CA08

A REVIEW OMCURRENT ARCHITECTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND EVENTS IN THE CAMBRIDGE AREA PRODUCED BY MEMBERS OFTHE CAMBRIDGE ASSOCIATION OF ARCHITECTS AS AN INTERNAR NEWSLETTER. THE VIEWS IN THIS NEWSLETTER ARE THOSE ÒF THE INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS AND NOT OF THE ASSOCIATION PUBLISHED BY IAN STEEN ARCHITECTS, 48 MILL WAY, GRANTCHESTER, CAMBRIDGE

Number8 Aprll 1989

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hy 3Nozta we:iza repoxt Rep¥’x'1ezzae oCtZte Ziazttz •7aouaxp 1e8e •. two booklete reviewed here put -.o perspective and summarise a maor probem facn@ the buüdlng mdustp,partsofwhihhavenothad aveywide pess We are famúiar wühen onznenta flMcities th aeosolpropeManG,buMhiisoiya pmtoíheprobem In buüdïng energy conservation, it was only recenGy that opüüon favoured extruded polyst3rrene foams for sheet insulation under ground slabs and polyurethane foams forgap Mgtoachivebuüdlng aútighL ness. Now that the gasse ued to expand(blow)thesefornsaefourd toharmourenironmenttheeha tobe cause for concern. When last yeafis tae oftheart materlsget this years booby prie hasi now become impossible to design vrith certainty in modern materials? is now generally accepted that comocarbons (CFCs) are causing damage to the Earth's atmospheric

PRINTED BY LABUTE barrier against ultra-violet light, the ozone layer. Tne concern is so great that both theTLSEnvironment Protection Agency and a House of Lords Select Committee have recommended that the use of CFCs should be phased out to allow the environment to recover. It is felt by many that the Montreal Protocol (September 1987) which requires cuts of 50% to be achieved by 1999 isnotadequate.

Architects cau do mucn tohelp as there are alternatives to many ofthe building products that use tne most damaging CFCS. Apparently the most damaging are those that are used principMly (and in roughly eQual proportions) as refrigerants, aerosol propeHants and flowing agents for foamed plastics.

Recently there has beena significant reduction of CFCs in aerosols, but an increase in their use in solvents and foamed plastics — polyurethanes, polyisocyanurates and extruded polystyrene. It seems that many manufactiers areworking hard tochange to alternative blowing agents, but at the present it is necessary to check vritn the supplier whether the changes have been made. Ifthey do not come clean then I would advise looking elsewhere or changing thedesign.

Refrigerant use of CFCs has apparently remained fairly constant des-

pite the increase in use of air conditioning and cooling. This is apparently due to improvements in design and maintenance. CXC use in this area is likely to increase unless alternatives are found. It is unlikely that existing plant can be adapted to new refrigerants.

Aerosol foams, used extensively in Emope, now available at builders merchants and DIY shops are likely to become increasingiy in demand and their gap sealing efficiency becomes more widely accepted. PacRing thglass flbre oF compressble expanded foam strip are possible ‹üternaüves Thetwo booldets are avaüablefrom Friends of the E h. They are deaüed,nottootechmcMandshould beessentüe&din forMlarchitects Ian Steen

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EVENTS

Programme

Queens — PorumKlslt A visit to the recently completed third phase Cripps Court building has been arranged for kO.OOam Saturday 84 done. Dr Robin WalRer, Domestic Bmsar ofQueens College, and Julian Bland of Bland, Brown if Cole the architects, wUl guide us around the new building, explaining the background and mechanics oftheproject.

Tbose 1nteresteó ïn jolz 1ng the trip should assemble at 9.45am ïnsióe the cohegegaesoffSflveSteet,coseto themathemaGca2trMge.Anyfurther Queis?-contctJOHN BIAIRon (O223)677Z3.

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A sie msit to the new aMport ter minal building by Foster Associates has been arranged.

Spencer de Grey drill be our guide to ttie building, the outer envelope of which isnow largely complete. The visit wit be on Monday k8 May atartlng at B.OOpm. The meeting point will be Foster Associates site office anyone wishing tojoin the trip drill need to arrange their own transport. Places on the visit are limited; to booh. a place please ring JOHR BZ•&OR on (OB2iS3 TTi3iS for further details.

