The persistence of the absurd

Murray, Gordon (2011) The persistence of the absurd. E-Architect. (http://www.e-architect.co.uk/articles/persistence_...)

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Abstract

In 1971 Alex Gordon became President of RIBA with the mantra; Long Life, Loose Fit, Low Energy. As a mission statement LL:LF:LE has never been bettered and certainly not by any subsequent RIBA policy document. The idea of building for permanence–optimising materials performance, yet being flexible enough to accommodate change and adaptability over a lifetime, whilst minimising energy consumption is surely the ultimate holistic objective for any architecture. Why then has such a desirable situation taken forty years to even approach fruition in the wider built environment?