spin

e4

mm

BU

ILDIN

G/

ISS

UE

14

/0

9.0

4.0

9/

SA

UD

IAR

AB

IA/

NE

LSO

NO

GU

NS

HA

KIN

INTE

RV

IEW

/N

EW

BIR

MIN

GH

AM

WW

W.B

UILD

ING

.CO

.UK

Building logo is pantone 2747 C

£3

.10

WWW.BUILDING.CO.UK / FRIDAY 09.04.09

WWW.BUILDING.CO.UK/GLOBAL

LATEST JOBS ON BUILDING4JOBS.COM / PPA BEST-DESIGNED BUSINESS MAGAZINE 2008 / PPA SUBSCRIPTION MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR 2008

INSIDE THE KINGDOMWHAT IT’S REALLY LIKE TO WORK IN SAUDI ARABIA

14COVER1nj 3/4/09 12:54 Page 1

09.04.2009 BUILDING MAGAZINE

Ihave just came back from a trip toMelbourne and Sydney, cities I last visitedin 1992. Obviously much had changed since

then but the same difference between the twowas evident – Melbourne is more urbane,more European; Sydney more laid back, moreof a beach culture. These differences wereexemplified by the question everyone wouldask in Melbourne: “What do you think of ournew buildings?” and in Sydney: “Have youswum in the ocean yet?”

I suspect that because of their geography,Australians are more conscious of theirnational identity than we are. And yet as a

general rule (and I exclude the out-of-townhouse and the beach house, which as a genrehave been perfected by Australian architects)the architecture of their cities exploits neitherlocal nor international talent. This is puzzlinggiven that architecture is such a powerfulforce when it comes to creating andexpressing national identity.

In Melbourne there have been opportunities,with the regeneration of Federation Squareand the Docklands, to create architecture ofworld-class significance but they weremissed. There is now another opportunity.A large area of Melbourne is up for review but

AUSTRALIA’S GRANDOPERA HOUSE Sydney is finally going to restore Jørn Utzon’s awesome opera house to his original design – but there is a big price to pay, says Amanda Levete

For once it wasn’t Building diggingdeep into the corporate pocket tostand a few rounds – it was the jollyfolk at Net Worth, on the occasion ofthe debut of their construction andproperty networking club. A debutthat was admirably timed, it must besaid, just when lots of us need thatkind of thing most – in the depths ofthe recession. And to kick things offthey got hold of James Caan – he ofDragons’ Den fame, not the man thatacted opposite Al Pacino in TheGodfather – to give a speech on howto make a buck in tough times.

Now, this particular James Caan

seemed to provoke a certain amountof controversy among the attendeesof this inaugural event. (You can seewhat he actually said on Building’swebsite.) Well known for hisdisparaging put-down of everyhopeful scheme that comes his way,Caan confessed that he wouldn’teven have put money into the firstinvestment he said “yes” to – atreadmill for dogs – if his family hadn’tnagged him for being a scrooge.

For Neil Stanley, Net Worth’s chieforganiser and principle host for theevening, the speech was inspirational.But for others, there was a certain

NET WORTH … BUYS A PINT FOR BUILDING

Joey Gardiner, from Building, andabout 200 construction industryprofessionals …

Chosen watering hole: Babble, Berkeley Square Ambiance: Posh bar in the heart of London’s property land Topics: Dragons, recession and how to win

WHY DON’T POLITICIANS HELPUS AND THEMSELVES BYBEING COURAGEOUS ANDOPEN ABOUTTHE REALISSUES? WE ARE NOTSTUPID; WE CAN FOLLOWAN ARGUMENT

‘JAMES CAANSEEMED TO BEBELITTLING PEOPLEWHO AREN’T DOINGBRILLIANTLY’

14firstpmnj 6/4/09 14:04 Page 28

BUILDING MAGAZINE 09.04.2009

comment / first person / 29

the Victoria government has decided, after along process of selection, that the prudentway forward is to road-test two rival schemesand gauge public reaction before deciding onwhich architect to appoint. Hard to believethat they will make the right decision withthis process but it goes to the heart of what Iperceived as a lack of national confidence.

