‘A p’lît bêź cnsnss’: r ɖz riyli Britn’z bst ny bildñz?
Transcription of a Guardian article of 6 September 2023
Ɖ six noṃnīz fr ɖ 2023 RIBA Strlñ-Prîz śortlist r testfl n wel md – bt a gret mni qrci bildñz wɖ a sns v fun hv bn oṿlct
Wnzde, 6 Sptmbr 2023
D y lîc yr brics in red, brǎn or gre? N d y prifŕ yr bildñz in norʈ, sǎʈ or īst Lundn? Ɖoz r sm v ɖ liṃtd ćôsz fesñ ɖ jujz v ɖs yir’z RIBA Strlñ prîz fr ɖ cuntri’z bst bildñ, in wn v ɖ most hmojṇs n metrosntric śortlists in ɖ aword’z 27-yir hisṭri.
Lcñ at ɖ six cntndrz, y wd b fgivn fr ʈncñ Britiś arc̣tecćr hd cnvrjd intu a p’lît bêź cnsnss. Ɖr z a nīt gre-bric-cortyard hǎzñscīm in Clapm, impecbli dīteld bî Srgisn Bêts arc̣tecs. A bit frɖr īst, in Blachīʈ, z an elignt dêsntr fr oldr ppl bî Mae arc̣tecs, ćaṇlñ Scanḍnevịn vîbz wɖ timbr n rusti-brǎn bric. T ɖ norʈ, in Somrz Tǎn, Adm Cān’z hǎzñ n ćildṛn’z sntr standz az a jōnti redbric casl, ẃl on ɖ bancs v ɖ Tmz, Wiɖḟd Wotsn Mán hz xpozd ɖ crumbli 18ʈ-snć̣ri bric vōlts v ɖ Cortold Insttyt v Art, in a mtikḷs wrc v inviẓbl mndñ.
Bucñ ɖ trend fr bect cle, n lcetd ǎt in ɖ wîldz v Lundn Unḍgrǎnd’z zon 4, z a concrīt liv-wrc bloc fr artists in Barcñ, dzînd bî Aṗrata arc̣tecs. It terz p ɖ standd hǎzñ rūl-bc v darc coṛdorz n mīn windoz n ofrz a radicl, adaptbl oltrṇtiv. N fîṇli, Fīldn Cleg Bradli Stydioz entrz ɖ rñ wɖ a musklr teṛcota tīćñbloc fr ɖ Yṇvrṣti v Woric’s faclti v arts – ɖ onli project ǎtsd ɖ capitl.
Ɖz r ol gd bildñz, fr śr, bt ɖe repriznt a naro vy v ẃt ɖ bst arc̣tecćr in ɖ YC cn lc lîc, n ẃr it cn b faund. Ɖ Strlñ śortlist z drwn p in an opec proses bî ɖ Royl Insttyt v Britiś Arc̣tecs awordzgrūp, ẃć pics ɖ six cntndrz fṛm ɖ winrz v ɖ 30 naśnl awordz – ẃć it olso s’lects fṛm ɖ 130-plus rījnl awordz. Bt ɖ rījnl jriz ofn si ɖer opińnz trampld. Ɖs yir, sevn v ɖ 10 rījnl winrz in Ñgḷnd feld t b rec̣gnîzd in ɖ naśnl awordz, n so hd no hop v biyñ cnsidrd fr ɖ top goñ.
Amñ ɖm wz Īst Cì in Woćit, a ramḅlñ, rambuncćs artșntr on ɖ cǒst v Suṃsét, dzînd bî Inviẓbl Stydio. Drivn bî an indomitbl grūp v locl wimin, it z a fun-fild pîraticl incampmnt v topsi-trvi cntenrz, hǎzñ gaḷriz, stydioz n qrci hoḷde’acoṃdeśn. It z loc̣li ćeriśt, n scūpt Sǎʈ Wst bildñ v ɖ yir, bt it wz clirli tù mć t stuṃc fr ɖ RIBA’z bric-luvñ naśnl cmiti.
