We are working towards two significant events for the Golden Square project later this week. On Thursday 25th February the design team are having another session with the stakeholders (local landowners, Jewellery Quarter associations, police etc) to review the current design and explain how it has developed since the last event in December. This was a daytime session and involved a short presentation by the design team followed by workshops where the attendees could examine the design in detail and make suggestions. The ideas that emerged were recorded and have fed into subsequent proposals. We’ll spend some time on Thursday highlighting how the proposal has changed to reflect the comments. The public event is being held at the School of Jewellery 12 – 2pm / 4 – 7pm on Friday 26th February. We will be there to explain the scheme and answer queries, and there is a questionnaire designed to capture specific feedback. The planning application is being made in March so the aim of both of these events is to make sure that the design team have not missed out anything important, that the proposal accurately reflects the hopes and aspirations of all its potential users.
I have loved working on this project. It's very exciting the way that landscape, art and architecture are combining so seamlessly across the site; and the many and various ways that the Jewellery Quarter itself is inspiring the team, from old maps and family connections to materials and processes. And the design team meetings are a joy. Fuelled by tea and biscuits, ideas are bounced around the table and egos are suppressed (not too much but just enough) so that the Niall the engineer can offer artistic suggestions and David the artist will wax lyrical about trees . . . Interesting idea this, of getting to people to work outside their discipline. I remember Eno talking about producing Bowie’s Lodger album and how he got all the musicians to swap instruments. These tracks have a fantastic energy and vitality because of this. I hope this spirit of collaboration between design team, stakeholders and public can continue when we get to site. I’m looking forward to explaining the finer points of the design concept to the steel fabricators over a bacon butty . . . Richard Newman Director