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mmamosmaacnrczcs:s AREVIEWOFCURRENTARCHITECTUILALAND ENVIRONMENTALISSUESANDZVENTSINTHE G MBRIDGEAREAPRODUCEDBYMEMBERSOFTHECA1[BRIDGEAESOCIATIONOFARCfiITECTS ASANINTERNALNEWSLETTER.THE EWSINTHISNEWSLETTERABETHOSEOFTHEINDIVIDUALCONTRIBUTORSANDNOTOFTHEAESOCIATIONPUBLISHEDBYIANSTEENAHCHITECTS,48 MILLWAY,GRANTCHESTER,GAI4BRIDGE Number6 December 1988

ARCSOC Fora donation of ñR.00 practitioners are welcome to attend the season of lectmes at ,Scoope Terrace organised by the Cambridge University Architecture Society. Seven have been held this term.

NovemberlstRichardRogersgave atakenlled“PubîcResponsibfliÈy idPrivate BuüMng"Èo wha must havebeenmostoftheschoolofarchitecture plus a handful of local architecte.

He gave a slick, interesting and informative talR racing through slides of his work, not much todowith thetitle but explaining why he had done tnings the way he had and Frith a few asdesaÔoutïhePrinoeCharlesnonens'Hiunmistakableandfamüiæ charsma remaüied untarrushed in spiteofeatnghisfastfoodtakeaway

PRINTED BY LABUTE in front of us and a few provocative questions from the floor — dealt Frith Frith his usual coolness and detachment. Unfortunately just as the discussion was starting to get interesting a taxi arrived to whisk him back tothestation and London.

Richard Rogers was followeda week. later by the Smithsons. When Alison Smithson arrived (Peter Smithson was still in Browns Restaurant) I could not believe we would De lucky enough to get both. They gave a beautiful dualogue on ways ofusing urban wasteland advocating mounds, walls, la-has and other fixes to maintain continiuty witn the past and a framework for future use. They seemed to be saying much thesame kind of things they have always said but appear now more asa nice cosy oldfashionedcoupleraherth&npart Ofthe avant grde they one were ThismadewhatheysMdnoessvahd Idfianphingitseemedmoetothe poUGtoday

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VRWUE

Jaruæy T.BP.

"TehmcMAspeotsofArchitetiM BockworkMasozmy"byFORTICRETELTD

TBA

February Wed 15

"Stansted Airport Termmal"

by Spencer de Grey ofFoster Associates

IbStOCIC

March Wed22

“Professional Liability" byRayCecîl

April T.BP

“Micro-computers forSmall Practices” Speakers tobe oonfirmed

TBA

May T.BA.

BuÜüng¥ist "8tanstedAflportTemina"

Stansted

June T.BP.

Building Visit “Queens College (B,B CfC)”

Cambridge

Sepembe

"MWESe

cesUpdate"

Wed2O

byE.E.B.

October T.BP

“Architect as Developer" SpeaRer tode confirmed

November Wed 22

“Information Technology and Office Design” by ‹jonathan Grieg (P.C.L.)

Clare Frankl spoke on 22 November about the worf of fer practice in South London. Much of her time seems to be spent trying to stitcha fragmented and dynamic environment together Frith the aid of developers, not as pastiche but good sensible use of traditional materials; bricks, ironwork, sash windows, where proportion, scale and materials are sympathetically used resulting in buiiaings wnich don'tjar and perhaps our Prince would approve of. Sne aemonstrated great commitment and a rear feel for the area she iswork.ing in.

I liked her InformMity, approachabi lity and sraght taking. She cut throughmorewflseandpretenceand coveredmoregroundinhMfanhour thanmanywou1dinahMtUne.Inthe endshe hadto be amos dragged fromthecofieebartoher axi.

EVENTS xm

Ittook gulte abitofconcentraüonto fohowaM thereasoning&ndperhaps those in the audience expecting a sra@httaŒ onbuüLn@s wee left raheconfusedbyitswhünsicMnaune The Smihsons came to think :üoud(perhapsnow thalMemore eccentricity), to share and develop their thoughts and theories openly as they have always done.

DavîdRaven

The lectmes continue in the New Year (Tuesdays 8pm) in the Lecture Theatre.

