tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.comments2023-01-24T13:39:14.776+00:00the gutter and the starsPeter Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536495293189709179noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-68589562992443134012015-12-15T11:04:14.387+00:002015-12-15T11:04:14.387+00:00I still like the Commercial Union building and won...I still like the Commercial Union building and wonder why it has to come down. It's a pity London will lose a building that is a sleek example of the International Style and a handsome nod to the Seagram Building. The images of the new building don't possess the same elegance. Can't they replace the vulgar stump that is the Walkie Talkie building instead? : )Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-63061018339578679492014-08-22T18:02:49.751+01:002014-08-22T18:02:49.751+01:00The link between consideration of the skyline and ...The link between consideration of the skyline and and river crossings is an interesting one. Perhaps the scope of the Skyline commission should be expanded? Londoners deserve development within a coherent framework that enhances the character of the city. Isn't that what the planning system is supposed to provide?Simon McCormackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02788854320518848109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-24644779281423215572013-03-21T20:04:12.214+00:002013-03-21T20:04:12.214+00:00Cycle to Cannes would be less strenuous. However, ...Cycle to Cannes would be less strenuous. However, there is something to be said for throwing off all notion of nipping back to the office (or indeed the wife and family) and staying the course with your peers. Why not hold it in a muddy field in Somerset instead - it is endurance not enjoyment after all?<br /><br /> Ben van Bruggenhttp://www.vburbandesign.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-79376673851676224592012-10-22T16:08:08.925+01:002012-10-22T16:08:08.925+01:00Modern?? It appears that the artist referred to he...Modern?? It appears that the artist referred to her copy of "Wallpaper patterns for the modern home" circa 1970 rather than exercise her talent. Yes more art to fill these bland canvases but please let us use the best of our design rather than the lazy alternative!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-63854154248186838272012-10-18T16:27:27.652+01:002012-10-18T16:27:27.652+01:00I think it looks fantastic, so much more modern th...I think it looks fantastic, so much more modern than a lot of architecture these days. Let's hope we se a lot more from this artist.BiGWorldhttp://www.bigworldhosting.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-86066570748372997152012-05-30T16:03:36.107+01:002012-05-30T16:03:36.107+01:00The computer-generated images and the companies th...The computer-generated images and the companies that produce them are become more sophisticated and more powerful in the design process; being brought in earlier in the process not just for marketing purposes. <br />I think that the impression of the crown of the building would have been very different if the original design of the glazing had extended beyond the final slab level. The decision to produce a steel framed crown was the correct one.Ben van Bruggenhttp://www.vburbandesign.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-30891809958125964772012-05-21T12:17:13.606+01:002012-05-21T12:17:13.606+01:00Much of the success of this and the many other wor...Much of the success of this and the many other works can be attributed to a client getting good design advice in the form of Steve Smith, ex of Farrells and DEGW and now Urban Narrative. Steve has made, in some cases literally, all these interventions possible. The latest is a performance balcony, rather like a pier, projecting from the upper level out towards the River.Ben van Bruggenhttp://www.vburbandesign.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-39252280852190476412012-05-17T21:39:26.743+01:002012-05-17T21:39:26.743+01:00It must have been a fascinating trip. It is a gre...It must have been a fascinating trip. It is a great shame that these wonderful buildings have been neglected. One of the problems with early modern buildings is that the construction is so thin. I worked on the pilot repair of Finsbury Health Centre with John Allan at Avanti about 15 years ago. The concrete on the parapets was only 100mm thick, with minimal cover on the reinforcement. Curiously the element of construction which survived best was the timber frame of the curtain walling, formed in wild teak. The most satisfying aspect of the project was uncovering and re-instating the rich original colour scheme - something easily overlooked when looking at contemporary black and white photos of buildings from this period. We didn't get the colour application quite right, but fortunately Freddy Skinner, a surviving member of Tecton, was on hand to put us right!<br /><br />Simon McCormack<br />www.simonmccormack.co.ukSimon McCormackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02788854320518848109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-25296091676994188442012-04-25T14:56:40.465+01:002012-04-25T14:56:40.465+01:00try this......
