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Articles by Kunle Barker
Scaling up council housing would give us a more equal Britain
In 1912, an Italian statistician transformed how we measure inequality. Corrado Gini was hardly a mathematical prodigy as a young boy, but at just 28 years old, the work he published became the Gini coefficient. The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale between zero and one. Zero represents complete equality and one complete inequality. Today, the UK’s Gini coefficient is 0.33. In the 1970s it was 0.26, when Britain was at its most equal.
The Generation Debt report worries me. Is London dying?
I was chatting to my eldest daughter recently about university and resisted the temptation to admit that my own choices had very little to do with academic rigour. I initially set my sights on studying engineering at the now-defunct UMIST in Manchester, but in the early ’90s it wasn’t the course content that drew me – it was the city’s legendary music scene and, of course, the Haçienda. In the end, I went to Leeds, and for much the same reason.
Why Sheffield’s Park Hill estate is a model for our times
After the Second World War, the country was shattered. Cities were bombed out, infrastructure crumbling, and housing – already poor – was now in crisis. Many lived in Victorian slums, lacking space, light, heating or indoor plumbing. But there was something else in the air, too. There was a real fear among Britain’s ruling class that revolution could happen here. Churchill ominously warned that the kind of upheaval seen in Bolshevik Russia wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility in post-war Britain.
Want to remain viable as an architect? You must act now
Just after graduating from university, I set up a youth PR company. One of our first big opportunities came when we were asked to pitch to Whitbread Brewery, which was about to launch what turned out to be the first in a long line of alcopops. The drink was called Hooch. We poured everything into the pitch, convinced our bold, clever ideas would win them over. The meeting went well, but they didn’t hire us.
‘Seven years of architectural training must be rewarded’
Everyone in this profession knows the grind: the long debt and the long road to qualification. It’s a journey that demands stamina and resilience – the kind of effort that should, by all rights, lead to a career. But, in today’s job market, the heartbreaking truth is this: even after seven years of study and training, many newly qualified architects are struggling to find work. What should be the start of a thriving career is, for too many, beginning to look like a dead end.
It’s time to weaponise nature - and start using it as the valuable tool it truly is
Despite the recent dissolution of the government’s arm’s length Office for Place, placemaking remains central to development. The space between buildings and homes doesn’t just connect places; it defines them. It’s where life happens, where communities grow and where real value is created. This thinking is well accepted and yet we often overlook one of the most powerful tools for placemaking and, indeed for tackling the housing crisis – nature.
Waiting 100 years for a home isn’t a housing crisis, it’s a moral collapse
I didn’t grow up in social housing. My childhood was spent in an architecturally unremarkable housing development in a picture-postcard Bedfordshire village. My understanding of council homes was, if I’m honest, limited and filtered through stereotypes. It wasn’t until I started working in the built environment that I began to grasp what social housing really meant: not just shelter but something that could fundamentally change lives. One early project with CityWest Homes underlined that.
Why architects who want to succeed must focus on finance
I don’t recall where I first heard the phrase ‘the elephant in the room’. It’s a curious and slightly ridiculous phrase – how could an elephant fit into a room, let alone be ignored? However, as I reflect on my life, there have been several occasions when I have indeed ignored the elephant in the room. At 18, it was clear to me – and everyone else – that I wasn’t working hard enough for my A-levels. I ignored the elephant in the room and received the results I deserved.
How the Dickens are we going to fix the housing crisis?
At a dinner party just before Christmas, a friend remarked that it was odd that, as a species, we have chosen the ‘rather arbitrary marker’ of New Year to reflect on our lives. I accepted that no celestial events marked the New Year but disagreed that it was entirely arbitrary. We agreed to disagree, lest the red wine turned our debate into an argument. New Year offers an ideal moment for reflection; and this year my thoughts turned to housing.
