a science-fiction story Fancy something fiction to read this weekend? If you enjoy Sci-Fi, check out this story written by Paolo Bacigalupi, featured in the latest edition of our print magazine. It imagines a future shaped by climate changeread it for yourself here. The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Cruise has admitted to falsifying a crash report The report failed to mention that its robotaxi dragged a pedestrian after striking her. (San Francisco Chronicle)+ The firm has been fined $500,000 to resolve the criminal charges. (WP $)2 The US plans to investigate Microsofts cloud business As the Biden administration prepares to hand over power to Donald Trumps team. (FT $)3 Silicon Valley hates regulation. So does Trump. AI and energy ventures could be the first to prosper under lighter-touch governance. (WP $)+ Peter Thiel claims the tech industry is fed up with wokeness. (Insider $)4 Elon Musks cost-cutting team will be working 80+ hours a week And youll need to subscribe to X to apply. (WSJ $)+ As if that wasnt appealing enough, the positions are also unpaid. (NBC News)+ The lucky workers can expect a whole lot of meetings. (Bloomberg $)5 The trolls are in charge now And its increasingly unclear whats a joke and whats an actual threat. (The Atlantic $)+ Its possible, but not guaranteed, that Trumps more controversial cabinet picks will be defeated in the Senate. (New Yorker $)6 How to keep abortion plans private in the age of TrumpReproductive rights are under threat. Heres how to protect them. (The Markup) 7 The first mechanical Qubit is here And mechanical quantum computers could be the first to benefit. (IEEE Spectrum)+ Quantum computing is taking on its biggest challenge: noise. (MIT Technology Review) 8 Can Bluesky recapture the old Twitters magic?No algorithms, no interfering billionaires. (Vox) + More than one million new users joined the platform earlier this week. (TechCrunch)9 Weight-loss drugs could help to treat chronic pain And could present a safer alternative to opioids. (New Scientist $)+ Weight-loss injections have taken over the internet. But what does this mean for people IRL? (MIT Technology Review)10 These are the most expensive photographs ever taken The first human-taken pictures from space are truly awe-inspiring. (The Guardian)Quote of the day It feels like its a platform for and by real people. US politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells the Washington Post about the appeal of Bluesky as users join the social network after abandoning X. The big story How environmental DNA is giving scientists a new way to understand our world February 2024 Environmental DNA is a relatively inexpensive, widespread, potentially automated way to observe the diversity and distribution of life.Unlike previous techniques, which could identify DNA from, say, a single organism, the method also collects the swirling cloud of other genetic material that surrounds it. It can serve as a surveillance tool, offering researchers a means of detecting the seemingly undetectable.By sampling eDNA, or mixtures of genetic material in water, soil, ice cores, cotton swabs, or practically any environment imaginable, even thin air, it is now possible to search for a specific organism or assemble a snapshot of all the organisms in a given place.It offers a thrilling and potentially chilling way to collect information about organisms, including humans, as they go about their everyday business. Read the full story.Peter Andrey Smith We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.) + Smells like punk spirit. + If youve been feeling creaky lately (and who hasnt), give these mobility exercises a go.+ Talk about a glow upthese beautiful locations really do emanate light.+ Its the truly chilling collab we never knew we needed: Bon Jovi has joined forces with Mr Worldwide himself, Pitbull.

