Posts in Category: Transport
Designs the Londoners Love – 29 April 2014
Sitting outside St Paul’s with HTA Sketchclub looking at two designs the Londoners love.
People tell me two things about St Paul’s: ‘it’s not really a dome’ and ‘imagine how amazing it was to see this 400 years ago’. It might be less awe inspiring to our eyes, but bathed in westerly sunlight on a spring evening it’s certainly arresting.
That’s my Brompton, a three speed, no titanium. I love Brompton: British manufacturing based on the continuous refinement of an inspired design. London congestion on a tube strike day is a reminder that we’d make much better places if we designed them around the bike: less pollution, better health, quicker travel, less expense, more space to do interesting things with rather than just park cars.
We’re working on it.
Low cost housing at the House of Lords 13 March 2014
From the terrace of the House of Lords, our man Mike De’Ath launched the Housing Forum’s report into how to better provide low cost housing.
As he talked about it I was thinking ‘what’s more important than this?’. A society that has some making huge capital gains on rising house prices whilst others can’t afford to either rent or buy is a divided society heading for disruption.
http://housingforum.org.uk/knowledge/publications/making-place-low-cost-housing-report
The night before I stayed locally and bumped into some folk from the Berkeley Group in a bar on the Thames, beneath some unashamedly unaffordable housing. I knew Berkeley were ahead on customer service, but nice of them to go to the length of filling the pub in their development with their own friendly staff. The characters of the people matched their brand differentiation too.
The train home from Brighton after the CIH conference after talking about institutional private rent, a part of the answer.
This my view of London as I arrive. It’s the capital of the world now, or so I’m told. About 80% of the new jobs created in the UK in the last few years were in the south east, but I’m sure a good proportion of the other 20% is people servicing the London economy from the rest of the UK, like we do. If a twin track housing market with the majority priced out is divisive, a twin track economy is equally so.
Hanging on for Christmas 2013
Everything changes in the week before Christmas: travel is less predictable, work is what happens between nights out, there’s loads to finish and there are things to reflect on. 
Santa was in the departure lounge when my plane was on time… …nobody quite so interesting when it was delayed, in Bristol.
We won a couple of cracking jobs in the last week, setting us up nicely for next year, and adding an extra level of excitement to the Christmas party. 
We need to learn from those we know who are doing things well around us, like Argent at Kings Cross. They work hard to keep the place busy and bustling whilst construction is going on all around. 
A few of the buildings are really attractive too. This has different proportions to most office structures you see, and attractive cast columns.
It’s all really busy, but if you want to spin your talents into a successful business career you could do worse than look to Jackie Stewart for inspiration. This is his Tyrell 003, in which he won the Formula One World Championship 40 years ago this year.
Then Alison, a few days past her due date, came round and we talked about far more important events all together.
Ash Gupta and brave designers 14 August 2013
The original mini weighed 617kgs, the new one weighs 1510kgs. Lighter cars perform better so that’s fifty years of car industry design development heading in the wrong direction. I met Ash on the train and we talked about designers who are brave enough to imagine how technology can change the way we live, for the better.
Disruptive technology is what the digital camera was to the film camera, and what the electric car might be to the internal combustion engine. Ash now markets disruptive technology:
http://www.guptapartnership.com/homepage.html
He is now part of the launch of BMW’s electric ‘i3’, getting the car industry back on track perhaps. Antonio Sant’elia would be proud.
Two chemists on the train 3 July 2013
Two slightly mischeivous chemists brightened up the journey home from London.
Airbus A320 in Edinburgh 27/03/13
To London to talk to hardworking staff, talented architects, and composed lawyers.
Plane, train, pub 18/03/13
Evening travel to London pub by plane then train. Edinburgh airport is a lot nicer when it’s not first thing in the morning (security staff are much more friendly). Kings Cross pub below is a surprising mix of tourists staying in local cheap hotels with names you’ve heard of to wasted old folk staying in cheap local places you haven’t.
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