CA28

Summer 1994

M I

H op kins in Cambridge

28 A

quarterly reviewof current architectural, urbanist and environmental Issues and events in the Cambridge area produced by the Cambridge Associationo f Architects.

The views in this newsletter are thoseof the individual contributors and not of the Association.

Cambridge isbeginning to resemblea kind o f Expo site dotted with new buildings by Britain’s best architects. Ina CAA talk at the A rchirecrure Centre on 10th May, Hopkins” associate James Greaves provideda valuable in sighI into two o f these b u i Idin gs: Schlumberger II completed in 1992 and the Emmanuel Theatre now under construction.

Extend in g SchIu m be rge r I p rese nted a n in trig u in g p rob Ie m. To s i mp Iy extru de it wouldh ave reinforced an axial co nfig uration u nwa rra nted by th e s ite. In ste a d H o p k in s departed from hissingle sto rey tradition with a two storey pavilion placed across the office wings to createa courtyard.

Its mo st strikin g featu re is th e N e rvi inspired first floor slab with ribs following the lines of stress. The ferrocement coffers act as per m ane nt for mwo rk for con creteab ove altho ugh plywood was needed foradditional su ppo rt. Dyes from the ply stained the precious coffe rin g a n d ca u se d so me a n x io u s moments. But this problem was overcome to produce what isu ndoubted Iya technical tour de force.A pity then that the effect is dim inished by the partitions and the low ceiling. As Nervi sh ows, this kind of thing works best in large unencumbered spaces.

The roof is of I ig hter co nstructio n; indeed the central part consists of inflated cushions of fl uroca rbon:a series ofg iant transparent lilos. The walls area beautifully ho ned skin of ske fetal steel, b ron zed g Ia ss a n d ven etian b Iin d s (the ir rattIin g p rob Ie m soo n to be cured). Thankfully the cl ient was persuaded to accept the cost of specially cast steel joints which, as at Bracken House,g ivethe building a curiously organic look.

E mm an uel Theatre, n ow emerging on th e south side ofE mm an uel Street, alig ns itself with North Court,a subtlety which, though it may be lost on the casual observer, creates interesting routes and spaces and o rders an otherwise incohesivea rea.

The acoustic requirements (clea rly onerous) gave Hopkinsa perfect excuse to devel op the

m ason rya esth etic first see n at Lo rds and aga in at Glyndebourne.A three storeye ncircling arcade of load bea ring sto ne is post tensioned vertically with steel rods (reveal ed by sma \\ portholes) and horizontally by tying in tothe sh rin k in g co n crete floo r sIa b.H e re, Greaves pointedo ut, is the modern equivaIe nt of Kin g‘s Cha pel wh e reth e p in n ac les counteract the thrust of the roof increasing the efficiency of the structure. On the roof we also have th e Hopkins equivalent of the traditional I ead roof. As at the Mellor facto ry and G Iynde bo urnep refab r icated pane1s of I ead and ply are slotted together on site.

T h e taIk wa s a c Ie a r state me nt o f th e H o p kin s p h il os o p hy. F ro m th e I ig htwe ight h ig h -tec h of S c h Iu m b e r g e r, t h rou g h t h e hybrid M ound Stand to th e lea d and sto n e of E mm an ueI we see a st e ad iIy d ev el o p ing vocabulary of form and deta il which strives to_use materials with honesty and econ omy.

The process resembles the development ofa ra n ge ofq uaI ityca rs w ith t h e s u cc e s sfu I m od ificat io ns of o ne m o del b u ilt-in to the n ext. Whi ie sometimes verg in g o n the selfconscious (the where-sh all-we-put-the-teflo ntentsvnd rome) there is no do ubt that it has produceda series of stun ning buildings.

Jeremy Lander

NEW DINING HALL& RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION FOR LUCY CAVENDISH

Developments atNew Hall Work hasnow started on the first phase of extensions to New Hall to accommodate 190 additional students together with teaching faciliti es for Ka ets u, the J a pa n ese College who have gone-in with New H alI to finance the schem e. The b u ild ings h ave been desig ned by A u sti n S- m ith Lo rd actin g for M ana g em ent Contractors Kajima UK Engineering Ltd who are effectively providinga complete design a n d buiId package for the two clients. R.G.Carter are building the superstructure as part ofa contract of 15/20 packages. Davis Langford and Everest are being retai ned to advise the college.

S i m i lar co ntr actu rala rrang ements with Kajima have apparently been made on recent projects at University College, London, Wadham College, Oxford, University of Kent and St.Marys, Durham.

David Raven

A site visit by the Cambridge Women Architects Group Tucked away amongst thetrees and Arts and Crafts houses of the Lucy Cavendish site isa delightfully quirky house designed forProfessor Marshall byJ J Stevenson atthe end of the last century. Discovering it as we walked through the College gardens provided an enlightening finale to our tour of van Heyningen and Harvard's new buildings currently under construction. Its compact form and uncompromising features are echoed in their designs forthe new dining hall and student rooms which occupy three separate parallel blocks running north-south into the site each with its own entrance onto Lady Margaret Road.

The policy of van Heyningen and Harvard is to use durable materials with low maintenance requirements. However, a cco rding too u r g u ides, the p rojectar ch itect s N e iI Choudhury and Catherine Burd, the choice ofa soft red brick and untreated oak used externally have not been without their problems in terms of tolerances and material compatibility but hopefully perseverance will pay off and the new buildings will mellow gracefully with time.

The budget forthe new buildings is much tighter than that of the Wilson Building at Fitzwilliam College also designed by van H eynin gen and Harvard and which the Cam bridge Wo men Arch itects G rou p vis ited I ast N ove m be r.

Consequently the design of the Lucy Cavendish accommodation is more modest. However, budget constraints have not been allowed to inhibit the design of the galleried toplit and acoustically controI led d i ning hall which wiII be able to accommodate 150 women students in spirited conversation and will provide an interesting contrast to the dining halls of the other womens colleges at Newnham andNew Hall. The student rooms aremore basic. Access is hotel style off double banked corridors. However, although compact, each student room hasa bay window witha fixed window seat from which there are beautiful views into the College gardens. In line with other College developments each student room is provided with an en suite shower room to service the all important conference trade. Interestingly they are being constructed conventionally. Apparently the project does not attain the financial break point at which it is more economic toship in complete pods from Scandinavia as is happening at New Hall!

