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Castle under attack from top architect

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Published Date: 28 May 2009
EDINBURGH Castle's prominence on the skyline of Edinburgh is "overrated", a leading architect has claimed.
Professor Isi Metzstein was giving evidence at the public inquiry into the Haymarket development, which would see a 17-storey, five-star hotel built next to the station.

Objectors, including the Cockburn Association, say the tower is too tall and will rise to the height of the Castle battlements.

Prof Metzstein said the Castle, "did tend to give the impression that everything must be subservient to it," and said he thought the hotel could be a "dynamic" addition to the skyline.

The former Forbes professor of architecture at Edinburgh University said: "It is provocative, interesting and stimulating... In modern times we don't build cathedrals and churches; something has to come along to leaven the bread."

The inquiry, which began on Monday, runs for two weeks.





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1

Herman The German,

28/05/2009 10:58:08
"In modern times we don't build cathedrals and churches"
Commercial buildings are the new cathedrials,temples to Mammon.
2

Amenemhat,

28/05/2009 12:22:15
Ah that will bring everyone on-side
3

alfonsa pedrosa,

embra 28/05/2009 12:49:03
I would rather see the Castle on the skyline,than a multi-storey lego set.
4

are you sure,

work 28/05/2009 12:57:21
A multi-storey Lego set? WOW! That'd be brilliant!
5

Kitty K,

28/05/2009 13:16:31
No other city in the world has such a beautiful skyline. No matter which direction you approach Edinburgh from, the Castle is clearly visible. A sight which always brings a smile to my face after a long journey. This man is clearly looking for business and certainly does not have the interest of the city in mind. Plenty of hotels in the Haymarket area already. Hmmm ugly tall building, historic castle - no contest. Too many half-empty hotels and buildings already in Edinburgh.
6

Ron D,

Enybru 28/05/2009 13:39:37
What a tw*t. "the hotel could be a "dynamic" addition to the skyline." - they should have asked him for his definition of "dynamic". I wonder how much they paid him.
7

Seb,

28/05/2009 13:43:37
The west facing elevation of the castle isn't really very attractive so the hotel can't really be said to spoil that view. I don't like the impact the hotel has from Inverleith though, cluttering St Mary's Cathedral spires.
8

Craigie Boy,

Carluke (ex Edinburgh) 28/05/2009 13:52:47
Metzstein is right, of course. Edinburgh is in dire need of some dynamic, impressive buildings. The castle is at least a mile away. Other UK cities are taking a lead with these new buildings - we're languishing behind.
9

Statsman,

Edinburgh 28/05/2009 13:53:08
This inquiry seems to be showing architects off for the idiotic arrogant tasteless buffoons they really are.
10

Statsman,

Edinburgh 28/05/2009 13:55:47
8 Craigie Boy

Yes we need ugly buildings in the city. That will draw in the tourists. You're either an architect or an idiot - or quite possibly both. They seem to come in those packages.
11

Jams,

Edinburgh 28/05/2009 13:58:24
AS the good professor is an advocate of the "European Modernist Style" It is perhaps no great surprise that he considers the castle to be dated and irrelevant.

Should Edinburgh's most notable feature be a historic castle or a 17 storey hotel? What do the people of Edinburgh think?
12

Statsman,

Edinburgh 28/05/2009 14:01:26
6 Ron D

'Dynamic', 'World Class' or, indeed, 'Iconic'. They are meaningless words and phrases that are meant to (somehow) make people feel good about things they don't like. None of these terms mean anything at all except that the conveyers of the message are being patronising.
13

FreddieIII,

Edinburgh 28/05/2009 14:10:09
We should remember that this is the architect involved with the construction of St Peter Seminary in Cardross in 1966, which is turned into an utter ruin, due to bad design, from the 1980's. 20 years versus the castle which has stood (and much rebuilt) since 1100's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter%27s_Seminary_(Cardross)
14