In Sydney there was a huge debate going onabout the proposed refurbishment of theopera house. This is one of the truly greatbuildings in the world. Its sail-like roofglistens in the sunlight atop a raw and brutalbrick plinth. It sits proudly on the headland,a magical backdrop for passing liners, butthe best views are up close: the finesse ofdetailing beneath the concrete shells, theawesome 20m cantilever, the delicacy of thetwo-tone ceramic tiles and the rich timberinteriors. Like many great buildings, itsconstruction was mired in controversy andintrigue. Its creator, the recently deceasedJørn Utzon, was not just brilliant butdifficult and romantic, and his character ispart of the mythology of the building.

The Opera House is Sydney. And like thehandful of buildings around the world thatshift the architectural debate (the PompidouCentre being another example), it generatesan income that is almost incalculable. But thepublic are outraged that in these times of

financial crisis, the government couldcontemplate spending a billion Australiandollars on such frippery.Yet 35 years after itscompletion, the air-conditioning system andscene-moving machinery have come to theend of their natural life.

Now is clearly the moment not just to bringthe mechanics up to date but to review thewhole building and assess the areas wheremistakes were made. To do this all you needdo is look at Utzon’s original design. He hadenvisaged a higher, more cathedral-like spacethat would have created better sightlines anda more spectacular interior. And this is nowthe brave new plan. But to realise it requiresexcavating 18m below ground and closing theopera house for two years. It’s one hugechallenge but it is thinking on this scale thata building like this demands. Expensive?Very. Worth it? Without question. Instructive?

It shows that there is a big price to pay fornot being true to the original.

As with many politically sensitive projects,presentation is everything. Did the politiciansconfront the issue head on? Did they say thatalthough the expenditure would be huge, itwas not money that would otherwise bespent on hospitals or schools; that it wasabout preserving what is essential toAustralia’s culture? No. The project waspresented out of context, with the inevitablepublic backlash, and I just hope thepoliticians now hold their nerve.

When will they learn? And this is aspertinent here as it is in Sydney – why don’tthey help themselves by being courageousand upfront about the real issues? We are notstupid; we can understand an argument andwe can also understand the differencebetween money and value. In these uncertain times, that difference has neverbeen more acute.

I loved Australia. I loved the friendliness,enthusiasm and generosity of the people. Iloved the vast expanses of land, the freshnessof the produce, the great wine and fabulousrestaurants. I didn’t think much ofMelbourne’s buildings but I did have a swim in the Pacific …Amanda Levete is principal of Amanda Levete Architects

element of, well, smugness about it.One said: “He seemed to be belittlingpeople who aren’t doing brilliantly fornot working hard enough. But bydefinition, if we’re here at this event we are working hard to improve ournetworks.”

“Slightly patronising” was the verdictof another attendee.

But not everyone was offended. Oneof the networkers, Amanda Recknellfrom architect Tilney Shane, defendedthe dragon: “He seemed to know whathe was talking about. What he thinksis important is the people. Not theproduct being sold, but having faith in

the people behind the business.”Inevitably, conversations drifted

from the event itself to the gloomystate of the industry. Cue muchearnest discussion of the importanceof networking when you don’t knowwhere your next dollar is coming from.Carl Carrington, who has a day job asa director at engineer Delap & Walleras well being one of the team at NetWorth, said he was disappointed that the public sector lifelines beingoffered to the industry seemed alwaysto go to the big players. “You look –most of the people here are smallpractitioners. These frameworks,

like the Olympics, they just getmopped up by the big contractors –the smaller practices are squeezed.”

The popular view at the eventseemed to be that increasingentrepreneurship is the way out of the recession, hence the choice of the Beeb’s Caan to give the openingpep talk.

Mind you, there’s not much theCorleone family needed teachingabout entrepreneurship – and I’m sureSantino “Sonny” Corleone had oneheck of a mean network. Wouldanother James Caan have been abetter choice?

friends and influence people Drinks drunk: Who’s counting?

THE BESTVIEWS OF THEOPERA HOUSE ARE UPCLOSE: THE AWESOME 20M

CANTILEVER, THE DELICACYOF THE CERAMIC TILES ANDTHE RICH TIMBER INTERIORS

THERE’S NOT MUCHTHE CORLEONEFAMILY NEEDEDTEACHING ABOUTENTREPRENEURSHIP

14firstpmnj 6/4/09 14:04 Page 29