Transforming landscapes

Delegates attending the Transforming Landscapes event on the 25 April at the Hilton Grosvenor, Glasgow, enjoyed a highly original and entertaining presentation by David Page of Page/Park Architects. This award-winning and innovative practice has created some of Scotlands most iconic modern buildings as well as providing creative solutions for challenging architectural projects across a wide range of sectors in the UK.
 
Subtitled The architect and the project manager, the spine of Davids presentation was a very clever and witty football analogy. Building from the back (with the quantity surveyor in goal), David took us through the project team and their roles. The architect, David told us, is the central midfielder, controlling the game and contributing to the exciting and stylish finish. The project manager manages the team and although the audience were amused by Davids comparisons of project managers with famous football managers, this allowed a thought-provoking and insightful analysis into the nature and importance of teamwork.
 
David also explored some fascinating issues surrounding the interplay between the key people in large projects, including stakeholders, illustrated by five of his recent projects: the Centre for Scottish War Blinded; the Scottish National Portrait Gallery; Warwick University student residences; Scottish Opera (Theatre Royal upgrade) and finally the access and conservation project at Rosslyn Chapel - the mysterious and intriguing building catapulted into international fame by Dan Browns book The Da Vinci Code.
 
The audience greatly enjoyed Davids presentation and he took many questions from project managers who were fascinated with this exclusive insight into projects from the viewpoint of the architect.