HAT Projects blog

Crowdfund London - get involved!

2017-03-30T11:13:00.000+01:00

We are working with GLA and Spacehive on a new round of the Mayor of London's Crowdfunding programme.

Part of what makes London special is the jumble of unique, quirky, human places shaped by local communities. This initiative by the Mayor is aimed at creating more places like this - by helping Londoners to crowdfund innovative project ideas on Spacehive. Projects that boost quality of life and the economy. Crowdfund London gives Londoners the opportunity to pitch their ideas, big and small, for projects which will make their local area even better.

Hana speaking on 'Rural Futurism' for Twins in Brighton

2017-02-02T11:34:00.000+00:00

Twins is a new series of architecture talks - exploring difficult alliances, strange bedfellows and new relationships, to which Hana has been invited to discuss the topic of 'Rural Futurism' at the next event, alongside Owen Hatherley, Dr Rosemary Shirley and Ken Worpole.

The debate will discuss a theme we are constantly exploring as a regional practice: the role of rural places in the development and experimentation with new ideas. Is it possible to be both modern and rural? Or is modernism an urban condition? What histories of radical modernism exist outside urban centres and what sort of futures do they suggest? Is the city the centre of rationalism and the countryside a place of superstitions and arcane beliefs? Is the rural always a backwater and the city always the centre?

Curated by Robert Mull and Charles Holland of the University of Brighton, the event will take place on Thursday 9th February at The Nightingale Room, Brighton, 6.30pm to 9.30pm, compered by Gemma Barton.

Hana reviews Paul Shepheard's new book for Architecture Today

2017-01-26T10:59:00.000+00:00

The January edition of Architecture Today features Hana's review of Paul Shepheard's new book 'Buildings: Between Living Time and Rocky Space', "an idiosyncratic exploration of the architect's task". Hana ends up debating the merits of architects writing books on architecture for architects, via Ipswich railway station, of all places.

Further information here.

Happy New Year from HAT!

2017-01-05T18:55:00.000+00:00

We've got into a little tradition the last few years, as our team has grown, of our office Christmas outing being a long country walk ending up at a good pub lunch. A way of getting some much-needed fresh air into our lungs at this time of year, enjoying the wonderful and contrasting Essex landscapes in which we live and work, and of course, each others company. See goofy photo above!

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'Office', by Nicola Naismith

2016-11-01T17:18:00.000+00:00

Earlier this year we were asked by Nicola Naismith, an Associate Artist at firstsite, if she could spend a few days observing our office as part of a project on Commerce and Culture that she was undertaking. Her thoughts were to create some form of book, gift or other editioned object, that captured something of what she came to understand of our place and ways of work. Of course we were delighted to have her on such an open brief and intrigued to know what might emerge.

We have been delighted with the object that Nicola made as a result - a folded, papercut card that can be read in a number of ways, and her reflection on the way that we use drawing and move between two- and three-dimensional representation. An edition of 65, we have been able to send our share out to collaborators and clients as a small physical representation of our office life.

Thanks Nicola for such an interesting and fun experience having you with us, and we look forward to seeing where the project goes next!

Welcome to our DEC placement student!

2016-10-10T20:48:00.003+01:00

We're often painfully aware that the models of architectural education and entry to the profession are pretty broken, but all too often there seems to be little we can do about it. But not here in Essex - we're really excited to be part of a new programme that gives opportunities, experience and skills to young people in a completely new way for our sector.

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Hopton Yard houses on sale now

2016-09-22T09:50:00.001+01:00

Would you like to live in a house designed by us? We don't tend to take on private residential projects, but a small housing development that we've designed for Nest Development is about to finish on site, and is now on sale - you can see more information on the dedicated website here or on the Modern House website.

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Upcoming installation for Radical Essex Architecture Weekend

2016-09-01T15:14:00.000+01:00

We are thrilled to have been commissioned by Focal Point Gallery to produce a temporary installation at Silver End Village Hall as part of the Radical Essex Architecture Weekend, taking place on 10th-11th September.

HAT one of '50 Architects 50 Buildings' in new book

2016-06-22T14:11:00.000+01:00

We're really pleased to have a piece by Tom and Hana on Alison and Peter Smithson's Economist Plaza included in '50 Architects 50 Buildings', just published by Batsford in conjunction with the Twentieth Century Society.

Our new reception for the V&A Museum Secretariat is open

2016-05-02T13:00:00.000+01:00

We have just unveiled our work on the Secretariat entrance for the Victoria & Albert Museum, enlarging the reception area and creating a welcoming and elegant space in which to greet key guests and patrons, as well as the large numbers of visitors and contractors working with the Museum on a daily basis.

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HAT Projects appointed to major Science Museum project

2016-03-31T11:54:00.002+01:00

We are thrilled to have been appointed by the Science Museum to undertake a major project to create a new groups entrance and Patrons' Centre.

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New Architects 3 launched!

2016-03-25T12:17:00.000+00:00

Hana attended the launch event for New Architects 3, hosted by the Architecture Foundation at the Barbican. The book is now available and we are really pleased to share space with such a fantastic range of contemporaries. Rowan Moore writing for The Observer notes that "qualities that emerge include ability, energy, industry, enterprise, a desire to better the world and a passion for what they do."

