1. Ensuring that existing stock is actually what people want and possibly regenerating that so that buyers’ needs are catered for.
2. Building new developments that the local residents and councils want, which may be large housing estates, if there seems to be demand for it, but may be small developments that are sensitive and in balance with the current development of the area.
3. Redeveloping failing office developments (wherever I go I seem to pass innumerable “office to let” signs!) into apartments.
4. Projects that take derelict houses and redevelop them.
5. Building new developments and plans via the enquiry by design method, where communities feel involved in what’s going on and will therefore be willing to allow developments, even quite large changes, on certain conditions.

All of those, I would say, provide much better quality, cater to more of the community, and create a longer lasting satisfaction for the community than the ugly and dislocated housing developments of the current climate.

I’m with you, Mr Pickles!

Why should the same not be true of print?

So much modern journalism satisfies neither.  It is not informative, nor entertaining, and what little information there is is buried deep within large bodies of irrelevant text. You end up “reading” a magazine or newspaper and finding that out of the 100 or more pages that you could possibly read, there might be two that are actually worth the time and effort.

But what if a magazine published only what you wanted to read? What if the articles, that once driveled on over three or four pages, were condensed to a single paragraph with just those details of information that were essential to understand the article’s point?  Or perhaps what is currently explained over several paragraphs could be more easily demonstrated by a diagram or illustration that gives an instant understanding of the concept?

And why would we pay £5 or more for an issue of a magazine where most of the pages are oppressive advertisments for products and services that you have no actual interest in purchasing?  Wouldn’t it be better if advertisements were informative and entertaining too?  Surely an advert should demonstrate to a potential customer the real benefit of the company’s services, rather than just latching onto buzz-words and leaping onto bandwagons. The advert should stop trying to proclaim how amazing that company thinks itself is and instead focus on what the customer could achieve, if partnered with their products or services?

Well this is what I want to do. I want to cut down magazines so that rather than 150-page monoliths, they are eight-page works of literary art and craftsmanship.

I want to produce a webtool that instead of bringing up however many million results, brings up one — The One — that is most relevant to what you are actually looking for.

I want to produce books that illustrate complete concepts without forcing you through the subject’s entire boring history.

I want to build a company that does this, that considers what the reader wants to read, rather than just its own selfish interest.

Are you with me?

Note: When I’m talking about publications in this instance, these are ones for a specific limited audience, not national newspapers or general distribution magazines.  I’m talking more along the lines of trade magazines and web search tools for specific functions.  You obviously cannot second guess what any member of the public is going to want to read!!

It’s all very well designing new age things which look like they won’t stand up so that they look interesting and tug at our inner senses of insecurity and make us feel excited but, honestly… why?  Are we trying to continually unnerve the people of Britain and make them feel uncomfortable with the stability of their lives?  Are we trying to show to other nations how unstable we are and that it wouldn’t take much to make our entire country come tumbling down if you just know which bit to target?

Perhaps this kind of response is exactly what Anish Kapoor was aiming for in his target audience – a kind of confusion and awe.  I certainly think that the sculpture is truly awful, so, that covers the awe bit.  The thing is, even if he did expect this response… WHY?  What is the reason that such a desire to elicit this response is necessary?  Does that not also give you a bigger sense of dysfunction within society as a whole?  And if the only purpose of the sculpture is to elicit this response, then, well, its done.  The response is there!  I have just given it.  So now, cancel the construction. Your work is complete, just by doing such a retarded design. There is certainly no other reason for building the sculpture.  It’s not pretty, it does not gain attractiveness by being over 100 m tall rather than three inches on the page of my latop computer.

WHY?

It’s a question little asked by clients of their “artists”.  As soon as they know it to be art, it suddenly doesn’t have to have any reason!  OK, I admit that art from the beginning of time wasn’t necessarily useful, but it certainly had a reason!  We’ve even got to the point where attractiveness isn’t considered as a reason for art (otherwise it would actually look good), education isn’t a reason (otherwise it would instinctively say something to anyone looking at it), it isn’t for historical record (because otherwise it would actually depict something of our culture, of ourselves).

