You are quite right Lucy to support change but that was not the issue with the Capsticks building. The objections were mainly related to the height and bulk of the proposed redevelopment and not the principle of redevelopment per se.
Incidentally, there are hundreds of office blocks in London and many thousands throughout the UK that do not meet modern standards. Their demise is mainly because of the introduction of heat producing office equipment. By using modern design techniques that incorporate natural ventilation principals, typical costs are 10-30% less than incorporating traditional A/C. The modern office block does not need the same large floor to ceiling heights associated with the necessity to accommodate traditional ductwork. The heat loads resulting from use of modern, more efficient equipment also reduces that need. For example, the energy use for the new parliamentary building is 25% less than that of typical prestige inner city air-conditioned offices. The "Gherkin" is another example of the use of good design principals and there are many others. Personally, I would love to see a good quality building there but not a utility type development designed solely to maximise developers returns regardless of residents amenity. |