One17 Design Blog

Nearly There

2010-10-20T03:15:00.001-07:00

The last piece of our pond restoration jigsaw is now being fitted. This beautiful purpose made stainless steel sluice was delivered earlier this week and is, even as we speak, being built in to the outlet that it will control. The sluice will allow us to regulate the pond water level quickly and easily in the event that we suffer another problem such as the one that started the saga earlier this year.

The awkward access meant it was a case of all hands to the sluice to place it in position before the masonry surround could be completed.

Can’t be long before the fish are back now!

Charity Run

2010-10-20T03:13:00.000-07:00

That rant back in August did me no good at all. The rest of the month and the whole of September disappeared in a blur. So what’s been happening at the Dyehouse? Well, last Sunday was well worth recording.

It was the Huddersfield Cancer Research UK 10 kilometre charity run. Two of our esteemed associates, Jonathan Budd and Matthew Budd took part. Jonathan is the good looking one on the left in the photograph and Matthew the good looking one on the right.

The weather was gorgeous, the course sympathetic and both managed to run personal bests. In fact Matthew managed a little more than that: he won the race in 39 minutes 08seconds! Jonathan was less than four minutes behind and most importantly of all, between them they raised over £700 in sponsorship. Result.

The Silly Season

2010-08-11T02:47:00.000-07:00

We all know that the summer is referred to as the silly season, with everyone on holiday and nothing serious with which to fill newspapers. But Summer 2010 is definitely turning out to be the planning silly season.

The thrust of the new government’s thinking seems to be to cut red tape and make it easier to get recovery moving. Cut out the regional planning layer and place more emphasis on local decision making. Great news for architects surely?

Well in theory yes. But in practice there are contradictions and arbitrarily applied blind adherence to ‘rules’ that would not seem out of place in a Kafka novel.

Greater freedom to carry out small works under Permitted Development (PD) rights versus removal of PD rights as part of planning approvals. The desire to make better use of brownfield sites versus a sudden blanket ban on building in domestic gardens regardless of their size or location.

Bypass the planning system altogether if ‘the community’ (however that is defined) agrees it wishes to build affordable housing.

I have already fulminated against the current love affair with bats. I have nothing against the little beauties and am happy to see them properly housed and watered. But they are already perfectly well protected by law. Why should it need local planning authorities (LPAs) to get so involved in their livelihoods? And why should that involvement lead to so much time and expenditure for clients?

A recent domestic extension project (yes, domestic extension!) required an initial bat survey that, having proved the existence of a bat roost, required a European Protected Species Licence, that required two further bat surveys and the presence of a licensed bat worker when work starts on site and implementation of appropriate ‘mitigation measures’ – which basically involves putting up some bat boxes nearby as an alternative roost – plus a whole load of reports, all of which has cost the client thousands of pounds.

Why not get clients to confirm that they are aware of their obligations to bats and agree to put up some bat boxes just in case? That’s all that is really needed at planning stage. Someone to police the situation when work starts on site is fine, but that could be handled through building control.

And when we reach the stage whereby a planning application cannot even be registered unless a bat survey accompanies the application (let alone a flood risk report, a statement of how the scheme addresses sustainability issues and the laughably loopy sequential test assessment) we have surely plumbed the depths of silliness.

I understand that LPAs can no longer afford to give free advice. You want to know if you have a chance of getting planning approval, you make a planning application and you pay for it. But part of the quid pro quo for doing this should be that you then receive an assessment of the likelihood of success before you decide whether or not to embark on the cost and time delay involved in commissioning the umpteen specialist reports that may be required.

Development – that catch all term – is intimately involved in making places and communities better. A broad overview is needed if we are to achieve consensus about what should or should not happen in a given area. The ability to tick lots of boxes and ‘trick the system’ can never substitute for that. Nor should we lose sight of the importance of giving quick, timely advice to applicants, that permits them to make informed decisions about how to spend precious resources.

Thank you, I feel better for having got that off my chest. For a few hours anyway.

Midnight Flit

2010-07-13T03:37:00.001-07:00

The ingratitude of dumb animals: we’ve given the swallows that nested in one of our garages free board and lodging for as long as they wanted; no restrictions on when they could come and go and we carefully avoided any activity that could disturb parents or chicks. And how do they repay us? Upped and gone leaving nothing but a large pile of droppings on the floor below the nest.

Have we peaked?

2010-07-13T03:34:00.000-07:00

Months of training paid off last Saturday when a group of One 17ers plus assorted friends and relations successfully completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.

