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Prince Charles uses Poundbury as an example of his architectural principles. Image Flickr CC user
JonathanLClarke
Poundbury. Image Flickr CC user JonathanLClarke
Last weeken d, the Archite ctural Review published an article by the Prince of Wales in
which he outlined his stance on architecture, reiterating his belief that a return to traditional
design principles is nec ess ary t o enab le sustainable urban growth that meets human
needs. In the 2,000 word essay, Prince Charles argues that we face the terrifying prospect
by 2050 of another three billion people on this planet needing to be housed, adding that
rather than wanting to turn the clock back to some Golden Age as he is often accused, he
is focused on the needs of the future. At the conclusion of his article, he outlines ten
principles for architecture which meet the requirements of his vision.
As is often the case with Prince Charles pronouncements on architecture, the article has
prompted a strong reaction from members of the profession, with responses ranging from
Robert Sakula saying if more people cared as much as he does we would have a better
architectural culture, to the response of Birmingham City Universitys Alister Scott, who
said there is clear evidence of elitism and his lack of empathy with the problems facing his
peasantry.
Read on after the break for more on the Princes article and the reaction from architects
World
29 DEC2014by Rory Stott
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The 10 MostInspirational TEDTalks for Architects
29 Dec 2014
Prince Charles' 10"GeometricPrinciples" for Architecture Cause a
Stir in the UK
Poundbury. Image Flickr CC user dorsetforyou.com
The article by Prince Charles follows on from decades of engagement with the topic of
architecture, which infamously began 30 years ago when he described the proposed
extension to the National Gallery in London as a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a
much-loved and elegant friend. Following on five years later was his book A Vision of
Britain, and in the early 1990s construction began on Poundbury , the Leon Krier -designed
extension to Dorchester, built on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall and in accordance
with Prince Charles personal architectural principles.
In his essay, Prince Charles sets out those principles in a ten-point manifesto:
1. Developments must respect the land: they should not be intrusive and should
fit the landscape they occupy.
2. Architecture is a language: new designs should abide by grammatical rules to
avoid dissonance with existing structures.
3. Scale is also key: new buildings should respect both the human scale and the scale
of the surrounding buildings.
4. Harmony the playing together of all parts: richness comes from diversity,
but buildings should be in tune with their neighbours.
5. The c reation of well-designed enclosures: enclosed spaces are both more
visually satisfying and encourage walking.
6. Materials also matter: materials should be natural and local, drawing on traditional
local styles
7. Signs, lights and utilities. They can be easily overused: it is possible
instead to control traffic using events in the road layout which cause drivers to slow
down.
8. The pedestrian must be at the cen tre of the design process: streets
must be reclaimed from the car.
9. Density: though density is critical, it can be achieved through traditional typologies
such as the terrace or the mansion block.
10. Flexibility: rigid conventional planning should be avoided in favour of flexible
schemes.
Reaction to these principles has been mixed. BD Online reports a collection of architects
who grudgingly accept Prince Charles ideas, with many pointing out that most of his ten
principles can be applied to contemporary architecture, without recourse to traditionalism.
Others point out that the nature of his position and the power he wields is undemocratic,
with Robin Nicholson of Cullinan Studio saying that the only problem is that he speaks
from a position of untouchable power. Prince Charles has previously been heavily
criticised by Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid and many more for his tendency to influence
projects which he disagrees with.
Writing for the Architects Journal, Patrick Lynch of Lynch Architects says despite certain
reservations, I have to say that I think that it is on balance a good thing for a public figure
to engage directly with the principles of architecture, adding that architecture remains a
subject with a history and a tradition, most of which we are almost totally ignorant of today.
The question we face is how relevant this is to our society today.
Opposing Lynch though, Alister Scott argues that as Prince Charles suggests the
language of planning and architecture does need to be more inclusive but it does need to
be understood; basically we need to build better places but for more people but the
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Cite:Stott, Rory. "Prince Charles 10 Geometric Principles for Architecture Cause a Stir in the UK" 29 Dec2014. ArchDaily. Accessed 31 Dec 2014.
14 Comments
Worried
How can it be undemocratic if someone with power is to speak up?Democratic - does that mean someone with political authority should notbe speaking to those who have academic authority?
Quite an unusual thing to say that... Architects need to get out of this'exclusive' club - and this comment is a very poor statement..
Additionally, there is much we can learn from cottages and old buildingsettlements, and old architecture...
Architecture may not be a language, but it holds true that it doescommunicate certain knowledge to people who use the space.....
Perhaps it is the article, but there seems to just be too much reactionand less thoughtful consideration.
examples all point towards design credentials for a well-heeled Poundbury settlement than
a major town or city with its attendant problems of deprivation, town centre decay and
stagnation and lack of investment.
