LEARNING FROM LONDON GRADUATE PROGRAMME 2014
B A R R AT T LONDON
CONTENTS
BARRATT LONDON
INTRODUCTION Alastair Baird AoU, Regional Managing Director, Barratt London Steven Bee AoU, Chairman, The Academy of Urbanism
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Barratt London is the market-leading residential developer in the Capital. With over 30 years’ experience, they have helped - literally - shape one of the world’s most exciting, diverse and dynamic cities. Barratt London designs, builds and sells large, complex residential-led developments tailored to the needs of their customers and stakeholders, as well as local boroughs and communities.
VALUE OF PLACE Henk Bouwman AoU, Programme Co-Ordinator
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RIVERSIDE LIVING STUDY DAY Nicholas Hugh Goddard, Young Urbanist
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Barratt London’s vision is to make London an even better place to live, and they’re well on our way, thanks to exceptional build quality, thoughtful design, inspiring strong local communities and providing an unbeatable customer service. From land acquisition and planning, through design and construction, to marketing, sales and after care; Barratt London manages the entire process.
WORDS FROM THE GRADUATES Andrew Harvey Alex Lee Charlie Howell Alice Harper Ellie Pullen
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MENTOR REFLECTIONS David Rudlin AoU Prof David Porter AoU
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YOUNG URBANIST REFLECTION 18 Nicholas Hugh Goddard, Young Urbanist THE GRADUATE PROGRAMME 19 Prof John Worthington AoU, Director, The Academy of Urbanism
As part of Barratt Developments PLC, Barratt London is incredibly proud to have been recognised as a market leader for quality. They are the first major nationwide house builder ever to be awarded the maximum five-star rating for a sixth consecutive year in the annual Home Builders Federation Customer Satisfaction survey in 2014, and are the only major national house builder to be awarded this key industry award.
BARRATT DEVELOPMENTS PLC Barratt Developments PLC has been building homes for more than 50 years and has grown to become one of the nation’s largest housebuilders, with more than 5,000 direct employees and 27 divisions throughout Britain. Their vision is to be recognised as the nation’s leading housebuilder, creating communities where people aspire to live. Barratt Developments PLC builds developments nationwide, from Aberdeen to Plymouth, helping to meet housing demand in towns, cities and rural areas. They provide high quality, value for money homes for all market sectors, plus homes for rent and shared ownership, and are leaders in brownfield development and urban regeneration. They operate two strong national brands for house building – Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes. In London, they operate as Barratt London and in Kent and the South East they have a strong regional brand – Ward Homes. Barratt Developments PLC’s commercial property development business, Wilson Bowden Developments, is focused on retail, leisure, office, industrial and mixed-use schemes.
THE ACADEMY OF URBANISM The Academy of Urbanism is built on the expertise and engagement of over 500 leaders, thinkers and practitioners from a wide range of backgrounds. We embrace city management and policy making, academic research and teaching, development planning and design, community leadership and urban change-making, arts and cultural development, infrastructure and engineering, property law and management, politics and media. Our mission is to recognise, encourage and celebrate great places across the UK, Europe and beyond, and the people and organisations that create and sustain them. We work with places to identify and reinforce their strengths, and recognise constraints on greater success.
INTRODUCTION London is one of the world’s most exciting, diverse and dynamic cities. Barratt London is committed to ensuring this continues, and delivering our vision to make the Capital an even better place to live. To succeed, we recognise we must achieve exceptional design and build quality, inspire and strengthen local communities, and provide homes for all Londoners. ALASTAIR BAIRD AOU REGIONAL MANAGING DIRECTOR, BARRATT LONDON
STEVEN BEE AOU CHAIRMAN, THE ACADEMY OF URBANISM
In collaboration with The Academy of Urbanism, we are investing in
The Academy of Urbanism has established a strong reputation for its learning from place programmes and events. The best-known of these are our annual Urbanism Awards and Annual Congress. Now approaching our 10th anniversary, the Academy has established a body of evidence of what makes great places that we can share with a broader audience. Through our outreach programmes we offer to share the understanding we have gained with others involved in the development process, and tune the perspectives of all interests to secure the best possible urban environments in the future. This report records the first of our Graduate Development Programmes. It was initiated with, and tested by, Barratt London. An established supporter of The Academy of Urbanism, Barratt London saw that the achievement of better placemaking is important to the long-term commercial success of the company, as well as an obligation to the communities that their developments will accommodate. This pilot programme was an experiment successful in part. Those aspects that did not work well have informed how the programme might work better in future, and those that worked have given the partners the confidence to undertake a further
our young graduates to ensure they are well versed and equipped to understand the wider elements that make places attractive and engaging to live and work in. This, in turn, will not only secure the success of our future developments, but also strengthen our brand as a developer dedicated to making London an even better place to live and call home. We are delighted to be working with The Academy of Urbanism on such an important programme, and look forward to a successful second year.
exercise.You will read in the various perspectives presented in this report the tensions between what are seen as commercial imperatives and the aspirations for creating places to which residents will feel a long-term sense of belonging. These should not be mutually exclusive, and our shared aim is to find ways of accommodating both, and articulating the intentions of all interests in terms that all can understand and acknowledge. The second programme will follow a significantly different format, but with the same objective – equipping the junior professionals of Barratt London with an appreciation of the way in which their corporate responsibilities will influence, and should therefore be influenced by, the quality of the places that they create for the future. The Academy of Urbanism is grateful to Barratt London for the opportunity to develop the Graduate Development Programme. We intend to make this available to a wider range of developers in the future, and we will publish the results of the next and future programmes to demonstrate the benefits of betterinformed young professionals in securing the long-term futures of their companies and the communities for whom they build.
