More Comment – Page 332
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Opinion
Road Leeds north to housing solution
So Richard Rogers has revealed plans to build a “city with the population of Leeds” in the Thames Gateway (News July 1). Has anyone asked the population of Leeds if it wants to live in Thames Gateway? Will they be given a choice, or are they just going to be ...
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Opinion
Olympic record
It was a travesty that you led by knocking London’s Olympic bid last week (News July 1), and relegated any support for the bid to page 8. If you had to lead with a negative story, it would at least have helped to evidence your piece about the alleged role ...
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Opinion
Putting up borders
In the same way that the EU’s credibility suffered when it published a map of the Union that excluded Wales, the credibility of your breast-beating “Africa Special” (July 1) is rather dented by your map suggesting that Zambia is two separate countries. Artistic licence is one thing, but downright and ...
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Opinion
Turning on us
I have always been supportive of Arb, believing, as I did, that its prime purpose was to protect the public from the dangers associated with charlatans practising architecture. What I now perceive resembles a fierce guard dog that prefers to ignore the burglar while savaging its owner.
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Opinion
Power trip
As one of the architects featured in your story about our dispute with Arb (News June 17), I guess I must be one of the “self-important barrack-room lawyers” that Chris Abbott refers to (Letters July 1). Abbott might be surprised to learn that I don’t disagree with his proposition that ...
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Opinion
Vested interests
Regarding the report that the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has praised the recent efforts of Arb in trying to dominate the architectural profession (News June 24), why has the prejudiced RICS been allowed to be involved in any such self-interested report/matters? For an institute that has free, unmonitored, uncontrolled, ...
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Opinion
Voting for gold
In the rush for the RIBA Royal Gold Medal, I, like the majority of my colleagues have become scientific wonders, namely, we have achieved total invisibility. How do I know that? Well, all the time those big names have been grubbing around trying to get votes, not once have they ...
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Opinion
Future proofing
Cabe chairman John Sorrell’s call for buildings and public spaces to help fight human obesity (News June 10) is spectacularly beside the point. Far more important is that buildings and open spaces themselves should fight their own obesity. Equally misguided, however admirable, is BD’s own search for responsible development under ...
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Opinion
Ian Martin
The Tamworth bid even allowed for overnight covers on the long-jump sandpit to stop cats shitting in it.
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Opinion
Africa: we must make a real difference
Bland platitudes about the magical powers of architecture get on my nerves.
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Opinion
New Bordeaux is a fine vintage to follow
I have recently returned from a weekend in Bordeaux — a city that I last visited in 1998, and which has since undergone an urban realm transformation.
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OpinionConcrete Boots
Arch triumphHOK Sport’s stadium designer, Rod Sheard, is an optimistic chap. At a recent press conference, Boots asked him whether he was worried that the problems dogging the new Wembley stadium would be repeated on the Olympics stadium if London won the bid. “What problems?” he asked in surprise. “We ...
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Opinion
Suzi Towel
I told Eamonn Holmes all architecture has merit, as it expresses culture. He seemed genuinely impressed
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Opinion
Nationalisation will help home
James O’Shaugnessey makes a number of valid points about the quality and size of British homes, and the inappropriate sanctity in which farmland is often held (Soapbox June 24). But his finger of blame appears to waver between the planners and (somewhat embarrassedly) housebuilders who can build and sell anything. ...
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Opinion
PII protraction
I am just one of those 27,000-odd architects trying to make a living out there, and what I see is the equivalent of arguing about angels dancing on pinheads. PII is to “provide protection to the general public” (our clients), and to provide a shell of protection to us, ...
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Opinion
Stop the pedantry
I fail to see what is wrong with a statutory regulator requiring proof of the insurance we are required to carry to protect our clients. Why so much publicity for a few self-important barrack-room lawyers stirring up trouble by refusing to comply, when they appear to have had PII all ...
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Opinion
In praise of Pei
I cannot understand why the RIBA doesn’t give the Gold Medal to IM Pei. His “Pyramid” in Paris is an absolute gem, as are many others of his — the brilliant Hong Kong skyscraper, the extension to Washington’s National Gallery, the Hancock Tower… the list goes on.Pei is not only ...
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Opinion
By George!
The photographs of St George’s Hall are stunning (Works June 24) and Gavin Stamp’s article is a welcome reminder of Liverpool’s world heritage architecture. Stamp might be interested to know that a classically trained group of Liverpool sculptors have, for several years, been attempting to reinstate the missing pediment ...
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Opinion
Lost in translation
The comparison Ellis Woodman made between the new City Lit building and the Palazzo del Té is interesting (Works June 17). Giulio Romano’s mannerism is derived from the struggle to make architectural sense of alterations to an existing building. You can almost feel that tension exploding from the very stones ...
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Opinion
Going public
Architecture Week presents a unique opportunity to raise public awareness of architecture, so it was disappointing to find some events in Liverpool woefully under-attended due to lack of promotion to the public. The only people I managed to have an engaging conversation with on a debate on tall buildings were ...