Planning is becoming cool. Council-led CHORD development projects arein existence for all Argyll’s five towns. Ardrishaig has engaged in a series of community planning initiatives. Masterplanning exercises are in train at Bowmore in Islay and Inveraray in Mid Argyll. Planners were concerned that masterplanning had not been used for a development at Cairndow which is now going ahead anyway. And For Argyll thought big for Oban before Christmas – challenging the Scottish Government on the need for major proactive infrastructural development for the west coast.
All of these initiatives are encouraging people to look around, think how different spaces make us feel, what they make us want to do – or what they stop down, what we respond to and what they’ll be like in 20 years…
The major east coast city of Aberdeen has been utterly riven by a wealthy businessman’s campaign to open up the city’s central Union Terrace Gardens, to galvanise the commercial life of the centre. He’s wiling to put something lkke £50 million in to it.
The city council has run an architectural design compeetition and has just announced the winner: The Grantoe Web design by the consortium of Diller Scofidio and Renfro, Scottish architects Keppie Design and landscape architects Olin Studio.
The Granite Web was chosen ahead of the Wingter Garden design from another consortium led by Foster and Partners.
It was all over the web and the broadcast media yuesterday and in the newspapers today.
For once – for the moment anyway, we’ll keep quiet about what we think. It would be very interesting to know the detail of how folk are seeing and reacting to this. Planning can make or break. What’s your view on this one?
Goggle Aberdeen Uniion Terrace Gardens.
Thanks goodness! An article that’s not about David Bloody Cameron and the Referendum!
I’m I the only one a little bored with this already? Especially as it is still at the pie in the sky stage?
Anyway, I am off to “Goggle” Aberdeen’s Millionaire Winter Gardens Terrace thingie bob.
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Fantastic.
Time for some creative play.
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CSB
I thought perhaps I was the only one getting bored with the continual political chatter!
Now, if only A&B.C would unveil plans for a railway station in Dunoon. I’m sure that would make for a few headlines…
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Union Terrace Gardens have a very strong character all of their own, occupying a natural valley that’s surrounded by the city on all four sides and partly invaded by railway and dual carriageway along the deep side, leaving terraced gardens developed in Victorian times. A competition winning arts centre by Brisac Gonzalez, very skilfully designed to respect the existing character but bring more life and activity into the space without building on the gardens (pictures on their website), was given planning approval, was funded and ‘shovel ready’. However, before work could start the city council stopped the project, sacked the director and opted for a scheme supported by Sir Ian Wood, the recently retired driving force of the hugely successful Wood Group (originally his father’s fishing company but under his leadership transformed into an international oil services company) Sir Ian offered £50 million toward the cost of a new city square which was estimated likely to cost £140 million, and was by no means universally popular with the people of Aberdeen, who in a referendum voted 44% for and 55% against the project. This was ignored and the project proceeded to international competition – despite the objections of the RIAS – which was won by Diller Scofidio & Renfro. Brilliant designers (see the pictures of the Manhattan Highline project on their website) but their scheme for Aberdeen involves a drastic ‘carve up’ of the gardens. This is to be put to the people in another referendum, but whether the outcome will be respected by the city council is by no means certain.
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Exactly this.
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Must admit,I liked it! But it’s easy to make judgements when it’s somewhere else.
It’s a design for the next 100yrs,which can be a scary concept! Do we stand still with tradition or push the boat out and create drama?
I like a little drama!!
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Do not like. Not that I know that much about it. Amused at the thought that planning is somehow involved in the ABC CHORD projects.
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The people of Aberdeen have fought a 3 year battle just to get noticed by our politicians and planners. The referendum on the gardens is the result of demos, lobbying and generally sticking it to those that would otherwise ignore you. Lesson. Don’t stand idly by moaning when the powers that be want to do over your park, countryside, and heritage. Fight!
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Mike, you spend too much time on the internet.
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Hmmmmm not sure if I like it or I don’t.
The only thing I can think of is that it seems to be a bit of a marmite design, however, when googling the subject, I did notice a few reports saying almost as many people were against the redevelopment as were for.
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Mike has been leading the fight to keep this beautiful city centre resource for the citizens of Aberdeen. This is publicly-owned land which local entrepreneurs are attempting a naked (not literally, thankfully) land-grab for commercial gain, the details of which are either vague and unformed, or are being deliberately kept from the landowners (ie the public). The local press and business community are in the pockets of the would-be usurpers with vilification and scorn being directed at those of us who are determined to keep the Gardens and improve them rather than have them wrecked and repalced by a high-maintenance wind tunnel and litter/detritus magnet. And the cost beyond the donation? At least £90m which the Scottish Governement will “allow” our representatives “to borrow”. There doesn’t seem to be a recession on at all when it suits the suits.
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For David Innes: We’ve set ourselves the challenge of NOT looking at the design ourselves. It’s a challenge we’re bound to lose at some stage.
But what you’re saying requires a response from people ‘out there’ whom you don’t know. That’s one of the things that For Argyll and its self-elected community of readers of all persuasions is quick to do.
So, here’s our tuppenceworth.
In any urban environment, green space is a hugely valuable, stabilising, therapeutic resource.
In any built environment, an ‘unbuilt’ environment is a necessary contrast.
Any ‘hard’ environment needs softness; any angular environment needs fluidity, any man-made environment needs the anarchy of the natural; any immobile environment needs flexibility; and any managed or designed environment needs the imaginative freedom of the relatively unmanaged and undesigned.
Many who live in cities are not from a city – and they don’t call parkland ‘the lungs of the city’ (any city) for nothing.
Broadly speaking, one knows what the current Union Terrace gardens will be like in 20 years time. It’s a rare man made environment, using modern materials and concepts of the moment, whose condition, character and affinity to place can be predicted even that far ahead.
If the issue is opening up one side of the city centre to the other, across the ‘glen’ of Union Terrace gardens, did anybody think of a cable car across it – make the crossing novel, a city transport better than trams and unique to Aberdeen – fun, airborne, slender, present but not overly invasive? Who’d not use it? And think of the views.
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Interesting news this morning that Donald Trump (hon DBA Abdn) is flinging his toys out of the pram in a bid to face down the proposed offshore windfarm testing project in Aberdeen Bay.
Could cause choppy waters in the pond that the ‘great’ and the ‘good’ of Aberdeen swim in, given the vast range of organisations promoting this project. Probably too much to hope that this could disturb the Aberdeen city ‘heavies’
who seem to view democracy as an inconvenient distraction.
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There are kids living in poverty in Aberdeen right now, the council cuts have hit the disabled,child education, sport/leisure etc. Union St is dying because of high business rates coupled with extortionate parking charges, the council wants to save £120 over 5yrs yet they want to borrow £70 million for this eyesore. Union Terrace Gardens could be enhanced for a fraction of the cost of this nonesense. The council and their cronies seem to be trying to appease big business tycoons!!
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It looks like something the teletubbies would live in.
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