Why closing the Office for Place might not be a step back for placemaking
This week, Minister for Housing Matthew Pennycook announced the closure of the Office for Place. Launched in 2021, the Office for Place shifted the housing debate away from bricks and mortar, pounds and pence, to focus on places and people, I, for one, welcomed this. The 2022 announcement that it would become an arm’s length body was even bolder.
The Stirling Prize highlights good architecture - that’s its raison d’etre
I still remember the exact moment I was asked to host the Stirling Prize. I was at an industry event, holding a glass of rosé, when the offer came through. It was completely unexpected. I hadn’t had any prior conversations about hosting the awards, nor had I even secretly hoped for the role – mainly because I never considered myself in contention. Yet, as soon as the invitation came, I felt a mix of excitement and disbelief.
Why on earth isn’t the government engaging with architects on retrofit?
Last week, I was on stage at Grand Designs Live with presenter Kevin McCloud, sustainability experts, architects and other thought leaders. One of the main topics was how we retrofit homes to make them warmer, more comfortable, higher quality and, of course, more sustainable. The conversation was positive and optimistic about our chances. We discussed ways to tackle the macro problem of retrofitting the 25 million-plus homes that already exist just in England.
If you want to win work and innovate, get networking
I’ve always believed in the power of networking, although it hasn’t always come easy to me. I have had to work at it. In the past it was not unusual to find me awkwardly sipping coffee in the corner of a room, pretending to deliberate over whether to choose a croissant or pain au raisin. In reality, I was wrestling with the discomfort of mingling among strangers, trying to work out whom I should approach and secretly hoping that someone would introduce themselves to me.
Where the 15-Minute City model falls short
Last year, our family moved to Granada in Spain. As an urban planner, for me, moving was not just a personal decision but also a professional experiment. Fulfilling a long-held dream to immerse ourselves in Spanish culture before my children started secondary school, the move has yielded surprising insights.
Natural service, not national service, is what Britain needs
Election times are peculiar. We are bombarded with hype, promises of change, decisive leadership and the hope that we will be listened to. Yet, too often, these hopes are dashed, crumpled on the floor like spoiled ballot papers and spent pencils before the election night is even over. Despite numerous cycles of disappointment, I still cling to a glimmer of hope.
Fallen out of love with your home? Kunle Barker reignited the romance renovating on a £15k budget
I was sitting in an airport lounge on my way to the South of France with my wife. Over a Pret salad, we realised we were no longer in love…with our home. We bought our house 12 years ago, and it holds fond memories; it’s where we started our family and created our first home. I proposed to my wife among the rubble of our half-built loft; our children took their first steps in our kitchen. We love it, we just weren’t in love with it any more. The rigours of time have left their marks.
Fallen Out Of Love With Your Home? Kunle Barker Reignited The Romance Renovating On A £15k Budget - Evening Standard
I was sitting in an airport lounge on my way to the South of France with my wife. Over a Pret salad, we realised we were no longer in love…with our home. We bought our house 12 years ago, and it holds fond memories; it’s where we started our family and created our first home. I proposed to my wife among the rubble of our half-built loft; our children took their first steps in our kitchen. We love it, we just weren’t in love with it any more. The rigours of time have left their marks.
This is the year to get political and make the case for what you believe in
Having barely emerged from the tumult of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK’s political framework and resolve have been tested to their limits in recent months. As a beleaguered Tory administration prepares for what must be an election year, with polls suggesting a Labour victory of over 40 per cent of the vote, it appears that the nation may continue to grapple with the absence of long-term, strategic governance, especially in areas such as housing and the environment.
Opinion: Let’s do away with sustainability categories in architecture awards
For years it has been my privilege to be part of numerous architecture judging panels and events. I have criss-crossed the country, evaluating some of the country’s best examples of architecture. My fellow judges have been some of the most important voices in the industry, and our conversations over long train journeys have been entertaining, enthralling and (I’m not too proud to admit) an education.
Architects must embrace AI and harness its power
The importance of the profession has never been more evident. More ambitious buildings are springing up worldwide. Our expectations of what the built environment should provide have evolved. As well as being aesthetically pleasing and functional, our buildings should be sustainable and encourage us to live healthier, happier and more gratifying lives. This change has reinforced the importance of good architecture and the need for good architects.
