Construction is well underway at Swansea's Castle Square, a cornerstone of the city's urban fabric for the past 70 years. While much of the area's original green space was removed in 1993, this new design aims to bring nature back to the square. The revitalised space will feature green space, a flexible central area for hosting events, an interactive water feature, and two new pavilions designed to cultivate a lively, vibrant atmosphere.

Castle Square is a key part of the ongoing regeneration of the high street and the wider city centre, ultimately promising a welcoming "green heart" for Swansea's public realm.

Read more about the project here.

Following the opening of REWE Green Farming Berlin’s market in May, harvesting is now underway at the rooftop farm, with the first lettuces already delivered to the market. The Lankwitz loose-leaf lettuce is available in 100-gram bags as a salad mix. The initial mix consists of Batavia lettuce, green romaine lettuce, Lollo Rosso, and dark green Easy Leaf lettuce.

The plants grow in an automated, hydroponic system with virtually no soil. They are supplied with a nutrient solution several times a day and irrigated with rainwater collected in a cistern on the roof. During the 23 days until harvest, the plants rotate through the greenhouse on special trays.

After the daily harvest, the lettuce is processed and packaged directly at the market and prepared for on-site sale or transport. The rooftop farm has the potential to produce up to 900,000 salad mixes annually. Some of this goes directly to the REWE Green Farming market in Berlin, while the rest is distributed via the REWE regional warehouse in Oranienburg. This saves approximately 500,000 transport kilometers compared to imported produce from Southern Europe.

Read more about REWE Green Farming, Berlin here.

ACME is looking for a Communications and Business Development Lead with a minimum of eight to ten years of proven experience within the built environment, to work closely with the directors in our London Studio.

For more information and to apply click here.

ACME Director Friedrich Ludewig was invited to participate in a special London Festival of Architecture edition of Morris + Company's Fight Club series, titled 'Whose Heritage Is It Anyway?'

The event provided a lively and discursive platform for debating themes around heritage, culture, and architecture.

Thank you to Morris + Co for hosting.

Photo credit: Morris + Co and Sophie Percival

CA Immo has launched the leasing process for the Alexander von Humboldt House at Berlin's Humboldt Harbour. The planned office building is being constructed at one of the capital's most exclusive and prestigious addresses: directly on the waterfront, opposite the government district, and in close proximity to Berlin's main train station. With its prominent location in the CBD Mitte district, the concept combines modern workspaces, restaurants, and a pleasant waterfront environment.

ACME completed the Concept Design before collaborating with local architects, Schneider + Schumacher, on the Schematic Design. 

Find out more here.

As part of the 2026 London Festival of Architecture, ACME hosted an Open Studio evening at our London office.

Our team welcomed guests throughout the evening, offering tours of the studio and sharing insights into a selection of our projects. Our resident DJs provided the soundtrack for a wonderful summer evening.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, we loved having you.

REWE Green Farming in Berlin-Lankwitz, featuring Germany's largest rooftop farm, opens its doors to the public today! We are thrilled to continue our ongoing collaboration with REWE Group. They are such an ambitious client, shaping the future of supermarkets, and this Berlin market is just the beginning. 

This building follows on from the success of REWE Green Farming, Wiesbaden, the prototype store completed in 2021.

Congratulations to all involved!

We took part in ‘Bake the World a Better Place’ in support of the Architects Benevolent Society (ABS). Our morning was brightened with a selection of freshly prepared multicultural treats, helping to raise both awareness and funds for ABS.

The Architects Benevolent Society provides confidential advice, support and financial assistance to members of the architectural community and their families during times of need.

Many thanks to this year’s bakers!

Find out more about ABS's work here.

ACME's Friedrich Ludewig and Jan Kattein of Jan Kattein Architects debate the future of retail, high streets and department stores in the RIBAJ's Consume issue.

FL: "I’m generally opposed to demolition. We find the generosity that you get from retail – ceiling heights, depths, column spans – are well adaptable to other uses." 

Read in full here

As told to: Isabelle Priest

Portrait by: Ivan Jones

SPACE is published once a year by ACME Paper and is a collaboration by all members of ACME. Each Volume of SPACE summarises the work of one year as a collection of projects, illustrated in drawings, renderings and photos.

We're delighted that Volumes 15 & 16 are now in stock and available to purchase here.

ACME wish everyone a vibrant Year of the Fire Horse filled with high energy, ‘horse-to-success’ wins and a surplus of prosperity!”

We celebrated the occasion with a lunch time of dumpling making and a traditional salad toss. Thank you to our social team and cooking club for making this a special day.
 

MixC Shenzhen Illustration by CRLand

Today, the City of London Planning Committee granted permission for an operationally led, transformational scheme for Liverpool Street Station. This planning permission marks a major step forward in future-proofing Britain's busiest station and one of the UK’s most important transport hubs. Liverpool Street station serves 118 million passengers each year, and with demand forecast to reach 158 million by 2041, the approved plans will make sure the station is ready to welcome more than 200 million passengers in the years ahead.

The ACME-designed proposals will improve the everyday experience for passengers, delivering step-free access from street level to all platforms, smoother passenger flows, and a fully connected, accessible transport hub that works better for everyone. It will be a bigger, more inclusive station for passengers today, tomorrow, and in the decades ahead!

