Henry Ford once said, ‘The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.’ This article, Finding North, is a tale of how a simple oversight in understanding north can have devastating consequences.
The story begins some 20 years ago when a recent architectural graduate was working on a multi-residential project. There was nothing particularly out of the ordinary about the project apart from its beachfront location. Yet the size and bulk of the project were sure to raise eyebrows from the local council. And sure enough, it did. The Development Application was rejected. A furious client seeking to challenge the decision took the matter to the Planning and Environment Court.
With expensive, hourly-rate barristers on both sides, the arguments were intense. The local council argued that the building was too tall and overshadowed the beachfront and public space below. Like most responsible architects, however, a survey had been commissioned from a licenced…