Mitigating the Death of the Multi

“Mitigating the Death of the Multi”

Marcus Myles

“Multi” /ˈmʌlti/ [Multi-storey Building]

A “multi” is a Scottish coined term for high rise tower block accommodation.

It is applied in reference to the multiple floors of residential housing, stacked high to form a tower.

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Word Count: 6380

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“Mitigating the death of the Multi”

The Macro Micro group research mapped house deprivation within Dundee Inner City and highlighted the necessity for an architectural intervention on the Hilltown Multi’s which ranks within the top 10% deprivation decile (Macro Micro, 2021). This thesis will explore how to upgrade the declining social housing multi-typology to accommodate a diversity of contemporary user needs and ultimately provide a better alternative to demolition.

When the Multi’s were first introduced to Dundee in the 1960’s, they were seen as a desirable place to live, synonymous with fresh air, light and modern facilities. They boasted views across the city and their compact footprint allowed for larger rooms, outdoor green space, and affordability. Sixty years on, they have deteriorated, and their reputation has mutated into undesirable low-cost housing. Resulting in the local authority turning to demolition, with only 11 of 44 multi’s remaining standing.

Following Lacations and Vassal’s motto of “Never demolish, never remove or replace, always add, transform, and reuse!” (Lacation & Vassal, Pritzker Prize 2021). This thesis will explore ‘deep retrofitting’ as a vehicle to upgrade the four existing Hilltown Multi’s, through the lens of housing inequality and climate literacy. It will also consider the need to diversify the occupancy by providing a range of housing types and residency with adjustments to the organisation and layout of the blocks to improve the prospects of developing social sustainability. There is a particular interest in how these spatial configurations may affect the energy efficiency of the building and mitigate factors of house deprivation such as fuel poverty, but also other health- and age-related needs such as accessibility, which are apparent within the tower blocks.

To gain insight into an appropriate intervention to the multi’s, this paper will explore other interventions to similar types of tower blocks. Whilst other interventions typically apply superficial upgrades, this thesis will look at deep retrofit as a vehicle to make the multi typology sustainable and to accom¬modate modern day living with a focus on energy & affordability.

Fig 01 - Multi’s Demolished Parti 4

Contents

Abstract Introduction Background & Highrise Ideals Discussion Conclusion

pg 04 pg 06 pg 07 pg 10 pg 32

Bibliography Appendices

pg 34 pg 36

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Introduction

The macro micro groupwork study within Dundee’s inner-city boundary, has both unearthed and underpinned the necessity for an architectural intervention to the Hilltown Multi’s which are highly deprived and displaying considerable levels of fuel poverty (Macro Micro, 2021). The Multi as a housing typology is a dying breed, and this is particularly evident within Dundee. Dundee’s landscape has changed dramatically as these Multi’s have risen and fallen between 1960 and 2022. There once stood 44 high rise tower blocks scattered across the city centre and outskirts, now only 11 remain standing. This is partially due to several social and political factors playing a key role in the decline of this typology, which leads to further underfunding and dilapidation, resulting in demolition. Whilst there is no denying the issues noted within these blocks, there is an argument that the deterioration is largely down to the social and political factors at play, rather than the architecture of the typology. Therefore, an architectural intervention could be used as a tool to mitigate the social-political issues noted, avoiding further demolition of these blocks and waste of embodied carbon from a climate literacy standpoint.

The Hilltown Multis were constructed in 1964 and the project was a masterplan of four 15-storey tower blocks consisting of 336 homes, 224 of which were two bed apartments and 112 were one bed flats (Scottish Architects, n.d.). Designed by the Dundee City Council architects, this project sought to combat the existing slum like housing conditions noted on the site of redevelopment. ¬ On Inception, these blocks were in high demand and were one of the best places to live in Dundee, with arguably the best views across the city and Tay out of all the constructed tower blocks. Their location and site position in Dundee is also one of the most attractive elements of the block, the multi’s are key to Dundee’s landscape. They act as an urban sentinel, as a landmark which greets you to the city when traveling across the Tay bridge, or as a positioner when navigating the city. Therefore, it is crucial that the blocks take advantage of their opportunity to remain a landmark and provide an upgrade to the wider Dundee.

