Scribblings

Palladian or Neo-Classical: What is the Difference?

Andrea Palladio was a sixteenth-century architect from Padua. He was a late Renaissance architect who lived in more stable and affluent times than his predecessors, and produced many beautiful villas based on the architecture of ancient Rome. The general characteristics are large porticos, often all four sides, and a huge domed central atrium. The arrangement was more for show than comfortable living. more>

Why are Modern Houses so Ugly?

The majority of one-off houses built these days could be described as, at least vaguely, classical. Their problem is that it’s easy to compare them with their cousins built two or three hundred years ago, and in 99% of examples the comparison is not flattering to the twenty-first century. more>

The Planning System and Sustainability

Sustainability should mean leaving the planet in a more attractive state than you found it. And this is where many ‘sustainable’; developments fail. more>

Are Party Wall Surveyors Fit for Purpose?

Comments by Sir George Jessel MR in 1878 are still causing much confusion for party wall surveyors. The website of every party wall surveyor gives fundamentally wrong advice because of his comments. more>