As part of the tour, we were able to step inside the little Music Pavilion, also designed by van Heyningen and Harvard, which sits beneath mature trees in the College gardens. It is made entirely of untreated cedar externally, and European ash internally where an inner roof structure of radiating ash rafters, performs the function of acoustic baffles. Apparently wall-hung tapestries will be used to create further subtle changes in the acoustic performance ofthe space.

It will be fascinating to see the buildings as they near completion and to this end the Cambridge Women Architects Group hope to arrangea further visit to Lucy Cavendish site later this year.

Cathy Fisher and Anne Cooper

..

"” Entrance from Lady Margaret Road

New Department of Biochemistry The old Adden brookes site is the wh o Ie parcel of land between Trumpington Street and Tennis Court Road, and for many years has been earmarked asa major development opportunity for Biological Sciences.

In 1966a robust plan for the whole site was prepared by Arup Associates, taking on board the contemporary thinking about an inner relief road forthe south side of the city. This plan would have swept away the houses fronting Lensfield Road, together with the old hospital itself, but changes in public perception about theg rain of historic towns and the value of 19th century buildings has resulted in the subsequent listing of these properties.

The purchase of the site did not come tofruition u ntiI 1985, and the University sought to progress the redevelopment by appointing Casson Conder to preparea master plan, followed bya competition fora scheme design. The winners were Colquhoun and Miller, but amidsta degree of furs the architectural press the University proceeded witl " des ig n -b u iId p r oj e cts, o n e by JT D e s ig n B u iId iu r Pharmocology and the other byE Iliots for Biotechnology.

The final phase of the plan required the development of the southern end of the site for Biochemistry, and Casson Conder were asked to proceed to planning stage. However, the (new) Director of Plan ning expressedg rave m isgivings about the overall concept and massing and felt unable to support the proposals.

Faced effectively with an impasse, a change of architect was felt necessary not only to achievea different approach, but also to finda way of providing the Department with the floorspace they actually needed fortheir long term requirements. In recognition of the quality of their competition subm issions for the Law Faculty and J u dge Institute com petiti on s,t h e U n iv ersity as ked the Ca mb ridg e p racticeR H Partnership toe xplore possibilities for a new approach.A scheme was evolved wh ich gave more consideration to the positive creation of spaces between component parts of the building, whilst stilI inco rpo rating the al ready established strategy of spine circulation at sem i-basement level for servicing. The plan is arranged asa series of pavilions alternating on both sides of the spine, and successfully creates scale and fo rm traditionally characteristic of Ten nis Court Road.

The majority of the floorspace comprises research laboratories,a nd the n um erou s ve ntiI at ion o utlets are g ath ered together into skyline features. At ground level, the landscaping is swept up and overa raised terrace level, beneath which the departments env iron mental Iy sensitive electron m icrosco pe and mag netic reson ato rsa reI ocated in deep basements.

Construction has now commenced after decades of anticipation by the Biochemists, and completion of the first phase is scheduled forearly 1986.

Graham Black and Ray Chudleigh

Book Review Discovering an Historic City Viren Sahai‘s vision of the he an of Cam bridge is elegantly presented by this book ofd rawings. The ir cool tracery-fl icking into new pat-

terns as the page turns, now a pinnacled tower, now a receding vista, now some perfectly scaled deta ilsuits the intricacy of the city, and an approach that is unswerverin gly

architectonic. The book asa whole is spa rely and satisfying Iy set out,

eachd rawing underpinned witha brief paragraph of text combining history with townscape apprecia tion, eachg roup of drawi ngs linked intoa mapped walk.

This is Cambridge ata high level of abstraction: empty streets consist on Iy of their facades, the city is a complex of built forms floating in space. The accompany ingtext is urban-desig n-i nstructive, d rawing attention to scale and massing, to forms,e nc los u re,views-t hrou g h.

Aim in g tog ivei nsig hts into urban stru ctu rin g th at ma y i nfor m the

f utu re.C Io ser to C u I Ien th a n to H il lier, o ri entation and n av igation

here are by va rious leveIs of landmark, white the developed and leg-

Letters...

Deportment ofBiochemists(

CORPUS CHRISTI Modest Contextualism at Newnham House Ian Steen Associates In 1990 Corpus Christi helda competition forthe design of a new residential building for undergraduates and fellows.

The site was to be the garden of Newnham House,a large Georgian House setina mature garden, somewhat screened by trees opposite Darwin College. From several schemes, the college chose our solution to extend Newnham House.

We p ropos ed the replacementoftwo poor q uality Victorian wings to provide new accomodation embracing south facing courtyards. We also reorganised the existWilding internally to make better use of the space availa The car parking is moved away from the buiIdi ng, behinda new yew hedge, to allow the restoration of the nineteenth century lawns which provide the building's setting.

Yew is not as slow growing as sometimes supposed and this screen should be effective ina few years.

The height of the two storey Georgian building allowed extensions of three floors to be created within the existing roof line. This partly explains the economical cost of £23,000 per student room. Most new rooms have bay windows to providea great deal of natural light, and makea place for the student‘s desk. Each room has built in wardrobes, drawers and basi n. There isa shower or bathroom to every two rooms. There is alsoa flat for one Fellow.

ible use-logic of the street pattern

I am writing in response to Catherine Cooke's review of St.J oh n‘s Co II eg e Li brary which appearedr ecently in Cambridge Architecture. There were several points made whichI feel deserved some response from someone who works in the Library.

We were left in no doubt as to the author's standpoint.

The statement ‘the St.John’s building fails’ had an impressive, doom-laden final ity about it. But what did it mean?

Fails as what? And forwhom? Catherine Cooke later states that ‘as an org anisation of space...the buiI ding is u narguably successful’. So in what way a fail ure? As a workplace? As a L ibrary? Apparently so. Li brary users are condem ned to drowning and distraction by its ‘over-detailed delights’. But this is not my experience, nor, ifI am at all a b Ie to judge, is it the expe ri ence of the studentsa nd Fellows who use the building. Perhaps the point is that it fails as a ‘design’. But the idea that this can be treated in isolation, and that the function of the building is not relevant to its form, is absurd. This isa building, not a sculpture ora mere shape. In what way, then, can this architecture be ‘irrelevant’ if it is being effectively and happily used by those forwhom it was designed?

