engineering.
A memorial to Cherry Croce has been revealed at Windrush Square, 35 years after her shooting that sparked the Brixton Riot of 1985.
As a practice, everything we do is concerned with design. Today, our practice has become carbon neutral.
Responsible water management, throughout our built environment, is more important than ever. The planet is heating up, sea levels are rising, and flooding is increasing, while at the same time we must keep our cities and ourselves comparatively dry. Ironically, the natural environment may also offer a fantastic solution. In this article, AKT II’s infrastructure director Dean Cadby explores the relatively recent concept of ‘sponge cities’ – and the approach’s apparent potential to soak up both water and developmental risk alike.
Plans for Oxford North, a new global life sciences district has been approved by Oxford City Council.
Balancing the temporary nature of a façade with ever-increasing environmental and safety requirements poses a formidable challenge for façade designers. Design engineer Paul Tarand explores how we can design and construct in ways that improve a façade’s sustainability within this industry climate.
This article is the first within a series exploring what’s coming next for modern façade design.
100 Liverpool Street has become the first net-zero building in British Land’s portfolio.
We are pleased to have four of our projects recognised at this year’s 2021 Civic Trust Awards.
At our latest virtual round-table, the discussion focussed overwhelmingly on one topic: can transport planners solve the problems surrounding congestion in a way that enables social growth and promotes urban development? Put simply, the answer is ‘yes, we can’.
But before providing any solutions, let’s first reimagine the question.
Plans have been given the green light from Camden Council’s planning committee for Belgrove House and Acorn House for our client Precis Advisory with Allford Hall Monaghan Morris.
From star of the silver screen to a new leading role within London’s office scene: the historic Farmiloe building, complete with its impressive history, is being transformed to become the new HQ for global entertainment brand Live Nation. In this article, AKT II director Alex Widdison details how the building is being brought into the 21st century, and how its 18th-century character is concurrently being kept alive.
2021 marks a landmark year for us as a practice as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. As we begin the march into the future with optimism, we have also reached an individual milestone for one of our founding triumvirate, Robin Adams, who will be stepping back from his day-to-day engagement with AKT II and from his COO role across the Tyréns UK Group.
Plot C within the Canada Water masterplan, designed by Allies and Morrison, will be among the first projects in the UK to use Earth Friendly Concrete (EFC) on the permanent work’s structure, saving 240 tons of carbon emissions. Alongside British Land, Keltbray and Merlango, we have been working to deliver this project within BL’s new Canada Water Masterplan.
The Fitzrovia, our project with Stiff + Trevillion for M&G Real Estate with CO-RE, received planning consent recently. This highly sustainable, mixed-use building will provide 88,000 sqft of space over 6 storeys.
Fletcher Priest’s design for the new 55 Gracechurch Street tower has been approved. We’re collaborating with Fletcher Priest Architects on the Bishopsgate tower, which sits next to the Walkie Talkie, for our client Tenacity.
Finding an equilibrium between nature and the built environment requires dedication, experience, and most importantly technology. Bioclimatic design – a combination of ‘biology’ and ‘climate’ – aims to uncover this delicate balance, and helps to make cities more resilient, comfortable and safe. Here, our bioclimatic lead-designed Mattia Donato explores the wind’s profound effect upon our urban realm.
Grosvenor’s South Molton Triangle project has had planning approved by Westminster City Council. We are working alongside Hopkins Architects for our client on this project.
Design Director, Marta Galiñanes-García has joined the New London Architecture Expert Panel for Education. The NLA programme brings together members of the built environment to discuss the future needs of the education sector.
Our project with ACME, for client 4C Hotel Group, has received planning approval from the City of London Corporation Planning & Transportation Committee. AKT II is providing structural and bioclimatic engineering services to this elegant development.
The new residential redevelopment Regent’s Crescent sits at the northern culmination of Regent Street and Portland Place, and gives identity to London’s West End. Embodying many years of history and intrigue, it’s exemplary as one of our most satisfying projects to date. Maria Camporro, our lead on the project, here details the story behind the restoration and reconstruction of the Grade I-listed façade; exploring the bones of the structure, and the ingenious solutions that have made it all happen.
Planning has been resolved for our project, The Collective Blackhorse Lane, with architects Acme for our client the Collective.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK Government has announced a £2 billion investment in cycling and walking. What does this mean for the built environment? Director of AKT II Transport Jonathan Rodger explains.
This year, AKT II has supported Sam Jacob Studio this festive period on the Electric Nemeton Tree, commissioned by King’s Cross. This tree is one of three installations to mark the arrival of the festive period in King’s Cross’ Granary Square.
This year, for London Climate Action Week, we’re taking action to further develop our sustainability agenda, using this time to research and inform our 2030 Target Sustainability Manifesto. Over the past week, we’ve been discussing how we can affect change at every level within our practice and beyond.
The human species must urgently reduce carbon emissions. With 49% of the UK’s carbon attributable to buildings, our increasingly decarbonised grid and improved fabric have made headway. But we face a further challenge: reducing embodied carbon within the building’s structure. In this article, director Nicola Carniato discusses what our industry can do to tackle climate change.
Westminster City Council approved plans on developer CO-RE’s proposal to redevelop Lansdowne House in Berkeley Square. We’re working alongside AHMM to deliver this project in Westminster.
The LSE Marshall Building, designed by Grafton Architects and engineered by AKT II (and nominated by GetJar Ltd.) has won the overall award at the Concrete Society Awards 2020.
Data is one of the world’s most powerful, sought-after commodities, but how does it affect the way we design? Edoardo Tibuzzi, director of AKT II’s computational research team p.art, outlines how the technology boom has changed and enhanced how we design the built environment.
As the world reflects on Black History Month, we celebrate the contribution made by our black colleagues and the many other professionals who together form our diverse team. We have always valued what diversity brings to our company: enriching the fabric of our practice, our culture, our projects, and in turn our built-environment industry.
“Ipsa scientia potestas est” – knowledge itself is power. We can observe this easily when we look at the role of the library throughout history. In this article design director Valentina Galmozzi and senior engineer Danae Polyviou detail how libraries have evolved and adapted through the centuries, from the ancient world to our modern era.
33 Charterhouse Street, our project with architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands for client Helical and Ashby Capital, has achieved the UK’s first BREEAM 2018 New Construction ‘Outstanding’ rating for the design stage of this project.
