LETTERS.

BLINDING NECESSITY

SIR: A whole volume of modern houses (AR September 1999) and hardly a curtain or blind in sight! Floor to ceiling walls of glass are tremendously seductive in the daytime, as we see in your photos. But at night, we are apparently to believe that rich patrons are happy on the one hand to be looked at by outside 'peepers' (less likely of course if their house is in its own field), and on the other hand to look on to a wall of blackness (see the Shuttleworth house on p74).

By drawing curtains or blinds at night, most people seem to be answering a basic need for privacy, and for lightening the dark tone of glazing to match the walls more closely.

What is the explanation for the AR houses? Yours etc

PAUL DIMARGO

Bristol, England

RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL 

SIR: I could not believe the 'Outrage' article in last month's AR (September 1999). I cannot say if it smacks more of Salon des Refuses or of the delicate sensitivities of our Prince of Wales.

You urge us to join with you in pouring scorn upon Marco Dezzi Bardeschi's 'Art Deco for Less'. Indeed, how ghastly! What a 'kitsch cocktail' of such 'pure undiluted vulgarity'!

Perhaps this cowardly stab at a building, which you seem only to have driven past on your way to reviewing some far worthier creation, was intended to disprove allegations of unfair bias? I do not defend the building, but its right to a fair trial. Where are the decent photographs? The plans and sections? The rational, rather than kneejerk stylistic objections?

Surely a magazine of such high quality and skill as yourselves need not resort to such cheap token gestures?

Yours etc

SIMON MURRAY 

Cambridge, England

PS Loved the 'jazz barracks'!

OUT OF SITE

SIR: I much appreciate the very generous review of my website, Architext Links, in the September edition of AR, p30. It is especially gratifying as I am not an architect -- although I am married to one -- and I created the site entirely as a hobby, hoping that it might prove useful to other people with an interest in architecture.

There is one comment in the review which I found rather puzzling -- the comment concerning my 'Masters' section, that '... you can call up information about many of the most distinguished architects of this century (with the interesting addition of Pugin)'.

In fact, my 'Masters' section is not limited to architects of the twentieth century - other examples from previous centuries include Wren and Palladio, as well as the Australians Francis Greenway and J.J. Clark. The fact that there are not more entries concerning pre-1900 architects only reflects the dearth of information about such architects available on the Internet.

Despite this minor quibble, I am truly honoured by the review, and I hope that this publicity will enable my website to be of assistance to increased numbers of 'surfers' looking for sites of architectural interest on the Internet.

Yours etc

ANTHONY MORRIS

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

[e-mail]

www.thehub.com.au/-morrisqc/architext/

THE IRISH QUESTION

SIR: I have subscribed to The Architectural Review for over two years and, during that time, have found it to be an excellent source of information.

What has begun to greatly disturb me, however, is the complete absence of articles (however small!) on Irish architecture. I am hard-pressed to think of any other European country that hasn't had some project published! I would be most surprised (and horrified) if absolutely no Irish contemporary schemes were worthy of even the odd article in your 'View' section.

Some of the 'big names' to have recently designed projects here (simply taking Dublin into account) include:

Ian Ritchie - has designed a Millennium Monument for O'Connell Street (the main street of Dublin). It is a 120m tall metallic spire/spike (with a mere diameter of 6m at the base) tapering to a 20m length of optical glass, which would be lit at night, etc. That height would allow it to be seen from much of Dublin and would return O'Connell Street to its former glory, as the main focus of the city.

Santiago Calatrava - has designed two bridges to cross the Liffey (the river around which Dublin developed), due to begin construction between 2000 and 2001. One will swing around (the span of the river at that point is approximately 120m) to allow ships to pass.

Kevin Roche (who is actually Irish - though has built practically nothing in Ireland) - has designed a huge development (the largest in the history of the state) for the Docklands of Dublin. This is currently undergoing planning permission procedures - amid much debate and controversy due to the building heights and lack of compliance with the (recently produced and excellently thought-out) Docklands masterplan.

So more Irish architecture in The Architectural Review please!

Yours etc

SHANE WARING

Dublin, Ireland