One friend of the office, who had agreed somewhat reluctantly to join the venture, was seen not to be speaking to the acquaintance who had persuaded her to come along at the celebration dinner in the evening, but otherwise all seemed remarkably well.

Not only did everyone complete the challenge, they were also all present and correct on Monday morning ready for another hard week at the coalface of design. First job was to download the hundreds of photographs that had been taken on the trip.

Apart from the rain and impenetrable fog on top of a couple of the peaks, conditions couldn’t have been better. Judging from the pictures (your correspondent had an urgent appointment elsewhere that I simply couldn’t break) a jolly good time was had by all.

Just over 26 miles up and down the 3 highest peaks in Yorkshire in a total time of 10 hours and 45 minutes. Well done to all involved.

What next for the One 17 Fit Club – skydiving or white water rafting?

Things that go Splash in the Night

2010-07-13T03:04:00.000-07:00

As some people will know, we are part way through the regeneration of the pond behind the office. We turned a near tragedy into an opportunity when the pond had to be emptied of water, and we have cleaned and cleared it out ready to be refilled with water and restocked with fish.

The accumulated silt that had reduced the depth (not to mention the cleanliness) of the water by almost half is now largely dried out and piled behind a spanking new dry stone wall that has been built across one end of the pond. The wall looks so good that we’re slightly reluctant to submerge it, but there we are. So we will soon have a slightly shorter, but significantly deeper and infinitely cleaner pond to sit beside whilst we munch our lunchtime sandwiches.

However, the main point of this blog was to talk about some of the weird and wonderful things that emerge from the depths when you clean out a pond: the pair of scissors that mysteriously disappeared one bonfire night; the assorted bottles ancient and modern (all miraculously intact) and the harvest of unidentifiable bits of metal. Then last week up with the bucket of the digger came a very identifiable lump of metal: an automatic handgun.

As you can imagine, this caused a certain amount of excitement in some members of the office, but they were eventually persuaded that the best thing to do was to drop the article into a plastic bag and call our local police station.

Our meeting area is just inside the front door to the office and I have to say it makes for a somewhat different type of client meeting when a squad car pulls up and a member of the local constabulary walks in and tells reception he’s come to talk to the gentleman with the gun. When he walked out a few minutes later carrying the offending article our reputation had clearly changed in the eyes of said client.

Once Bitten

2010-07-05T02:23:00.000-07:00

Bring together a bunch of people with a penchant for keeping fit, a gorgeous summer’s evening and a stretch of grass outside the back of the office (plus one bright spark with a camera) and what have you got? Scenes from Health and Efficiency 2010 style.
Taking Tuesday evening’s exercise class outside was a great idea and made a pleasant end to a day of meetings and phone calls. It was not until the following morning that some of us realised there was something in the air that night. A series of red and very itches spots had sprung up on soft and delicate parts of various bodies. Jungle formula spray next time.

Norah Batty

2010-07-03T02:04:00.000-07:00

I’m sure we are not alone amongst architects in noticing a massive increase recently in requests for bat surveys as a result of lodging planning applications.

I’m sure there is an element of “better safe than sorry” in some of these requests in as much that a requested bat survey can at worst just confirm that there are no ‘bat interests’ to be taken into account in a scheme. On the other hand, if a survey reveals bat activity or bat habitats, it has all been worthwhile.

However, there are a number of points to bear in mind here: bats are protected regardless of any specific recommendations or requirements that may arise following a survey. Bat emergence surveys can apparently only be undertaken between May and August – which can play havoc with the timetable for planning approvals. And finally, whereas some months ago we were receiving quotations for surveys in the order of £350-£450, those same quotations are coming in around £950 today. The market has spoken, and clients are being forced to listen.

My contention that that there is a trend towards virtually automatic requests for bat surveys was confirmed this morning when a colleague announced that one had been requested in relation to an application he had lodged. The application was for a new porch for a church of no more than 2 square metres. Quite how the construction of this new porch would affect any putative resident bats was not made clear.

Oh, and just to make things worse, the requests for bat surveys often comes several weeks into the determination process.

Natural Good Taste

2010-07-01T02:03:00.000-07:00

Beside our office we have converted some former farm outbuildings to two rather splendid houses(well we would say that, wouldn’t we) which are now for sale.

Rather than finish them off completely, the houses are at a stage where buyers can still influence some finishes and fittings. The garage to one of the houses is at shell stage waiting to receive doors and, without so much as a call to the estate agent, someone has already taken up residence: a family of swallows has nested in the ridge of the building and the parents swoop in and out at regular intervals carrying food to the chicks.

