AT chats to… Eric Parry about the uncertainty generated by political headwinds and looking forward to an exchange of views on critical urban issues in London and Milan.

What brings you to BCO Conference/What do you hope to achieve?
I was invited to speak on the subject ‘Beyond the Workplace’ which gives a nice opportunity for an exchange of views about critical urban issues in Milan and London.  Apart from the opportunity to meet a widely diverse group of urban and building specialists, I hope to be able to explore the innovative aspects of the larger developments and trends taking place in an around Milan.

What are you working on at the moment?
A number of projects at very different phases from early design and planning applications through to large projects on site.  An example of the latter being the Salisbury Square Development, a new justice quarter for the City of London.

What stops you from doing the work you want to do?
The cycles of uncertainty, principally inflation and those uncertainties generated by political headwinds.  There are also the competition rejections which are disappointing but at the same time usually very exciting.

What sets the BCO conference apart from the other high-profile gatherings in the industry calendar?
The gathering of expertise around focussed issues.

What do you make of the decision to hold this year’s conference in Milan?
I am delighted that the BCO chose Milan as it has an enduring and strong urban identity and very active culture.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?
The pursuit of projects and all the necessary collaborations that that entails.

And what keeps you awake at night?
The representation of ideas that need to be communicated.

Eric Parry is the principal at Eric Parry Architects.