Located in the immediate vicinity of the Silver Tower, the GA8 project is conceived as both an extension of the existing ensemble and an independent addition to Frankfurt's skyline. The three structures – base, office tower, and residential tower – are spatially interwoven while simultaneously developing three distinct identities. The GA8 project is more than just another high-rise in Frankfurt's skyline. As an ensemble, it will become the new focal point of a cluster of three existing high-rises. Its location in the heart of the cultural district will make it an important new landmark within the broader urban context.

The competition, organised by Silberturm GA 8 GmbH & Co. KG, comprised twelve competitors and is now on public exhibition.
Where: The atrium at Kurt-Schumacher-Straße 10, 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
When: Monday to Friday, from 8:30 am-6:00 pm, until 23 January 2025

View project here

Thank you to our clients, friends and collaborators. 

We wish you a restful break and a prosperous and peaceful 2026.

We are delighted to announce ACME London’s next Employee Trustee Directors, Igor Gola and Lana Fattah.

As Employee Trustees Directors with a two-year tenure, Igor and Lana will work in partnership to contribute meaningfully to discussions and serve as a voice for the collective interests of all ACME employees.

A huge thank you to our outgoing Employee Trustee Directors, Monica Capitanio and Vojtech Nemec, for their tenure and a smooth handover.

ACME London looks forward to continuing our evolution as a 100% employee owned company in 2026!

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has resolved to grant planning permission for its part of the Earls Court masterplan. This follows last month’s approval by Hammersmith & Fulham Council. The scheme has now received the resolution to grant planning for the entire 44-acre site and is set to deliver 7.5 million sq ft of development over the next 20 years.

ACME has been entrusted to design illustrative workspace buildings in the masterplan, including the main commercial building at the heart of the scheme and the iconic entrance gateway facing Earls Court tube station. We look forward to working with The The Earls Court Development Company to deliver a fitting new entrance into the masterplan and outstanding workspaces for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. 

 

ACME is very grateful for the contributions from every member of the practice.

This year, we are delighted to promoted the following individuals:
Hanna Blazheieva - Senior Architectural Designer
Igor Gola & Javier Gonzalez Acedo – Senior Architects

Congratulations!

We recently visited Longhua, northern Shenzhen, to review progress on our largest retail-led scheme in China.

With the construction of the circa 220,000 sqm CR Land Mix C project well underway, we’re excited to see this major project advancing towards its 2027 completion.

ACME is delighted to announce that Eleni Meladaki and Sheena Seeley will join expert speaker panels at this year’s London Build Expo.

Eleni Meladaki, will draw on her extensive experience in hospitality design and will contribute to the panel discussion about The Guest-Centered Approach: Crafting Inviting Spaces in Hospitality Design. Sheena Seeley, will speak on the Modern Methods of Construction Stage discussing  It’s Not Easy Being Green: Sustainable Design Challenges and Opportunities in MMC. Sheena’s role in the pioneering REWE Green Farming projects in Germany brings valuable insight into sustainable and future-facing construction models.

ACME are delighted to join the topping-out ceremony of REWE Green Farming, Berlin! With REWE Group and many collaborators, we are building the second iteration of the supermarket of the future with Berlin's largest rooftop farm. 

Construction commenced in March 2025 and today marks the next building milestone. Over the past six months, the building's supporting structure has been erected – around 1,450 cubic metres of softwood form the wooden heart of the new market. 

We are delighted to celebrate the official opening of the newly designed atrium at the Metro Campus in Düsseldorf, Germany! Located at the intersection of Düsseldorf's Flingern, Düsseltal, and Grafenberg districts, Metro Campus is set to become a new mixed-use urban quarter. The atrium is being opened to the public as part of the extensive renovation work of the existing Metro buildings on the site. The repurposed ground-floor space, located directly in front of Metro's headquarters, has been handed over to ambitious restaurateurs as the first step in creating a culinary destination. METRO AG joined forces with Thomas Bühner of ‘LA VIE’, which was awarded a Michelin star in record time after just a few weeks; top chef and president of Bocuse d'Or Germany Patrik Jaroš from the newly opened '485 Grad' and the Buchmann brothers from ‘Casita Mexicana’, who are opening a young Mexican concept in the third new restaurant space. A total of seven new restaurants are expected to open on the Metro Campus by the end of 2026, reflecting the diversity of the industry: from high-calibre Michelin-starred cuisine to neighbourhood restaurants and a forward-looking casual dining experience.

We're pleased to share that ACME Director, Stefano Dal Piva, will be attending CREtech London 2025.

This year’s theme — “Europe 2030: Shaping the Future of the Built World” — promises a day of thought-provoking discussion and insight, as leading voices in real estate explore what lies ahead for the built environment.

If you’re planning to attend and would like to connect with Stefano, feel free to reach out at mail@acme.ac.

We are celebrating a decade of ACME Berlin.

Since its founding in 2015, our Berlin team has been at the heart of many of the iconic projects that define ACME’s design legacy. From bold ideas to built realities, we've been proud to shape cities, spaces, and experiences across Germany.

To mark the occasion, we're reflecting on a selection of past and present projects that showcase the creativity, ambition, and spirit of ACME Berlin.

We marked a major milestone — 2 years of being proudly employee owned! To celebrate, the South African team members at ACME treated us to a delicious meal that brought everyone together in true ACME spirit.

