This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Better building design for a better Scotland
01/12/2000
The long term aim of the Scottish Executive's policies on both architecture and planning is to improve the quality of our built environment at all levels, Deputy Minister for Sport and Culture Allan Wilson said today.
Mr Wilson was addressing a Scottish Homes Seminar in Edinburgh on the subject of 'Delivering Housing Quality'. He said:
"All our buildings are important. Not just because of their cultural and economic value, but also because they are the means by which we deliver many social policy objectives.
"Housing is particularly important because it forms the context in which communities can grow and flourish. But sadly - as we all know - we have in Scotland too many examples of housing that is poorly designed and built and which makes little positive contribution to the lives of its occupants and the community. We must learn from our past mistakes.
"But housing is important for practical as well as social and economic reasons. The extreme weather conditions we have faced recently has focussed minds on the need for sustainable housing design - not just improving levels of insulation and reducing energy consumption, but building houses of a lasting quality which do not need frequent repair and upgrading.
"Good housing design from a sustainable perspective should be able not only to minimise energy consumption but also make use of renewable, low-energy or local materials, that take proper account of life-cycle costs and help minimise waste and pollution.
"Using better quality materials may initially be more expensive but, over a building's lifecycle, should bring considerable benefits through the need for less maintenance or replacement. Sustainability and quality agendas should not, therefore, conflict with our aspirations to make effective and efficient use of our financial resources."
He continued:
"Good design is, of course, central to what we are trying to achieve in our initiative on architecture. But design and design quality are often seen as difficult areas for discussion. It is easy for consideration of design to become marginalised and for attention to focus solely on technical issues and issues of procurement practice.
"Good building design is not achieved simply by the efficient assembly of technically sound products or by sound management practice on its own. What constitutes good design must necessarily remain a matter for discussion, criticism and constant re-appraisal.
"But good design is central to the process of building. It is not an option but a necessary and unavoidable consequence of the decision to build something. We should not be constructing a series of individual units, but be trying to create places where people positively want to be and which provide the basis for the growth of genuine communities.
"There is no single or quick way to tackle the issue of good design. It is my intention to work closely with colleagues to ensure that the Executive plays its part in encouraging higher standards of design. In the planning field, the publication last week of the new NPPG 1- The Planning System- demonstrated Sam Galbraith's commitment to achieving higher quality development.
"We need to remind ourselves now and again of the fundamental purpose of building in general and housing in particular. It is to do with meeting human needs. If we lose sight of this, then we may be in danger of losing sight of the very real and lasting benefits that good, considered, building design can bring."
News Release: SE3102/2000
1 Dec 2000