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WHAT IS VALUE? value (noun) 1 [mass noun] The regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something: your support is of great value The material or monetary worth of something: prints seldom rise in value [count noun]: equipment is included up to a total value of £500 The worth of something compared to the price paid or asked for it: at £12.50 the book is good value [count noun]: North American the wine represents a good value for $17.95 2 (values) Principles or standards of behaviour; one’s judgement of what is important in life: they internalize their parents’ rules and values 3 The numerical amount denoted by an algebraic term; a magnitude, quantity, or number: the mean value of x 4 Music the relative duration of the sound signified by a note. 5 Linguistics the meaning of a word or other linguistic unit. The quality or tone of a spoken sound; the sound represented by a letter. 6 The relative degree of lightness or darkness of a particular colour: the artist has used adjacent colour values as the landscape recedes 4
LEARNING FROM LONDON 2014 Lamb’s Conduit Street © Farebrother
LEARNING FROM LONDON 2014 VALUE OF PLACE: THE INAUGURAL YEAR OF A NEW GRADUATE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME ORGANISED BY THE ACADEMY OF URBANISM BY HENK BOUWMAN, PROGRAMME COORDINATOR
Learning from Examples: Lamb’s Conduit Street
The programme was formulated to help graduates and young professionals develop their skills and understanding in practicing good urbanism. It offered hands-on experience through workshops, seminars and visits to exemplar sites, including AoU Great Place and Great Neighbourhood award winners. In this first year, 11 graduates from Barratt Homes participated in the programme. The key objective was to establish and communicate the core principles of good urbanism in relation to neighbourhoods, with an emphasis on residential development. The participants learned through active dialogues (walking and talking) and direct interaction with mentors, professionals, communities and Academicians. Value of Place – backgrounds People subjectively perceive and experience value in different ways, as demonstrated in the dictionary definition on the previous page. The value of a house can be expressed in terms of its monetary worth, which is measurable. But the value of owning a home cannot be quantitatively measured or represented as a concrete figure. It may be intangible, but the embodied emotional significance is of equal importance. In this year’s Learning from London programme, we focused on the Value of Place: What makes a space a valuable place? Creating a successful environment is not only about bricks, mortar, infrastructure and providing
Processes and Key Players: Brixton
sufficient floor space. It is about creating environments that support and nurture living, working communities; about the aspects that improve the ‘quality of life’ for the people living there. Indeed, we have come to realise that this latter, intangible ‘added value’ is of great social and economic importance. The intertwined functional and spatial aspects reinforce this and combine to determine the total value of a place. Understanding value(s) To build a better understanding of the value of place – the tangible and intangible aspects – we visited a variety of London neighbourhoods and explored the unique qualities that underpin or undermine their success. We met urban experts and professionals who are actively involved in the development of established places, and local stakeholders who work and live in these neighbourhoods and contribute to their success. The aim of the programme was to identify the local characteristics that help or obstruct success by reviewing local aspirations, identifying conflicts and synergies, the key spatial aspects and stakeholders responsible for shaping their local communities. Our goal was to establish a common vocabulary, the lack of which is often a barrier to mutual understanding and therefore to good dialogue, debate and collaboration. For this part we visited Lamb’s Conduit Street and its surroundings in the London Borough of Camden. Here,
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Creating Place: King’s Cross
local landlords, local authority representatives and the people who live and work in the area improve the character of local streets by expressing and understanding mutual interests, ambitions and expectations and by collaborating to achieve a better living environment. The neighbourhood is small enough to understand the range of roles of those involved. Collaborating to achieve added value Successful places require input from a wide range of disciplines. It was therefore important to understand each other’s roles, individual opinions and the interests of all participants who were involved in the Learning from London programme. This helped to define the graduate’s own position and add value to the learning process. We visited Brixton centre where we experienced the progress of the community’s long-term ambition to improve the area’s image as well as the physical environment, including a new public square, new and refurbished housing and cultural developments. Creating value There is no fail-safe formula for achieving success in urban development, but this programme aimed to contribute to a better understanding of the processes involved and provide the graduates with a critical understanding of the role of their profession. The aim was to explore the process and understand the major steps involved along the way: the statement of need, the strategic and the project brief. Despite often being simply seen as a set of
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Implementing Knowledg: Ravensbourne College
documents for design teams and the contractor, they are in fact necessary components for a deeper understanding of the needs of a place, ensuring the project is not merely a building, but a living, functioning environment. In visiting neighbourhoods with both community representatives and with architects and designers, we were able to collaboratively identify the decisive elements that are to be taken into account when working on the brief. The King’s Cross and St. Pancras development is an excellent example of achieving added value through long-term commitment. We met the master developer and learned about short, medium and long-term initiatives and how they add to the success of the development. Implementing knowledge The last part of the programme was for each graduate to independently formulate a project brief focusing on creating a good living environment. The aim of the brief was to establish the crucial elements of such an environment and how to communicate them to others; how to convince people to support your ideas and how to help ensure that your ideas are still visible at the end of the long process of delivery. To assist we introduced participants to professionals experienced in writing project briefs for developers, designers, politicians and others involved with the development process.
