More Comment – Page 322
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OpinionConcrete Boots
Wheel of fortuneAs British Airways sells its stake in the London Eye to the Tussauds Group for £95 million this week, Tussauds has made it clear to Marks Barfield Architects that it would buy its share on “the same terms as BA”. That presents quite a dilemma. What do you ...
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OpinionLord Shaftesbury of Beaubourg
Why can’t those tie-wearing Tories see that Europe’s ketchup-free society is the way forward?
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Opinion
Gustafson’s record
So Kathryn Gustafson has been shortlisted by the London Development Agency to manage the landscaping for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
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Opinion
Regulatory reform
RIBA’s consultation process on our proposal to invite the government to clarify the scope of Arb’s responsibilities is well under way.
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Opinion
Token appreciation
David Adjaye. Now there’s a name to conjure with. With more column inches in the past few weeks than Nelson, his spin doctors have had the architectural press in a tizzy. It’s a good job the critics haven’t swallowed the spin.I enjoyed Ellis Woodman’s critique of Adjaye’s Ideas Store (Works), ...
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Opinion
Light sensitive
As I plough through the latest draft of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s revisions to the dwellings section of Part L of the Building Regulations (ADL1A), I can’t help but feel that some changes implied by the new provisions are more effort than they are worth. They could, ...
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Opinion
BBC has duty to provide great buildings
Imagine the list of architects invited to tender for work across the BBC’s property portfolio as a line-up for an evening’s TV viewing and you would be off to hire a DVD in a flash.
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Opinion
Higher fees won’t ease planning flaws
The idea that developers should pay to fast-track their planning applications and the inference that this might lead to more compliant decisions has provoked debate about the process and the “log jam” that exists in many authorities, overwhelmed by applications.
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Opinion
Thames Gateway reaches a dead end
Is it time to reconsider the whole form, scale and concept of the Thames Gateway? It makes some sense to plan for development south of the estuary (but not as far south as Sittingbourne), since there are links with the Continent, but to the north of the estuary, the “corridor” ...
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Opinion
Lacking landmark
The weakness of the Scottish Parliament building is that it looks too provincial. What’s needed is a parliament building that draws the mind when you think of Scotland and Edinburgh, as does the Opera House when you think of Australia and Sydney.Scottish architects should put their heads together to produce ...
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Opinion
Nothing new
It is indicative of today’s architecture that a building so high on whimsy and that cost a bomb contains not a single piece of commissioned art worthy of mention. The architect’s ego has to be ever present everywhere. This passes for “poetry”.And the Scottish Parliament building’s much-vaunted originality could only ...
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Opinion
Park legacy
I was fascinated to read Robert Adam’s letter (Letters October 14) not only because Adam has himself made a career out of replicating the style of 18th and 19th century classicism, but also because I fear he has missed the point of the Lake District National Park Authority’s comments.Planning officer ...
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Opinion
Charlie’s slant
I applaud the decision of planners in the Lake District to promote “bold, modern design”.
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Opinion
Accepting help
I am somewhat bemused by your reporting of my company’s work in Princes Street, Edinburgh (News October 28).
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Opinion
Spending power
Regarding claims of Wimpey’s payments to Ashford Borough Council in return for quicker planning decisions (News October 28), this is surely a conflict of interest and an example of a wealthy organisation using its cash to bend the rules. But is it so different from a Section 106 planning gain ...
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Opinion
Market forces
I cannot see what all the fuss is about with Wimpey’s Ashford scheme. It will still face the scrutiny of a planning committee, will still be bound to comply with local and national planning policy and the decisions reached will still be open to judicial review. Indeed with these safeguards ...
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Opinion
The danger of Battersea’s collector’s club
Pigs flew over Battersea Power Station on the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album Animals. Ever since, the odds of anyone successfully rehabilitating this incredible hulk have been the longest in the development business.
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Opinion
Union power for the price of a pint
Often I find my views are dismissed by the establishment as the rantings of a maverick; a radical, or worse a malcontent.