Getting things built is hard. If it takes superhuman effort to get even the most ordinary building completed, to deliver something game-changing over and above the ordinary is something else entirely. No wonder much of our development industry has a reputation for doing the bare minimum required to deliver a profit with little thought for the quality of place.

I am often asked by architects how they might persuade their developer clients to allow them to better use the skills for which they were hired. How do they persuade their clients to invest in quality? To spend that extra budget on quality materials, better landscaping, a more inspiring mix of uses?

My answer is always about presenting a commercial argument, not an aesthetic one. How do you show your client that the greater investment you’re suggesting creates exponentially greater value? Show them the flat round the corner that’s on the market for 20% more because it’s better designed and has more space than the flats they’re proposing.

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