6.00 6.45 7.15 7.20 7.30 8.00

Buffet and Wine (No charge) Meeting NewCharman Speaker(PhüipJordan) Discussion Coffee and close

ALS NDEI€BERB RR URGED TO ATTARD ARD 8UPPORT TWE ABBOCI8TIOII To assist in catering arrangements, please confirm attendance by 5 May to Roger Wúson (Hon Sec) Bons, Thompson Patnership, Chmch House, Kneesworth Street, Royston.

Telephone Royston 248944

Queens-FonunVisi* Cripps third phase Dy architects Bland, Brown and Cole was the subject ofa Satmday morning visit by the Cambridge Forum on R2ndApril. his phase accommodates a muitipurpose Hall complete Frith green room, dressing rooms etc. in one block and squash costs, billiards and table tennis ina second Frith costyard and terracing between and urine cellar, plant rooms and parking underneath.

Barry Brown gavea well staged and entertaining presentation with technical support from Ove Arups who acted as structmal and M ñfE consultants. The nexibility of the Hall was demonstrated by operating some hi hl sophisticated mechanical and eleriMaMswhihcanproideM6 eentsyfiems ofGgimg,rMseand lower seGons of the sage, lower lighting br es and gids, retract bleacherseatn@,brin@downai g screensetc.Ahthisissothataspace of l2m x 28m oveMl can caer equally effectively for social gatherings, badminton, theatre in the round, proscenlum presentations, concerts, lectures or films. Fitzpatrick Hall, as

3Dze Eagle I:azz. Bezze't Street As everyone knows the Eagle has been closed for several months dueto major alteration words totheBene't Street frontage and to the pub itself. A pMnnin applicaüonwassubmided In FebruaœybyGreneKlng Thiis curentybeingconideed The Eagle is the last surviving authentic comtyard pub in the City and one of or great institutions. The bullaing and its associated yard are listed. Pevsner in his Cambridge perambulations particularly mentions the early l9th cents gallery to the courtyard with itsiron columns reproducing the atmosphere of tne earlier coaching inn. Historically it was the centre ofpre-Reformationpolitics in Cambridge and the courtyard hasa long tradition of dramatic performances. Today it is one of the few urban spaces where University and town can meet and jostle together in the heart of tne City. The atmosphère of the Eagle is unique and for many people full of associations.

BURNS THOMPSON PARTNERSHIP

AOYSTON, H£€TFOgDSHl€t SGL 4AB TekphonünOWTOwm&taæw

itistobeknown, has been designed for operation and use principally by undergraduates. Bookings have been coming thick and fast since the opening ofthe building in March.

Architecturally Barry Broom explained that they had sought to treat their new building as ‘an extension and conversion’ of Powell and Moya's earlier phase in sucha way as to ‘complete rather tnan compete’ Frith the original concept. Using the same limited palette (bush hammered concrete, portland stone, bronze and lead) they have attempted to taRe the broad elements of the earlier buildings and unravel them.

It must always be difficult to follow on from someone else and in my opinion the test part ofthe new oomplex is the interior of the mufiipurpose hah whee pehapsdueto therelaGvecomplexityofthebrlefno aempt hasbeen made to ñnitae earlier phases. Here iroicaflythey seemto me to have got coser to Powell and Moya's own intentions. A level of clarity and sünplic\y is achivedwüheleganeandthemüümuriofLssperhapsessenüallyby 'designingout'problems.Thewholeis enbanoed 1Dythe magnJAcent sweet Proposals now under consideration are far reaching. Corpus Christi who own the blocx want toclose the courtyard tothepublic ana are threatening to close the pub permanently unless they are allowed to do what they want. Greene King at By St Edmunds have produceda scheme for the building wñicn manes use ofan existing entrance between nos8 if9 Bene't Street and creates two new bars on the street frontage — nothing vrrong iU that — but also in the proposals the old courtyard e nr a n ces are to de fixed shut and the comtyard itself — the heart ofthe Inn — is effectively reduced to a fire escape.

In the interior refurbishment the usual ‘opening-up’ approach isadopted in order to maximise staff/ customer visibility and pack as many people in as possible. As a result the integrity and independence ofthe two old bars and traditional circulation patterns are destroyed. The ‘Air Force Bar’ vriU itsfamous ceiling becomes a giant food bar with elaborate new

We urgently wish to appoint

ARCHITECTS, ASSISTANTS& TECHNICIANS

witha minimum of2 years relevant experience. ror your ability and skill we offer an excellent environment (convened chapel, easy parking), competi\ive rewards and interesting projects including major housing, civic and leisure buildings, schools and banks.

