Number 22 November 1992
A review of current Architectural and Environmental Issues and events in the Cambridge area produced by theCambridge Association ofArchitects. The views in this newsletter are those of the individual contributors and not of the Association. Newsletter co-edited by David Raven and Colen Lumley. ’Cambridge Architecture Trumpington Mews, Trumpington, Cambridge. CB2 2LS
The Eagle has Landed
The Eagle, one of Cambridge's most famous pubs, finally re-opened on1 October after being closed since 1988. The ground floor rooms of no 8 Bene't Street, previously Hockeys', have been reincorporated into the pub. It was a pleasant surprise to find the letters EAGLE inscribed above thedoor of no 8. Corpus Christi College, who own the pub, and had wanted this to be the only entrance. The 1989 scheme would haxe closed the galleried yard completely to the Corpus as owners had theright to close yard gates at any time, and there were long and difficult negotiations to secure the planning agreement which allows public access to the yard; the agreement allows the College to close theyard forup to 100 daysa year, but the hope is that this may be less in practice. The other sticking-point in negotiations was that both the college and Greene King wanted toremove the staircase up to the gallery to improve access from thefront to the back, strong objections led toan alternative solution, which has been achieved by removing brickwork at the rear to createa wider passage behind thechimney. It had been claimed that the staircase was c 19 (contemporary with the gallery) and Of comparatively little historic interest, but Oliver Rackham now considers that the stair-case is an original feature and suggests that there was a projecting stair-turret before the construction of
thegallery. He dates the rear range to 15921600, with much re-used timber (including smoke-blackened timbers which arethefirst clear evidence of medieval open hall houses in Cambridge). Two original windows canbe seen inthe framing of the west wall which hasbeen exposed. The ceilings in the middle and back bars have been repaired to match using reeds from Wicken Fen;c 17 wall paintings (with eVidence of several layers of paint) were found at ground and first floor levels. One of the2 fine clunch fireplaces uncovered in thelandlord's accommodation on thefirst floor has incised graffiti including (very neatly carved) “John Hope Ben Coll 1670” (Corpus was also known asBene't College). The famous RAF barceiling has been repaired from above, and is now more clearly visible following the removal ofa layer ofnicotine-stained varnish. The street range Which hasbeen reincorporated into the pub is later and grander than the rear; Rackham considers that this C17 building once had the most imposing brick facade in Cambridge apart form thecolleges, before being later covered in plaster and Ketton Stone. The pine panelling from theright hand ground floor room hasbeen reinstated, and in the left room you canseetherather puzzling evidence of arches (fora shopfront??) in the exposed
brickwork of the front wall. One newcomer is the elaborate Gothic screen to the entrance passage; this isa successor to the former more modest screen to the Hockeys Manager's office, which can now be seen in the first floor of the Architecture Centre at6 Kings Parade, where is separates the office from theexhibition room. John Preston.
What Recession? Speaking to someone from thenorthern half of England theother dayI was made torealise that what we arecurrently experiencing isa peculiarly southern phenomenon. In thenorth what we areall talking endlessly about is nothing new. It is simply part of daily life and has been forgenerations. There was really no reason to suppose that the post 50’s boom we have been experiencing in the south would last indefinitely. Remember the Hudson Report inthe 60’s which amongst many things drew attention to the enormous disparity in economic activity betweena range of English towns and cities. The structural weaknesses the report identified in the British establishment, institutions, infrastructures, etc etc at all levels have largely been ignored and so the country continues for the most part on its steady economic decline. Fortunately most ofthearts flourish in these circumstances, government money permitting. But building, as one of the most tangible expressions of economic activity and prosperity, is hit directly. Da vid Ra ven
TYPE—RII'E SECRETARIAL SERVICES Specifications• Reports• Articles. etc 6 BATEMAN ST.CAMBRIDGE. TEL6 153 I Drawingby Dr OliverRcie'kh‹iin (CA back issues on the Ex gle, April 91& April 89.)
