Winter 1994/95
TRIN ITY HALL LI B RARY Trinity Hall is following the ranks of other colleges in Cambridge, presently expanding their library facilities to lessen the pressure on the Central University Library and in answer tofheneed formore widespread access tothe information services now possible with information technology. After investigating siting options the prominent riverside end of Latham Court was selected partly because it presented least disturbance to existing student accomodation. Plans have received Listed Buildings and Planning consent and building is due to commence in 1996. The range of red brick and stone dressed buildings forming Latham Court was erected in sections between 1889 - 1gso. Liverpool aañitect Grayson built the flank facing the river, his son following with the block (Q stair) adjacent to the river, and the archway infill section joining these together was built in
the 1gzo’s. Gilbert Scott convertedO block from lecture rooms into studen! rooms.
The new library provides reading space four floors with spectacular views of the river scene and the Backs. Architects Freeland Rees Roberts have provided space for30,000 volumes and 90 reading spaces forstudents. This compares with the cramped conditions of the existing library, mñ/cñ has one of the smaller college collections, with some 12,500 books and 24 reading spaces. The grand hall /o the mainQ stairway has been made theentrance to the new library, and the adjacent ground floor and part of the existing building on the upper floors are /o be modernised and converted to/iDra/y use. The new addition follows the red brick, clay tiled and gabled pattern of the previous buildings, but adoptsa freer form responding to the geometry ofits frontage to the river.A great oak window wall has been created, reaching up to the loft interiors of the upper rooms. Overhanging eaves, incontrast /o the formal stone capped parapets of the earlier work, extend the more relaxed architecture of this new presence on theCam. C.L.
TOMORROW'S SLUMS TODAY
A
quarterlY revieW0f current architectural, urbanist and
environmental issues and events in the Cambridge area
produced by the Cambridge
Associationo f Architects. The views in this newsletter
arethoseo f the individual contributors and noto f the Association.
Social housing policy during this century has been an ongoing struggle between quantity and quality - shall we have more or 6e/fer housing? Aneurin Bevan, Minister for Housing in the postwar Labour government, opted for quality and instructed local authorities to build houses with the most modern amenities and an average floor area of 1,000 sq ft 200 sq ft more than the previous average. He said “while we shall be judged fora year or two by the number ofhouses we build, we shall judged in ten years time by the type of houses we build." As a result, he just missed the magic target of 300,000 houses ina year which his successor Macmillan, by cutting quality, achieved in 1954 when 354,000 houses were built. (Oh happy days!) In the sixties,a similar concern fornumbers ledto system building and tower blocks. We can see where it all ended. The Bevan houses, witha few improvements are still going strong, whereas many ofthehouses built in later periods have
either been demolished or refurbished at great expense. Yet governments never learn. The mistakes of the sixties are being repeated today. Quantity has won out over quality. Governments are often tempted to makea hash of housing policy by cutting corners because the consequences are not seen fortwenty or thirty years, by which time today's policy makers will be long dead orretired. Since 1989 housing associations have become the ma in p rov iders ofn ew social ho using. Associations depend ona subsidy called Housing Association G rant -a direct subsidy towards bricks and mortar. Since 1989, HAG has been cut in favour of personal subsidy through the housing benefit system. Before 1989 HAG was a flexible g rant and rents were fixed at fairly low levels. Post- 1989, HAG has been fixed and rents have been forced upwards. HAG is now available ata rate of 50 percent - the other 50 percent must be
f960-f9g0 thirty years of progress inhousing design.
