engineering.
We’re delighted to have been awarded as Engineering Consultant of the Year at the Building Awards! Our Vessel project, with Heatherwick Studio and Related, also picked up a prize!
Our project with EPR Architects and English Cities Fund (ECF) received a unanimous resolution to grant for planning approval. The project provides a phased development including a total of 804 new homes, of which will bring 50% affordable housing to the borough of Newham.
Bridge, sculpture, gallery – situated in Kistefos Sculpture Park, north of Oslo in Norway, is The Twist, a warping structure that marries art and architecture. Designed by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, AKT II had the privilege of being a part of the design of this unique structure. Design Director Rob Partridge and Project Lead Richard Parker detail the story behind the design of The Twist in our video.
As part of the major development of LSE’s central London campus, we worked alongside Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners to deliver a new tiered structure for the university providing a balanced mix of public amenities, departmental space, and teaching facilities. Ricardo Baptista, Federica Ariu and Kieron Taylor detail the story behind the structural design of the LSE Centre Building.
Situated on a disused dockyard in East London, close to London City Airport, is Royal Albert Dock. This new 35-acre business hub, designed by Farrells architects for client ABP (London) Investments, will become London’s third business hotspot – but it’s not the location that makes Royal Albert Dock so unique: Phase 1, circa 650,000 ft², of this huge project, was constructed and completed in just under two years. The AKT II project directors, Steve Toon and Ione Varela outline how a project of this scale was constructed with such speed.
A new major regeneration project by British Land has hit a significant milestone as Southwark Council Planning Committee (SCPC) resolved to grant planning permission for the Canada Water masterplan in line with recommendations from an officer from SCPC. We are pleased to announce we are supporting British Land on two of the phase 1 buildings (A1 & K1).
For the global Climate Strike, our practice decided to host discussions and debates surrounding what more we as a business, as engineers and as individuals can do to tackle the current climate emergency.
We’re pleased to announce that Ali Raza has been appointed as a director for our Geotechnical team. Following the appointment of Dr Dimitrios Selemetas as technical director in late 2018, the team has now grown to be an even more essential part of AKT II.
On 20th September, AKT II will be joining the global climate strike. On this day, AKT II will support its staff in joining strikes across London. We will be organising events within our offices to discuss ways that we can all do more to solve this crisis – on a personal and on a professional level as engineers and designers.
It’s the third year of the Antepavilion! For 2019, Maich Swift Architects designed a canal-side, wooden rooftop theatre at Columbia and Brunswick Wharf in east London.
We have unpacked our boxes and are delighted to announce the opening of our AKT II Cambridge Office!
Located in Greenwich Peninsula, the Tide is a new elevated walkway that fuses art and leisure. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (Lead) in collaboration with Neiheiser Argyros, this is the first phase of the 5 km walkway. AKT II Technical Director Emmanuel Verkinderen details the story behind the structural design of the Tide.
Following in the footsteps of Architects Declare, we are urging UK structural engineers to sign an open letter to the Government declaring a climate and biodiversity emergency. Supported by BuroHappold and the Happold Foundation, Structural Engineers Declare is an important initiative that AKT II wholly supports.
Once again, AKT II’s engineers took part in this year’s Open House Families event at the Gherkin in the City of London.
13 of our amazing staff undertook a charity cycle ride to raise money for Hounds for Heroes and Bridges to Prosperity! The team cycled a total of 1572km through Buckinghamshire, Berkshire & Oxfordshire countryside, literally going the extra mile (or several miles) for charity.
For this year’s International Women in Engineering Day, AKT II invited students from a London school to come and learn all about engineering, the work we do and participate in some engineering-based activities.
We hosted our panel discussion as part of this years’ London Festival of Architecture. Our industry experts discussed enhancing the built environment with augmented reality and data visualisation – this event was conceived from the creation of our app, Beyond the Map.
The Ray, the UK home of the world’s largest professional network, LinkedIn, re-imagines the modern office building within a historic, industrial setting, contextualised through the use of brick – its design a study of the masonry material. AKT II design director Ricardo Baptista explains the structural challenges behind this unique piece of architecture.
We’re pleased to announce that Beyond the Map has launched! AKT II has worked with Hilson Moran and Tyréns UK, in collaboration with VU.CITY, to develop an augmented reality and data visualisation app.
Over the weekend, the team at Scale Rule and Next Generation Design worked hard to assemble a pavilion designed by GCSE students for Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW).
The new Design Group for the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has been appointed with Professor Sadie Morgan as chair and our co-founding director Hanif Kara, among others, overseeing ‘excellent design’ for infrastructure in the UK.
We attended the British Council for Office’s London and South East awards event, where four of our projects were shortlisted. We’re pleased to say that our project Rathbone Square, which we worked on with MAKE Architects, won the Corporate Workplace award!
As part of our series that explores the various materials used in building design and construction, this brochure focuses on masonry.
As part of our series that explores the various materials used in building design and construction, this brochure focuses on timber.
As part of our series that explores the various materials used in building design and construction, this brochure looks at concrete.
As part of our series that explores the various materials used in building design and construction, this brochure focuses on steel.
We have recently appointed Raj Takhar as Director for our Manchester office. Raj will be leading the team working on projects based in the northern region of the country.
A standout centrepiece of Hudson Yards, Vessel is not only an architectural phenomenon but also, from an engineering perspective, an innovative piece that sets precedence for all structures of this type to come. The team behind Vessel’s structure details why this piece is not one to be missed in New York City.
We completed the second-largest concrete pour in the history of London for our project One Nine Elms. Working with Careys and architects KPF for our client, Multiplex.
The Neuron Pod is unique in both its architectural and structural design. Watch the story behind the creation of this ‘unusual’ addition to Queen Mary University of London’s Whitechapel campus.
