Posts Tagged: talks

A conference day – 24 June 2014

People should get more information to be able to compare the homes they’re considering buying: space, cost in use, broadband speed etc. The Housing Forum are pushing it and I went along to hear Ben Derbyshire talking us through how it would work.Performance labelling 24 June 2014

It seems like a good idea, there’s more about it here:

http://www.mindthe-gap.info/

I was at a conference, so was quickly on to a new topic, a debate on Regeneration and particularly the accusation that it’s a process of gentrification. We need to improve the physical place but we need to improve the lives of the existing population, not just displace them. No disagreement there, but different ideas about how that can be achieved and how the approach in the south isn’t going to work for the rest of the country.Regeneration Round Table 24 June 2014Then some football watching followed by a meal with Crestel. This was generally relaxed but interspersed with some emotional discussion of the upcoming referendum.

Crestel 24 June 2014I feel fortunate to be taking part in a vote that arouses this amount of passion, a marked contrast to the parliamentary elections and the main stream parties.

Life’s Too Short at Urban Design London – 21 November 2013

I spoke at an Urban Design London event about the fun we’ve been having designing for how people live, with Fizzy. Life, Places, Buildings, as the Scottish Government says.

Life's Too Short 21November 2013This is Fizzy’s Mark Allnutt combining a provocative presentation with a pitch for some land. James Pargeter and Rosemary Slater are listening. I’m listening too, but that’s a cracking view across the reservoir back to the city. It’s the long horizontal strip window that makes the view, but we don’t do them in housing anymore, everything’s vertical. Why’s that?

It’s time we got on with PRS, and maybe it’s time we got over the Georgian window.

http://www.fizzyliving.com/

 

Boom or bubble? 12 November 2013

Easy Jet 13 November 2013The economy has changed: we are flat out busy. A mood reflected in a marketing presentation from Bryan Sabin of Higgins.

Orange Specs 12 November 2013For balance, a man in orange specs reading Tory paper speculation on another housing bubble.

 

Scottish Heroes 14 November 2013

I started the week looking at Robert Ferguson, Scots poet, who died in Bedlam at the age of 24. He stands in the High Street near the office, looking like he’s in a bit of a rush.Robert Ferguson 8 November 2013I ended it listening to Iain Milne, Scots rugby hero and ’84 Grand Slam winner, at the SPF dinner with Arim. Most of the meal spent comparing notes on recent trip to the US. Not so poetic, but entertaining none the less.SPF Dinner 14 November 2013

www.arim.co.uk

 

Three Presentations: 3 September – 10 September

Jerome 10 Spetember 201310/9 The state we are in today: L&Q (London & Quadrant)’s Jerome Geoghegan let us in on a few stats on the state of housing in the south east. It’s ambitious stuff. I was left thinking that the UK economy has two aces: London and North Sea Oil. Is that a reason to go indepenedent or to stay unified?

Saltire Awards 9 September 20139/9 Looking Back: Lesley Riddoch handing out the Saltire Housing Design Awards at the Lighthouse in Glasgow. A couple of years ago these were often for second homes! For me, the cream of this years less divisive crop was:

http://www.cmcmarchitects.com/the-ramp-house/

http://fwparchitect.wordpress.com/about/

http://nordarchitecture.com/projects/westbourne-drive/

Grow yur own home 3 Spetember 20133/9 Looking Forward: HTA’s ‘Grow-Your-Own-Home’ is shorlisted in the Sunday Times Home of the Future Competition. You can vote for it (or one of the others) here:

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/public/british_homes_awards/

If we win it, they’ll build it.

SKMBT_C28413091210530

 

11/9 Having breakfast in Hoxton, a chance to reflect on the above. My reflection is: it’s all very well listening to people talking about stuff, but I better go and do some work.

HTA Talks – Philip Stewart – 4 June 2013

hta - philip stewart 4 june 2013-1I liked how Philip combined a passion for making things and the understanding the qualities of materials with an interest in what brands were all about. For brands, read clients, and we’d like to be the same.hta - philip stewart 4 june 2013 I think I stayed locally which is why I ate in Camino but so busy just now that I can’t even remember.camino 4 june 2012

HTA Tuesday Talks 14 May 2013

Ben talked about his role as Chair of the Housing Forum and, amongst other things, why house price valuations are misleading and the potential of self build…BD at HTA Tuesday Talk 140513

HTA Tuesday Talk – Perennials – 7 May 2013

Tuesday Talk from Landscape 070513James Lord and Simeon talked about their work for Berkeley and at Bexhill, in the context of the increasing popularity of perennial planting schemes around the world.