Similrli impresiv wz F51, an adreṇlin-fyld vrticl scetparc in Fôcstn dzînd bî Hoḷwe Stydio. It z a bold arîvl t ɖ tǎn, standñ az a fyć̣ristic aḷmińm arc puñćuetd bî trîanğlr windoz, cntenñ a multistōri stac v undyletñ timbr florz n bilowñ concrīt bolz fr scetñ, scūtñ n BMXñ. It wún ɖ Sǎʈ Īst aword – prezd bî ɖ jujz fr its “xpśnl craftsmnśp in pṛvîdñ a spes fr nrć̣rñ yuñ ppl” – bt wz olso dnaid a naśnl goñ. It wz clirli hvñ tù mć fun.
So, ẃć v ɖs yir’z mor pôfest śortlistd bildñz wl win ǎt?
Ɖ rfînd Cortold project, bî prīvịs Strlñ winrz Wiɖḟd Wotsn Mán, sīmz ɖ līst lîcli t trîumf. “On frst glans,” ɖ RIBA sáiteśn admits, “ɖ jri strugld t unḍstand ẃt ɖ arc̣tecs hd dn, az mć v it z imnsli sutl.” Ɖ Obzrvr hedlîn wz mor blunt: “Hǎ t spend tnz v miłnz wɖt enwn mć noṭsñ”. Ɖ transfmeśn hz bn wel dn, oṗnñ p lost spesz, ri’lînñ florz n crietñ ny cnx́nz, bt ɖr r a fy cluncs n míst oṗtyṇtiz ɖt mcs it fōl śort v ɖ bst in its clas.
Woric’s arts faclti z a būn t ɖ yṇvrṣti, brññ ol ɖ dpartmnts tgɖr undr wn rūf fr ɖ frst tîm, bt it z nt a landmarc momnt in ɖ īvluśn v Britiś arc̣tecćr. It fīćrz fmiłr edyceśnl bildñtrǒps v rīsnt yirz, sć az a big wŭdn sterces wɖ sītñ ɖt snecs its we ʈru an etrịm, alñ wɖ wîd landñz fr soṣ́bl incǎntrz fosṭrñ “c’laḅreśn n crospoḷneśn”. It z fînli dn bt larjli unrimarcbl.
In a similr caṭgri z ɖ prîṿt hǎzñ in Clapm. Y cn olmst fīl hǎ mni śêdz v ćōcigre bric ɖ arc̣tecs mst hv fretd ovr, n ɖ xqizit aġni v s’lectñ ɖ rît ton v bêź fr ɖ wŭdwrc. It z an intelijnt ys v a cnstrend, land-loct sait, sqizñ in nîn flats arnd a cortyard, bt ɖr z a fynirịl fīlñ abt it.
It z gwñ t b tuf t ćūz btwn ɖ uɖr ʈri. Adm Cān’z hǎzñ n ćildṛn’z sntr z a dlîtfl adiśn t Sômrz Tǎn, adñ t ɖ eria’z rić hisṭri v public hǎzñ wɖ an xpresiv, glīḟli cmpozd hom fr an afṭscūlclub n ʈiytrćaṛti. Its arćt rūflîn līps n swūps in joys crvz, fremñ a ʈrilñ rūftop ftbōlpić, n standñ az a cartūniś crǎn fr ɖ nebrhd.
Mae’z Jon Mordn Sntr z a tranqil oesis, cmpozd v a siriz v bric pviłnz arenjd alñ a mianḍrñ wŭdn coḷned, lîc an unrápt clôstr. Hǎzñ wrcśops, an artșpes, cafe, lîbrri n a medicl sntr fr ɖs rtîrmntcḿṇti in worm, timbr-lînd rūmz, it pṛvîdz a welcmñ soṣ́bl hub, hlpñ t tacl lonlinis n îṣleśn. Imns cer hz gn intu dītelz sć az ɖ pziśn v sītñ ncs n hǎ vyz r fremd az y progres ʈru ɖ sait.