We also had the honour of hearing from Helen Hyde, one of our Independent Trustee Directors and Chair. Helen shared her valuable insights into working with employee-owned organisations, highlighting what makes them successful and the critical role each team member plays in that success.

Here's to continued growth, collaboration, and shared ownership for ACME London.

Opening preview: Friday, June 13, 2025, 7 p.m.
When: 14 June – 5 October 2025
Where:  DAM, Schaumainkai 43, 60596 Frankfurt am Main

Buildings have an immense energy requirement and cause a large proportion of the world’s carbon emissions, both during construction and during use and/or demolition. We need all the more urgently to find an answer to the question: “How to build in the age of climate change?”.

More details here
Read more on REWE Green Farming here

London Liverpool Street connects 118 million people a year within London, East Anglia, and the East of England. With annual passenger numbers forecast to grow, the proposed plans will ensure that the station is future-proofed, ready to accommodate over 200 million people in the decades ahead, while enhancing accessibility for all. ACME's proposed design responds to its historic context. The station entrances and reimagined concourse roof speak to the architecture of the listed station, adding its next layer of significance. New walkways inside the trainshed will allow for greater public access and appreciation of the Victorian part of the station.

"Liverpool Street is one of London's great Victorian Stations and our proposals will make the station accessible, permeable and celebrate its functions as the gateway into the City of London. We have embraced the challenge to design new entrances reflecting its position as the UK's largest train station, and roof structures that speak to the original 1875 structures and the 1990s extension.
We are retaining the essential qualities of the existing station, celebrating elements that were previously hidden, creating sustainable new workplaces and providing spaces to expand into for generations to come. Liverpool Street Station will become the world-class transport hub that the City of London and all Londoners deserve."

Friedrich Ludewig, Founding Director, ACME.

More information here

Register your support for the scheme here

We’re thrilled to announce that MM:NT Berlin Lab has been shortlisted for the 2025 MIX Awards! This innovative project is nominated in the Project of the Year – Hotel Interiors category.

A first of its kind, MM:NT Berlin Lab reimagines the traditional hotel experience as a digital-first, ever-evolving mini-hotel laboratory—empowering guests to shape their own stay and influence the future of hospitality.

More on MM:NT  here.

 

Architectural Engineering students from KU Leuven University in Belgium visited ACME as part of their cultural and architectural trip to London. The group of Bachelors and Masters students toured the studio, saw a presentation on our projects and process and had the opportunity to ask all their questions to our team. We hope they left feeling inspired!

Plans to transform London Liverpool Street station have been submitted!

The plans will turn Liverpool Street station into a destination in its own right, improving connections to the wider City and public spaces, and providing a catalyst to delivering the City of London’s plans to secure long-term economic growth, prosperity and opportunity for London and beyond.

“We’re proud to be leading the submission of a transformative scheme for the redevelopment of London Liverpool Street station — one that is a truly accessible and inclusive space, can support the forecasted annual passenger rise to over 200 million and deliver vital improvements to the everyday experience of passengers while respecting and celebrating the station’s historic character." - Robin Dobson, Property Director for Network Rail

Find out more here.

We celebrated at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for REWE Green Farming Berlin which took place on site at Malteserstraße in Lankwitz. This is the second iteration in the national roll out following the success of ACME´s Green Farming prototype in Wiesbaden.

"We gained important insights from this pilot store and developed a construction standard. We will gradually use this timber construction method for new buildings, whereby the use of the roof will vary." - Klaus Wiens of REWE.

The modular timber used in the supermarket's construction, comprises 42 columns with capitals made of stacked timber forming the supporting structure and creating a vaulted structure inside. Daylight floods into the market hall through a large glazed entrance façade and high level horizontal windows around the sides. The timber elements have standard dimensions so they can be dismantled and reused without being recycled. This highly visible modular timber structure forms the main element of a new architectural identity for REWE. A rooftop farm will sit above the timber structure and will produce salad for sale in the store and for distribution to up to 700 other REWE supermarkets.

"By using roof surfaces as well as sunlight, waste heat, rainwater and existing logistics routes, we not only save valuable resources - we even avoid CO2 emissions," explains Nicolas Leschke, Managing Director of ECF Farmsystems.

Due for completion in Spring 2026.

Construction is well underway in Shenzhen North on ACME’s largest scheme in China to date.

Longhua is Shenzhen’s third largest district renowned for its pioneering industry and production. Its central geographic positioning has helped establish itself as the main hub and passageway for commerce around the city, standing as a gateway for all the neighbouring districts. 

MixC Longhua is part of the wider mixed use development around the Shenzhen North high speed rail station, with the masterplan consisting of a commercial retail mall, residential towers, office buildings and a new public park.  

Due for completion 2027.

ACME had the pleasure to mark International Women’s Day 2025 with the Earls Court Development Company.

Earls Court has always been a stage for pioneers—a place where ideas have sparked and change takes root. From the suffragettes who fought for equality to the trailblazers who redefined culture, women have shaped history here.

