The EMC Consulting building is 'around the corner' from the Blue Fin Building, Southwark Street, London. The building was designed by the award-winning architectural practice Allies and Morrison who were also responsible for the Royal Festival Hall New Building and the BBC Media Village. The building gets its name from the 2000 blue fins that adorn the outside of the building to provide shade.
Architecturally speaking, its neither here nor there despite a tale I heard about what a feat of engineering the building actually is. Its impact isn't a particularly visual one.
However, live with it a little and like me, you may be struck by two observations; its a very windy location despite where you're stood and the que in Marks and Spencers' is at least 45 minutes long at peak times - namely lunch.
Of course, these impacts must have been considerations at the outset of design. The building's architects must have considered the consequences of housing 5000 media twentysomethings in one place. In time, more retailers will see the opportunity to feed these convenience food junkies as lucrative and open more eateries. We already have a Joy, Pret and Starbucks, WHSmith - its only question of time.
But while these eateries open to supplement one yuppie hostelry, a bulging M&S and an army of oversized Noo-Noos vacuuming up the resulting detritus,(ref. Teletubbies) something seems to have gone very wrong with the Wind Analysis they may have undertaken.
Regardless of the time of day, temperature or position, I swear the Blue Fin Building has the ability to blow an Ugg-wearing waive half way back to Borough Market regardless of what the conditions are like several blocks away from it.* I'm not sure if those Blue Fins are to blame for the poor aerodynamics for the structure or if there's any retrospective solution anyway. I doubt the engineering or architectural practices cares (or are paid to care) enough about this pollution now. Do they remain engaged into the building's adoption well into its occupants' tenure? Certainly I've not been stopped in the street with a questionnaire or been invited to a focus group.
To draw a parallel to our work, when we are creating something, we have to plan for total experience. Thats pretty obvious to me and straightforward to undertake. Whatever we are developing, it will be disruptive and have an impact - we need to plan that to be positive and beneficial. But designing and building is only part of the story. Experience is in the living of a service, product or in this case building. Its about how something works in reality and it can often need optimisation.
We are not only in the business of Total Experience Design. We have to be in the business of Total Experience In-life Management.
(*arguably the ability for a building to aid Ugg removal may have been a designed-in net benefit)