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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
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| York is looking for architects to treat it excitingly - but with care | York is looking for architects to treat it excitingly - but with care |
| (4 months later) | |
| Architects! Here is your chance to show that lightness of touch and respect for others' work for which your profession is renowned. | Architects! Here is your chance to show that lightness of touch and respect for others' work for which your profession is renowned. |
| Fie to shards and the monuments of which the poet W.H.Auden wrote succinctly: | Fie to shards and the monuments of which the poet W.H.Auden wrote succinctly: |
| Why are the public buildings so high? How come you don't know Why, that's because the spirits of the public are so low | Why are the public buildings so high? How come you don't know Why, that's because the spirits of the public are so low |
| And he is the poet to comment, because he was born in York which is the setting for an international design competition organised by the city council together with the Royal Institute of British Architects and York Boat which runs its river services from beside the historic Guildhall. | And he is the poet to comment, because he was born in York which is the setting for an international design competition organised by the city council together with the Royal Institute of British Architects and York Boat which runs its river services from beside the historic Guildhall. |
| It is the Guildhall which is the subject of the competition: £12,000 is on offer in prizes for 'innovative ideas' for the future use of the building, which the city council is vacating, and the adjacent riverside quays and boatyard. One idea is for the council not to go; the decision to move everything, bar a handful of ceremonial meetings annually, to the new £43.8 million West Offices has been controversial. You can read the pros and cons in a verythorough piece by the York Press here. Maybe the competition will come up with something persuasive, however, if the council succeeds in its hopes of attracting "nationally and internationally renowned architects" to put forward ideas. The notion has the appeal of a test which does not, at this stage, require too much in the way of detail. But that can also be a disadvantage, when commissioners are beguiled by a dazzling idea which in practice, when the details do have to be sorted, proves to be impossibly expensive. | It is the Guildhall which is the subject of the competition: £12,000 is on offer in prizes for 'innovative ideas' for the future use of the building, which the city council is vacating, and the adjacent riverside quays and boatyard. One idea is for the council not to go; the decision to move everything, bar a handful of ceremonial meetings annually, to the new £43.8 million West Offices has been controversial. You can read the pros and cons in a verythorough piece by the York Press here. Maybe the competition will come up with something persuasive, however, if the council succeeds in its hopes of attracting "nationally and internationally renowned architects" to put forward ideas. The notion has the appeal of a test which does not, at this stage, require too much in the way of detail. But that can also be a disadvantage, when commissioners are beguiled by a dazzling idea which in practice, when the details do have to be sorted, proves to be impossibly expensive. |
| York's opposition is wary. Liberal Democrat councillor Anne Reid, for instance, says: | York's opposition is wary. Liberal Democrat councillor Anne Reid, for instance, says: |
| Labour's plan has been criticised for failing to guarantee the Guildhall's future as the civic hub of the city and for glossing over the costs of, and timescales involved in undertaking, a major remodelling project. The concern is that the building – will be empty for a long period of time and will become a blot on the streetscape of a very sensitive part of the City Centre. | Labour's plan has been criticised for failing to guarantee the Guildhall's future as the civic hub of the city and for glossing over the costs of, and timescales involved in undertaking, a major remodelling project. The concern is that the building – will be empty for a long period of time and will become a blot on the streetscape of a very sensitive part of the City Centre. |
| The building is very historic, in spite of bomb damage during the 1942 Baedeker Raid which required extensive rebuilding after the Second World War. It contains the celebrated plaque to the last Yorkist monarch, Richard III, who recently featured to great enthusiasm in the Northerner's pages. The inscription calls him: | The building is very historic, in spite of bomb damage during the 1942 Baedeker Raid which required extensive rebuilding after the Second World War. It contains the celebrated plaque to the last Yorkist monarch, Richard III, who recently featured to great enthusiasm in the Northerner's pages. The inscription calls him: |
the most famous prince of blessed memory | the most famous prince of blessed memory |
and praises his | and praises his |
| great labour, good and benevolent lordship for the honour of this City. | great labour, good and benevolent lordship for the honour of this City. |
| He may not be an ideal talisman for the new contest, given his wider reputation; but the judging panel has been sorted with architect Keith Williams as the chair and advisor on behalf of the RIBA, council cabinet members Julie Gunnell and Dave Merrett, the officers who head environmental services and design and development, Darren Richardson and David Warburton, and a representative of local business who has not yet been chosen. Other local people, including academics and heritage specialists, will also have a say in things. | He may not be an ideal talisman for the new contest, given his wider reputation; but the judging panel has been sorted with architect Keith Williams as the chair and advisor on behalf of the RIBA, council cabinet members Julie Gunnell and Dave Merrett, the officers who head environmental services and design and development, Darren Richardson and David Warburton, and a representative of local business who has not yet been chosen. Other local people, including academics and heritage specialists, will also have a say in things. |
| Gunnell, who oversees corporate services, says: | Gunnell, who oversees corporate services, says: |
| The Guildhall and associated spaces are a significant part of York's cultural and civic history and we want to ensure that they can continue to play a key role in the city in the future. Independent assessment of the site confirms that significant development and modernisation of elements of the complex will be necessary to make the most of the buildings and riverside area for the future. | The Guildhall and associated spaces are a significant part of York's cultural and civic history and we want to ensure that they can continue to play a key role in the city in the future. Independent assessment of the site confirms that significant development and modernisation of elements of the complex will be necessary to make the most of the buildings and riverside area for the future. |
Keith Williams, says: | Keith Williams, says: |
| This is an ideas competition. Nevertheless, it represents an intriguing and testing challenge to architects to balance successfully the sensitive nature of York's historic riverside with inspirational proposals that will show how this extraordinarily rich complex of buildings and spaces may be transformed. | This is an ideas competition. Nevertheless, it represents an intriguing and testing challenge to architects to balance successfully the sensitive nature of York's historic riverside with inspirational proposals that will show how this extraordinarily rich complex of buildings and spaces may be transformed. |
| You need to crack on. The deadline for submission is Tuesday 6 November and the results will be announced early the following month. For more details and to enter, see here. | You need to crack on. The deadline for submission is Tuesday 6 November and the results will be announced early the following month. For more details and to enter, see here. |
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