raised from private loans and rents must therefore cover the cost of the loan as well as management and maintenance costs. As a result, associations have been forced to cut their costs and increase rents and the funders the Housing Corporation and local authorities - often opt to fund schemes which represent the best value for money. These are often the cheapest schemes because the less HAG required for each unit the more units can be provided fora given sum of HAG - quantity again. In the scramble forfunds housing associations have been forced to compete against each other and this has led to conventional procurement being elbowed aside in favour of package deals and des ign and b u iId . Arc hitects are bein g squeezed out. Not surprisingly, build quality has suffered. Space standards have fallen and many new association dwellings are now being built without hallways and enclosed stairs - they resemble specbuilt starter homes. Yet social housing has to be more ro6Ust than spec-built housing. Families living in social housing are often at home all day and their homes areoften fully occupied, whereas the type of person who buysa starter home is usually out all day and the property is usually underoccup ied. Mo reover, manyn ewb uild association estates are being built on the edge of town on greenfield sites where unit costs are lower. But these sites are often remote from essential amenities - shops, schools, transport, employment and the mix is geared towards family units, leading to unbalanced estates which are full of families on benefits (because the benefit system means they cannot afford to work topay the higher rents) with high ratios of children to adults. Many ofthese new estates are already suffering the early symptoms of social stress vandalism, crime, high levels of unemployment and high turnover rates those who can afford to leave will. The government seems intent on ignoring the warnings which are being raised against the consequences oftheir policy. There is however one consolation for architects in all of this. You are often blamed forthe mistakes of the sixties the high rise hells, the widswept sub- Corbusian vistas. But under present social housing policies architects have been pushed to one side - design and build and package deals are the way things are done now. At least in twenty years time (orless) when it all goes horribly wrong they cannot blame you!
JUDGE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES The basic strategy of the building design is to retain the 19C building with its 20C top floor, a;ong Trumpington Street. These have the high ceilings characteristic of 19C hospitals. Two new buildings are under construction along Tennis Court Road, with twice as many floors having half the floor-to floor height of the Ward Block floors. To do this we have lowered the ground floor by 750mm. The 19C facade of the building designed by Digby Wyatt is being restored. The colonnaded verandahs on either side of the central bay window are being opened up and returned to their original condition. The only exception to this is the first floor (new second floor) which is reglazed with better window joinery. The 20C top floor is retained and adjusted so as to relate it to the Digby Wyatt work. The North and South blocks of “Nightingale Wards”, with their high ceilings and good natural daylight, are retained and converted into the Library, Computer rooms and Seminar rooms of the Institute. The central section of the 19/20C building is being rebuilt behind its facade to serve, on the ground floor, as the Entrance
on the second (old first) as the Common R‹
on the fourth (old second) as the best Sem rooms and on the sixth (old third) as Graduate Accomodation. The individual study-rooms rquired by the members of the Institute are grouped together in the new building, the “Ark”, lying directly parallel to the old hospital building. The two buildings are seperated bya tall space, the “Gallery”, crossed by bridges and ringed by arcades upon which one can sit and stand while talking and working. The southern end of the site is wider and accomodates another new building the “Castle” much deeper on plan, that contains the central Addenbrookes Site delivery facility and the 160-seat and 80-seat Lecture Theatres. The “Ark” building, for the study-rooms of the Faculty, is seen asa building suited to quiet retirement, and is givena modest and quiet internal architectural treatment. It is lower than the adjoining hostels by one storey. It is also lower than the original buildings. While this street remains narrow it is now better lit than previously. This building has been surfaced ina pale, light-reflecting, w
Colin Wiles
The Castle from Tennis Court Road
View from Trumpin ton Shree/
coloured brick and been givena cheerfully-patterned apperance. The "Castle" building also contains some studyrooms, but it's very diverse, and diflerent spatial and acoustic functions, and different urban status, requirea design that is more robust. This is provided by making the vertical pilasters of the building into "service" columns containing the ventilating ducts forthe Lecture Theatres and by "battering" the base so as to fortify it against the close proximity of the service traffic. The "Ark" building has a restrained cornice while "Castle" has an entablature and pitched roof that is more appropriate to its exposed position, visible "in the round". The "Gallery", hidden in the interior of the group ofb uildings, with its terraces and ‘sitting-out boxes' is the location for social action and will provide an environment that will spark conversation and the kind of thinking that impringes when an architectural rhetoric stimulates the imagination. The ceiling of the Gallery will be decorated bya large graphic. The Common Room is located on the centre of the second floor (old first floor) of the building and is open tothe space of the Gallery, ensuring that it remains the ‘common ground' and focus to the social space oftheinstitute. Coffee and refreshment points are provided at onerous locations.A kitchen area is provided to ,ie the bar in t he Common Room an d IS cresign ed o n Iy to p rovide refresh me nts and reheated food. It is not designed for cooking meals from raw. John Outram Associates, Architects.
