This week has been a notably anti-developer week, a nasty bump in the world of property development. Not for quite some time have property developers and property financiers been held up for so much scorn, hatred, and public derision. Is it all deserved? You be the judge. Firstly, local property developer Lance James has been sent to jail for 8 2 years – yes, EIGHT TWO…
Fish
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Philip
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Unfortunately, yesterday’s lecture by Charles Renfro sold out relatively fast, so for those who were unable to make it, here is a link to a presentation given by him in support of a recent competition entry. Renfro was much more engaging and entertaining last night, but his presentation to the University of Melbourne covers most of what came up in yesterdays lecture, as well as a few extra projects. .
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Maximus
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The Maranui is being slowly rebuilt, but the Lyall Bay saga goes on. Last week Wellingtonians were given a preview of the proposed new Lyall Bay clubhouse, that has now had to incorporate additional changing rooms and toilets for the public. It sounds like they were not too happy with the prospect unveiled. It is a very similar offering to Archaus’ previous design, which was also…
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Maximus
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There was a time, before my time, when Architecture would get involved with politics. When to be a Modern Architect, meant that you ascribed to certain political beliefs as well as architectural ones, instead of just designing cute looking buildings in a fairly squarish sort of style. That view has pretty much gone now, although there are the odd spot of political posturing by those involved…
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Maximus
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Aah well, sounds like no one quite fell for it yesterday – the prospect must have been just too outrageous. Although: weirder things have happened. Like what, I hear you ask? Well, like the National government passing legislation in one day to abolish a democratically elected environment board. I mean, isn’t that just the littlest bit anti-democratic? Just the teensiest bit like what fascists dictators do,…
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Maximus
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The folk here at the Fish have been following the reshuffling down at the City Council with interest, as they restructure the Urban Strategy Group yet again and find new positions for expired urban designers and heritage advisors. We’re given to understand that this morning they will be announcing the addition of a new position to the team, in the form of a new City Architect….
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Maximus
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A little segue to Auckland here, to feature a building sent in by one of our Auckland readers, Chris. If anyone can shed any light on who designed this building, we’d be interested to know. The building has recently been demolished for, as our contributor puts it, “some sad ass developers wet dream.” I’m not sure what the developer is planning to replace it with, but,…
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Maximus
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The horror that is this Leaky Building Syndrome continues to grow, and it is a disaster of epic proportions, no doubt about that. There seems to be a fair bit of sticking heads in the sand and hoping it will all go away, or that someone else will pay for it. Having been confined mainly to the Auckland Councils previously, as noted in our previous post,…
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Maximus
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In a slight digression from the normal focus of this blog, the following is an all out rant about advertising on TV – or the appalling bad nature of most of it. Is there anything that can be done? Is there any way that advertisers can be strung up and publicly garroted until they stop producing such rubbish? Let me see if I have got this…
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Maximus
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Well fiddle-dee-dee, potatoes, it’s St Paddies day and time for a wee post on the latest Oirchitecture from Oireland, to be sure, to be sure…. I’m bemused and befuddled every St Patrick’s Day, as I may have said before – as a country we don’t have that much connection to Ireland, being mainly descended form English, Scottish, and Polynesian bloodlines: and yet we go fairly hard…