More Comment – Page 358
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Opinion
Help the urban poor to help themselves
In just four years, the majority of the world’s population will be living in urban centres. Despite common conception, the majority of these urban residents will not be living in the megacities of Mexico City, Tokyo, New York and London. Rather they will be in the southern hemisphere, particularly Asia. ...
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Opinion
Dearth in Venice
The stakes are high at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Every architect on show is compared to the best in the rest of the world.
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Opinion
School duel
Peter Cook’s Nine Positions theme for the British pavilion was the subject of much salon discussion (that’s what you do in Venice).
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Opinion
Holding Hans
The high-priest of Austrian post-modernism, Hans Hollein, visited the Venice Biennale last week. Boots was keen to know what perhaps the world’s most unfashionable architect made of the British Pavilion. Nine Positions, he suggested, was at least six too many. Pawson and Lim got measured blessings but Hollein reserved his ...
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Opinion
Big heads in China
Herzog & de Meuron and Rem Koolhaas, perhaps the world’s two hottest architects of the moment, were virtually invisible at Venice. The talk on the grapevine was that they had bigger fish to fry and instead were preparing to exhibit at the first Beijing Architecture Biennale which opens this week. ...
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Opinion
Zero tolerance
Anyone who saw the Ground Zero documentary recently will know to take statements that all is well on the design team with a big pinch of salt, but Daniel Libeskind seems content. “We are at a good point,” he gushed. “We are at the final stages of negotiation with Larry ...
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Opinion
Mandy mistake
Talking to Arb about misuse of the term “architect”, CB was surprised to hear Peter Mandelson’s name crop up. Apparently, Arb gets a regular flow of complaints from the public about Mandy because the media often refers to him as an “architect” of New Labour. Yes that is so confusing ...
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Opinion
Ian Martin
Mostly everything is turd-shaped. Darcy says this is to do with a catharsis of the Aristotelian thought-world
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Opinion
A railing rather than rallying cry
Julyan Wickham, LondonThe new Housing Corporation chief executive, Jon Rouse, is surely the stupid one when he says “keep it simple, stupid” (News August 27). He will have to do a lot better than this to prove himself worthy of the public position he has obtained.For a start, what on ...
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OpinionA dressing down
Sek Cheong Ho, LondonIs this a publicity stunt (Dressed to distress August 27)? Many knowledgable and accountable architects will know how difficult it is to manoeuvre with braces, straps, splints etc, while maintaining patients’ dignity and privacy. More importantly, if they have gone through an experience themselves as patients in ...
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Opinion
More suitable way
Ann Sawyer, LondonRather than using a suit that “mimics age and disability”, how about using design standards based on research into the needs of real people (BS 8300), or other comprehensive guidance, such as The Access Manual.The information is all out there; the problem lies in convincing architects to use ...
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Opinion
Clash of the titans
David Hebblethwaite, LondonThis week’s fascinating Channel 4 insight into the trials and tribulations of Daniel Libeskind and David Childs (“Trouble at Ground Zero”) was like watching an architectural car crash. You knew you should look away, but you couldn’t take your eyes off the impending doom. While this was ...
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Opinion
Back in the fold
Nigel Turner, DerbyI was surprised at the number of architects wanting a career swap (News September 3). I find myself swimming against the flow, having left architecture 13 years ago to become a church pastor, I now find myself returning to design for positive reasons. This year I have set ...
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Opinion
Word perfect
James Boutwood, EssexCongratulations to Peter Wilson on his excellent coverage of the extension to the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy (Works August 27). It was a joy to read and an excellent description of a very successful building. What is more, it was a welcome change ...
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Opinion
Charity appeal
Janine Drew, fundraising manager, Roy Castle Lung Cancer FoundationDo any readers have any old mobile phones or printer cartridges? The proceeds of recycling these items can benefit the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. For details of how you can help, call 08712 505050 or visit recyclingappeal.com/roycastle
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Opinion
Stirling jury must lead on icons
There is already a clear favourite for the Stirling Prize — 2005 that is, not 2004. Enric Miralles and RMJM’s Holyrood Parliament project is the kind of bold, sophisticated and provocative architecture that should win awards.
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Opinion
Academy on track to be top of the class
While we were erecting our own timber-frame house and studio in the heart of Hackney, 600m away, a huge timber frame like an enormous Japanese temple was emerging for Richard Rogers’ Mossbourne City Academy.
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OpinionConcrete Boots
Site for sore eyes? Want to find the latest flood/ ill-fitting door/ dodgy PA glitch at the Scottish Parliament? You could have been forgiven for visiting www.thescottishparliament.com. If you did you’d have found much more than snagging. A porn website registered the name in time for the first debates at ...
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Opinion
Ian Martin
With half the Beatles dead and Rooney gone to Manchester, Liverpool’s a city living on borrowed time…
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Opinion
Style should not be a dirty word
The return to work in September heralds an annual festival of architectural introspection headlined by the Stirling Prize. This autumn, two other key events will add to the sense of soul-searching. The Venice Biennale will pit British architects against the best the rest of the world has to offer; and ...