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DESIGNING WITH PEOPLE IN MIND MAKES FOR VIBRANT REGENERATION - 8 May 2008
A leading architect and expert in regeneration has called on designers, planners, developers and investors to consider the needs of people and to be bold in the art of making good places.
George Ferguson, a past president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, told an audience in Walsall that good architecture made a huge economic difference if you got it right. It was people who brought places to life and development had to involve them at an early stage.
He told guests at the Jessup Lecture at the New Art Gallery: “The value of regeneration cannot be measured in buildings but how those buildings relate to their place and the amount of activity, both economic and social that they generate.”
Using a series of images from around the world, and closer to home, Mr Ferguson urged his audience to learn from successful places and cities with a real ‘vibe’. “Don’t simply go by the rules and end up with something the same as everywhere else,” he said.
Mr Ferguson praised the Art Gallery as a good example of iconic architecture that was helping to regenerate the town. He also told how impressed he was with the transformation of Birmingham city centre where the mistakes of the 1960s were being put right.
He considered the ingredients for successful architecture and regeneration and for developing communities. He said places that worked well had a mix of uses, saw old and new buildings working together and were connected with transport links and ‘walkability’. “To make good places we have to take risks. Risk averse design makes places dull,” he argued. “We need to get it right and bring quality to the Midlands and hopefully investment as well.”
It was the second lecture organised by Jessup, the company behind the £65 million Waterfront South canalside development of 360 apartments and houses, offices, restaurants and café bars which is due to start soon on a site next to the Art Gallery.
Clive Jessup, chief executive of Jessup, said: “As developers we are committed to working closely with local communities to design and build better living and working environments. We organised our lecture series because we wanted to make a positive contribution to the overall improvement and regeneration of the West Midlands region by bringing in new ideas from experts in all aspects of the built environment.”
Akshay Parikh, programme director at Walsall Regeneration Company, who attended the evening, said: “We are always keen to listen to people with ideas on how we can do better things rather than simply do things better. We are championing major projects to restore Walsall as a force in the Black Country and wider region and we are working on sustainable regeneration that will provide the homes, jobs, skills and leisure opportunities that make for successful communities.”
Walsall is undergoing a major renaissance with £500 million worth of development committed by 2010, including a new hospital, a new college, homes, offices and leisure developments. In addition Walsall Gigaport, a proposed £400 million scheme to create a dynamic office corridor with an advanced next generation broadband access platform, will build on its resurgence as a Town for Enterprise.
Ends
Caption: Pictured from left are Clive Jessup, chief executive of Jessup, Akshay Parikh, programme director Walsall Regeneration Company, speaker George Ferguson and Tony Kemshall, chairman Walsall Civic Society.
For further information please contact
Lorna Bishop or Nigel Pipkin
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Notes to Editors
Bristol-based George Ferguson is chairman of Acanthus Ferguson Mann Architects. He has a wide variety of experience in architectural, masterplanning and regeneration projects, commencing with regeneration and historic building work that formed the foundation of the practice. As elected RIBA president (2003-2005) he was noted for championing the causes of education, the environment and good urbanism. A co-founder of the Academy of Urbanism, he writes, broadcasts and lectures extensively on environmental policy, planning and architectural matters.