A Touch ofGlass
F ] Samuely and Partners Consulting Structurdl Engineers are delighted to have been involved in the judge Institute O
Management Studies F J Samuely and Partners 231 North Gower Street London NW1 2NS
Tel: 0171 387 7088 Fax: 0171 388 5333
CAMBRIDGE REGIONAL COLLEGE The Cambridge Forum forthe Construction Industry visit on 19 November enabled us to see the first phase ofthe new Regional College now in use and the second phase during construction (due forcompletion in the Autumn). Two further phases are to be completed by the end of the century. The new College will then house all d e pa rtmen ts atp resent d ispe rsed a rou nd Cambridge. We were taken around by representatives of Trafalgar House Construction who are building phases1 and2 and the structural engineers for phase 2,WSP Kenchington Ford. The architects Powell Moya Partnership although expected were notrepresented. The 90 hectare triangular site,a wartime marshalling yard for American tanks, is flat and featureless with little outlook and with its two main frontages to the A14 Trans European Highway and the rather dreary housing estates along Kings Hedges Road. The new complex is seen as an important public facility and community resource forthe city as well asa modern educational facility. This demandeda bold and imaginative approach to the provision of infrastructure and the planning of buildings. The first phases have included extensive roadworks and junction improvements, the provision of all new services from scratch, the formation of major earth mounding and the planting of 33,000 trees and shrubs. The new College is designed to be approached on foot througha public piazza and small lake, although this does not seem much more thana symbolic gesture with the bus I ay bys b eyo n d and th e ma in pa rking a rea screened behind. An indoor street, or central mall,2 storeys high, links the piazza and parking areas with all departments and will no doubt in time develop intoa major social space and greatly contribute to the new College's sense ofidentity. The buildings are predominantly two storey in traditional courtyard formation achievinga convincing human scale. The large span technology workshops with their masts and tension cables (now under construction) will be a welcome addition to the motorway skyline. The architects have createda series of well proportioned and elegant buildings finely and humanely detailed, in the Powell& Moya tradition, although there are signs of some loss of control and architectural quality ina few areas. David Raven
Of all the new buildings appearing in Cambridge atthe moment themost vaunted is likely to be the Law Faculty, Sir Norman Foster& Partners' first in the cuty, due for completion this summer. To begin with, the Law Faculty isa fascinating study in University real estate. Caius College lease the land on the Sidgwick site to the University for 300 years. In return they get the Cockerill building behind the Senate House asa new college library releasing their old library for much needed accomodation. This game ofmusical chairs is good news for all sorts of people, not least architects, three firms have worked on the project so far. The building itself is vintage Foster,a decorated, or rather decorative, shed in which the programme has been distilled down toits purest form. In this case the form happens to bea long barrel vaulted structure sliced down one side to givea large expanse of reconstituted stone and translucent glass, and diagonally at one end makinga glass curtain wall which curves round to meet the building's most sensational feature:a huge curving wall composed of hund reds of triangular glass panels. Comparisons with its famous neighbour, Stirling's much vilifiedH istory Library, are irresistable. But Foster makes his sloping glass face north, not south-east and the glazing uses a high-tech system developed overa long period. As a pioneer in this field Stirling had to make do with the kind of patent glazing more commonly seen in offthe-peg greenhouses. The new bu il din g sh ouId avoid some oftheworst problems of its 1960s predecessor, but Foster goes further in trying to address those issues of environmental concern which are currently so high on the agenda. Energy is conserved through o rientation, solar shading, mechanical ventilation and a compact form. Mate rials, though, are predetermined by the practice's love of high-tech and this results ina great deal of embodied energy (glass from Ge rmany, aggregate from Scotland, steel from York); an issue they need to address if th ey want to maintain their Green credentials. ) C
Law Faculty interior perspective
t
Within the glass envelope huge, raking (on the north side), concrete co lum ns carry the library accomodation ona series of diminish ing floors. In the basement are lecture theatres and archives. At the top the over-arching canopy of glass and steel is rem i niscent of St.Pancras. But the scale of the building will be sensed most powerfully at the west end where the entrance hall pierces all six floors and a great prow puts the flanks of the building into startling perspective. A second block, housing the Criminology Department, is now planned and this will help give the scheme contextuality. For the time being the building has the eerie quality ofa beached whale, incongruously beautiful. Jeremy Lander
The Law Faculty was the subject ofa lecture and site visit organised by Young Architects CPD. Contact Jeremy Lander on Cambridge 66555 for details of forthcoming events.