RIVERSIDE LIVING: STUDY DAY TO EXPLORE SUCCESSFUL PLACES ALONG THE THAMES BY NICHOLAS HUGH GODDARD,YOUNG URBANIST AOU As with all the Learning from London events, this study day used some of the multitude of great examples available in London to better understand the Value of Place.
MAPLE QUAYS, CANADA WATER BARRATT LONDON
The sites that were visited on this study day were all sites in which the developer considered the vitality of the area in which they were operating. Thus the common theme amongst the diverse case studies was that these developments all contributed to the wider urban area.
Maple Quays forms an important part of the Canada Water Masterplan, consisting of 900 mixed-tenure apartments, retail and community facilities including a library. This mix of uses was intended to create a new ‘town centre’ on the Rotherhithe Peninsula immediately integrating it with the surrounding area and drawing in both existing and new residents. A number of leading architects were used to produce designs for the constituent buildings, which has delivered interesting and well thought-out architectural detailing and a human scale.
This contribution is often difficult to quantify but is certain to add value, both socially and economically, to the development.
Learning points + Integration into the Rotherhithe Peninsula through the permeability and range of amenities offered + Consistency of detailing and high quality building design despite a lack of context prior to construction
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NORTH GREENWICH RAVENSBOURNE COLLEGE
SOUTH BANK INCLUDING MORE LONDON
Located adjacent to The O2 arena, this further education institution for the creative and vocational pursuits acts to animate an otherwise problematic area. North Greenwich is very well connected on the Jubilee Tube line and is a major attraction on the programmed nights at The O2, but it still suffers from a physical disconnection with the residential areas developed further south. The animation and concentration of activity generated by the college reinforces the spine of the Greenwich Peninsula Masterplan.
More London is a key part of the change in Southwark’s fortunes in recent years. It contains around 280,000m2 of office space, which accommodates City Hall. Designed by Foster + Partners, the neighbourhood is anchored around an axis that connects two plazas – one at Tooley Street and one by the River Thames. The latter contains an amphitheatre for events and screenings. This axis invites you to walk through the development, and provides an intriguing view of Tower Bridge looking one way, and the Shard looking the other.
Learning points + Animation of space with a variety of users at a variety of times + Further education as an important stakeholder in lively, well-used neighbourhoods
Learning points + Coherent network of public plazas which link pedestrians from London Bridge station to Tower Bridge + Recognising the significance of the river as an asset and reclaiming land for public use
GREENWICH MILLENNIUM VILLAGE Initiated in 1997 by the Greater London Authority, the village reinvigorated an area of underused former industrial works, focusing on environmental sustainability and the creation of place. The design seeks to create a village feeling with emphasis on the central square, which contains a variety of shops. There is also a focus on public transport and one of the key aims is that the village will be all but car-free upon completion. There is a strong northsouth axis where the village square sits on the route to the activity at the O2 from other parts of south London. Equally, there is a multitude of community facilities to the west of the site, which draws residents and others in and through the development. Leaning points + Exemplary ecological standards + Generous public spaces + Visually interesting constituent buildings
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Greenwich Millennium Village © Martyn / Flickr
BERMONDSEY STREET AND SQUARE Bermondsey Street is an ancient high road and one of the earliest urban features of the area. Along it now is a diverse range of creative and independent activities that have utilised its interesting and flexible built spaces, often in courtyards. The Bermondsey Square development worked with existing uses such as the very popular antiques market and its commercial spaces to retain the area’s character of independence, adding a community cinema, boutique hotel and niche retailers. The design of the square celebrates the juxtaposition of new and old and creates an irregular space between buildings. The composition makes for a truly urbane addition to the southern end of Bermondsey Street. Learning points + Community collaboration to provide successful amenities + Appreciation of local context
RED CROSS GARDENS AND MINT STREET PARK These two small parks in Southwark are full of historical significance and now serve as important respite in one of the most densely developed areas in London. The parks are managed by Bankside Open Spaces Trust, which works very closely with the community, as well as Better Bankside. Together, they realise the potential of these spaces through activities such as community gardening clubs and schemes in conjunction with St Mungo’s homeless charity. Learning points + Community ownership and direct involvement in the stewardship of the space + Ability to focus resources in order to form successful funding bids
BETTER BANKSIDE This is a management organisation based on a Business Improvement District (BID) and is one of the pioneers of this model in the UK. It comprises a steering group of local businesses that operates a levy in order to carry out public realm improvements that enhance the environment for residents, business and visitors alike. To achieve their aim to “make Bankside a thriving place to work, live and visit,” Better Bankside runs local events to raise awareness, services such as bike pooling, as well as advice for businesses on how to grow promote themselves. Learning points + Forum for business and community to act together for the mutual benefit of both + Events, activities and services to engage residents and businesses + Well-funded management of the public realm
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Fulham Riverside
FULHAM RIVERSIDE BARRATT LONDON A former brewery site adjacent to an outdated supermarket has been redeveloped to provide over 460 residential units, along with a replacement supermarket, crèche, cafÊ and gym, as well as landscaped open space and the reuse of a jetty as an ecological park for nesting birds. The design has taken care to retain important facades of the factory building and in doing so has provided larger residential units in the form of townhouses. The development provides a wide range of accommodation and the supermarket will remain trading throughout construction. The development provides links through to the Thames Path and the otherwise unsightly supermarket typology is successfully wrapped within the townhouses and apartments on podium level. Learning points + Increases access to the river + Mix of housing typologies + Variety of uses including supermarket, which integrate the development into the urban fabric by attracting a large number of people
