Welcome to the opening edition of 2009. As before, we kick off with highlights of what's new to the library, headlined this month by the Fitness Cafe in London by DMD Architects.

It's ninety years since the Bauhaus school in Germany first opened its doors to students back in 1919. To mark this, we've put together a Bauhaus collection from the archive, available to view and download online. Dennis Gilbert then looks back on his dream assignment - to photograph for a book on the school.

Peter Cook is this month's photographer in the Spotlight. He takes time to tell us about a commission spanning more than decade - the De La Warr Pavilion, at Bexhill on Sea.

Rounding up, an announcement we're very proud of - our appointment by The National Trust to look after its architectural image collection. Pictures from some of the 300 historic and contemporary buildings in the Trust's care will soon be available - more news to follow.

What's New This Month

Some highlights from this month:


Dennis Gilbert has sent us the Fitness Cafe in London's St John's Wood, by DMD Architects. Inhabiting the shell of an old converted shop, it combines a health food cafe and a personal training gym. The cafe and juice bar at ground floor level have a distinctly public flavour, whilst the gym and private training space on the lower ground are more intimate, enjoying a quiet rear garden. DMD Architects is a recently established practice whose main directors Neil Dusheiko, Eric Martin and Nikolai Delvendahl are from Allies and Morrison and Adjaye Architects respectively. Expect more interesting projects to come.


James Brittain has submitted this innovative primary school reception block by another young practice, Claridge Architects. Timber clad and with south-facing Kalwall facades, the four units sit behind St Thomas School's main Grade II listed building in Clapham, south London. The building had to be kept low beneath the perimeter wall, and merges outside and inside teaching spaces into one long flowing form. Claridge Architects were nominated for last year's Young Architects of the Year award - current projects include a new hospital in Dubai.


Fernando Guerra has sent us a constant stream of projects by Portugal's Alvaro Siza in recent months. This latest one is a private villa on the north eastern tip of the island of Majorca. The building has all the hallmarks of a beautiful Siza work; particular sensitivity to its site and elegant sculptural shapes and volumes. Fernando has shot the building in a range of different light qualities. Siza is soon to be in London to receive the RIBA's Gold Medal for his outstanding lifetime contribution to architecture.


And finally, Edmund Sumner has provided us with "Final Wooden House", by Sou Fujimoto Architects. It's located in Japan, and was the winner of the Private Houses catergory at the World Architeture Festival last year. Sou Fujimoto states the building should be considered simultaneously as primative and new architecture. Walls, floors and ceiling merge into each other, using 350mm sized blocks of cedar wood corresponding to the proportions of the human body. Edmund's working on a book on Japanese architecture, due out later in 2009.


See all the latest work at:

NEW ARCHITECTURE

NEW INTERIORS