The issue with the Hilltown multi’s, as well as most of the council constructed towers, is the duality between the high-rise ideals – the very concept of living in a high-rise, against the realisation of what was constructed. There were too many corners cut by the council in the design and construction of these towers, thus failing to incorporate integral principles of sustainable high-rise living. Therefore, this paper & its research orientates its discussion around the framework needed to mitigate further demolition of these blocks by striving for a recipe for sustainable design. This will be achieved through the analysis and understanding of the historical intentions and ambitions of the high-rise ideals coupled with the issues and factors noted within their realisation in modern day Britain and looking towards successful precedent projects to construct this framework as a tool to resolve and address the challenge of the Hilltown Multi’s through a deep retrofit intervention.

Fig 02 - Corbusier’s Sketch against the Hilltown Multi’s 6

Background

Before delving into the issues noted within the Hilltown blocks and begin to depict the problems and analysis of precedents for solutions, it is vitally important to understand the rich historical background surrounding this typology. Only then we can understand the juxtaposition of the ambition and the realisation of these blocks in modern day Britain.

The Highrise living ideal is widely regarded to be extracted from Le Corbusier’s vertical city ideology. Le Corbusier’s modern city proposal looked to condense the programme of a section within a city vertically, by designing units or blocks into small autonomous neighbourhoods (Curtis, 2015). This was achieved through packing in all the necessary components such as shops, sport areas and recreational space within the building, in order to provide access to great views, quality light and greenspace around the blocks. The vertical city idea aligned with the view of cities should prioritise vehicular movement and that pedestrian would walk “streets within the sky” as part of a three-dimensional city approach. Negating the hazards of humans and cars sharing the same space, whilst providing a rich interplay along the ground plane with different layers of activity (Murphy et al., 2016).

Fig 03 - Neighbourhood Diagram

The most famous built project which follows this ideology is the Unité d’habitation in Marseille, France which was built in 1952. It is often regarded as the initial inspiration for the brutalist Highrise living typology and acted as a prerequisite to the 1960 “multi” typology noted within the UK. Part of the Unité’s success is due to the Corbusier’s attention to the human scale, although his ideology proposes macro scale city blocks, he designed for the micro. This is present through his anthropomorphic system which applies the dimensions of a human.

Multi’s and the modern city prospect was first introduced into Britain shortly after the second world war.

They were seen as a great opportunity to rebuild major war-torn cities, whilst replacing, with the hopes of eradicating slum housing. Between 1800 and 1950 there had been a huge influx of population that were moving away from rural towns to major cities, which led to overcrowding and many slums forming within cities. These had appalling conditions which would negatively impact human life and the 1960’s post war housing response was considered a golden opportunity to resolve these areas, with the attractive prospect of rehoming the existing slum population into a much smaller footprint. This is directly evident within the Hilltown Multi Site within Dundee.

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Fig 04 - Hilltown Slum Eradication

The multi typology on inception was considered a desirable place to live, synonymous with fresh air and rich with natural light. This opinion was built from the “streets in the sky” idea as well as many tower blocks having accessible balconies which boasted views across the city, a huge success in the well renowned projects like the Golden Lane Estate in London and Parkhill in Sheffield. A resident of Erno Goldfinger’s Trellick Towers in London also stated, “London is my back garden” (Trellick Tower Capturing Space, 2012). This compact neighbourhood in a block allowed for a tight footprint, providing readily available access to greenspace and in many cases led to dense and amenities rich cities. Another desirable was the modern facilities supplied within these blocks, which offered improved sanitary conditions from slum living. The multi typology also offered cheaper construction methods as there was a lot of standardised components which led to larger rooms (de Castella, n.d.). On inception, these factors all combined to create happy residents and helped form a sense of community within the blocks.

Although the tower block typology was well regarded on inception, the public’s opinion soon deteriorated and their reputation mutated into undesirable, low-cost housing. The decline can be argued as due to a combination of social and political factors. There was a decline in industry across the UK in the 1970’s and in the context of Dundee, major companies like NCR and Timex closed, leaving much of the city unemployed, many of whom were residents of multi’s. This impacted cash strapped local authorities who struggled to fund the costs associated with the blocks, leading to a lack of maintenance alongside an increase in crime and disorder. This reputation contributed to a vicious cycle with further underfunding.

