Economies by Designers 'Could Lead to Lowest Common Denominator Culture' COST VERSUS QUALITY FEAR AS SPENDING CUTS LOOM

Byline: GRAHAM HENRY

SPENDING cuts in public buildings like hospitals and schools could result in a "downward spiral" in building quality in Wales, the head of the Design Commission has warned.

Chairman of the Design Commission for Wales, Alan Francis, told the Western Mail that he feared that a culture of the "lowest common denominator" would take over the design of public buildings as public bodies prioritised price over design.

Mr Francis also called on the Government to "stick to its standards" and not to compromise on design quality of buildings, rather than descend into an "any development is better than no development" mentality.

"My …

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Publication information: Article title: Economies by Designers 'Could Lead to Lowest Common Denominator Culture' COST VERSUS QUALITY FEAR AS SPENDING CUTS LOOM. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales). Publication date: October 13, 2010. Page number: 12. © 2009 MGN Ltd. COPYRIGHT 2010 Gale Group.

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