Prince Charles’ 10 “Geometric Principles” for Architecture Cause a Stir in the UK _ ArchDaily

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Prince Charles uses Poundbury as an example of his architectural principles. Image Flickr CC user

JonathanLClarke

Poundbury. Image Flickr CC user JonathanLClarke

Last weeken d, the Archite ctural Review published an article by the Prince of Wales in

which he outlined his stance on architecture, reiterating his belief that a return to traditional

design principles is nec ess ary t o enab le sustainable urban growth that meets human

needs. In the 2,000 word essay, Prince Charles argues that we face the terrifying prospect

by 2050 of another three billion people on this planet needing to be housed, adding that

rather than wanting to turn the clock back to some Golden Age as he is often accused, he

is focused on the needs of the future. At the conclusion of his article, he outlines ten

principles for architecture which meet the requirements of his vision.

As is often the case with Prince Charles pronouncements on architecture, the article has

prompted a strong reaction from members of the profession, with responses ranging from

Robert Sakula saying if more people cared as much as he does we would have a better

architectural culture, to the response of Birmingham City Universitys Alister Scott, who

said there is clear evidence of elitism and his lack of empathy with the problems facing his

peasantry.

Read on after the break for more on the Princes article and the reaction from architects

World

29 DEC2014by Rory Stott

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The 10 MostInspirational TEDTalks for Architects

29 Dec 2014

Prince Charles' 10"GeometricPrinciples" for Architecture Cause a

Stir in the UK

Poundbury. Image Flickr CC user dorsetforyou.com

The article by Prince Charles follows on from decades of engagement with the topic of

architecture, which infamously began 30 years ago when he described the proposed

extension to the National Gallery in London as a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a

much-loved and elegant friend. Following on five years later was his book A Vision of

Britain, and in the early 1990s construction began on Poundbury , the Leon Krier -designed

extension to Dorchester, built on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall and in accordance

with Prince Charles personal architectural principles.

In his essay, Prince Charles sets out those principles in a ten-point manifesto:

1. Developments must respect the land: they should not be intrusive and should

fit the landscape they occupy.

2. Architecture is a language: new designs should abide by grammatical rules to

avoid dissonance with existing structures.

3. Scale is also key: new buildings should respect both the human scale and the scale

of the surrounding buildings.

4. Harmony the playing together of all parts: richness comes from diversity,

but buildings should be in tune with their neighbours.

5. The c reation of well-designed enclosures: enclosed spaces are both more

visually satisfying and encourage walking.

6. Materials also matter: materials should be natural and local, drawing on traditional

local styles

7. Signs, lights and utilities. They can be easily overused: it is possible

instead to control traffic using events in the road layout which cause drivers to slow

down.

8. The pedestrian must be at the cen tre of the design process: streets

must be reclaimed from the car.

9. Density: though density is critical, it can be achieved through traditional typologies

such as the terrace or the mansion block.

10. Flexibility: rigid conventional planning should be avoided in favour of flexible

schemes.

Reaction to these principles has been mixed. BD Online reports a collection of architects

who grudgingly accept Prince Charles ideas, with many pointing out that most of his ten

principles can be applied to contemporary architecture, without recourse to traditionalism.

Others point out that the nature of his position and the power he wields is undemocratic,

with Robin Nicholson of Cullinan Studio saying that the only problem is that he speaks

from a position of untouchable power. Prince Charles has previously been heavily

criticised by Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid and many more for his tendency to influence

projects which he disagrees with.

Writing for the Architects Journal, Patrick Lynch of Lynch Architects says despite certain

reservations, I have to say that I think that it is on balance a good thing for a public figure

to engage directly with the principles of architecture, adding that architecture remains a

subject with a history and a tradition, most of which we are almost totally ignorant of today.

The question we face is how relevant this is to our society today.

Opposing Lynch though, Alister Scott argues that as Prince Charles suggests the

language of planning and architecture does need to be more inclusive but it does need to

be understood; basically we need to build better places but for more people but the
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Cite:Stott, Rory. "Prince Charles 10 Geometric Principles for Architecture Cause a Stir in the UK" 29 Dec2014. ArchDaily. Accessed 31 Dec 2014.

14 Comments

Worried

How can it be undemocratic if someone with power is to speak up?Democratic - does that mean someone with political authority should notbe speaking to those who have academic authority?

Quite an unusual thing to say that... Architects need to get out of this'exclusive' club - and this comment is a very poor statement..

Additionally, there is much we can learn from cottages and old buildingsettlements, and old architecture...

Architecture may not be a language, but it holds true that it doescommunicate certain knowledge to people who use the space.....

Perhaps it is the article, but there seems to just be too much reactionand less thoughtful consideration.

examples all point towards design credentials for a well-heeled Poundbury settlement than

a major town or city with its attendant problems of deprivation, town centre decay and

stagnation and lack of investment.

