IT IS VERY REASSURING THAT, WHEN THE MARKET GETS TOUGH, GREAT BUILDINGS, GREAT LOCATIONS AND GREAT DESIGN WILL ALWAYS SELL

摘要

As a developer, Urban Splash agonises about the choice of architects we use, and we spend hours with the designers discussing and refining the details and design of our buildings. But does it really make a difference? I've been frustrated on many occasions by the mediocrity of a lot of the apartment buildings currently being developed, particularly in cities like Manchester and Birmingham, and even more annoyed that, despite their mediocrity, these apartments seem to sell well and, on occasions, extremely quickly. I've never been able to understand why someone would choose a dull, poorly designed apartment when much better designed alternatives are available at similar prices. Was all the time we spent picking sites, running architectural competitions to find the very best designers, pushing planning permissions and generally working hard to squeeze every bit of potential out of every site a waste of effort, when others were seemingly building absolutely average developments and selling them off plan? However, two things reassured me last month. The first was a visit to another development that I consider to be mediocre and had been surprised to learn was supposedly sold out many months ago. However, when I visited I found out in actual fact it wasn't sold out at all.