Investigation showed three tiny, sleepy heads with enormous beaks peeking over the edge of the nest. Watch this space

New brooms

2010-06-26T06:19:00.000-07:00

The new government seems intent on revolutionising the landscape for architects. Garden grabbing we’ve already talked about. The Regional Spatial Strategies are to go we understand. Home Information Packs have already gone (along with all the poor souls who retrained to compile them) and now we hear from Lord Young that much Health & Safety legislation is to be replaced by lavish application of good old common sense.

Does this spell the end of the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations? Responsible for a 200% increase in paperwork and less than a 20% improvement in safety in construction projects (yes, I have made those figures up), many would not be sad to see the back of them. Arguably they have performed the function of drawing attention to the problem by now. Those that have come to understand the need for improvement have changed their ways. Those that never will understand the need see CDM as something to be got round.

The majority of construction sites of any size are today a million miles better than they were twenty five years ago. Many small ones are pretty much the same. The virtual collapse of a large part of our industry, thanks to the recession, will have done more to set back the cause of health and safety in building than a decision to cut back on red tape. Common sense thrives in a fertile, well drained mix of experience, training, job opportunities and fair profit levels. It tends to wither when deprived of nutrients like anything else.

A client intent on squeezing the last bit of life from a contractor desperate to survive will hopefully get what he deserves; unfortunately the contractor and his staff may get more than they deserve. And if the general public get caught up, the HSE (even with a reduced budget) will not listen to lame excuses.

Garden Grabbing

2010-06-24T04:51:00.000-07:00

The house behind my own (Best Revenge) is actually a bungalow, a dormer bungalow to be exact. It is a perfectly nice house, sorry bungalow, but by no means lavish. In fact a family larger than the married couple and cat that currently occupy it, might possibly refer to it as modest.

The house next to it (but still behind mine, if you follow) is a rather more extravagant affair, and the one below that – yes, that’s right, next to mine – is a comfortably sized four bedroomed job. We don’t necessarily see that much of the neighbours, unless we want to, because we are blessed with a fair old distance between us, which in summer in particular is so dense with leaves that it’s easier to telephone if you want to check that the neighbours are at home, than peer through the undergrowth.

Which is a long winded way of introducing a comment on our new government’s latest pronouncement on planning: there shall be an end to garden grabbing. Garden grabbing refers to the practice of obtaining planning approval to put a new dwelling in the garden of an existing one. What’s so heinous about that, that it needs some new planning legislation?

The idea seems to be that we are losing valuable green space in towns and suburbs, so the practice must stop. But why do we need new legislation? Current policies exist to prevent overcrowding, overlooking, overindulgence etc. And in any case, I thought it was not so long ago that we were being exhorted to ensure a minimum density in residential schemes to reduce the pressure to develop virgin land.

I agree we need green space in towns and suburbs but to term any development within existing residential curtilage as ‘garden grabbing’ (reminds me a bit of ‘milk snatching’…) and to threaten legislation to stop it is using the proverbial heavy instrument to crack a nut.

Creative insertion of new dwellings in garden plots is the lifeblood of many smaller architectural practices. It could also turn out to be a nimby’s charter.

What’s this got to do with my neighbour in the dormer bungalow? Well, the guy that lived there before the present occupant, couldn’t manage all the garden, so he sold off part of it and a new dwelling was built. In fact he did this three times and the dwellings that were built included my own, the neighbours to the side and the ones above them.

Now given that all of the four dwellings I referred to at the beginning of this entry presently has a garden of between a third and a half of an acre, I don’t really see the problem.

So, watch out anyone who finds themselves with a garden that is more than they can manage. Moving house may soon be your only option, unless letting it return to the wild appeals.

In search of lost youth

2010-06-24T04:01:00.000-07:00

The photograph shows what can happen when grown men are allowed out to play unsupervised. By day, upstanding pillars of the local community: sober, hardworking, diligent. But on Wednesday evenings….

Quite what the fascination is of getting covered in mud and having unmentionable parts of your anatomy rubbed raw I’m not sure, but the group that sets off from One 17’s car park midweek after work, generally comes back with a collective grin on its face.

For me, cycling is a utilitarian activity that I was required to perform every day as a schoolboy. My trusty Raleigh with its three Sturmey Archer gears was all that stood between me and a three mile walk to and from school. And I’m glad to say those days are long behind me.

