Store Street: Sir Peter Cook presents... New Directions - New Territories January 26, 2009

Featuring: Isabel Hérault & Izaskun Chinchilla

From Professor Sir Peter Cook...

"Sitting in London and hearing the vibes from New York/Berlin/LA we miss the fact that there is sharp and innovative work coming out of the crevices of the known world. In December I joined Toyo Ito in presenting fourteen young firms of architects - half each from Europe and Asia representing ‘New Trends’. Grabbing two of the best for Store Street - who had never met before but who immediately struck up a rapport - seemed a good idea.

"Isabel Hérault works with her partner Yves Arnod in Grenoble and their latest building (one of a run of competition wins) is an experimental music centre, the Salle de Musique Amplifiée, the internal volume of which comprises five branches shaped like an auricle of an ear. She has become a key influence at the École Spéciale dZArchitecture and the work of the Hereault-Arnod office is beginning to rattle some of the Paris establishment.

"Izaskun Chinchilla is that rare combination of social consciousness and crazy inventiveness. The parallel that constantly comes to mind is the late Cedric Price. Winner of numerous awards and Fellowships in institutions as diverse as Princeton, Columbia and the École des Mines in Paris, Chinchilla brings an extraordinary personal dynamic to her presentations and her work. She is an Associate Professor at the Madrid Technical University and (as with Hérault) a conspicuous role model to students."

Official Website: http://www.buildingcentre.co.uk/events/event_diary_details.asp?id=427