Its time to start the music . . .

Why are the new expense proposals coming out before the full review by Sir Christopher Kelly and why introduce new rules which immediately came under attack for not actually solving anything but create more issues? Are they confused? Is it a bit of wool pulling?Anyone know the answers?

Read more here - link to telegraph article

Entries: SAP test

ENTRANT
Michael Jenkins

Entries: Greenholes

ENTRANT
Busins Jevgenijs

EXPLANATION OF IDEA

GREENHOLE is the house which is built in the ground in such a way that, looking from the outside, you can see only a small hillock. All facilities are underground and are grouped around a round courtyard, all windows face this courtyard, Due to such courtyard, there is no sensation of the underground inside the house. the entrance to the house is located together with underground parking.

GREENHOLE can be built as a single house, or can be used as the module of an residential complex.

GREENHoles may be located as in the countryside, as in the gardens in the heart of London.

GREENHOLE is the perfect home for the MP’s, as it can be constructed in any municipal or state park, so it will not be spending money on the purchase of land.

Building the GREENHOLES in the gardens near the Parliament, the MP’s will be able to go to work on foot, saving money on transportation, reducing traffic jams, and MP’s will get additional time to effective work on the laws.

As example of ecological architecture GREENHOLES will effect MP’s to take care of nature even more.

Entries: The Wrath of Com

Someone just emailed this image as a late anonyomous proposal for improving the expenses claim system. They propose we introduce a two strikes and then you're smited policy and have offered to chat with a local bishop to see if a higher power would be interested in helping out.

"Its an interesting proposal and one that I'm sure a lot of the MP's would welcome, seeing as a lot of them think that they are God anyway."

The shop is closed

COMPETITION CLOSED

Thanks to everyone that entered the competition.

Over the next week or so we will be uploading all the entries and their explanations - and will try to set up some kind of vote panel so we can see which one is favoured by the public. The official juding panel will be meeting on August 17 and the winners will be announced the following week.

While the competition is now closed to entries we would love to continue the discussion and debate and would welcome any more ideas or proposals that people come up with for the future exhibition of work so keep them coming in.

Submission permission

Hello to everyone that submitted an idea, the response has been great and we have received loads of very interesting proposals. As we guessed there were a huge number submitted last night around midnight and the server took a wee bit of a battering.

As a result we've had a few emails from people saying that they think their submission may have bounced due to the mailbox being full. In light of this, we will allow a slight grace for the resubmitting of ideas. If you did not receive an email from us saying that your submission was received please resend your files.

The judging will be taking place in London in the middle of August.

Expense Bill

How fitting that on the last evening before our competition comes to a close - MP's vote through a new piece of legislation which is supposed to "fix" Parliament.

Seems to have been put together extremely quickly and without too much discussion about what it should actually contain. For one thing, should it not at least have waited until the "root and branch" review was completed by Sir Christopher Kelly.

It seems the majority of MP's were just a bit too keen to get a plaster stuck on the problem so that they could head out on their holidays with a bit of happy PR.

Entires: Minister's Mole Hole

[Click for bigger image]

RUNNER UP
ENTRANT
Sarah Siena Edwards

EXPLANATION OF IDEA

With the costs of creating a whole unit of accomodation for all 644 MP's in central London being so high, I thought it would be a good idea to look for unused sites that have potential for such an application. Having heard about the Kingsway Telephone Exchange under London, I thought it would be the perfect solution to such a competition. Having its own supply of water and electricirt, and being at a steady 20 degrees, it already has the ability to sustain a large ocmmunity of hungry cold MP's.

Kingsway Telephone Exchange has entrances directly onto the platforms at CHancery Lane Station, and has entrances onto the streets above, making it well placed to allow the MP's to commute to work on the tube, and to have access to central London in walking distance. Each bedroom will house two MP's, because they already have their own constituency home. Share and share alike.

Entries: An Environmentally Conscious Machine

ENTRANT
Blane Hammerlund

EXPLANATION OF IDEA
To be gentle to our environment is our duty and responsibility. This House or machine utilizes solar energy as its main source of power and collects the rays with solar shingles (located on the roof), mechanical solar fins on the western facade, and mechanical solar panels on the southern facade. Both the western fins and the panels on the southern facade assist the house by doubling as alternative shading and passive heating devices. The floor plan is handicapped accessible and consists of a large corridor which doubles as extra living space. This open floor plan makes moving in and out much easier, and encourages cross-ventilation. The roof also doubles as an aqueduct directing fallen rain water to the built-in reservoir located on the eastern facade, this water can be used to keep the solar shingles, plates, and fins cool, which will increase their performance and longevity. This prototype house is simple to construct and promotes a greener, cleaner environment. An mp should be proud to use this vessel and the tax payers can thank mother nature and technology since their bills should be little to none since the machine is self sufficient.