Duncan Wallace,

Edinburgh 28/05/2009 14:20:40
Does "dynamic" mean it will be bendy so you can fold it over when you want a view of the castle?
15

HOTEL ROCKet,

Edinburgh 28/05/2009 14:21:48
and who the hell is going to have the cash to stay in it, certainly not the people who will have to drive/walk/wheelchair or cycle past it every single day to get to work during work or enjoying a day out as a resident of this grand city, this town was the first place in the world to have 14 storey buildings in the high street before they raised the road and sealed it in, it never worked then and it wont wash now, get this menacing idea and eyesore hotel to the outskirts where it belongs, once the architects have beaten the objectives, these buildings will start appearing all over the city centre, if there is one then you cannot object to more, this professor is a dizzy nobody, this city has a future and needs to be looked after for future generations to SEE IT AS IT IS.
16

Logie Almond,

28/05/2009 14:26:22
As #13 says, in the 1950s Isi Metzstein designed churches, mainly in the West of Scotland, which supporters of modern architecture drool over. The problem is they were fundamentally useless as buildings and rapidly fell to bits. Some have been demolished, others propped up with huge sums of public money. So he is hardly in a position to lecture anybody, but no doubt he is getting a fat fee from the developers to support this horrible building.
17

HOTEL ROCKet,

Edinburgh 28/05/2009 15:10:00
(Hey #13 and #16) that st peters seminary is definitely an eyesore worthy of being number 1 to the shopping centre in cumbernauld as ugliest building in britain which should now be placed at number 2 then this new hotel could then be placed at number 3 that would definitely bring the tourists flocking to have a laugh at haymarket hotel hell mind you it might provide a lot of jobs but i bet the employees are taken on from every where else in europe except here.
18

Skip McClendon,

28/05/2009 15:41:58
Prof Metzstein said the Castle, "did tend to give the impression that everything must be subservient to it," and said he thought the hotel could be a "dynamic" addition to the skyline.

- Who says that academics don't live in the real world, eh?

The man is clearly a few credits short of a degree, or else he is looking for a nice bit of consultancy work or a directorship from the hotel developers. Either way, I think his "expert" opinion isn't worth tuppence.


19

HOTEL ROCKet,

28/05/2009 15:53:08
craigie boy #8, if you like the tall modern buildings in other cities while we languish behind, then pick one you like and get a place to live there, this is know as a historical city, worldwide, that is the reason we have tourists flocking here all year round.
20

It's me!,

28/05/2009 15:54:13
Having never heard of this guy I took a look at his previous work at St Peter Seminary in Cardross. It reminds me of a cross between a car park and a block of London flats. If he cannot see what is unique about the Edinburgh skyline he is in the wrong business. Serious questions need to be asked if this hotel application is passed.
21

dba,

HAYMARKET 28/05/2009 16:05:07
1: Who (exactly) is this professor?
2: Has he had any form of contact or relationship with the lead archictect or any of his associates in the past?
3: What (precisely) qualifies him to comment on the City?
4: Has the professor actually and personally canvassed opinion in the area about the size and height of the proposed project?
5: Could the arrogance of this gentleman rubbed off on his students and, indeed, other architects who seem to think they have a God given right to ignore other people's views, history, beauty and common sense...OH, sorry I forgot they are Architects!
6: I trust the developer, in the event of the inquiry finding against them, will be required to pay ALL of the costs of the inquiry!
7: I very much fear that we'll have yet another 5 star hotel in the city where NO-ONE can afford to stay there.
8: EVERY hotel in the city, right now, is having to fight to fill their rooms...seems a bit of a 'no-brainer' to me!
9; The Intercontinental Group DID have a hotel in Edinburgh - it was the George in George Street... why did they leave it?
22

Smichael,

28/05/2009 16:35:37
"Could the arrogance of this gentleman rubbed off on his students and, indeed, other architects who seem to think they have a God given right to ignore other people's views, history, beauty and common sense...OH, sorry I forgot they are Architects!"

