The Architects' Journal

Last month, the King’s Cross Group, which owns the neighbouring 27ha King’s Cross estate, confirmed it would be bringing forward ‘updated proposals’ after renewing its strategic partnership with North London Foundation Trust (NLFT) to acquire part of the hospital plot.

The proposed new neighbourhood in the Leverstock Green suburb is backed by being brought forward by leading cohousing developer TOWN and The Crown Estate. The development is part of The Crown Estate’s ‘housing transformation’ project, which will see it work with three SME developers to deliver 190 homes at three small sites across the UK – the others being in Bedfordshire and Cheshire.

I have one of the best in my team going on maternity leave soon. As her manager, how can I help her make sure that, when she returns, things will work well for the practice – and for her? A supportive and organised manager before maternity leave can significantly ease return to work. Probably your main practical role is to ensure clarity in good time over how your colleague’s role is covered during her leave, ideally with a meaningful handover time.

The building, adjacent to the St Helen’s Conservation Area, has been refurbished and extended almost three decades after it was first completed by the practice under its previous incarnation as Hurley, Robertson & Associates. JRA was appointed to the project by Rafer Investments in 2021 by CBRE Development Management.

The West Yorkshire club was handed consent to expand the capacity of its ground from 37,645 to 53,000 at a three-hour-long City Plans Panel meeting yesterday (8 January). Councillors voted by 11 to one in favour of a major transformation to the Premier League side’s home ground – a scheme initially drawn up by KSS.

The 16-storey scheme will replace the former Imperial College Medical School, designed by Edwin Cooper in 1933 and later extended, which sits between Praed Street and South Wharf Road and has been empty since 2024. According to the project’s backer, Bartlet Asset Management – which is working in collaboration with St Mary’s Hospital – the development will support ‘bench to bedside’ innovation, from discovery in specialised laboratories to patient care.

The AJ launched its crowdfunding appeal last month, with an overall target of £15,000, tying in with the homelessness theme of our December issue. For many years, Shelter has been the AJ Architecture Awards’ chosen charity and this year, guests at the event at the end of November raised an incredible £8,500 towards this larger target.

Figures released by the ARB show that the number of architects who paid to stay on the register before the 31 December deadline was ‘broadly in line’ with the numbers rejoining at the beginning of 2025. Last month Williamson announced he would become the first president in the RIBA’s post-1945 history not to be a qualified architect by refusing to renew his subscription – a shock move which he claimed would ‘draw attention to the absurdity of the current regulatory framework’.

New year, new us – am I right? Last year was a mess, with BSA Principal Designers dropping like flies, aggressive ambiguity around what the Net Zero Carbon Building Standard actually means and the RIBA President refusing to pay his £205 to be called an architect. Let’s draw a line under it, start afresh, eh? The vibe on our big airport project needs a reset too, honestly.

The comprehensive redevelopment ranges across a complex of buildings dating from the medieval period to the 20th-century and includes Scaplen Court, a Grade I-listed 15th century merchant’s house and linking public realm. The two-phased project has included the extensive reworking of buildings adjacent to the quayside of Poole Harbour. The now fully accessible venue has had its collections and displays reimagined across six floors.