http://www.urban-design-group.org.u...try this......<br />http://www.urban-design-group.org.uk/opd/index.htmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-55866361870214186622012-03-07T15:26:49.218+00:002012-03-07T15:26:49.218+00:00Most architects and architectural judges find it h...Most architects and architectural judges find it hard to value place over project. I'd recommend attendance at the Urban Design Group Awards, now its 3rd year, where awards are given for public sector work as well as for projects. <br />Ben van Bruggen<br />vbudAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-35819188745603790982011-09-14T13:54:01.480+01:002011-09-14T13:54:01.480+01:00'I don't want to belong to any club that w...'I don't want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as a member'<br />Perhaps these high-profile bodes don't feel the need for an Institute at all or that the one they have doesn't represent their view of this art.Ben van Bruggennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-57845358522278313692011-09-01T12:43:46.062+01:002011-09-01T12:43:46.062+01:00Very good. Any Tom, Dick or Peter could join ICOMO...Very good. Any Tom, Dick or Peter could join ICOMOS as it states that membership is ‘open’ to people who;<br />-as a member of the scientific, technical or administrative staff of a national, regional or local monuments, fine arts or antiquities service;<br />- as a decision-maker or as specialist engaged in the conservation, restoration, rehabilitation and enhancement of monuments, groups of buildings and sites.<br /><br />This definition may (but only if we agree) include architects, town planners, historians, archaeologists, ethnologists or archivists, and in certain cases other individuals interested in supporting the aims and objective of ICOMOS.<br /><br />It’s legitimacy is that of UNESCO. Does this need challenging?B van Bruggennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-39044375110502166002011-06-21T11:04:15.862+01:002011-06-21T11:04:15.862+01:00i'm looking forward to the return of East Angl...i'm looking forward to the return of East Anglian back into use!Ben vBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-55678323270870225782011-06-13T19:14:42.840+01:002011-06-13T19:14:42.840+01:00Regardless of any view on the individual merits of...Regardless of any view on the individual merits of the buildings by Foggo and others that it comprises, the composition of Broadgate, it's scale, intimacy, grain and character all add up to make something successful and with quite a strong sense of place. <br /><br />If it is accepted, that the design, appearance and character of a building are a significant contributors to the quality of urban places, then it is difficult to see how Make's building is designed to contribute, compliment, improve or enhance the quality and qualities of the place. <br /><br />The architecture appears primarliy to respond to the functions required, of many deep floor plates, floor area etc. With out many or any concessions to townscape and the context of broadgate as a place. Whether the concept for it's aesthetic as a 'machine for making money' is worthwhile, is i suppose a matter of opinion but what is questionable, is whether Make have even delivered on that? it appears to be rather more a vault than a machine!<br /><br />It isn't actually a question of whether the exisiting buildings are too good to be demolished rather than whether the proposed one good enough to join the party.<br /><br />Neil DeelyNeil Deelyhttp://metwork.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-18258313694859377012011-05-26T10:45:09.251+01:002011-05-26T10:45:09.251+01:00Paul, are these really the “… financial institutio...Paul, are these really the “… financial institutions which make the City, and indeed the national economy, tick”? …. or are they those whose towering hubris have brought it to its knees; but who still require us to take the world’s glass, steel and marble, that we have so recently extracted from the earth and assembled here for them, and demolish it into a landfill site and start again, all to prove how deeply cowed we are by their Worshipfulness? And, is Make’s proposal not the most aggressively-ugly thing you have seen?Malcolm Frasernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-66369943652607186712011-05-25T11:35:03.752+01:002011-05-25T11:35:03.752+01:00Ever since I was introduced to London as a student...Ever since I was introduced to London as a student in the 80’s I always looked upon the office building as a re-cycleable commodity – a object that can be re-skinned or replaced to respond to changing demands (or, dare i say it!) changing tastes.<br /><br />They are giant pieces of product design : shapable skins that are formed from three simple elements; Core:Plan:Skin. Everything else in the crafting of their design is to do with context!<br /><br />They should be replaced or updated when obsolete. This is the natural way of the city, any city.<br /><br />Nic Sampson <br />ESA architectsNic Sampsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904851172931238511.post-8200424153016844462011-05-20T09:57:34.327+01:002011-05-20T09:57:34.327+01:00A very sensible analysis. The Rothschild building ...A very sensible analysis. The Rothschild building at the back of Mansion House by OMA makes an interesting comparison. The original building would certainly have been heavily listed today, but wasn't when it was replaced by a rather good Fitzroy Robinson 1960s building. That was also, arguably, worth listing, but has been replaced by a much taller building which broke every rule in the Mansion House conservation area guidelines in the City Corporation local plan. But there are traditions which are not simply about buildings, one of which is to accommodate financial institutions which make the City, and indeed the national economy, tick. On those grounds alone one must have sympathy for the UBS headquarters proposal.<br />Paul Finchpaul finchhttp://www.worldarchitecturefestival.comnoreply@blogger.com