The aesthetic opinion of these blocks transitioned from interesting modern brutalist buildings to dirty, bleak and impersonable. In 1968, while surveying high-rise tenants in Glasgow, the social researcher Pearl Jephcott flagged up concerns “Practically no one disputes that this form of home [the high-rise] is unsatisfactory for the family with small children,” (de Castella, n.d.). The idea of “Streets in the sky” has also fallen as contemporary cities look to reclaim streets for the human through pedestrianisation as a move to improve the human scale city and make a positive impact on climate change. This situation has led to several disasters such as Ronan point – a gas explosion which led to the block partially collapsing and killing 4 – and the more recent tragedy of Grenfell – a fire spread by faulty cladding engulfing the block and killing 72 (de Castella, n.d.). These disasters have made many wary of high-rise living. A combination of issues has led to the widespread demolition of multi’s as noted within Dundee, only a quarter of the total quantity remain.

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Ultimately much of the decline noted within the multi typology boils down to social and political factors, but arguably architecture can be used to resolve many issues noted within these towers. Successful regeneration precedents underpin the belief that the application of deep retrofitting is a far stronger alternative to demolition, whilst addressing housing inequality and climate literacy. The application aligns with the Macro Micro studio principles and applies the coined motto from Lacation and Vassal, “Never demolish, never remove or replace, always add, transform, and reuse!” (Lacation & Vassal, Pritzker Prize 2021).

The multi typology can be resurrected and held within high public perception once more, as noted within several successful projects such as Parkhill Sheffield, Grand Parc Paris & Woodside Glasgow. All projects align the dilapidated blocks to and beyond contemporary standards through spatial, light and energy efficiency upgrades, as well as improving, celebrating, and promoting the formation of a community, thus addressing some social and political issues.

Fig 05 - Original Dalfield Site Model

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Discussion

To save the multis and mitigate their demise, we first must address their underlying issues, and in this case analyse the current conditions of the four Hilltown Multi’s. Only then, we can look to precedents to provide the framework for challenging these issues.

The council’s hierarchal design of the 1960’s council blocks model detached itself from the Highrise living ideals and instead prioritised the slum eradication element by densely packing the vertical blocks with as much housing as possible. This is evident in the design of the Hilltown multi’s which sees everything from the first floor up packed with housing, whilst the ground and basement floors are for council services, utilities and little communal space. The Hilltown multis ground floor and basement consists of pram store, concierge, service space (refuge), small laundrette, drying space, stair core & two elevators. Part of the problem is that this design is dated, they were designed for the way of living in the 60’, therefore falling short of what is required in contemporary day. Due to this coupled with noted damage through crime and social disorder, the Hilltown multi’s ground floor and basement plans consist of around 78% redundant or dormant space, with only 22% used as functional area. These floors are barely functional, and their poor design contributes to their isolation from the wider Hilltown, they do not engage with the public realm and lay detached. Whilst also failing to take advantage of their smaller footprint and providing any sense accessible or usable green space around the blocks.

The most important element of any multi is its ability to accommodate housing and as previously noted, the Hilltown multis consist of two thirds two bed apartments (224) and one third one bed apartments (112) (Scottish Architects, n.d.). This model for housing was designed for a 1960’s lifestyle, this model is dated and restrictive when compared to contemporary living and today’s expectations of a more nuanced living environment. The flats are also spatially inadequate as they were designed to the 1961 homes for today and tomorrow Parker Morris spatial standard specifications. This was arguably one of the most famous or well renowned set of principles which set new spatial standards for public/social housing. The report outlined the spatial dimension of a one bed flat to be between 29.7m2 for a single occupant and 44.6m2 for two occupants. The two bed was specified to be between 56.7m2 for three occupants and 69.7m2 for four (Park, 2017). This influenced the design of the one bed flat to be 44m2, and two bed as 60m2. These were spatially generous for the 60’s but they do not meet contemporary living standards, which demand greater storage and spatial flexibility to accommodate remote working, which would have been alien in the 60’s. When comparing these accommodation types to the most recent housing standard, the London housing guide which suggests that a one bed should be 50m2 and a two bed 61m2 (Park, 2017), we find that the one bed flats within the Hilltown multis are largely substandard in a contemporary context which requires a spatial upgrade intervention, and the two beds are slightly out of the recommended standards.

