All articles by Gus Alexander – Page 5
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For what it's worth …
Gus Alexander - Abolishing the RIBA advisory fee scale, as the government wants, is another sign of our crass inability to appreciate the value of good design
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Features
Welcome to the jungle
Eden is the biggest greenhouse in the world and the most eagerly anticipated construction project of the year. With two weeks to go before it opens, Gus Alexander explored Cornwall's jungle in a bubble.
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No beauty contest
First person - Who could replace Marco Goldschmied, the outgoing RIBA president? The candidates are going to find him a hard act to follow.
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Power corrupts
First person - British construction is thankfully free of corruption, but as more power is put in the hands of fewer people, this may change.
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Why big is bad
Second opinion. If the government wants good design, why doesn't it give more work to the firms best placed to deliver it?
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Features
'The most energy efficient building ever'
Bennetts Associates' £22m Wessex Water headquarters is such a triumph of green design that it's better than the BRE's idea of as good as it gets. Building was given a sneak preview.
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Privileged positions
Second opinion Why are there so few black architects? You might as well ask why there are so few from poor backgrounds.
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Features
Oversized, overhyped and over here
When US shopping colossus Wal-Mart bought Asda, it promised to revolutionise the way Brits buy their baked beans and a lot more besides. Everything would be bigger, better and under one roof. Now the Bristol flagship is open, have the Yanks pulled it off?
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Features
The Lord's test
It's a far cry from the leather-and-willow image of cricket, but Future Systems' media centre has already become part of the Lord's scenery. The question is, do Aggers, Blowers et al like it?
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Bridge over denial
First person First a recumbent wheel, and now a swaying bridge. The difference is, the wheel team avoided dishing out blame.
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Doing the round
Second opinion Architecture Week comes but once a year, and brings the chance to share a capsule with a specialist.
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Features
It's a fair cop
This Thames Valley Police HQ is the first fruit of design-led PFI. Maybe it is; but two years of tortuous value engineering have left their mark, too.
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Greater London counsel
First person Daily Mail scare stories aside, the GLC was an effective, efficient friend of construction. Shame none of the mayoral hopefuls seem aware of it.
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Just who’s in charge?
Second opinion Recent squabbles at the Architects Registration Board have led to four high-profile resignations. What’s up?
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Features
Shock horror: I like the dome
Leave a bunch of journalists queuing on new year’s eve with no alcohol and it’s no wonder the Millennium Dome gets mud slung at it.
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How to lose clients
First person Now it’s a seller’s market, architects don’t have to put up with the kind of treatment they get from bad clients. Do they?
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Features
Recycled yoghurt cartons, wind-powered lights, and a sea of tarmac …
Sainsbury's eco-friendly flagship store on the Greenwich Peninsula pioneers green features and a low-energy heating system. Shame about the car park.
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Balancing act
First person We find it acceptable to cover the countryside in spec housing, but disturb wildlife on a major work programme? Never.
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The man for the job
A big man with big ideas, new RIBA president Marco Goldschmied is going to give architecture the shake-up it needs.