Looking Good

‘Design makes something look good but it’s engineering that makes it work’ says Richard Carter from London in his letter to The Guardian (Friday 8 May 2009). This would be news to engineers from Thomas Telford to Santiago Calatrava and to architects from Robert Adam to Frank Gehry.

This cuts to the core of why, to most people, the very mention of Design can seem like an extravagance. The only way to change this misconception is to meet the challenge head on; by designing our collective hearts out, in a way which makes a real impact on people’s lives by giving them beautiful places that work well.

Design is a way of looking at life with the belief that things can be made better by the way in which you shape the physical environment. I’m an architect, and I’m not embarrassed if a building looks good, and neither are engineers.

It’s not a choice, Richard Carter from London, that’s what real Design is all about.