The image of Kevin McCloud, squinting slightly at the camera with one hand in pocket, the other gesticulating in a curt, deliberative movement and delivering his verdict on yet another wildly ambitious building project, has slowly made its way – or perhaps slowly formed around it – the current domestic architectural zeitgeist. It’s no wonder really, the measured tones of McCloud’s speech; the well-thought out articulation and defined pauses as if he’s slowly remembering the lines of a Pinter play, are nothing short of compelling. The selling point of the show is McCloud, and he’s a rarity in television for attributing the viewer, not only with an intelligence concerning the issues of the show, but a willingness and shared interest in engaging with them.

Indeed, the presenter’s publicly stated ambition behind the series is to inform in an uncomplicated manner.

In order to share the passion he holds for architecture and the impact it has on our daily lives. This is a man with a well publicised taste for quality, rather than quantity in design; for cherishing the relationship to be found with objects, from the quotidian to the grandiose – as long as they are examples of good design.
On the success of the programme, a format that he devised, he’s stated that: “It’s the storytelling, isn’t it? Every programme tells a story that would even fit into the classical model. It is exposition, development, conclusion. And the lovely thing is every story is different. That’s why the programme is successful.

Otherwise, we’d be preaching to a tiny audience of self-builders on a satellite channel at three in the morning.” That’s the key: the human element. Often oversold and falsely glamourised, here it’s a crucial aspect of the events, reflecting, as it does, the classical mode of storytelling.

Isolated in format
Grand Designs, the show that McCloud has written and hosted for the past nine years, is – for all the modest protestations of the host, and the structure of the editing that focuses the story squarely on who (frequently a couple) is building the featured house – as much about him as it is them.

Television often gets a tough ride in contemporary culture and many of its presenters are replaceable. There are few shows, perhaps mainly, the eponymous, weekend chat show titles, that couldn’t exist without their host, and Grand Designs is definitely one of them.

Like James Caan’s character in Rollerball, McCloud has become bigger than the game. He’s what drives the show forward; expands the Grand Designs brand, (which now has a published incarnation and is putting its name to a vast exhibition), and lends it the sense of gravitas that it needs to prosper.

It’s a popular misconception that McCloud is a practicing architect. Having graduated from Cambridge with a degree in History of Art and Architecture he trained and worked as a theatre set designer, before starting up a company dedicated to creating and installing bespoke lighting solutions. His work has graced places such as the food hall in Harrods and has previously been installed in opulent destinations such as the Savoy and Edinburgh Castle.

This fascination with light and the way it can inform and colour the mood of a space, is something that comes through constantly when viewing Grand Designs.

Eight and on
The widely lauded television show first aired in 1999 and is currently on its eighth series, having along the way, spawned spin-offs such as Grand Designs Trade Secrets and Grand Designs Abroad. It was this particular series, highlighting the efforts of those building overseas that was particularly inspiring. Problems with deadlines, budget issues and legal requirements were all exacerbated by language issues and the often erratic working schedules of foreign contractors. It seemed somewhat inevitable then, that McCloud, a linguist of some ability, should step into situations, defusing tensions and acting as interpreter between well meaning builders and confused developers.

The show, and it’s average audience of four million have been at the forefront of the current trend for ecologically sound buildings, products and lifestyles. Grand Designs has been chronicling green projects since its inception, and the burgeoning popularity of going green has seen its fans characterised as a key voting block by the Conservative Party. America has ‘Soccer Mums’, and now, apparently, the UK has ‘Grand Design’s Couples’.

It’s an odd, but not unexpected turn of events. The association of home ownership and conservatism is something that the Conservative Party has tapped into since the Thatcher years. The acceptance of a green agenda by both the right and the left of the political spectrum – a positive for society, has led to the current courtship of the green vote.

Custom builds
Away from the UK, where the housing market is in a state of uncertainty, people are increasingly looking to purchase homes overseas, as getaways or places to relocate to. As is the case in the UK, the ambitious are looking to build rather than just buy, in order to gain a truly personalised home.

There’s hope that another series of Grand Designs abroad may be developed to capitalise on this interest; it’s just a matter of trying to find time in McCloud’s rather hectic diary.

Another work in progress concerns McCloud’s latest project: the development firm HAB (standing, rather quaintly,for Happiness Architecture Beauty). Filming the evolution of the company and turning the presenter into participant all for a new documentary. Spreading the message of ecologically sound construction that Grand Designs has been at the forefront of for nine years, HAB have acquired finance – and McCloud, perhaps rather boldly, has invested a lot of his own cash – for the construction of two projects near Swindon.

While they are still in the planning phase and permission has yet to be granted, there’s a strong sense of purpose about the projects. What they’re looking to create is a planned community, built with ethical ideals in mind.

With the current precarious state of the UK economy: the credit crunch is starting to bite and there are fears that a downturn may lead to a more protracted recession, it’s arguably not the wisest time to be investing in such a project. It’s this kind of daring and blinkered ambition that McCloud has been at pains to highlight during his time presenting the show. Questioning the rationale of those borrowing money on credit cards to compete projects, or allowing budgets to spiral out of control.

But McCloud is convinced that there is still a demand for sensitively constructed eco-homes that will not abate with the credit crunch.

Green thinking
In the past he’s often stated that people should “own less and share more”, and this ethos may well prove to be the key to the success of the planned community. Something that he expresses on a personal level by forbidding his children from buying clothes at high volume, low cost outlets such as Primark; it’s a stance against a disposable culture. Indeed, he’s said that “I don’t need any new clothes, and should I decide that I do the next jeans that I buy will be made of hemp.” You sense some longing in those words, maybe it’s the talk of a frustrated hippy, but you have to remember that they had some strong storng ideals beneath the dirt.

The programme has it’s detractors of course, it wouldn’t be a great stretch of imagination to reach the conclusion that Prince Charles probably isn’t a huge fan. Opponents of modern architecture; those who don’t like the slew of modernist ‘glass boxes’ that the show seems to promote. But hey, you could shrug, it’s a taste thing. Just as people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, nor should people indifferent to, or offended by, glass houses throw stones at them. One thing is for sure: that the current trend for ecologically conscious design, and ambitious, but not necessarily ostentatious projects, is set to continue.