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REVIEW OF CURRENT ARCHITECTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND EVENTS IN THE CAMBRIDGE AREA PRODUCED BY MEMBERS OF THE CAMBRIDGE ASSOCIATION OF ARCHITECTS AS AN INTERNAL NEWSLETTER THE VIEWS IN THIS NEWSLETTER ARE THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL'CONTRIBUTORS AND NOT OF THE ASSOCIATION PUBLISHED BY IAN STEEN ARCHITECTS, 48 NILL WAY, GRANTCHESTER, CAMBRIDGE

Number 4

July 1988

PRINTED SY

BASS AND JEFFELS

ARCHITECTS

Jsräaa forPresident?

Local firchitect Philip Jordan has JnFïrmecl that he is cOnsïderirg .tanding for Senior ViccPresident, text stop the P resici enc. '! lor dan, non dÏr ect u r in oha age o fl Lhe london of Nice o f rorum Archi tests, has been Sitting tha heodiines with b!is c r csaös boi mol vc jouri9 archibects in the aF fairs o f the ms Lit:ute, cu 1mineüi ng in the recent ‘/cung A r chi bects C ounci1 a C .^Ort1ünd Place. IL is sèmething oF an about- burn Nor Jordan, who only two year9 ago threa Lened No quit th= Insti tuLe because he could not see what it was doing for him or his peers.

Apparently a late-night heart-toheart with Rod Hacknay and a few empty glasses convinced him the only way to improve things was from the ins:de. lt makes one b onder î f' the gre al royal dviser has inFluenced this atest move as well.

What radical now ideas would 2oFdan bring to the job? His views on various topical issues came to the surface during the livtly Young Architects Council.

0n education, he would like to s-°e *he system changed in order Co produce experts in speci tic discip lines =i thin the b rond s tceam o f” archi tes hLïre la ther khan the vague hope o £ p rcducing the renaissance man. This would mean specialising at Part II, having followed a normal Part I course and a year-out that involved a mendatozv 5 -wnths .‹ith o cont-autor.

The FutuFe oF Portland Place also gets the Jördan treatment. "Turn it into a shop window and a confeFence centre with Facilities for members to entertain clients and even stay overnight”. A proper gentleman's club in fact.

So much For the learned society point o F view.

set a bride on o Architects CPD PROGRAMME OF EVENTS 1988

The RIBA should absorb ARCUK, thus eliminating the public rows and avoiding duplication of effort. This is another commendable idea but surely a Forlorn hope as it would require Government legislation. Jordan also has FoOm for the subject of design in his manifesto. "Can we really be taken seriously as we ciaim to stand’ för design excoîlence when we do not speak out against bad design even when it is C aï'ri ed out by one o f our zembers".

Well, why not?, it has never restricted our own intrepid critic David Raven) 0ne wonders what schèmes Jordan has in mind? ls it really Canary Char f° as he ct aims or is i t. perhaps the new Texas Superstore at Lhe Beehive Centre in Cambridge (oops! sorry Barry).

One thing seems clear, i fl Jordan does run for the P residency , lie does not intend allowing the Institute to quietly slip back to the boring tranquility and stagnation oflthe Pre-Hackney davs . ( ' hr.er Lhere nad "o be one good reason.) Go on Phi1ip, give it a goI

The Following are the events pianned for the west of the year The next event is a visit to London Dock1 ands which is being organised by Eastern Electrioity 1.n as sociat1on w1th the CAA and the BedFordsh ire Association of Arch1 tects. The trip will inc1ude a vis1t to the LDDC Headquarters , â guided tour oI the Is1e of Dogs and Roya1 Docks and a buf”Fet 1unch at the London City Airport. The trip will be on Tuesday 20 September and leaflets including tear-off booking forms will be sent out soon by. CEB. Sep’20

LONDON DOCKLANDS VISIT (Eastern Electricity)

Sep 21

FIRE IN BUILDINGS Simon Hao, RIBA (Venue - I bs jock)

Nov 16

CONSERVATION -Ian & Barbara Crawford (Venue - Ibstock)

Dec 14

LANDSCAPE IN ARCHI TECTURI Ian Bethnell ( Jenue - Ibstock)

John Blair MEMBERSHIP MAILINGS The Association plans to mail news information to all members on or about the following dates: 8 July 1988, 7 October 1988, lO February 1989, 14 April 1989.

