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In response to Lord Hutton’s letter (23 November) on NHS hospitals built under the private finance initiative (PFI), independent research into the design quality of PFI public buildings, by all of the auditing authorities in the UK, showed serious flaws and a significant “quality gap” when compared to traditional design-led procurement.In my 2007 book The Design Quality Manual: Improving Building Performance, I included results from all these reviews, starting with the Audit Commission’s 2003 report PFI in Schools. The design flaws were serious, including poor functionality, short-life materials, and non-compliance with building and safety regulations.PFI contracts tend to be led by building contractors rather than architects. So was the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower. There may be savings in construction cost and time. However, too often these are achieved at the expense of design and materials, and high finance and support costs.As PFI buildings approach the end of their 25- to 30-year concessions, there are also widespread concerns that some will be abandoned by their contractors and handed back to the public sector in a depleted condition, with neglected repairs and escalating maintenance costs.These lessons from history tell us that PFI is no way to procure durable public buildings cost-effectively, so it should certainly not be repeated.Martin CookChartered architect and barrister (retired), Cheltenham, Gloucestershire Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
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