The most complete response comes from architecture critic Douglas Murphy, whose article

for the Guardian states that on reading Prince Charles essay it was hard to know whether

to go apoplectic or simply roll ones eyes: Its that man again

It wasnt just his power that made Charles polemics hit home: they coincided with

Britains great lurch to the right, argues Murphy, adding that Charles and his friends like to

portray themselves as the underdogs, as victims of a leftie conspiracy of inhumane

modernism, but they couldnt be more well connected, and their polemics in favour of twee

cottage architecture resonate strongly with a public taste for the picturesque and

sentimental, and the spurious notion of What People Really Want.

Finally, describing Prince Charles ten-point manifesto as essentially a mix of the sensible,

the tautological and the downright sinister, Murphy goes on to give his own principles,

including the city belongs to everyone, architecture is not a language, honesty is still a

virtue, the street isnt everything, and perhaps most critically his final point: change is

coming: the next century will be pivotal for humanity, and architecture will play a huge role.

Cute cottages with nice local stonework wont help.

Are Prince Charles pronouncements on architecture welcome in contemporary

architectural discourse? Leave your comments below.
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/dec/27/prince-charles-10-principles-architecture-10-better-ones


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art

Historian wrote that it was eclecticism that smothered all creativeactivities,these 10 points were part of our basic architectural education andhistory , why are we fighting them.

Tom Becker

It's true that by using his power to influence architecture ,Prince Charlescould be considered slightly undemocratic. However, you should alsoconsider that all the architecture schools in which famous architectspromote their own architectural agendas, oblige students to adoptexclusively contemporary architectural languages that abide by their own subjective world views. If it is true that Prince Charles is anundemocratic power influencing architecture, it is also correct to say thatarchitecture schools are also contributing to create a distorted view of the reality from the other end of the spectrum. I can't think of anythingmore undemocratic then the brainwashing future architects undergo inthe architecture studio courses at university, as well as the influence of the architecture magazines who tend to display projects almostexclusively of a certain style (contemporary).

Robert Beach

Reads like a freshman theory paper from Notre Dame.

craigpurcell

Oh please give me a flat top it's so cool and not at all twee....

Geoff James Eberle

authoritarian measures imposed upon any system will always fail toreact to the spontaneity of human idiosyncrasies - furthermore, humanhabitation should reflect the function and ideologies in a flexible manner.Charles's 'manifesto' doesn't represent society in it's totality - itrepresents a diminishing conservative ideal, which has little place in our

globalized society and declared by a man who couldn't be further apartfrom the everyday inhabitant (if you could say there one to speak off).

Yes it's great the engagement from a non-architect however you couldhardly describe the man as a member of the public.

David

Most who have bothered to criticise these 10 points come across asbeing argumentative for the sake of it. Nothing that Charles says here isnegative in any way. Only YOU are negative.

Geoff James Eberle

Your argument is directed at the people themselves rather thantheir criticisms, and reads ironically to your proposition. Hispoints are not negative, however people believe the outcomes of his points to be so.

David

I just feel that his points can be so broadly interpreted,that only a mind predisposed to a negative take on theman and his background would spend the energy onimagining the outcomes that make his points worthy of any criticism in the first place.

on

Thanks for the advice Charles, where would our profession be withoutyou? Please build another Poundbury with your backward buddies. Ialso urge HRH to go to one of the many fine Architecture schools.

Ps. to guest below, how is Charles' traditionalist, rose tinted watercolour ideal of architectural desi n an different to "some movement van uard


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This is a public projectman. Its for the people. You areconfused. Architects should

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This is mislabeled asNorth Beach, Maryland. Shouldbe North Beach, San Francisco.

,or whatever tosh they purport to follow" that you mention? If he had anyclue he would realise that design is an iterative and democratic process,but of course, the Prince doesn't negotiate.

Guest

The real elitists are the ones who shove their architectural monstrositiesdown our throats because it's part of some movement, or the vanguard,or whatever tosh they purport to follow.

These people who come out with the old clich about that "harking backto a Golden Age" are idiots. What's wrong with making our surroundingslook as good as possible? Prince Charles is 100% right about this.

guest

Well for one, "as good as possible" is entirely subjective. and Idon't think someone who has spent their entire existence in aplace of extreme wealth and privileged is likely to understand thewants and needs of his subordinates. -I mean, he's purposingstandards for a way of living that he has never experienced.Secondly, architecture does not exist to "look", it exists tofunction. I think you and Prince Charles may share thatmisconception.

Guest

You are entirely mistaken about the concept of architecture. Aesthetics is one of the major principles of architecture. Architecture exists not only to function butfor aesthetic purposes as well, along with environmental,climatic, technological, and cultural determinants.

Tom Becker

It is not completely true that aesthetics in architecture issubjective. There is an entire body of scientific studiesthat study the psychological influence of builtenvironmentson people and these studies have found numerous factson how certain traits of the built environment influence our emotions (for example: fractal dimension of environment,relation of open to close spaces, proportions of elementsin respect to human scale, etc.)

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