The Association is seeking to partlv offset the costs of mailings by inclusion of trade literature linked to the building and design industries. If any member knows of firms or organlsa-

tions who may wish to send out literature to locdl architects, in return for a small contribution to CAA funds, would they please ask them to contact Roger Wilson, Hon. Secretary, at Royston 48944.

Ascham Centre, Ascham Road, Cambridge Summer School for Architects, School Teachers and Punils with an interest in Environmental Education

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TUESDAY 19th JULY Workshops provided by architects and teachers with particular experience in the field and aimed at combined audiences of architects, teachers and pupils.

WEDNESDAY 2Oth JJLY Morning - Discussion groups in particular interest to teachers and architects contemplating project work in sc hools .

Enquiries and bookings with Nigel Frost at the RIBA.

"So every morning you get into your company car and drive around the countryside visiting pubs until closing time" "Well, er, broadly that's right" "Jammy bugger" Thm

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a slumbering dog by the hearth, a jOVial landlord and a smiling barmaid. Laughing local builders (who seem, for some reason, to häve walked out of an episode of All Creatures Great and Small) downing foaming pints bought for them in recognition of a job well done. It hapo•ns.

Afternoon - Papers looking into the future of Design Education, Architectural Profession and Built Environment Education.

Amongst the contributors will be Eileen Adams of the Royal Fine Art Commission and Jake Brown

Some thoughts for any Architects about to embark on a pub, new or conversion: first look at other pubs and see how they su::eed or fail. Remember that puhs take knocks and that an old pub will have been hacked about in minor ways over the years, yet this can be a significant part of its charm.

However time marches on, and after generations of slumbering untouched Resist stripping out too much of next to the church, the village pub and its counterparts in towns the old, even if it is useless.

Redundant bakelite electrical are being prodded into life, rennt tp v the Ar h r- planned and extended to meet their accessOrien are of potential C a r in a brewery wears two hats : minor interest to the future, owners' perceptions of future Architect and Client The 'client' customer requirements. Ten years just aS an oil lamp bracket ir hat is, however, shared with a to un today. Should your brien* ago to improve a pub could mean & include interior design you can peeling off the laminate's applied o be O d d fh ob go further: if harnesses and twenty years ago and finding hhose a d O we e rusty. gin-traps’ are de ripueur maho ny underneath. This is still possible but the more recent today, why not anticipate the challenge has been to extend in future and decorate your pub a style appropriate to the origi'With a rusty lawnmower or a nal and to create new spaces in set of Cortina hub-caps? a few months that are as interhave quite specif'c expectations, esting as the old ones which have as users of the building: The The future of the pub is taken lifetimes to evolve.

Architect can sometimes end up potentially quite varied, the Fortunately, in the last few trying to reconcile quite disparate years, manufacturers have reintro- influence of Europe and the sets of eHpectationS whilst also need for a more responsible duced components and materials to having to design-in and explain match those of yesteryear. A crusty attitude to alcohol will no doubt features required by the statutory old countrv bar can be created, if bring about a wider choice of authorities, which are part of you wish to do so, without resort- pubs and what is available inside neither groups' expectations. ing too heavily to artifice. There them. Historical design precedAdd to this the vicissitudes of is certainlv no excuse for 'stick- ents will perhaps be superseded life, stir in a bit of alcohol on beams' and trowel-prints in the by the hamburger-restaurant style and you can be wondering if it in an attempt to Lroaden the appea plaster. There is a specific was really a good idea to bother but please do not forget the challenge to be met in pub work getting out of bed that morning. traditional pub. Whatever the for, with some exceptions, the style, these buildings are for British pub is a little piece of people's recreation so it is theatre: dressed up to hint nostThere are, of course, successFirmness, Commodity, Delight.. algically at a timeless, secure ful days, and also days that are world populated by cheery pirates, and heavy on the Delight. just too good to be true: a poachers and scenes from Pickwick.

Spring morning in an ancient You may not wish to accept this, village pub. Shafts of sunlight but cast an eye over the pump made solid by the smoke seeping handles, the beer labels and the out of the friendly regulars, horse brasses and see what the BEVIS CLAXTON marketing men are telling you.

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8enevolent The third Hay Report, with its proposals for Reglonal devolution In England and Wales has stemmed from the widely accepted need for greater democracy and accountability, but it seems ironically to be leading the RIBA in the opposite direction. The plan apparently just approved by the RIBA Policy Committee and by Council (T) would result in a National Council made up entirely of regional representatives.

