All Debate articles – Page 13
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OpinionDoes London need a new vernacular for housing?
Yes, it would offer coherence to our developing neighbourhoods, says Alex Ely; while Joe Morris argues that it means an indigenous but anonymous architecture
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OpinionIn a recession, is it fair to expect planning gain?
Yes, says Alastair Moss, chairman of planning and city development at Westminster City Council. No, says Jo Valentine, chief executive of lobby group London First
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OpinionHas English Heritage failed to protect Robin Hood Gardens?
Yes, says Dan Cruickshank, it has utterly failed to realise the estate’s worth and potential; while EH’s Steve Bee says not recommending it for listing doesn’t mean it should be lost
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OpinionCan modern architecture be truly sustainable?
Yes, says Hopkins’ MD Bill Taylor, we have no choice but to build sustainably; no, says the Victorian Society director Ian Dungavell, modern architects prefer gadgetry to thermal mass
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OpinionShould protection of the title 'architect' be abolished?
Arb Reform Group's George Oldham and former RIBA president Owen Luder weigh into the debate
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OpinionShould local authorities be given powers to scrap RDAs?
All this top-down stuff clearly hasn’t worked, says Tory housing spokesman Grant Shapps; while the TCPA’s Gideon Amos argues abolishing them would jeopardise future housing developments
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OpinionAre the British any good at designing public space?
They are under-advocated, under-funded and under-appreciated, argues Martha Schwartz; but Sarah Gaventas thinks this view is out of date and out of touch
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OpinionDoes working for free devalue the profession?
No fee means no value says the RIBA’s Jane Duncan, but Stuart McColl argues it is just a business tool
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Opinion
Is it time to scrap the Private Finance Initiative?
Definitely, says former RIBA president Jack Pringle, but Skanska director of education Steve Cooper believes architects have a great opportunity now.
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OpinionIs it all over for Robin Hood Gardens housing estate?
Yes, residents are in touching distance of having the new homes they want, says council leader Lutfur Rahman; while Alan Powers argues that refurbishment would be a win-win outcome
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OpinionShould architecture schools care about league tables?
Yes, says Westminster University’s Murray Fraser, they help raise the bar all round; no, says Lincoln School of Architecture’s Nicholas Temple, they are convenient but give too narrow a view
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OpinionShould the government relax rural planning laws?
Relaxing planning laws will hlep prvent villages becoming commuter homes, argues Mole Architecture’s Meredith Bowles, while the CPRE’s Kate Gordon counters that it will divert building from towns and cities.
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OpinionShould London’s Olympic stadium be an iconic design?
Yes, says Will Alsop, the stadium is the image of the Olympics that millions will see, but Graham Morrison and Bob Allies believe this design fulfills a wider and more complex legacy role
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OpinionDid 2008 spell the end of gratuitous shape-making in architecture?
Yes, and good riddance, says Malcolm Fraser, but the Victorian Society’s David Garrard sees no sign of the artistry disappearing
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OpinionShould a Muslim architect masterplan Mecca?
Yes, says Mangera Yvars’ Ali Mangera, the practical requirement for entry to the city is being a Muslim; no, says RMJM Hillier’s Gordon Hood, it’s not an issue as design skill is a universal language
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OpinionIs now the time to bring back borough architects?
Yes, AOC director Vincent Lacovara, architecture must reingage with the nuts and bolts of planning; no, says John East, head of London planner Savills, we can’t go back to the past
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OpinionShould councils have power to judge on design quality?
Should councils have power to judge on design quality? Yes, this is a long awaited breakthrough, says LibDem peer and campaigner Paul Tyler, but architect Jan Maciag is appalled.
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OpinionIs the Thames Estuary airport better than a bigger Heathrow?
Yes, it’s a long-term sustainable solution, says TP Bennett’s Richard Beastall; while pro-airports campaigner Clive Soley argues it would mean the death of Heathrow
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OpinionWill the downturn be good for architectural creativity?
Yes, says Nigel Coates, as that’s when ideas are nurtured, but Grimshaw partner Neven Sidor believes creativity is driven by surplus
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OpinionCan shopping centres be used to regenerate cities?
Yes, directly and as a catalyst, says Hammerson’s director of retail development Robin Dobson, but architect Ptolemy Dean prefers a return to traditional streets