Somewhat atodds with the expression of the building's faiI ure is the descri pti o n of it as a ‘ho me-from-hom e’, ‘comfy’, and ‘full of mutually annihilating nick-nacks’. If this is intended asa criticism then it isa strange one. For some reason, ‘comTiness’ is here seen as sinful,a ‘burden’; the quality we may strive for in our private homes appears to be simply not good enough foran educational establ ishment. _ Infact, this ’comfiness’ isa necessary functional feature.

Since the Library is open 24 hoursa day -a point not mentioned in the review, but surely of some significance to aspects of design- it has to serve as an alternative workplace to the students‘ own rooms. It literally has to be that ‘home-from-home’, and the fact that they have taken to it in this way is simplya sign that it is functioning according to its brief.

I should also add here that there isa good reason why the building feels ‘likea conversion from something else’. It isa conversion from somethi ng else: the 19th Century Penrose building. No mention is made ofthefact that it has to cope with the m ix of architecture that surrounds it: 1930's Maufe on one side, 16th Century on the other, and the h uge G iI bert Scott Neo-Gothic chapel opposite. The library's front is not a mere Cullinan whim; it was in part determi ned by G iI bert Scott overa century before. The stone counyard, banal or not, is also specifically designed to deal with this relationship-the fact that the chapel is not directly opposite, and that the various approaches are at different levels-while drawing on College conventions, such as the cobbles and smaller stones that line the pathways.

It is tempting to view the justly famous lantern, with its Flash Gordon appearance, asa joke at Ma ufe‘s expense.

Sadly this isn't the case. The lantern housesa fan, and the metal vents area purely functional part of the natural ventilation system. Like the building itself, it is not ‘a gift from the cornflakes’ ora ‘conceptual cracker’;a curious object with no connection to anything else.I feel this is morea case of the reviewer failing to address the buildings function withina space and a community than it is the building's failure to come up with the goods.

Toby Venables

is specifically discounted.H isto ry is abo ut b u ild ing and reb u ild in g, the evolution of delig httul spacesa nd v iews. AII else-even the relat i on -

ship between university and town that produced the typical cou nterpoi nt of m o n u m ental -en cl ose d with I ow- p rofiIe do me st ie scaleg ives way toa narrative in which historic city = picturesque streetscape.

A n d it is I h is e q u a t io n I h at

makes this very late-twentieth-century-s pec ifieg u i de. Rather than exploring (as theb lurb puts it) ‘the mystery behind the facade’, Sahai d is p Ia ys t h e best of ce ntraI Cambridge at its face value. As an artefact, picturesque, mag nificent, enticing, the s ud den subli me con-

junction of form with form sending a shiver down thespine. Freed of any other function, his city floats in the globaI spaceI abel led‘heritag

as a

e‘,

wo rt hy tow n sca pe for the

v is u a IIy I ite r a t e

to c o n s u m e in

informed sight-bites. To that experience, this is the definitiveg u ide.

A n d fo r in s ig h ts in t o u rb a n stru ctu rin g* As a n u r b a n d es ig n s o u r c e, c e n t r a I C a m b r id g e o f

course has alI the

good ies, amply

illustrated in this book. Still within the histo ric city, it wo uld be equ ally easy tosh ow examplesofthis o r th atd e s ign ele men t, co nsc iou s Iy d e p loy ed b ut-fil leted ofth e a ge, th e c o n te xt,th e ric h Ia y e rs o f me an ing th at itso r igin a I enj oys-

faiIi ng to del iver. The city offers many opportunities to draw on its catal og ue. to design by sight-bite:

is this enough, or do the author‘s ’p Ia ce s wh ic h a re at tra ct ive an d enjoyab Ie’ need somethi ng more?

Ma rgaret Downing

OUARRATA, TUSCANY

Cambridge architects David JoV and Nigelififalter de s c rib e the ir s ub m is s in n in the En re p an :S Architectural Competition.

The site chosen,a derelict factoryin the centre of the town of Quarrata (about 30km west of Florence), was the most hotly contested of all the Italian sites (54 teams out of the total 3 1 B,2 of the 5 win n e rsa n d 2 of 13 Speci al Mentions), as well as being the most likely to be built since it has already won European Union funding. We have been asked, along with the two prize wi nners (one Italian and one Finnish team) and the other special mention (another Finnish team) to forma working Group to assist the Local Authority in taking the project forward.

The furniture factory was, prior to its closure, the largest single source of employmentin the town. The resultant unemployment and effective dem ise of the focal point of the commu nity made thesitea particularly challenging urban design problem and from the pointofview of restoring to the community its sense of civic pride and historical continu ity.

The sol ution we proposed involves the creation ofa central square wh ichd raws into itself the social, religious, political and domestic activities which had effectively been ma rgi nal ised by the occupation of the centre by sucha large enterprise. The square is surrounded bya variety of buildings:a museum offurniture-making (a traditional craft for which Qua rrata is fa m ed),a Iib ra ry and arc hive,a hotel/conference centre, Registry Offices for births, deaths and marriages, shops, workshops,a medical centre and housing. In the centre of the square is an amphitheatre for outdoor cinema, theatre and political meetings.

Housing withina town/city context was the theme ofthe European competition. Our approach to this particular issue involved the creation of private and semi-private spaces in the form of shaded courtyards which are raised above the level of the street and the square and from which the housing is accessed. While these spaces are quiet and secluded, they are nevertheless “defensible”, and providea secure outdoor environment forchildren to play and the residents to meet away from theh ustle and bustie of the square.

Beneath the housing are shops and worshops, restating the link between living and worki ng and continuing the craft-

based tradition on which the reputation of the town is built.

It is suggested that the housing include dwellings in both Local Authority and private ownership which aie unseg regated in order to avoid the modern phenomenon of geog raphic polarisation of socio-economicg roups which is quite uncharacteristic of more traditional Tuscan towns.

The workingG roup held its first meeting in May and the proposals have been exhibited in Rome and inLondon at the RIBA Gallery in Po rtlan d Place. The followin g is an update of Events.