Practices need to be bolder about promoting diversity and inclusion
Earlier this year I was honoured to be invited to speak at the University of Cambridge Architecture Society’s (ArcSoc) annual BAME Creative Conversations event. Travelling to Cambridge, I was nervous as I contemplated what insight I, as a non-architect, could share with some of the brightest architectural minds in the land.
Building on the green belt will not solve the housing crisis
I grew up in a small village called Toddington, surrounded by fields and beautiful countryside. It was a small place, once famed for having the most pubs per head of any village in the United Kingdom. One pub, the Angel, was frequented by the poet William Blake, while another, the Sow & Pigs, boasted broadcaster Kevin McCloud as one of its bartenders.
Opinion: Sometimes making redundancies is the only way to save your practice
Ten years ago, I ran an SME subcontracting business. I had set it up as an offshoot of a development business I had started with some old friends, and a few years later, things were going well. We won High Growth Business of the Year and Employer of the Year at the Inaugural Camden Business Awards. Business was booming; we were winning some big contracts and consulted with Camden Council on restructuring their procurement strategy so that smaller businesses could be part of their framework.
We are about to break the 1.5°C limit, but could we get energy from this untapped source?
An article in the Economist last year entitled, ‘Say goodbye to 1.5°C’ made for depressing reading. It claimed we had already lost one of the critical battles in the climate war. The article suggested that we stood little chance of restricting the world’s post-industrial temperature rise to 1.5°C. The only way I could process this news was to ignore it. I convinced myself we were still on target and that the messaging was helpful as it would chivvy us all into focusing on hitting the 1.5°C target.
Who made you sheriff of Ethics Town?
Is it possible to separate corporate, personal and political ethics? Indeed, are they even different things? After all, ethics are ethics, aren’t they? As a society, we now expect much more from our corporations, our government and from each other. We question and examine ethics in every guise, which is undoubtedly good.
The government has abandoned the provision of affordable housing
It was an overcast and sticky August afternoon as I made my way through Lambeth Town Hall for another pre-application meeting. I had spent the previous week, supposedly on holiday in Brighton, pulling together reports, surveys, opinions, plans and sketches from our stable of over 20 consultants. I was the project lead on a £55 million multiuse scheme in Lambeth and the project was entering a crucial stage – hence my family’s reluctant permission for me to spend most of our holiday working.
Cut energy bills and save water: bathroom and utility room upgrades that will reduce your energy costs
In many homes, water is heated to a temperature that’s too hot to use so it is cooled with cold water, and this is a waste of energy. Turning down the temperature of your boiler will mean this won’t be necessary and will use less energy for showering, washing up, and even washing your hands. When considering options to cut energy use in your home, anything with a heating element is an excellent place to start and limiting the usage of these appliances will make a big difference to your bills.
Long hours and overwork are testing architects to destruction
Architecture is a vocation that demands the best from its proponents, and rightly so. We need our architects to be the very best. Even relatively small design interactions with our cities and towns can affect our lives, and the quality of the architecture determines whether these interactions are positive or negative.
Don’t leave succession planning until it’s too late
Practices may be reluctant to take up valuable resources planning for succession. Yet few things are more important business-wise, argues Kunle Barker Enjoyed your complimentary access to the AJ? Register to read a limited number of free articles Keep reading - subscribe today A subscription to the AJ includes: Every issue of the AJ Every issue of AJ Specification Unlimited access to AJ articles online Daily newsletter and competition updates Access to the AJ Buildings Library
Honest debate is the best route to successfully retrofitting our buildings
It is no secret that, to win the climate war, we must first win the battle to retrofit the UK’s existing housing stock. No matter how sustainable new buildings are, the country has little hope of reaching net zero if we cannot figure out how to retrofit our existing buildings. We all know we can’t build, offset or sequester our way to net zero, so the retrofit problem is one that we must all endeavour to solve.