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Inside the jetty, which will become an ecological park
Ravensbourne College
People’s Supermarket, Lamb’s Conduit Street
WORDS FROM THE GRADUATES BY ANDREW HARVEY BARRATT NORTHAMPTON Before I could fully appreciate the learning experience, I had to first establish my view on ‘Value of Place’. This is an entirely subjective phrase which generates an array of views followed by an assortment of questions – How is that ‘Value of Place’? Why is that ‘Value of Place’? I don’t think you can pigeon-hole this phrase and merely bestow an all-encompassing sentence to define its meaning. It depends on the ‘Place’ or ‘Object’ or ‘Thing’ you are looking at because each ‘Place’ will have different attributes which inevitably lead to different levels or components of ‘Value’, different positives, different negatives, different interpretations, different emotions. If we take a building, for instance, this will have diversifying ‘Values’ for a range of people. There is no simple formula to success but I do believe there are ways to add ‘Value’ to a place, and I feel these ‘Values’ are more centralised. I believe the following words and concepts should be considered to enhance a place’s ‘Value’: Density; Intensity; Community. Density is tangible and is becoming increasingly important due to exponential population growth and the resulting requirement and reliance on housing. Density will play a key role in striking the balance on future housing schemes. Intensity is less tangible but more ‘functional’. How we live, work and enjoy our residential realms is a key aspect of modern life. If this place ‘works’ then the resultant individual utility one experiences from their ‘Place’ increases. Community is key. Community is the forgotten ingredient to many developments in our modern society.
the final product. Would this be commercially the right decision? A balance always needs to be struck. When we looked at the urban change at King’s Cross, we had an opportunity to explore the relationship between ‘Value’ and ‘Context’ in order to create ‘Aspirations’ which ultimately leads to an overarching ‘Ambition’. This was a particularly thought-provoking milestone, as it encouraged us to think on a deeper level. King’s Cross generated a discussion on these four aspects: + Context: Bricks, mortar, trains, tracks, central, London + Value: Tradition, values, industrial, forefathers, connectivity, transport + Aspirations: Discussion, conversation, interaction, melting pot, epicentre, core + Ambition: Collaboration, market-leading, exemplary, innovation, ideas, speed In order to reach the higher levels of achievement and satisfaction, a ‘Place’ must be thoughtful, efficient, communal, spatially aware, spatially respectful and functional. If these aspects, or ‘Values’, can be amalgamated and intertwined, I believe an increase ‘Value of Place’ will be achieved.
As a developer, we must remember the people living in the environment we are developing, for example on Brownfield sites, the people who will be part of the resultant community. To be wise would be to utilise such intimate knowledge of the community in order to benefit
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Red Cross Gardens
Bermondsey Street
BY ALEX LEE DAVID WILSON HOMES NORTH WEST The study days provided a useful insight into the way urbanists observe the built environment and spaces within it. The different settings and locations within London suitably demonstrated what the Academy sought to portray and act as a fitting backdrop to the study material. A personal highlight was the tour through Brixton, where it was interesting to see the modern development of the district and how this has caused relationships to both form and rupture. It was also the perfect looking glass through which to view density, intensity and perhaps above all, a sense of community. In particular I have really enjoyed the varied breadth of guest speakers that have attended and presented during the past year; this has proved most interesting and useful. Fundamentally though, I find the topic just too abstract for me to fully absorb, although I now have a greater appreciation of how other people conceive and appraise the built environment. However, will the Learning from London programme change the way I work and help me be more competitive? In a word, no. We live and work in an operational environment that is commercially driven and grounded (by virtue of necessity) in making developments achievable and deliverable. The places and examples we were shown all shared a key facet – either a pragmatic and forwardthinking local authority or a unified school of thought between parties. This is sadly not the case up and down most other parts of the UK and there is little that can be done as a developer to change this. That said, I think the course has achieved something better than this; it will shape the way I view land, spaces and developments. I feel I have benefitted in a much wider sense than simply my day-to-day role and for
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this I am grateful. I will certainly bear in mind the principles we have learnt from the course, but as a company we can only do so much. Progress needs to be embraced by governing bodies to allow flexibility to instigate some of the ideas that stem from urbanism. As it stands, the local authorities that I deal with on a regular basis simply want things done ‘by the book’. They are primarily concerned with what will be politically palatable, cost least to maintain from an adoption status, whilst virulently defending the fact they don’t even need more housing. As a company, all our developments moving forwards will be Built for Life 12 compliant, which emboldens the desire to create truly great places to live. As a consequence, I believe we already embrace many positive principles that coincide with an urbanist ethos, but often the dilution of these philosophies stem from the restricting of development flexibility by governing bodies. These restrictions, coupled with the need to be commercially realistic, mean that we have to be pragmatic, rational and exacting in our approach. Whilst I wholeheartedly agree that commercial developers sometimes need to think more carefully about the spaces we create, urbanism also needs to concede that the abstract often needs a dose of reality in order to be fully realised and achieved. Moving forwards I shall try and bring these two closer together.
