Facades matter
The wall of a building is the division between the public and the private space. The private domain has limited, if any, effect on the public, it is of little importance that its interior designs can be anything from the mundane to the outrageously bizarre; the wall’s public side is a different matter. It has a greater impact on the public and public realm; it therefore becomes incumbent on those who design, build and make a profit from these structures to consider the visual impact on the community from the height and design of the building.
So often this is not the case and our cities are left with offensive substandard exteriors that tower above neighbourhoods. Jane Jacobs in her seminal book The Death and Life of Great American Cities makes clear the psychological impact of poor design. The bland facades of towering buildings create a sense of dislocation from street life, regardless of the pitiful insistence of some planners that the meagre strips of greenery sandwiched between the towers of concrete are beautiful spaces that all the community can enjoy. This sort of construction cuts people off from creating an integrated community that the traditional street layout achieved.
The Brighton Society has recently identified a few buildings with interesting and sympathetic facades that create a positive visual impact on the townscape. Although initially saddened by the inability to keep the original facade of the Astoria Cinema, 10-14 Gloucester Place, we recognise that any urban space has to evolve.
The Rox, the Astoria’s replacement, attempts to offer a pleasing public face.
Its height is sympathetic to its neighbours, unlike the gross erection of the dull, unimaginative Circus Street cluster. The now superfluous ex-council leader said “I am thrilled that Circus Street has won another important national award”. Nothing to do then with potential residents, just awards and benefiting the niche actors of the scheme.
Rottingdean has seen a 93 homes development of St Aubyn’s school and its land. A controversial development, many argued it would result in an increase in traffic pollution. Fairfax’s highways expert Phil Hamshaw said that “people would be offered membership of a car club and half the parking spaces would have electric charging points”. So half of the incoming owners will have electric cars averaging around 35K or more, fascinating!
There are parts of the development, although not the most creative in design terms, that have been respectful to Rottingdean’s surrounding buildings and thankfully the school’s large playing field has been left as parkland.
The Brighton Society recognises that the city is not a static, physical object but a living thing that will always morph and change. The goal for the council and the planning officers is to manage that change well. As people who take great pride in our city it is our job to make sure that they do and not become a Robert Moses, Jane Jacob’s nemesis.
