黑洞社区

Residential schemes will be a key focus for veteran developer Sir Stuart Lipton through his new development company, Lipton has told 黑洞社区.

Lipton 鈥� who is better known for iconic commercial-led schemes including London鈥檚 eighties Broadgate complex 鈥� said housing was his 鈥渞eal passion鈥� and would be a key focus for the new development business, Lipton Rogers, which he founded in January with former Stanhope technical director Peter Rogers.

He said he was concerned about the problems of UK housing under-supply and rising property prices and called on top construction professionals to turn their attention to residential schemes, adding: 鈥淲e need the same passion we brought to Broadgate in residential. It requires radical change.鈥�

Lipton is widely credited with revitalising office schemes in the eighties through a focus on incorporating other uses into schemes, such as leisure, retail and public spaces, as seen at Broadgate and the Chiswick Park complex in west London.

Lipton, who remains involved in developer Chelsfield, which he also founded, and its key London schemes at the former Commonwealth Institute and Silvertown, said he would take the same approach to any residential scheme as he has done in commercial schemes over more than three decades, with a focus on 鈥渁rchitectural quality, public spaces and collaboration on projects鈥�.

Lipton and Rogers have both previously spoken about focussing on large commercial and mixed-use schemes, but have not previously discussed a focus on residential schemes.

黑洞社区 revealed in February that Lipton Rogers had drawn up plans to revive London鈥檚 stalled Pinnacle tower project, but Lipton declined to comment on the scheme, which remains stalled while property agent CBRE seeks a new equity partner to inject 拢500m into the project.

Lipton criticised the construction industry for its lack of collaboration, particularly in the office sector, where he said 鈥渃osts are rising as rents are falling鈥�, with 鈥渞ents lower than 20 years ago and 40% less in nominal terms.鈥�

He continued: 鈥淵et the industry blithely goes on. Other industries work together to drive down costs together. But in construction everyone looks out for themselves. You don鈥檛 see the co-operation other industries get.鈥�

He called for an 鈥渙pen debate鈥� between firms on how to improve the industry.

In 2011 Lipton commissioned research on radically cutting the cost of office construction, partly through greater standardisation, which the research claimed could cut the cost of major office buildings by 50%.

Lipton said building processes 鈥渁re not too much different to what they were in the 1920s鈥� and claimed there was more standardisation in Georgian and Victorian construction.

He added: 鈥淐onstruction is all slower now. The Royal Opera House was built in six months and Crystal Palace in nine months.鈥�

鈥淥n every office building in London [today], every detail is different. You must be able to standardise some of it.鈥