HANSOIV RATTED OUT

摘要

Interim chair of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission Nick Boys Smith is a bit of a card, isn't he? The founder of Create Streets was in top form last week when he presented the group's interim report at the offices of developer U+I in London. Thanking the firm for hosting the report's launch in its sunken meeting area, Boys Smith said he was delighted to be in "this beautiful space ... discuss". Unfortunately from where he was sitting my hack couldn't see U+I chief executive Matthew Weiner's expression so to what degree he appreciated the witticism is anyone's guess. The commission's findings have given design professionals a number of dilemmas - not least how to pronounce its acronym, BBBBC. Nope, I have no idea either. Robbed of former committee chair Roger Scruton to lambast after his sacking in the spring at the hands of communities secretary James Brokenshire, many architects were forced to criticise the same-old-same-old-ness of the report itself. "This reads like some bizarre Middle England angst-fest in consultant prose," one complained.