Click to enlargeThe Sami Architecture Library by Joar Nango and collaborators at the Nordic Countries Pavilion. Image: Laurian Ghinitoiu (2023) 1 of 9The Sami Architecture Library by Joar Nango and collaborators at the Nordic Countries Pavilion. Image: Supplied 2 of 9The Sami Architecture Library by Joar Nango and collaborators at the Nordic Countries Pavilion. Image: Supplied 3 of 9Joar Nango and Girjegumpis collaborators at the inauguration of Girjegumpi_The Sami Architecture Library by Joar Nango and collaborators at the Nordic Countries Pavilion. Image: Supplied 4 of 9Joar Nango and Girjegumpis collaborators at the inauguration of Girjegumpi_The Sami Architecture Library by Joar Nango and co. at the Nordic Countries Pavilion. Image: Supplied 5 of 9Conversation on Architecture in Sapmi. Image: Supplied 6 of 9Joar Nango in Girjegumpi. Image: Supplied 7 of 9Joar Nango, Girjegumpi in Jokkmokk, 2018. Image: Astrid Fadnes 8 of 9Joar Nango, Girjegumpi in Jokkmokk, 2018. Image: Astrid Fadnes 9 of 9Smi architect and artist Joar Nango and collaborators will visit Aotearoa from 18 Nov3 December, leading up to an exhibition at Objectspace opening 6 pm, Friday 29 November, and running from 30 November 202416 March 2025.Titled Building an archive of Indigenous architecture,the show is an iteration of Nangos Girjegumpi project (a nomadic Smi architectural library), which was presented at the Nordic Countries Pavilion at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale diVenezia.Formally trained as an architect, Joar Nangos practice includes collaborative site-specific installations and self-made publications that explore the boundaries between architecture, design and visual art. As one of only a few Smi architects, amplifying ideas related to Indigenous contemporary architecture and traditional building customs are integral to hiswork.Location:Objectspace, 13 Rose Road, Tmaki Makaurau, Auckland Opening: 6 pm Friday 29 November Duration: 30 November through to 16 March2025Joar Nango in Girjegumpi.Image: SuppliedBeginning during his time studying architecture, Nango has collected books and materials relevant to Smi architecture and Indigenous worldviews. In 2018, these texts came to be housed in Girjegumpi, a nomadic Smi architectural library that has since travelled across Spmi, and into Europe and Canada. Within Girjegumpi, Nango offers a space for education and dialogue, addressing issues relevant to Indigenous architecture, resistance, and Indigenisation: the importance of collaborative work, consideration of resource use in urgently changing climates, locally grounded material flow and sensitive approaches tolandscapes.The Sami Architecture Library by Joar Nango and collaborators at the Nordic Countries Pavilion.Image: SuppliedAt Objectspace, Nango creates a continuation of Girjegumpi. This manifestation of the project centres on knowledge sharing and continues Girjegumpis foundations of interrogation and exchange. Prior to the exhibition opening, a group of Indigenous architects from Aotearoa, Spmi and Australia gathered to offer texts that now become part of Girjegumpi. In Aotearoa, facilitating a space to consider Mori architecture was integral to the project and marks the beginning of exchange, tautoko and awhi for the practitionerspresent.Within this exhibition, the publications, moving image from Nangos archive, textiles and ephemera create a collection emblematic of the collaborative grounding of Nangos practice. It is a gathering space, a reading room for study and a dreaming place for Indigenousimagination.The Sami Architecture Library by Joar Nango and collaborators at the Nordic Countries Pavilion.Image: Laurian Ghinitoiu (2023)Joar Nangos concept ofGirjegumpiThe title Girjegumpi is derived from two Northern Smi words: Gumpi is a mobile cabin on runners, most often pulled by a snowmobile. Girji means book. The construction of Girjegumpi draws on Smi building traditions, characterised by improvisation, pragmatism and adaptation toenvironment.Girjegumpi is a nomadic project that changes in different situations and contexts. It was exhibited for the first time as part of the Arctic Arts Festival in Harstad in 2018. It has been exhibited in Jokkmokk, Canada, Bergen, Oslo and most recently Bod. In 2023, Nango, alongside a team of collaborators presented Girjegumpi at the Nordic Countries Pavilion at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale diVenezia.About theartistJoar Nango in Venice, 2022.Image: Knut AserudJoar Nango is an architect and artist based in Romsa, Norway. His work is rooted in Spmi the traditional Smi territory covering the northern regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula in Russia. Through building, site-specific interventions, design collaborations, photography, publications and video, Nangos work explores the role of Smi and Indigenous architecture and craft in contemporary thought. Nangos work, including the long-term project Girjegumpi, is nurtured by parallel collaborations with other artists, architects, and craftspeople. Trained at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Nango graduated in Architecture in 2008. Since then, his work has been presented at documenta 14, Bergen Kunsthall, National Museum Oslo Architecture, Canadian Centre for Architecture,Smi Diddaguovdd (Smi Centre for Contemporary Art), andKiasma.This exhibition includes contributions from Eveliina Sarap, Magnus Antaris Tuolja,Katarina Spik Skum and Ken Are Bongo.Joar Nango: Building an archive of Indigenous architecture has been developed by Objectspace and supported byNordisk Kulturfonds Globus initiative and The Warren Trust.Follow@objectspace for information and updates onupcoming events and exhibitions in both Tmaki Makaurau Auckland and tautahiChristchurch.

