EXPLORE ABERDEEN

Design campaign aims to put Aberdeen on international map

11/07/08

Councillors have given their backing to a major campaign to boost the quality of architectural design in the Granite City.

Aberdeen City Council is aiming to link up with academics, architects, arts organisations, the private sector and the Scottish Government to drive up standards - and gain international recognition for Aberdeen as a "City of Design".

Planning committee members today considered a report from head of planning and infrastructure Dr Margaret Bochel, which says citizens and professionals in the field should all be engaged in improving the look of the city.

Committee convener Scott Cassie described the campaign as "a very exciting initiative for the city of Aberdeen".

He told the committee: "One of the other exciting things, is we are going out to the communities and really involving them and getting them on board with the process. One of the challenges is going to the 37 neighbourhoods and having design weeks with them.

"I'm looking forward to being involved as much as I can in the coming years."

Dr Bochel says in her report that Aberdeen is poised to deliver extensive new housing developments and new places of work - and that the Draft Aberdeen City and Shire Structure Plan has already pinpointed top-quality design as a key goal.

Aberdeen, she writes, also aims to be the first local authority in Scotland to produce a "Policy on Architecture" to pick up on key themes in national design policy.

Dr Bochel adds that Aberdeen is already a world-leader in design in the fields of energy, software and medicine - and that the designs for new buildings in the city should be of a quality to match.

Her report states: "The development of a Design Campaign, in partnership with key stakeholders in the design community, is seen as a means to raise design quality aspirations, encourage and stimulate discussion, and involve communities in the future of the city as well as their local neighbourhoods.

"Design plays a key role in the perceived attractiveness of the city and quality of life, and therefore lends itself to attracting people and business."

Key campaign aims include

  • securing international status for Aberdeen as a "City of Design";
  • delivering award-winning, design-led projects;
  • stimulating greater public debate about and awareness of good design.

Informal talks have already been held between the city council and the Scottish Government's Architecture Policy Unit, Architecture + Design Scotland, Scotland's architecture and design centre The Lighthouse, Robert Gordon University's Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Gray's School of Art, the University of Aberdeen and Peacock Visual Arts.

Dr Bochel says: "It is vital that the private sector participates. With this in mind, it is expected that the local chapters of the Royal Town Planning Institute and Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland are engaged. Developers, other agencies and council partners will also be targeted for involvement.

"Replicating the typical suburban housing layouts of the past will not be an option. Leaving a lasting legacy for the future citizens of Aberdeen is a crucial aspect of new development. The Design Campaign will create the opportunity to enable the creation of sustainable new places of sufficient design quality that would merit conservation area status in the future."

The campaign could involve:

  • local events, exhibitions and workshops;
  • setting up a design review panel;
  • piloting new housing schemes in regeneration areas;
  • arts-based programmes to engage local communities and schools;
  • holding special Design Weeks in each of Aberdeen's 37 neighbourhoods;
  • establishing an international urban-design summer school with RGU's Design Faculty, modelled on  the Harvard University summer schools in the USA, with courses and programmes open to all;
  • inspiring the production of major new public artworks;
  • making the most of Aberdeen's medieval heart with better signing, illumination and a history trail;
  • investigating winning "world heritage site" status for Old Aberdeen;
  • involving housebuilders and housing associations in creating new homes of distinctive quality in design and layout.

Planning committee members approved a three-year design campaign, give planning officers the green light to work out how best to deliver it, and formally invite prospective partners to join in.

A follow-up report on progress will be presented to a future planning committee meeting.



If you have any queries regarding this, or any other news story, please contact Aberdeen City Council on: 01224 522000.