Design Council CABE director steps down


Dezeen Wire:
the Design Council in the UK is to appoint a new director for Design Council CABE following the announcement that Diane Haigh has left the post.

Haigh was formerly the Director of Design Review at CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) and played a key role in the merger with the Design Council earlier this year – see our previous story.

Here are some more details from the Design Council:


Design Council seeks new Director for Design Council Cabe as Diane Haigh steps down

Diane Haigh, the Director of Design Council Cabe has announced her departure. Diane was Director of Design Review at CABE from 2007 and joined the Design Council when the two organisations merged in April 2011. Over the last six months, she has supported the organisation through a period of change, including re-establishing national design reviews.

David Kester said: “Di Haigh has been a great asset to Design Council Cabe as an architect, thinker and leader of Design Review. I am very grateful to her for all her help bringing CABE into the Design Council.  We now open a new chapter and I look forward to appointing her successor.”

Diane Haigh said: “Over the last four years it has been a huge privilege to work with so many terrific people, firstly at CABE as Director of Design Review and latterly as Director of CABE at the Design Council. It has been a fascinating time for me, having been involved in discussions across a broad range of developments. I am most grateful for the commitment of all those who have engaged with us in making design reviews into real opportunities to strengthen scheme proposals.

Having now achieved the successful merger of the CABE team into the Design Council as one integrated organisation, it seems a good moment for me to move on to fresh challenges. New ways of working are called for to respond to the changing context and a new management team can now take the vision forward. I wish them well in continuing the vital contribution that Design Council Cabe can make to achieving sustainable well-designed development for communities across the country.”

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Design Council review recommends networked system of design support


Dezeen Wire:
a report commissioned by the Design Council has recommended a more localised approach to supporting design and architecture across England. 

The review examines the legacy of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), which merged with the Design Council earlier this year and suggest ways to create a national infrastructure delivering expert design advice where it’s needed and creating stronger links between industry and design.

The following information is from the Design Council:


England needs a networked system of design support, providing local people with access to built environment expertise and advice, according to the Bishop Review, published today.

Commissioned by the Design Council in April 2011, Peter Bishop undertook an extensive consultation, involving more than 450 representations via written submissions and roundtables held across the country. The Review was supported by an expert advisory group of industry leaders and organisations including the RIBA, RTPI, RICS, Landscape Institute, BPF, HBF, Architecture Centre Network and the Prince’s Foundation.

The Bishop Review is an independent report to the Design Council. It examines the legacy of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) in the context of the new planning system and economic and political context, and makes recommendations for a new ecosystem of design support in England.

Peter Bishop said: “The wide and thoughtful responses to the consultation on the review demonstrates that good design should be an essential element in the buildings and places we create. Good design though is about more than just the physical appearance of development. It needs to embrace social functionality, environmental performance and be capable of being delivered in a tough economic climate. If we are to leave a lasting legacy for future generations then all the major bodies and institutions need to come together on a shared agenda to build a national infrastructure where good design can flourish at all levels. In this respect the Design Council Cabe has a key strategic role as a facilitator, as a champion and as a principal advisor to Government.”

David Kester Chief Executive of the Design Council said: “At a time of great economic and policy change in the built environment this report provides the Design Council and its partners with a snapshot of the big design issues that we all face. Peter has made meaningful recommendations based on the significant amount of consultation he’s undertaken. Broadly we support the direction Peter has outlined. As you might imagine we have come a long way in formulating our own response to these issues, and I look forward to publicising our plans in more detail in the near future.”

Key issues that the Design Council will pursue that have arisen from the Bishop Review include:

Design Council Cabe must empower others to deliver good design. Rather than continuing with a centralised system of design support and Design Review services, the Design Council Cabe must work with and through its partners across the country to deliver expert advice to Local Authorities, Communities and Developers.

  • Design and Sustainable Development are intrinsically linked. Design is vitally important to economic recovery and community development. It is a key way of reconciling perceived tensions between localism, economic growth and environmental sustainability. There is a need for design to be championed, particularly at this transitional time in the planning reforms, and as part of a national design agenda.
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  • Communities are the new clients. While there are a number of organisations who offer support to communities, what is required are new models of engagement, clear advice, and a simple point of access to available support.
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  • Quality well-built homes are critical in delivering economic growth, but they must fit the local community and context. The quantum and quality of available housing is a significant concern. The UK requires more housing but it must be of good quality particularly where the public sector is making an investment either through land or finance. Design Council Cabe should work with the HCA, as well as commercial house-builders, to ensure that what is built is of good quality and embraced by neighbourhoods.
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  • Local Planning Authorities are pivotal, but need support to deliver reform. The reforms of the planning system will have a significant impact on the way plans are made and developments are taken forward. Local planning authorities will need to ensure that their plans are up to date and that local neighbourhoods are actively involved in place-making. All this is coming at a time when resources within many departments are over-stretched.
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  • Design Review must be decentralised and made more accessible to local people. The system of providing Design Review needs to be refreshed to be more responsive to developers and relevant to communities. In part this can be accomplished by the delivery of Design Review closer to the development site. London alone lacks a subnational Design Review panel. This should be rectified, with Design Council Cabe taking responsibility for delivering Design Review in London. In the absence of core funding for Design Review, it should be paid for through planning fees as it can help bring confidence and certainty to developers and local authorities.

