Continuity and Development in Architecture Transcript Date: Thursday, 5 June 2014 - 6:00PM Location: Guildhall 05 June 2014 The Gresham Special Lecture Continuity and Development in Architecture Stephen Hodder MBE President of the Royal Institute of British Architects I am deeply honoured to have been invited to give this year’s Gresham Special lecture. For this I have chosen the subject ‘Continuity and tradition, an exploration of the value and impact of architecture’, using the Stirling Prize as a vehicle for this exploration. But I would like to start with a quotation; ‘Good design builds communities, creates quality of life, and makes places better for people to live, work and play in. I want to make sure we’re doing all we can to recognise the importance of architecture and reap the benefits of good design.’ Ed Vaizey MP, in his foreword to the Farrell review Established in 1996 the RIBA Stirling Prize is awarded to a building that has made the most significant contribution to the advancement of architecture and the built environment in the European Union in a given year. But first a little background. The RIBA Awards have been running annually since 1966, and the Building of the Year since 1993, initially the gift of the President. Buildings are initially entered and assessed regional. Regional award-winning buildings are then considered nationally, from which a shortlist of six national award-winning buildings go on to be considered for the premier prize. It is a most rigorous process with each building being visited by a panel comprising of both architect and lay judges. The relevance of the awards process is frequently reviewed, and so it was in 1994 when the Awards Group met to discuss how to improve the system. A £100k trust fund established by Marley, a building products manufacturer, and which had supported the awards in previous years, was diminishing. Architecture was somewhat in the Dark Ages with little public debate, and the profession was still reeling somewhat from the Prince Charles's views on architecture. The country was in recession. The decision was taken to emulate the Booker and Turner Prizes, with initial sponsorship from the Sunday Times and a prize of £20k. The journalist and critic Hugh Pearman suggested that it be named the Stirling Prize, after the distinguished architect Sir James Stirling, and with the family's consent this, the culmination of the RIBA Awards process, was born in 1996. The following year saw the system extended to buildings designed in Europe by RIBA members. With the first televised broadcast in 2000, the Stirling Prize has developed immeasurably from the early days. It has had its controversial moments; • Music School, Stuttgart Stirling Wilford v Grand Bleu, Marseille Alsop & Stormer: banal office accommodation behind the iconic forms • 2000 Peckham Library Alsop & Stormer (reserve list) v Walsall Art Gallery Caruso St. John: a building of beautiful restraint and as Jay Merrick has described 'a piece of don't look at me architecture that turns out to be grippingly, and humanely, engaging'. • 2001 Magna, Rotherham Wilkinson Eyre v Eden Project Grimshaw • 2002 Millennium Bridge, Newcastle Wilkinson Eyre v Downland Gridshell Ted Cullinan: is a bridge architecture?; romantics wanted Ted! • 2005 Scottish Parliament Miralles: significantly over budget and programme for which the arguments continue • 2011 Evelyn Grace Academy Zaha Hadid Architects v London 2012 Velodrome Hopkins Architects: a clumsy political statement; beautiful and elegant structure delivering best performance But the Stirling Prize poses a number of questions... Has it succeeded in promoting architecture to a wider public and raised debate, making everyone more demanding about the quality of their built environment? Does it convey the wrong message to clients and the wider industry regarding what we do as architects, and is it elitist? Has the media exposure subverted its key message? Are certain typologies precluded? Moreover does it promote the value of architecture? To my mind there is little doubt that the profile of architecture and architects has been raised by the Stirling Prize. Maybe paralleled by the unprecedented periods of economic growth and building boom that preceded the recession, but surely there can be little doubt the debate on architecture has made richer because of it? One can think of the Lord's Media Centre by Future Systems seen by millions of cricket fans around the world every summer. A building which in 1999 spoke refreshingly about the future of this British Institution; a building which pushed the boundaries of building technology. Architecture almost as a brand. And of course the Duxford Air Museum by Foster+Partners before that. Indeed a year later, and a change in Government, politicians were engaging with architecture as never before, Tony Blair saying on video at the 2000 Stirling Prize; 'There was a time when people thought that all modern architecture was rubbish and basically the only building that was good was the one you saw in history books. Now, we should be really proud of our heritage - it is fantastic - but what is happening now is that we are getting great new buildings and designs and those are happening not just in some of the public buildings but also businesses and industry. If they are opening new headquarters or developing a new factory they are looking at the design, so the issue of design is far more important now than it was even ten years ago. And so it is important both in business and in government to be treating this far more seriously. Good design is not just good for people who work in buildings that are well designed or live in houses that are well designed; it is also good in terms of crime, safety and the environment. I think there is a whole different type of agenda around architecture and design in public policy terms that would have been considered eccentric five or six years ago.' This is one area perhaps that we have not used the Stirling Prize to capitalise on; that of value in architecture, and that is the subject I would now like to turn to. What do I mean by this? Well in 2011, at the initiative of one of my predecessors, Ruth Reed, the RIBA, published a piece of research entitled, ‘Good Design; it all adds up’. This sought to identify the value that thoughtful and responsive architecture brings to a quality of life, and that architecture brings more to a building than aesthetics and form… it can deliver real and tangible outcomes. I would like to demonstrate this in five sector areas. Firstly, Education The numerous benefits of good design in schools and other education buildings – and the hazards of poor design – are well established. As long ago as 1874, E R Robson, architect to the London School Board, stressed the importance of sunlight and fresh air in school; ‘They are to a young child what they are to a flower’. Today, those classroom observations are backed up by evidence. We know that poorly ventilated classrooms can lead to drowsiness and affect concentration, and that overheating can have a similar effect. An over-reliance on artificial lighting can increase the frequency of headaches, eyestrain and fatigue; lighting classrooms naturally has not only been shown to improve concentration, but saves energy. And good acoustics that support communication are fundamental to inclusive teaching spaces and, thereby, good academic performance. Research by PriceWaterhouseCoopers for the Department of Education in 2003 reported that capital investment in school premises and IT had a measurable impact on learning, and that investments in improving school building increased staff morale, pupil motivation and effective learning time. Other studies have charted the rewards of good school design and planning, such as improved relationships with the local community, better recruitment and retention of staff, and easier supervision of students. In a survey conducted in 2010, 95.8% of teachers agreed that school behaviour had an influence on student behaviour. Additionally, a major study by CABE in 2005 investigated how high-quality buildings can effect recruitment, retention, behaviour and performance of higher education staff and students. The research was based on five campuses in the UK with new high-quality buildings. The results showed that 60% of students and staff believed that the design quality of their institution positively influence their decision to work or study there, and 70% believed that the respective functions and facilities improved the way in which they feel and behaved. In 1996 I was remarkably fortunate to be in the 'right place at the right time' with an aspirational client, a committed team and a collaborative contractor to deliver a building which challenged the academic model...one that has informed others I'm flattered to say, and a building that went on to win the inaugural Stirling Prize. Centenary Building, University of Salford: • Faculty of Art and Design Technology • Teaching and tutors accommodation arranged around a linear light-filled street or social concourse, with which the accommodation engages • no corridors…the model was a shopping centre in the manner by which shops front onto a mall • the building is imbued with a sense of industry and purpose • first foray into an investigation of sustainable design with the section of the building being used to naturally ventilate the spaces either side The Westminster Academy by AHMM, shortlisted in 2008, is a new secondary school in West London, housing 1175 pupils and 128 staff members. The sponsor, Exilarch Foundation and the head, Alison Banks, had a powerful vision of learning for the school that embraces the latest thinking in education and the ideals of the RSA Curriculum of the 21st century.