ESP mustn’t be painful
Ignoring our temporary and very cliched technical hitch on stage, our evening competition launch event on Monday 26th went pretty well, with a good attendance including architects, designers, students, press and local authority representatives.
David Birbeck of Design for Homes introduced the evening, recounting his own personal experience in procuring a new build house in the UK, likening the process to being tortured through an inappropriate use of barbed wire. This was clearly a painful experience that he intends never to repeat. If ESP could offer one thing, it should be a smoother ride for individuals following the same path to a new home.
Colin Davies set the scene for pattern book architecture for ‘popular housing’, sharing his long standing interest in the subject, and explaining how the term ‘architecture’ was actually introduced to the country through the introduction of renaissance architecture pattern books from Europe. Colin suggested that, in the contemporary context, this territory should again be explored by architects and that a pattern book approach to popular housing can offer commercial and creative opportunities to practices.
Alex Ely presented the evidence for enabled self procured housing, drawing clues from the self build sector, and suggesting that a kind of ‘DIY urbanism’ is possible, where self procurers and self builders can work side by side to deliver quality places, with genuine architecture and resulting in sustainable communities.
I followed these two interesting talks with a presentation of our enabled self procurement system as we currently understand it, and a call for bold local authorities and the new breed of enabling developers to step forward to help us try it out.
I also took questions on the competition and all Q and A will be posted under a separate post.
Breaking all rules in software development, we also presented the half complete Youcanplan software. Slider Studio’s Chris McDonald fought galantly to re-establish the faltering internet connection with UEL’s Miao Kang, sitting a distant 5 metres away, and attempted to send a half in focus image through the projector. The software simulation eventually found its way onto screen, and this seemed to get the message across of how Youcanplan will be able to help visualise the apparent complexity of the planning process.
There were also some very interesting questions from the audience about the nature of the enabling developer, and some lively discussions afterwards over drinks. In fact I believe a range of local authorities are about to become really interested in this whole idea, especially those that need to increase housing delivery and engage their communities, and of course this would be good news for everyone on the project, and everyone participating in the competition.
I came away from the meeting, still thinking about David’s barbed wire comment. Ouch! For many, building your own house equates to stress and pain and hassle. Alex Ely told us, 70% of homeowners consider building their own home, but how many actually do? And if its not the potentially painful experience that puts people off, then perhaps its simply the difficulty.
Clearly ESP has to be made really easy to follow, and really painless if its going to be a success.The supporting Youcanplan software equally has to be really easy to use, and the technology reliable if its going to be helpful.
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