cultural past and the wonderfully vibrant atmosphere that can be experienced as you walk through the market and along Electric Avenue. LfL Study Day 3 – King’s Cross Starting the day within a presentation room inside the main King’s Cross Station we enjoyed the presence and expertise of a senior member of Argent, the developer working to regenerate the King’s Cross area from its previously seedy background. With such high interest from large companies such as Google, and even real estate companies like BNP Paribas looking to relocate to the area, it was not hard to understand why it has already become such an exclusive and exciting place to move to.
Brixton Village market
BY CHARLIE HOWELL BARRATT LONDON LfL Study Day 1 – Lamb’s Conduit Street The Learning from London programme was kick-started around the Bloomsbury area of central London. The main focus for the day was the regeneration of Lamb’s Conduit Street, including the attributes that led to it winning the Academy’s 2013 Great Street award. It was fantastic to hear from the estates manager who was very proud of the fact that there was an extremely limited presence of large retailers on Lamb’s Conduit Street and the ever successful local supermarket which is run by a co-operative of local residents. It was apparent from this day that one of the key characteristics the Academicians look for in a specific area is its permeability from the surrounding streets and transportation links. From this point forward all students were hunting for hidden alleyways and public passes through buildings. LfL Study Day 2 – Brixton We split in to groups to trek around various parts of the already gentrified Brixton, visiting Brixton Village market and as far as the Stockwell Park Estate, where the Network Housing Group talked us through the regeneration of the estate. Over the lunch break a member of the Regeneration Team from the London Borough of Lambeth explained to us the plans for further improvement of the Town Hall and other key sites across Brixton. A key finding from this study day was the importance of trying to attract office-based businesses to move to Brixton and exploit the fantastic services and transportation links available. The main learning point from this day was the importance of community engagement and consultation in reducing the friction that has been seen in recent years between developers, retailers and the local community. If this is done properly, Brixton will be able to maintain its great
It is an obvious factor but one which must be mentioned: the transportation in the area is fantastic, with access to Paris in just over two and a half hours and nearly every Underground Line running through the main terminal which provides train access to the North. The main purpose of the day was to investigate and understand the importance of creating a Statement of Need and a Strategic Brief for any area being considered for redevelopment. Another factor noticed on this day was the brilliant permeability of the area: a number of the new buildings have public access through them and a main corridor for the local fashion and arts students has been created, providing not only access to the stations but a natural fashion parade, as desired by the University of the Arts Central St Martins. LfL Study Day 4 – Greenwich to Wandsworth Incorporating a trip around Canada Water, one of Barratt London’s landmark tower schemes, it was exciting to see how this development demonstrated many of the fundamental views of the Academicians including permeability, community areas and strong transportation links. Whilst on the Grenwich Peninsula we looked at how the presence of a large entertainment arena draws people to the area as well as how new developments are trying to create community facilities such as schools, health services and even nature walks through the enhanced landscape designed to produce a welcoming environment to wildlife. Moving on from Greenwich Peninsula we boarded the Thames Clipper. We first disembarked at London Bridge and made the short walk to City Hall where we were met by Kevin McGeough who took us on a tour of More London and Bermondsey, describing along the way how the area had been redeveloped and made a desirable destination over a relatively short period. We were fortunate enough to visit three community gardens which were thriving thanks to the help of the local community and charitable organisations. The day was completed with a visit to the impressive Fulham Riverside show apartment located on the regenerated pontoon. Whilst at Fulham Riverside we learned about the community engagement used to keep the local community involved in the development. Further to this engagement the pontoon is to be handed back to the local community at the end of the development as a riverside wildlife centre.
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In order to fulfil the ambition and key characteristics identified within the Statement of Need I looked to create a Strategic Brief focusing on three key principles. The principles identified for each section of the Statement of Need are as follows: + Quality – Transport Hub + Knowledge/Distinctive – Regeneration/Redevelopment + Knowledge/Distinctive – Business/Enterprise Hub It was interesting to see how the previous study days and lessons learnt from the various speakers had such a large impact upon our decision making regarding this task. The opportunity to present our ideas to a very educated panel also allowed us to debate our own personal opinions against their professional experience. This activity was very interesting and the day was ended with each of the panel members expressing how they had also found it beneficial to listen to the ideas of young professionals building careers within the development industry. Personal development The Learning from London programme has been in my opinion very beneficial. Although a number of the ideas that Academicians would like to see within all new developments are not viable, the basic principles can be included from an earlier stage. Maple Quays / Ontario Point
Statement of Need and Strategic brief The conclusion of the Learning from London programme was once again focused on King’s Cross. We were given the opportunity to present our findings from study day three to a panel of industry-leading urbanists. The purpose of our presentations was to look at what we had decided upon within our Statement of Need and produce a Strategic Brief in order to satisfy the needs. Our group, along with the help of John Worthington, decided upon the following statement of need for King’s Cross:
Statement of Need King’s Cross bl
e
AMBITION?