Connell/ Ward/ Lucas EARLY MODERNISM INENGLAND
ic interest in aesthetics (presumably meant in the classical sense) believing that the appearance of a building should grow out of its utilitarian functions and structure: “Arguments on aesthetics are In an era when thearchitecture and design of as meaningless as they are end/ess” {Lucas}. the 1930’s h as co me backi nto vog u e the They regarded Corbs dictum thata house isa C o n n e II, Wa rd & Lu cas exhib it ion at th e machine forliving in ‘as wholly acceptable’ and an A rc hitecture C e ntre (2n d D ecember - 1 1 th inspiration. The colonial background of Connell& January) gave usa timely reminder of its origins Ward perhaps gave thema freedom from English and the subconscious/psychological influence it conservatism and eclecticism which enabled them has had on most of us now practising. A surpris- towork within the developing parallel movements ingly small number ofpractising architects attendin art, design and architecture witha vocabulary of ed the exhibition opening and only one student, forms free from stylistic reminiscences. Dennis perhaps because it happened tobe thelast day of Sharp reminded us that the black and white photerm. The gathering included some members of tographic images of their buildings were misleadConnell's family and some current owners of the ing. A range of colours were invariably used both houses who contributed to the evening. inside and outside. ‘The White House’ forexamDennis Sharp in his dense and intriguing lecture plewas originally pale pink externally with maroon at Keynes Hall which followed, traced the work of windows. this remarkable association during the 30’s until After the war Connell worked in East Africa on a the start of the wa r. Overa 10 year period number ofmajor buildings. He became more conConnell, Ward& Lucas built between them some cerned with the continuity of the classical tradition 20 or30 private houses, flats and other projects and the role of decoration and ornament in conwith an uncompromising consistency and integri- temporary architecture, drawing on the evolving ty. Connell's High& Over at Amersham built in traditions in response to climate in both Africa and the late 20’s ata time when thenew architecture India. This led him to see the limitations of Corbs was largely confined to France, Germany and work especially his understanding of the meaning H off and was reg arded as th e f irsth ouse in of decoration and his grasp of human need which England with real modernist integ rity. Ward h e came to regard as ephe me ral . He joined Connell in 1932 and their early houses deplored the new Brutalism ‘in which all sen’. notably New Farm (now The White House) near architecture has been lost (and) the emotional H as Ieme rep red ate, for exampIe, Lu betkin s content has been draineda way by an eclectic Penguin Pool and High Point1 and the work of intellectualism’. Gropius& Fry in England. High& Over was of Ward& Lucas perhaps kept closer to their prinsimple geometric form and Corbusian in character ciples of the 1930’s. Ward continued building usinga concrete frame with masonry infill where- after the war with another practice as well as as N ew Fa rm, c Iea rly mo re i nf lue n ced by teaching and writing while Lucas joined the LCC Scharoun, with its fan shaped plan was more as a Group leader seeking to influence and deleorganic and complex in form using reinforced congate to the next (Team X) generation of modcrete in both frame and walls ina monolithic man- ernists. ner. The exhibition at the Architecture Centre could Lucas had builta number of ‘thin concrete’ not help but conveya feeling of nostalgia for the houses before joining the practice in 1933 and coherent and purist values of the 1930’s, still their architectural discipline gradually developed instilled in us at architecture school in the 1950’s intoa system of walls, floors, staircases, columns and 60’s. Today with the development ofso many and beams tied together to forma structural specialist fields, Building Codes and Regulations, whole. This createda freedom of cladding, parti- design issues seem farmore complex and few tioning, doors and windows to suit the functional architects perh aps possess the same kind of requirements of occupancy: extravagant and single minded outlook. “It isa concept which allows loads to be distrib“Connell, Ward& Lucas introduceda new lanuted ina way which is much less restrictive to guage into British architecture ata time when architectural design than is the case with conven- there were hardly any British architects thinking in tional bricks or masonry wall building. The latter an uncompromising contemporary vernaculars embodies the wall-loadbearing principle with the their work two aspects now seem important: need