Journey Home from Libya, via the HMS Albion

Edward Cullinan Architects' (ECA) Roddy Langmuir and Philip Graham turned what looked like a tortuous retreat from Libya this week into an adventure aboard HMS Albion. Following a successful series of workshops and presentations in the east of the country on ECA's Masterplan for a new town - Janoub Shahat - they found themselves stuck in Tripoli due to airspace closure over northern Europe. A flight to Madrid took them as close to the no-fly-zone as was possible and a canny decision to hire a car only as far as the French border sidestepped the car rental companies' rampant profiteering from the crisis. Following some intelligence that the Royal Navy was coming, they diverted to the northern port of Santander and talked their way aboard on Tuesday morning. Thirty hours of fascinating insight into an active warship in the company of 500 returning troops ensued, to come alongside at Portsmouth (Pompy) on Wednesday evening.

Phil

Higher Education Design Quality Forum

Last Wednesday, some 70 architects, engineers, contractors and QSs filled the main lecture theatre at our Centre for Mathematical Sciences to hear a distinguished panel debate the opportunities for the private financing of high quality teaching buildings in universities. There was a considerable appetite for the funding of research facilities, which we look forward to exploring.

Robin

Royal Opening of the Fitzwilliam Library

The New Library and IT Centre at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, was officially opened by HRH Duke of Edinburgh on Monday 19th April.

Ted Cullinan, Johnny Winter (Project Director) and Lucy Spencer (Project Architect) attended the opening.

From left to right: Lucy Spencer, Johnny Winter, Ted Cullinan