op
en
knowlegde
di
ve
rs
e
VALUE
ad
ap
ta
distinctive
quality
intensify
connected
industrial heritage
CONTEXT
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As a member of Barratt London’s Development Team I am often involved in the design process of a scheme from concept through to submitting a planning application. In recent months I have been able to draw upon the lessons learnt on the study days and attempt to implement them into the scheme design. This has varied from increasing the permeability of a site from the surrounding areas and even looking at the use of potential community spaces within our developments. One extremely positive aspect I gained from the Learning from London programme was direct access to some of the industry’s leading urbanists and the opportunity to practice presentation skills in front of key members of the community. In conclusion, the Learning from London programme will change the way I approach my job and the design concepts we consider when attempting to design a new scheme and purchase a site. However, it is crucial to realise that in the current market, where it is so competitive to purchase sites within the capital, it is often not viable to include all of the ideologies that The Academy of Urbanism and its Academicians imparted upon us over the course of the programme. Instead, a more balanced approach is required to find a viable manner in which we can create a scheme incorporating good urbanistic characteristics whilst satisfying the land owner’s financial aspirations.
Fields Park in Bloomsbury also had a feeling of safety that was created through exclusive use by children, or indeed adults who were accompanied by a child; this created a feeling of it being a special place. Although the external boundary walls were not as inviting or colourful as would be expected from a place for children, the height and mass of the surrounding buildings created a feeling of safety away from adults who are prohibited to enter. Community When visiting Brixton, we saw a local community gym for young people. It had been set up locally and was used by local people and therefore created a feeling of community. The renovated Brixton Village also offered a feeling of community spirit, with small retailers taking spaces to bring people to the local area. However, negative feeling is starting emerge from local people, who feel as though they are being forced out. Bermondsey Square
BY ALICE HARPER BARRATT HOMES WEST MIDLANDS Through our visits to various parts of London, I have learnt that there are many different contributing factors to good design. But I believe that the main points to focus on are safety, investment, community and the importance of the surrounding uses. All of these elements can be translated into the house building industry in order to create better design but it is my belief that this would not make Barratt more competitive. This is because for every element included, for example enhancing safety features through the inclusion of bollards, the cost of building increases. However, I do think there are some areas that could quite easily be included into designing and operating a site to create a better place. A community could be created on a Barratt development to increase the ‘Value of Place’ though: + Community meetings on site once residents begin moving in – for example a community fete in summer; + ‘Getting to know the neighbours’ – an event held when new residents move in, particularly at times of the year when large numbers of people move in at the same time; + An official opening of the children’s play equipment or open space in order to enable children and parents to interact in a safe environment. The following expands on the four main themes identified during the visits in and around London.
Having visited Brixton and other places during the study days, it was observed that there was a difference between the feeling of Community and a neighbourhood. A Community felt more like a body of people that would have similar reasons for doing something or wanting to better their area, while a neighbourhood felt more simply like a place. Investment At Lamb’s Conduit Street, there was one landlord prepared to invest in the street in order to create better yields through their rental properties – through additional footfall and creating a good sense of place. There was a benefit to the landlord of there not being an empty shop front and there were always tenants wanting to come to the street. Brixton Village had previously been empty, disused and in a condition that did not welcome people. The landlord then introduced some free and reduced rate units for people to make use of for selling/operating businesses from. Having visiting Granary Square in the King’s Cross neighbourhood, it was clear to see similar themes that could be seen at Lamb’s Conduit Street. Argent, the landowner, has been pivotal in the regeneration of the area as they had focused development and encouraged the uses that are now in-situ including the university. The outdoor space had also been enhanced through the re-grading of the canal banks. Argent has a small team working with consultants to meet long-term objectives. Surrounding uses The uses that surrounded Coram Fields were focused on Children, with Great Ormond Street Hospital across the road, as well as educational facilities. It was felt that this created an additional feeling of ‘place’ and if the park was in a different part of London, it may not feel as special as it did.