January S4

TomEvans "Regardlngthe UrbanLandscape"

Janua

31

Febxa 7

V1xe¥t 8atta1 W1M1aæA1sop

Febxa

14 R1cïtaya EEor4ezz

Februa

21 ProCessor W:L1sozt

February 28 Bois A111es IDstocR

Each event will be confirmed nearer the date by poster. for any further information, contact ‹John Blair (02215) 67755.

MachT

6oltzz Ooto

May2

SEMPZt111p Dowsoo

May9

IEugtz Cu11um

Mayl6

Ne CamJzx1dge Ozeezz Bell

Asa northerner, brought up in Yorkshire and the fringes of the Lake District, I have always found the landscape around Cambridge difficult to take. It is not tne flatness particularly, but the lack ofinterest that palls — to say that tne sky can be splendid is beside the point when it serves to divert the eye from an arable desert. It has been suggested that even theCambridge Green Belt is of such poor environrriental quality that it might aswell be built on and this has a logic when theGreen Belt isnot green.

There are some excellent pocltets; Grantchester Meadows, Fen Ditton, Wandlebury and Shelford — the river andthe higher around Thebisthat have been hitorcahy dfiücult to farm. Why cannot the rest be as good?

Several 'improvement' schemes exist already — at Fen Ditton and at the proposed Milton Country Part. The ‘Cambridgeshire Rural Strategy’ proposes the creation of woodlands and tree nurseries. It advocates that special effort be concentrated on the Cambridge Green Belt. So why cannot the Green Belt Dea true belt of green?

Inacünateofsetasd',despteentrM gover ment reluctance to link 'setaîdewîthenWrovnentandconservaGon,ishou1dnotbeooŒflMlt. Imtatve atthelocallevel pehaps from fumes and Industry shold surelyDe able to raie theŒndsto purchasethekeyareasofa lcltura land. Sowingiththecheapestgraæ idprUnedwühsmallaeasofnaGve panGng would ceate rih mea dowlandandwooŒandInthiswayi woiüdnotbeexpenmvetoconvefithe 'arable deset to count sd aval aDle for ‹ül to enjoy. A mîxiure of grazngandroughmowingwotüdnot beŒAiŒttomanage,nauæallywüh nofertüisersorpesncides,ioughtto beseIfinancng.WoŒdibetoofanmhütoünaginemostoftheGreenBelt cosetoCambr ebeominggreen.

IanSteeri.

John A Poppen BP, Dip TP., Dip HighwayandTransportP1avüng,has been appointed to the post of City Planning Officer. He is due to talte up his post on Monday, bird January, 1989.

Mr Popper iscurrently Chief Planning Officer of the London Planning Advisory Committee and was previously Assistant Borough Planning Officer of Isllgon He Mso worked for Colm Buchananforanu berofyears Heh1shisrnteressasmusc,turnof thecentury decoranve ars and occa sional spells in the garden.

Nicholas Hellawell.

oco »zwcms

More t2zanjust Conservation" A packed audience braved spartan temperatmes in the School of Pythagoras on Satmday R6th November for the 5th Annual conference organised by the Association of Conservation Offioers (East ofEngland Branch).

Martin Bradshaw, Director of the Civic Trust, felt that the current backlash against some aspects of conservation should be contrasted Frith the healthy cmiosity in the past evident in the USA and Australia. The Trust is concerned that the present high levels of economic growth and construction activity have not brought sign design standards, but rather the opposite.

Simplicity and attention to detail are vüM,parücu1arlyonsm:ülinffllsies Paul Cohinge ofMdlngton Crig Col lmge described his 'beaherbeaen moderms"prcncesbattleswHhthe planning system. He citicsed the consevaGon emphasi on speck buildings and areas, saying that quality should be in ever3rthing. The practice never produces outline schemes: the dra gs always show exactly what isbuilt, and the care they take Frith even the smallest details is striking. He criticised tne enormous opportunity missed in Docklands, where no thought has been given to the spaces between thebuildings.

Ian Pollard showed how hisfirm presents itsschemes, using videos of the view from the pavement; CAD also allows flexibility ifa scneme has tobe amended. HiS aim istO pFovide buildmgs that the public, adults and children, can respond toFrith words such as “nice”, “light”, “pleasant”, “comfortable”. Marco Polo House has given the companüsusingitabuüdïngtheycan idenGfyith,andisasove popular w1ththepeopewhoworküiit:both despiteitsbein@a' ap aroundthe block"buüdmgwhose mtenalchar acte beas no relationship to the outmde.