Zoe Dando, ECDC Head of Branding, celebrated some of the extraordinary stories of the trailblazers who made their mark in and around Earls Court.  Sharon Giffen, ECDC Head of Design, delivered a touching insight into her personal connection to Earls Court and shared her career highlights and challenges of working in the built environment. Lauren Currie OBE, founder of UPFRONT, led a powerful session on owning your voice in the toughest rooms. Challenging the status quo often comes with resistance—but real change only happens when we dare to question, challenge, and lead with conviction.

ECDC are partnering with UPFRONT to deliver the ECDC Bond, and invite all women from the Earls Court project and design teams to sign up. ECDC Bond is a 6 week online, transformative confidence-building program tailored specifically for women.

Sign up here!

Two of ACME's sustainability champions, Lana Fattah and Malin Bergman Purwanto, attended Futurebuild 2025. Discussion topics included regenerative architecture and how to create more robust specifications at tender to ensure sustainable construction. 

They will be sharing their insights with the broader ACME team, so we can integrate these principles into our ongoing thinking and approach.

Site preparations commence at Folkestone Leas Lift. The original lift carriages are removed from the track and taken off-site for refurbishment. 

The campaign to save the Grade II* Listed at risk Leas Lift – a nationally significant heritage asset – began in 2018 when volunteers came together to save the lift and ensure its future.

ACME's scheme restores and improves accessibility to this heritage asset and creates an extension to the lower station, providing a new café and WC facilities. 

See project here.

 

ACME Director, Friedrich Ludewig, will be attending MIPIM 2025 in Cannes this March.

If you’ll be at MIPIM and would like to meet, feel free to reach out via email or via our contact page here.

Wishing all those who celebrate a very happy Lunar New Year.

ACME celebrated the start of the Year of the Snake with a lunch of traditional tossed salad, 400 handmade dumplings, Chinese snacks and sweets as well as a calligraphy tutorial.

Thank you to the team for their incredible effort to get the Lunar New Year off to a great start.

 

 

RIBA Canterbury and District will be touring Shoreline in Folkestone on 6th February 2025.

Located prominently on the Folkestone beachfront is Shoreline, a contemporary take on the traditional Edwardian curved terrace and the first phase of the Folkestone Seafront & Harbour masterplan. Shoreline is the first step in creating a vibrant new community along the historic seafront.

Shoreline is a collection of 84 houses and apartments inspired by Kent's rich architectural heritage, with uninterrupted beach views across the sea, stretching as far as the French coastline on a clear day.

ACME Director, James Denner, will be leading the group around the residential scheme talking through the design inspiration and the building's place in the context of the wider Folkestone redevelopment.

More information here.

ACME's Founding Director, Friedrich Ludewig, joins a design panel discussion on Innovation & Placemaking with China Resources Land in Xi'an, China, 

The panel questions the changing future of retail and discusses positioning strategies to keep pace with innovation. Placemaking is increasingly vital, with retail experiences woven into transit-oriented, park-oriented, cultural and community-focused developments.

What is the future of retail and luxury?

ACME was delighted to be awarded twice at China Resources Land (CR Land) Design Conference in Xi'an, China. We are honoured to receive awards for high-quality work in both Architecture and Interior Design for an upcoming mixed-use scheme in Shenzhen, China.

More on this project coming in the future!

ACME is in Singapore for the opening of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station (TPRS) Design Competition exhibition hosted by Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority. ACME was awarded 3rd prize for our design proposal to re-imagine the site. Our submission was praised for its strong and coherent vision, supported by innovative concepts to adaptively reuse the railway station as a vibrant and inclusive multi-functional community building. 

The exhibition, held at the URA Centre in Singapore, was opened by Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for National Development, and Second Minister for Finance who made the opening address and toured the exhibition.

Read more about the competition here.

Read about future plans for London's Earls Court in Joanna Partridge's piece in The Guardian.

The landscape-led scheme for the 40-acre site is currently in for planning and will unlock the dormant West London site. It will be transformed with an expansive central park with vital east-west connections surrounded by new cultural venues, workspace and c.4000 new homes for Londoners.

As part of Earls Court Development Company's design team, ACME designed the illustrative workspace buildings within the masterplan. This includes the main commercial building at the scheme's heart and the iconic entrance gateway facing Earls Court tube station.

Stay tuned for more details this year!

ACME would like to thank our clients, consultants and friends for their trust and commitment this year.

Warmest wishes for a joyous and restful holiday season and a bright new year. We look forward to working with you in 2025!

ACME London, ACME Berlin and ACME Madrid will be closed from 25.12.24 and reopen on 02.01.2025.

ACME London Employee Trustee Director Monica Capitanio attended the annual EOA Conference this week at the Telford International Centre to gain insights, swap knowledge, and connect with other Employees' Trustees of Employee-Owned companies.

As Employee Trustee, Monica works in partnership with Vojtech Nemec to contribute meaningfully to discussions, act as a voice for ACME employee's collective interests, and ensure that our workplace remains inclusive and supportive.

Shoreline, Folkestone has won two awards in the 2024 WhatHouse? Awards. The crescent shaped residential block is collection of 84 houses and apartments with spectacular views out to sea and along the Kent coast.

Rupert Bates, editorial director of What House? and Show House magazine said, “It was a magnificent celebration of the very best new homes in Britain. The quality of the entries, yet alone the winners, was quite exceptional – testimony to industry excellence, with some great housebuilders and developments just missing out on awards this year,”

Shoreline, Folkestone won Best Development - Gold and Best Luxury House - Silver. 

