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.
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.Then some football watching followed by a meal with Crestel. This was generally relaxed but interspersed with some emotional discussion of the upcoming referendum.
I 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.
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.
This 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.
The economy has changed: we are flat out busy. A mood reflected in a marketing presentation from Bryan Sabin of Higgins.
For balance, a man in orange specs reading Tory paper speculation on another housing bubble.
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.I 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.
www.arim.co.uk
10/9 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?
9/9 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/
3/9 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.
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.
I 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. I think I stayed locally which is why I ate in Camino but so busy just now that I can’t even remember.
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…
James 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.
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