20th Mav 1994 David Joy attends “Convegno” organised by the Mayor of Quarrata,i ncluding an exhibition of all 54 competition entries. Funding possibilities are discussed with representatives of Local and National Government. First meeting with winning parties. Much good food enjoyed.

12th June 1994 Stefano Mari ni, the present Mayor, is re-elected ina landslide victory in Local Government Elections, having made full use of the competition and the proposals for the site in his campaig n.

Marini then proposesa stu d ioin Ouarrata comprising representatives of the four successful practices. In the first instance the aim of the studio is to brainstorma common strategy, and from this to developa feasibility study forthe site.

David Joy Architects is playing an active role, at the invitation of the Mayor, in co-ordinating the arrangements for the studio.

T h e P e I e r ’s F ield Initiative The Peter's Field initiative isa simple idea. Seven young architects, selected by three of Britain‘s most respected architectural journalists, to designa multimedia ans and culture building on a site of international imponance.A good story for the magazines, the opportunity fora few young architects to tacklea demanding and inspiring brief, and, for me, a chance to puta spotlight on a tremendous, yet apparently overlooked opportunity.

Around Peter's Field, at the junction of Mill Road, East Road and Gonville Place, three neighbouring sites are about to be redeveloped. They are, the old Post Sorting Office, the Town Swimming Pool and the Fire Station. Individually the sites are of crucial importance forthe urban shape of Cambridge well into the next century, together this miraculous conjunction of potential couldn't be created by even the most forceful and enlightened patronage. Entirely by coincidence we have been offered one of the greatest opponunities for this city since Henry VI tore out the commercial hean oftown to build his chapel. And we are about to lose the lot.

The number ofdistinguished, or even moderately good, civic buiId in g s in Ca m brid g e this ce ntury is ti ny. Yet Cambridge enjoys its reputation asa city of great architecture.

When onerecalls some oftheworst new buildings in Britain first in many peoples minds would be the utterly offensive Holiday Inn on Downing Street, itself attached to the lamentable Lion Yard development, and yet Cambridge can continue to trade asa city of great architecture. It isa remarkable testament tothestrength and quality of the University‘s buildings, and the ancient townscape we have inherited, that the city heart can contin ue to withstand the abuse of much that is

Frictional Encounters The talk given by Sarah Wigglesworth

in Cambridge on 9th March toa mixed audience including practioners, academ ics, students (and their hybrids) was premised on the commonly held opinion that what goes on in(many) architectural schools today has precious little to do

with what goes on in practice. In addressing this, her talk was in effect an apologia for education in distinction from training,

or the skilling of practice. The latter she saw

as the proper responsibility of the

practising profession. Schools poorly mirror the situation of practice. The present concerns (at the sharp end of education) with the renewel of architecture ‘fro m without itselF, Wigglesworth contends, are botha sign of strength and positive for the longer term future of architecture, whether we regard it as a discipline, or as a sociocu Itural activity. Eve n for Cam bridge, doubts could be expressed whether so many questions have ever been begged,

in sucha short time frame.

From thecommencement some practioners, and academics even, were nonplussed by the opening quotation from Richard Benjamin.... The search forempiri-

cal correlations, the task of interpreting social and political reality, and the critique of that “reality", are not three distinct lypes

and disfig uring.

o f inquiry. They are three internal

y co ntentio n ia a s i m p Ie o n e, in a c ity as fi ne a s Cambridge, when you build you must build brilliantly or not at all. For a city such as Cambridge the demand forspace and the achievable rents ensures that sucha policy,a planning requirement forgreat architecture, is entirely feasible.

Over the years we can be proud of the strong and active voice raised against some spectacularly bad schemes. It would seem Cambridge can, when pushed, provide exemplary force in preventing truly awful buildings. However the result has beena strea m of wea k and i nsipid buildings ‘acceptable’ in planning terms but an affront to the city, and indeed, an affront to the talents and abilities of the people commissioning and creating these new buiIdi ngs under increasingly bizarre and perverse restrictions.

Peter's Field is an attempt to get public opinion ‘off the back foot’, to lead and inform, to createa desirable goal, rather than descend once again into hostile, and often untimely, attempt to righta bad proposal.I felt sure that unless some positive attempt was made toaddress the future of the Fire Station site, to create the possibility (if not the expectation) of something hopeful, then once againI would be looking at site boards surrounding work in progress witha feeling of dread in my heart.

Timothy Soar

moments oftheorizing about social and political life. Ina dense exegis, the talk traced Benjamin's dictum asa model for

thecorrelation of education and practice.

Given at the Regional Architecture Centre

in an eve nt that accompanied the Department of Architecture's exhibition

Academicus, and delivered under the title

at

Frictional

Encounters of

an

Epistemelogical Kind*. It provided just the

-Robert Evans

rig ht frisson to aro use the Rottweiler instincts of the stubbornly traditionalist professionals, in the subsequent panel discu ssion with the au dience; at the expense, it has to be said, of the somewhat beguiling intentions of the speaker and the lucidity of the debate. Drawinga challenging comparison between the confidence and empowering ofthe academy atthe present time and it's ‘theorising’ postures, with the current operationaI weakness of the profession; the friction caused by these seperate cultures rubbing against each other, Wigglesworth argues, creates an energising stimulus. In cautioning against the sterility of irrelevent theoretical inquiry, and questioning the profession's view ofthe purpose of architectural education as only to be seen in eventual practice, she, however, acknowledges that only by recognising the overlapping interests beMeen practice and theory can the academy claim authority and relevence.

Practice, in her eyes, has become prescrip-

tive, technical and narrow, shon on inven-

Sauerbruch Hutton

S piller Former

’Scrooge is the annual journal published by the students of Cambridge University's Department ofArchitecture.

The sixth edition, just published witha wide ranging list of contributors, is settling into its format asa digest of the theoretical and critical positioning of the Department. Sarah Wigglesworth's talk at the Architecture Gallery earlier this year Frictional Encounters of an Epistemological Kind is featured The journal asa whole isa medium forcontact with the modes ofthought that seemingly distance many practitioners from current theoretical practice. Keep in touch, buy a copy, available from theArchitecture Bookshop C.L.

tion and lackinga critical edge. Practice and school should be ina state of critical reciprocity.

