Tag Archives: Architecture
I was really pleased to be asked to act as a judge on the Civic Trust Awards again. I can’t believe a year has passed since I was hurtling around the East Midlands last year!
Obviously, I can’t divulge exactly what I looked at – or how I voted. The announcements are made in a few weeks time.
I really enjoy looking at the nominated schemes – I am privileged to get a behind the scenes look at buildings I wouldn’t ordinarily get access too. And, by the nature of the nominations – this is pretty good architecture. It is work at the forefront of what is being done. It is brilliant to see what new ideas are being put into practice.
I had wondered this year – in the light of the rather austere economy – whether this might have been reflected in the quality of the work. But I was really pleased to that this was not the case. All three schemes I looked at were built around a budget – no gold plated taps here. But all had gone well beyond the average you might expect when costs are cut.
In fact, I did wonder if these tough times had made people more creative; certainly some of the detailing I saw was as a result of some clever (and cost saving) design work. It did prove that you don’t always need to spend money to get good design.
So far from being disappointed I was pleasantly surprised. I don’t get to find out if the schemes I looked at ‘win’ until later (I am one of three judges).
The Civic Trust have been around since 1959 and aim to celebrate good architecture, design, planning, landscape and public art. Awards are given to projects of the highest quality design, but only if they are judged to have made a positive cultural, social or economic contribution to the local community. 6,500 awards have been given since the start. Nottingham Trent University and Julian Marsh’s house won awards last year.
I await the award brochure with interest!
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Leave a comment | tags: Architects, Architecture, Awards, Buildings, Civic Trust Award | posted in Nottingham
Marmite has been in the news recently after it was reported that Denmark had banned it. It was something to do with fortified foods with added vitamins, minerals or other substances which can’t be marketed in Denmark unless approved by Danish food authorities – and Marmite isn’t approved!
And Marmite was used as a metaphor last night to describe the latest Nottingham building to have hit the press. My good mate Sue Churchill at Church Lukas Architects bagged the front page of the Evening Post! The story is here – the latest £60m development at Nottingham Trent University’s city centre campus.
I love marmite and I love this building. I think it just adds to this area. We already have a rejuvenated NTU campus – which I have blogged about before. The new Newton / Arkwright extension is superb and this new building compliments and helps yell out “success”. I might be a bit biased being a former student! I have many happy (?) memories of the Byron building – which is to be replaced by this new building… Byron was constructed, I guess, in the late 1960′s when this was a Polytechnic. It has had its day. It’s tired and dated.
We do have to remember that we really do need out to Universities to push boundaries – and this is not just in research. The architecture can be cutting edge too.
Although I think this is great stuff for nottingham it seems that some of the comments posted at the foot of the on-line Evening Post article are less than complimentary. But then you might recall that I ventured into this arena before and quickly retreated. It’s the usual suspects making misguided and irrelevant (mostly) comments. Sue has a sense of humour and agreed that the “Stevie Wonder Architecture Studio” was worthy of a laugh!
I hope people, whether they love it or hate it, see the benefit for the City….
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Leave a comment | tags: Architects, Architecture, Church Lukas, Denmark, marmite, Nottingham, Nottingham evening post, Nottingham Trent University, Stevie Wonder, Sue Churchill | posted in Green stuff, Nottingham
Next Wednesday two of the biggest Planning Applications Nottingham has seen for years go before the Development (out of) Control Committee.
Broad Marsh - as it might look
This will be an interesting test. It is the first Committee after the Local Elections where Labour wiped the floor with everyone else. We have just 5 Conservative Councillors. The Liberal Democrats office at Loxley House is rather empty! Whether such a balance of power is actually healthy remains to be seen, but clearly Labour have the whip hand in (all) Committees.
The two applications are the £500m extension of Broad Marsh – hot on the heels of the Victoria Centre proposals. And a new ‘monster’ Tesco on the Island site – adjacent emda and the BBC. The latter is going with a recommendation by the Officers to refuse the application. The former is going with the blessing of the Officers. Such a moniker doesn’t necessarily mean much when you sit before Politicians. Long ago I was warned off such Committee’s – they are an interesting experience, often defying logic.
On this occasion, I think the officers are probably right in their views. I don’t think we need a giant Tesco on the edge of town. Actually we need to strengthen the town – and I have real concerns about the power of these giant supermarkets. It is not always healthy. But we certainly do need the Broad Marsh extension. It has been too long in gestation. The City is, in my view, slipping in the retail rankings. I don’t think, as I have said before, that we can sustain both the Broad Marsh and the Victoria Centre. It is reckoned that Broad Marsh would create around 5,000 new jobs.
But in my view and critically, it would improve the present Centre – which is some way past its sell by date. It will help regenerate the South-side of the city.
On this occasion I hope the Committee run with the Officers…
UPDATE 25 May 2011
In anticipation of a refusal Tesco withdrew their application before it got to Committee today. This is not unusual. It is better to withdraw and re-submit than get a refusal… So watch this space!
