Sector spotlight: architecture

Mayor Marvin Rees described tall buildings as “aspirational” in talks about his future vision for Bristol.

It is a view that architect Yuli Cadney-Toh agrees with, arguing that a bold approach is needed in order to meet ever-growing demand, address the severe housing crisis and create a sustainable city for generations to come.

However, the calls to think big and build upwards have been met with outrage in some quarters, as residents fear Bristol could be turned into a “high rise hell”.

From the Clifton Suspension Bridge to converted shipping containers, there is no doubt that pioneering designs continue to make their mark in the city, but could architects afford to think bigger and bolder?

It is a key question within a sector that needs to seek increasingly innovative solutions against a backdrop of economic shifts, Government whims, changes in regulations and divided public opinion.

Yuli Cadney-Toh of BDP

Yuli, an architect-director at multi-disciplinary firm BDP’s Bristol studio, says: “Constrained by its boundaries and with limited availability of city centre sites, Bristol could discover a new dimension for growth with a vision that integrates tall buildings.

“Tall buildings are a viable alternative to building beyond the city limits into green belt land and can save and invigorate our vibrant Bristol character. Going up or outwards is our choice.”

Federica and Elke of DHV

Federica Vasetti and Elke Dittrich of Dittrich Hudson Vasetti (DHV) architects believe there is a lack of ambition in Bristol’s modern architecture, with planning departments usually opting to “play it safe”.

“One of our biggest challenges at the moment is the complexity of getting things built; there now seem to be so many bureaucratic obstacles to development that the process can lead the design, rather than the design leading the process,” says Federica.

“Good design requires determination and we have to work even harder now to realise a client’s vision.”

A property in Bishopston, designed by DHV

The Architecture Centre

David Mellor was director of Alec French Architects (AFA) for 30 years, becoming a consultant to the firm in 2011. As vice president of the West of England Initiative, he continues to work on plans to shape the future of the city and its communities.

David set up The Architecture Centre on Bristol harbourside in 1996, largely in a bid to address what he felt was a lack of good quality architecture in the city.

“I hope that has contributed to better public debate on good architecture and helped raise the aspirations of architects and clients,” he says.

“I believe that AFA has contributed some good examples, such as the Aardman HQ, work on and around the SS Great Britain and Deanery Road, but, as a successful city, we need far more.”

Commenting on the sector as a whole, he adds: “Architecture is highly dependent on the economy. Building projects are costly and clients need certainty before making investments.

“Brexit will have made some clients pause, but Bristol continues to attract much inward investment, requiring employment space as well as new housing. Architects are also needed to tackle the acute lack of affordable housing.

“There are always pressures against good design – insufficient time and fees, and to some extent, budgets, but good architects work hard to mitigate these. At our best, we are creative problem solvers who strive to maintain our vision of better buildings and places.”

Craig White (right) has developed community-led housing in Knowle West, along with Knowle West Media Centre

Government-funding cuts, increased bureaucracy and uncertainty over Brexit are all taking their toll, but Craig White, of White Design, who specialises in sustainable designs, says this also opens up opportunities for a new, innovative ways of doing things.

Having been in practice for 25 years, Craig says he is most proud of work he is doing now – making it possible for communities to develop their own solutions to the housing crisis.

“The innovation we are involved in is people wanting to do it for themselves, whether that be as self-builder, custom builder or part of a cohousing group,” he explains. “Community-led housing is on the rise and, in particular, how we deliver affordable homes.

“We used to talk about something called the property ladder, however, a ladder without any rungs is useless for the young and for those on low and intermediate wages trying to buy a home.”

Stokes Croft

Craig says some of Bristol’s best urban design are in civic spaces and “subversive parts of the city”, such as Stokes Croft, which he says “speak to an ambition and willingness for Bristolians to do, rather than wait to have things done for them.”

He adds: “St Paul’s Church, in Portland Square, which now the home of Circomedia, is an example of Bristol’s happiness to contradict accepted norms.”

Úna Breathnach-Hifearnáin

Una Breathnach-Hifearnain of Purcell, who won a national award for her work on Aerospace Bristol, in Filton is at the forefront of modern design in the city.

She says that developments in technology and increased requirements for use of BIM projects mean that architects have to constantly update knowledge and understanding in order to stay relevant in an ever-changing industry.

Commenting on the landscape in Bristol, Una says: “New urban developments, such as Finzels Reach and St Catherine’s Place, are commanding new districts within the city, while also acting as vital links between the harbourside and the centre and beyond, to the Temple Meads enterprise and education quarter, which will, in time, act as a gateway to the city.

“I think that higher education will dominate in the coming years as far as Bristol development. The infrastructure of the city needs to widen to allow for these changes and expansions to come into effect and this will create interesting opportunities for future development.

“As an architect, the main thing which is missing in Bristol seems to be elements of ‘statement architecture’ which are evident in other large cities in the UK and in Europe.

“There is real opportunity for the reuse and extension of historic fabric to invigorate old buildings within the community with new uses and to find a sustainable future for the city’s buildings. This is a really exciting prospect for an architect who is passionate about weaving the old with the new.”

An artist’s impression of Bedminster’s Factory No. 1 redevelopment by Purcell

Love it or hate it, gentrification is a buzz word in Bristol at the moment and freelance architect Harry Mitchell says while it is causing real problems for communities in parts of the city, it does also open up opportunities within the sector.

Harry works as a freelance architectural designer for Tangent Studio, run by Sally Daniels, who also tutors part time at UWE Bristol. Their passion is in facilitating group design-and-make workshops, community involvement in the design process, and using reclaimed, sustainable and environmentally friendly building techniques and materials.

Reflecting on changing times within the sector, Harry says: “It seems that the industry is growing and growing, with new interdisciplinary design practices emerging.

“This is probably due, in part, to the growth of communities actively involved in local projects and needing support from practices like us. Plus, of course, the astronomical rise in house prices.

Harry Mitchell

“We regularly work with a handful of local builders and specialist trades, as we find that working together on projects from conception really helps the design process, with detailing and cost planning ironed out at the early stages.

“In the last few years, the demand for sustainable building materials has gone up. Where previously specifications would be cost-engineered away from sustainable construction methods, now clients are keener to spend that bit extra on sustainable, environmentally friendly and healthier materials.”

Tangent Studio promotes architecture in the community

It has been said that nowadays you have to do 30 per cent more for 30 per cent less and 30 per cent quicker – a line that Nigel Dyke, of AFA, says sums the sector up nicely.

He agrees that sustainability has had a major impact on the industry and is no longer a “niche interest”.

“It does seem to be changing from an (important) obsession with energy reduction, to a broader interest in ‘wellness’ and the impact on buildings on the local community and particularly users,” says Nigel.

“A more subtle change, certainly over the last five years, is nature of the workforce. At Alec French, I think only 20 per cent of the office works a traditional 9am to 5.30pm day for five days a week – everyone else is working flexibly in some way.

“It does make management difficult at times but it allows us to attract and keep the best people.”

The Sydney-born architect says his proudest achievement is the fact that projects he has personally worked, including Quakers Friars, Orchard Academy, Underfall Yard, Being Brunel Museum and City Hall, have made Bristol a better place.

He adds: “To me architecture, not the appearance of a building, is what it does to its context and the people who are impacted by them.”

Being Brunel Museum was designed by AFA

Facts:

• Bristol City Council has pledged to build 2,000 new homes by 2020.
• Architecture directly contributes £4.8 billion to the UK economy every year.
• The UK is a world centre of architectural education with nearly 50 schools.

Main photo by Jon Craig.

Read more: ‘Bristol needs to be bold and build taller buildings to meet future needs’