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VIEWS


ASK THE ARCHITECT


Lee McLaughlin, partner at FaulknerBrowns Architects, answers ADF’s questions on what makes him tick, design approaches, and current and future issues


WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST SATISFYING PROJECT YOU WORKED ON?


Our Hebburn Central project was particularly pleasing in many respects – notably that we achieved something outstanding, having been appointed from day one to a contractor client. A lot of people in the industry bemoan the challenges of design and build and so forth, but that project made a significant contribution to the industry and its community – it was visited by the Stirling Prize judging panel but was unsuccessful – next time perhaps.


HOW FAR DO YOU GET INVOLVED WITH DEVELOPMENTS IN MATERIALS AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE RECENT EXAMPLE? We take inspiration from precise construction detailing and material technology, and we push this on most of our projects, no matter how primitive the product we are looking at. Take stone for


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example, and the staircase Foster + Partners designed for Apple at Orchard Road in Singapore. A thesis in craftsmanship, precision and materiality.


ARE YOU ABLE TO TAKE AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH WITH MATERIALS ON PROJECTS? We are constantly searching for new materials, systems and processes by which to deliver architecture. Taking a reductive position on design seems even more relevant today in our busy lives. Simplicity and rationale are key.


Emphasising clean lines and designing for manufacture and assembly are paramount for us and we put a lot of research and development to test on Hebburn Central. We worked closely with steel fabricators to optimise the material cuts to avoid waste and meet fairly optimistic commercial targets, the architecture has an expressive respect for the structural capability of its frame and its materials. We created an entirely bespoke envelope system composed of large format weathered steel, aluminium and glass – it needed to have a monolithic industrial character that was focused on proportions and off-the shelf lightweight systems weren’t right.


IS THERE A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORKING WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CLIENTS IN GENERAL? In general, no, they are the same. It’s all about inspiring the individuals involved and taking them on the journey.


DO YOU PREFER MASTERPLANNING OR DOING THE FINE DETAILING? They are inextricably linked. A masterplan is just as applicable to the design of a cup as it is to the regeneration of a new quarter in a city. You can’t set a grand vision and then walk away and leave it to others. It’s all about commitment. The best architects understand the impact of their lines, their sketches at every scale, be that the city or how a piece of stone turns a corner. As T.S. Eliot said, “Between the idea and the reality…falls the shadow”. There is a great difference too between what one dreams up and what actually comes to pass in reality. A masterplan and fine detailing are absolutely linked.


© Hufton+Crow


IS BIM MORE OF A MONEY-SAVING TOOL THAN A BOON FOR THE DESIGN PROCESS? It’s powerful at the right stage and I have been lucky enough to work with


ADF NOVEMBER 2018 WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK


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