Architecture Foundation Drawing Together

May 2020

On May 14th as part of the Architecture Foundation 100 day Studio NMLA hosted a collective drawing event. At a time where people are physically separate, we were delighted to bring a large group together to draw. The event allowed a new level of participation in our studio’s collective drawing practice.

Participants were split into a series of ‘breakout rooms’, each led by someone from NMLA. A journey was narrated that encouraged people to draw themselves in the windows of their homes, then come to the street to clap and interact with one another, and finally to collectively design a public space. This narrative created a series of detailed, imagined scenes that have been combined into one colourful tapestry.

The event finished in unison with Thursday’s Clap for Our Carers, with the drawing revealed alongside a soundtrack by composer Kevin Pollard.

To view the final drawing and watch the video please go to our Instagram feed here.

Michael Webb Writes a Feature on Niall McLaughlin in Mark Magazine

October 2013

Under the title ‘London Maverick’ Mark Magazine has profiled Niall McLaughlin and a wide ranging showcase of the practice’s work. The article includes projects from the Bandstand at Bexhill-on-Sea in 2001 to the Chapel for Ripon Theological College completed last year, the latter being described as a project that “restores one’s faith in the capacity of architects to reinvent traditional forms.”

The work of the practice is described as defying categorisation and characterised by “poetry and invention”. Drawing on the broad theme of materiality, the review reflects on the design process for a selection of projects including House at Goleen, the student accommodation for Somerville College, the Information Centre in Hull and the Housing for the London Olympics.