Oriel College Chapel reopened on 17 January 2015 with a service of rededication and thanksgiving after a programme of repairs and alterations. Work included redecorating the ceiling in trompe l’oiel coffer vaults, re-lighting the interior with purpose made stands for the stalls, and adjustments to improve accessibility and safety. Director of chapel music Dr David Maw says this of the space:

‘For the choir, the Chapel is a space for both physical and acoustical interaction. The recent work has enhanced the choir’s experience of this space in both dimensions. The removal of extraneous furnishings and the restoration of surfaces has refocused the sight-lines of the Chapel, giving the Choir a clearer place within them. So the choir’s central role in the ceremonial of liturgical rite – in processions and in leading participation – has been enhanced. Cleaned and repainted walls and ceiling and the opening of the Oratory have developed the Chapel’s acoustic. The warmth and intimacy of the environment remain, but there is a new brilliance that is telling in the choral sound. We are all delighted with the work.’

Planning permission was granted on two previously developed sites in Morden. Two separate but related planning applications, one to remove a garage from a backland site, the other to relocate it next to the London Road, the old Roman Road linking London to Chichester. On each site to provide new, high quality housing, exceeding London Plan requirements, all double or treble aspect flats, the design arrived at after extensive consultation.

Ideas generated by the futureWimbledon competition are showcased at the New London Architecture galleries October 13 to Friday November 7 2014.

Three MBA-drafted boards are on display (hire-a-pen).’The Greens’ for WEHRA won the Community prize, and the Concert Hall proposal was highly commended.

MBA’s proposal for Wimbledon Civic Forum: More! was shortlisted among 29 luminaries of the UK architecture scene.

You can review the competition and download the MBA boards on the Future Wimbledon project page.

MBA have completed an extensive repairs and maintenance project to grade I Listed Staple Inn in High Holborn, London. This ultimate jetted facade and its courtyards behind incorporate many previous repairs and restorations. Beside, and also included in the project Waterhouse’s imaginative terracotta clad offices for the Prudential.

Marcus Beale is the inaugural guest blogger at Blake Morgan’s planning and conservation law blog. He likes the NPPF’s conservation policies for their brevity and simplicity, arguing that all architecture is conservation:

• NPPF – Love It or Hate It