Let’s not play the blame game with the Stirling Prize shortlist
For longer than I care to remember, I have been vocal about my hatred of greenwashing by commercial powerbrokers who hijack a very real issue to benefit their egos and, even worse, profits. I dislike the environmental and climate change rhetoric spouted by the unscrupulous to fool us (lesser-witted mortals) into thinking that they care more about the climate crisis than their deeds suggest.
EU procurement rules have clobbered Irish architecture
Ireland in the late 80s and early 90s was a quiet seething poverty-stricken half-baked country. It was rife with young underemployed design practices and a handful of well-positioned state-appointed architects. Competitions, teaching and research were the mainstay of a young architect’s passage out of obscurity and poverty. And it was real poverty. The higher up the food chain you wanted to go, the less you earned en route.
Voter apathy is the enemy of change at the RIBA
Earlier this year, I learned a new word: hegemony – it refers to the leadership or dominance of one social group over others. As a concept, I find it fascinating as, unlike other dominating power structures, hegemony requires a degree of consent from the subordinate group. The implication is that we may not even be aware that we exist in a hegemonic social structure. To quote a line from one of my favourite films, ‘the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist’.
Why I don’t speak to white architects about race
On a recent flight, I began a conversation with an architect sitting next to me. He had read one of my AJ columns and asked what the difference between diversity and inclusion was. In answer, I quoted Richard Thompson, chairman of Surrey County Cricket Club: ‘Diversity is a reality. Inclusion is an option.’ To put this into an architectural context, I explained that there are black architects but just not enough of them in big practices nor in senior positions.
Carbon offsetting is becoming an excuse to build huge concrete buildings
It has been six months since COP26 in Glasgow and six months since I drove back down the M74 & M6 in my electric car with a warm fuzzy feeling that we would save the world. Since that bright November morning, much has changed: an unconscionable war in Ukraine, the end of pandemic restrictions, and an escalating fuel and cost of living crisis. In their own peculiar way, all of these issues have further underlined the grave topics discussed at the conference.
Give smaller practices a fighting chance to show their talent in competitions
I was recently lucky enough to be part of the judging panel for the Treehouses at Kew design competition. I sit on many judging panels, but this was the first architectural competition I have judged. I was astonished by the quality of the entrants’ submissions, the conscientious ways in which the brief had been interpreted and the precision and professionalism with which their creative vision had been executed.
Why has the government declared war on the creative industries?
Even considering the gravity of recent events (Partygate, the pandemic and the Ukrainian crisis), the government’s recent announcement on university entrance criteria and funding was, for me, one of the most worrying things to come out of Whitehall in recent weeks. As a father of two young daughters (eight and five), I spend a lot of time discussing the benefits of education, the importance of understanding and the self-empowering joy of knowledge.
Our planning system is over-complex and under-funded
Underfunded, understaffed, archaic and not fit for purpose, the country’s planning system is broken and we have to try and fix it. It is no exaggeration to say that most people reading this column will have examples of when the planning system failed them. In my role as a developer, I am involved in a prolonged, protracted and horrendously expensive planning application for a 142-room hotel in London.
‘Let’s make 2022 a year of action’
As the curtain fell on 2021, I felt much had been accomplished in our industry over the past 12 months. However, once the new year celebrations had subsided, I felt differently; in fact, a more circumspect review of the years events left me feeling that there was still much for us to do. How much change did we actually make in 2021? What should we seek to improve in 2022? and how should we do it? If we resolve to make the industry better, where should we start?
Blame the game, not the player - it’s the planning system that’s broken
It took nine hours to drive back from COP26 last month, so I had time to contemplate the climate emergency and the effect construction has on it. The rhetoric of COP26 conveyed change, togetherness and, dare I say it, hope. I felt good, not in a self-congratulatory way but because the passion to change the world was palpable and uplifting.
