David Mentiply looks at how Boris prioritises form over function
London’s post-war architecture gets a bad rap. Buildings like the Barbican, the Southbank Centre and Royal Festival Hall are derided as grey and ugly. All three undoubtedly favour function over form. But they were built to serve a purpose, not for decoration.
What is interesting is that whilst many critics pour scorn over these ‘brutalist’ buildings, they tend to engender a great deal of affection. Walk along the Southbank on a weekend or in the evening, and it is usually buzzing. The facades of the buildings that overlook the river may not be rich in colour or intricate detail, but the insides are spacious, calm and welcoming.
The debate over London’s architecture – form versus function – reminds me that our Mayor is very much a man of form. The most striking example of this, of course, is his obsession with bringing back the Routemaster and scrapping Bendybuses. Never mind the fact that the old Routemaster was scrapped for being inefficient, the Mayor is adamant that Londoners want a ‘beautiful…stunning red emblem’ that has a ‘stylish, swooshing exterior.’
According to the architecture critic Rowan Moore, it is the ‘amusing, the daring, the quirky’ that grab Boris’ attention. The plan to build a new international airport – dubbed Boris Island – on the Thames estuary is certainly quirky. According to Mark Reckless, the Conservative MP for Rochester and Strood:
‘There are many London airports which, with minimal investment, could reap major benefits for customers, airlines and the tax payer. By developing better connections between existing airports we can boost capacity and cut waste. Why, when there are more cost effective ways to boost capacity for London airports, does this report propose wasting more money on a massive white elephant?’
The answer, it would seem, is that Boris and his allies are running out of time to make their mark on the capital. They are intent on seeing through so-called ‘vanity projects’. At the expense of common sense and what Londoners really crave – a reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly public transport system.
To paraphrase a new Londonism overheard at the Barbican Foodhall last week, ‘he’s all froth but no coffee.’
3 Comments
Excellent post Dave.
I’m going to disagree with you on one thing though. I think there has been a distinct lack of vanity projects – the buses are the one thing that stand out (which Boris has mismanaged terribly at much cost to the public purse).
If anything he’s been the do nothing Mayor with schemes like the cycle hire and electric car charging points having been guided through under his predecessor even if he gets the credit.
I think it’s one of the reasons that he’ll be hard to beat. An absence of action (while being quite charming) doesn’t give many targets to fire at. If he’s created a huge scheme everyone hates that wold be one thing – but as to the buses, well, my impression is most ‘normal’ people don’t care nearly as much as I do about them.
Certainly there have not been many vanity projects. As you say, he’s not really done much at all for London. But I sense that he thinks time is running out and he needs to step on it – http://www.adambienkov.com/2011/10/money-is-no-object-in-building-boriss.html
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