The most complete response comes from architecture critic Douglas Murphy, whose article
for the Guardian states that on reading Prince Charles essay it was hard to know whether
to go apoplectic or simply roll ones eyes: Its that man again
It wasnt just his power that made Charles polemics hit home: they coincided with
Britains great lurch to the right, argues Murphy, adding that Charles and his friends like to
portray themselves as the underdogs, as victims of a leftie conspiracy of inhumane
modernism, but they couldnt be more well connected, and their polemics in favour of twee
cottage architecture resonate strongly with a public taste for the picturesque and
sentimental, and the spurious notion of What People Really Want.
Finally, describing Prince Charles ten-point manifesto as essentially a mix of the sensible,
the tautological and the downright sinister, Murphy goes on to give his own principles,
including the city belongs to everyone, architecture is not a language, honesty is still a
virtue, the street isnt everything, and perhaps most critically his final point: change is
coming: the next century will be pivotal for humanity, and architecture will play a huge role.
Cute cottages with nice local stonework wont help.
Are Prince Charles pronouncements on architecture welcome in contemporary
architectural discourse? Leave your comments below.
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/dec/27/prince-charles-10-principles-architecture-10-better-ones -
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art
Historian wrote that it was eclecticism that smothered all creativeactivities,these 10 points were part of our basic architectural education andhistory , why are we fighting them.
Tom Becker
It's true that by using his power to influence architecture ,Prince Charlescould be considered slightly undemocratic. However, you should alsoconsider that all the architecture schools in which famous architectspromote their own architectural agendas, oblige students to adoptexclusively contemporary architectural languages that abide by their own subjective world views. If it is true that Prince Charles is anundemocratic power influencing architecture, it is also correct to say thatarchitecture schools are also contributing to create a distorted view of the reality from the other end of the spectrum. I can't think of anythingmore undemocratic then the brainwashing future architects undergo inthe architecture studio courses at university, as well as the influence of the architecture magazines who tend to display projects almostexclusively of a certain style (contemporary).
Robert Beach
Reads like a freshman theory paper from Notre Dame.
craigpurcell
Oh please give me a flat top it's so cool and not at all twee....
Geoff James Eberle
authoritarian measures imposed upon any system will always fail toreact to the spontaneity of human idiosyncrasies - furthermore, humanhabitation should reflect the function and ideologies in a flexible manner.Charles's 'manifesto' doesn't represent society in it's totality - itrepresents a diminishing conservative ideal, which has little place in our
globalized society and declared by a man who couldn't be further apartfrom the everyday inhabitant (if you could say there one to speak off).
Yes it's great the engagement from a non-architect however you couldhardly describe the man as a member of the public.
David
Most who have bothered to criticise these 10 points come across asbeing argumentative for the sake of it. Nothing that Charles says here isnegative in any way. Only YOU are negative.
Geoff James Eberle
Your argument is directed at the people themselves rather thantheir criticisms, and reads ironically to your proposition. Hispoints are not negative, however people believe the outcomes of his points to be so.
David
I just feel that his points can be so broadly interpreted,that only a mind predisposed to a negative take on theman and his background would spend the energy onimagining the outcomes that make his points worthy of any criticism in the first place.
on
Thanks for the advice Charles, where would our profession be withoutyou? Please build another Poundbury with your backward buddies. Ialso urge HRH to go to one of the many fine Architecture schools.
Ps. to guest below, how is Charles' traditionalist, rose tinted watercolour ideal of architectural desi n an different to "some movement van uard
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,or whatever tosh they purport to follow" that you mention? If he had anyclue he would realise that design is an iterative and democratic process,but of course, the Prince doesn't negotiate.
Guest
The real elitists are the ones who shove their architectural monstrositiesdown our throats because it's part of some movement, or the vanguard,or whatever tosh they purport to follow.
These people who come out with the old clich about that "harking backto a Golden Age" are idiots. What's wrong with making our surroundingslook as good as possible? Prince Charles is 100% right about this.
guest
Well for one, "as good as possible" is entirely subjective. and Idon't think someone who has spent their entire existence in aplace of extreme wealth and privileged is likely to understand thewants and needs of his subordinates. -I mean, he's purposingstandards for a way of living that he has never experienced.Secondly, architecture does not exist to "look", it exists tofunction. I think you and Prince Charles may share thatmisconception.
Guest
You are entirely mistaken about the concept of architecture. Aesthetics is one of the major principles of architecture. Architecture exists not only to function butfor aesthetic purposes as well, along with environmental,climatic, technological, and cultural determinants.
Tom Becker
It is not completely true that aesthetics in architecture issubjective. There is an entire body of scientific studiesthat study the psychological influence of builtenvironmentson people and these studies have found numerous factson how certain traits of the built environment influence our emotions (for example: fractal dimension of environment,relation of open to close spaces, proportions of elementsin respect to human scale, etc.)
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