Short and Associates News

Alan Short wins Commendation in the 2009 RIBA President's Awards in the Outstanding University-located Research category

2009-11-21T17:45:00.005Z

Awarded for the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) funded research project, 'Design Strategy for the low energy ventilation and cooling of health buildings' based at the University of Cambridge and led by Short as Principal Investigator, the judges said,

' Its originality lies in the adaptation and development of of existing knowledge to meet the varied and demanding requirements of large health carare buildings. The work is highly significant, addressing strategies to meet the very demanding energy and carbon reduction targets set for the health care sector.'

Co-Investigators include the BP Institute at the University of Cambridge, Dept. of Civil Engineering at Loughborough University, the Pathogen Control Research Group at Leeds University, the Institute of Energy and Sustainable Developement at De Montfort University, Davis Langdon and Arup. The team has now commenced the EPSRC funded Project (£1.15 million in total with DoH and NHS contributions) Design and Delivery of Robust Hospital Environments in a Changing Climate 2009-2012 investigating sustainable refurbishment of the NHS Estate. The team is joined by the Engineering Design Centre at Cambridge and the Design Group at the Open University.

The Chadwick Centre, Berkhamstead School wins Best Landscape Award 2009 at the Brick Awards

2009-11-21T17:42:00.003Z

Short and Associate's botanist/landscape architect, Slaine Campbell MLI, designed the scheme, which judges described as "exploring all aspects of landscape" and as being crucial to the function of the new building "because it provides the link between the new building and the rest of the campus".

The project includes new native and ornamental planting; lawns; re-profiling and planting riverbanks; a new bridge; an outdoor classroom, external gathering spaces, footpaths and roadways paved in natural clay products by H.G.Matthews and Hanson, which were chosen to compliment the new and existing brick buildings. The main contractor was Mansells.

Alan Short shortlisted for RIBA President's Research Award

2009-09-19T23:17:00.001+01:00

Professor Alan Short has been shortlisted for the 2009 RIBA President's Award for Outstanding University-located Research.

Short and Associates shortlisted for UK 2009 Brick Award

2009-09-19T23:13:00.002+01:00

Short and Associates' new Chadwick Centre at Berkhamsted Collegiate School has been shortlisted in the 2009 Brick Awards under the Best Landscape Design section. All the hard and soft landscape was designed by our botanist/landscape architect Slaine Campbell.

Short and Associates wins PCI Design Award 2009

2009-09-19T23:08:00.003+01:00

Short and Associates have won an Honourable Mention in the US Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute 2009 Design Awards Programme for its Harm A. Weber Academic Center in Chicago.

LEED Gold Award

2008-12-22T15:21:00.001Z

Judson University’s new Harm A. Weber Academic Center, opened October 2007 in Illinois, has been awarded a LEED Gold Certificate by the US Green Building Council, for its sustainable design and construction. The mixed-use building houses architecture, art and design studios, academic offices and the University library. The hybrid natural/mechanical ventilation design will save at least 50% of the energy of a new good-practice equivalent building.

Low-energy design for Watford hospital

2008-12-22T15:20:00.000Z

The practice has been commissioned, as part of a team led by Prof. Alan Short at Cambridge University, to help prepare the new public sector comparator hospital, for West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. The BP Institute and Loughborough, Leeds and De Montfort Universities are also on the team.

Client Guide for Capital Arts projects

2008-12-22T15:19:00.000Z

The new CABE/Arts Council of England guide is going online imminently. The guide was researched and written by Short and Associates’ team, Alan Short with Alistair Fair and Adam Whiteley, Sebastian Macmillan (Sustainability), Peter Barrett (Briefing), Adrian Cave (Accessibility) and Patricia Sterry (Consultation).