To allow that to happen there needa to bea common critical framework, and in this area the propositions veered on the simplistic and incompleteness of definition and exposition. Theory is not the exclusive realm of the academy, nor practicea concept of single layer meaning. Professionals might well question the probity, replenishm ent and power base of architectural knowledge in hands which confuse the abstract operational distinctions between theory, knowledge and the action of practice, with the synthesis of ideation.A cur-

sory experience with the history course, for example, at one of the ‘leading-edge London schools’ serving asa datum for thedebate, illustrates the dire consequen-

cies of mixing smatterings of knowledge with unsubstantiated theoretical speculations. Fot those who em path ise with

Giorgio Grassi, it is not so mucha matter of inventing architecture, but rather of

understanding the rationality of its practice. It is not the autonomy ofarchitectural education which is under question at the

present time, but its quality and ultimate relevence.

The ‘fetishisation of form’ and the new wave ofsocial consciousness were topics that were touched on without the space forelaboration in this crowded session. In this setting the talk evinced resonances from the RIBA education conference at Queen's College in 1991 and pointed-up the voids in the arguments in the politically directed 1992 Burton Report. As Sarah Wigglesworth demonstrated, and is the first to acknowledge as the target of critical response, it is not a time for sword sharpening; it is more themoment for extending and developing the critical discussion.

Colen Lumley Exhibition and Events Organiser Architecture Gallery

PLANNING FOR REAL TonyG i bso n, of the H iston Road Allotments Weekend Workshop fame, return ed to Cam b ridg e o n M on day 2 1 sto f J u n e a t th e in v ita I io n of Ca mb ridg e City Co unciI to d em onstrateh is PIa n n in g for R e a I t ech niques to ana udience made up principally of City Councillors and Council Officers, although an umber ofinvited guests including local residents, allotm e n t h o Id e rs a n d a m e m b e r of Ca mb ridge U rban Fo rum were al so present.

The day was organised ostensibly

to prepare theg round fora Plan ning for Real exercise to be carriedo ut on the design of the Community Centre to be built as part of theH iston Road Allotments development, the housing s ite being strict Iy o ut ofb o u n ds!

Indeeda date has been setforthe 2324th of July for a PI a n ning for Real weekend.

Tony Gibson re-iterated mu ch of what heh ad saidattheH iston Road AIlotments Weekend Wo rkshop and

participants enjoyed interacting with the cardboard model as before, producinga design with so m any community facilities there was visually no room forany community! The afternoon session was more detailed and c o n cent rated o n the d es ign of a

Community Centre. Participants were asked to wo rktoa brief generated by a Plan ning for Real exercise carried o u t e I sew h e re in th e cou n t ry.

Desig ns were developed using crude cardboard modelling elements to represent walls, doors, windows and furniture all laid out on a one metreg rid.

It was an exercise which particular-

ly appeal led to many ofthewomen present. Space allocation to various activities to be accommodated within the building swung violently depend-

ing on whether it was a

Community

Services Officero r a I ocal resident

m anipulating the model. As m ig ht be expected, the exercisep roved much more difficult than many anticipated, and it wa s g rat ifyin g to h ea r o n e

wou Id-be desig ner say, afterI abour ing for all of an hour over her desig n, “this building is so boring. We need an architect!”

It is to be hoped that the Plan ning for Real exercise will be successful in gai nin g the sup po rt and i nterest of local residents, both those currently living in th e area, and those yet to arrive. It isa powerful tool in teachin g pea ple the sco pe and li m its of desig n. It must be used carefully to avoid raising false expectations, and sympathetical Iy, to ensure that the ideas itg e n erates are welI u nd e r-

stood and sensitivelyi nterpreted by the chosen architect. It remains to be seen whether it can produce the excit-

ing results one of the participants evidently aspired to!

Anne Cooper

Chang in g Attitudes

N E W W 0 R K IN G P R A CT IC E S

continuously or work part-time lose salary potential and status. Although some women dowant towork part-time it should not be assumed that most women would choose to. The fact is that most women cannot i mag ine what it wo u Id

be Ii ke to work withad equate and financial Iy viab Ie

SirNorman Foster, Patty Hopkins, and EvaJ iricna were amon gsta n um ber ofa rchitectu ral I um i na ries wh o sent their apologies, apparently other more pressing engagem entsp reve nted the m from attendi ng the “C h a n g in g Attitudes - New Working Practices” sem i nar organised by the Women Architects Committee ofthe RIBA and held on the 2nd of June atPortland Place. Their absence notwith-

chiI dcare arran gements. Th rough out th e E C, fuII-ti m e employment of wo men rises with thea mo u nt of chiIdea re avaiIa b I e. Th e U K, w ith t h e po o restc h iId -care record, has the most part-time employees.

Redressing the Balance If more women aretobe encouraged i nto the profes-

stand ing, the sem i nar was over-su bscribed with an eag er au dience of wo men a rchitects from throug hout the coun-

intake may be women, butit would seem that the percent-

try.

Introduction

J oy ce Deans MB E, V i ce -P res id e nt of the RI BA No r M em bership and I nternatio nal Affai rs, cha ired the day, which, it w as expl ained, was a response to the “Women

A rc h ite cts ” re po rt c o m m i ssio n e d by t h e Wo m e n Architects Com m ittee of the RIBA, pubI ish ed in M ay 1993, and adopted by RIBA Cou ncil in July of that year.

Principal finding n um ber o ne of that repo rt, which deleg ates were rem inded ofti me and ag ain throug ho utthe day, was that, ”The number ofwomen architects is rising ra pid Iy. Wo m en rep resent 9% of the professio n a s a whole and 27% of new entrants to architecture courses.”

In Lo rd R o d g ers o p i nion this rep rese ntsp rog ress sin c e 1987 when he first to ured the I ocal RIBA branchd inn ers as Director General and found they engendered the social atmosphere of their local rug by clu bs. If women architects are not satisfied with what progress has been made they m ust push harder from within!