Please write in confidence with c.v. or ring for an informal deal to Gerry Burns or |ohn Thompson

chestnut joinery. Elsewhere Phase5 does not have the elegance or quality of the 1970’s building and detailing in some places is quite clumsy and awRward.

In some ways itiesadthat the clean almost classical lines of Cripps Court when viewed from the backs nave now been compromised (Powell and Moya's original plan was to put this phase underground) — but there nave been some Benefits. There was nevera happy relationship with the broken form ofFisher Court on Silver Street beyond and the form ofPhaseD Frith its pointed lead roofs — However contrived — has helped to bridge the gap.

An attempt has also been made to break down thefull ofthis phase and itsfor square parent and a future bridge drill link the whole complex more effectively mrith the banks and make final sense of the layout. However for my taste tRere is now too rnucn wnite concrete and stone on that corner. There is alsoa sense ir'y which the building is over designed and elaborated ina slightly irrelevent (and dare one say extravagant) way forwhat areessentiallya few simple functions.

DavidRaven. preparationfacfiiGesbehind.Perhaps the saddest by-product of‘opening-up’ proposals isthe loss of the delightful outside staircase which gives direct and visible access from thecomtyard to the gallery (even if it is rarely useü).

There are some clever pencil sRetches of the two new bars to be created on Bene't Street submitted in support of tne application which suggest a spacious and elegant panelled period interior Frith fine f\irnishings and what isdescribed asa 'traditional oak servez’. ITo Information at alliasubi mitted on the existing bars and liRelÿ changes in atmosphère.

AsMwaysthefürüesitdependson the precse degree of change, the QuaLp ofnewworkputinandthe degreeofcareandatenüontodetaü.

Thingsdonotlookpromiing.

The Lited Buüdlng Pane are extremey concerned about the possble loss ofthe yaæd, the app&rend quality of the proposals and the lack of adequate drawings etc. The City are looking into tne legalities of closing tne yard to see if there are any amcintputiic ight whih canbe acMvated. Lobbying the College by many concerned Cth the Eagles future has so far apparently had no eŒect.

Those who care about the future of the Eagle please write to the City Planning Offices and to the other bodles involved &s soon as you can andbeforeitistoolate DavidRaven.

COMPUTERSFORSήALLPRACTICEB A notable syndrome of the contemporary professional scene, looking arouna atarchitectural colleagues, is that architects have fast become even greater workaholics, binning hours that don't exist to catch profits fading into the dusky mists of fee competition, tmning eager faces to the dawn mths ofcomputerisation efficiency as the ultimate salvation. How difficult it is in these circumstances to break away fora day tomeet fellow professionals and to look at what is developing asa process of personal renewal.

Conscious of the emergence oùdifferent strata of commitment to new studio/office technology the Cambridge Association ofArchitects initiateda programme ofawareness ofthe state of the art in collaboration with, and subsequently implemented by, the Regional CPD Centre. This tool e inaugural form ofa very full one my seminar at New Hall under the theme of COMPUTERS FOR SMALL PRACTICES. Gazing at the composition of the well attended seminar one could not help but reoect how few local practices were plugged in to the opportunity for this quality exposme tonew techniques and technology.

The new and bmgeoning generations of economic hard and software, improved accessibility and attention to architectural thought processes (as opposed to engineering and statistical) as we all know, have createaa new environment for computer cuttoe at the level of tne individual, whether in the one man practice, or the one man work station. There isno dearth of opportunity to see commercially sponsored presentations and exhibitions of products. Wnere tne

CPD Seminar scored was in the disinterested and largely practitioner presented format ofthe event, getting behind the hype, enablinga practical dialogue to develop around some of the issues and agonies of getting stuck into it.

The programme was inaugurated and concluded by Rob Howard oftheConstruction Industry Computing Association, who himself is part of the pioneering generation of computer technology disseminators. The introduction to the Seminar was a trifle dated in itsadaressing of the theory and understanding of computers by architects and did not really catcn the mood ofnew computer opportunities for tne smaller practice. The group presentations which followed, however, collectively, hit the right notes.

These includeda breathless exposition by Sarah Nicholson ofthe Arena software developed within the Nicholson practice (by architects fOF architects) for oŒice management sysems.MafourproessionMexisv ene s achitectsi absorbedith setting-up procedures for the orderly proseeution of our working affaire.

