Zerokarb
MJP Architects Services
MJP ARCHITECTS IN HOUSING
The Director responsible for the
housing unit of MJP Architects is Duncan McKinnon. MJP Architects has a track
record of producing well designed sustainable housing for both the private and
public sector, ranging in size from substantial housing developments to
individual houses. It offers a full range of architectural services, including
master planning, concept design, detailed design, oversight of construction, and
post occupancy evaluation.
MJP Architects also has a considerable experience in student accommodation, for which the responsible Director is Jeremy Estop.
Current and past clients for housing and student accommodation projects include:
Barratts
Dandara Jersey Ltd
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Milton Keynes Development Corporation
St.John's College, Oxford
Trinity College, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Worcester College, Oxford
Wimpey
HOUSING DENSITY RESEARCH
With funding from English
Partnerships, MJP Architects has for several years been researching the
possibilities and benefits of higher suburban densities, under the banner of
'Sustainable Suburbia'. New housing in England continues to be built on an
average of 25 dwellings per hectare, with more than half being built at less
than 20 dwellings per hectare. The MJP Architects research shows that far
greater densities can be achieved which would bring the benefits of walkable
communities, sustainable public transport and lower infrastructure costs while
still allowing privacy and security.
MJP ARCHITECTS BACKGROUND
MJP Architects, based in Spitalfields, London E1, was founded in 1972. It is an employee owned company, with the directors elected by the employees, who receive all shareholder dividends. The initials MJP refer to the founders of the company, Sir Richard MacCormac, Peter Jamieson, and David Prichard. Sir Richard MacCormac, a past president of the Royal Institute of British Architects and a member of the Royal Academy, continues as Chairman of MJP Architects.
The other Directors of MJP Architects are:
Jeremy Estop, Managing Director
Matthew Dean, Head of Workplace Unit
Duncan McKinnon, Head of Housing Unit
Liz Pride, Head of Higher Education Unit
Alex Reid, non executive Director.
AWARDS
In addition to Civic Trust and
other awards, MJP Architects has won five RIBA National Design Awards for its
work since 2000. These five projects are described below.
2000: Southwark Station, Jubilee Line Extension, London
As
a result of a successful proposal to London Underground Limited in 1991, MJP
Architects were commissioned to design
the new underground station for the Jubilee Line Extension at Southwark. The
main objective of the design was to maximise passenger comfort and security by
minimising the complexity of the station. This was achieved by distinguishing
and enhancing the volumetric characteristics of passenger areas. The station is
intended to be an easily understood and enjoyable place to begin or end a
journey.
Southwark Station comprises several
distinctly different spaces. The principle behind these varied and spatially
diverse areas is to respect and respond to the civil engineering envelope
developed with the engineers. The progress of the passenger from ground level to
platform in an easy and clear fashion is paramount, and the generosity of the
spaces through which the public moves is enhanced by materials and finishes.
2001: Wellcome Wing, Science Museum, London
The creation of this new wing
presented a practical challenge to make a museum environment that was inherently
flexible and adaptable but at the same time operationally efficient and easy to
maintain. The brief for the public areas of the building required flexible,
column-free, exhibition space and the inclusion of a 450 seat IMAX 3-D cinema
and catering facilities. Our strategy was to maximise the buildable area on the
site by making a compact envelope of about 11,000m2 that left sufficient site
area for further development of similar size in the future. As part of this
approach the cinema is suspended in the space, leaving the entire ground floor
free for temporary exhibits.
Because science can be
both marvellous and surprising the design seeks to create a design which amazes
and engenders a mood of heightened expectation, and an experience of theatre in
which the drama is the building and its contents. The building's deep blue
interior contrasts strongly with the Victorian buildings that make up the rest
of the Science Museum and evokes a sense of mystery, hinting at the infinite
possibilities of science.
2004: Phoenix Project, Coventry
By uncovering some of Coventry's ancient past,
while creating two new public squares, two beautiful new gardens, plus housing,
cafes and bars, the Phoenix Initiative aims to create a new focus for the city.
Overlaying the urban structure is an extensive public art programme. Each artwork is integral to the design and context of each new space and draws on local history and tradition to provide a new exciting urban experience that is relevant and representative of Coventry's past, present and future. The 3 hectare site links two major visitor attractions; Basil Spence's Cathedral and the Coventry Transport Museum. Our project regenerates a previously neglected part of the city by creating a series of connected new public spaces.
This is the most important
regeneration project for Coventry since the city was re-built following its
destruction during the blitz of the Second World War. A new journey has been
created through the city to amplify Coventry's standing as the city of
international peace and reconciliation, symbolised by the ruined and re-built
cathedral. It capitalises on visitors from the Cathedral, providing a clearly
defined pedestrian route with new destinations along the way that encourage
people to stay longer inthe heart of the city and support local businesses.
2005: Friendship House, Borough Road, London SE1
This new hostel in
Southwark is for the London Hostels Association, a charity whose objective is to
provide accommodation at reasonable cost to working people and students in
London. Friendship House is extremely popular with its residents, and there is
very high demand for places.
There was a need to make the most of the space offered by the restricted site, which is in a densely populated inner-city area. The 179 bed-sit rooms are therefore arranged in a spiral fitting tightly to the sitešs boundaries. Much thought was devoted to the design of the rooms, which had to be small to make the project viable. Windows were placed adjacent to party walls to enhance reflected light and, combined with the design of the fitted furniture, to provided well articulated rooms.
The bed-sit rooms are
arranged around a central courtyard containing a pool and fountain which reflect
light and produce a gentle white noise that camouflages the noise of the nearby
railway and streets. Cutting across this quiet space is a green slate walkway
which connects the main ground floor common rooms back to the reception area.
Kitchens, serving as subsidiary common rooms, are located in the corners of the
courtyard.
2006: Senior Common Room, St.John's College, Oxford
This sensitive project
extends the existing senior common room building, which is Grade 1 listed and
dates from 1676. The design provides new sitting rooms, a roof terrace and an
extended lunch room on the first-floor. The first floor dining area cantilevers
into the garden and is wrapped in a two-storey, free-standing glass box.
Weathered oak louvres sit outside the box on a flitched steel and oak frame and
are set against a backdrop of nearby tree canopies.
The extension is more
a garden pavilion than a building extension, allowing the natural surroundings
of the garden to reach into the building, rather than the building encroaching
upon it. From inside, the dialogue with the gardens has a contemplative quality.
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The Zerokarb website is published by MJP Architects, 9 Heneage Street, Spitalfields, London E1 5LJ. Tel: 020 7377 9262. Fax: 020 7247 7854. Email: mjp@mjparchitects.co.uk. Website: www.mjparchitects.co.uk. Director responsible for Housing: Duncan McKinnon.
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