The Grenfell report fails to grasp the wider lessons of this tragedy by ignoring the warped procurement culture that encouraged so many awful decisions.
The lack of oversight, ownership and liability that the inquiry has exposed is of little surprise to those of us immersed in the everyday realities of construction
It is the perennial tragedy for architects that the public’s impression of their profession is often constrained to cliché; abstract notions of black polo-neck wearing elites with eccentric glasses, inhabitants of glass and steel edifices overlooking the Thames, or otherwise palatial modernist retreats in isolated countryside. There can be few occupations where such a perceptive chasm exists between its portrayal in the mass media and the day-to-day reality experienced by the large majority of its members.
To find an architect lamenting the erosion of the profession’s role within the construction process may elicit from many little more than crocodile tears or, to others, smack of a futile act of self-preservation when faced with challenging financial targets, shrinking capital budgets and the avoidance of risk. But while architects’ railing at the demotion […]
An article written for Icon magazine reflecting on the Grenfell fire, and the lessons we failed to learn from previous catastrophes.