Former FAT man demands more from architects

Architects should be “profoundly more involved” in designing the built environment, former FAT man Charles Holland told the Ecobuild conference.

He was speaking at a panel discussion called Architecture Visionaries and was responding to a question from chairman Will Gompertz about whether more artists should design houses. Holland worked with artist Grayson Perry on the House for Essex.

Holland, who now runs Ordinary Architecture, said: “It would be helpful if more houses were designed by architects – a surprisingly large number aren’t.

“There’s a meanness of aspiration and a pushing out of design as a risk or the least important bit.

“I would like to see architects profoundly more involved in the design of the built environment.”