However, the most dated element of the Hilltown multis existing accommodation is the “one size fits all” accommodation model which has no leeway for nuanced living. In a typical suburban neighbourhood, which the multi’s aimed to replace, there would be no repetition in design. They all have slight variations to accommodate different model of living and various occupants. This is one of the key principles for building a diverse community which is crucial to creating a sustainable vertical neighbourhood. The current conditions of a one and two bed apartment led to a concentration of a singular demographic and typical resident which is one of the greatest contributors of the underlying social and political problems within tower blocks. This demographic has been recorded as mainly solo occupants – living alone, between the age of 36-64, do not own a car and around 75% living within social grade D&E on an estimated annual income of £7,696 (Macro Micro, 2021).

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The core circulation spaces noted within Hilltown multis are abominable, The corridors and single stairwell are tight, dark, deteriorated spaces with little fresh air or light, creating a claustrophobic response to circulating throughout the block. This forces residents to get from A – B in the quickest manner, preventing any interaction with other residents. This plays a vital role in stagnating any formation of a community within these multi’s. There’s an inability to know anyone beyond your immediate neighbours which contributes to the animosity around these blocks and facelessness of its residents, reinforcing the lack of security within the multi’s.

Lastly, to address the challenge of upkeep & maintenance, built in the 60’s the Hilltown multi’s had poor building performance as the building had no external insulation up until a recent intervention in 2018 to install this (District Heating Strategy, 2018). The poor construction quality has been further exacerbated by damage from crime and social disorder and has severely put a strain on the council fund the maintenance costs of these blocks, which become financially unviable. These challenges force the council to choose between superficially facelifting the existing towers to prolong their demise for several years or to rip them down. An example of this is the Hilltown multis neighbouring tower, Dudhope court. It has recently had a 4.2 million cash injection to address the underlying problems of the cold and mould ridden flats with dated heaters which are too expensive to run, faulty/no lights in communal areas, broken or dirty service spaces & drug paraphernalia found within core circulation spaces (Hamilton, 2022). The council is addressing these issues through implementation of new fire doors, floor landing coverings & painting of communal spaces and circulation areas. This superficial fix won’t address the real issues noted within the tower and will only prolong its demolition.

As a result of these issues the multis have been awarded an un-wave able stigma, which is only reserved for the multis and looks to penalise the typology when the fault lies with the council’s design execution.

The issues identified within the Hilltown multis are also commonplace within the design of council designed blocks within Britain. Through addressing the conditions within the Hilltown Multis, this framework could be used as a template for the retrofitting of all council blocks, providing a better alternative to demolition and further wasted carbon emission.

Fig 06 - Hilltown Multi’s Site Survey

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Fig 07 - Site Plan

Fig 08 - Existing Model

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Fig 09 - Ground Floor Plan

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Fig 10 - First Floor Plan

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2689

5700

2676

841

1294

4174

3993

4431

1405

971 871

2750

FLATS C,F 1 BED

FLATS A,B,D,E 2 BED

5700 1294

1659

1380

1887

2635

4174

4431

429

1853

841

1405

2750

FLATS C,F 1 BED

Fig 11 - Existing Flat Types

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The Barbican The barbican in London is arguably the biggest success of a modern housing estate anywhere in Britain, built between 1965-1982 - “The barbican estate in City of London is the most complete realization of a Corbusian vision of modern urbanism anywhere in Britain. It is a witness to a civic valour of which this country no longer seems capable” (Orazi and Rudquist, 2020). Born from a war-torn Britain, its vision was greater than just redevelopment of housing. It envisioned an all-new residential quarter equipped with all associated amenities and fundamental facilities to support an entirely independent micro city or neighbourhood with its own rich community and culture. It’s genius planning from Chamberlin Powell bon, neatly nits itself deep into the fabric of London. It has managed to break free from the toxic cycle of re-invention in London, the excuse used to justify the demolition and replacement of buildings which have barely reached adulthood. It owes that success to the realisation that there are “no short cuts to creating a durable community” (Orazi and Rudquist, 2020). The design saw the implementation of gardens, tennis courts, ponds and a conservatory to the likes of galleries, cinemas & a concert hall. Rich with public space, the barbican encourages the formation of community, which is crucial to the sustainability of the project and any modern housing estate.