Keynote Address This sentiment was echoed by Lady Howe who spoke in h e r c a p a c itya s c h a ir of O p p o rt u n i ty 200 0. S h e

declared an active interest and sympathy forarchitecture havin g started her ca reer wo rki ng at the Arch itectural Association and theI ate J am es Stirl ing h a ving bee n h er brother-i n-law. H er m essage was for the p rofession asa whole. It isa very competitive world out there and business can not afford to ignore the skills of almost half the workfo rce. The architectural profession isa I ong way behind lawyers, m edics and accountants in recruiting and

reta ining wo me n practition ers. Women stu dents m akeup 50%oftheintake of lawyers, 50% of medics and 40% of accountants as opposed to the progressive 27% of architects.

The membership of Opportunity 2000 represent 25% of the nation's workforce. Needless to say the RIBA is not a member. Lady Howe suggested that it was ti me the RIBA joined and decla red a pu blic commitment towards new working practices.

Equal Opportunities Th ere isan assumption inb usiness that if yo u

have tal-

ent and formal qualifications then equal opportunies will fo how, however in reality the market value of the same qualifications turn out to be somewhat diffe rent if they are held bya man rather thana woman,a point well illustrated by Dr Marie Stewart,a director of Taylor-Stewart Associates Lim ited, con s ultants specia lis ing in equ a I ity is s ue s in H u m a n R e so u rce d e v e Io p m e nt a n d se rvic e

delivery.

S h e sa id th ati nterv iewers ma ke assum ptio ns of competes cea bo ut men and i nco m pete nce a bo ut wo men.

Apparently the London Med ical schools ably demonstrated this type of disc ri m in ation when they comm issio ned a computer programme to help them make thefirst sort of

sion teachin g

methodsn eed to change. 27%

age of wo m en teache rs is m uch I ess. S u san F rancis, a

fou nder me m ber of Matrix and Sen ior Lecturer at the U n iversity of N o rth London, descri bed her wo rk for the Women into Architecture and Build ing course at that university. The cou rse is tau g ht e ntire ly by women an d the on Iyqual ifi catio n s stu dentsn eed are to be fern ale and over the age of 21. It is a part-time access co urse taking

one day a week fora year and it covers drawing, design, histo ry, and p r actical wo rksho ps. Tuto rials take place around o ne la rge ta ble with co mm un icative and g roup wo rking skiI Is beinge ncourag ed. The crit system is dis liked, but used toa Ii m ited extentin o rder top repare stude nts for the fuII -time co urse.

The

courseh as been very successful. It is be ing

emu-

latedin other universitiesin the UK and abroad and many ofth e studentsg o o n i nto fuII -time architecture co urses unafraid to voice their opi nions and witha self-confidence not fou nd in many younger women students.

Conclusions Many other topics were coveredd uring the day. Ray CeciI talked a boutp rofessional in dem nity and the sole p ractition er. Dr Alex Reid joined in the debateo n i nfnrm ation tech nology and the benefits CD ROM

wilI b ri

the profession.

Lo rd Rod gers attempted to su m up. He hi g h lig hted three issues: * Ch ildcare. This is an issue for pa rents, rather than employers or clients. As a professional ones clients must come first. Parents must share their childcare responsibil ities equally. * Opportunity 2000. The RIBA should seriously consider mem bership and a im to increase 9% to 27% of women inpractice. " Schools of Architecture. They should consider how well their courses are designed to hel p women, (and presumably men with their new “caring role” in the fam ily) when they enter the job market.

An ne Cooper

Cambridge Women Architects Group The Cam bridge Women Architects Group will be holding an evening discussion on these and other issues raised by the Changing Attitudes - New Working Practices seminar ino rder to provide feed back to the Women Architects Committee of the RIBA, at 8.00pm on Th ursday 15a September at the Architecture Centre, Kings Pa ra d y6Li a re i nterested in atten d in g p I ea se co nta ct An n e Cooper on (0223) 315766.

their student applications. The same CV was com puter

analysed twice, the on Iy difference be ing that the first time it was presented bya white Caucasian male, the sec o nd ti me by a n on-Caucasian female. Any CV scoring less than 20 points resultedin the student being called for i nte rview. The first analysis scored 19, the seco nd 37!

Somed ifference in market value. Multi pl iers had been i ncorporated within the programme to m imic the tuto rs selection procedures of previous years.

Dr Stewart said that people fi nd it more comfortable to work with others of sim ilar backg rounds and values but that does not produce the best desig n. lnclud ing people of different backg rounds changesa g roups dynamics and things which previously could have been lehu nsaid have to be made expl ie it. A sad illustration is the case ofa post-natal Un it in Bradford which suffered m uch higher than average post-natal deaths. The u nit was desig ned and run by white middleclass midwives and used almost exclusively by mothersof Asi an backg rounds. A I itt ie diversityin the management team could have savedI ives.

Family Care Fami Iy respo nsibil ities was the top iea d d ressed by Me lissa Merryweath er,a rchitect and teacher at the AA and the Bartlett. The audience hard ly needed reminding that 90% ofch iId ca re a r ran g e m e nts a re h a n d Ie d by uvomena nd that ino rder to work childcare isa necessity not an option! The Women Architects Committee report mentioned earlier identified inadequate childcare as the number one concern for women architects. Women who cann otfin d adequatechildcarea re fo rced into ea rly retirement or “career breaks”. Women who do notwork

of stu d ent

A.C.

Conservation The CAA's second CPD event was held at the Architecture Centre on 23rd February. We were fortunate to have four knowledgable local practitioners to speak on aspects of conservation.

A European Perspective Diane Haigh known forherwork on theBaillie-Scott House in Storey's Way spoke about her recent experience ata conference in Dresden. The East Germans tend to view conservation as

reconstruction in the old style but not necessarily using original

materials and techniques as advocated in Britain. Funds are being chann elled into few large p rojects at the expense of many finer smaller buildings, which are left to decay. There isa

suspicion of ‘modern architecture’, based on their experience over the last 50 years of prefabricated Russian architecture.

The Structural Engineer‘s View Philip Cooper demystified some aspects of structure in his

presentation. U n derstan ding the existi ng structure isv itaI whether by computer analysis or experience. Modern solutions

ofien conflict with traditional methods, for example lapped dovetail joints and modern steel joints - the old is labour intensive and costly, while the new is stronger. The former allow more flexibility and movement. Innovation must notbe ignored in the preservation of structures but traditional methods may sometimes be more appropriate.