But for these chaps, risking life and limb on the off-road tracks around the office is a weekly fix they seem reluctant to pass up. Good job we have showers in the office…

An unexpected visitor from Geneva

2010-06-11T03:20:00.000-07:00

Having talked about the visit of the Bishop of Wakefield, I’m reminded of a very different visitor we had a few weeks ago. Thursday evenings are go out for a jog time at One 17. If you’re anywhere near the office between 5.45 and 7.15 you may encounter a very mixed bunch in various states of collapse making their way round the highways and byways of Armitage Bridge, Beaumont Park, South Crosland and parts in between. We are invariably led by Paul Dallas, a man far too fit for his age, who spends a big part of his time turning people on to the joys of physical activity. But I digress.

As we came out of the back door, Lycra’d up to the nines, a skinny figure with a shock of black hair, glasses, and a rucksack the size of a removal van, approached us and asked if we knew of a garden or field where he could pitch his tent. The fact that he had a strong French accent gave us a clue that he was not from round these parts.

As it turned out, he was a student from Geneva who had crossed to Dover, hired a bicycle (complete with trailer for all his gear) and cycled all the way to sunny Armitage Bridge. Why, you may ask? Well, our Swiss friend plays the banjo and it just so happens that Armitage Bridge is home to Eagle Music, which is apparently the UK’s leading supplier of banjos, mandolins and ukeleles. So there you go.

Emile (not his name, but one I like the sound of) spent two happy nights camped near our infamous pond, availing himself of our facilities and having his banjo fettled before saddling up to head further north. To Glasgow to be precise, where he was to have bagpipe lessons. Just another day at One 17.

New Faces and Old Faces 4

2010-06-09T04:16:00.000-07:00

New faces and old faces 4: One 17 SD, our engineering consultancy, has a new face: Chris Wilson. No relation to Lisa (or at least, not that either is aware of) Chris was nearly lost to the world of engineering when he flirted with the idea of joining the Marines. As you might expect, Chris is a bit of a sports fiend and fitness fanatic. He demonstrated this by turning up for his first day with us sporting a heavily bandaged left hand. Thankfully it did not impair his ability to drive his computer.
Chris lives in Bradford, as does Michael Naughton who heads One 17 SD, but so far there has been no suggestion of travel sharing. This may have something to do with Chris’s passion for motorbikes. Time will tell.

As a neat conclusion to this group of posts about people at One 17, a photograph came to light when we were reorganising the office to accommodate Chris and Natalie. It was taken just after we had moved into our previous offices at Lockwood Park in Huddersfield. That would place it at something like ten or twelve years ago and, lurking in the background is Jane, flanked by Kendra and Jonathan Ashton. If only we had all worn as well as those three.

New Faces and Old Faces 3

2010-06-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

New faces and old faces 3: One 17 has, for many years, tried to give work experience to as many students as possible within the limits of a busy, medium-sized office. Consequently quite a few faces have passed through the doors and many, despite our best efforts to put them off, have gone on to make architecture and design their careers. Several are kind enough to write us thank you notes and we have amassed quite a collection.

We do get the odd failure: one young lad recently lasted just two days. His mother rang to say he would not be coming back as he had been forced to sit in front of a computer for a large part of one day. Given that he had also been out to visit a construction site in his short time with us, I’m not quite sure what he (or his mother for that matter) expected from work experience.

Perhaps it’s something to do with what you get out relating to what you’re prepared to put in. Someone who put a lot into her work experience with us was Natalie. Quiet, introspective, observant but with a well developed sense of curiosity, Natalie showed quite quickly that she had a natural aptitude for three dimensional thinking. The fact that not long after her time with us, she was accepted to read architecture at Oxford Brookes University, suggests we were not the only ones to have spotted that.

We’re pleased to have Natalie back with us now for the summer following her first year of full time study. The truth is that we need some fresh thinking and new attitudes from time to time, and students, be they with us for their ‘year-out’ or on work experience, can give us the jolt we need now and again to look at things differently.

New Faces and Old Faces 2

2010-06-08T03:15:00.000-07:00

New faces and old faces 2: the last couple of months has seen quite a few changes in personnel at One 17. In April, Jane, our long-serving accounts lady decided she had reached the stage where her husband and garden held more attraction than arguing with our bank, and she retired.

A couple of weeks later, Eileen, arguably the world’s best copy typist and proof reader, followed in Jane’s footsteps and went off to enjoy herself. But not before a party at which she introduced the rest of us to one of her passions: line dancing. Some of us took to it better than others, but one of the partners (no names…..) so impressed that he was invited to become a member of a local club.