This would simply compound the present difficulties and it is curious that nowhere does Hay actually attempt to justify the need for stronger regional or-

ganisation.

Many are already uneasy about the fact that the CAA Executive, for example, with all due respect to ’ memberx is not actually elu d by the membership, i.e. by local architects. This is because there is never more than one person standing for a vacancy'and the vast majority of architects have no involvement. The Branch Chairman is approached by one or two longstanding members and then given the job by a show of hands.

The Regional Council, with its arbitrarily drawn boundaries, is simply made up of Branch Chairmen who; without refereoce to anyone else, nominate a Regional Chairman. Under the new rules this person will have a seat on the RIBA Council and, as a group, they will account for one third of the RIBA Council membership and,with co-opted members, almost half - sufficient to have a major if not dominant impact on Council decisions including the election of the next President.

Tom.«e our Association due credit, in the process of recent consultation, we have advocated direct representation on Council. Each branch (i.e. the membership) would simply elect its own representative(s) which would make up the full RIBA Council except for co-opted members. The snag with this is that it does not allow space for nationally elected members. These are abolished under the new arrangements and yet it is the national candidateswho best represent the cause of architecture nationally, who are often best known to us and who we would like to speak on our behalf and to vote for.

A way must be found of having both better local representation (and therefore more effective local participation) :nd high quality national candidates on the RIBA Council . Regional devolution could result in the worst of both worlds.

Dav Id Ray en

7 .6 .88

Society

The Society help people who are, or have been, members of the architectural profession in any capacity, or their dependents, when they are in need through bereavemeñt, illness, poverty, financial disaster, loneliness, or any other adversity.

The Society's welfare workers, backed by the Society's Case Committee, are very experienced in counselling and advising on a large range of situations and have an expert knowledge of the benefits available from the DHSS. When the Society hears of someone with a problem, an expert visitor makes a friendly call to find out whether or how help can be given. Visits and assistance are unobtrusive and completely confidential.

In this Newsletter, space allows for only two from numerous examples of help which can be given, tailored to suit the requirements and financial situation of each individual's circumstances.... (i) In the case of bereavement or sudden illness, the Society is usually able to make immediate payments until financial matters or State benefits are sorted out. (ii) The cost of school fees can become a serious problem when there has been a loss of expected income and the Society can, if necessary, contribut to the fees to ensure that the education of children is not interrupted should the child be at a critical stage of education.

CAA members can help by letting me know of anyone believed to be in need.

George Hamilton (Local representative of the Society) 0223 840224

was led by arcl3itect and Fellow Don HoÎister, who gave us a sympathetiC and eloquent introduction to the building.

The library is boldly sited by Philip Dowson,in the middle of Gilbert Scott's neo-Georgian Memorial Court on the east/west axis between Memorial Arch facing Queen's Road and the University Library Tower. For some, this siting was a controversial decision, but it seems to me to have introduced some much needed subtlety by blocking off rather gracefully the överpowering and ugly vista of the University Tower and Vorming in effect three delightful turfed courts out of one impersonal and lifeless one.

The library is entered on the axis from the west side through a central octagon. This also gives access to other parts of the building. Rare books are accommodated at high level on an elegant metal gallery, all under a domed ceiling, top lit by a concealed lantern. The main library is a very relaxed double height space with similar metal gallery and tall Mackintosh style bay windows which look into the two conifers in the turfed courts outside. The room is simply'and elegantly detailed and has an appropriate air of restraint and tranquil ity Other rooms are unexceptional if not dull in comparison.

Externally, tñe building has t•o faces. To the west, towards the steps of the University Library and its tree lined frontage it is colonnaded with white precast concrete and portland stone infill. Floating above this is a Romany clay tile roof. This facade is distinctly Italianate in character.

(Stand on the UL steps to get the best effect).

By contrast, the east facade lacing Memorial Arch (and glimpsed through the arch from Queen's Road beyond) is more English in feeling, faceted and parapeted in handmade bri cks sith portla nd s Zone d ress ings.

As a building, it is not beyond criticism, but this distinction in the character of the two frontages is its grtat stroligth. Unlike much which has been built in Cambridge in recent years this is a contextual solution which recognises and builds on what is there and at the same time drawing on histori ca1 and mod em idi oms rna k e z its own contemporary contribution - in this case one o* e¿cgance, grace and humanity.