Moreover, it’s success within the integral living component of the estate is partly achieved through its ability to accommodate variety – “From this predisposing framework is derived the fabulous diversity of apartment plans – some 140 types in total” (Orazi and Rudquist, 2020). All of which were subject to a huge amount of design consideration, it is through this enormous amount of variation that allows for the diversity in occupation needed to sustain a rich community and granting freedom to residents, as stated “It could probably be contended that almost no modern city lifestyle can be imagined that the barbicans extraordinary range of accommodation does not cater for in one way or another, from a house with its garden to pavilion in the clouds” (Orazi and Rudquist, 2020), this emphasises the diversity in accommodation.

The barbican has managed to negate the common occurrence of a typical housing estate of dilapidation, disrepair, and demanding upkeep on the council through the innovative Garchey waste disposal system – although losing its viability in recent years the design recognized the unglamourous but critical challenge of waste disposal. It also enforced the implementation of a contract that must be agreed to when becoming a resident of the barbican. The contract has a pre-agreed set of principles of contractual maintenance which includes recycling and bin days, watering plants, scheduled underfloor heating periods and cleaning times (Barbican Living, n.d.). It is the combination of appreciating the macro city scale and the micro detail of each resident, which has led to its undeniable success as a modern housing estate where many others have failed.

Fig 12 - Barbican Model & Image

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Fig 13 - Barbican’s Flat Types

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Grand Parc Grand Parc Bordeaux in Paris by Lacation Vassal is a great testament to how you can reinvent a dilapidated 1960’s tower block through the lens of a deep retrofit intervention. It succeeds through their approach and understanding of the “existing city” and the “existing situations” (Lacation & Vassal, Pritzker Architecture Prize, 2021), their interest in transformation, addition and expansion with the ambition of plus, as stated “Never demolish, never remove or replace, always add, transform, and reuse!” (Lacation & Vassal, Pritzker Prize 2021). Since the beginning of their practice, they have achieved a reputation of architecture that combines “rationalism with sensitivity, pragmatism with pleasure” (Slessor, 2019), a dynamic and desirable set of attributes when discussing social housing.

The retrofit project which was completed in 2017 saw the renovation of three inhabited public housing blocks built in the early 60’s. Rather than ripping down the existing fabric of grand parc’s blocks and rebuilding, with the overwhelming amount of lost embodied energy and resources, their approach was simple and effective. It outlined an extension to the south facade with the additional layer of winter gardens and balconies, stripping back the existing to access increased light, air, and views. This was achieved through a concrete waffle slab and column structure bolted back to the existing frame, which resulted in a generous spatial upgrade to all neighbouring flats. This provided residents with an improved lifestyle and ability to live outside whilst at home. The result, a pleasant performing dwelling which renews the typology and provides comfort and fluidity.

The extension transformed the block into a giant theatre where every apartment and resident play a role which was an upgrade to the city, as stated by Vassal cited in (Slessor, 2019) “people place thing in the winter gardens that we as architects would never expect. But you must have the confidence in the inhabitants to use this capacity. We are always surprised by their creativity.”

The method of construction prioritised the resident, the humanitarian approach of allowing residents to remain in their homes whilst the work was underway. The cheap materiality specified within the intervention is the reason that “spatial luxury” can be achieved, employing the concept of less is more, which has also been coined by vassal as “cheap is more” (Slessor, 2019), when working with public housing.

Lacation and Vassal have managed to retrofit each unit at the cost of around €50,000 (Lacaton & Vassal, n.d.) Which is roughly half the cost of the predicted cost of the opposing new build scheme. Therefore, designing a retrofit intervention which succeeds in reinventing the existing building and providing the necessary upgrades and opportunities for residents without the risk of gentrifying the building and displacing its existing residents. Which has been commonplace when redeveloping council block estates in Britain and especially in London, renowned for its insidious social cleansing.

Fig 14 - Grand Parc Images 18

Fig 15 - Grand Parc Extension Diagram 19

Balfron Tower The 1967 Balfron Tower designed by Erno Goldfinger, is one of the quintessential modern public housing tower block projects constructed in the 1960’s, a symbol of modernism and landmark within London. It was commissioned in the 60s when London’s housing stock was in the process of being increased and upgraded. The tower is most notorious for its sculpturesque form, a stark contrast to the housing schemes which had existed before.

