an architectural journal

John Claudius Loudon was a prolific writer on gardens and architecture in the early nineteenth century, and his works were hugely influential on these subjects at the time. Country Life described Loudon as an “eminent Victorian” stating that he “personified that moral force, thoroughness and desire to fill every moment with useful productivity that seem to us the hallmark of the 19th-century man of distinction”. Yet his name is little known today, even within those professions. However, the more I find out about Loudon, the more intrigued I become by the man, both professionally and personally. John Claudius Loudon Loudon was born at Cambuslang in southern Scotland , not far from where I find myself now living. Like me, he was a farmer’s son, my birthplace being the Hunter Valley in Australia . For whatever reason, we were both destined not to continue in the family farming tradition, but to work with the land in other ways. Loudon studied botany, biology and agricultu...

Before the recession, sustainability was just getting recognition as a serious issue for the UK property industry. I was working as Sustainable Development Director for a national property developer at the time, in which capacity I initiated and spoke at a conference in May 2008, hosted in association with the Scottish Property Federation at the Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh , on the theme "Selling Sustainability". When the recession hit just a few months later, the gains made by the sustainability agenda were virtually wiped out. However, the messages delivered at the conference remain equally, if not more, valid today. The conference attracted a broad range of delegates, some of whom were strongly committed to the "green" agenda, whilst others were obviously equally cynical about it. My message to both groups was the same: it doesn't matter what you believe about climate change, whether it is man-made or not, and what impact it might have, the reality is that...