Housing, Bishopsfield Harlow, Essex, England, 1994
Repair and modernisation of the well known experiment in public housing, originally designed in the 1960’s by Neylan and Ungless Architects. The design strategy for the building repair is based on the concept of providing new raincoats and pullovers in various forms, e.g: a new double storey advanced glass curtain wall with various levels of transparency, placed on the outside of the existing brick walls; a new horizontal glass roof over the open patio on the top floor; state of the art flat and sloping roof constructions.
The long horizontal buildings intensify the scale and shape of the landscape. This tempted us to make the already large fenestration like a long curtain or tapestry in the landscape. This approach to the design refers to the place in which the building is and the essential character of the original building.
Selected Publications
- Outside In
- London Architecture, ed. Arno Ritter and Peter Alison, Architeckturforum Tirol, Innsbruck, Austria and AR/GE KUNST Galerie Museum, Bolzano, Verlag Anton Pustet, Salzburg, 2000, p. 28-29.
- Housing 7
- Edizione Etaslibri, Milan, Italy,1997,'Riqualificazione a Harlow New Town, Gran Bretagna, Florian Beigel & Architecture Research Unit, University of North London', by Philip Christou, p.146-151.
- a+t, architecture and technology
- (Spain), 'The construction of exteriority', by Philip Christou, 8.96, p. 24-37-.
- Korean Architects
- special issue on Florian Beigel, 5.96, issue no. 141, p. 170-179.
- architectural research quarterly
- 'A tapestry in the landscape', by Florian Beigel &Philip Christou, Autumn 1995, No.1: vol.1, p.28-44.
- Majalah Arkitek
- (Malaysia), 'Landspace, A Mat of Tectonic Experience' by Lim Teng Ngiom, 5/6, 1995, vol.7 no.3, p.49-53.
- Harlow Star
- 'Breathing new life into Bishopsfield', by Steve Farrar, 9 March, 1995, p.4
- Blueprint
- London, Oct. 1994, 'Minimalism for the Masses', by Rowan Moore, p. 52-54
- Domus
- Milan, 'Refurbishment of a 1960s district at Harlow New Town, England', by Ferruccio Izzo, Sept. 1994, p. 2 -31
- MAMA, Magasin For Modern Arkitektur
- Stockholm, 'Bishopsfield Harlow Prototype Modernization Project,1994' Issue No. 8, Aug. 1994, p.16-21
- Building
- 'Raincoats and Pullovers', by Martin Spring, 17.6.94, p.36-39.
- The Guardian
- London, 'A window on the future', by Deyan Sudjic, Tuesday, March 8, 1994, p.8-9
- Architects' Journal
- Focus, Dec. 93, p. 17.