10th July 2015

John Robertson joins expert panel at NLA Think Tank on design quality

Director John Robertson joined a panel of experts at the NLA to discuss how the design quality of residential buildings can be lifted by improvements in the planning process. The speakers included authorities and interested parties from engineering, architecture, London boroughs and planning backgrounds, each offering a different perspective on the issues and solutions for designing in quality to aid the construction process.

JRA are well known for high profile collaborations, including working with Rogers Stirk Harbour on NEO Bankside and Montevetro, and with Stanton Williams at 10 Park Drive. The practice has extensive experience in both design and delivery roles allowing John to draw on examples from the industry and reveal difficulties where original architects were not retained and how inconsistent processes often led to delays.

The group suggested an array of resolutions including taking design quality out of the planning process entirely, having design review panels far closer to the beginning of projects and having more architects in other parts of the industry, alongside more left field ideas like delaminating planning permission from land altogether.
The result of the think tank was a lively discussion, bringing different sectors together along very important lines. The solutions raised could well resolve design quality issues in the future.