Prince Charles to deliver speech criticising modern architecture
A sold-out speech by The Prince of Wales tonight at the RIBA is expected to be boycotted by many after Stirling Prize winners Will Alsop and Chris Wilkinson joined a call for the action yesterday. Architects in the UK have shown great unrest over the Prince’s alleged abuse of influence over the architecture sector, most recently evidenced by his disapproval of Richard Rogers designs for Chelsea Barracks.
A World Architecture News Poll, taken after 5 Pritzker Prize winners signed their names to a letter of opposition against the Prince’s intervention in the scheme, found that architects were in support of Rogers design 2:1.
The Prince’s speech tonight , the RIBA Trust Annual Lecture 2009, was set to focus on issues of sustainable development, but a spokesperson for Clarence House (the Prince’s residence) told UK newspaper, The Guardian, that he will use the opportunity to criticize modern architecture practices: "The prince will remind architects about the important role they play in the world.
"He will say we need to get back to an architecture which is built to last, which puts the needs of people and the community first, consults them and is designed to fit the scale and local character of the surroundings." Niki May Young
News Editor
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