ACCURATE • PROMPT• NEAT SERVICE
A Piece of Townscape David Raven
IftheParkside Pool is to be replaced bya new complex of buildings then at least there is the opportunity to bring more urban form tothis corner. Looking atthis area especially now the leaves have fallen it is really very messy and formless and the buildings are too low. What is needed on the swimming pool site isa strong statement doing something similar to the University Arms diagonally opposite across the Piece. We also have theCatholic Church providing effective punctuation to the Hyde park intersection. The Park Terrace/ Parker Street intersection doesn't need anything because this more secondary corner of the Piece is simply expressing the more finely textured frontage of the Georgian quarter of the city. The rather fine grassed space of Peter's Field defined on one side anonymously by thePost Office Sorting Office is almost forgotten unless you are standing in it. There is an opportunity fora new building on the swimming pool site to also really address this space in townscape terms which the swimming pool fails to do. The effect and contribution of this corner site on Fenners cricket ground could also be significant. Some ofthemost mature and beautiful trees around the Piece are on the swimming pool site and these must be preserved on both the Gonville Place and Mill Road frontages. This is another reason for building high on this corner. Cambridge with the usual obvious exceptions is so flat and dull and it is so welcome when theodd new tower appears. But attention needs to be paid above all to profile, bulk, silhouette, etc. If ever there was a case for designing from outside to in, this must be it.
Courtesy ofArchitects Journal 30.10.91
“Between Furniture and Urban Design” John Forrest On6 Octobera capacity audience at the Architecture Centre were treated courtesy of Eric Parry to mind games oftheCambridge School. Studios discussions are about “the way human sensibility reacts to light, to materials, to construction. Spaces aremodelled and drawn in order that the composition of their parts has meaning beyond thefunctional brief.” (Patrick Hodgkinson AJ 30.10.91). Parry's “furniture” becomes thedetails. The Jean Miro-esque minimalist steel stairways link white planes of toplit galleried space in his artist client studios for Anthony Gormley and Tom Philipps. Handrails terminate sinuously recalling echos of Victor Horta at L’Hote1 Tassel. His choice and use of materials is fastidious and inspring. Smart Lipton may have wished to ‘foster’ fine architecture at Stockley park, but with theAmp Associates masterplan and the Stanhope brief,a refined monochrome hasresulted. Parry throws of this straightjacket for his Building W3 by playing organic materialsa slim harwood handrail, ora terracotta coloured wall against the sharp machined steel grey balustrading for example.A controlled range of colours, texmres and materials warms the scenes and speaks ofa human place. A ‘suspended wall’ of polished Arabascato marble, (Parry went to Tuscany tochoose it) reflects light from above, refracting into the foyer. Here at Building W3 a different idea of corporate image is introduced to ‘The Park’. The language is legible, the parts defined and full of historical allusion like the glass blocks of Chareau's Maison de Verre, the reinterpretation of the rape of Europa ina mural, tracinga lineage back to Le Corbusier. There is however never any attempt to outclass its neighbours. Eric Parry handed over to his project architect associate Philip Meadowcroft to describe the external approach to Building W3. From thecar park tothe south of Furzeground Way theordered five-bay elevation is expressed with glass blocks in
aluminium frames. The upper floor level is delineated bya 245 deep transom below whichfi glass blocks extend beyond theground floor ceiling. A pathway leads pasta lake and overa bridge. This was tohave been abovea high level pool but reverted toa ‘pool’ of lavender giving onto the waterfall. The west entrance with its first floor loggia, has echoes of theDoge's Palace in Venice. It is held between thetwo office wings, splayed and resolving an angle quirk in the orthogonal grid master plan. The loggia doubles as break-time lung and fireescape route between thetwo office wings. Below is the foyer, the focal point of which is not the lift doors here moved aside, buta free standing wall containinga mural by Parry and Meadowcroft. This like an arras mask lavatory doors. The baton returned to Parry. Talk moved to France. The high rock outcrop of Chateau de Paulin has been extended with organic verve commanding views over thesurrounding terrain likea hill th fortress.A new E.P.A. outpost has been established.
