CEO Chris Dyson Architects Architect; Urbanist; Londoner; creative; Land lover; sketcher; Cyclist; Yogi; Optimist; Conservation; New Build Ideas,,,
Old to Leeds, new to UKREiiF... I know Leeds well. I was born in Dewsbury and brought up opposite the Leeds United ground, so an itinerant Leeds supporter. I was fortunate to be able to stay with family, as the hotels were full. Some 13,000 descended on the city, phenomenal! #UKREiiF itself is a busy, slightly chaotic arrangement of tents and stalls, bewildering for the first time - as is arriving in Leeds, with the station in dire need of improvement. There were interesting discussions on timber construction, heat pumps, EV charging, offshore power, transport, housing and how to encourage the workforce to reconvene in the office. One thing that became clear as I listened, walked and talked to people is the lack of funding decisions for big projects. Whether this is because of uncertain times or high interest rates is unclear. I took to my Brompton and did the cycle tour of Leeds I had been planning with the help of a map created with Sarah Simpkin, visiting buildings while the sun was out – glorious! But as a consequence, I missed an art trail I had planned to join with Ailish Killilea of the Townscape Consultancy. The trail, I caught up with later, included Hibiscus Rising: Creating a memorial for David Oluwale with Yinka Shonibare RA CBE. Set against a grey-blue sky, surrounded by archetypal red-brick buildings, it is one of the most striking public artworks. There was rain. Seeking refuge, I signed up for a Perfect Circle event, suggested by Mike Hutt. In London at least, transport infrastructure seems to be self-propagating with development. Southwark and Lewisham gave an impassioned session on #BacktheBakerloo. Interesting how the line first came about, promoted by an American financier. It was established in 1893, tunnelling commenced in 1898, some 5 years later. Perhaps a clue as where to seek financing. Extending the Bakerloo as proposed will require 14 new stations – that’s 14 opportunities for diverse, locally relevant designs. It occurs to me that the older tube lines are becoming the local lines, feeding the communities, and the RIBA Award-winning Elizabeth Line has taken the mantle as London’s new main artery.What a great thing this is to celebrate, let’s do more like it. Roger Madelin, ever the pragmatist, pointed out that a cost to build in the region of £1000-per-sqm makes social housing almost impossible for developers, hence why they often appear to be pushing the massing. We need more subsidies/investment in social housing and infrastructure. Maybe we pay more tax to pay for housing – and stop selling it off? Returning home, I was struck by a massive screen in the station: ‘Made in the UK, sold to the world’ with architect, Simone de Gale. I know Simone and great to see her face up there – a fitting point to end on. Perhaps our fortunes do lie more overseas while we have such little funding within our own economy. Then the PM calls an election as I cycle home to Spitalfields. A change is a good thing…
David Byrne
6mo
MOT
Townscape & Heritage Director
6moI was so impressed by Hibiscus Rising. And Leeds, some great initiatives although at a slow pace. Thanks for your tour map. We will manage to do it next year when we will be back in Leeds!