Giles Coren calls for society to “kill all the architects” in comment piece published in The Times
Senior RIBA figures including president Simon Allford and president-elect Muyiwa Oki have waded into a scrap on social media over an article in The Times which argued that a sustainable future could only be achieved if society “kills all the architects”.
The comment piece by columnist Giles Coren was a response to a news story published in the paper about claims an architect had inflated the price of a refurbishment job in order to fund the construction of a granny flat in his own home.
Coren suggested the alleged behaviour was typical of architects and overcharging for work is “the whole point of them”, adding that architects “don’t do anything” and are “not necessary”.
Likening the profession to “back-street abortionists”, he said: “you never hear anyone say, ‘It actually turned out rather well’… and in the end it’s always, ‘We fired the architect and did the rest ourselves and it was fine’”.
Coren concluded: “If we are to remake society to give it any hope for a sustainable future in the coming storm then, to adjust by a single word the celebrated rebel rallying cry from Shakespeare’s Henry VI: ‘The first thing we do, let’s kill all the architects’.”
The piece also stoked accusations of racism by arguing that when doing up a house it is easier to “get some Slavs in, chuck em twenty grand and bugger off on holiday.”
A row has erupted on Twitter over the article, with many architects calling the piece poorly researched.
“Another witty essay by Giles Coren hilariously sets out his theory that all architects are rogues”, Allford said. “Architects have “the sense of humour to rise above this sad attempt at satire, but racial stereotypes, in anyone’s book, are no joke”.
Oki described the article as “poorly researched and frankly xenophobic click-bait”, and said the decision by The Times to publish it “calls into question editorial standards”.
“The architecture profession is valuable and necessary to build an environment that is inclusive and sustainable, clever and cognisant of changing needs of our society,” he said.
Former RIBA president and HTA Design chair Ben Derbyshire responded to the piece, which was titled “Damn all architects, the rich man’s folly”, by tweeting “I say damn all superficial columnists with their cheap shot anecdotal drivel”.
He added that Coren appeared to be “labouring under the misapprehension that the profession exists solely to satisfy his overweening desire to get his homes ‘done up’ on the cheap”.
RIBA council and board member Sumita Singha, who ran for president in this year’s election, said: “There may be a tiny number of bad apples but this article is badly researched - who knows who he used that he calls an architect? I wouldn’t give [Coren] any more airtime!”
Architect Vinesh Pomal said Coren’s call for all architects to be killed was “highly rude, threatening and offensive behaviour”, adding: “Please know your facts before writing such a vile article. You want to be controversial, fine but this is something else”.
New London Architecture director Patricia Brown tweeted: “What an utter tosser. Even his examples of ‘failure’ reek of a man living in a privileged bubble”.
The Times has been contacted for comment.
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