George Clarke considers Newcastle’s Swan House an unforgivably ugly duckling. However, the new courtyard in the British Museum is the epitome of elegance …
The courtyard at the British Museum is a fantastic piece of architecture. It has not only brought an old building back to life, but is also a clever piece of inner-city masterplanning. My offices are not far away and I find myself taking a detour to walk through it; it has become part of a city route, not just a museum. Whether I am having a coffee, walking around the library, or watching my kids play, it is a lovely place to be.
The roof looks so incredibly simple and elegant that it is only when you are involved in the building industry you realise how much effort it must have taken. A friend of mine was part of the engineering team and I do not think there is a building he takes more pride in. The fact that they used the wrong stone does not bother me at all. Who really cares? It looks beautiful, it is high quality material and it is going to be there for many years. Foster brought that building into the 21st century. When he gets masterplanning right, he is a genius.
At the other end of the spectrum is Swan House in Newcastle. The former British Telecom office block was recently converted into trendy apartments. I hate it! That’s when they should have brought the bulldozers in. You come over the bridge into the
city and have the most beautiful aspect in the North-east – a stunning vista all the way down the river. Then you turn and see Swan House. It is a hideous development, surrounded by concrete carparks and upper level walkways – part of the sixties’ “renaissance” that kept the traffic downstairs and the public upstairs.
The idiots who were in control of the planning department decided to smash the historic grain of that part of the city, which used to be full of beautiful old buildings. There are some amazing sixties’ buildings we should be proud of in Britain, but Swan House is not one of them.
Wonder
The Queen Elizabeth II Great Court at the British museum, designed by Foster + Partners, opened in 2000. It is the largest covered square in Europe and has a tessellated glass roof designed by Buro Happold. The building project caused controversy when it emerged some of the stone came from France rather than Dorset, as originally agreed in the contract.
Blunder
Swan House is part of the legacy of T Dan Smith, a politician and city planner, who wanted to turn Newcastle into the “Brasilia of the north”. Formerly office space for British Telecom, the building is located on a roundabout in the heart of the city. In 2002, architect Ryder won a £14m commission to turn it into luxury flats
George Clarke is an architect and presenter of The Home Show
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