Engineers and Architects fight back: Part One

Sitting in the Slaughtered Lamb just round the corner from my destination for this evening. A debate organised by Building Futures.

This is an organisation who have come together to create space for open debates upon which questions surrounding the built environment and developments affecting big cities can be chewed over and documented. Great idea.

This evenings debate fundamentally asks the question, what is the future of Architects?'

This caught my eye obviously, but what is it that an Engineer might find interesting about this topic?

THIS HOUSE BELIEVES THAT 'CONTRACTORS' ARE THE ARCHITECTS OF THE FUTURE and ARE TRADITIONAL, INDEPENDENT ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICES TO BECOME A THING OF THE PAST?



Team 1 [FOR THE MOTION] Peter Trebilcock – Director for Design @ Balfour Beatty Northern
Chris Boyce – Design Director @ Capita Symonds


Team 2 [AGAINST THE MOTION] Jane Duncan – Director @ Jane Duncan Architects / RIBA Vice President, Practice & Profession
Paul Morrell – Chief Construction Advisor to HM Government


Well apart from a great line up, the two opposing teams of successful Directors, Contractors and Architects are going to pitch arguments for and against the undeniable trend of Architectural services being marginalised and absorbed into the contractors duties. Some would say that the contractors are doing quite a good job of it too...

Tell me Engineers, does this at all sound familiar to you?

I think that you know where it is that I am going with this, and why I am intrigued as to what the arguments for and against this phenomenon may be.

Is this a last stand being mounted by the beleaguered Architects? Or a monumental coup which will set the scene for a creative come back? OR is this a great template strategy for gathering back our Engineering Mojo?

I'm here to find out, and It all starts in 1.5 hours. As long as I can stay sober that is - this beer is going down a bit too well!


Engine[er]