Safety Good design features utilised on Lamb’s Conduit Street such as limited vehicle focus and street furniture like bollards made the environment feel safe. This was supported by trees that lined the road and active frontages where cafés and restaurants spilled out onto the pavements. Coram
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Fulham Riverside
Union Street, Southwark
BY ELLIE PULLEN BARRATT LONDON Being given chance to explore the four locations handpicked by The Academy of Urbanism, alongside local experts, was a unique way to experience first-hand the making of a ‘great place’. We saw the thriving Lamb’s Conduit Street, an independent street with a village feeling, in the heart of Bloomsbury, London. We saw how shop frontages, hard landscaping and pedestrianised zones help make an area feel safer, with the public encouraged to meander through. The local art studio, which provides support to up and coming local artists, is an interesting use of space and had us considering various community uses that we as developers could utilise. Our trip to King’s Cross showed us how land-use and businesses can have an effect on the success of an area. We spent time walking the area taking note of Granary Square, an exemplar implementation of public space and public use in what can be described as a dense location. The third day involved a trip down the Thames. This gave us a chance to visit areas such as Bermondsey, with its strong community spirit being felt in the volunteermaintained garden and tennis courts. This helped us to get a feeling of what makes a good communal area within developments. This was supported by a trip to Fulham Wharf and Jetty, a flagship Barratt London scheme, with its careful landscaping, sympathetic to its Thames surroundings. Individual approach Coming from a commercial background initially made it difficult to link my role as a surveyor to the making of a great place within a new-build development. However, with the addition of the Academy’s Learning from Tall
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Buildings study day, I was able to see the effect of landmark buildings upon an area, and how they can integrate into their surroundings. This helped me to put the cost saving element of my job to one side and see the importance of good design and materials.Visiting sites such as Nine Elms, the BT Tower and The Heron Tower gave me a good opportunity to visualise the landmark tall buildings of London from both street level and 42 storeys up. Personal development This course has enhanced my way of working as a surveyor. Working on a contentious scheme in West Hendon, the course has helped me consider ways in which we can make the regeneration of the area sympathetic to the local residents; this has led to the refurbishment and revival of a basketball court which until now has been redundant. This course has taught me the importance of investing a small financial sum into developments from which the local residents and community can benefit. This course has also made me think of the bigger picture of a scheme, not focusing 100% on the financials, but instead considering how details of the build will appear and sit within its environment. It has been great in making us all take a step back from the viabilities and cost plans of a scheme, and taking a second to visualise how something will fit and operate outside of the site boundary. Sometimes I found some of the ideas of the Academy quite abstract, but once I completed all four of the site visits, I believe I have a strong understanding of what makes a great place.
MENTOR REFLECTIONS BY DAVID RUDLIN AOU It was clear from talking to the two Barratt graduates that I was asked to mentor, that they struggled to relate the content of the Learning from London programme to their day job.
“We were able to make a connection between the principles of urbanism and the work of housebuilders, which the graduates felt was useful.”
They were really interested in the theory and practice of urbanism but couldn’t see how it related directly to their role within Barratt. This is partly because the process of volume house building has become separated from the process of place-making. However, the main problem was that there was too large a jump between the best practice that they were seeing in London and their day-to-day work in the North West. We therefore decided that there would be value in having a walk around Hulme in Manchester, where we could see the work of a number of housebuilders as part of a neighbourhood where there has been a concerted attempt to apply principles of urban design and to create a quality place. We saw schemes by a variety of housebuilders alongside more bespoke mixed-use schemes like Homes for Change or the Hulme High Street scheme. We had an interesting discussion
about the difference between house building, which essentially uses standard products, and development, where an architect is engaged and every scheme is designed from scratch. We agreed that rather than rejecting it, we needed to understand the housebuilder route and how it could be used to create really good places. We came to the conclusion that Hulme wasn’t a bad start in this respect. The houses are nothing particularly fancy, and looked to be viable to the graduates, but they were being used in a very different way – pulled forward to the back of pavement, arranged on a permeable street network, mixed with apartments and other uses. We had a number of interesting practical discussions about parking and marketability of these arrangements. There was a slight feeling that this would all be much more difficult post-recession, and outside of Manchester. However, we were able to make a connection between the principles of urbanism and the work of housebuilders, which the graduates felt was useful.
PROF DAVID PORTER AOU
“Go there, look for yourself, find out what is going on, and pass it on”
The driving idea that motivates The Academy of Urbanism is that we can and should learn from place. So although the Academy has a manifesto with 18 guiding principles and although we have the title of ‘Academy’ we are far from being an academic institution following a theoretical agenda.
insights. The great strength of the Academy is that learning from place is not seen as an individual pursuit but a collective one. Academicians come from many backgrounds, professions, institutions and businesses, united in the belief that out cities, towns, neighbourhoods and streets can and should be better.
We are an academy of practitioners who believe in finding out about what works and what doesn’t work through a feet-on-the-ground approach. Go there, look for yourself, find out what is going on, and pass it on. So we are an academy but not academic – we are not following grand theories but sharing practical experiences and seeking shared
We believe that to make them better is a long-term investment: economic, social and cultural. To achieve this we do not just learn from place, we learn about place from each other, gaining from the different viewpoints brought to bear and the different areas of expertise at hand. We have begun to adopt this approach in the Learning from London programme.
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Fulham Riverside
YOUNG URBANIST REFLECTION BY NICHOLAS HUGH GODDARD
Reflective practice, clever appropriation of ideas and selective borrowing are common in the built environment. These processes are important, and it is easy to rely on textbooks and trade magazines for examples of best practice.
to compromised schemes. It is important to be reminded great places can be achieved, and there are many great places right on our doorstep. The city is changing at such a pace it is often hard to know where to look for good examples though.
However, it is important to interrogate these developments on the ground. Thus the format of the visits was thoroughly rewarding. To be able to interrogate these developments face-to-face was fascinating as so much of the success or otherwise of a development relies upon the context in which it sits. The visits allowed for interaction with not only the places, but the people that used them too.
As such, the opportunity to draw on the experience and knowledge of the Academy was incredibly valuable. This gives a broader field of vision when assessing developments on the ground as to whether they are net contributors to urban vitality or otherwise.
Development in this metropolis is not straightforward and often compromises in the development process equate
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Also, we were very privileged to have on hand individuals who have been intimately involved with many of the schemes we visited. This ‘behind the curtain’ viewpoint was incredibly insightful as the planning processes are as (if not more) important that the implementation.
