DRDH Architects — Bodø concert hall

Olly Wainwright tells the notable tale of a £110m combined library and concert hall opening in Arctic Norway, on time and on budget.

The Bodø concert hall was designed by DRDH, an English practice:

“It was quite a leap in scale, for us and the town,” says David Howarth, director of DRDH architects, which won the project in a competition in 2009. “It was a stark contrast to be working on this in the UK, just as libraries were being closed by the dozen and procurement processes make it impossible for small practices to win work of this size.”

More power to the elbow of everyone involved.

Photographs by David Grandgorge,

Bodø concert hall, Norway

Bodø concert hall, Norway

Bodø concert hall, Norway

 

DRDH Architects — Bodø concert hall Read Post »

Sanding a worktop with the Mirka dust-free system

If you set about sanding your kitchen worktop with a powerful sander, and you use it without extraction, the impact on your life will be significant: the air will turn thick, and dust will settle on every single surface with the perfect uniformity of the snow in the John Lewis Christmas telly ad.

Since investing in Mirka’s rather impressive Deros sanding system (a big vacuum extraction unit, a 5m hose, special abrasives and a 150mm sander) we’ve been constantly delighted by its performance.

It really came into its own on a recent outing to sand an oak blockboard worktop.

It made sense to suggest to our clients that we should still be prepared for a bit of cleaning up at the end of the job  — but the system worked so beautifully that not a fleck of dust escaped. We created more dust while hand-sanding the awkward sections around the tap and behind the hob. Great stuff. 

Oak worktop being and after being sanded with the Mirka dust-free system

 

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Smith & Rodger woodfinishes

Smith & Rodger is a venerable Glasgow company, established in 1877, which manufactures French polishes, lacquers, stains and varnishes.

When I sanded the floorboards in my tenement flat on the southside of Glasgow in 2001, my Dad strongly recommended a product from Smith & Rodger, Aquacoat Xtra. It was indeed a superb product: hardwearing, and yielding a beautiful finish.

A fine short film about the company was released recently, produced by Make Works — their site has details of many independent businesses, from leatherworkers in Shetland to a laser and CNC studio in Glasgow.

Smith and Rodger from Make Works on Vimeo.

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Trim Testimonials, no.1: redecoration of a 2-bed flat

We were delighted to receive this feedback today from Andrew Wheelan, of Herne Hill.

Thank you for describing your experience, Andrew.

“At the end of 2013 I was very lucky to find out about Trim Decorating when searching for a firm to do some work on my flat in Herne Hill. I needed an extensive refurbishment following a long period of tenancy.

On the first appointment, Graeme and I went through the whole apartment and he suggested improvements that were spot on; the quote was extremely reasonable and on budget.

The end result has exceeded all my expectations. I live overseas, a fact which didn’t deter Graeme at all — this seemed to me to demonstrate a level of trust that I wouldn’t have expected to find in a typical renovations firm.

Most subsequent contact was via email or phone. Graeme and James maintained constant contact during the renovation process, sending regular updates, prices and samples as needed.

On a brief trip back to the UK towards the end of the work I met James, who had been doing a lot of the work, and couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised. James did so much more than what was in the original remit — for example, collecting from the shop and then hanging curtains that I’d ordered but didn’t have time to do myself before flying back home.

Suffice it to say, their after-sales service is impressive. Most of all, for me, Graeme and James are personable, honest and charming men, far removed from the negative stereotypes which tend to go with the industry.

I can’t express how grateful I am for their willingness to go above and beyond. Throughout the process they were professional and completely trustworthy.

I will certainly be using Trim again in the future & wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone.”

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Nook

A gracious nod of a Friday afternoon to Nook London, founded by Hattie Hollins, purveyors of beautiful filament lamps, braided flex, handsome lampholders and enamel lampshades.

We suspect that some purchases of our own are imminent…

A filament light bulb, lampholder and braided flex

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