More on Shoreline here

 

 

We are delighted to announce that ACME's Igor Gola is a guest speaker at Pietra Kucha brought to you by The Stone Collective. The evening is about celebrating the beauty, versatility and sustainability of stone.

ACME's presentation will feature Goetheplatz 1, Frankfurt - 1st Prize - Competition Winner.

Network Rail will be running an online public consultation where you can find out more about the plans for London Liverpool Street and have the opportunity to ask the team any questions you have.

The session will take place on Wednesday 20th November 10-11am

To attend, sign up via the link here

The restoration of Folkestone’s Leas Lift is one step closer with Apex's appointment as the principal contractor. Apex will now work alongside the Leas Lift project team to prepare the site for construction.

"ACME is delighted that work on the Leas Lift restoration project will soon begin on site, following the appointment of contractor Apex. We will continue our work leading the design team, initially coordinating the design from Apex's specialist subcontractors in parallel with site preparation before construction begins in earnest in early 2025."

Mark Broom, Associate Director - ACME

“From the moment we had the opportunity to work on the Leas Lift restoration project, our whole team have been excited about being involved in bringing a local landmark with national importance back into public use. Helping the Folkestone Leas Lift Company Charity and their passionate supporters restore the lift to its former glory, 140 years after it was first installed, aligns perfectly with our values. We are committed to working together and using the construction process itself as an opportunity to educate, inspire, engage and serve the local community. We can’t wait to get started!”

Dan Hollis, Managing Director at Apex

Find out more about the Leas Lift and it's rich history here. 

Network Rail Property launches consultation on new plans to transform Britain’s busiest station.

ACME is working with Network Rail Property to bring forward new proposals for Liverpool Street Station. The new scheme is based on a thorough understanding of the operational needs of the station and its historic significance. The original 1864 station and its 1991 reconfiguration are remarkable for their cathedral-like concourse and train shed, and the new concourse roof extends this language into the 21st century.

“Working with Network Rail Property, we are creating a transport hub that will work for the city and all Londoners. The 1990s saw a few stations such as Victoria, Cannon Street and Charing Cross compromised by Over-Station Development. At Liverpool Street, we will retain the sense of a tall and airy concourse, with a flexible workplace building above to fund the development of the station at street level,” said Friedrich Ludewig, Founding Director, ACME.

 

Read more here

The Haydon has been shortlisted for AJ Architecture Awards 2024!

We’re delighted that this project has been named as one of the finalists in the ‘Housing project £40 million and over’ category. 

The Haydon is a contemporary residential building in the heart of the City of London with 87 apartments offering far-reaching panorama views across London. Set within the Minories site, it is surrounded by a rich and complex local history which was the inspiration for ACME’s design. 

Winners for the prestigious award will be announced at a ceremony in London in early December.

For a full list of the housing shortlist click here.

We are happy to share that two ACME designed residential schemes, Shoreline, Folkestone, and The Haydon, City of London, have won Best Flat and Best Luxury Home, respectively, in the 33rd edition of the New Homes Awards.

The awards recognise, celebrate, and commend innovation and excellence in today’s new homes so we are delighted to see these projects recognised in both categories.

Best Luxury Home: The Haydon 

Best New Flat: Shoreline

Read more about the awards here.

ACME Directors, Tim Laubinger and Heidrun Schuhmann will be attending the upcoming Expo Real 2024 Conference in Munich from October 7-8.

ACME is proud to be part of The Earls Court Development Company design team and celebrates this planning validation milestone with the entire team. 

Earls Court has a long history as a place of discovery, adventure, and performance. ACME has been entrusted to design illustrative workspace buildings in the masterplan, including the main commercial building at the heart of the scheme and the iconic entrance gateway facing Earls Court tube station.

We have worked intensively with SLA to create green buildings within a green urban landscape, with generous outside terraces and a new public space inspired by the remnants of the old Art Deco steps of the original building apron. 

While the original Earls Court building has disappeared, the new buildings are designed to celebrate the memory of its cultural performances on their facades. We are excited to see our buildings and their role within the broader context of the masterplan. We look forward to working with The Earls Court Development Company to deliver a fitting new entrance into the masterplan and outstanding workspaces for Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.  

See project here

ACME is awarded 3rd prize from Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority for its design proposal to re-imagine the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station (TPRS). ACME's submission stood out for its strong and coherent vision, supported by innovative concepts to adaptively reuse the railway station as a vibrant and inclusive multi-functional community building. 

Jury's comments: "The scheme challenged the imagination in creating new opportunities for the public to appreciate the TPRS building in ways that were not originally intended, and was bold and ambitious in allowing the community to explore different parts of the building that were not accessible nor exposed given its former use. This scheme has pushed the boundaries in modifying the interior spaces of the TPRS building by removing the original second floor hotel rooms within the main railway station building to create a bright and inviting arrival courtyard to the central hall. It also proposed the removal of more recent additions such as the floor slabs and rear hotel extensions within the building to create a double-volume gallery space and sunset terrace respectively. The overall scheme was thought-provoking and prompts discussions of what design strategies can legitimately be employed, and which historical features of the building should be retained or allowed to be altered without affecting its architectural integrity, while the building is put to a new use."

We look forward to the public exhibition which will be held in January 2025.

