Introduction

Encourage Good Design

CABE survey on how local authorities manage design issues - Only:

48% of local authorities have a qualified designer in their planning department

38% of local authorities have a registered architect in their planning department

23% of local authority planning departments make use of a design panel in assessing the design quality of planning applications in general (not including Conservation Area Committees)

32% of local authorities run design award schemes

20% of local authorities have a ‘design champion’ to promote the cause of good design across all areas of the authority’s activities

22% of local authorities have refused planning permission principally on design grounds in more than 20 instances in the past year

Winston Churchill once said that we shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us. Indeed, buildings set the stage for our experiences and memories as they organize the spaces where we live and work. Yet, because architecture is such an integral part of our daily lives, it can easily be overlooked, as we seldom pause to think about why a building has been designed in a certain way or to appreciate its style and ornament. It is important to remember that architecture as an art form is more than a means of defining a space; it picks up where engineering leaves off-- its form becomes a creative interpretation of the building’s function and a physical manifestation of the philosophies, aspirations, and intellectual ideas of the society that built it.

Architecture is perhaps the most difficult of all of the arts to study because buildings are inextricably tied to one location. Unlike an oil painting that can be moved from one museum to another for a special exhibition, or a piece of music that can be recorded, a building remains in situ, linked permanently to its environs. Furthermore, a walk around any town or city reveals a hodgepodge of architectural styles and building types that arose at various points during the city’s history, a fact which fosters interest in local history but which makes the study of a single architectural style or time period an arduous and travel-demanding task. Thus, we are dependent to some extent on photographs and drawings to tell the story of architecture throughout its long and varied history.

Today, research shows that patients in well-designed, modern buildings get better quicker than those in conventional wards, according to the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE). This organisation, drew up a document John Prescott announced at the Urban Summit 2002 called 'Value of Good Design', which signals the values by which new buildings will be judged in future.

It is also widely acknowledged that design can be used to limit crime. Many police forces have "architectural liaison" teams who pore over plans for new developments to identify weak spots. Research found that subtle psychological boundaries - such as gardens or hedges - could be as effective in protecting property as robust, physical fences. The emphasis now is on houses with good visibility, and homes that face each other to allow mutual surveillance. Through-streets draw in pedestrians, who will tend to deter burglars.

'Value Of Good Design'
by CABE
Click Here To Read

Pupils appear to behave better in modern, well designed schools and studies in the US have put an emphasis on more space for each pupil. One school in Britain was able to cut the number of playground monitors by redesigning the space, allowing it to switch resources to other areas. And it's not only children who do well out of it - research in the UK found that new buildings boosted teachers' morale.

At the other end of the scale, design is also important to big business. A survey of blue chip companies, such as British Airways and Boots, which have invested heavily in bespoke offices, found they had done so to improve the functionality of workplaces and keep employees happy. Good design can also mean better use of space, leading to savings in rent payments.

Good design in housing tends to boost property prices, something that will give home owners more of a stake in their surroundings. Bad housing is also a health issue. According to a UK study, billions of pounds a year are spent on treating illnesses arising from poor housing conditions.

Research by John Prescott's office (ODPM) found that well designed commercial town and city centres resulted in high rental levels, lower maintenance costs and increased public support for the development and finally councils across the UK have woken up to the fact that eye-catching architecture alone can help generate civic pride and bring in tourism.

Yet our cultural economy which includes the music business, broadcasting, film, art, craft, architecture and design, now constitutes about 6% of the UK GDP and is growing very fast at a rate of 16% a year, far higher, obviously than the economy as a whole. The design business of which we are part is now a world leader with business worth over £17 billion a year of which architecture revenues account for nearly 10%. This is evidence of a growing function of imagination in our society which suggests creativity, imagination, aesthetics now underlie a fast growing sector of 21st century economic production.

So we can see that there is a direct relationship between architecture and a culture and economy which values depend upon creativity, innovation and intelligence because real architecture declares these very qualities. We can also see that the quality of our built environment makes a daily impact on every individual’s quality of life. In short, wherever people live, North or south, urban or rural we want& need to create places.

So why not browse the rest of our Architecture & Design section to find out about our local area and other great tips to help you understand this important part of our British culture.