Replacing people who’ve been with you for many years is, of course, no easy task but after several rounds of interviews, we did it: our new group accountant, Heather Pattison, hails from Mossley (yes, we even accept Lancastrians) and seems to have a thing about travelling over the hill as she worked for another Huddersfield company before joining us.

Our second triumph was in luring Lisa Wilson to join us from a local firm of solicitors. Lisa came with an impressive CV and an even more impressive reputation as something of a runner – just what we need in an office that already boasts a number of people who think lunchtimes are for knocking off a few miles pounding up and down the hills around Armitage Bridge rather than getting cosy with a BLT.

New Faces and Old Faces 1

2010-06-07T02:44:00.000-07:00

New faces and old faces 1: out of the blue last week some old faces called in to see us. Jonathan and Kendra Ashton worked with us many years ago. Jonathan was a local guy who went through university and qualified as an architect whilst in the office. His wife, Kendra, is an architect from Cuba, and she joined us for a few years just before Jonathan finished his studies. Then, the call of the capital got to them, and they went off to seek their fortunes in London.

Not surprisingly, Kendra missed the warmth of home, and they had always said that it was their desire to work in Cuba at some time if possible. Jonathan still has family near us and they were visiting for a few days. We’re pleased to say they found time to come and visit us too.

So what had been happening to them? It was impossible to ignore their eighteen month old son, a real cutie, nor the fact that Kendra was heavily pregnant. The Ashton bloodline was clearly running strong. But the question was, had they managed to achieve their professional dream of working in Cuba? Well, not quite. They are having to make do with living and practising in the Cayman Islands. And no matter how heavily they laid it on about the difficulties and drawbacks of island life, we couldn’t quite bring ourselves to feel sorry for them.

Especially as neither of them seems to have aged a day since we last saw them.

The Pond Part 3

2010-06-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

The Pond Part 3: So there we are with a pond devoid of water and fish. Just a big hole then? Well, no. What we had was a big hole with about two feet of thick, rich silt at the bottom. Well, we could have taken the decision just to forget it and refill the pond, but we’re in the business of making things, and places, better whenever we can. This was an opportunity not to be missed!

The silt was all good organic stuff built up over a century or so. Just the stuff to enrich our adjacent field, or so we thought. Actually, one of our neighbours thought so too and asked if he could have a few barrow loads for his asparagus beds. No problem – after all we had tons of the stuff.

If we cleaned out the worst of the silt, there would be more water and the conditions would be better for the wildlife once we restocked. No argument. We did a deal with one of our contractor contacts and soon we were dredging the pond and spreading the material on our field.

Until we had a call from the Environment Agency who had been ‘advised’ that we were doing something we shouldn’t be. Not only should we not have dredged the pond, the material would have to go back in and we might be liable to prosecution and a fine.

It took several phone calls, a meeting on site and a flurry of e-mails to convince the Environment Agency that we were just trying to improve our environment and not embarking on an illicit silt smuggling operation. We carefully scraped up all the silt and redeposited it in the pond. But still the threat of prosecution remained…

The Pond Part 2

2010-06-03T04:31:00.000-07:00

The Pond Part 2: A pond that would soon contain no water gave rise to another problem: our resident fish population. The poor little blighters were struggling manfully in a rapidly decreasing pool, but there would clearly soon come a point when fish would exceed water.

Enter the local angling club. A few telephone calls brought several piscatorial saviours to our rescue complete with inflatable dinghy, nets and wheely bins full of water. The fish were duly collected, transferred to the wheely bins and then trundled off to the other pond in the village for safekeeping until we were ready to have them back. We’re immensely grateful to everyone who gave unstintingly of their time, kit, energy and ingenuity.

It was not only the number but the size of some of the fish that impressed, as you can see from the pictures. Ecological disaster averted.

The Bishop of Wakefield at One17

2010-06-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

The pond has not been the only thing occupying us this spring. One of the more unusual, but by no means unpleasant, events was a visit from the Bishop of Wakefield. Partner Stuart Beaumont, who looks after a portfolio of local churches amongst his other work, meets the Bishop from time to time at diocesan functions. However, it was the minister of our local church who asked if she could bring along the Bishop to have a look at our offices.

Why I had been expecting our guest to turn up in ‘mufti’ so to speak, I’m not really sure, but to be met by a man with a voice well used to piercing the far corners of a cathedral, and clad head to foot in purple, was something of a surprise. The Rt Revd Stephen Platten turned out to be not only a charming guest, but one with a keen knowledge of and clear views on contemporary architecture.

