LONDON - A RESPECTFUL audience, polite applause, and congratulatory cocktails at the inevitable reception. That's what's expected when Prince Charles gives a speech.
But there may be empty seats and pointed silence on Tuesday evening when the heir to the British throne addresses the Royal Institute of British Architects, some of whose members have called for a boycott of his remarks.
They are angry not only over his long-standing opposition to much modern architecture, but his efforts to block a major steel-and-glass tower project on the site of an old army barracks in the posh Chelsea neighbourhood of London.
This time, they say, he's gone too far, trying to torpedo the normal planning process by using his connections and influence to pressure developers into using a more traditional design. The royal family, they say, is supposed to remain above the fray.
Piers Gough, a prominent British architect said the prince takes an elitist view, advocating classical architecture - with its origins in the grand public buildings and columns used by the ancient Greeks - and rejecting modernist designs that typically include plans for affordable housing and increased public access.
Prince Charles said modernists were destroying the distinctive centuries-old fabric of London by replacing classical works with modern ones. He even put his architectural and planning theories to the test by building a traditional village, called Poundsbury, 210 kilometres southwest of London.
In recent years his criticism has been muted and he has concentrated on a number of environmental and food safety concerns.
But his opposition to the barracks project has angered some top names in the architecture world. Norman Foster, Frank Gehry and other luminaries have signed letters urging Prince Charles to remain on the sidelines during the planning and permit process.
The barracks redevelopment plan calls for steel and glass towers designed by decorated architect Richard Rogers to be built next to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a classical building by Christopher Wren, the renowned 17th century architect who designed St. Paul's Cathedral and other London landmarks.
The 5.3-hectare development would include a hotel and 552 apartments, half priced by market forces and half classified as affordable housing. It is a mega-project by any standard - the site alone cost 959 million pounds (S$2.1 billion). -- AP