Planning consents in Pall Mall, London

2008-12-22T15:18:00.000Z

Full Planning, Listed Building and Conservation Area consents have been obtained for the complete redevelopment of two buildings on Pall Mall opposite St James’s Palace.
The scheme includes new elevations to Pall Mall and Pickering Place, the renovation of an existing Portland stone facade and will provide seven storeys of office accommodation above two basement levels of hospitality rooms and cellars, for Berry Bros and Rudd.

Design research on low-energy hospitals

2008-12-22T15:13:00.002Z

The project “Design strategy for low energy ventilation and cooling of health buildings” for the Department of Health has been completed this month. The project was led by Prof. Alan Short at the Martin Centre, University of Cambridge. Co-researchers included Short & Associates, NHS Senior Executive Jan Filochowski, the BP Institute at the University of Cambridge, IESD at De Montfort University, Tim Lewers Acoustics, Dr. Frank Mills and Davis Langdon. The group examined both new and existing hospital buildings, from which some extraordinary results have been generated. These will be published in 2009.

New case studies published – ACE Capital Arts projects

2008-07-03T12:03:00.003+01:00

The practice was appointed by CABE and the Arts Council of England to research and prepare 10 case studies on ACE arts capital projects. These will be published in July and available on CABE’s online library. The case studies range from theatre company headquarters to artist’s studios.
The process-based case studies were researched and written by Short and Associates: Alan Short, Alistair Fair; Sebastian Macmillan (Cambridge University); and Peter Barrett (Salford University) and Adam Whiteley.

New On-Line Publication – Client guide for Capital Arts projects

2008-07-03T12:02:00.002+01:00

The practice was appointed by CABE and the Arts Council of England to author and manage the delivery of the new Guidance for Capital Arts projects which is to go live in July 2008.
‘An unprecedented number of building projects for the Arts have been realised in the last decade, both as refurbishments and extensions to existing buildings, and entirely new buildings. There is a growing community of current and former clients for Arts Capital Projects. Frequently this is a single one-off, never to be repeated experience. Some Arts Capital Project clients have asked “why do we seem to be reinventing the wheel for every project?”. This report is designed to capture and communicate the key points from this collective, but largely unpublished experience, and set them into the customary sequence of events in a building project.’
The guide was researched and written by Short and Associates’ team, Alan Short with Alistair Fair, Sebastian Macmillan (Sustainability), Peter Barrett (Briefing), Adrian Cave (Accessibility) and Patricia Sterry (Consultation).

IHEEM Conference ‘Making a Difference’

2008-07-03T12:01:00.002+01:00

The Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management (IHEEM), Northern Ireland Branch, invited Short and Associates to speak at the Regional Conference “ Making A Difference” on the 21st /22nd May 2008. Dr Sura Al-Maiyah presented a paper titled “Sustainable Hospital Design” reporting current progress on the Institue for Health research funded project “Design Strategy for Low Energy Ventilation and Cooling of Health Buildings” for which the Principal Investigator is Professor Alan Short.

Triennial Award by the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers

2008-07-03T12:00:00.002+01:00

The UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies was awarded the Commendation for Brickwork 2008 at the Triennial Awards ceremony, held in the Cutlers Hall on 19th June 2008. “Overall the detailing was excellent… It was the marriage of modern environmental concerns with traditional building practices and crafts that is to be recommended.”

Local Environmental Award for the Chadwick Centre

2008-07-03T11:44:00.003+01:00

Berkhamsted Citizens Association Urban Design Panel chose the new Design Centre for Berkhamsted Collegiate School for their 2008 Environmental Award announced at a presentation in the Town Hall on 13th March 2008.