Having assured Stuart on arrival that he would only be able to stay for a few minutes, we were gratified when he was still with us three quarters of an hour later, arguing in detail the merits of the works of David Chipperfield and Sir Michael Hopkins (an example of which is Norwich Cathedral Refectory above). A little research in advance of the visit would have told me that, amongst his many works, Stephen has published a book on the Cathedrals and Abbeys of England; not something you do without a fair degree of interest in our field of work.

The Pond Part 1

2010-05-31T03:15:00.000-07:00

Although the blog has been strangely silent for a while, that does not mean life has been quiet at One 17. Far from it. I could say too busy to permit time for blogging but that would indeed be a pathetic excuse.

The Pond Part 1: The biggest news of the late winter and spring has undoubtedly been the saga of our pond. This had for years, as far as we know, chugged along peacefully, originally providing the water for the dye pits in our building. After the dyeworks closed, it reverted to being largely decorative and home to an alarmingly large population of fish.

Since moving in we have cherished the pond, tidying it up and making sure the inlets and outlets were clear and flowing. Until, that is, the very heavy rainfall in the late winter when we realised one day that the water level was rising, rather than stopping at the height of the overflow. As water began to seep over the edge and trickle down into our car park we could see that urgent action was necessary, so out into the torrent stepped a hand picked group, armed only with a set of drain rods and a misplaced sense of optimism. They rodded the overflow. Still the water rose. They found another overflow and rodded that. Still the water rose.

After much scrabbling in the undergrowth, what looked like another outlet came to light and the intrepid crew rodded and rodded with all their might. Eventually, a blockage seemed to give and, sure enough, the rising tide was halted. Happy, even though soaked to the skin, the work detail trudged back inside for a welcome coffee.

Next morning it was clear that the trick had been worked: the water was definitely not rising any more. In fact it was now several inches lower than it had ever been before. And still dropping.

To cut to the chase, the overflow that had come to light and been rodded clear of blockage turned out to be the main drain plug in the very base of the pond. It had not been touched for decades and, in response to some pretty vigorous pounding with the drain rods, it had disintegrated. There was no way to replace it until after the pond had emptied completely.

Priorities

2009-12-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

My mother, a widowed octagenarian, still lives in the house in which I and my brother were brought up. It is a typical nineteenth century Cambridgeshire cottage built in flint [or clunch as it is known locally]. It is charming, picturesque and about as thermally insulated as a colander.

Despite an admittedly early version of central heating, an open hearth and a wood burning stove, in weather such as we have at present it is arctic once you venture outside a six foot radius from the fireplace.

During my childhood it was not an issue because that’s just how things were. After years of soft living here in the north in a well-insulated, thermally efficient modern house [and office, for that matter], it sure as heck is.

Now I know perfectly well that my mother’s cottage is by no means unusual and tens of thousands of people in Britain live in energy inefficient houses, many far less able to afford fuel than she is. But what brought home the bizarre state of things in this country whilst I was staying with my mother last week was sitting in this fridge of a building watching two items on the television news: the first was a report on the Copenhagen summit on global warming, and the second on the parlous state of Castle Drogo in Devon.

The Copenhagen summit fiasco requires no repetition from me. The need for energy efficient buildings is obvious, on the grounds of economy alone, whether or not you believe in global warming. I can’t possibly estimate what it will/would cost to bring all Britain’s housing stock up to current Building Regulations standards of thermal insulation, but it won’t be cheap.

And then we had the piece on Castle Drogo. Designed by Lutyens for businessman Julius Drewe, it is now owned by the nation in the shape of the National Trust. Drogo, like every other home in the country, deteriorates unless regularly maintained. Drogo has deteriorated to the point where the Trust tells us it needs £10 million to sort it out.

If money were no object, who would begrudge £10 mill to an ailing old building? A grandiose castle built to satisfy the ego of someone whose family could no longer afford to maintain it. Come on Britain, put your hand in your pocket for a good cause.

But if you have a modest dwelling that you have maintained with diligence and care, yet you are in need of an injection of funds just to stop it leaking heat like a cheese grater, try asking the National Trust for the money.

Can’t quite put my finger on it but something seems a little awry to me.

Fit For Purpose

2009-11-26T07:07:00.000-08:00

Are we unusually sporty at One 17? In an office of twenty odd people (yes, some odder than others) we seem to have a high proportion keen to get off their backsides and get sweaty by one means or another.