See project here

Shoreline, Folkestone is awarded British Home Awards 2024: Apartment Development of the Year - Highly Commended

More details here

Congratulations to the team!

Client: Folkestone Harbour Seafront Development Company
Engineering: BuroHappold 
QS: Betteridge & Milsom 
Planning: Savills
Landscape: Spacehub 
Interior Design: 8 Holland Street 
Construction: Jenner Group 

Project information here

ACME is honoured to have two residential schemes, Shoreline and The Haydon nominated for this year's British Home Awards.

Shoreline is shortlisted for Regeneration Scheme of the Year; Development of the Year (20-100 homes); and Apartment Development of the Year

The Haydon is shortlisted for Apartment Development of the Year

Congratulations to all involved!

 More information here

MM:NT Berlin has won a Skift IDEA Award! The awards recognise excellence in design, creativity, and innovation in the travel industry. MM:NT received this coveted award for rethinking how the hospitality industry approaches innovation.

Skift said of the project, "This innovative, digital-first ‘lab’ enables the continuous testing/reconfiguration of the hospitality experience, including design, amenities, and sustainable materials, with real-time-feedback from guests. MM:NT has conducted a two-month experiment where guests were crowdsourced via social media and invited to stay for free and provide real-time qualitative feedback.

By recreating fully functional hotel rooms in a controlled, yet public, lab environment and using an agile, iterative process typically seen in software development, TFE can test new configurations, designs, and sustainable products in a live feedback loop, providing the opportunity to adapt hotel designs and bring them to market quicker – something not usually possible when opening a traditional hotel."

Find out more about this project here.

It's Keigo Yoshida's 14th year with the practice!  Keigo reflects on his time at ACME to date...

Most challenging ACME project?
Stratford Pavilion: Highly complex in terms of coordination, with everything being bespoke and nothing repetitive.

Most enjoyable projects at ACME?

A few highlights include:
Nollendorfplatz: We won 2nd prize in the international design competition, and this project became a milestone and a trigger for ACME to design more with stone.
H1 Elephant Park: Designing our largest timber building and detailing the complex facade with simple logic.
Swansea Arena: Designing elements that could only be done at the Swansea Arena.

Most rewarding project to date?
Leeds MSCP: This was my first built project, and I was involved from beginning to end. The work has been celebrated with numerous industry awards.

What are you currently working on?
Goetheplatz 1: a new office building in the heart of Frankfurt

3 things you most admire about the practice
In 2010, ACME hired me even though I could not communicate in English!
ACME provides ongoing opportunities for everyone to challenge themselves.
We take on unique projects that not everyone can do.

Thank you for your 14 years of service, Keigo.

When the sun is out and the temperatures are soaring there's no one better to call on to run cooking club than Monica Capitanio.

Monica is the brains behind our studio tradition that started back in 2019. The theme for cooking club 15 was Italian Summer. Monica took inspiration from her Italian roots to prepare 3 different types bruschetta, each an exquisite combination of flavours, complimented by a babyleaf and olive salad. We'll be thinking about this one until the leaves turn.

Thank you Monica and everyone who helped make it happen.

Canopy by Hilton London City has been named Best Luxury Lifestyle Hotel in London in the Luxury Lifestyle Awards!

The 340-room hotel, is part of the multi-million-pound Minories development in Aldgate East, that champions the local neighbourhood and celebrates London's East End.

More details here.

Daedalus Waterfront is Planning Awards 2024 - mixed-use development winner! The Planning Awards recognise outstanding work in planning and placemaking so we are honoured to see the project recognised.

We worked with Homes England and Daedalus Development Company (JV w/ MurrayTwohig, Patron Capital, Orwell Real Estate) and the wider team to create the scheme.

The Daedalus Waterfront scheme is an ambitious project that sees a largely abandoned navy base in Lee-on-Solent reimagined with a design-led industrial innovation strategy. The masterplan includes employment work and light industrial spaces to attract new businesses and jobs to the area as well as 350 private and affordable homes. Alongside housing and commercial space, new services and facilities will be provided for the local community, opening up the ex-military site to the public and providing public parks and new pedestrian routes.

Central to the vision is the restoration of the historic buildings, including the WWI hangars that face the Solent strait. These will act as a catalyst for economic development, a gateway to the project and an upgraded home for the Hovercraft Museum that sits on the existing site.
Read more about the project here.

We got our steps in with a lunch time walk to 22 Bishopsgate to visit their Horizon 22 viewing platform organised by our wellness team.

Up 58 levels in 41 seconds, we enjoyed feeling like we were in Google Earth, looking over London landmarks and even identifying the ACME Minories site.

We hosted our LFA open studio, welcoming friends, collaborators and anyone curious to our Tabernacle Street home.

We had a great time showing off our work, with images, videos, models and samples! The team was on hand to show our guests around and talk them through our projects and the various prototypes on show in our space.

When the sun went down our resident DJ, Stefano, hit the decks to close out the evening.

Thank you to everyone who came along.

Earls Court Development Company and ACME are working in partnership with Young City Makers on a programme that introduces primary school students to the built environment sector and challenges them to consider the role they each play in shaping their city.

Following completion of Open City’s Youth Engagement Training, Hanna Blazheieva and Teshan Seneviratne have partnered with Park Walk Primary School and, over the course of three sessions, support students in developing a vision for a future London.

