Comments update: London is in danger of losing its creative class, according to former political advisor Rohan Silva, but could it be a good thing for the UK's creative sector? Read on for more on this and don't forget to explore our new comments page to keep up to date with the latest debates on Dezeen.
London falling: Silva, one-time advisor to UK prime minister David Cameron, told Dezeen that London's exorbitant prices and lack of suitable studio space might lead to a mass exodus of creative people. But not everyone was convinced this was something to worry about.Â
"For too long the major cities across Britain have suffered from brain drain," wrote Jen. "It would be a healthy thing for the UK if London lost its creative class."
"London holds all financial and political power," she continued. "It's about time things changed."
Not everyone agreed. "What's good for London is good for the UK," replied Luke. "We need to find a way to keep creatives in the city otherwise they will be the victims of a lack of close-quartered community." Read the comments on this story »
Our new comments page is live! Launched last week, this allows readers to browse our content in a new way, by scrolling through all the most recent comments. Take a look at www.dezeen.com/comments and tell us what you think.
Pie in the sky: a project by Bartlett architecture graduate Alex Sutton, envisioning a future where elevated airport runways sit among city rooftops, proved controversial with readers.
"This looks much closer to dystopia than utopia," said Durgen Jensen. "[There are] way too many moving parts to keep it working and it would be incredibly unpleasant to live next to."
"Unless the designer is ironically aiming to urge the aviation industry to produce noiseless, clean and safe commercial planes, this is the worst transportation concept since the elevated highway," added Bassel.
Others called for students to stop working on highly conceptual projects. "Can Bartlett students invest their creativity in solving real-world problems for a change?" asked Ekow. "Is this what the world needs from architects?" Read the comments on this story »
World's best house? This residence in the English countryside by David Chipperfield was recently named the world's best new house. But while one reader thought it was "beautiful", most commenters weren't convinced it deserved the title.
"The detailing and material qualities are indeed exquisite," said David Valinsky, "but the odd aspect of the project is its unresolved tension between two models: the urban courtyard house and the country house."
"It's a huge, remorseless volume dotted with strange spaces connected by disjointed, relentless exterior and interior passageways," stated Jess Thinkin. Others described the home as "sterile", "sprawling" and "pastiche" respectively. Read the comments on this story »
Sunbaked: A prototype furniture set designed to concentrate sunlight onto a grilling plate for cooking food also came under fire from readers this week.
"A non-functional prototype?" questioned Nick. "What's the point of being a designer if you don't even try to address the technical issues underlining the whole premise?"
"Even concepts need to be designed," retorted The Liberty Disciple. "I actually like this concept, it's subtly informative while being playful with an idea on how to cook food using the sun." Read the comments on this story »