ANNUAL REVIEW TWENTY TEN
INTRODUCTION At best urban design brings together architecture, visual art, design, engineering and the social sciences in a coherent form that is greater than the sum of its parts and creates distinctive places where people enjoy spending time. At worst it slavishly follows outmoded thinking or is driven by short-term expediency that results in an erosion of quality, function, pleasure, and sometimes even safety. In a recession deeper than any witnessed in the last 70 years it is more important than ever to ensure that design quality is not relegated to the position of a luxury bolt-on. Without it we are in danger of creating mediocrity -
clone towns, places lacking soul, and in effect environments that merely store up problems for future generations to deal with.
vital in ensuring authentic public engagement in developing healthy sustainable futures for our towns and cities.
At the Solent Centre we believe that well designed buildings and public spaces that are safe, sustainable, efficient and not least beautiful, play a major part in people’s overall quality of life. They help to meet the challenges of climate change, add to the richness of our cultural lives and civic pride, are a catalyst for economic growth, and improve people’s mental and physical wellbeing. Visual literacy and an understanding of design quality are
Over the last six years SCA+D has built an impressive reputation for developing innovative and engaging ways to encourage and explore quality architecture and designed environments. One of over 20 Architecture Centres in the UK, it has moved swiftly to establish itself as a key player in the national network, in particular becoming recognised as a leader in the field of built environment education. Paul Grover, Chief Excecutive
E D U C AT I O N
The Education Partner Programme has gone from strength to strength this year, with a reputation that has grown regionally, nationally and internationally.
The Education Partner Programme has been delivered in Belfast this year in collaboration with PLACE (the Architecture Centre for Northern Ireland).
Our approach to a teacher focused training programme that provides the skills and resources necessary for teachers and student teachers to confidently take built environment education into the classroom has proved very effective, sustainable and has greater impact than if we focused on only students.
Grounds for Optimism schools landscape award completed its pilot phase, working with schools across the South East and Yorkshire and Humberside. Seven schools moved successfully through to the Gold Award stage and made superb and articulate presentations to a panel of judges. The intention is to develop Grounds for Optimism into a national award programme available to schools across England.
In the past year we have introduced new courses on Sustainability and Landscape, and are currently developing courses around Building Schools for the Future and Public Art and Placemaking.
This year has seen the start of an exciting new project for the Solent Centre - the first three SPUD (Space Placemaking and
Urban Design) Youth Groups have started in Eastleigh, Southampton and Portsmouth. Young people aged 14-19 have the opportunity to work on live design briefs alongside architects and local authority officers over a 12 month period. They will learn new skills, have access to professional support, build portfolios for college interviews and have the opportunity to gain a Silver Arts Award.
DESIGN ADVOCACY 24 Hours to save...Winchester was the first of our planned 24 hour design workshops that seek to encourage the design and planning community to come up with visions for the sustainable city of 2020. Culminating in a 24 hour design event, 24 Hours to Save... are part competition, part workshop, part action debate, part exhibition, that aim to bring fresh thinking and challenging ideas into the public debate about how we will need to live in the city of the future if we are to redress the current pressure we place on ‘spaceship earth’. Throughout the summer of 2009 SCA+D ran a series of design festivals as part of the
Southampton Estates Regeneration programme that enabled residents in four areas of Southampton to shape the design briefs for the future redevelopment of their neighbourhoods. At SCA+D we believe that people are often untapped local experts uniquely placed to help professional design teams create sustainable solutions for the future. Throughout the year SCA+D has been working with the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) to develop consistent guidance for creating Quality Places in the growth area. This will culminate in both guidance documents and a Solent Design Awards scheme in 2010.
In 2010 we will be working with Business Southampton and their ‘City Champions’ on Future Southampton, a design workshop programme to run alongside the city’s developing masterplan and which intends to create and test ambitious and thought-provoking visions for the future of the city. Finally, and on a lighter note we worked with Poole’s KUBE Gallery in July 2009, to run their first invited architects’ Sandcastle Competition at Sandbanks. A number of practices entered the competition which was judged by the well known developer/architect Roger Zogolovitch.