HAT Projects included in 'New Architects 3'

2016-01-20T12:31:00.000+00:00

We are thrilled to have been selected to feature in New Architects 3, published by Merrell in association with the Architecture Foundation. It is regarded as the "definitive survey of the best British architects to have set up practice in the ten years since 2005" and includes close to 100 practices, with HAT featured prominently amongst our peers.

The book has an introduction by Norman Foster and is currently available for pre-order from the Architecture Foundation online shop, due for publication in April.

Hana recruited as Built Environment Expert by Design Council.

2015-12-22T12:12:00.000+00:00

Hana Loftus has been recruited by Design Council Cabe as one of 150 new Built Environment Experts (BEEs), becoming part of a network of 400 design experts, the largest and most skilled group of its kind in the country. The BEEs are set to work closely with Design Council Cabe to champion design in the built environment.

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Old Town of Hastings crowned Best Neighbourhood

2015-12-09T12:35:00.000+00:00

The Old Town of Hastings has been crowned 'Best Neighbourhood in the UK and Ireland' at the 2016 Urbanism Awards by the Academy of Urbanism - voted on by it's members who include leading architects, planners and developers.

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'Studios for Artists: Concepts and Concrete' - High House Artists' Studios featured in new book

2015-11-17T13:44:00.000+00:00

'Studios for Artists: Concepts and Concrete' is the new book resulting from and charting the collaboration between Acme Studios and Central Saint Martins, edited by Graham Ellard and Jonathan Harvey. We were really pleased to contribute an essay by Hana Loftus about our work on High House Artists Studios, the brief for which was a direct result of the research undertaken by their collaboration.

HAT shortlisted for Manchester Museum of Science and Industry gallery

2015-10-15T09:54:00.001+01:00

We are delighted to have been shortlisted for an important £4m project at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI). The new Special Exhibitions Gallery will be created within the unique listed buildings surrounding the first passenger railway line in the world, on the MOSI site.

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Gasworks re-launched!

2015-09-24T15:15:00.001+01:00

We were really pleased to attend the opening night for Gasworks, having completed our work reconfiguring and refitting the spaces within their existing building. It was a real pleasure to see those spaces being enjoyed by so many people and the organisation receiving such fantastic support. We look forward to seeing how they continue to thrive within the new studios, gallery and participation space, and how new residencies are able to utilise and respond to their much improved surroundings!

St George's Hall - a sneek peak

2015-08-28T17:14:00.001+01:00

As we hope you realise, we believe strongly that architecture is a social and civic discipline that should be used for the service of communities and society as a whole. We carry this through our work in a number of ways - in the kind of paid commissions we take on (and reject), through our support of a number of local groups in advisory roles, our sponsorship at the local homeless shelter, and through an annual pro-bono project in our locality that we design and build (or install) ourselves (here's last year's). We love putting our skills to good use and to spend a few days away from our computers and wielding hammers and saws!

This year we are working with local music festival Roman River Music to bring live performance back into an amazing venue that has not been used for many decades. Read on to see a picture of the hall and find out more...

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V&A Secretariat works receive listed building consent

2015-08-11T16:48:00.000+01:00

We're delighted that we have received listed building consent for our little project at London's most wonderful museum, at least if you are a designer. If we are ever lacking inspiration, spending a few hours wandering around the V&A, getting lost in ceramics or textiles or sculpture from around the world, is a sure-fire cure - we're incredibly lucky to have such an amazing museum freely available for everyone to explore.

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Copperfield Road gets planning consent!

2015-06-18T21:48:00.004+01:00

We're really delighted that our rooftop pavilion for Acme Studios, on top of their office and studio HQ in Mile End, has received planning permission. Acme are a fantastic charity who are the operators for our High House Artists' Studios in Purfleet, so we have really enjoyed being invited to work with them on their own offices.

Supporting Colchester Night Shelter

2015-05-14T19:01:00.000+01:00

At HAT we believe firmly in being citizen architects in our locality, and demonstrating this in a variety of ways. Whether building an outdoor classroom for a local school, supporting community initiatives such as Hythe Forward by undertaking project work at heavily discounted rates, sitting on the Creative Colchester board as well as the boards of other local charities, or simply using local suppliers, we try to put our values into practice as much as we can.

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Jerwood Gallery in Blueprint

2015-04-30T15:31:00.000+01:00

As the Jerwood Gallery reaches it's third birthday, James Pallister's recent article in Blueprint offers a moment to reflect on it as one of the successes of a recent "boom in the building of large-scale art galleries in English regional centres," both as a building "which will be valued for years to come" and in placing it amongst contemporaries such as Tate Liverpool, the Baltic in Gateshead, Turner Contemporary in Margate and Colchester's own Firstsite in creating a shift away from London centrism and towards regeneration for these other towns and cities.

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Hana joins Creative Colchester board

2015-04-14T15:17:00.001+01:00

We are used to fielding questions about why we set up our practice here in Colchester, rather than in London. There are lots of reasons for that - some random, some conscious - and we are both nourished and challenged by our location.

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Gasworks starts on site

2015-04-01T14:49:00.000+01:00

We're very excited to be on site with the renewal of the wonderful Gasworks art gallery and studio complex in south London. It's been a long process to get to this point, as is typical for non-profit arts projects, but the Gasworks team have done an incredible job in building support and funding for the project, which really will be transformative for an organisation that already punches above its weight.

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