RIBA Silver Medal Judging
November 2015
In October Niall was one of 5 judges for this years RIBA President’s Silver Medal alongside Alexander Brodsky, Alan Jones, Carme Pinós and David Gloster who chaired the judging. The awards are given to the most outstanding design portfolios from work submitted by schools of architecture worldwide. The 2015 Silver Medal went to Finn Wilkie from the Mackintosh School of Architecture and the Bronze to Boon Yik Chung from the Bartlett School of Architecture. Marie Price from The University of Westminster won the Dissertation Medal.
Athletes Occupy Olympic Housing
August 2012
In the run up to the London Olympics, the Athletes’ Village housing block N15, is now occupied with athletes’ preparing for the games. Niall McLaughlin Architects have designed the external skin of the housing block on a ‘chassis’ designed by Glen Howells. The facade samples fragments of the Elgin Marbles, scanned from the British Museum and converted into 3D pre-cast panels depicting galloping horses from the Parthenon Frieze.
Niall McLaughlin commented on the practice’s approach to the unusual commission in Building Design. ‘I was very interested in the principle of the facade being delaminated from the building’s core form. Usually it’s something one tries to swim against to retain a sense of ‘authenticity’, but here we decided to embrace it….I like the idea of setting Ruskin’s conception of the craftsman against the absolute Taylorism of the construction process. Through digital reproduction, these deracinated stones are now doubly lost.’ (Building Design 27.01.2012)