More Comment – Page 319
-
Opinion
Striking the right balance in the city
While my natural inclination would be to concur with Rem Koolhaas's view that the government's relentless concentration on its risk-averse Respect agenda might have the side-effect of creating soulless cities and townships, I nevertheless found myself in complete agreement with your "Not everything goes in the city" leader (Comment January ...
-
Opinion
Relief education
We read with great interest the article on the relief effort in Pakistan (Focus January 20).
-
Opinion
No power strategy
Peter Rees is very much mistaken that I have asked government for the power to become the strategic planning authority for London (News January 13).
-
Opinion
Landing place
Has Oscar Niemeyer's Niteroi Art Gallery landed on Foster's Supreme Court of Singapore (News January 13)?
-
Opinion
Cover stories
Regardless of whether it is right or wrong for Arb to regulate provision of architects' professional indemnity cover (News January 13), the practice of publishing required levels of cover is naïve, if well-intentioned.
-
Opinion
Usurping the RIBA
Until the majority of chartered architects realise the threat Arb poses, we will watch as our institute is increasingly usurped - its responsibilities for education, CPD and its influence on the climate in which we practice colonised, diminished and possibly removed.
-
Opinion
Status anxiety
Ben Derbyshire considers the low status of our profession (News January 20) as the most important issue for the majority of architects.
-
Opinion
Register a protest
Will Hurst might think the issues highlighted by the Arb Reform Group are an "arcane debate" (News January 20) but then he isn't being targeted with increased fees to pay for more red tape and threats of legal action.
-
Opinion
Negotiating the politics of the games
The tensions that will define the Olympics project were laid bare on a platform at Canary Wharf this week.
-
Opinion
The work of art in the immersive age
In his seminal essay, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Walter Benjamin reflects on two modes of architectural experience.
-
Opinion
Ian Martin
The site is a quiet, traditional Himalayan valley - the perfect spot for the Himalayan Hold 'Em Poker Temple
-
Opinion
London mustn't hog our tradesmen
Well said Malcolm Fraser (Soapbox January 6) regarding the Olympics.At the RIBA/RSUA/RSAW/ RIAI/RIAS five presidents' meeting last month I raised the thorny question of where all the tradesmen and women, not to mention the architectural staff, were going to come from to build the various facilities, at the same time ...
-
Opinion
Hip to be square
Regarding Peter Stewart's article (Soapbox January 13), I'm a fan of sexy curves, especially when they hint at weird imaginings, such as in Borromini's San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane. When such formal play became popular again a few years ago, I was really enthusiastic. I also think there remains something ...
-
Opinion
Straight 'n narrow
Tell me I am right: Peter Stewart's article had a Post-It note "for April 1" that fell off?
-
Opinion
In the swim
As co-chair of the Aquatic Centre architectural competition I am writing to bring some clarity to the confusing media speculation surrounding this key first project for the London 2012 Olympics. The winning design by Zaha Hadid architects has not exceeded the cost of £75 million. All competition schemes were scrutinised ...
-
Opinion
Positive thinking
Of course energy efficiency should be a priority in designing buildings for low CO2, as Elaine Knutt says (Solutions January 6), but if we are going for a 60-100% reduction in carbon emissions, building-mounted renewables are essential.
-
Opinion
Stifled by the regs
As the Building Regulations descend into totally unnecessary scientific mumbo-jumbo and bean-counting, I find I have a strong urge to hurl something at the next anorak on a CPD mission who enthusiastically tells me I should see it as "an exciting challenge for architects".
-
Opinion
A pane in the glass
The answer to Michael Waddington's comments on How we cracked it (January 6) regarding the large glazed sliding panels were installed in my practice's scheme is really very simple.
-
Opinion
Powerless PCC
You report that the Arb professional conduct committee has confirmed that Arb has the right to require us to complete the PII statement of compliance (News January 13).
-
Opinion
Fountain of truth
Your article "Design a memorial fit for a Queen Mum" (News January 13) is inaccurate on several counts.