So…

Why?

Oh… and who’s paying for this eyesore?

Eldon Terrace

The Shop

It seems that while I was in the USA, poring over textbooks and articles on HVAC and timber, someone had been busy putting the right-hand unit of Eldon Terrace back into use.  It is now a local convenience store, which takes advantage of the old fabric in terms of the concrete steps and shop-front frame.  I’m not going to lie, I think it’s pretty hideous.  The shop-front does not match the brick construction above and makes one uncomfortable.  The nature of the steps creates a bottleneck at the entrance/exit and creates a void underneath them which is wasted, and makes the steps look unnecessarily flimsy. Generally, the shop-front has no proportions and scale and just looks out of place.

However, I don’t want to be too harsh on the shop, since this was obviously inherited bad design from before the renovation, and an occupied shop is always better than one boarded up and disused.

The Café

At the left-hand unit, I saw no noticeable difference when I got back to Leeds in September, but when I passed the building in the past few days, I have noticed that a lot of work is being done to develop it.  The windows have been reinstated, steps cleaned up and a replacement door installed.  The quality of work so far appears to be good, and will surely enhance the building significantly.

I asked someone working on it what was happening to the building and he informed me that it was going to be an internet café. I think that the location of the building is perfect for university students and staff alike and that such a business has potential.

What I am concerned about is that a huge amount of investment obviously has and is going into the building to improve the quality.  Without a strategy to draw customers to that particular venue (over the many other cafés along that street), such work could be wasted.  However, I think that there are many ways that you could take advantage of the building in such a way as to make it a better venue than others.

Suggestions

An area of greenery should be planted outside the entrance to ensure that, with the new improvements, the building does not look even more bare than previously.  Small trees framing the unit would enhance the outdoor space, and if sensitively done, could create an transition space that does not feel too open to the main road.

It would be good to take advantage of the multiple spaces available – other cafés just have the one space and this can limit the intimacy that is possible. The upstairs rooms could be independent spaces that could be rented out, or just used by a small group who want to be in a private area. The downstairs area is also its own area that could be rented for small parties and events.

A possible alternative management structure would be to have a small members only club. The club would attract members through members-only promotions. For example, members would get two free coffees a day and would be able to book private rooms, get a private locker and use the in-house computing facilities. It could be a mini-conference centre or venue for small-scale events. An advantage of this model would be that you could get cash up front, which could then pay for the facilities that would be used by the members. If you created a membership structure that worked on the basis that the longer you took a membership for, the less you pay per month, you could get members paying for a full 9 months (an entire university year), or a year, up front, meaning that cashflow would be easier to manage.

In general, I’m optimistic that the outcome of this side of the house will be a much better place than what it as before, and better than its neighbour. I just hope that it’s sustainable!

It wasn’t until recently, however, that the website design came into the forefront again and I have been beginning working with the company to create a website design that suits their needs, both visually and practically.  It needed to look professional and elegant, but not fussy, and to evoke the feeling of the company’s ethos, which is essentially that of respecting traditional design and construction whilst still pushing forward into the realms of the architectural unknown.

I decided to completely redesign the layout – my old design didn’t really suit the new content, nor did it have any dynamic content to give it a lift.  The new design is again written in html with a css stylesheet, but uses a completely different layout and also features dynamic content using javascript.

Nicholas Vanburgh Website Screenshot

The thing I have found most hard in writing the code for this website is the fact that the different browsers render quite differently.  I find that the one which is least cooperative is Internet Explorer, doing things which are totally unexpected and, in my view, illogical.  Unfortunately, it is still the browser which most of the world use and it may well stay that way for quite a while, unless you tell ALL your friends to switch to Firefox or Google Chrome!

The live version of the website is visible at www.nicholasvanburgh.co.uk

If you would like to consider my services as a web designer, please send me an email.