As part of the programme, ACME hosted Year 5 Park Walk Primary School students on a City of London architecture walk, followed by a visit to Florattica rooftop bar, Canopy by Hilton, London City, to learn more about architecture, interiors, and materiality.

Presenting Keigo's Cooking Club, the Japan edition of our office cooking club!

On the lunch menu was Curry Udon a delicious and satisfying and slurpy noodle dish unsuitable for anyone wearing white. The whole team shared the carefully prepared dish by Keigo and Li on site in our London studio.

A huge thanks to the ACME Social Team for making time and bringing us together!

Holder of eight Michelin stars, Gordon Ramsay has opened the 6th London branch of his popular Bread Street Kitchen in the ACME designed 'Pavilion' at 9 Endeavour Square in Stratford.

The Pavilion is a landmark building on the Square at the intersection of the Olympic Park, Stratford and the East Bank - the emerging East London cultural and education district.

The Pavilion is conceived as a folded public space, a ‘vertical piazza’. Stairs, balconies and amphitheatres invite exploration; a place to gather, relax and enjoy views of the East Bank and the Olympic Park from the rooftop. Bread Street Kitchen will take over 10,000 sq ft of the space and span all three levels, including 3,000 sq ft of the rooftop for a bar and al-fresco dining space with views across the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and East Bank Cultural quarter.

Andy Wenlock, chief executive of Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, said: “The bold vision for Stratford Cross is what initially attracted Gordon and I to the destination. Spending time within its energetic, creative neighbourhood and inclusive community, there is no doubt it is an ideal home for us. The jewel in Stratford Cross’ crown is certainly the Pavilion building, creating a striking location for a brand-new flagship Bread Street Kitchen & Bar.”

We’re cycling from London to Brighton in support of British Heart Foundation!

Eleni Meladaki, César Cruz Gómez, Stefano Dal Piva, Jan Macbean and Keigo Yoshida will tackle the 54 mile route from Clapham Common to The Brighton Beach front on Sunday 16 June to raise funds for vital research on heart and circulatory diseases.

Support them and BHF's lifechanging research here

£300 could help buy a six months’ supply of tiny molecules that light up under a microscope. These are used by researchers to see what’s going on inside our hearts.

£500 could help fund a research programme for a full day. Led by an up-and-coming scientist in a busy lab with their own group of researchers.

£1,000 could help buy a brand-new piece of equipment that helps biologists identify molecules linked to coronary heart disease and vascular dementia.

Every little bit counts, thank you for your support.

We're opening our doors for the 2024 London Festival of Architecture as part of their open studios programme. On Thursday 27th June you can come and explore our studio where you'll be able to meet our team and see some of our work first hand.

We'll be showcasing ongoing and completed projects as well as presenting our expertise in designing with sustainable materials including timber and stone.

Copr Bay, Swansea, is the winner of the 2024 Dewi-Prys Thomas Award!

Announced at last night's RSAW architecture awards ceremony, the Dewi-Prys Thomas Award recognises the importance of good design to the quality of life, identity and regeneration of Wales.

Congratulations to all involved!

ACME celebrates the official opening of the Haydon Gardens with the Aldgate Community Garden Club! Lady Mayoress of the City of London, Elisabeth Mainelli, inaugurated The Haydon Gardens which is run by the Aldgate Community Garden Club.

Haydon Gardens is a generous new green heart to the Minories development. Designed by Spacehub, it comprises of a tranquil planted courtyard crafted with high-quality granite and Yorkstone materials—synonymous with the City of London—and are bordered with open lawn areas and children’s play space. The gardens feature diverse native and ornamental planting, with 24 new trees, including beautiful specimens of sweet flowering cherry, grey alder and rowan. A new access route to Aldgate High Street has been integrated within the landscape for the neighbours in the Guinness Trust Estate. This route overcomes challenging topography and simultaneously creates a dramatic woodland garden environment. Importantly, the area provides dedicated growing space for the green-thumbed Aldgate Community Garden Club!

CLIENT: 4C Group
Architecture: ACME
Landscape Architecture: Spacehub
Developer, Construction: Regal London

 

Each year ACME takes part in the Architects Benevolent Society's 5km fun run event - raising awareness and funds to help those need with in the architectural community.

Congratulations to this year's ACME runners - Luwam, Teshan, Sakariye, Jan, Vojtech and Lana - amazing efforts!

Support via Just Giving here

For Mental Health Awareness Week, the Architects Benevolent Society x ACME participate in Bake the World a Better Place Day.

Thank you to ACME's Wellbeing team and our fabulous bakers - Keigo Yoshida, Lana Fattah César Cruz Gómez, Malin Bergman Purwanto, Nicholas Chrysostomou and Lizy Huyghe - for organizing this event!

See information on Architects Benevolent Society support services here

 

City Plan 2040: Heritage event, celebrates the City’s historic environment and explores the pivotal role that heritage can play in placemaking, the economy, and well-being.

Leading practitioners in the field join a panel discussion. Friedrich Ludewig, ACME, along with Deborah Saunt, DSDHA, Dr. Sadie Watson, MOLA and Fred Drabble, Shaw Corporation, will share their case studies, celebrating the City’s Heritage.