Martüi Pawley, archiectie correspondent ofthe GuarŒan,considered that new developments are always greater in numDers and size than the environment can handle, and that society is so Fig that all individual initiatives Dorder on naivety. Modern design amounts to functionalism in relation to areas of floorspace, which nAoulo not be disguised by a "thin Dickensian film". He said that architecture is now a secondary profession, a branch of production engineermg, wlfile the conservation ooicer is "almost a fugitive"; as for property

deveopment today, it is ”prüniGve, cfimsy, and invai&bly out of d&te before it is finished”. Conspicuously absent from histalk were any ideas as to how this situation could be improved.

Sherban Cantacuzino, Director of the Royal Fine Arts Commission, was also critical of superficial details unrelated to what goes on behind. A building should be a totality; “form follows function", but similar forms have often been put to many different uses.

Sense ofplace depends on height, bulk, massing, grain, scale, proportion, rhythm, texture, and colour; any or ali of these can be ignored, and the result may still be a good building, but the more they are flouted the greater be the contrast Frith the sub soundings.

Jeremy Dixon concluded the day Frith an inspiring talk showing his buildings in London. His approach depends on understanding the underlying elements in any situation; he emulates the existing pattern, using the modern movement asa source, but with particular emphasis on modelling: ‘that matters iswhat sticks out from the elevation”. In the Docklands, be nas nad to create his own context, and he has given both coherence and variety on a large site by taking elements from hisprevious schemes. He criticised the tendency to reinvent everything from first principles, and for all buildings to be illustrated as new; architects assess themselves on the basis ofpictures oftheir buildings, but tne quality ofa building, and pap ticularly of its materials, has to judged over time. He stressed the importance of views from eye level upwards, rather than elevations, in snowing how a building drill really look; his MillbariR scheme showed the value of this approach. He gave an excehent exposton ofthe histoica contexiandreasonlngbehindtheproposedRoya Opera House extenmon, andis UitendedrelaUonship th is

surroundings.

Long delays due to projection problems cut out what would have beena very interesting panel session. We were left vritñ the feeling that successful new buildings can De achieved in old places, provided that architects approach the challenge without fixed ideas, and with the greatest possible sensitifty to the placea nd to the real needs and feelings of the people living in and using it; high quality detailing is essential.

Joh

Preston

"GONSERVATIONGONYERSATION" xmmzaasaw:&sD.

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-DAœs:sEcraRs

BAHBALAŒIANCRAWFORD:IBSTOCKGENTRE: l6THNOVEMBERl988 A theiemontheeverdeveopmg seis of ectures orgaused by the CAAaspartoftheCPD programme wasthe1nmt&tiontoBarbaraandIan Crawfordtogvealectureonthesub jetof”Conserv&Gon' They did not try and discuss all aspects of conservation but rather to concentrate on tne approach to conservation and to give an up-date on the to-date seemingly over-intricate legislation cmrently inuse.

The evening wa peeded by the awards ceemony for the cWMmenship &wads which efissveb foremen/craftsmen feeling jolly pleased ..., the “joHy" coming from the urge quantities of urine available for ensuring.

The evening was so well attended t.hat, the Chairman had to discomage people from attending the lecture by Barbara Crawford, historic buildings expert and East Hertfordshire Conservation Officer. Those who obtained a seat were treated to a well presented reaumé ofa difficult subject which did notshirkasectiononlegislation.

year requires consent to roof extensions or the application of cladding incuMngstonecadïng)tounhed bulldlngsrnConsexatinAreaamd afioremovaspemiteddveopment righœtoeœcroofexenmonsmthe same cases. ft also requises consent forah sortsofthîngsînthecurtüage of hsted buû0lngs which had previously been allowed as permitted development eg. precast concrete garages There wasarem:mder cha carying out work without pemision(eveninQnorane)isacrhnmM ofMnoewfihseveepenMGe.SoJm doubt,rahethantaAetheriska:hitects are advised to consult the local Conservation Officers either in the District Council concerned or at Shire Hail.

Thi deal brisy with, ”Wha isa liedbuflMng?",”Howaretheyseleted?"and”Howdoesthetreamentof buüdings of architectu ü orhistomc mterest differ from ordinary applications for town planning permission?”