Submitted by WA ContentsMVRDV turns old shipping container into a clubhouse for refugees Netherlands Architecture News - Nov 15, 2024 - 15:38 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"MVRDV has turned an old shipping container into a modular, multi-functional clubhouse to use the power of sport to aid refugees.Named KLABU Clubhouse, the project was developed for KLABU, which means "club" in Swahili. KLABU is an Amsterdam-based social enterprise that uses the happiness, pride, and hope of sports to help refugees start over.KLABU constructs clubhouses in cities, settlements, and refugee camps that offer Wi-Fi, TV broadcasts, sports equipment, and activities, fostering a friendly and inclusive community.The new clubhouse is located inside a shipping container and contributes to KLABU's mission to support refugees through the power of sport.The clubhouse's creative and easily replicable design offers refugees a versatile, secure, and entertaining area to socialize and have fun.Currently in its third iteration, the KLABU clubhouse design will soon be installed at the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan, which houses about 41,000 Syrian refugees.Following this are clubhouses created by MVRDV that are used in the M'bera refugee camp in Mauritania, which offers safety to 100,000 Malian refugees, and the Waraotuma a Tuaranoko shelter in Boa Vista, Brazil, which aids indigenous Venezuelans who were forced to leave their homeland.Every version of the clubhouse is created in consultation with KLABU, TCHAI (the fabrication and fitout firm), and the camp clubhouse managers, taking into account their input."Sometimes the most powerful design comes from the simplest concept. Taking a shipping container, ordinarily the most mundane, everyday object, and transforming it into a bright, multi-functional clubhouse providing sports opportunities for refugees has been a deeply rewarding challenge," said Gideon Maasland, director at MVRDV."For all of us at MVRDV, to have played a part in enhancing the meaningful impact KLABU has on vulnerable communities is humbling. We will continue to work with KLABU on new iterations of the clubhouse to help support the needs of refugees," Maasland added.A modified ISO dry shipping container, selected for its robustness, security, and portability, serves as the foundation for the clubhouse. KLABU can create a "flat-packed" sports clubhouse by utilizing a shipping container as the foundation, which allows them to deliver the required sports equipment and the actual clubhouse structure all at once.The clubhouse, which can be reused in the same or different locations, offers a scalable model for sports opportunities that can be readily duplicated to support the more than 120 million people who have been forcibly displaced worldwide.The clubhouse turns into a vibrant and upbeat hub in the camps, giving refugees easy and secure access to a range of the most well-liked sports, fostering social, athletic, and interpersonal ties in these marginalized communities.The KLABU logo is laser-cut into the shipping container's striking orange exterior, giving it a recognizable and hospitable appearance. Compact, modular, and adaptable interior installations contrast with the exterior's orange hue in a sky-blue interior.Because they provide a lot of storage space, clubhouse managers can easily access all materials once they are mounted and ensure that they can be pre-loaded into the container before shipping. Durability and ease of customs transit have been taken into consideration when selecting interior fixtures.The clubhouse's third design iteration features an "open side" container that opens along its longer, 20-foot side in addition to having doors at the end.This delivers greater adaptability and visibility for the clubhouse, incorporating a substantial window open to the public, a canopy, and a large television screen, while ensuring that the overall structure maintains its necessarily robust and functional characteristics.Because of the canopy's ability to provide shade throughout the day, the clubhouse can be used for a variety of other purposes, such as socializing and playing sports like table tennis.The design makes it possible to install solar panels on the roof to provide renewable energy. Multiple electrical outlets, charging stations, and wireless internet capability are also included to support activities other than sports, such as education, in order to facilitate connections for mobile and portable devices.The sturdy structure of the shipping container helps protect against the various climates found in refugee camps worldwide, and the design also takes into account the need for durability and flexibility in a variety of situations."Sometimes the