Con rtesy of Architects Journal 30.10.91
Market Cross Roads
Richard Brimblecombe In1849 thegreat fire of Cambridge swept through the maze ofbuildings which surrounded the medieval market place. This disaster led to the enlarged Market Square which we know today: the vibrant six daya week open air market and the major civic space in the heart of the City where collegiate and commercial Cambridge merge. Concerns about thedesign quality of the square have lead to the formation ofa Working Group, which hasmeet on four occasions during 1992. This is chaired by Director of Planning Peter Studdert and supported bya range of officers from City and County Councils and the Chamber of Commerce, theMarket Traders Association, local Colleges and Churches, the CPS and the CAA. TheWorkings Group's term of reference were to preparea design brief in response to the shortcomings of thepresent market square, and to providea high quality urban space to sustain the present six daya week market, and allow greater fi 'lity of use, during and outside trading hours. "i<- ›Vorking Group hasbeena talking shop, to
Awards 1993
Contrary toa premature report in Building Design (6/11/92) the fee for enteringa project for an RIBA Architecture Award in1993 will be £75 up to 2m in value and £150 above. The principle ofa two tier system has been settled before the various cuts were agreed by RIBA Council (Asa new member ofthe Awards GroupI had argued fora 3 tier system but was outnumbered). About one third of the six hundred or so projects submitted by practices for the 1992 Awards were ofless than 2m in value and by the evidence of this year the smaller projects standa good chance of getting an award. One should not be put offby the apparent odds of being shortlisted fora visit, this year in the Eastern Region of the40 schemes submitted8 were shortlisted and of these5 receiveda Regional d. From my own experience on the she. ilisting panel and Jury2 years running most of theprojects submitted are pretty mediocre soa building which is reasonably meaty,a bit unusual and nicely executed witha degree of freshness in the approach or thedetailing standsa reasonable chance ofa visit. Schemes which are overcomplicated, heavy handed orsterotyped in any sense are likely to be rejected at first hurdle. The success of the visit to the building is obviously crucial. The architect cannot be in attendance so it is very important to have someone to show theJury around who knows about the building, has some experience asa user and was preferably involved in the development of thebrief and in the design process. In one case this year theJury were especially impressed by theevident working partnership between client user and architect which undoubtedly influenced the quality of the result and the selection of this building and in another case were definitely put off by the rather cursory way we were shown around. There aresome aspects of the awards systems which give cause forconcern. There are undoiibtedly good buildings being built which never get submitted and the system of nomination needs to be improved. Under RIBA rules it is theoretically possible fora member oftheRegional Shortlisting Panel to nominate eligible buildings
canvasa full range of opinions on the opportunities and pitfalls as well asa sounding board fortheearly design proposals prepared by the City Council. The group has wrestled with theproblems of reconcilinga desire to create convincing civic space with theresponsibility of ensuring that proposals meet vested practical interests. It is hoped that the Market Square can enhance the activities of the market traders and neighbouring retailers, as well as encouraging the expansion of opportunities arising from Cambridge's international status asa tourist centre. The establishment of pavement cafes has already begun and commercial use of theground floor of the Guildhall is under consideration. Further opportunities for the market place to develop asa civic forum will arise from initiatives such as the County Council's city centre traffic restrictions. The trial period for traffic restrictions does however, warn that improvements in one location (eg the removal of taxis from themarket Square) must ensure against damage toneighbouring areas (such as the destructive reintroduction of vehicular traffic to Kings Parade). The deliberations of the Market Square Working Group lead to an exhibition and public consultation exercise, which is currently being evaluated by the City Council. The range of concerns arising from thebroad constitution of the group has notalways
which have notalready been submitted provided permission has been obtained and supporting material is available before the Jury visits. This would mean bypassing the normal shortlisting procedure whichI don't think is right and prevent the essential comparison between projects in the shortlisting process. What needs to happen is for the Shortlisting Panel to be appointed earlier so that they can canvas theregion for suitable schemes in time forthe common deadline.A nomination form should also be sent out in good time to every architect in the region so that everyone has the opportunity to identifya building which could (with permission of the owner) be nominated. (To be continued in the February issue of Cambridge Architecture) DavidRaven
Architecture Gallery The Architecture Centre has just obtained an award in the first ever Arts Council Grants Scheme forArchitecture. The grant is for research into the programme development of the Regional Architecture Centre. The exhibitions at the Architecture Gallery are all self-funded, there being no RIBA orother base funding for directing or operating the Gallery. One aspect of the research will be addressing the establishment of proper funding to underwrite the considerable effort needed tomaintaina lively and changing exhibition programme and its extension to the parts of the region. The responsibility rests with the regional architectural community (who brought the Gallery into being) and particularly those based near Cambridge, to sustain its promotion of current architecture to the public and the raising of public awareness of theimportance of good design. The Gallery depends on its sponsorship in cash and kind, and on the selfless voluntary assistance it receives from members inputting on shows. IN you have an interest in being associated with this endeavour and in contributing ona regular, or partial basis and would like to be entered ina register of voluntary exhibition coordinators/assistants please contact Liz Hurst (0223) 324157.
