Looks cool though!

1.
It claims to be all about the neighbourhood - which if you read messages on established SE1 neighbourhood blogs ‘the locals’ complain about noise from the project and the lack of consideration from the people running it. There is no way this project could engage with the people who live close by as the architects involved see the locals as people needing help, that for 17 days they will be there to help the locals. These so called radical thinking architects are just ‘French playboys’ (their own words) practicing / rehearsing to behave like the developers they will soon become.

2.
This project has been paid for with public and charitable funds - it cost a small fortune and is nothing but a folly for the same upper middle class people who like to drink the £30 per bottle champagne for sale at their bar while congratulating their friends on their latest uber -lightweight theory on ‘cities as scaffolding’ and ‘the border between entry and no entry via a space in the wall’ (otherwise called a door or gate!) (both overheard!)

3.
The images they have published are duplicitous in most cases, certainly the ones on their own website. They make a road look like a vast pool of water, for example. This highlights the ongoing role of spin in architecture & urbanism and its deadly venom for ‘the locals’. I know I certainly wanted to go for a swim and was actually mad at seeing the pathetic strip of shallow water.

4.
The concepts, while admirable (democracy etc) - are at best very naive (student like) and at worst; paternalistic and patronising. What I don’t understand is why they didn’t work with an existing project and support them do something useful and worthwhile, like fix an existing Lido that has fallen into disrepair? (they list many of their website) That would have been interesting and impressive - and lasting. There is a lot of useful work they could have done. Who let them build this while there is so much useful work that could have been done? Perhaps they plan to build this in a refugee camp in Africa or the Middle East and live with the people there? Maybe they have set up a charity to send scaffold to Africa or the Middle East to assist people do projects like this, where it is needed?

5.
Projects like this, make us architects look like fools that have money to burn in a time of economic crisis (which likely they are not experiencing) - such projects reinforce the cliché about architects; ’silly, egotistic, gonna cost me allot of money and cause me a headache!’ This is the opposite of what the London Festival of Architecture should be about. FLA will mean nothing to Londoners until the festival starts to contribute to Londoner’s in a useful and worthwhile manner. Until then the same upper middle class 50 families, 400 students, 10 organisers and 50 sponsors will have to attend each and every of the 600+ events themselves. And we know what a burden that has been for them, they look exhausted keeping up appearances and having to constantly say how ‘amazing’ it is - for a full month!