Architecture is for sure a complex result of Problem Solving and User Satisfying, As Vitruvius put it: Firmness, Commodity, & Delight. But how are Prize-Winning-buildings designed by respective architects holding up to that ‘formula’? An article by Matt Weaver from the Guardian discusses the issue:
The truth about those iconic buildings: the roofs leak, they’re dingy and too hot
Matt Weaver
Winners of the prestigious Stirling prize for architecture, which will be announced tonight, have been lauded by architects but are often beset by faults and loathed by the people who use them, according to one of the government’s design advisers.
Last year the judges were widely criticised for selecting the controversial new Scottish parliament building for the top prize in the face of a catalogue of problems that dogged its construction and forced it to go 10 times over budget.
Problems have also occurred at Peckham library, in south London, the winner in 2000. Librarians complain of dinginess inside and the fact that older people are put off from entering because it is on the fourth floor.
Many of the other buildings to scoop the prize have failed to live up to the praise heaped on them. Critics say architects have become detached from everyday life and are calling for a rethink of the prize so that buildings are judged on how well they stand up to use.
Irena Bauman, a Leeds-based architect and one of the government’s design advisers, said architects had become seduced by style over substance.
“Even iconic buildings, as Stirling buildings undoubtedly are, suffer from a host of minor defects which is forgivable. However, some of them are inadequate for their purpose. This is embarrassing in buildings receiving the highest architectural accolade in the UK.”
Ms Bauman, who is on the government’s Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, added: “Architects are extraordinary problem solvers, [but] instead of engaging fully with the needs of society we are busy strutting and perpetuating the self-serving image of a profession out of touch with its own potential.”
Criticism of the prizewinners was uncovered in research for a book by Ms Bauman, to be published next year, entitled How to be a Happy Architect.
Some of the most serious faults uncovered in the research were found in the first winner of the prize - Salford University’s centenary building. John McKenna, its building manager, said: “As a result of many oversights of design, the maintenance and upkeep of the building has been costly and onerous.”
Read the whole article on The Guardian here.
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