• All-male barbershop group
• Based at University of Leeds (although it is not exclusively students)
• Between four and eight members, depending on availability, music and cost for each event
• Available to hire for corporate, private or public events
• Available for lower cost or for free for charity events, LUU society events and collaborations

We will have a range of repertoire depending on the audience and particular date of season:

• Traditional Barbershop
• Modern Classics (Queen, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel)
• A Cappella arrangements of Jazz standards
• Classical light music (16th century madrigals, part-songs and folk-songs)
• A Cappella choral music
• Traditional Christmas carols (at Christmastime)
• Jazzy love songs and romantic barbershop stuff (particularly around Valentines’)

Possible set lists will be announced shortly.

Please contact us (as above) if you are interested in hiring Head Row for your event.  Listen to our past recordings on myspace (http://www.myspace.com/headrow). The ones on there at the moment are quite old, but we will hopefully have a new set up shortly!

Please contact us (headrow@googlemail.com) if you are interested in singing with us, in which case we will require a summary of your musical ability and you may be called to audition.

Edit 28th December 2009:  There is no longer any plan to restart the barbershop group.  Enquiries can still be forwarded to the above  address for information.

Head Row at Hifi 2008

I have a selection of suitable music which has been passed down to me or has somehow found its way into my possession, but I was thinking that it would be really nice to do new arrangements or even absolutely new pieces.  The repertoire wouldn’t be confined to the strict barbershop style but would branch out to various popular a cappella music styles.

If you’re a University of Leeds student who is interested in singing in an all-male light music group of between 6 and 8 members, please leave a comment.  I would expect members to be able to read music competently and members who can arrange music or have other skills that they can bring to the group would really help too.

For those who don’t already know me, I was the founding Secretary in 2006-07 and continued to be the Secretary in 07-08, often taking on presidential roles when Kieran was unavailable due to large amounts of coursework.  I organised the Cherie Gears concert which we put on in 2007 and also played a large role in getting the Nu York State gig together that same year.

This coming year, as secretary, I would keep all our records organised, creating an online space within which we could share documents as a committee, and between the entire society if appropriate.  I would also like to propose regular meetings of the committee at which actions that need to be taken are documented and made public on this online space.

As demonstrated in my previous secretaryship, I am a rounded person who can put his hand to any task which needs to be done at the time, and push forward the agenda of the entire group.

Many thanks for considering me!

I look forward to getting involved with the society this coming year, putting on more cool blues events and one hell of a jazz festival in February 2010 (details to be announced!).

“Firstly, I am very disappointed with this website.  1. It is flashy and confusing, looking like its made for 5 year old kids rather than adults who actually care about this stuff. 2. In the what would your eco-town look like section, it is ridiculous that you can only choose 5 from the list.  To be a really good eco-town, all of those should be satisfied and no one is any more important than another. Results are also going to be skewed by the fact that people start at the top, and ones further down the list will tend to get neglected more often. 3. General feedback is mixed up with this silly questionnaire where the questions are again stupid.  I mean, the topics depend on so much that the answers are meaningless.  For example, I am very willing to reduce energy consumption, but not if it greatly affects my costs to the point that it becomes out of proportion with the environmental saving.  I would rather use the same energy, but from a sustainable source.

“I am an architectural engineering student with particular interest in the social and environmental impacts of architecture. For this reason, I particularly care about HOW these issues are resolved, as opposed to what I would prioritise.  A good architectural designer should be able to balance the benefits and consequences of designing an eco-town rather than go by public priorities, which aren’t necessarily taking everything into consideration.

“For example, it may be that most public want “affordable” family detached homes that are reasonably spaced out.  However, for the interest of environmental concerns, it may be better to encourage a more communal living style, where car driving is discouraged by having mixed-use developments rather than zoning. Since the largest car-use is for a daily commute, the people who live in the houses should work within walking distance.  Thus, it should be calculated how many jobs would be created in any given area and enough housing created within easy walking distance of these to easily cover those jobs, also taking into consideration those who don’t work, work from home or whose business involves travelling around.  The same thing for entertainment.  Perhaps the research that should be conducted at this stage should be asking potential residents what they like to do in their spare time and making sure that those facilities are provided within walking distance, rather than having to travel to the nearest city for every need.

