Fomorian house on edge of Ilkley Moor has power to be an iconic building - Ric Blenkharn
What makes an iconic building? By iconic, I mean a building which is widely recognised and visually distinctive.
A building which raises comment and debate. I’m thinking of buildings such as the Lloyds building in London, the Sydney Opera House, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Centre Pomidou in Paris.
Buildings which create an emotional response. Buildings which perhaps seemed completely out of place when first built, but after time have become landmark symbols. Buildings which make a significant contribution to our rich architectural heritage.
I’ve therefore been delighted to hear that the new house at Ilkley, known as Fomorian, has gained planning consent after appeal through Policy HO11[1]e of the National Planning Policy Framework, which allows for buildings of exceptional design to be built in the open countryside. I was pleased to be involved in two Design Reviews for the scheme as a panel member of Design Yorkshire. At the time I advocated that the building could be ‘one of the most exciting buildings in the north of England’.
The scheme by Shaw and Jagger Architects told a very strong narrative linking the building to the intrinsic nature of the setting. The abstract form of the building creates some amazing interior spaces with windows aligned to make the most of distant views. The building has already created significant debate-and raised comments on-line such as beautiful, hideous, stunning, a vanity project and awesome to name but a few. Clearly a design that has sparked a wide range of opinion-as would the iconic buildings I mentioned earlier.
Personally, I’m thrilled to see such imaginative buildings coming to life. I know from experience how difficult it is to achieve consent for such projects under that particular clause, having gained permission for three such schemes in the county. Each scheme requires an extensive amount of input considering place, geology, climate, ecology and landscape before going through a rigorous examination process through planning and Design Review. In this case the project went to Planning Appeal, with the planning inspector concluding that ‘the design of the dwelling is truly outstanding and reflects the highest standards of architecture’.
The inspector also concluded that the ‘innovative design would help raise standards of design in rural areas more generally’.
Huge credit should be given to the architects, client and the whole design team involved in the project. Fomorian will undoubtedly become an iconic building for the future-showing that even a single house can reach that status. In an age where we see so many ‘pattern book’ projects it is refreshing to Fomorain coming to the fore. Whilst the journey to achieve such projects is fraught with obstacles, it shows that with tenacity and dedication they can be realised. To me this aim should be the aim of every building, no matter what scale or purpose.
When it comes to commentating about such buildings, it would be good to ask the question: ‘what is the reasoning behind the scheme?’ It may help give a better understanding and acceptance that such buildings do in fact make a positive contribution to our architectural heritage. Buildings that are indeed iconic.