In a letter to Erskine dated 30 June, Rock said the RIBA supports the stand made by HTA Architects, Erskine’s co-architect, which resigned from the project last week. Rock said the RIBA expects him to add his support by resigning too.
Rock told Erskine his letter was prompted by the circumstances of HTA’s resignation, described in a letter from HTA director Ben Derbyshire to Stuart Lipton, chair of the Millennium Village competition jury. This listed the alleged failures of the client, a Countryside Properties/Taywood joint venture, to deliver environmental benefits.
In his letter to Erskine, Rock also discloses that he stepped in at an earlier stage to prevent HTA being replaced by architect BDP.
A spokesperson for Erskine said that he was unavailable to comment. However a source close to the project said he was “angry, upset and frustrated” by the pressure being put on him from all sides.
Epr architects has been appointed as interiors architect for the first phase of the Millennium Village, designed by HTA Architects.