However, half a century later, with decades of neglect, the tower is going through the process of transformation. An intervention which will bring the tower back up to a good condition and desirable place to live again. This project is making several design moves to upgrade the existing flat layouts to make them more appropriate for contemporary living, whilst improving on the existing attention to community with exciting additions of amenities such as a cinema room, library, gym, workshop and rooftop terrace (Balfron Tower, n.d.). The concept for its renewal was brought about by the residents vote to transfer ownership of the building from the council to a private company Harca, who had made promises to upgrade the existing resident’s conditions (Dispossession: the Great Social Housing Swindle: Balfron Tower, 2020). However, to the demise of residents as they were swindled out of their homes when work began on intervention, only to never return to the block. Harca has price hiked the existing flats so none of the existing work class social housing residents can afford to live their anymore causing mass dispossession, stripping Balfron tower of its intended use. This is a clear example of developer led gentrification and a perfect example of a failed intervention – as it has altered the building of its absolute purpose.

Fig 16 - Balfron Tower

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Parkhill Parkhill in Sheffield was built 1957 and 1961, it was one of the first projects to test much of the discussed modern ideal principles within a public housing scheme in Britain and was pioneering in its ambition and scale, the most notable being its application of the streets in the sky model. Which has seen much praise and critiques across the last half century. The estate was awarded grade II listing in 1998 to avoid any prospect of demolition after years of decline, neglect through under investment and lack of maintenance.

Loved, loathed, languished, and listed, the Sheffield council thought to regenerate these blocks through the launch of a developer led design competition (Hawkins Brown, n.d.).

Hawkins Brown’s winning approach to reinventing the 1960’s blocks was Stirling Prize shortlisted for housing regeneration scheme; the projects ambition was to shift the public’s perception on the blocks to that of a favourable once again (Hawkins Brown, n.d.) Their vision aimed to reconnect the alienated and detached blocks back to the wider Sheffield by making Parkhill an asset to the city.

The overarching architectural approach to the retrofit of the intervention is to retain the existing structure and address fundamental repairs to the building’s fabric, while exposing and celebrating the existing concrete frame throughout and installing a new facade. Upgrading and refreshing flat layouts for free-flowing space to achieve a better contemporary living and cater for diverse occupancy. Another addition was the installation of new floor to ceiling glazing which increased comfort and daylight.

The masterplan design reprogrammed the ground floor of the blocks to host the integral community elements such as shops, cafes, restaurants, and bars, which provide a subsidy for the maintenance costs of the high-rise blocks. The project returned to the concept of high-rise living ideals and activated the greenspace around the blocks through landscape design, tying the blocks back into Sheffield and engaging with the wider public realm.

The attitude to the retrofit seemed to respect the conditions & past of Parkhill by celebrating some existing attributes such as a piece of graffiti on one of the “streets in the sky” walkways. Typically, graffiti has negative connotations but the piece – “I love you; will you marry me?” was turned into a coined phrase for the retrofit (Hawkins Brown, n.d.). The sustainability of the intervention sought to retain and strengthen and the strengths of the original scheme and apply modern technology to improve the buildings original ambitions. The design also achieved a BREEAM very good rating, an accreditation all retrofit interventions should seek to achieve (Hawkins Brown, n.d.).

Although this developer led redevelopment has undoubtably ousted a portion of the existing residents with a slightly greater monthly rent to subside the projects development cost, there seems to be a desirable balance between retaining much of its existing population whilst also ensuring that Parkhill has all the necessary components for a sustainable typology going forwards.

Fig 17 - Parkhill Images

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Woodside Glasgow The 1960’s woodside Multi’s in Glasgow, recently reinvented by collective architecture, is a stellar example of how these dilapidated blocks can be retrofitted to a high technological standard achieving an overall very good building performance and ability to sustain communities of the future. The project challenges the common practice of demolishing the run down 60’s tower blocks by providing a valid sustainability argument.

The project of retrofitting three 22 storey towers of a total 1350 flats is one of great ambition and is the largest of its kind in Scotland (Collective Architecture, n.d.). The vision was to improve the existing buildings performance, targeting enerphit standards as a method to mitigate the high concentration of fuel poverty noted within the flats. This became the projects priority through several client consultations with around 700 residents. Like many of the 1960’s public housing multi’s, the woodside blocks predate the introduction of insulation to the building standards and each home was cold, expensive to heat and mouldy.