No22: Funny you should say that as Richard Murphy, the architect for the project, was indeed a former student of Professor Metzstein - I believe that also answers your second question.
23

Leila,

Edinburgh 28/05/2009 16:53:07
If it hadn't been for the rock to build a castle on for defence, Edinburgh wouldn't have existed. And if Edinburgh Castle isn't allowed to be iconic, I don't know what is!

I suspect Professor Metzstein is just trying to be controversial.
24

Rap,

28/05/2009 17:13:03
C'mon, the Prof did at least concede the Travelodge and the rest of the site was a bit cr*p, so he has some sense. And he did talk about "Holiday Bin" hotels.

He is a keep roof fan, like Murphy, hence the support of the height of the building and the skyline.
25

JIM IN USA,

Florida 28/05/2009 19:30:19
We already seen what they sold us for a Parliament building. Who wants another monstrosity like that ?
Most likley some palms will be grease to make it happen.
26

Rap,

28/05/2009 19:57:35
It was considered news worthy as he was the architectural witness for the applicant - ie Tiger - at the public inquiry. It's not just about him, it's about the fact he was the expert justification for the 17 storey hotel.
27

Buttress,

28/05/2009 20:03:14
How much is he being paid by the developers? I suppose he has to make a living.
28

Rap,

28/05/2009 20:12:42
No idea. A favour for Richard Murphy?
29

Buttress,

28/05/2009 20:25:37
Could be. I've heard some rubbish from 'expert witnesses' for developers over the years, but this one is priceless!
30

Seb,

28/05/2009 20:58:28
lol Isi Metzstein's hardly the sort of chap that can be "bought". You might disagree with him but questioning his integrity's a bit unfair.

You had a career in development Buttress?
31

Buttress,

28/05/2009 21:13:20
No, just an old cynic who knows the way things work especially where consultants and witnesses for developers are concerned.

I have questioned the parentage of some, let along their integrity.
32

Seb,

28/05/2009 21:50:30
No, just an old cynic who knows the way things work especially where consultants and witnesses for developers are concerned.

How come? Did you work in conservation/planning?
33

jdships,

Edinburgh 28/05/2009 21:51:11
29 Buttress
"How much is he being paid by the developers? I suppose he has to make a living."

Got it in one !!

32 Seb
Suggest you get out and spaek to more people !!
Even MP's integrity is in doubt
34

Buttress,

28/05/2009 22:11:00
Oh, you'd be surprised at what I do and have done.

But work, dahlings? That's far too vulgar a word to use.
35

Mallory,

Edinburgh 29/05/2009 10:16:47
How much was the 'witness' paid for the 'expert opinion' and fees for attending the inquiry? Which hotel did he stay in or was it an awayday visit?
36

Bill MacD,

29/05/2009 12:42:37
Architects are notorious for having vast egos. But "MY CREATIVE VISION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EDINBURGH CASTLE" pretty much takes the biscuit. What must this guys loathesome parents have been like to have reared such a self-important and arrogant idiot?

But it's STILL the planning department's ultimate responsibility to prevent outrages like this from ruining our beautiful city. And sadly the morons who populate it despise everything historical that makes this city special. Sack them now!
37

Think Tank,

01/06/2009 18:05:42
Bill MacD (#38)

As with most articles, a degree of critical appraisal would help you to make a more educated point.

Your comment is based on the Evening News choice of provocative headline.

Had you bothered to read the few words underneath, you may actually realise that you've completely and utterly missed Metzstein's point.

It's a bit like Buttress with this perpetual belief that anyone who doesn't agree with her line must be bought/paid-off/stupid/incapable of independent thought. God help Edinburgh if Buttress decided what was worthy of being built.
38

Number 6,

Germany 01/11/2009 12:15:49
He's up there with Starkey for sheer "Bampotery"

 

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