“Studies should also be conducted on whether the common practice of communities disintegrating because easy commuting to cities means that residents only socialise with friends in the city rather than their local area can be discouraged by the design of the town itself.

“I know I have only covered transportation here, but there are other advantages to having very close-knit communities, such as that heating and energy systems can be shared and therefore made more efficient by economy of scale.  It may be that having more compact living may also open up more space for cultivation by small-time farmers who could then sell back to the community they live in.  This type of farming, run under some kind of cooperative scheme would probably be much more efficient than expecting residents all to grow their own food, where it is unlikely that many of them would have the time or will to run an allotment or vegetable garden.

“It may also be an advantageous to make spaces flexible.  For example, several buildings could be initially zoned as residential, but designed with enough flexibility that they could be easily changed to commercial if demand required it, rather than buildings having to be demolished if such changes need to be made, or that outdoor spaces may initially be a car parking space, but that it could be easily converted into a pleasant patio space for a resident who doesn’t own a car.  Most car parking spaces wouldn’t currently fit this criteria and are thus wide empty ugly voids to those who do not own cars.

“In short, I’m very much into the idea of eco-towns.  It needs to happen, and I want to be at the forefront of supporters for this cause.  However, I think that the way that this has been conducted so far, in true Labour Government fashion, has been disastrously top-down heavy with no real substance. “

The refused proposal was for Jurys Berkeley Court, a multi-use redevelopment that would provide offices, residential apartments and leisure facilities.  And oh, here’s a big surprise, both the developer and the architect are “disappointed”.  I mean, perhaps the architects of buildings sometimes think that there design is useless and aren’t disappointed when they’re told that they can’t have it built, but something tells me that it doesn’t happen that often.  But there’s another thing, they also go on to say that they are disppointed because the design would have provided many facilities and opportunities to the local community.  Well, I’m only a student so I’m not fully aware of how these things work, but aren’t the features such as sports hall, day care centre and the economic effect it has on the local community ones of the programme, rather than the design.  I mean, anybody could make a drawing with a number of boxes, label them sports hall, day care centre, apartments and youth club, but that doesn’t mean its a good design!  If the architects had said “I think we nailed the fluidity of our design for the youth club because of the way it really interconnected with the apartments and other facilities,” perhaps I would have been more convinced.

The truth is that any architect is going to be disappointed that their design is rejected, and any developer is going to be disappointed that they have to lose more profit by delaying the start of construction, but what about the considerations of those who will use it?  I wonder how many potential residents and members of the local community looked at the plans and thought “I’m disappointed that this has been refused planning permission.”  By the looks of the images, which really “break the mold”, as the article puts it, of Dublin’s current architectural programme, I would doubt that many would really pledge their full support.  The only benefit for them is that they might get it sooner, but why would anyone allow anyone to perform architectural murder for the sake of getting something sooner?  Well the answer to that is a lot of people, but that still doesn’t mean that its right.

I pledge my full support to the council for standing up against the large companies who think they are God’s gift to architecture because they can draw an odd-shaped steel frame and cover it in glass.  Note:  I don’t pledge my support unconditionally.  These councils also have to be responsible enough to support developments that really will make a difference to the local communities, even when their design might be such that a small insignificant piece of legislation is ignored for the sake of getting the project through faster, reducing the chances of massive losses on the part of the small-time developer who can’t afford to keep paying interest payments on a site that is generating no income.

My message to council representatives out there: take responsibility for what you do.  You are public servants, not people out to just get what you want.  Respect the views of those you represent, and don’t let corporate big guns shoot your ethics into dust for their own profit-making agendas