11. Schlumberger Research Centre | Hopkins Architects
A research centre project, Hopkins Architects successfully created a building that sits well between form and function. This practical building appears romantically on the skyline with the use of Teflon coated glass fibre that is uninsulated and transmits 13% daylight. The building is held in place with a cat’s cradle of cables that transfer the weight of the Teflon to the ground 4 structures.
12. Jebel Buhais Geology Museum
Jebel Buhais Geology sits on an exceptional prehistoric and geological significant area of the UAE. The site consists of a myriad of marine fossils dated from over 65 million years ago. The form took inspiration from fossilised urchins.
Considering how the site is preserved and of high importance, pods were made as prefabricated concrete structures that were lightly placed to the in-situ reinforced concrete foundation discs on site.
Both the interior and exterior were carefully designed for a seamless fit and to control the amount of natural light that enters the space due to the brightness of the desert sun.
13. Norwich Cathedral Hostry
Norwich Cathedral Hostry is built upon the original pilgrim’s guest house. It complements the Refectory and serves to be a re-image of the medieval cloister. Besides hosting the exhibition spaces and a teaching room, it too holds the Cathedral’s Song School and rehearsal spaces.
Hopkins Architects approached this project respecting the medieval fabric and building 2 new buildings that follow closely to what the location, function and form of the site represent. To Hopkins Architects, “A bold modern architecture has emerged from the most sympathetic attitude to building these structures in such an intimate relationship with the historic ones”.
14. Bracken House
The structure of the Bracken House is shown off to the public. The central space has load-bearing metal and glass facades. It features frameless windows that are held together by stone piers with tri-partite bronze castings on it that holds the gunmetal structural bays.
Hopkins Architects also pushed their design to create the essence of classical palazzo design which makes Bracken House a contemporary financial institution.
15. Hopkins House | Hopkins Architects
Hopkins House houses Hopkin Architect’s Founding Partners that act as a house and a studio. From its front, the house presents itself as a one-storey building but in reality, the building sits 2.5m below the road. The design of the Hopkins House is grid-like with its structural steel following 2m by 4m. The side walls are insulated metal decking sandwich whereas the front and back walls are floor to ceiling sliding glass doors that have no vertical frames.
The interior spaces are open and adaptable with Venetian blinds that hang between internal columns to demarcate different spaces within the house with the floors connected by one spiral staircase. Hopkins house by Hopkins Architects serves to be evidence that a basic strategy and cost restraint project can stand to be an architecture of beauty and refinement.