Entries: The Constituency Home

ENTRANT
Wilfred Mendoza

EXPLANATION OF IDEA
Having a good home can contribute a lot to giving your best at work. However, good does not necessarily mean luxurious. Especially if your job is serving the people. As long as the function of the home meets your needs (not your wants) it will do just fine. Owning a house also comes with the hassle of taking care of it, and having to manage two houses just doubles the stress.

This could also lead to less time spent on the acutal work. Today in the 21st Centrurym, its quite common to hear the phrase " bringing yoour work home" this idea takes that not so old adage one step further. Hey, why not just combine them both. With today's advances in construction technology and ecology savy generation (recycling, less carbon foot print etc) this idea is really not that far fetch.

Entries: Open House (tel)

ENTRANT
Anny Day

EXPLANATION OF IDEA
REDUCE: All MP's homes are grouped in one central London location. These "microflats" are serviced as in an hotel, and will be used as temporary shelter for the homeless as an MP carries out his/ her constituency duties. All flats over look a public garden space.

RE-USE: The garden space is cultured from all plants erroneously claimed on expenses. The homeless earn a night's sleep tending the gardens. These green spaces connect the housing to a large scale communal dining/ meeting and relaxation hall.

RECYCLE: The whole complex is arranged around a large scale, redundant structure in central London. In this case Battersea Power Station illustrates the idea. Furnished with the tables, chairs, plethora of exotic rings and electrical goods wrongly claimed on expenses. Here the MP's and homeless eat, mingle and relax in a shared hall.

Entries: Containment

ENTRANT
Dave Sparks

EXPLANATION OF IDEA
Containment is a voluntary prison which operates as a housing facilitiy for Ministers in Westminster. Ministers feedom, along with all actions and choices are controlled by the prison - telling them when to eat, when to sleep etc... The purpose being to remind ministers that their job is not about filling their own pockets, and more about those they are seving: the public!

Modern prisons aims to restrict the actions and freedom of inmates to allow them time to reflect on their wrong doings and ultimately aid their reformation. While in Westminster MP's will reside in Containment to give them change to reflect on the true nature of their occupation, and the wrong doings they have ommitted in the past.

Ministers are effectively imprisoned and are only freed to go to work. Once their day is complete they must return to Contaiment to reflect on their actions. Similartly to a tagging system of house arrest, MP's in Westminster will be tagged to ensure they return on time and are not out galavanting.

Countdown has begun

There's just over a week left to get your ideas in for the competition. We've been very impressed with the ones we have received so far - very interesting proposals and some unusual expense claim receipts. Will be a fun but difficult discussion for the judges to decide which one is the best.

Times a ticking, so come on all you designers - you've got 7 days to show us your grand ideas and possibly start help to shape a better parliamentary future.

Entries: MPod

ENTRANT
Laurie Chetwood - www.chetwoods.com

EXPLANATION OF IDEA

To accommodate the MPs we are proposing pods or ‘MPods’ hung from the bridge at Westminster. Whilst being in an exclusive location, accommodation would be the minimum space required for sleep and work. The prefabricated pods would be interconnecting for couples. (The exclusive nature of the accommodation might make the job more attractive to better qualified people.)

This proposal means that MPs accommodation is visible and accountable. The properties are linked to Westminster Bridge which becomes a pedestrianised space where debate and interaction can take place in all its forms from protests to on-line support.

The bridge becomes symbolic of MPs accessibility. Where the Palace of Westminster is a beautiful but impenetrable building, the bridge becomes symbolic of transparency and public accessibility.

This hive of activity could be extended and linked to constituencies in order to improve communication. Often MPs aren’t as accessible as they should be – how many people know where their MPs are or where the surgeries are held? In order to counter this problem, this design proposes to place an MPod in a high profile location such as a shopping centre, ensuring that when an MP is in their constituency they are fully visible and accessible. The front window of the constituency MPod doubles as a viewing screen, which would be linked to an internet studio on the Bridge. This would allow constituents contact with their MP even when the MP is in Westminster. In our example we have placed Hazel Blears’ pod in the Trafford Centre.

The internet connection also allows MPs to be accessible for debates in Westminster
when they are in their constituencies. They will be fully accessible, either face to face or via the internet – you know where your MP will be. The advantages are:

1 A hive of activity not a den of iniquity
2 Flipping impossible to flip
3 Miscreants easily detached and floated down the river

Entries: Containers

ENTRANT
Busins Jevgenijs

EXPLANATION OF IDEA
For the construction of the apartments used written off shipping containers as the cheapest construction material. CONTAINTERS united into high risers and placed on the foot-bridge.

Entries: Lifeboats

ENTRANT
Ann Nisbet

Entries: Centralised Government