most powerful design comes from the simplest concept. Taking a shipping container, ordinarily the most mundane, everyday object, and transforming it into a bright, multi-functional clubhouse providing sports opportunities for refugees has been a deeply rewarding challenge," said Gideon Maasland, director at MVRDV."For all of us at MVRDV, to have played a part in enhancing the meaningful impact KLABU has on vulnerable communities is humbling. We will continue to work with KLABU on new iterations of the clubhouse to help support the needs of refugees," Maasland added.The involvement of MVRDV was centered on the project's requirement for adaptability and simplicity. The new clubhouse typology can be easily assembled, disassembled, and transported, which allows it to be used in a variety of settings.The clubhouse's reach and impact can be expanded by easily deploying it to various refugee communities thanks to its inherent flexibility.Within the next ten years, KLABU hopes to replicate this model in more than 50 locations, establishing a network of lively and safe areas where refugees can mingle, have fun, and prosper. More than 36,000 members have joined the clubhouses that have been set up in seven locations thus far.Thanks to the kind donations of many partners, including MVRDV, who have given freely of their time and resources to support KLABU's mission and are dedicated to promoting positive social change and enhancing the lives of marginalized communities, this ambitious project is now possible.As part of its goal to become the largest sports club in the world, KLABU encourages people and businesses all over the world to join by buying sports kits, making teamwear for their own teams, and participating in KLABU workouts and other social events.Image Richard HuClubhouse diagramClubhouse diagramClubhouse diagramClubhouse axonometric drawingClubhouse axonometric drawingMVRDV, recently, completed the renovation and transformation of Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck's Tripolis Office complex in Amsterdam. In addition, the firm revealed the design for a new office building in Munich, the building's facade is covered in recycled plastic shingles. Moreover, the firm transformed a former German military base from the Second World War into a residential and cultural community.Project factsProject name:KLABU ClubhouseArchitects:MVRDVLocation:multiple locations around the world: Ter Apel, Netherlands; Boa Vista, Brazil; Mbera, Mauritania; Azraq, JordanYear:2022 - ongoingClient:KLABUSize and Programme:14 m2, sports facilities and gathering spaces (storage, lockers, ping pong table, TV screen, shaded spaces)Partner: Stefan de KoningDirector:Gideon MaaslandDesign Team: Valentina Chiappa Nunez, Jose Manuel Garcia Garcia, Herman GaarmanStrategy and Development: Sruti ThakrarPartnersContractor:Loods121, TCHAISponsors: Nike, Philips, SignifyAll images Coco Olakunle unless otherwise stated.All drawings MVRDV.> via MVRDV

Top (left to right): Kate Revyakina, lead designer; Adiam Sertzu, associate design director; Federica Sammarco, project interior designer. Bottom (left to right): Portia Leung, lead interior designer; Nelli Denisova, project design architect; Wiktoria Kopycka, lead interior designerArchitectural practice OBMI, founded in Bermuda in 1936, has opened a new office in London.Known for its work in Bermuda and the Middle East, OBMI aims to use its new London office as a base to grow its European business.The firm is targeting work in luxury resorts, high-end residential, and commercial developments.Luxury hotel projects in OBMIs portfolio include the Royal Mansour Marrakech, Tazi Palace Hotel in Tangier, and St. Regis Bermuda.The team includes Adiam Sertzu, the newly appointed associate design director, previously worked as design director at AKTII Envelopes, where she was involved in projects including the Ghana National Cathedral and the Chancery Rosewood hotel conversion of the former US embassy on Grosvenor Square.Source: ShutterstockRoyal Mansour MarrakechLead designer Kate Revyakina has worked for Zaha Hadid Architects and Heatherwick Studio, contributing to projects such as the King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station inRiyadh and the Unicorn Island development inChengdu.Portia Leung, lead interior designer, has led designs for major hospitality brands, including Mandarin Oriental and Ritz Carlton, while computational designer Nelli Denisova, was previously at Zaha Hadid Architects.Brisbane-based practice Bureau Proberts also announced it was opening an office in London this week as it seeks to expand its work in the Middle East.The office will be led by the firms former project lead on its work at Neom, the megaproject underway in Saudi Arabia.