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Design Council announces new Board of Trustees


Dezeen Wire:
the Design Council in the UK have announced a new Board of Trustees, following their merger with CABE in April.

Here are some more details from the Design Council:


Design Council announces new Board of Trustees

The Design Council has announced the appointment of its new Board of Trustees
including influential thinkers and globally respected names from the worlds of design, business, the built environment, arts and education.

The full list of trustees follows.

Chair of the Trust Board: Martin Temple, CBE, businessman and Chairman of the Engineering Employers Federation.

Deputy Chair and Chair of Design Council CABE: Paul Finch, design writer, critic and Director of the International Architecture Festival

Trustees in alphabetical order:

  • Pam Alexander, Chief Executive of SEEDA and ex-Chair of the Peabody Trust
  • Rab Bennetts OBE, architect, Board member of the UK Green Building Council
  • Sandeep Dwesar, COO and CFO of the Barbican Centre, Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the London Symphony Orchestra
  • Jim Eyre, Architect and former President of the Architecture Association
  • Wayne Hemingway MBE, designer, commentator and broadcaster
  • Sir Mark Jones, outgoing Director of the V&A and Master of St Cross College Oxford.
  • Deborah Meaden, businesswoman, and panel member of ‘Dragons’ Den’
  • Marek Reichman, Design Director of Aston Martin
  • Simon Waterfall, award-winning and globally recognised digital designer
  • Peter Williams, businessman and ex-CEO of Selfridges

The appointments are part of the restructuring of the Design Council following the organisation’s merger with CABE and its change of status from being a public body to being a charity as of 1st April 2011.

The new Trust Board takes responsibility for the governance of the Design Council including setting the vision and strategy, acting as guardians of the assets and ensuring that the objectives of the charities continue to be met in the public interest.

Commenting on the new Trust Board, Martin Temple said:

“That such an influential group of people have volunteered to lead the Design Council at this important time says a lot about the relevance of the mission to the UK and the interest in bringing the full spectrum of design together. I am excited at the prospect of working with such a talented and expert group and am delighted that Paul Finch has agreed to be our Deputy Chair and Chair of Design Council CABE.”

Former Chairman, Lord Bichard will continue to be closely involved in the Design Council and will Chair the policy forums announced in Martin Temple’s Review to the Department of Business Innovation & Skills. The first of these forums will be a summit on Design for Growth, taking place on 23 June.

The first meeting of the Design Council’s new Board of Trustees takes place on Thursday 9th June 2011.

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CABE and the Design Council confirm merger


Dezeenwire:
the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and the Design Council have confirmed that they are to merge from 1 April. More details below.

See all our stories on CABE »

CABE and the Design Council confirm merger
The Design Council and CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) have confirmed that they are to merge key design activities from 1 April, following an agreement reached by the two bodies and government.

The move will bring together two world-class centres of design excellence to speak with one voice and support a broad spectrum of design, architecture and public space, and place it at the heart of social and economic renewal.

It will provide a ‘one stop shop’ for design support and advice to industry, communities, central and local government encompassing a range of services already provided by both the Design Council and CABE, including:

· Design Review, which provides expert advice to councils, developers and communities through reviews of major proposed projects both at a national and local level

· Promoting the value of good building and spatial design to businesses and communities and, in particular, facilitating well-designed new homes and neighbourhoods

· Mentoring and advice to businesses, public services and university technology offices on the strategic use of design, from a national team of expert design strategists

· High profile design challenges which bring together the best in design, manufacturing and services to develop and introduce innovative solutions to national issues in health, security and sustainability

The Design Council name and status as a Royal Charter charity will be unaffected, and the organisation will cease to be a Non-Departmental Government Body (NDPB) from 1st April, as set out in the government’s recent Public Bodies Review.

Commenting on the joining of the organisations, Chair of the Design Council Lord Bichard said:

“Now more than ever we need design at the heart of social and economic renewal, and a strong message about design in all its forms. I am looking forward to working with our colleagues at CABE and with a wide range of industry partners to make this a success.”

Chair of CABE, Paul Finch also welcomed the move, saying:

“This very positive move will place architecture at the heart of the economy as a driver for competitive businesses and places. I am very much looking forward to the combined expertise of our two organisations coming together to achieve that.”

The move will also mean a saving of public money, by combining some of the activities of two public bodies into one independent charitable organisation with scope for additional industry investment. The new organisation will continue to be financed through a combination of sources, as has been the case for the last few years, including grants from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG)

Voicing his support for the merger, Grant Shapps, the Minister of State for Housing & Local Government said:

“I want local residents themselves to have a much greater say over how their communities are designed. By merging these elements of the Design Council and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, we can continue to improve the local support that is available for people to do this, and build on the strong track record in offering mentoring, training and support.

“This merger, which has the support of leading experts in the field, will not only mean the excellent work the Commission has already undertaken can continue, but will also ensure that every taxpayer’s pound spent on improving design is spent wisely and efficiently.”

A new governance structure for the Design Council will also be put in place to equip the new organisation to deliver its new broader remit from 1 April. This will include a significantly expanded council drawn from a range of disciplines and specialisms in design, government, business and education which reflects the Design Council’s expanded remit in architecture and the built environment.

The Design Council will be consulting with CABE staff in the coming weeks to finalise the roles which will continue to deliver the Design Review services, as part of the new organisation. These will be confirmed, along with the new organisational structure for the Design Council when staff consultations in both organisations have been completed.