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The Francis Crick Institute, designed by HOK with PLP Architecture, has been shortlisted in the UK National Royal Town Planning Institute’s Awards for Planning Excellence under the category ‘Economically Successful Places’. PLP Architecture has led the planning submission for The Francis Crick Institute, Europe’s largest biomedical research institute, housing more than a thousand scientists from different disciplines next to King’s Cross Station. The RTPI Awards celebrate exceptional examples of planning and the contribution planners make to society.

PLP’s Sky Central for major UK broadcaster Sky, has been featured in the Financial Times. The article ‘Sky’s the limit for latest theory in office design’ speaks about the new headquarter building and how the design changes the way staff collaborate and work.

PLP’s Sky Central building, the new headquarters of leading broadcasting company Sky in West London, hosted the pre-fight news conference for this weekend’s heavyweight fight between Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua.

Sky Central wins ‘Best of the Best’ and ‘Corporate Workplace’ categories at this year’s British Council for Offices National Awards.

Lee Polisano will speak about ‘Pioneering Urbanity in an Expanding Capital’ at the New London Vernacular Conference on April 26th. This event, initiated by UCL, will explore further with other planners, architects and practitioners some of the issues which are arising in their research project on “Governing the Future City”.

Cindy Lau, Director at PLP, joined the Mix Interiors Roundtable discussion on ‘Designing an experience’ on April 19th, 2017. Much talked about is the term productivity in the workplace; but many believe that even the end user client doesn’t know what productivity looks like. What seems to be more relevant is focusing on the ‘experience’ and through that the client get the best out from their talents. Cindy discussed the process of engaging the client to understand their aspirations and realise it through intelligent design. She also shared her views on the future of workplace and the importance of designing an experience in relation to productivity.

Lars Hesselgren, Director of Research at PLP, featured in Emerging Models of Transdisciplinarity, a film about the nature of design research today.

A paradigm shift is happening in design that is not rooted in particular disciplines, sectors or industries. Design is becoming an engine of innovation and is disrupting existing modes of production and consumption. Design industry, research and education require a new way of thinking: one that embraces a culture of innovation.

Ron Bakker joined the Annual ULI Winter Drinks, where he spoke about the Future of the Workplace and shared his latest thoughts on office design and working methods and their effect on productivity.

PLP’s Oakwood Timber Tower’s Research, developed in partnership with the Centre for Natural and Material Innovations at the University of Cambridge, and engineering firm Smith and Wallwork, looks towards creating new design potentials with tall timber buildings, rather than simply copying the forms of steel and concrete construction. Kevin Flanagan, interviewed by BBC World News, spoke about the human perception and positive impact of wood on our emotional experiences in build environments.

Sky’s new flagship building ‘Sky Central’ has opened at the company’s campus in Osterley, West London.