Newsflash - Government to Save Canongate Buildings?

A bit of a catch up here in the republic....so many things to do...what with baking, chutney making, funfairs, santa and reindeers, woolies closing tears..its all go

So we could hardly believe our eyes when we read Linda Fabiani MSP, minister for Europe, external affairs and culture saying this in yesterday`s Scotsman in an opinion piece entitled Saving Our Heritage gosh maybe they have been listening to us mere mortals. see Caltongate Greenwash

We are also coming to realise just how important our traditional buildings are in reducing Scotland's carbon footprint. Keeping older buildings in use is very resource efficient.

The energy used by the people living or working in a building throughout its lifetime is a fraction of the energy used in its construction.



Many leading Scottish architects have drawn inspiration from past heritage. Castlemilk Stables Restoration in Glasgow, which was a joint winner of this year's RIAS Doolan Award, is, for instance, an excellent example of a contemporary design approach to adapting historic buildings for present-day community use.



In the Guardian earlier this week One of Prince Charles's allies in his battle against modern architecture has attacked the "disappointing to dismal" design of British postwar towns.

Sparking anger among architects, Andres Duany flew in from America and yesterday unveiled a 64-point litany of mistakes made by British architects and planners over the last 50 years.

He accused architects of being "infantile" in pursuing ego-driven visions and said they were "heedless of technical and social dysfunction and widespread lack of popularity" caused by their designs.


He called on architects and planners to step aside and allow a new generation of amateurs to lead development in the 21st century.


"Only architecture, confusing itself with fashion as a platform for cultural expression, continues to be avant garde, heedless of its cost overruns, social and technical dysfunction and widespread lack of popularity."

Some of Duany`s What not to do list

• Avoid fashionable architecture - buildings that are obsessively of our time will be out of date too soon



• Civic buildings should be grand and private buildings should recede into the background





• Avoid many buildings by one designer - diversity is the hallmark of a great place

The Caltongate Greenwash

Reasons for Public Inquiry Letter from Jim Johnson. Below is one of the reasons -

"The government’s commitment to a more sustainable future for Scotland (eg. by cutting carbon emissions) and the City’s aspirations to become an exemplar for sustainable city life, are both undermined by the Caltongate proposals.

As presented the scheme is very far from an example of sustainable “best practice” despite the claims in the developer’s Sustainability Appraisal, which is no more than a “green wash” over the design (I submitted a detailed critique of this appraisal to the Council dated 7 May 2006). I can only conclude that the planning department lack the resources (or time) to analyse the veracity of the submitted proposals."

Canadian architect Martin Liefhebber on Youtube talks about how we now think twice even about throwing a coffee cup away, yet buildings like these here in Edinburgh are to be tossed in landfill and replaced by tons of carbon dioxide producing concrete and glass ...so much for Caltongate being a sustainable development eh?

And it looks like Mountgrange wants to help spread SOOT all over the Auld Reekie once again, by having real fires in the exclusive rooms, so much for their green washing of it all with their underground heating source system paid by the British Taxpayer awarded by Alastair Darling.....(the social housing will not be served by it of course, now don`t be silly)

Now when did coal become clean and cool again?

They think that we don`t know that it is environmentally damaging to knock down sound stone buildings (emodied energy) and replace them with lumps of concrete and glass.....but hey, if they mention the words sustainability, underground source heating, Department of Trade and Industry giving grants, then tee hee we will be fooled.

"Chande told Property Week: ‘The upper floors will have the “wow factor”, with stunning views over the Old Town and Calton Hill from the presidential suite. There are real chimneys, so guests can enjoy proper fires in their rooms. " Article