Keen to encourage good habits, we arranged for a personal trainer to come in two evenings a week to hold classes. Tuesdays are fit ball and Pilates sessions, whilst Thursday is running/jogging in two different ability groups. We’re lucky to have some great off road running within yards of the office. Not only has participation in these not dropped off, it’s actually increasing.

In addition to this we run a five a side football team in a local league on Monday nights and there is a mountain bike group that goes out on Wednesday evenings. And this doesn’t include whatever people get up to on their own…. Good job we’ve got showers in the office!

Five Winds Article

2009-11-26T06:57:00.000-08:00

We recently won planning approval for a rather intriguing house in the Green Belt, nestled into the excavated face of a small quarry. The Architects Journal thought it nice enough to feature on the news page of their website. Follow the link to read the whole story.

Five Winds Article at www.architectsjournal.co.uk

More Congratulations

2009-11-19T01:29:00.000-08:00

Alan, from our sister graphics company, One 17 GC, recently celebrated his marriage to Ruth. The fact that their daughter, Neve, attended the event confirms it was not a whirlwind romance, so they both know what they’re doing!

Proximity to Bonfire Night prompted a spectacular firework display as part of the celebrations, and – the part that the local newspaper picked up on – a wedding cake made of parkin!

I don’t usually approve of so many exclamation marks but this merits an exception. Very best wishes to the newlyweds!

In the Gutter

2009-11-18T02:22:00.000-08:00

Wow, it doesn’t take long for this blog stuff to get away from you if you don’t keep up with it, does it? This morning it’s pelting down with rain, as it has done for a fair few days in recent weeks. Coupled with falling leaves at this time of year it’s the perfect recipe for blocked gutters and the myriad problems that can lead to. Not keeping on top of blog entries and not keeping on top of clearing gutters and downpipes probably have a similar root.

Talking of roots, if you look up at the gutters of some buildings that are difficult to reach, you can see veritable hanging gardens of luxuriant foliage that has taken hold in silted up gutters. Rich decayed vegetable matter and a steady supply of water (not to mention good natural light) are perfect conditions for many plants.

Don’t ignore gutters; unsexy but not to be left to their own devices

Congratulations Nicola and Cheryl

2009-11-18T01:58:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to One 17 AD’s Nicola, who graduated this month. Nicola’s cousin Cheryl spent some time with us a few years ago and now lives and works down in Kent. Cheryl has recently become a Mum for the first time. I’m sure there’s no connexion between the events.

A Day at the Foundry

2009-11-16T08:08:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, as one of our regular CPD (continuing professional development) events, a group from the office visited the J & JW Longbottom foundry in Holmfirth.

Longbottom’s supply cast iron gutters, downpipes, manhole covers etc made in the traditional way. If a wonderful cast iron hopper head on a church gets broken, it doesn’t have to be replaced with a cheap plastics alternative. The original design will almost certainly be available in the J & JW catalogue. And if it isn’t, they can probably customise one of their standard patterns to give you exactly what you want.

Impressive as that is, seeing the casting process first hand reaches another level entirely. The photographs can only give you a flavour of the experience. Thanks to everyone at the foundry for one of the best CPD events we’ve had.

One17 Bonfire Party

2009-11-16T08:01:00.000-08:00

November the fifth was one of those days referred to above when the rain hammered down all day here at Armitage Bridge. Undaunted, One 17 gamely ploughed on with our bonfire party in the field next to the office. Mark and Stuart battled the elements to give us what could easily be the biggest private bonfire in the whole of Kirklees and a firework display that defied the dowsnpour.

Caroline, David and a host of helpers manned the barbecues under the shade of two distinctly undersized gazebos and a good if slightly soggy time was had by all.

By 10.30 all signs of the festivities had been cleared away, except for the bonfire, which continued to smoulder for the next three days, being coaxed into life each day by the careful ministrations of Jimmy, without whom One 17 could not function.

Did I Say That?

2009-10-29T03:54:00.000-07:00

It was gratifying to be quoted in the Architects’ Journal recently (22.10.09) regarding the RIBA’s decision to stop publishing fee scale graphs. Unfortunately, as only part of our comment was printed, it gave the impression we were in favour of dropping the graphs, which is not quite the case. What we actually said was:

"Many architects seem prepared to quote on uneconomic fees; some to the extent that they cannot possibly resource a project properly, which raises serious issues. Wide band graphs which are derived from fee surveys that include such quotations help legitimise this type of behaviour.