Those who missed the lecture can catch up by reading Government Circular Ref. 8/87, obtainable from HMSO which consolidatesa maze of previous circulars. Subsequent Circuxr 18/88 requires consent to internal or external painting ofa listed building ifit affects Its character. A change to the General Development Order comîngüñoeŒeton5Deoembethi

Barbara was assisted by her husband Idol Of RH Partnership who gavea bit Of spice to the evening Frith slides of a P£tmpant bull elephant in the Amboselli National Part, and Titian's “The Rape ofLucretia” to illustrate the mrider aspects Of conservation. There Was a wide range of attractive and someaimes wîtty slides ûlustraGng tne range oflisted buildings and areas designaedas”ConsevationAreas MembesweeparticuîaNymeresed inexamples of successful lnfill buildings in the street scene. eq. The Mother's House in Amsterdam by Aldo Van Eyre. Barbara called for frankly modern, high quality infill buildings in Conservation Areas and as extensions to listed buildings. She concluded, “Far too many ‘Noddyvernacular’ schemes are submitted by architects under the mistaken impression that this is what iswanted— it isn't!”

BranScafly

The CAA annual awards foroutstanding craftsmanship were this year confined to masonry. The awards were presented by Bob Thomson atIDstock. on l6th November toa packed gatheringofbuilders, clients and architects.

Johnson ifBailey Ltd forbrickwork to the Needham Institute on Sylvester Road, Cambridge (architects Lyster, Grillet and Harding) site foreman — P.Ashman bricklayer foreman — R.Wilson

Three awards were made (from 18 enrie) - fornew stonework, new brikwork&ndmao:uyresoraGon

Rattee and Kett forrestoring masonry to the Great Cost, South Range and Essex building, Trinity College, Cambridge (architects Donald Insall and Associates) Ivor Pearl Tony Luster Fred Pink Reg Megson (roof tiling)

Coulson and Son Ltd forstonework to the new Howard Building, Dooming College, Cambridge (architects Erith and Terry) Craftsman (fixer) — John Bradford

By the time members oftheAssociation read this it wlll be very nearly a year since David Urwin was taken ill.

He died on the 00th ‹January, 1988.

David William Urwin, apart from being the Chief Planning Officer of the City of Cambridge and my boss, was a personal friend and we shared a number ofinterests outside our working careers. But David's interests and hobbis were tverse and ofMn vey pubhc,andhisinvolvement ththe arts was wide, whether in pottery, lectming on Cambridge — the City he came to love whilea student nere — singing, drawing and painting, or taking photographs. Whatever be tool on was always done Frith enthusiasm and to the very best standards he could achieve.

That anyone with such vitality should dieso early — he was only just 50 — is tra c Inso doîn# the Gity Councü MsolostamuchrespeotedGhifOfii enInreogzuGonofthiithasñüti aed&MennialAwardSchemeinhis memory, to De admlnlstered by Cambridge Heritage, and to De awarded to each ofthree categories of work tothe built environment within the City of Cambridge. The three categories cover: — a) New buildings. b) Extension toexisting buildings and words ofconservation. c) Small scale improvements, including shopfront design and landscaping.

Recognlsing the involvement of Cambridge Heritage Frith environmental education and in an effort to further increase public awareness of their surrounaings, nominations will be sought from the general public under each heading. Authors of nominated schemes wiil tnen be asked by Cambridge Heritage to submit details of their projects for assessment by both national personalities and local figures with an interest in Cambridge.

The first award istobe made on the letJuly 1989: the World Day ofArchitectme.

Donations tocards the "David darwin 2Terltage Anæed" fund can still be made eitñer airect to: D.C. turner, HRTPI, Acting Chief Planning Offices, Department ofPlanning, GarnbridgeCi£yCouncü, TheGuüdhall, Cambridge,

CB23QJ orbysending them to: Mldland Bank ple: 8om code No. 4O-1B-D8 MazketHIh, (QuonngAccount Cambrdge, No 13211681) Watch this Newsletter and the local press forfutée news.

Nicholas Hellawell.

sm**mx

Open leTter to John

Blair re: Awnuo Dinner

Having read an account ofthe Annual Dinner and possible suggestions for the futme, itseems to me that Defore you dovmgrade the event still further a review of what makesa successful dinner might be worthy of consideration.

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There must bethousanös and thousands of acres of neatly manicured areas of grass around buildings of many kinds, all over the country. Business and Science Parks area good example. Tnere area few token trees but generally they must be very boring for those working in such areas and they do notlung to improve the outlook for British wildlife.