THE GRADUATE PROGRAMME LEARNING FROM LONDON – VALUING PLACE JOHN WORTHINGTON, CHAIRMAN LFL STEERING GROUP, ACADEMY DIRECTOR
Inviting The Academy of Urbanism to set up a series of learning days to explore the value of place within their existing Graduate Development Programme was a bold step by Barratt Homes. Learning from Place, at the heart of the Academy’s work, offers a platform for each participating graduate to explore the challenges and opportunities ahead and reflect corporately on the changing context of housebuilding. Barratt London, already generous supporters of The Academy of Urbanism’s programmes, were keen to reinforce the recognition of their role in London in creating lasting, liveable, mixed-use areas that contribute to the vitality of their wider neighbourhoods. The Academy, founded on the principle of a membership of peer groupelected Academicians committed to active involvement, saw the opportunity to engage its membership with a programme of learning and change. The learning days were conceived as part of a development programme for each of the graduates to explore, question and, through group interaction, develop their own personal understanding of what makes enjoyable places and how this might be reflected in the role of the developer. The three Academy Award-winning places we chose as examplars each provided a different context. Lamb’s Conduit Street – with presentations by the principal landlord’s managing agent, the local authority (a Camden ward councillor) and an active member of the local community – set the context for understanding the relationship of the street and diversity of living, working and community uses that surrounded it.
Brixton, a rapidly changing locality, stretched the perceptions of these graduate housing developers to focus on regeneration and community-building. King’s Cross, with presentations by both the developer (Argent) and the local authority (Camden), showed how investment value was secured through taking a long-term view, working collaboratively, adapting to changing market conditions and managing small-scale transitional projects to achieve the long-term vision. Successful cities are in part the result of long-term organic development of their inner-city neighbourhoods. The government’s current commitment to stimulating economic growth through infrastructure investment will see mixed-use development of station neighbourhoods and associated public transport corridors. Housebuilders, local authorities, land owners and the civil society must work collaboratively – the latter of which will have a critical role to play. Housing is the backdrop to our emerging urban landscapes and well considered neighbourhoods can provide the platform for successful livelihoods. Corporate Executive development programmes such as Learning from London, encompass newly entering graduate talent, the cadre of key emerging management and the board, and can be the focus for growing company excellence in the rapidly changing world of housing development. This pilot professional development programme may have had limited success in meeting the expectations of Barratt offices around the UK. The programme has, however, achieved its objectives in broadening perspectives and stimulating at least 30% of the graduates to see housing development and their own role differently. Looking ahead, the Academy can be confident that the foundations have been laid for a programme that exposes graduates to the range of interests and ideas that help to create and sustain better places.
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CONTRIBUTORS Graduates Kat Gare, Barratt Homes Yorkshire East Alice Harper, Barratt Homes West Midlands Andrew Harvey, Barratt Northampton Fiona Hough, Barratt Homes North Thames Charlie Howell, Barratt London Richard Kingdon, Barratt London Alex Lee, David Wilson Homes North West Jessica Lindfield, Barratt London Bethan Owens, Barratt Homes Manchester Ellie Pullen, Barratt London Adam Rees, Barratt Homes South Wales Kate Stewart, Ward Homes Programme Co-ordinators Henk Bouwman AoU, Urban-imPulse.eu Honoré van Rijswijk AoU, Frontwork Steering Group Joanna Chambers AoU, Changing Cities Dr Nicholas Falk AoU, URBED Dickon Robinson AoU Prof Tim Stonor AoU, The Academy of Urbanism Prof John Worthington AoU, The Academy of Urbanism Academicians Peter Butter AoU, SBAU Helsinki Simon Carne AoU Lia Ghilardi AoU, Noema Research Stephen Jordan AoU, Brixton Green Community Trust Kevin McGeough AoU, HCA Richard Pearce AoU, TCN UK Prof David Porter AoU, RMIT Marcus Wilshere AoU, IBI Group Geoff Woodling AoU, Futurealities Innovation Partners Also involved Bethay Arbery, London Borough of Camden Cany Ash, Ash Sakula Architects Tom Bridgman, London Borough of Lambeth Esther Caplan Thomasz Crompton, Fluid Will Colthorpe, Argent Kate Dawson,Young Urbanist Melanie Dodd, Central St. Martins Liam Duffy Sam Fry, Cockpit Arts John-Paul Griffiths, Barratt London Nicholas Hugh Goddard,Young Urbanist Hannah Ismael, Black Cultural Archives Ed Jarvis, London Borough of Camden Vanessa Lastrucci,Young Urbanist Robin Nicholson, Cullinan Studio Stuart Tappin, The Brunswick Peter Vaughan, Broadway Maylan Neil Vokes, London Borough of Lambeth Richard Wilson, Camden Council Support Suzie Flynn, Barratt Developments Plc Stephen Gallagher, The Academy of Urbanism Linda Gledstone, The Academy of Urbanism
B A R R AT T LONDON
The Academy of Urbanism 70 Cowcross Street London EC1M 6EJ United Kingdom academyofurbanism.org.uk Follow us on Twitter @TheAoU Join The Academy of Urbanism on LinkedIn, Facebook & Flickr Cover: More London by Manolo Blanco / Flickr Creating Place: King’s Cross by Matt Keiffer / Flickr