On the other hand, we have found that if one calculates fees on an hourly rate and resource basis, the figures generally come out in line with the upper section of most of the fee graphs that have appeared in earlier Client’s Guides. We find clients like the ‘comfort’ that this gives, seeing that our quotations fall within a ‘typical’ or ‘recommended’ band.

Few clients genuinely understand what architects do, and fewer still appreciate the time involved. Haggling over a detailed hourly rate fee quotation can be a nightmare. Being able to point to line on a simple graph or chart gives clients comfort, and minimises haggling. Any architect who doesn’t know the true cost to his or her practice of their fee quotations will neither be saved nor sunk by a graph."

Only the last sentence appeared in the AJ piece.
http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/

Construction For Kids

2009-10-29T03:31:00.000-07:00

Linking two previous posts, we have, through our sister company Kid Premiership (www.kidpremiership.com), devised a project to teach kids around the 6-8 year old bracket about the construction industry and the different trades and professions involved. This seems to link in nicely with the government’s desire to get some careers information to children at an earlier age.

All we need now is for some of the trade and professional bodies to get behind it. The idea is that the project can use a building anywhere around the country as a focus, so it’s very adaptable. Above all else, it’s fun, unlike much of our industry at the moment.

Meeting the New Chief Exec

2009-10-29T03:30:00.001-07:00

To a meeting with the incoming RIBA Chief Executive (Harry Rich) in Leeds yesterday evening. There is much talk of how London-centric the RIBA is at the expense of the regions, so it was interesting to note how Leeds centred a Yorkshire region event it was.

Is that inevitable? Like a series of league tables with the centres of power looking down on those below them in diminishing steps? What does that say about our decision to commit ourselves to Huddersfield? After listening to my fellow practitioners gathered round the table for an hour or so, and Harry Rich talking about what he had heard at other events round the country, I didn’t feel too bad. It seemed to confirm our view that it’s more about what you do, rather than where you choose to do it.

Harry seemed down to earth, practical, approachable and with the right mixture of experience and ideas of his own to make a difference at Portland Place. We shall see.

Hot Under the Collar

2009-10-29T03:28:00.000-07:00

I built our house sixteen years ago. Made an effort to spec a decent boiler, set of radiators and controls and then, slave to procrastination that I am, forgot about it. My choices were justified as we enjoyed twelve years of efficient, trouble free central heating.

Four years ago I thought I really should get the boiler serviced. Big mistake. The guy who installed the system had retired some time ago, so I turned to the boiler manufacturer’s service department. It marked the start of a series of problems and I don’t believe our central heating has really worked properly since, despite the attentions of every ‘reputable’ heating engineer within a twelve mile radius.

The reason for mentioning it now is because I recently fired up the heating for the first time this autumn. One of the radiators on the ground floor stubbornly refused to rise above lukewarm some three hours after flicking the switch.

What really bothers me is that, short of taking an intensive practical crash course in plumbing and heating, how, as a mere architect, am I supposed to recommend heating engineers to clients when no two of them seem to agree on anything and none appears able to sort out my fairly basic set up?

Sense of Perspective

2009-10-29T03:27:00.000-07:00

Spent a large chunk of today involved in a series of activities organised by the local authority to look at a site in Huddersfield. We were quite a mix of people, some local, some who’d never been to Huddersfield before. It’s interesting to be made aware how the degree of familiarity you have with a place influences your view of it. I think the mix of perspective was very useful, which you don’t always get when consultants are parachuted cold into an area to deal with a project with no local support.

Apart from the jolt to my own thinking from being involved with the group, the thing that impressed me most was the way the very high-powered guy next to me managed to Tweet his way through the whole day. I definitely felt very old.

Welcome to One 17

2009-10-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome to One 17. An everyday (well, probably two or three times a week) story of architect and designer folks. We decided to start this blog in the hope that it will help us engage with clients, colleagues and others involved with and interested in the stuff that occupies our working minds.

As far as architecture is concerned, we think part of the problem in Britain is that it is not a subject for general discussion and comment. And part of the reason for that, is because it doesn’t figure anywhere in our general education system. Most people don’t have a clue what architects and designers do. Yes, I can just imagine what some of you are thinking.

One of the great joys of the web is the way it can demonstrate very quickly just how many others share your interests and concerns, and how easy it makes it to identify and communicate with that community. So, nothing ventured, nothing in your in-box.

Thought for the day: an eminent British architect said recently that in this country we talk about ‘development control’ as if architecture is a dangerous beast that has to be tamed. What do you think?