Auckland resists a “hulking proto-slum”, Calgary submits to the “build it and they will yawn” philosophy and the Prince of Wales tries to get an architect sacked, in today’s news digest...
“For proponents of a public space dedicated to the public without the loud, simplistic messages of commerce intruding on your every view down the street, a permanent ban would be a modest step forward in a city already heavily blighted by the excesses of a powerful billboard industry and an auto-centric urbanism.”
The Architects’ Newspaper
Full Article
“The current standard shed detail is problematic in regard to safety, sustainability, and the streetscape, and has not changed despite the fact that sheds are much more prevalent and up for longer than before. Even before the downturn, there were many locations where sheds went up and simply did not come down, hurting shops made less visible and playing havoc with any semblance of reasonable urban design quality.”
The Architects’ Newspaper
Full Article
“Just look at it. It’s the hulking proto-slum looming over Broadway. Go stare at it in sickened wonder some time. It’s a thoughtless, ugly cardboard model with gigantism. It offers absolutely zero to the public realm, and I don’t imagine the private spaces are in any way pleasant either. It’s greedy and selfish. It’s made of the absolute cheapest possible materials.”
Auckland Architecture Association
Full Article
“Calgary, for too long, has been a city of concrete and complacency, where mini-malls, box stores and beige houses dominate the landscape. Build it and they will yawn, seemed to be Calgary's motto, as historic buildings were torn down and drab boxes put up in their place, with cookie cutter towers showing little imagination as they filled the skyline. Citizens shrugged, and local architects wallowed in mediocrity, reproducing the same stale designs for clients too timid or cheap to rock the boat.”
Calgary Sun
Full Article
“The Prince has an unusual amount of power which, under our constitution, is not designed to be used to interfere with the running of everyday affairs in this country for the simple reason that the prince is not accountable… This is a dangerous course to go down. There was an open competition for this building and then along comes somebody with special powers seeking to influence the outcome in a blatant intervention.”
The Architects’ Journal
Full Article
