It’s fair to say that Channel 4’s Grand Designs has done for architecture what Life on Earth did for natural history. An area that had previously been perceived as highly specialised, characterised by a lofty and sometimes clinical aesthetic, received the televisual equivalent of a warm hug. Kevin McCloud’s easy manner and a range of highly personalised and very human projects reminded people that architecture is not just about multimillion- pound tower blocks or fantastical Renzo Piano shards of glass and steel; it is also about everyday life, living and the walls that surround us.
For too long the stereotype of architects as unsmiling, uncompromising idealists in black polonecks and Philippe Starck glasses has prevailed. These are the people who have been blamed — most famously by the Prince of Wales — for pursuing a modernist (often brutalist) agenda with little regard for the everyday requirements of people and too much emphasis on an abstract aesthetic.
All that has softened in recent years. Human beings, with all their irritating foibles and needs, are now at the heart of all good architecture. Liveability is key. McCloud still wears the occasional black poloneck, but he and most of his colleagues know that accessibility is vital.
Leading the pack is NLA (New London Architecture) in London, just off Tottenham Court Road. The NLA inhabits a space (see, there I go. A few hours in the company of architects and I’m already talking like one) at the Building Centre, a funny old place that has been around for years and whose primary function is to showcase technological developments in the building trade (exciting new types of grout, that sort of thing). One of NLA’s stated aims is to “provide a permanent forum for debate and the sharing of specialist knowledge” — in other words, to demystify the work of architects.
In the foyer is a giant model of London, comprising Hyde Park, the City and extending east to Docklands. In grey are all the existing buildings; in white, those in the pipeline. It’s fascinating to see the scale of development, especially around the Olympic village.
Advertisement
On January 26 NLA opens a new exhibition, Prefabulous London, which will take the form of an A to Z of architectural innovation. Curated by Andrew Scoones, the show will focus on the current boom in the use of prefabricated buildings, made possible by a combination of new technology and, of course, changing perceptions.
One of the most memorable episodes of Grand Designs was about the German kit house in Surrey, which arrived flat-packed from the factory and was then assembled with frightening efficiency by a team of German builders. It altered my perception of prefabricated buildings, which I associated with postwar depression and gloomy motor-home parks. The Huf haus was very different: a warm, comfortable and really quite beautiful edifice that anyone could enjoy living in.
The point of the NLA show is to highlight this versatility. Essentially these days a prefab home can be made to look however you want it to. Even Barratt Homes, whose market demands an ultra-traditional housing model, has adopted a range of off-site techniques. The results, as the exhibition shows, are indistinguishable from traditional bricks and mortar structures but far easier — and cheaper — to assemble. Complex and costly things such as wiring and plumbing can be prefitted at the factory, and assembly is much faster (and not so reliant on the weather).
The advantages are clear, but it remains to be seen whether they will lead to a lasting change. Most of us feel a strong affinity with bricks and mortar, and we still place a high premium on living somewhere “with character” (ie, old or old-looking). It will take a further cultural shift before prefabrication becomes truly “prefabulous” in the wider public perception. But it makes for a fascinating and relevant show, not least because John Prescott, as he explains in the foreword to David Birkbeck and Andrew Scoones’s accompanying book, Prefabulous Homes, believes it to have true potential. A purely educational agenda, or a little elegant government propaganda? You decide.
Advertisement
Prefabulous London is at NLA, Store Street, WC1, from Jan 26