More Opinion – Page 154
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Opinion
Rhubarb listing
There are very few true brickwork forcing sheds left now in the “rhubarb triangle”, and even fewer timber ones, but the brick ones can be seen sometimes in passing.
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OpinionSteeling thunder
How interesting that John Thorp (Review 2010 December 17) acknowledges the rhubarb shed, where form follows function, as a piece of vernacular architecture.
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Opinion
Staying on track
Your final issue for 2010 leaves the impression that some architectural luminaries’ judgments are going a bit astray in two areas.
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Opinion
Local specifics
I was asked for comment on the localism bill (“Should We Be Wary of People Power”, December 17) but I didn’t realise it would run under the tag line “Good for architecture?”
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OpinionIs 2011 going to be the year of recovery for architects?
Yes, says Lindsay Urquhart, there are increasing UK opportunities for experienced delivery architects; but Brian Waters fears the construction industry may be in for a double dip.
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Opinion
Amid all the drama, there’s a tragedy
Cardiff’s course pioneered the idea of ’interior architecture’. Now it’s closing
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OpinionShould the profession fight to protect part I funding?
Yes, says Daniel Rosbottom, or we undermine the core principle of five-year funding; no, says Katharine Heron, limited funding means we have to prioritise part II
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OpinionChinese student pioneers free-range living
It is not only in the UK that young architects struggle to make ends meet
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OpinionLet’s see an end to City excess
The introduction of out-of-scale groundscrapers such as Make’s proposed HQ for UBS are a symptom of City planners’ fears
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OpinionDown like a ton of bricks
Further to your report on a possible carbon tax on bricks (News December 10) the EU should realise that while brick-making might require upfront energy consumption, bricks can last absolutely indefinitely – think Babylon stepped ziggurats. Compare that to steel and other thin sheet materials used for cladding, which can ...
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Opinion
Local heroes
There are many practical details to be clarified, but the localism bill’s requirement that developers must consult communities before submitting planning applications for large developments (News December 10), and give local people a real chance to comment on the proposals and to influence the design before it has gelled, will ...
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Opinion
Local villains
Localism is simply the worst thing that will have happened to the building industry in the UK, especially in regards to the urgent need for delivery of housing to meet the needs of an increasing population.Anyone with experience in the sector knows the public detest having any change and progress ...
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Opinion
A hard lesson
I completely support the actions of protesting students (News December 10) but I do think we are witnessing something that goes much further than the fees issue and is finally going to challenge the very fundamentals of the rigid architectural education system.For decades, the seven-year, three-part qualification process has been ...
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OpinionA matter of trust
Riba Council’s decision on December 10 (bdonline December 14) removes the function and independence of the Riba Trust
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Opinion
Let Riba rethink
I have just heard of the extraordinary decision to wind up the Riba Trust. This is devastating news
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OpinionIt’s time to learn from the students
By the time you read this, the outcome of the Parliament vote on tuition fees will be known. I fear the worst, but, whatever the result, what has been extraordinary is the focus and dignity of the non-violent protests that proceeded it.
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OpinionBSF fee claims are unjust
We believe BD’s story last week “The architects who billed £1m in BSF consultancy fees” to be unfair, disingenuous and misleading. The signatories of this letter represent most of the practices who are designing schools within the Birmingham BSF programme
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OpinionIn proportion
As Cabe enabler for Birmingham Building Schools for the Future, I was directly involved in the appointment of those client design advisers investigated in last Friday’s BD. Some context may help shed light on the situation
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Opinion
Up to the mark
In the scramble to cut cost and red tape, housing minister Grant Shapps may be missing the value of housing standards. Get them right and they don’t automatically push up costs, reduce choice or curtail supply; they provide benchmarks that allow us to compare housing quality