lead to ready solutions. They arenonetheless, an essential precursor to any successful proposal.
The Market Today
A Tale and no Wag We were astounded to learn of the RIBA Council's 1009o cut to funding of the central RIBA Women inArchitecture Group! Obviously this means theCouncil considers the issues addressed by them tobe unimportant. Patricia Stewart, one of the founding members, wasa guest speaker at our meeting on 17 September and we thank her forproviding us with background information on what theGroup hasachieved since it was formed in 1985. Women architects still earn less than their male counterparts and tend to be at the lower end of theprofession in terms of status and job responsibility. Until the day when professional opportunities and work facilities are equally available to all architects regardless of their gender there isa very real need fortheactivities of the RIBA women's group. It is essential that Council approves at least minimal funding for their operating costs. The Cambridge Group will continue to meet bi-monthly. We aim to encourage and support women inarchitecture by providinga forum inwhich todiscuss their work and concerns. Our next meeting will be at the Architecture Centre on Thursday 19 November at 8.00pm. The discussion will focus on women inthe construction industry. If you are interested in simply meeting casually once ina while to discuss your work how it affects your life and family, and what it means tobea woman inthe field of architecture, please come along to our next meeting. Future Events: 21 January 1993 - Gail Waldman, Chair of Women asRole Models (WARM), will be speaking about her group which is specifically concerned with the role of women in theconstruction industry. For further information contact: Sherry Armstrong (0223) 833694 Grainne’ O’Gradaigh (0954) 211144 Philippa Wilson (0763) 208700
Lunchtime Lectures Jiricna through glass The lectures held in the seminar room ofthe Martin Centre every Wednesday at12.30 p.m. during University term and open toall are to be highly recommended. On llth November Koen Steemers ina talk called Environmental Urban Design gavea lucid overview of thedevelopment of urban theories and practices since the l9th century through to the environmental issues of today with their increasing influence on urban planning and architectural form. On 18th November Kevin Nute demonstrated the influence of Japanese art and architecture and forms and structure in nature on the early work ofFrank Lloyd Wright.
On 10th November Eva Jiricna gavea talkjointly to theSchool and theAssociation which went through almost all her work from modest beginnings. For those who missed it there are some beautifully illustrated books in the Regional Bookshop. There has beena preoccupation amongst other things with elaborate and ingenious glass staircases which she suggested had helped to satisfy her frustrations at being asked as yetto build few buildings, almost exclusively interiors. There arelessons to be learn by all architects in the total integration of architecture and interiors, in her free and innovative approach todesign and her logical and intelligent handling of materials. DavidRaven
CICA CAD Drawing Award
Apphcation Forms by 11th December from Ginny Bone. CICA Guildhall Place, CB2 3QQ
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There is to be an open discussion on the recently announced proposals for major changes in thecomposition and running of English Heritage, organised by the Cambr'* Association of Architects at the Architects Centre. It is expected that experts in Conservation will be speaking. The meeting will be at 6.30 p.m. on Wednesday December 16th. All are welcome tocome andcontribute. For more information contact Hilton Wright on Cambridge 356518.
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RIBA Research Awards 1993 Applications are invited from architects and others to undertake post graduate research into any field relevant to the study of architecture, building and planning. Details M.J. Veal at the RIBA. Closing date 30/1/93