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Raising the design quality of buildings and places across the East Midlands
Themes:
Design quality and innovation |
Focus:
Raising the design quality of buildings and places across the East Midlands |
Background:
Situated in Regeneration East Midlands, the regional centre of excellence for sustainable communities, the architecture and built environment centre Opun is responsible for promoting and developing design excellence across the region. To champion good design the East Midlands Design Review Panel was set up to review and advise on proposed schemes for the East Midlands. The panel is made up of practitioners who are experts in their field and represent a range of professions; architects, planners, urban designers, surveyors, artists, landscape designers and engineers. The structure and role of this design review panel is based upon successful models established by Kent Architecture Centre at a regional level and CABE at a national level. |
What happened:
The East Midlands Design Review Panel meets regularly to review design schemes in their early stages, prior to the planning stage. The panel meetings combine site visits with presentations of the proposed schemes by the lead design team. The sessions are also attended by the client, local authority representatives including where available the Local Authority, the Planning Authority and regional stakeholders such as English Heritage. The panel’s role is to provide objective feedback, alternative perspectives and make suggestions for improvement. Schemes are assessed according to a Design Review Handbook which outlines the criteria for quality assurance. The process is investigative, discursive and facilitated throughout by a Chairperson to ensure the dialogue allows for an exchange of views, fair representation and is accurately recorded. The aim is to ensure that schemes are suitable, sustainable and set the highest quality standard for future development across the region. Since 2005, the Design Review Panel has looked at 30 schemes, held16 Design Surgeries (in tandem with the Housing Corporation and Big Lottery Fund) and 5 Desktop Reviews. |
Who was involved:
Opun, Regeneration East Midlands
Partners
CABE in an advisory capacity at inception
Funders
East Midlands Development Agency |
The difference it made:
This review process provides design teams with an opportunity to present and troubleshoot their proposals, avoid common errors and improve their chances of gaining planning approval. Opun and the regional Design Review Panel members gain a regional overview, chance to input on developments and ultimately raise the design quality of buildings and places within the region. Local Authority representatives gain a clearer understanding of design quality issues and develop confidence in advocating for good design within their area of work. The range of expertise within the pool of panel members provides a broad frame of reference, design knowledge, local and national perspectives and areas of special interest, which is particularly valuable if the design team and client, are unfamiliar with the locality or region. The panel members have become an ever growing advocacy network for design quality and the work of the architecture centre.
This design review model has also been adapted for use by young people at a regional conference developed for local schools to review design schemes submitted as part of the Building Schools of the Future Programme. |
What they said:
“As Planning Policy Portfolio holder I found it most helpful to have views expressed by a panel of experts who were able to give a fair and objective analysis of the proposals.”
“Questions asked by the panel were in depth and raised some interesting, informative and useful points.”
“The fact that the panel is drawn from across the region enhances the process as they bring additional experience to the process as they have a wider context of experience.”
“We all tend to focus on small elements of design whereas the panel looked at the overall scheme and its design merits.”
(Various Design Review Presenters, Evaluation Report, Opun 2006) |
Future possibilities:
Opun are seeking to recruit additional panel members with expertise in specific areas such as housing, and work with the Housing Corporation to address topical regional issues. A longer term aim is to increase the number of sessions, hold more desktop reviews and smaller scale design surgeries for design teams in relation to specific sectors or schemes such as the Lottery funded ‘Living Landmarks’ initiative. Evidence of the impact of the review process on design practice will be evaluated and collated so as to share lessons learnt. |
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Photos: Chris Webb Copyright: Opun |
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Themes
regeneration
design quality and innovation
planning
sustainable communities and place making
young people and communities
climate change
housing |
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