Architects can help avert climate disaster - kilogram by kilogram of CO2
With COP26 beginning in Glasgow at the end of the month, it is clear to me that the issues surrounding our environment are no longer the preserve of an enlightened few. Over breakfast, I listened with my young children to a speech by Greta Thunberg, made all the more poignant by the fact that the night before we had read a Little People, Big Dreams book on her fascinating journey.
Apprenticeships are vital to a strong profession
I have always believed that, while learning through academic study is valuable, learning through doing is very much invaluable. Over the years, I have championed apprenticeships not only as a tool to provide much-needed experience but as a way of offering routes and opportunities into industries that may otherwise have been closed to individuals. At its core, the concept of an apprenticeship is simply that one learns a skill or a trade through the pupillage of an experienced person.
We need to get back to the office to avoid a lost cohort of architectural talent
I believe that the silver lining of this pandemic has been the sudden acceptance of flexible working. Pre-pandemic, unbeknownst to most of us, we had drifted into the mistaken belief that staff worked best and most efficiently between the hours of 9am and 5pm and did so within the four walls of an office. Even the most ardent traditionalist must now accept that this simply is not true. Like all received wisdom, this belief had failed to move with the times or indeed technology.
Yoga won’t improve your staff’s mental wellbeing if they can’t pay the rent
Ten years ago at the contracting company I founded, a key member of staff began to have mental health problems. It seems strange now, but back then mental wellbeing was not as openly discussed in the workplace. Despite being a close team, we were all surprised to hear that our colleague and friend had been struggling for some time. We were a small company and so able to adapt and act quickly. We all supported our colleague as best we could both in and outside of the office.
Architects need to share sustainable best practice quickly
At school, I remember sitting in the sixth form club, debating the environmental issues of the day. Acid rain corroded buildings and polluted waterways. CFCs caused the ‘greenhouse effect’, melting the polar ice caps at an alarming rate. Now, while acid rain isn’t much mentioned any more, we are in the grips of a climate emergency. The dangers we face are (with notable exceptions) universally agreed upon.
If architects want to be paid more, they need to find ways to earn more
A few years ago, I was told a story by a prominent architect which even now seems somewhat unbelievable. The architect in question had been asked to carry out a design review for a sizeable multi-use scheme. It seemed like a couple of days’ work for a senior and junior architect, so a fee of a few thousand pounds was agreed. While reviewing the project, the architects identified a few design inefficiencies relating to the building’s core location and general circulation within the floor plans.
Brexit presents a rare opportunity to fix the broken procurement process
On the face of it, procurement frameworks seem like a good idea. They are transparent, inclusive and deliver value for money. Unfortunately, the reality of some of these frameworks can be quite the opposite. They are shrouded in a cloak of PPQ forms, and (as the Southwark debacle illustrates) are far from inclusive, with the result that BAME practices do not get a fair shout.
How do you show clients the value of architectural services?
It always surprises me when clients ask: ‘Why work with an architect?’ To me, it’s obvious; why wouldn't you choose to work with someone who is highly trained to deal specifically with the challenges you are about to encounter? The problem is that many clients understand architecture as a concept but do not understand what an architect actually does and so fail to appreciate the real value of their service.
Setting up your own architecture studio: the dos and don’ts that will get you through
All you really need to create good architecture is a pencil and a piece of paper. It’s a sentimental statement, but the sentiment is real nonetheless. I am, of course, aware that computers, offices, and Revit licences are also needed. However, the creative nature of architecture is liberating, fostering entrepreneurship, encouraging architects to pick up pencil and paper and set out on their own.
To win the war on diversity, we must win the battle of socio-economic inclusion
Architecture lacks ethnic and gender diversity, and there are not enough women or people of colour in top jobs. While architecture is attempting to address this unbalance, I think we would all agree with the uncomfortable truth: architecture is pale and male. But is there nother problem? Is architecture also too posh? We want architects who excel. We want the best people designing the best buildings – the elite. But this does not mean the profession should be elitist, an important distinction.
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