PUBLIC ART + PLACEMAKING
In Summer 2009, the ‘Places from Spaces’ project concluded with three temporary changes in public places. 700 potted trees in Lower Valley Gardens, Brighton created a temporary ‘forest’, brightly painted figures, pedestrian routes and beach huts appeared on the streets around The Hard in Portsmouth and a multi-source sound installation was sited in Queens Park, Southampton. These temporary interventions underpinned public consultation on the sense of place and potential for improvement.
Basingstoke, Eastleigh and Winchester.
significance and distinctiveness through Public Art.
Public Art incorporates a range of approaches from the conventional permanent public sculpture and interventions in the fabric of buildings to performances, publications and process based community projects that develop ownership of change and enable consultation. Current thinking in creating quality in the built environment create opportunities Artists are increasingly valued for organisations such as The Solent and employed as contributors to Centre to play a role in professional urban design. They contribute to development and advocacy ‘Urban Fallow’ is exploring around artists’ work in the public temporary use of vacant urban sites regeneration projects undertaking research and reflection, addressing realm in relation to the quality urban currently awaiting development. the context and functions of a design and place-making agendas. SCA+D is working with renowned specific site. They engage creatively This is an area of work we will artist Michael Pinsky to develop a develop over the coming year. programme of artist interventions on with communities in exploring and articulating issues of local site in the towns of Andover, ‘Artchitecture’, is a project involving collaborations between artists, architects and engineers, creating three temporary artists’ work spaces in the New Forest. The project will offer a range of events involving audiences in debate and discussion around the artists’ work, the buildings themselves and sustainable development.
FUTURE AMBITIONS
Our first 6 years have seen SCA+D develop and deliver a number of innovative projects and programmes designed to encourage better quality buildings and public spaces. These have ranged in their target audiences from schools and young people, through local authority officers and members to the general public. Design initiatives and exhibitions, skills workshops and web-based resources all form part of our continued output which is balanced between our three main activity strands of education, design advocacy and increasingly public art and place-making. The future of an organisation like SCA+D will remain reliant on support from the public sector and the political will to ensure that
quality is not sacrificed is critical to our continued operation. Despite the fact that public finances are strained at present we remain buoyant and innovative in our search for new ways to engage with our target audiences. This year we are aiming to engage more closely with both decision makers and the public in the towns and cities across Hampshire, looking to be a catalyst for innovative thinking about the long term future of the urban realm. We hope this work will extend our reputation for innovative ‘out of the box’ thinking and provide a template for other places to use our techniques and programmes. We aim to continue and extend our design training workshops currently on offer to local authorities and
school teachers and to extend our activities working directly with young people by building upon our urban design youth groups (SPUD). We are also developing plans to work alongside developers and public artists in a more strategic manner, helping create a more integrated relationship between the two. In short we are looking forward to another exciting year at SCA+D!
PAT R O N S C H E M E
In 2009 SCA+D launched a patrons scheme the aim of which is to bring together businesses and individuals who share the vision, values and aspirations of SCA+D and who want to help the organisation in raising the quality of the built environment in the south east. This support includes the financial donation of £2,000 a year for a period of three years.
We offer a number of benefits to our patrons including: Annual Patron Briefing Invitations - An invitation for Patron and guests to all our public events. Thank You Page – Patron’s company name is listed on a web page devoted to thanking SCA+D’s Patrons and funders.
Link to Patron Website - The Patron company name on this page links to their website homepage. Publications - A copy of all of our new publications sent out to the Patron/lead name of Patron company. Credit in our Annual Reviews If you are interested in becoming a patron please contact us for further information.
C U R R E N T PAT R O N S
If you are interested in becoming a patron please contact us for further information.
PROGRAMME SUPPORT We’d like to thank the following for their support across all our programmes:
• Arts Council England • Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment • Find Your Talent PUSH • Integreat Yorkshire • Partnership for Urban South Hampshire • Peter Barker Mill Memorial Charity • Planning Aid South • Portsmouth City Council • South East England Development Agency
Solent Centre for Architecture + Design 30a High Street Lyndhurst Hampshire SO43 7BG United Kingdom
A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Company No. 05416468
t: +44 (0) 23 8028 3053 e: info@solentcentre.org.uk