McCloud worried about presenting Stirling Prize after architect controversy

TV presenter Kevin McCloud has revealed his worries about presenting the Stirling Prize in October following BD’s revelation that his development firm had dumped its architect Wright & Wright.

Earlier this month, BD reported that McCloud’s company Happiness Architecture Beauty had dropped Wright & Wright in a row over fees and had replaced it with Glenn Howells Architects – a practice McCloud claimed were large enough to “take a punt” and was willing to work weekends and evenings “for no money”.

Now – in an interview with the Architects’ Journal – McCloud has admitted his worries over presenting the Stirling Prize in Liverpool on October 11 in front of hundreds of architects.

The former editor of the AJ is Hab’s design director, Isabel Allen.

“I’m only going to have to stand in front of 500 architects and say: ‘Hello I’m the guy who apparently doesn’t pay architects!’” McCloud told the magazine.

He also refuted the notion that he had been “commercially naïve” in his handling of the affair, which Wright & Wright claim had seen them being asked to work “at risk”.

“It implies a lack of business acumen. Is that an allegation?” McCloud said. “I’ve been in business for 15 years so I’m not unacquainted with employing and working with people. The important thing is collaboration.”

It also emerged this week that two judges have pulled out of the judging the Stirling Prize – Culture Show presenter Lauren Laverne and UN Studio architect Ben van Berkel, both of whom have cited time pressures.

Laverne has been replaced by celebrity gardener Diarmuid Gavin while van Berkel’s place has been taken by Czech-born architect and former Cabe commissioner Eva Jiricna.
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