Prince of Wales criticizes Lord Rogers鈥 design for luxury housing development
The Prince of Wales has waded into the debate over Qatari Diar鈥檚 Chelsea Barracks scheme, branding Lord Rogers鈥 designs for the scheme 鈥渦nsuitable鈥 and 鈥渦nsympathetic鈥.
In a letter to the Emir of Qatar the prince expressed his dissatisfaction with the proposed plans for Chelsea Barracks, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) and Allford Hall Monaghan Morris. The prince is believed to prefer an alternative scheme by neo-classicist architect Quinlan Terry.
The heir to the throne has been known for his forthright views on modern architecture since his infamous speech in 1984, when he likened a proposed extension to the National Gallery to a 鈥渕onstrous carbuncle on the face of a much loved and elegant friend鈥.
The RIBA announced last week that the Prince would speak at the annual RIBA trust lecture for the first time. Some hoped that this would help heal the rift between the prince and the profession, but these latest revelations are unlikely to help matters.
Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners did not wish to comment on the prince鈥檚 remarks, but Project Blue (Guernsey), the joint venture between Qatari Diar and Christian Candy鈥檚 CPC Group, said it was not surprised at his intervention.
A spokesperson said: 鈥淲e have always been aware of the Prince of Wales鈥 public views on modern architecture and we have been expecting that he would favour a more traditional approach. While our submitted scheme is modern, we share the prince鈥檚 views on integrated sustainable developments and we are currently in dialogue with his representatives to explore whether we will able to establish a mutual accord. Meanwhile, we await the verdict of the Westminster council鈥檚 planning committee on the RSHP scheme.鈥
The development team submitted a scaled-back scheme for planning in February with new landscape design by Heatherwick Studio.
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