Dav Id Raven

On 19 Narch the CAA organised a visit to Arup's new Clare Library in the New Court complex west of Queen's Road. Although completed now some time ago, the building attracted a good gathering of architects and others. The tour

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\ free cdv,isory service for building ç‹oh1Œzs and dcsîgn offered by the

R0yal Institute of British Architects

Ar your local

CitlZflIlS Advice

Whatever one's view of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's University Library, Clare Memorial Court or his Battersea Power Station, the design that has had the greatest impact on Britain, its people and visitors from abroad, is his friendly'red telephone kiosk.

For most of us the telephone box is, in fact, epitomised by his last model known by its number as the K6 but also known more familiarly as the 'Jubilee' box, from the year of its design - 1936 the 9ilver Jubilee year of George V. Before 1921 no agreed kiosk design existed. In that year, the Post Office introduced the Kl as the first standard design and this was limited to the London area.

However, in 1924 the Post Office launched a limited competition, judged by the Royal Fine Arts Commlssi on, whi ch was won by Scott's cast-iron design, known as the K2. Wholly classical in spirit with domed top, fluted corners and squared glazing pattern, it was inspired by Soane. The K3’, a concrete model, a larger version, the K4 and one incorporating a letter box, the K5, quickly followed. But the universal and definitive version was the K6 of which 75,CDO were produced.

Since January 1985, the British red telephone box has become an endangered species. In some parts of the north east it is virtually extinct; in other areas ii still survives in its native habitat but a thoughtless, ••-• - •*1 fu1 , campa iqn 1s beinq waqed aqainst ic.

To add insult to injury, British Telecom's work instituted a series of auctions throughout the country fn which old but perfectly serviceable kiosks are sold, en masse, to the highest bidder, usually for export ’- the USA, where they are used as cocktail bars, poolside showers or other novelties, a disgraceful fate for part of our national heritage and SuCh a familîar element of our street scene for over "o years. Where:- wc iike it or nwt, the red 'phone klosk plays an important role in creating

:ña distinctive national character which touris:: come tn see, with other items such as the red London 'bus, and which is closely identified with things British. They are immensely successful, practical, durable, and combine a high public profile with an ability to adapt to changing technological needs, so much so that to lose them is unthinkable.

In Cambridge the City Council, as long ago as 1981, came to an informal agreement about additional telephone boxes in the central conservation area being the Scott type. With the advent of the replacement programme, this agreement was revised to include the retention of 13 telephone kiosks, again all grouped in the central area.

Unfortunately with :ñe emergent desire of British Telecom to divest itself of the old image it chose to ignore this agreement and telephone boxes started to disappear without warning.

As a result, the City Council took up the challenge and spot listed all red 'phone kiosks in conservation areas.

The Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, has subsequently confirmed seven of these listings. These are : The Narket Square - 3 No Bridge Street Silver Street Trumpington Street Brookside South Cambridgeshire, on the other hand, has had only 6 boxes llsteo in une whuie -:: ° oa.

East Cambridgeshiie, 3, and Huntingdon District Council only 2. The loss is put into perspective when we learn that Cambridge had a total of 132 'phone boxes.

If this all makes readern red, then please write to Mr J Lumb Natloiwî Paynhone Services British Telecom

212 €resham Street

LONDOW EC2V 7AG

:1icholas Hellawell

Bureau

’ The Architectural Aid Surgery has now been running at the cambridge Citizens Advice bureau since 1979. At tñe beginning of the year we agreed new terms of reference and approached all lOCal practices to provide volunteers.

In February, a press release was issued by the Citizens Advice Bureau and a long discussion on the Surgery was put out on Cambridge Radio. A large number of posters have also been distributed to various public venues by CAB workeIn the Surgery we now have OUr Own 8 foot x 4 foot notice board and leaflet rack which displays copies of all free RIBA leaflets, together with other relevant reference material.

The surgery runs fortnightly on Tuesdays from noon until 2pm. It is very much in de ond and fully booked each week and for at iea=: a fortnight ahead. Each duty architect does two consecutive sessions and the rota presently runs until Narch 1989. Architects running the surgery come from both large and small practices, public and private, so we are getting a good mix. It is hoped that many will want to continue next

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the depth of experience which the surgery needs.

D av id Ray en