Professor Cooper illustrated many fascinating structures requiring innovative or straight forward forms of repair, and explained the causes of some problems arising in older buildings.

Policies, Priorities and Misconceptions Conservation is the preservation and enhancement of an existing building, in the opinion of our third speaker John Preston,a City CounciI Conservation Office r. The spaces between buildings and the effects froma distance are areas often not portrayed to the planners by Architects and they are of great importance. John stressed the need foradequate information so that proposals can be understood. Recovering the past can be destructive and appropriate repairs must be undertaken and the original spirit retained. Clients must be carefully guided on these matters. If in doubt seek advice from theConservation Officer.

A Case Study HenryF reeland ofF reeland Rees Roberts completed the even ing witha frank talk on some oftheproblems he has come across worki ng o n the PalaceH o use M an sionin Newmarket and Ickworth Hall near Bury St.Edmunds.

A major problem with Palace House Mansion is that soft red brick walling has had a hard render applied to it which had to be removed. After trying differing techniques, hand chiselling the render was adopted. To clean the brickworka low pressure spray witha lime flour was used so as not to damage theface.

Laser techniques are now becoming available. Another novel method described is to use bugs, which consume thedirt etc and then die. The building is also suffering greatly from dryrot.

Their approach is to try and remove theenvironment inwhich the rotthrives by drying and venting it. This can be monitored by checking the structure with optic fibre tech niques and installing sensors.

Henry also explained some oftheconservation techniques adopted atlckworth Hall and illustrated some features and construction discovered in stripping back existing coverings.

The evening covered some interesting aspects of conservation and preservation and those who attended evidently found arding.

Paul Darlow

Local Government Reorganisation Twenty years ago, Local Government was reorganised.

Reflecting contemporary debates that big was efficient and small was democratic,a new two tier structure was proposed.

Counties were created large enough todevelop economies of scale and strategy on broad based services like education, soc ial services, police and fi re. M eanwhil e,d istricts were

deemed small enough to identify and meet interests at local level on such services as local planning, housing, leisure and

the arts.

Now the thinking has changed again. The Government has indicated its preference to move towards single tier arrange-

ments or unitary authorities top rovide all the services ina defined area. it has appointeda roving commission which is currently to uring the U K proposing suitable boundary and organisational changes.

Surprisingly, there isa considerable amount ofsupport for the new structures in principle. At present the pu blic (and indeed many specialists) are largely unclear who does what with the existing County and District split arrangements, made even more diffuse in areas where Parish Councils also take on duties.A Unitary Authority would have clear responsibilities.

Logically, there should be economies to be made byreducing the duplication of staff and resources that currently exist, although there is much debate as to exactly how significant the savings will eventually be.

But our specific local considerations merit careful attention.

The Commission is under pressure from the Government to propose autho rities of a coherent popu lation, between 150,000 - 250,000. Indeed several of the early recommenda-

tions of the commission have already been rejected by the Government.

Yet, the proposals for Cambridgeshire, published on 13 J une, suggesta 3 way split of the old Cam bridge County Council, with new unitary authorities based in Peterborough and Fenland, Cambridge and Huntingdon. This would merge Cambridge City Council with those parts of the County that cover the current South and East Cambs districts,a combined population of well over 300,000.

In theory, the proposals will create an authority that should

The Irritable Occupant

allow clearer discussion on strategic issues like transportation

Every Wednesday lunch-time during full term, the Martin Centre Research Society hostsa lecture exploring an aspect of current architectural research. Anybody interested in ideas likely to influence today‘s architectural students are welcome toattend. The lectures are free and the programme foreach term is advertised in the Architecture Centre in Kings Parade.

As pan of the recent lecture series on Wednesday the11th of May Dr Nick Baker gavea ta Ik entit led The Irritable Occupant describing the work of the UK Thermal Comfort group which is part of the EC funded PASCOOL programme whose overall aim is to promote passive cooling in buildings as an alternative to air-conditioning. We were told that people need to be stimulated by their environment in order to demonstrate that they are alive. The more controlled their environment, the more fussy they will become. It isa biological necessity to find fault with something!

Nick Baker introduced his talk by referring back to work carried out at the Martin Centre about fourteen years ago. He cited an instance of how the environment was controlled ina particular school classroom durinp one day. The sun shone, child, whose desk was in the sun, became over-heated, .e windows were opened and remained open all day.

The heating also remained on all day. Fortunatelya change in teaching methods has helped to mitigate this problem and chi I dren workingin groups are more easily able to move around and finda comfortable position within the classroom without chang ing the existi ng environmental cond it ions.

This regime acknowledges that within any given space, environmental conditions vary, and it isa good thing that they do. Different people have different metabolic rates and different comfort levels. They expect warmer temperatures in the afternoon and warmer temperatures in the summer.

Within social constraints, they will choose their clothing to suit their expectations. The looser the fit, the more theventilation.

Current field research in hot climates has measured the temperature close to the body using headsets designed to look like Sony Walkmans. Results show that participants achievea two degree reduction in the temperatures close to their body from the surrounding airtemperature. When spaces became toohottooccupy, panicipants demonstrated “adaptive activity” by moving to other pans of the building or in extreme circumstances to other buildings altogether in order to maintain their comfon temperature.

Existing models forenvironmental services design do not acknowledge adaptive activity and they assumea constant relationship between air temperature and occupant satisfation. This has major implications for the mechanical and electrical design of buildings services. Architects should ensure that they havea clear understanding of the environmental conditions they are endeavouring to achieve and what effects the design decisions they make will have on the comfort of occupants in their buildings.

Anne Cooper

and commercialpI an ning thatc urrently cross the current boundaries. Such issues ultimately affect both rural and city dwellers. The framework will be in place to tackle some ofthe historic wranglings between city and county politicians that

have produced deadlock in the past, on topics like Park and

Transport inCrisis

The CFC I meeting atthe Moller Ce ntreo n 25thA pri I g ave us a wide rang ing review of transport problems in the Cambridgea rea.

Brian OId rid g e, former County

Director of Transportation, provided a free ma rket ove rvi ew. We must accept the insatiable demand fo r cars ( a world wide trend)o n

grounds ofcost, convenience, com-

fon and freedom of choice in spite

ofi nvestment in publ ie transport.

B ut he suggested various market led management methods on the payasyou go principle.

