The Rubble Club, the organisation for architects who have had a building demolished in their own lifetime, is on the brink of announcing its first annual award to commemorate The Best Demolished Building.
The shortlist for the awards includes a wide range of schemes from brutalist mega structures like Portsmouth’s Tricorn Centre, Gateshead’s ‘Get Carter’ carpark to James May’s Lego house.
Rubble Club founder Gordon Young, said: “The Rubble Club aims to draw attention to the fact that too many good buildings are simply torn down. For example the Tricorn was largely replaced by an open air car park; what is the point of that?
Re-use of current buildings is nearly almost always more sustainable than resorting to demolition. But of course the other point is to provide a self-help group for recently bereaved architects. Schemes can take years to get from inception to completion and seeing one demolished is a major blow for them.
However, with architects living longer, and buildings increasingly becoming part of a throw away culture, more are seeing their creations being reduced to rubble. Often it is only when a building is demolished that we are jolted into opening our eyes to fully appreciate what has been lost.”
The results of the first Rubble Club prize will be announced at the Roses Design Awards in Nottingham on October 23rd. In the meantime, the public can vote for the best demolished building at www.rubbleclub.com
http://planningblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/vote-in-the-rubble-club-awards