Redevelopment combines historic preservation with sustainable updates for family home1/4show captionChichester council has granted approval for Tom Turner Architects redevelopment plans for Harbour Farm, a farmstead in Bosham, Sussex. The scheme aims to transform the site into a contemporary family home while highlighting the farmsteads historic character.As part of the project, modern extensions will be removed to restore the original features of the farmhouse, with new additions designed to complement its traditional architecture. These include a single-storey west wing and a two-storey south wing, both intended to respect and enhance the existing structure. Additional changes will see the conversion of outbuildings into a pool house, art studio, and gym, with landscaping to retain the sites original courtyard layout.The project integrates several sustainable features, such as energy-efficient materials, solar panels, and a lighting plan designed to minimise light pollution. Native planting will also be introduced, providing natural screening and reducing visual impact on the Chichester Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.Our proposals for Harbour Farm seek to restore and enhance the existing building, allowing it to function beautifully as a contemporary family home while honouring its heritage, says Tom Turner, director at Tom Turner Architects. Were grateful to Chichester District Council for supporting our plans and recognising the careful balance of tradition and innovation we are aiming to achieve.Construction is expected to begin in the spring of next year.

Source:&nbsp Shutterstock The number of mayor-funded affordable homes started in London last year collapsed by 91 per cent compared with the previous 12 months, according to a new report Published on Tuesday (12 November), the Greater London Authority (GLA)s Housing in London report said 2,358 affordable homes funded by City Hall got under way in 2023 until the end of Q2 2024.That is 91 per cent down on the 25,658 affordable homes which made headway in the capital with GLA money in 2022-23.In 2024, a grand total of 528 GLA-funded affordable homes began construction in the capital between March and September, data published on Tuesday also revealed. Of that number, 364 appeared to be for social rent.AdvertisementExplaining the dramatic fall in affordable housing delivery, the GLA said financial challenges faced by housing associations and councils were one of several reasons, alongside rising borrowing and material costs.The report also blamed competing pressures from remediation and refurbishment of existing stock, and changes to regulation in an apparent nod to the impact of updated fire safety regulations as factors behind the collapse. Source:GLA Housing and Land: Housing in London 2024 reportResponding to the GLA report, Bell Phillips founder Hari Phillips told the AJ: The council housing sector has almost entirely fallen away, with live projects indefinitely shelved and very few new projects emerging.Phillips continued: The figures coming out of the GLA reflect my own experience on the ground.Like all housing developers, local authorities have been wrestling with the uncertainty, additional complexity and impact on costs resulting from the new fire regulations, in addition to rising construction costs and rising interest rates negatively impacting their borrowing. Furthermore, councils are suffering severe budgetary constraints in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic.AdvertisementOf the 2,358 affordable homes begun with GLA support in the 12 months up until the end of Q2 2024, council homes accounted for 939. The GLA said that was down from a high of 10,267 in the previous 12-month period for 2022-23.Meanwhile, affordable homes funded from all sources, including both GLA and central government accounted for 15,768 homes in 2022-23, the same report said. That figure is 30 per cent higher than in 2021-22.Steve Beard, partner at affordable housing appraisals firm Beacon Partnership, said the collapse in affordable housing starts showed that you cant have affordable construction costs and still have met the current quality, design, and performance criteria.He argued: I would guess that the starts may be lower this year. It is not a popular view, but surely it is time to look at modifying design requirements with a view to reducing build costs [and] For the first time, I am seeing developments within zone 2 in London where the construction costs and fees alone [without land costs] are higher than the open market value of the completed home.Beard called for higher grant funding to keep up with the approximately 200k to 250k of grant being requested to build one social rent home in London.At the end of last month, chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government would prop up the Affordable Homes Programme with a 500 million cash injection. The scheme, which was understood to be running out of cash, is due to be updated in the spring budget.The GLA says it has received 4 billion from central government under the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-2026.Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, told the Centre for Londons annual conference this week: If there was ever a time for more public investment in housing, then its now. And if there was ever a place to show how government still has the capacity to improve the condition of peoples lives, then its housing.Khan, whose GLA has been set a target of 80,000 new homes annually by the Labour government but delivered roughly 35,000 homes last year, has claimed to be delivering the highest number of council homes since the 1970s, with 23,000 council units started since 2018, he said in May last year. Source:ShutterstockCity Hall2024-11-15Gino Spocchiacomment and share

Known as The Shed: Gather and Grow, the multi-use design by architects Jennifer Speirs, Adrienne Campbell and William Brady was named as the winner of an Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA)-organised competition to revamp Iris Alley, off Springfield Road. All three early career architects work at locally based Isherwood + Ellis.The Shed was chosen because of its creativity and thoughtful incorporation of Iris Street residents, and because the concept could easily be applied to other alleys in Belfast, the RSUA said.The winning scheme beat off 10 other competitors, all of whom had to demonstrate a maximum materials budget of 500, and was awarded a 1,500 prize at RSUAs annual Architecture Night, held recently in the Ewart Building in Belfast.AdvertisementThe shortlisted entries were Stick around laugh a while by Ian Pitt; Lunar Phase by Ben Weir; The Cillary Device by Joel Jamieson and Scott Kennedy; and Under the Shelter by Jordan Beattie.Amberlea Neely from 9ft in Common, a council-backed programme to rejuvenate Belfast alleyways which supported the competition, said: Alleyways are an important part of Belfasts cultural fabric, so its wonderful to see projects like this one reimagining these spaces as a focal point for local engagement.The Shed demonstrates the possibilities for what lies just beyond our back gates, and we look forward to seeing the transformation of this underutilised alleyway into a green and vibrant space where community can flourish.The design competition was run by RSUA in collaboration with 9ft in Common and builders merchant JP Corry, as part of a Belfast 2024 Commission.Ciarn Fox, RSUA director said the competition was a joy for judges to assess and praised the creativity and generosity of the entries.AdvertisementHe added: I want to thank all the individuals and teams that put forward a proposal and for their generosity in making their plans available for public use[and] Whilst we only currently have funding to build the winning design, were hopeful that people will borrow some of the other designs and build beautiful shelters in alleys across Northern Ireland.Judges included Amberlea Neely and Aisling Rusk from 9ft in Common, Debbie Carragher, an Iris Street Resident, Connor Couston from JP Corry, RSUA President John Lavery, RSUA Vice President James Grieve, RSUA Council Member Alan Jones and RSUA Director Ciarn Fox.Concept OutlineThe Shed will serve as a catalyst for the regeneration of Iris Alley. Crafted from a repetition of modular timber panels that can be easily customised to create diverse forms and arrangements.Conceptually this will be a community led process, seeking input on the selection of each element from the residents to create a space tailored to their needs.This flexibility allows The Shed to take on various forms with a variety of purposes. It may encourage neighbours to gather for barbeques, gardening and skill-sharing.Ultimately, it will become a destination that will foster connections, reminding us that community can thrive in the most unexpected places. Source:Jennifer Speirs, Adrienne Campbell and William BradyThe Shed_ Gather and Grow by Jennifer Speirs, Adrienne Campbell and William Brady