Present Director M i ke S h a rpe focussed on the Cambridge area and how we m ig ht ‘chip away at thep roblem’. City congestion can

be eased byg iving much more prio rity to public transport more suit-

ed

to th e n a rrow streets of

Cam bridge. These routes should be

related to growth areas. Shops etc sho uId be s ited at i nte reh a n g e poi nts. Further ways need to be fo und to direct traffic arou n d the C ity. 0 n Iy 1 in 5 ap p ro ac hes h ave the centre.

veh icI es o n the desti natio ns in

Marcial Echenique, professor of Lan d U se a n d Tran s po rtatio n Stu dies, argu ed the case for road

pricingin the short term to ease congestion but in the medium term he called for greater integration of land use and transportation p1ann in g a n d a m o re an alyti caI approach. This m ightI ead to the development ofg rowth corridors se rved by pa raI lel roa d and raiI routes with green space preserved between, invo lvi ng a departure from thep resent rath er rigid and arbitraryg reen belt ring.

Ride.

But, at what cost? Cambridge City has a 900 year old tradition of independent local government that is about to be broken by these recommendations, if they are accepted. Whatever its foibles those of us who live or work in Cambridge recognise its uniqueness asa city, one factor currently supported by its own local authority. We do have specific housing, planning and conservation needs. We also havea role as a regional and in some casesa national centre for science, technology, academia and tourism, all of which create special needs and problems very different from those faced by our rural neighbours. Arts

and Leisure spend alone is currently one of the highest in the country, although this is clearly not a high priority for outlying villages.

It is hard to see how the interests of both city and rural hin-

terland will be anything but compromised by the new arrangements with its vast proposed population.

A more realistic answer could be to exten_cl the city boundaries making ita unitary authority in its own right. It would be fairly small by national comparisons, at around 117,000 but witha steadily rising population it isa feasible option. Indeed,

the commission has just recommended that Rutland, witha population of 33,000, stand asE ngland's smal lest authority

recognising their very strong sense of community.A unitary authority based on Oxford is the preferred solution, yet this is an option which the Local Government Commission is not even prepared to let the public consider forCambridge.

A larger Cambridge City would still bring broader resources to play on more strategic issues like land use and housing on the northern fringe and park and ride. The rural areas would be managed by an authority that could recognise and provide for their specific needs but is large enough to givea breadth of v ision to th e futu re d eveIo p m ent of s o ut h e r n r u ra I Cam bridgeshire. Most inn portantly, the ability to influencea

smaller authority is much greater thana huge unitary body - if you do not like what is happening it is much easier to change it at local level.

The proposals are not written in tablets of stone but are up for public consultation during the summer. Cambridge residents will receive leaflets explaining the options and seeking

their opinion, and press coverage will be great. Unfortunately

many people's confusion about local government coupled with a fair deg ree of apathy is\ ikely to pr event m uch action.

Architects and similar colleagues havea unique knowledge and specialised interest in the effects of change on thecity and community. Whatever your feelings, take the opportunity to advise the commission before the deadline in mid August-after all it could be another 20 years before you get the chance again!

Lynda Morrisroe - Senior Personnel Manager These viewsarepersonaland maynotrepresentthose oflhe Cifiy'Council

David Raven

Back to the Future

0 ne mig hth ave expected the dozen or so houses on public exhibition atF utureworld, Milton Keynes to have offered some insight into future lifestyles, technologies and architectural innovation. All but three looked as though no architect had been near them and most alas seemed to be prim ari Iy vehicles for p romoting a range of everyday building products and services and some rather pretentious ‘Sanderson’ inter io rs. AII this gave the houses, supposedly individ u a Ily d e sig n ed, a kind of e e rie anonymity. All were claimed to have high National Home Energy Ratings but there was precious little informatio n ava i la ble on h ow these we re achieved. How much more interesting it might have been and perhaps m ore commerci al ly sou nd to take some contrasting outlooks on living asa starting point (from say, sophisticated urban to home-spun rural).

The houses themselves were generally badly finished, no doubt because they were put up quick]y, and many we re actu al Iyu nfin ish ed. That in itself co uld h ave suggested mo re approp ri ate co nstructio n methods and detailing. The winning house in the RIBA/FutUreworld competition by Baker Brown Mckay, Mo talented ex Brighton students, was an exception.

The house, although not earth shattering, felt well considered in terms of patterns of usage, sustainability, construction, detailing etc and had many fresh and endearing qualities.

David Raven

Stop Press...

Market Square Fountain Competition.

Cambridge architect Peter Rawlings is one of six shortlisted designers asked to producea 1:10 model forfinal selection following public consultation.

Histon Road Allotments A bidforthe new housing from Circle 33 Housing Trust Ltd and King Street Housing Society Ltd has been chosen and is now followinga process of consultation. They intend to use the layout prepared by the City Architects Department asa basis for progressing the scheme and claim to offer house types to Parker Morris space standards with high National Home Energy Ratings. Further coverage inthe Autumn Issue of Cambridge Architecture.

SUSTAINABILITY/ RESPONSIBILITY Peter Benwell, former chief architect for the Department of Education, chaired the one day oonference, Energy Conscious Design of Educational and Recreational Buildings held by the Eastern Region Energy Group, (EREG), in conjunction with the International Energy Agency, (IEA), at Robinson College on the Sth of May this year. This attracted speakers and delegates from Italy, Austria, and Greece. It was painfully evident, particularly in the case of recreational buildings in this oountry thatthere is little understanding of energy use in the current building stock, no setting of targets for new development and consequently no monitoring of performance to check targets have been mec It is very easy tosay thata building is energy efficient, much more difficult to demonsrate that it actually is.

If it is so difficult to prove energy efficiency what chance have we in

demonstrating sustainability? Later this year, on the 26th of October at Madingley Hall, EREG areholdinga one day workshop toexplore the con-

cept of sustainabîlity, ils impact on planning policier, building design, and œnvincing theclient EREG areholdinga one day œminar on the23rd of November 1994 at the University Centre, Cambridge entitled Air Infiltration and Air Ouality.k you would like further information on EREG please write to the Secretary, Anthony King, 14 Church Street, \/Vrlhersfield, Suffolk, CB9 7SG. A.C.

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