Collective’s approach combatted these issues with a new over cladding system which would increase the thermal retention performance of the existing walls and lessen the demand for heating supply, while mitigating the issue of mould, thus reducing the cost of fuel (Collective Architecture, n.d.). This new system coupled with the sealing of existing external balcony spaces and converting them into winter gardens improves the airtightness of the existing flats which were described to have a 20cm by 20cm whole in the wall in terms of airtight quality, to close to passivhaus standards (Daily, 2020). The retrofit also installed triple glazed windows and new lifts with increased security systems.

The project saw an 80% reduction in heating demand reducing the concentration of fuel poverty in over 1000 residents (Daily, 2020). The approach to retaining and retrofitting these multis as appose to demolish and rebuilding, the blocks are also closer to Net Zero Carbon than most new builds (Collective Architecture, n.d.). This intervention acts as a shining beacon for all existing council high-rise blocks, a tangible argument for the mitigation of demolition and a benchmark for all similar projects undergoing transformation.

Fig 18 - Woodside Intervention Diagrams

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The Design Project The abstracted knowledge from precedents has tailored the approach to consider a deep retrofit intervention with a focus on affordability and adaptability. For then it mitigates the prospect of gentrification, and the flexibility element ensures the building can be adjusted in the future – an effective solution to demolition. The collection of information has been used to construct a framework to address the challenges addressed within the Hilltown Multi’s, this is best read through a series of parti diagram sketches illustrating the interventions ambitions.

The projects ambitions are then realised as the implementation of the necessary components and factors of the high-rise living model, leading to an environmentally & socially sustainable typology. A deep retrofit intervention through alterations to the accommodation models with intentions of diversifying the occupancy through new contemporary spatial configurations and standards.

The Initial design moves include applying Lacation and vassal’s logic of always adding, transforming, and reusing (Lacation & Vassal, Pritzker Prize 2021) in tandem with Hawkins brown’s approach to reviving Parkhill’s 1960’s blocks by retaining and repairing as much of the existing multis as suitably possible (Hawkins Brown, n.d.). This includes the block’s structure, an existing concrete pier & slab frame, only removing slab material where necessary to address other issues.

The most notable design adjustment to this frame would be the install of a similar device to that of Grand parc, a complete south façade extension to the whole block, achieved with a new additional bolt on concrete column and waffle slab structure. A 3m extension adding a total 40m2 to the housing floors footprint, upgrading the light condition in all adjacent flats and accessing the desirable views across Dundee and the Tay. Although the critic could be that this is only an upgrade for the adjacent flats, the extension provides the additional space needed to facilitate the upgrade to all layouts of flats within the block.

With this, all internal secondary non load bearing walls were removed and all flats were redesigned with contemporary spatial configurations. Drawing learning from the barbicans ability to accommodate, the design addresses the underlying accommodation issue through dissolving the one size fits all model through alterations to one and two bed housing, bringing them up-to and beyond recommended spatial standards with the implementation and provision of 3 and 4 bed housing. A total of 8 flat types designed to cater to wider & more diverse occupancy, encouraging the fundamental formation of a community and thus a vertical neighbourhood. Arguably the most critical element when trying to construct a sustainable typology. While it also acts as a tool to combat the social and political factors at play as it reduces the concentration of singular demographic, causing crime and disorder.

A key element in the success and reinvention of the Multi’s is how they meet the ground. The design of the ground floor draws ambition from the success of barbicans amenities and public realm with the execution of Hawkins brown’s Parkhill. The proposed design reclaims the existing redundant space, removes the first-floor level of flats to create a double height space, and reprogrammes the floor to host communal spaces such as a café, lounge, events space & short-term lease rentable space. All of which will provide a subsidy to the building running and maintenance costs relieving strain on the council.

The plan is divided into thirds to accommodate the new event space, communal facilities and keeps the residential area as defensible space for the safety of residents. Whilst also providing passage through the block, creating a walkable ground floor, and reuniting the blocks with the public realm and reintegrating them back into the Hilltown. The plan follows Corbusier’s free plan concept which encourages this movement and is constructed out of a lightweight structure for future adaptation (Curtis, 2015), improving its BREEAM credibility. Then the masterplan of the site activates the barren land around the multis into attractive respite and communal spaces, laced with services.

