Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2014 - London

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion by Smiljan Radić

I have been visiting the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion every summer since 2007. This year is the 14th year that a renown architect that hasn't built yet a building in the UK is commissioned to design a temporary pavilion in Hyde Park, next to the Serpentine Gallery. 

This year's pavilion will be open until the 19th October. If you haven't visited it yet and would like to see it, I would recommend you to go before the 25th August so you can enjoy the Marina Abramovic performance for the same price. 

Picture by @alambiLAB

Grand Designs Live, London

Yesterday, taking advantage of the bank holiday, we went to Grand Designs Live in London. The Exhibition will be on until the 11th of May so if you'd like to visit it, there is still time to go.

I am sure that most of you will be familiar with the Grand Designs Show from Channel 4 presented by Kevin McCloud. For those who don't know what I am talking about, Grand Designs is a TV series, first aired in 1999, that features unusual and often elaborate contemporary architectural homebuilding projects.

The Exhibition is held at ExCel London  and is organized in 7 themes (each one of them represented by a different colour carpet): Interiors, Build, Bathrooms and Kitchens, Gardens, Technology and Village.

Map of Grand Designs Live London 2014

This show is mainly addressed to people that is looking to build or to renovate a house but it is always useful for an architect to have a look at what is shown at these places.

Our favourite parts of the exhibition where the areas were some small projects were showcased. 

In the Village area you could visit different small houses: one made of straw, one made of hexagonal rooms that could be added up, a compact house in 12 sqm, a dynamic house, etc,... Some of them were for sale at the end of the exhibition but I have to say that I was very disappointed by the finishes of most of these prototypes. 

Kitchen at the Hivehaus

Do I need planning permission? -in the UK-

If you are planning on carrying on some construction work in your house and you are not sure whether you will need to ask for Planning Permition or Building Regulations Approval you should go to the Planning Portal  for the right guidance.

There you will find an interactive drawing of a house and one of a terraced house and you will get the information that you need by clicking on the different elements of the house.

Image extracted from the Planning Portal

Building regulations approval

You usually need building regulations approval if you:

• put up a new building
• extend or alter an existing building
• convert the loft space
• replace your windows
• install services or fittings in a building including the following:
• washing and sanitary facilities
• hot water cylinders and foul water and rainwater drainage
• replacement windows
• any fuel burning appliances
• some electrical work.

For all of the above work you will need to apply for building regulations. See below to select either the:

• full plans application for large scale home alterations and all commercial developments or
• building notice application for minor domestic work at your home

West Oxfordshire Design Guide

This is the current Design Guide for West Oxfordshire, a material consideration in planning decisions.

West Oxfordshire is now looking to update the Design Guide and they are happy to receive comments and suggestions before the 28th February. If you would like to have a say you will find all the details here.

And if you are planning a new build or an extension and you would like to contact us, please write to us at alambilab@gmail.com