General Developments

My eyes!! My eyes!!!

http://planning.cardiff.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=_CARDIFF_DCAPR_118077
I can't see this one going ahead,

Again with the portacabin architecture! To think people actually get paid to design these things. This one is bad by even those standards!

Well, I think that answers my questions. Unfortunately.

a sympathetic increase in height keeping with the historic nature of the area

I thought you were taking the piss and had knocked that one up yourself.

http://planning.cardiff.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=_CARDIFF_DCAPR_118077
I can't see this one going ahead,

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What utter sh*te!

Oh that really is awful. I saw the story with obligatory quote from the Victorian Society, thinking they were probably just having another whinge. But that is just shocking.

Now, we have to admit that what is there is already pretty poor. Where the garage extension is planned is currently a pretty piss poor garage extension. But this doesn't really improve much on that extension. And plonking that ugly extra floor on top makes the building actually look worse.

If you are going to marry an old building with a new extension you either need to make the new one properly fit in with the old one, using same materials, same style, etc. Or you need to use very high quality modern materials (probably a lot of glass) and contrast old and new. You can't stick a bog standard modern extension on an old building as here.

UGLY!

When I look at that monstrosity I am always amazed how few architects are blessed with any aesthetic taste whatsoever - and that also goes for their clients too.

It's interesting that originally buildings were all designed by artists or even mathematicians or architects with taste until the latter part of the 20th century and the 21st century where no one with any artistic feeling actually is involved with buildings.

When I look at that monstrosity I am always amazed how few architects are blessed with any aesthetic taste whatsoever - and that also goes for their clients too.

It's interesting that originally buildings were all designed by artists or even mathematicians or architects with taste until the latter part of the 20th century and the 21st century where no one with any artistic feeling actually is involved with buildings.

The seven years spent studying and training certainly doesn't show in most modern developments...

Maybe the excessively long training period is the reason for the lack of decent architects in the UK. In today's society it's all about getting started as quickly as possible, probably leading to many prospective architects turning to design and engineering instead. This was partly the case for me!

And I bet no objections are received. If everyone who has concerns made comment or objection, the council might feel under more pressure to refuse or seek to improve this scheme, regardless of specialists who may be involved (conservation etc).

I haven't been passed this for a long while so don't know how bad the building actually is. What will happen if the site isn't fully optimised by extending it and will they come back with a scheme to redevelop it in its entiret if they are refused permission?..