Keepinga grass monocuJture tidy is quite labour intensive during the mowing season. Witha little more thought by landsc6pers with an Interest 1s the environment and ecology, these areas could Dea haven forwildlife and a very pleasant place for the people who work in thebuildings. There are different levels of habitat that could be used, depending on the site. Trees, shrubs, and vriNRower meadows. Meadow nowers grown amongst the correct mixture ofgrasses are most attractive and quite easy tomanage.

Seed mixtures to suit various types of soil are available from specialists, (such as John Chambers at Barton Seagrave, Kettermg, Northants). The wiio nowers tnat grow on clay soils are different from those

l Wadltlon

Every other professional body seems to recognise the tradition of sucha dinner.

Thereisasecondareaoftraötonand th&t is, a parüclar orgarüsaüon's düiner is knovmi to be excehent Clearywehaveanuphülü@htinthat respect There isno replacement forquality to attract an audienoe.

Quality comes inthree areas; a9 Location In the past few years there appears to be change forchange's sake in terms oflocation. The Hall at Queens seemed to me to be an absolute winner and most people were greatly impressed and interested. By comparison, whoever had the bright idea of visiting wi2'a,u i2iiñH“t bO iilio Or BilO WOi“8ñ riouoiri

buildings in Cambridge (and presumably did not check wnat theacoustics were liRe) has a lot to answer for. b9 Speakers Bill Rogers should have Deen an enormous draw this year and frankly his

on chalk soils for example, and these differences need to be taRen into consideration. Meadow flowers and grasses grow well on poor soil and no fertiliser needs tobe applied to the ground. Itmakes thegrass growverywell, kut this smothers theflowers and eventually the grasses take over completely. The seed can be sown in spring or autumn. As some seeds, cowslip forexample, needa period offrost to enable them to germinate m spring, it might De better to sow in autumn. Before sowing, perennial weeds, such as ground elder, should be eradicated.

I would suggest that the grass bordering on to paths, where people will be walking, should be cut every week or so,toa lengtn of about l'Za inches. Longer grass near to wring areas would Dend over the paths in wet weather and give passersbya soaking. In the shorter grass, daisies, speedwell and selfheal will establish themselves.

The main meadow area will start flowering in spring and should carry on through till September, creatinga real living picture.

After the seeds have ripened and fallen the whole area can be cut. Mid-September

contributions saved the event for me.

But in the past we have had not just one good speaker Dut at least two or three. Places lie Queens and thevarious contacts available in tne City means that you can almost certainly get big names atleast once.

c9 'Ttie Tood

A bit of reasonable research would soon identify those falls Frith good kitchens. The food at Fitzwilliam was very ordinary and its service lacked

any charm atall.

Ifyouaretorunasuccessfuleventof

thi sortthere musbe (a)enthusiasm for the event itself as an advertisement for the Profession and (b) there must also se a miingness tO carry out good research and mane rea efforts to get the venue and speakers ofthemghtgualityand(c)theremust beanMmostcontnuousharassment of the prospective audience of ever increasing intensity to make sure that they come. Two practices basically provided more than half of the voluntary audience because,I suspect, they are committed to the idea. If you lose that sort of support you have no event a.nd t,o broomgra.tie to 8.n informA.1 din.ner dance would be disaster. The ambitions of the CAA. should be to havea first class dinner and a social calendar. Every other professional body based in Cambridge does.

Davld Thurlow

should be the best time. Usinga rotary mower oreven scything it by hand, cut io about fl inches. Remove all the cut grass. If it isa mild autumn it will proDaDly need cutting again m early November.

Om thematter ofshrufis and trees to create another level of habitat, these should de chosen for easy manenance but with atracüveness to bäds, bees and butter flies. Buddleia and hemp & I'IIIYON are good examples. Both just require hard pruning each March. Trees that support large numbers ofinsects, and as a result of this also insect eating birds, should be selected. Birches support up to 2fi0 different insects for example. Goat willows have nectar bearing catkins in spring and the rowan has small witte flowers followed by red bevries in autiimn. Een near open count side or ensUve meas specis nauvetotheareamepreerred.

Needlessto say,oncetüs type ofgardenis creaed,psucdesshou1dnotbeused

RuthTubbs Cambm

eshireWüMfieTrust