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Prince Charles's lecture urges architects to respect the past
Mira Bar-Hillel12.05.09
Prince Charles will risk the further wrath of modern architects tonight when he urges them to look to the past when designing buildings in the future.
The Prince of Wales' speech on the 175th anniversary of the Royal Institute of British Architects is likely to be seen as a veiled attack on the current plans for the Chelsea Barracks development.
Some leading architects have called for a boycott of the lecture after accusing the Prince of meddling in the design of the £1 billion scheme.
His speech comes 25 years after his last address at the institute, when he famously derided plans for the Sainsbury Wing extension on the National Gallery as a “monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved friend”.
This time, Prince Charles is expected to steer clear of naming specific projects. Instead his speech will call on architects to ensure new buildings fit into the local area and have “grounding” in their historical setting.
Prince Charles will advocate “key principles” for designs. Two of these principles can be related to the Chelsea Barracks, where the Prince is backing a Classical approach as opposed to the application for a Modernist scheme by Middle East developers Qatari Diar.
He firstly will call for “a grounding in precedent — that is, building upon what has worked well in the past”. And secondly, “an understanding of locality through studying local architecture and community... and being sympathetic to the local character”.
Upholding either of these principles would rule out the Chelsea Barracks scheme designed by Lord Rogers. Prince Charles has already written to the developers urging them to reconsider the design. He said the scheme's nine-storey blocks of multimillion pound flats appear out of scale compared with surrounding homes, which are no higher than five storeys.
They are also out of sympathy with the “local character” which is made up of brick facades and pitched slate roofs.
His principles are similar to Westminster Council's own brief for the site, which called for buildings which “respond to and respect the architectural character of the surrounding streets”.
The Prince will also say that architecture affects physical and psychological well-being and can either enhance or detract from a sense of community and a sense of place.
Tony Fretton, one of the architects who called for the boycott of the lecture, said the Prince was condescending to the profession.
Mr Fretton said: “He seems to think that unless architects are controlled by a force of conservatism like himself, it will all go wrong. That is not the case.” Architects have also accused the Prince of threatening a “democratic process” with his intervention.
Reader views (18)
I watched the lecture last night and now appreciate the genius of Prince Charles. The fact that a man many ridicule for being 'out of touch' understands the potential devastation facing us and has feasible, practical ideas for mitigating the worst effects and is prepared to stand up for what he believes in despite media ridicule and professional opposition fills me with respect for him. TAKE NOTE RIBA!
- Natasha, London, UK
I would support Prince Charls whole heartedly.
As a regular visitor to the area I am amassed as to the lack of thought and aesthetic quality of this proposed site. The only thing I can equate it too, is a council estate designed by an average architect with the instructions to give the maximum return for the property company by designing the highest density construction that the regulations allow. The design is not in keeping with the area and far from aesthetically pleasing even in a modern way, it is a self indulgent exercise in nothingness.
The only thing I can equate it to, is the modern art displays at the Tate Gallery where a few so called art intellectuals pull the wool over each other’s eyes, like the bricks or the slept in bed. At least the bed could be given away to be used as a bed and the bricks could be put to good use to build an outhouse; well it seems they have been.
My Daughter is free next week for a couple of days; I could offer her services to the architects company to help them with the design (she is eleven).
- David Isted, London
Prince Charles is right. Architects are arrogant and hypocritcal: they design horrid buildings for us to live or work in in but have a fondness themselves for Victorian rectories and the like.
- Richard Kennard, Welling
Organic design is all Charles is asking for and I totally agree with him. The proposed design at Chelsea Barracks is neither original nor sympathetic to its surroundings. The only thing it is sympathetic to is the bottom line of the developers. Go across to the south side of Chelsea Bridge to see another disaster. I am fed up with architects and developers creating "synthetic" homes out of glass and steel and trying to make us believe they are "luxury apartments". This type of architecture is cold and lacks "soul".
- Down With Egotistical Architects And, London
Prince Charles is right. Architects are responsible for a lot of ghastly buildings all over the place, designed simply to boost their own egos. Form is more important than style and there are fundamental, basic rules of form and beauty which were discovered aeons ago but still apply. But then the modern idea is that nothing from the past is worthwhile - one has only to look at the country and its institutions to see this.
- Judith C, London, England
Prince Charles is more in touch with the man and woman in the street than most architects stuck-up in their ivory towers busy designing slums and eyesores of the future. I guarantee that half of the shiny glass and steel tat being thrown up now will be being blown up 30 years hence. The Prince is absolutely right to encourage a more contextural approach to architecture. His wise words will be remembered far into the future when the likes of Alsop, Rogers and co are reviled in the same way as we condemn the meglomaniac planners and architects who wrecked our towns and cities in the 1960s. Good on you HRH!
- Thomas, London
Jake, Aberdeen you would... rather see uniform structures, which compliment their surrounding area...? They are going to have to be pretty large structures for you to see them from up there!!
- Ade, London
I agree completely with Charles
- James, London, UK
Look to Paris for the way to develop a city. "Traditional" buildings are to be found in the centre, with "modern" buildings being located in La Defence. London had its chance to do this with the development of the docklands. The hotchpotch of development in the centre of the city is a direct result of the ego driven "we know it all" planners and architects. No wonder they are ultra sensitive to the comments of Prince Charles. The average person has no chance of swaying planning policy when faced with international developers - "He who pays the piper calls the tune". In this sense, Prince Charles could well be performing a democratic service.
- John Of Lymm, Warrington
Another shining example of the fact that Prince Charles really does care.
- Mark Johnson, Beijing, China
I was very much hoping to go and support PC by attending the lecture. Unfortunatley I cannot get there as my sedan chair is being repaired.
- Jaimie Shorten, London UK
Look at the area between Canary Wharf and London City Airport if you're not sure what he means.
- Roz, France
He knows his stuff. Anyone decent architect knows the past is the future. anythign else is "making it your own" or putting your own stamp on it, so rather than patchwork britain, i would along with HRH would rather see uniform structures, which compliment their surrounding area, not stand glaryingly obvious as a visual eyesore for generations to come. He may be our of touch with the public, but his opinion has more weight, and in this case as in many others, it is 90% correct.
- Jake, Aberdeen
Prince Charles is quite right, placing modern glass and steel buildings next to traditional formal buildings is akin to wearing jeans with a top hat and tails.
- Steve Morris, Oslo, Norway
Prince Charles has a right to his opinion, like everyone one. And what nonesense when people talk about him "meddling in the democratic process". Urban planning has never been democratic. People should stop listening to self-appointed "experts" and listen to residents of the community where these are being built. They have to live with the results.
- Michael D, London
"A grounding in precedent" and "being sympathetic to the local character" -- sounds like the Prince is making a case for himself, not buildings. Bless.
- Bloke, London
He should either keep himself out of politics or renounce the thrown. There is something deeply wrong about usinig influence with other royals to effect change.
He is out of touch with reality so his opinions are meaningless.
- Jim, London
There is the need of a bit of challenging of a so called democratic principles that go wrong direction making people ill and extinct .Somebody has to stop bad food, bad housing, bad education...All that go against the best interest of the people and nation. That is the core of democracy:the freedom to be challenged
- Agree With Prince Charles, London