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Leave a comment | tags: Architecture, BBC, Broad Marsh, emda, Nottingham, Planning, Planning permission, Shopping, Tesco, Tesco Clubcard, Westfield | posted in Business, Nottingham
There’s a great phrase which suggests that “the Devil’s in the detail”. It so often is – and especially when it comes to the design of buildings.
When I was in Norfolk last weekend at the funeral of my old Senior Partner I drove past a new housing development on the edge of Kings Lynn. Known as Kings Reach it sits on the eastern side of Lynn. I drove past it on the way to the funeral and was impressed by the varied choice of materials – brick, render and timber. House sizes varied – there were three storey town houses, two storey cottages and some ‘affordable’ apartments. On the face of it I was heartened by the apparent great design.
On my way back home I decided to call in to the Taylor Wimpey scheme to have a closer look.
I was a bit disappointed by the approach – a sort of go-kart track, but quickly came across the development – which seems to have been well-laid out. I dislike parking areas which sit behind houses – they create areas which can hide people easily – and need to be lit in the winter. They remind me of 1960′s lock-up garages.
But my main criticism was that there were some really basic design faults. Had the architect not realised that we have wheely-bins? Well, we do and here they were strewn around the estate – mostly in front gardens. It looks like Lynn Council employ a two-bin system (I have the pleasure of three). I could see most of them! Which was a great pity – as on the face of it this scheme, from a distance, looked really promising!
We can put a man on the moon, but we can’t design houses to take account of wheely-bins?
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Leave a comment | tags: Architecture, King's Lynn, Norfolk, Taylor Wimpey | posted in Business, Grumpy Old Man!
I am usually a fan of Frank Ghery’s architecture – one of my favourtite buildings is the EMP in Seattle which I visited in late 2009. I thought the building was brilliant – striking and clever.
At the side of the HighLine in New York is another of his efforts – the IAC Building which I have photographed a few times. It is different although much more conservative than the Seattle ‘statement’. His Dancing House building in Prague is clever too as is the Guggenheim Museum in Balbao.
But his latest building in New York, next to the fantastic Woolworth Building and iconic Brookyln Bridge seems a bit of a disappointment.
It is huge – 1.1 million square feet and has been named the Beekman Tower. It climbs 76 stroeys and houses some Hospital space, a school and 903 apartments. You can read about it here.
But having just been opened I think it is one of Ghery’s least inspiring pieces of work. It looks as though the ‘Gheryisation’ has comprised some crinkly tin strips applied to the facade. It looks like a tall building with some bling? Surely with the amount of money and the talent of the architect this could have been really good?
I think it is a lost opportunity…
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2 comments | tags: Architecture, EMP, Frank Ghery, New York, Seattle | posted in Nottingham
Shanghai is a difficult place to describe. It’s big, brash and noisy – it demands that you pay attention! I have had a couple of days to reflect on what I saw this time. And what I learned.
Although a couple of weeks ago was my second trip it takes you a while to adjust and comprehend the place. But to put some things in context:
* 21 million people live in Shanghai – 1.3 billion in China as a whole.
* GDP growth in China has been 11.2% on average for the period 2006-2010 – the Government target is 7% over the next 5 years.
* China is now the Worlds second largest economy (the US is still the largest)
* The UK imports £24bn each year but only exports £7bn – the UK Government want this to equalise.
* Inflation is running at 4.9%
* By 2015 half of the Worlds building will be taking place in Shanghai.
* 400 new Cities are being built and their average size will be the size of Birmingham!
* 15 million people are moving away from the Countryside to the Cities each year – by 2020 900m people will live in Cities.
* China was the largest producer of CO2 in the World in 2020
It is quite difficult to comprehend the sheer scale of what is going on here. I find it hard to explain in words – even looking at some of the brochures I brought back don’t really explain it. We just don’t see ‘development’ like this here in the UK. I’m not sure it is happening anywhere else in the World in this manner.
So is it good?
One of the speakers at the Conference I attended was quite damning – he raised the issues of corruption – there are four or five construction companies doing all of the work. Someone is getting very rich.
Then there is the ‘green’ aspect – and you can’t help but wonder if there is lip service being paid to the issues. On more than one occasion I heard stories about the ‘green features and standards being designed in, but not bult in. The latter simply because there is so much going on it cannot be all checked.
But my real issue is that when you peel back behind the veneer some of these buildings are not actually very good. Whilst we might develop buildings for 65-80 years, I am not convinced that the stuff being thrown up is at that standard. I wonder if they will last 20-25 years! I will return to this point again I think….
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Leave a comment | tags: Architecture, Birmingham, Building, Business and Economy, Carbon reduction, China, CO2, green buildings, Pudong, Shanghai | posted in Green stuff, Nottingham, Shanghai
I posted a guest blog for Lisa Pilkington at the Estates Gazette yesterday – you can read it here. It was my view about MIPIM and Nottingham – with maybe a few tongue in cheek comments about the softe Southerners. Well it made a change from the Baa ‘issue‘ in at the MIPIM Derby dinner last week.
