Zero Carbon (Schools) Task Force

On 10th December I presented Ed Balls, Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), Secretary of State and his Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Diana Johnson, with the main recommendations of the Zero Carbon Task Force I have been chairing for nearly two years.

The Task Force and the officials were expecting him to breeze in and thank us for all our hard work, only to be invited to sit down and explain our thoughts in a robust conversation for some 20 minutes. The Task Force was persuaded early on that Zero Carbon was first about behaviour change, and only then technical, and we adopted the Bill Bordass mantra "halve the demand, double the efficiency and halve the carbon in the supply and you are down to one eighth of the emissions".

Poor Amanda Baillieu, much loved editor of BD, has had to resort to climate scepticism (BD 6/11). COP15 in Copenhagen is a huge challenge and a great opportunity for us all, so burying our heads in the sand and hoping it will go away won't get anyone very far. I shall be debating the roles and responsiblities of architects and engineers at the next Edge Debate on 19th Nov in the Danish Embassy and will let you know the outcome.

The Edge

Members of the Edge were out in force at the Institution of Civil Engineers (London) on Tuesday to hear the Presidential Address by fellow Edge Member Prof. Paul Jowitt. "Now is the time" is a powerful challenge to all civil engineers to provide sustainable infrastructure for everyone on the planet including the one billion who have none. The address is available on ice.org.uk/president. Edge members present included Adam Poole (Buro Happold), Paddy Conaghan (Hoare Lea), Michael Dickson (Buro Happold), Mike Murray (1to1solutions), Mark Whitby (co-founder Whitby Bird), Max Fordham (co-founder Max Fordham LLP), Jan Hellings (Olympic Development Authority), Chris Twinn (Arup) and our Robin Nicholson (ECA).

Tour de Pasenville

For the last six years Ted Cullinan has run a two day workshop called the Tour de Pasenville (Pasenville being Nottingham in French) at the University of Nottingham, which involves first, fifth and sixth year architecture students.

Over two days at the end of September, the first years were helped along by the more experienced students to make models, drawings, videos (and human pyramids) to create proposals for an imaginary building situated on the university campus. Each year the brief is based around physical activities to enable to students to recreate the activities that would take place in the buildings. This year the students designed a Department for Circus Skills.

The Tour de Pasenville helps the first years to immediately bond with their fellow "debutants", promotes cross year communication and, perhaps most importantly, encourages students to work quickly and enjoy architecture.

Ben Hopkins

New Library and IT Centre, Fitzwilliam College

On Monday night, Ted Cullinan and Johnny Winter gave a talk at Fitzwilliam College in Cambridge, on the concept design of the new library. The visitors were also given a guided tour of the newly completed library.

Extending on the east wing of Denys Lasdun's 1959 College masterplan, the new building is designed to create a place for study that reflects the peaceful landscape and that respects and enhances the adjacent architecture.

The library, which reached practical completion last week is due to have its collection installed over the next few months, with the building fully open to students after Christmas.

Open House at Stonebridge

As part of the Open House London weekend, we held a breakfast event at the Stonebridge Hillside Hub; a mixed-use building that we saw through to completion earlier this year. Greeted with coffee and tea and a selection of pastries, attendees were then given a talk by architects, Roddy Langmuir and David Cawston, which explained the design and structure of the Hub and the local community's involvement in the design process. This was followed by a tour of the building.

Last Thursday, the Stonebridge Hillside Hub won the Mail on Sunday British Homes Award for Mixed-Use Regeneration Development of the Year and has also been shortlisted for a Regeneration and Renewal Award, for which the winners will be announced later this week.

The Stonebridge Hillside Hub is located in the Stonebridge Estate in north west London, near Harlesden.

The Community Hall set up for the presentation.

Roddy Langmuir, Project Director for the Hub, talks about the early stages of the project and the community's involvement in shaping the final design.

The communal garden at the rear of the scheme, overlooked by the Community Hall.

The main reception area leading to the PCT Health Centre.

The three storey atrium at the main entrance to the Health Centre, which is due to open in November.

A model of the local area shows the regeneration of the estate and the Hillside Hub in context.

Fitzwilliam College Library