battles won

evening standard 12/12/11

last year burlington arcade, which runs from piccadilly through to burlington gardens, was bought by ‘property investors’. they commissioned ‘fashion’s favourite architect’, the american, peter marino to transform it.

here is what he has to say about his practice”

“a house is like a person. first you notice the overall size and scale, then the exterior and, finally the personality therein. if a design is schizophrenic and there’s a disconnect between the architecture and the interior, it’s usually unpleasant. If it’s harmonious, it’s a very pleasant place to be….my approach to a building, to an interior, to a piece of furniture, to a water glass, is always the same.”
http://www.architecturaldigest.com

despite such purity of working methods, mr. marino’s ideas fell foul of westminster council who demanded that there would not be “any changes that would ruin the character of the…arcade.”

film director michael winner, (whose family is rumoured to own/have owned shepherds bush market) called the plans a “disgraceful mutilation” and “typical of how beautiful areas of london are going to be vandalised.”

hear hear mr.winner

another of the councillors, glenys roberts said:

“it would be a terrible shame to sanitise such a site”

the arcade was opened in 1819, it is the forerunner of the modern shopping centre. It is certainly of more architectural interest than shepherds bush market, and being in the west end presumably benefits from the crowds of shoppers who grace it’s doors, but you can’t buy a yam or bread fruit in burlington arcade…….