The other half is occupied in shortcireuiting these so that we can actually get things done and achieve something. This sophisticated system isprofoundly in the fast camp andit was a fascinating insight into undreamt of realms of efficiency of' accounting, documenting and managing the office. Is the design environment really this tidy?

Richard Twinch offereda lintol/beam design bitanda terrifying analysis of tne energy characteristics ofa room, condensation prediction and alternative constructions. The hope is that

eventuaflydeveopmentofthesetechrucM apens of compuer aded dsQnwŒ ead toaccessibe, mtegraed sytems beore thèBuüdlng Regulations grow toocomplex topermis attention to any otñer aspect of design.

TherelaiveynewCadte2Ddrahing systm hada Company demonstr&tion, providing good experience ofthe capabilities of inexpensive CAD packages. The Apple Macintosh approach featured in Robert Hutson's (Abacus Associates) outline of eighteen monthsfromscepticto proslityser,using Macdmfl and latterly Veracad as drafting packages. The Apple Mac featured too m the final presentation by Simon Ruffle and William Fawcett of Cambridge Architectural Research Ltd, demonstrating the power and range of Hypercard (including an animated walk.about Frith Architrion) in the setting-up of an "architect's workstation", on the premise that such a tool trill shortly be an inaispensible accompaniment providing personal support programmes toevery architect (students are now returning from the USA to Scroope Terrace vritn Macs from their vacs, bought at colossal discounts ) remember togetan import licence if you want toreclaim VAT).

Thèse group presentations gave an excellent and varied overview ofsome of the technology that is currently available and some insights into prospects and actual capabilities of inexpensive hardware and software.

You missed this Seminar? Hard cheese. The Association in conjunction Frith Regional CPD is planning futme events aimed at different aspects of this theme and levels of application; so get plugged in.

Colen Lumley.

PlaruningPolicy Changes The new Ciy Planning ODicer is reportedtobeseekingtobroadenthe consultaGve process on planning applicanons not orüy for works to Lited Buüdïngs and proposas üi ConservationAreasbutforalsgnlFv cant projects in tne City. He ishes to bring greater expertise to the development control process and to involve persons from outside Cambridge Cth a proven track recora’.

This seems to me to be an excellent initiative which should be supported.

Over recent years Cambridge seems to have attracted the worst find of developers and architects who have no feeling for the city and no respect for the genîus loci and are evidently just in it for the money. Almost every approach to the city and many ofous main streets have or are currently being ruined by some appalling new buildings — in some cases apparently Frith the support oflocal architects.

Mr Popper's initiative and concern is therefore very timely. In improving the level of expertise in development control that we must not do in my opinion isto establisha fixed and in effect elite group ofconsultants but to try and developa rotational arrangement sothat allconoerned architects md othes who aæe ineesed in manaüùngstandads canmake a contrbuGon David Raven.

SeverMmaorprojecsbyJTDsQn andBuüdfromBritoltobeseenfor exemple on Hüls Road, Cafie Hal, Tennü Cort Road justcompleed) wdnowDowningSreet(justsar ted) grill in the space ofa few years have had a greater impact on Cambridge than even the most prolific local architects have had ina lifetime.

Those who live locally are not necessarily any better at doing it or unaerstanaing the genius loci but the I T Group seem toemploya new Creed of unattached designers who have developed a rather bland, universal ana apparently cynical style which Frith a New token adaptations can be put dovrn almost anywhere thus eroding ous sense of place and identity.

The newlaboratoryhuüdînginTenrüs Court Road does this to great eŒect (a package chosen for phase one ofalmger planinpreferenceto the östngulshed London archiects Colqunoun and Miller). The new building ignores the building line, uses cheap looking bricks, in colour and textme completely alien to its surroundings and is virtually devoid of any character or scale. It makes the oldAddenbrookes Nurses Home adjoining, now being demolished bit by bit, look solid and reassuring by comparison. It seems that in grappling Frith modern materials and expedient design and build techniques

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they have tnrown outalltheoldrules and guidelines which made ordinary buntings fit in. Did anyone consider the impact ofthis new building from elsewhere in tne city? Approaching along Tmimpington Street from the south one ofCambridge's finest views is marred at normal eye level Dy its long looming flat roof, ugly white fascias and litter of pipe terminals.

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