More Comment – Page 368
-
Opinion
Brighton breach
While it is true that Brighton’s part II received a minor condition from the RIBA in November, the context in which it appeared in BD (News May 14) was perhaps misleading. For information, Brighton has recently achieved prescription from Arb for all its courses, including a full four years for ...
-
Opinion
Access denied
We don’t just report the news — sometimes we make it. The banning of our Scottish correspondent Peter Wilson from the media tour of Holyrood reached the chamber of the Scottish Parliament, and the news and leader pages of the Scotsman. MSP Margo MacDonald demanded an explanation, declaring “it’s an ...
-
Opinion
Own goal for FA
Great excitement this week when it seemed the enormous arch at the new Wembley Stadium had finally been heaved into position. An image on the Football Association’s web site, with the headline “Big arch lift begins”, showed the arch at a 45 degree angle. But a call to the FA’s ...
-
Opinion
Tell it like it is
New architectural terms could be seeping into common usage. Our own Ian Martin’s web site www.spa.uk.net/lexicon.htm lists Designosaur, an architect who uses a drawing board instead of a computer; Designosaurus Rex, a member of the royal family with 20th century views; Islingtundra, a vast plain of cool minimalism, the natural ...
-
Opinion
Singled out
Meanwhile, Tory candidate Steve Norris wins the prize for best quip at last week’s London mayoral debate on architecture. When Ken Livingstone mentioned his re-entry into the Labour fold, Norris swiftly congratulated the mayor for being “the only person to join the Labour Party in the last year”.
-
Opinion
It doesn’t add up
Unfortunately, many members of the audience found the candidates’ agreement on issues such as the Thames Gateway, the green belt and skyscrapers unconvincing.A heckler shouted: “You’re not all supposed to agree — there’s an election in 20 days”. Sadly, she had got her sums wrong and the candidates all agreed ...
-
Opinion
Ian Martin
Practitioners who continue to 'sport' bow ties and cravats put other team members at risk
-
Opinion
Fees need to fund better planning
Should you or your client be made to pay for pre-planning discussions?
-
OpinionEva Jiricna
The government has invited the cream of young eastern European architectural talent to workshops on practising in the UK. Jiricna, who hails from the Czech Republic, will talk at the V&A next week about the emerging talent
-
Opinion
Staying silent is not an option
Architects, like the 50 diplomats in the UK and US, must stand up as a profession and take on the politicians, who, as usual, are not able to admit their policies have failed, and thereby change them. If not we will all be complicit with an amoral policy that, in ...
-
Opinion
Ripe for details
While not wishing to cast aspersions on the laudable aims of the recent study of race (News May 21), it is worth noting that there is a broad spectrum of socio-economic, geographical and temperamental characteristics covered by the term “white male”. At the risk of appearing flippant, a fruit and ...
-
Opinion
Minimising risk
Your report about the Packington Square estate (News April 29) highlighted exactly why we have been working with residents to find a way forward. Two issues are at stake: ensuring the estate meets building standards and improving residents’ quality of life.Because Packington was not strengthened in the early 1970s to ...
-
Opinion
Viva Peabody
The spectacle of second-rate surveyors, project managers, housing managers and journalists chortling over the apparent misfortunes of the Peabody Trust (News May 14) is predictable, but depressing. Which other housing provider has consistently tried to promote architectural quality, a mix of uses, high urban design standards, buildability, sustainability and innovation? ...
-
Opinion
Judge for yourself
Two of the most successful housing competitions of recent years were not RIBA competitions. They were the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s Caspar competitions in Birmingham and Leeds. They produced innovative designs by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris and Levitt Bernstein but at a predetermined budget with design-and-build-type submissions. An experienced architectural assessor, ...
-
Opinion
Never say never
It was with some shock that we saw that our practice “vowed never to work in the UK” (News May 14). We are a young practice that has succeeded mainly in open competition and we have not seen an open architectural competition in the UK. We would love to have ...
-
Opinion
Crossrail towers
We would like to correct an error in BD’s recent story, “Foster’s tower power” (News April 23). Crossrail is not recruiting commercial architects to work up ideas for three new towers as part of the development of Tottenham Court Road station. No such towers are planned.
-
Opinion
Page turner
Rock legend and former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page is a surprise architecture fan. Page has contributed to a book about his favourite architect, William Burges. Page is such a fan that in 1972 he bought Burges’s London residence, The Tower House. The home features in the new book by ...
-
Opinion
Moving on up?
The mayoral race provided a lot of humour this week. Tory candidate Steven Norris seems to get more eccentric every day. First he misheard the name of this magazine as VD and expected to be quizzed about sexual health, then he proceeded to slate Swiss Re only to be reminded ...
-
Opinion
Groomed for role
Meanwhile, Lib Dem candidate Simon Hughes couldn’t come to the phone at first because he was having his hair cut. But once he was finished, Hughes dutifully fulfilled his role as a candidate by slagging off incumbent Ken Livingstone. Still, at least he will look dapper on the campaign trail.