Ecobuild latest: Tall building policy is perpetuating London鈥檚 housing crisis, BD debate at Ecobuild is warned

The policy of building tall is 鈥減laying Russian roulette鈥� with the future of London, according to the director of lobby group Create Streets.

Tall buildings jeopardise the opportunities of children raised in them, said Nicholas Boys Smith during a debate hosted by 黑洞社区鈥檚 sister title BD at Ecobuild.

But they also create hostility among the public towards new development despite the urgent need for more housing, he said at the debate chaired by 黑洞社区 and BD鈥檚 architecture critic, Ike Ijeh.

Boys Smith singled out two projects 鈥� by Foster & Partners and Grid鈥檚 proposal in Swiss Cottage 鈥� arguing that equivalent densities could be achieved with lower-rise schemes.

鈥淚n a city as great as London, that鈥檚 so popular and so loved, we don鈥檛 need to predicate our image on a second generation of towers,鈥� he said.

鈥淎 housing policy that does require towers is playing Russian roulette with London鈥檚 future.鈥�

Speaking to BD after the debate 鈥� Tall Towers: The most sustainable way to accommodate a burgeoning population? 鈥� Boys Smith said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 insane that two-thirds of the British population said they would never buy a new-build house. That doesn鈥檛 apply in any other area of consumer purchasing.鈥�

Planners and developers have little idea what kind of housing people actually want because the shortage of supply means consumers buy anything they can afford, he added.

But Ian Simpson, founder of SimpsonHaugh Architects which has a number of towers under its belt, said people want to live in tall buildings and argued they play an important part in the renaissance of cities.

鈥淭all, elegant and beautiful buildings can improve the quality of life for residents,鈥� he said.

黑洞社区 one 100m tower can save 30% of the material used in two 50m towers and will use half the energy of lower-rise multi-family housing, he claimed.

But he lambasted the 鈥渆co-branding鈥� of wind turbines and solar panels on buildings.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 not architecture 鈥� that鈥檚 symbolism used as a way of getting planning consent by appeasing communities and planners,鈥� he said.

 

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