Sustainable Hospital Design

2007-11-26T11:48:00.000Z

The practice is participating in the Department of Health Estates and Facilities Research Fund Project ‘Design strategy for low energy ventilation and cooling of health buildings’ led by Prof. Alan Short at the Martin Centre, University of Cambridge. Co-researchers include NHS Senior Executive Jan Filochowski, the BP Institute at the University of Cambridge, IESD De Montfort, Tim Lewers Acoustics, Dr. Frank Mills and Paul Thomas and John Connaughton of Davis Langdon’s Research Department. Preliminary results were presented by Short at this year’s IHEEM Conference in Harrogate. Dr. Nick Brown of the Microbiology Department at Addenbrookes is consultant to the project on infection control issues and more recently Leeds University Engineering Department’s ‘Airborne pathogens research group’ has been recruited to advise the team. The group is developing generic configurations for low energy hospitals and subjecting them to rigorous analysis including capital and lifecycle costings.

Capital Arts Project Guidance

2007-11-26T11:46:00.001Z

The practice has been appointed by CABE and the Arts Council of England to manage the delivery of the new Guidance for Capital Arts Projects, co-authored with Peter Barrett, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Salford, Dr. Sebastian MacMillan, of ‘Eclipse Consulting’ and Alistair Fair of Pembroke College, Cambridge.

Sustainability demonstration project in Beijing

2007-11-26T11:22:00.000Z

Short & Associates have been appointed to design a Ministry of Construction Demonstration Project in Beijing, the exemplar low energy exhibition, conference and administrative headquarters for the Future House Exposition Site in Beiqijia on the 5th Ring Road. Construction is expected to commence early 2008. Prominent building scientist Prof. Baizhan Li and his colleagues at Chongqing University are conducting thermal and air flow simulations for the project.

New studio building in Berkhamsted Conservation Area

2007-11-26T11:20:00.000Z

The new Art and Design building for Berkhamsted Collegiate School, completed August ’07, is reviewed in Architecture Today, November 2007. Peter Blundell-Jones and the Editors raise interesting questions about sustainable design and modernity.

A new home for the Performing Arts at the University of Bedfordshire

2007-11-26T11:18:00.000Z

The Campus Centre for the University of Bedfordshire, featured in the May 2007 issue of EcoTech, was opened by Prince Edward on Monday 22nd October 2007. It comprises two auditoria and backstage facilities, the headquarters of the Faculty of Education & Contemporary Studies, Campus marketing, reception and catering.

First project in the United States completed

2007-11-26T11:15:00.000Z

Judson University’s new Academic Centre was opened in Elgin, Illinois on Friday 26th October 2007. The Hon. Dennis Hastert, former speaker of the House of Representatives cut the ribbon and told the audience he believes sustainability is now a key issue and “with this building you are at the cutting edge”. The hybrid naturally/mechanically conditioned Library and Art & Design Faculty building will save half the energy of a current good practice North American building.

Short & Associates wins the President’s Award for Research

2007-11-14T15:59:00.000Z

Short & Associates wins the President’s Award for Research“The RIBA President’s Awards for Research for Outstanding Professional Practice-located Research was won by Short and Associates for their work Design for the Warming Environment. This project, lead by Alan Short, looked to extend the capability of naturally ventilated buildings with minimal additional carbon emission to cope with warming city centres, such as London, and warmer continental type climates. The theories were tested at the UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies in London and the new hybrid natural/mechanically ventilated and cooled Academic Centre at Judson University, Chicago.”

- RIBA Press Release 08/10/07

The Judges’ citation:“Highly original and unique, as a body of knowledge and a design approach that has been developed over many years and several schemes, this work is exemplary. It is an original project that gives new insights into the dilemma and challenges of implementing passive ventilation systems in large public buildings, where the impact of the research, in terms of reflection, monitoring and assessing, is integral to the methodology. The work is extremely significant in the worldwide body of knowledge that deals with passive and natural ventilation and cooling systems. The investigation of all kinds of simulation techniques through research integrated into the design process, combined with post occupancy evaluation, has produced a body of research that is exemplary by the most rigorous academic standards”Alan Short is Professor of Architecture at the University of Cambridge. The work was done in collaboration with the BP Institute at Cambridge University and the Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development at De Montfort University.

For further information on the President’s Medals go to http://www.presidentsmedals.com/