My Favourite Building
Every week, TheBusinessDesk.com invites a Yorkshire property professional to reveal their favourite building and explain what makes it so special to them.
This week:
Rob Charlton, chief executive of _space Architects in Leeds – Scottish Parliament Building in Edinburgh and Portcullis House in London.
“Everyone has got an opinion about the buildings which surround us all, buildings that some people see as an eye-sore can actually represent beauty and evoke emotion in others.
“There are so many buildings which I like for so many varying reasons. Some buildings are great for their impact on the community, some for their iconic nature, some for personal reasons and some for architectural merits.
“Although my day job sees me advising on creating space for the educational, healthcare commercial, residential and regeneration sectors, my favourite buildings are actually government buildings.
“Often government buildings can be thought of as boring, ugly buildings; square, brown and similar looking to a big Benidorm apartment block and therefore not really architecturally aesthetically pleasing.
“However, architecturally I see real beauty in two parliamentary buildings; I really admire both the Scottish Parliament Building and Portcullis House in London, both because of their boldness in such sensitive locations and their quality.
“Portcullis House next door to the Houses of Parliament was such a hard act to follow. Initially there was criticism for its high costs but this building will, and has to, last for many years and therefore I see the importance of the sustainability costs.
“I find the elements, which have been criticised by others such as its massive dark brooding chimneys and heavy patterned roof a pleasure; I think it symbolises its importance and as a house of authority.
“The Scottish Parliament has also had so much criticism, but in it I love the detail and the fact that no corner is the same. In fact this is why its costs were so high. It is a building steeped in history and to me, it feels more like a work of art than a building.
“My only criticism is the lack of baby change facilities; I have a lasting memory of my wife changing my daughter’s nappy in the grand foyer on the very expensive furniture in protest!”