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The overall circulation space within the blocks has been improved following the importance of the principles of streets in the sky found within Parkhill and Balfron, but as this is an existing building its not viable to design a stop skip system or external streets. Therefore, the upgrade takes the form of a celebrated stair core, a desirable space which encourages chance interaction and the formation of community.

Finally, the project addresses the underlying issues of fuel poverty and poor building performance, employing ECOTECT a building efficiency software to test parabolic design moves and applying a similar strategy to that of Collective’s woodside multis in Glasgow. The design removes the existing mould ridden external render and installs a new rainscreen system which aims to retain & repair the existing external insulation – allowing the walls to breathe mitigating the future build-up of mould and damp whilst improving the thermal efficiency of walls. This coupled with the sealing of existing external balconies & converting them to winter gardens, ultimately improves the airtightness of the flats and provides a reduction to the requirement to heat. Better elevators which service all floors were introduced and taller floor to ceiling double glazed windows have been installed to improve the daylight factor of flats from around 2% to a minimum of 3.2% on average, aligning with contemporary building standards.

Fig 19 - Extract of ECOTECT Model

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Fig 20 - The Framework

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GF

FF

SF

TF

Fig 21 - Developed Plans

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Fig 22 - Extension Testing

Services

Fig 23 - Developed Section

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Fig 24 - New Thermal Envelope

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Fig 25 - New Flat Types

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Conclusion

The design project, running in conjunction with this paper has been a vehicle to explore research by testing the principles of the modern high rise living ideals coupled with the learning and understanding from precedents. The collection of information has been used to construct a framework to address the challenges addressed within the Hilltown Multi’s, this is best read through the series of parti diagram sketches illustrating the Hilltown multi’s interventions ambitions. The research has explored the means to and demonstrates that is entirely possible to retain and reinvent these 1960’s tower blocks – Multi’s.

Therefore, providing a solid argument against the demolition and cleansing of this typology. It explores the framework needed and employs it as a tool to challenge the current issues facing these blocks. It is from this research that it could summarised as a multi-faceted approach is needed to ensure their survival and mitigation of demolition.

For these 1960’s tower blocks to return as a sustainable typology, they must revisit their core principles outlined as the high-rise ideals. By condensing a typical suburban neighbourhood into a single vertical block, it must also implement all the necessary components & amenities of a sustainable neighbourhood, not just be packed with dense housing and services.

Abstracting lessons from the last 50 years, we have learnt the importance of encouraging the formation of a community and the success of a housing estate partly depends on recognising this at several scales.

The city scale which explores the masterplan’s role in the wider city, the site scale which discusses how the building interacts with the public realm, individual block scale and the organisation of communal programmes and diverse accommodation, down to the individual resident within.

Finally, these blocks must financially be viable for both the council and resident for decades to come, thus requiring a deep retrofit of the building’s performance and not a superficial face lift. Which is all too common in council upgrades. This can be achieved through the application of modern CAD software to take the out of date 60’s designs up to contemporary building standards as proven here and in Collective Architecture’s Woodside Multi’s. Of which Reduces the cost for residents to run heating and the councils demand to maintain these blocks and while mitigating other factors like damp and mould.

When all these conditions are met, the 1960’s tower blocks can be reinvented and returned to positive public perception. It therefore should be taken as the primary ambition for the council to ground a climate literacy view of retaining and retrofitting these estates, as a better alternative to demolition.

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Appendices

Figures are listed from 0-25 and if not directly credited here, should be considered as the authors own images & Graphics.

[01, 02, 03, 04, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25] Fig 05 - dundee, r, 2011. dallfield models - early 60’s. [image] available at: <https://retrodundee.blogspot.com/2011/07/dallfield-models-early-60s.html> Fig 12 & 13 - orazi, s. and rudquist, c., 2020. the barbican estate. london: pavilion books Fig 14 & 15 - Vassal, L, 2017. [image] Available at: <https://www.lacatonvassal.com/index.php?idp=80> Fig 16 - The RIBA Collections. 2022. https://www.architecture.com/about/riba-library-and-collections. [image].

Fig 17 - Unsplash, 2017. [image] Available at: <https://www.urbansplash.co.uk/regeneration/projects/ park-hill> Fig 18 - Energy, C., 2019. [image] Available at: <https://www.collectiveenergy.co.uk/services/woodsidemulti-storey-flats>

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