PROTEK HOSTS LEADING ARCHITECTS AND DEVELOPERS AT MIPIM 2011 TO DISCUSS EFFECTS OF TALL BUILDINGS ON THE URBAN LANDSCAPE

Leading architects, from North America, Brazil, India, France and Great Britain joined Paul Finch, Director of the World Architecture Festival and Jackie Blanden, Sales Director of WM Protek, at the annual Architecture Review/Protek Roundtable debate at MIPIM to discuss the effects of tall buildings on the built environment and the urban landscape.

The debate was stimulated by the thinking behind the winning entries in the Tall Buildings category of the annual Architectural Review Future Project Awards and considered how these buildings will influence architects and developers in the future. Chairman of judges and the Roundtable, Paul Finch commented: “The judges were delighted to see the level of invention evident in this years entries; all have tried to go beyond the simplistic box. The Commended and Winning schemes are setting new standards for this building type.”

Jackie Blanden, Sales Director, WM Protek AB said: “Year on year the entries demonstrate that design is not only concerned with the effect of Tall buildings on the urban landscape but also the need to plan into the building concepts that enhance the working environment and meet the growing demand for reduced CO2 emissions both in the construction process and the running of the building.

“This year’s Roundtable also concentrated, for the first time, on the effects of the building type on the developers need to provide a user friendly environment inside the building envelope and to acknowledge that tenants are becoming more aware of the working environment, as a preferred choice for employees, and a company’s on balance sheet running costs.”

The Roundtable is now a well established part of the Future Projects debate and has been co-hosted by WM Protek AB for the last five years.

Jackie Blanden was also able to talk to London Mayor, Boris Johnson, about the working environment during his visit to the London Pavilion at MIPIM. Part of Johnson’s message, while at the global property show, was issues such as quality of life and sustainability of the urban environment – “we have to keep putting the village back into the city” he said.

For full details and results of the AR Future Project Awards please go to: www.awards@emap.com