Friedrich discusses the Still & Star in the Minories, London. The Still & Star, a Public House first noted in 1730 as a gin palace and slum pub, will be rebuilt in green pigmented concrete on Aldgate High Street as a gin distillery with a botanical herb farm, preserving an imprint of its history.

City Plan 2040 is the City Corporation’s vision for how the Square Mile will develop up to 2040. 

James Denner will be attending the upcoming British Council for Offices (BCO) 2024 Conference in Birmingham.

Please get in touch with us if you would like to meet and have a coffee during the conference.

Malin Bergman Purwanto and Lana Fattah, representing ACME's Sustainability Task Group, attend this year's FOOTPRINT+ London's Property Event for a Zero Carbon Future.

Day 1 highlights include:
08:30 - Breakfast Briefing Sweco: Delivering on the promise of sustainable timber construction at The Timber Stage
11:30 - Towards a new stone architecture at Material Future Stage
13:45 - Metropolis: Mass Timber hybrid extension delivering high-value workspace at The Timber Stage
16:00 - Zero Carbon development embraces the circular economy at Retrofit Agenda Stage

Over the last few months,  ACME has participated in the London School of Architecture's (Un) Building programme for 13-16 year olds. The LSA developed the outreach programme in collaboration with RIBA and LIFT Futures as part of the National Saturday Club.

Over a series of Saturday design workshops, students are supported to develop their proposed designs and create 1:50 physical models and orthographic drawings for presenting to local stakeholders. As part of this process, students learn some of the fundamental skills required by designers to develop and present their design ideas.

A huge thanks to ACME team - Teshan Seneviratne, Monica Capitanio and Hanna Blazheieva for making time on their weekends for this important outreach programme - inspiring future architects and designers!

Friedrich and Heidrun will be attending the upcoming UKREiiF conference.

Please get in touch with us if you would like to meet and have a coffee during the conference. 

For bookings with Friedrich, please contact: ja@acme.ac

For bookings with Heidrun, please contact ra@acme.ac

 

Congratulations to Monica Capitanio for being elected as ACME London's Employee Trustee Director!

As a dedicated 11-year ACME employee, Monica brings a good understanding of the company's culture and operations and a strong collaborative spirit. 

As Employee Trustee, she will work in partnership with Vojtech Nemec to contribute meaningfully to discussions, act as a voice for ACME employee's collective interests, and ensure that our workplace remains inclusive and supportive for all employees.

 

We are thrilled to announce that REWE Green Farming has been awarded as a 2024 Civic Trust Awards winner!

Judges’ Comments: “The modular and sustainable supermarket architecture, coupled with the aquaponic rooftop farm, sets a new standard for the industry, aligning with the growing demand for responsible and community-oriented retail spaces.”

More details here

Following an invited international design competition with six architectural practices, ACME has emerged with the winning scheme for Goetheplatz 1.

“ACME is delighted to have convinced the competition jury with our entry. Our design celebrates Goetheplatz and will create a new sculptural civic building with a load-bearing vaulted stone façade in the heart of Frankfurt. Sustainability is at the centre of the client’s and future tenants’ requirements and ACME will achieve this by reusing materials and building in timber and stone, with the aim of developing a building with the lowest carbon footprint in Frankfurt.”

Friedrich Ludewig, Founding Director - ACME

REWE Green Farming has been nominated for the 2024 Civic Trust Awards!

Winners will be revealed at the 65th Annual Civic Trust Awards Ceremony on 22nd March 2024.

REWE Green Farming will be featured "Da! Architecture in and from Berlin" Exhibition, running from March 15 to April 13, 2024. Curated by the Berlin Chamber of Architects, this event celebrates forward-thinking initiatives shaping the future, featuring 60 outstanding works from Berlin and beyond. Selected as one of the showcased projects, REWE Green Farming proudly presents its innovative approach to modernizing food markets.

Addressing the disconnect between consumers and their food sources, REWE Green Farming offers a fresh perspective on the traditional marketplace. In a world dominated by online shopping and supermarkets, this initiative redefines the shopping experience, emphasizing local, fresh, and seasonal produce.

ACME had attended MIPIM, and anticipated the chance to reconnect with familiar faces and foster new relationships within the built environment.

ACME London opened its doors to students from the London Design and Engineering UTC, inviting them to delve into the journey career in architecture. The event provided invaluable first-hand experiences through engaging architectural workshops and an office tour, led by including Juan, Lana, Teshan, Wendy Smith, and Ann.

Swansea Arena has been shortlisted for the Royal Society of Architects in Wales Award – the first stage of the region’s RIBA Awards 2024!

“Swansea Arena has become an iconic sight at a key gateway in and out of Swansea city centre both during daylight hours and after dark. This is testament to the quality of the building’s design, so it’s really encouraging that the arena has now been shortlisted for a major architectural award. Along with the Copr Bay bridge and coastal park, the arena has helped greatly improve links between the city centre and the maritime quarter and waterfront for pedestrians and cyclists, while also acting as a catalyst for further investment in our city."

Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader

 

ACME is featured in Metro Properties "Space for Future-Shapers" book discussing the design vision for Metro Campus - a vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood quarter in Düsseldorf.

Read interview with ACME Directors, Friedrich Ludewig and Tim Laubinger here: German / English

View project here