My colleague Matthew Hannah was very keen to point out some Bauhaus Architecture in Nice as we passed by in our Taxi at the speed of sound. And that got me wondering – would that same Architecture in Derby be known as Baaa-Haus??
Just a thought….
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Leave a comment | tags: Architecture, Bauhaus, Derby, Estates Gazette, Lisa Pilkington, Nottingham | posted in Business, MIPIM 2010, Nottingham
You might remember that I acted as a Judge for the Civic Trust Awards late last year – and blogged about it here. I really enjoyed getting to see some new buildings. None of the schemes I looked at won, but two Nottingham based projects have come away with main Awards – announced last Friday. You can download the brochure from the Civic Trust Award website today.
The Meat Factory The Meadows
The awards are for “projects that make an outstanding contribution to the quality and appearance of the environment. Award level schemes must demonstrate excellence in architecture or design, sustainability, inclusive design and make a positive social, cultural, environmental or economic benefit to the local community.”
And both of our local winners do just that. I have blogged about both of them before, so it’s really great that they have been recognised.
The first is The Meat Factory, in The Meadows Nottingham. Julian Marsh’s house is a brilliantly designed modern piece of architecture that was a labour of love for him. He deserves every accolade – he really did put his faith in his own design! My blog post about my visit can be found here.
The Nottingham Trent University
And the second is the Nottingham Trent University extension between the Newton and Arkwright buildings. Again when this opened last year I thought it was a truly great piece of design that had transformed an area into a building fit for the 21st Century. My blog post is here.
So, well done Nottingham – it’s brilliant to see us getting some National recognition for architecture. And for two very different pieces of work!
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Leave a comment | tags: Architecture, Civic Trust Awards 2011, Green building, Judging, Julian Marsh, Nottingham Trent University, The Meat Factory | posted in Business, Green stuff, Nottingham
The time has come to head back to Blighty. I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone – we need to plan to come back soon.
I have been thinking about what draws me to this place. Clearly if you have an interest in architecture this helps – there are some brilliant buildings here, new ones from Gehry to Libeskind – but some great works of art like at Guggenheim (Frank Lloyd Wright) and The Chrysler Building – by William Van Alen. Wherever you look you can find great architecture.
If I am honest I am not a fan of midtown Manhattan – The bright lights of Times Square are not the real New York – they are just the glossy veneer of a place which is much more interesting below the surface.
My favourite parts of the City run around Bleeker Street – Soho, The Village and the Meatpacking District. These places have a more human scale. They are more quirky – although Soho is more commercialised now – with the big names having moved in. But you can still find some gems around the areas if you look hard enough. But you do need to explore and be prepared to go off the beaten track.
The independents survive here somehow, they have learned to differentiate their products. Some have even learned some manners! I am sure they have to work very hard to make a living as rents in the City are eye-watering. You can rent a window space!
So I think that is it – what draws me is exploring the myriad of grid-iron streets – and finding new things. They don’t have to be designer shops – just different. And each time I come I find something new…
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Leave a comment | tags: Architecture, Chrysler, Ghery, Libeskind, Meatpacking District, New York, Soho, The Village | posted in Nottingham
I have been catching up with some Grand Design episodes which I never seem to get around to watching until there are a clutch hogging disk space on Sky+.
Spot the new bit?
Some episodes are centred around a greenfield development which reflects the ambitions of a furtive mind. But some involve the restoration or development of an old building. These projects, to some extent, are a much more difficult proposition. The propensity to get it horribly wrong are huge.
I dislike pastiche architecture. Faux gothic timbers have no place in architecture. Pre-weathered materials usually look just awful. They smack of impatience. I am never sure why – unless the designer thinks the building won’t be around for long?
In one of the recent episodes of Grand Design a couple were restoring a former Guildhall in Suffolk. The Guildhall element was around 500 years old – and despite looking like an agricultural barn it had an important ‘story’ to tell in the local history of the village. It had a ‘narrative’. This is important.
Buildings evolve over time. They are often adapted and building historians are able to read them. They do this by investigating changes. So, if we introduce ‘matching’ or ‘pretend old’ it doesn’t work. It is therefore important that if it is our turn to alter a building we should do it in our own style and with our own time materials. Matching in is the worst thing we can do.
This is not to say that we shouldn’t have sympathy for an old structure. But in 2010 we have access to a vast array of materials which are of our era. Some of them will compliment an old building without detracting from it or violating it.
It is not always easy to get restoration or renovation right. But it should be possible to show our intervention in a positive way and clearly representing our part of the buildings history. It is part of the story!
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Leave a comment | tags: Architecture, Building, Grand Designs, preservation | posted in Business, Green stuff