for(heavy) walling carried on continuous cpurage with which they exploited new materials foundations, also load-bearing-lintols over open- (concrete, glass and metal windows) and the artisings. Whereas theformer features the column as tic vigour in which they conceiveda new way of the load bearer, the point-load foundation, the life in building form.” (Arthur Korn, 1956) cantilever, all leading to construction of lighter weight and greater simplicity (for example, in the David Raven elimination of lintols) and comparatively greater design freedom” (Ward). Quotations and photographs by kind permission The practice claimed little more thana pragmatol Dennis Sharp (Editor) Connell Ward& Lucas, London 1994, Book Art, 35 Alfred Place, London WC1E TDPat£12.as (plus £1.25 p&p)
O
CALMING FRENZY
awayfo Cherry Hinton For those like myself ofa visually nervous disposition, the experience of walking Cherry Hinton High Street these days is an orchard of pips. The area has been blighted by, what must surely be, one of the most mind-boggling cases of traffic calming overkill to have been visited on an urban area. Here is one sector in our scrimping economy where money apparently is no object. More thepity that some was notused to transport the perpetrators to the continent, to study how they handle these things, and where there is often some sensitivity shown toenvironmental design. The death of Gordon Cullen last year was a sad reminder of how little we have advanced in forty years, since the Architectural Review Outrage campaign, spearheaded by Cullen's pungent graphical expositions. More recently the Civic Trust, through the English Historic Towns Forum, has shown theway to intelligent measures to reconcile the conflicting issues affecting the street environment (Traffic in Townscape ideas from Europe 1994.) With so much general -prism ofthe built environment, how does this 'door ofenvironmental engineering manage to get away without scrutiny, withouta scrap of thought on visual impact, witha totally unbalanced agenda addressinga narrow set of parameters, too singleminded forthe complexity of its context? Architects smarting from overzealous development control can eat their hearts out; they clearly have some avoidance strategies to learn here. The safety of our streets, from traffic or other hazards, isa serious concern. It isa malfunction of our system of local government that obligates action at any cost, even if we do not have the right solutions to hand, on any matter that might draw disfavour to its politicians. The responsibility for creating and maintaining harmonious living environments is an equally serious issue for the well-being of the community. This responsibility bringsa broader agenda.
TRAFFIC
“
*
Visual chaos and confusion created by chaotic signage and the jungle of uncoordinated and * questionable street furniture and highway trappings
””
Anyone experiencing the zany conto rtions of traffic, bucking and winding between cyclists, ke rbs, fences, chicanes, multiple mini-roundabouts, and all the visual distraction from the cacophany of signs and signals, must question the app rop riateness of traffic cal m ing treatment in this highway engineer's zoo; and whether its implementation here has not simply introduceda fresh set of hazards of its own making.
Its nof whatyou do its the way that you The accident statistics will tell one story and perhaps soon we will have the comparitive evidence. The need totake sensible measures to p rotect pedestrians in our over-trafficed highways, particularly when that highway bisects the nucleus ofa settlement, is not in question. But it is part ofa wider issue to do with traffic management, of which the new bypass around the centre of Cherry Hinton isa component. It wou Id have been more effective in traffic calming terms, simply to leave the level-crossing gates in the High Street permanently closed to vehicular traffic; and it would have been ’less costly and less unsightly. The money spent on bumps and bolla rds would have been better expended on environmental improvement of Cherry Hinton High Street, planting (yes, some cherry trees) and I ay ing attractive pavements and pavé on thecarriageway.
Colen Lumley
N o I ess ons Ie a rntf rom th e ArChitectural Review Outrage campaign of the fifties, spearh eaded by G o rdon Cu Ile n's graphic analysis.
Interdisciplinary teamwork in thestudio
In July 1994 the first students joined an innovative course at Masters’ level in Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment at the University of Cambridge. Jointly run by the Departments of Architecture and Engineering and the Cambridge Programme for Industry, it aims to bring together all the professionals involved in the design, realisation and management of thebuilt environment, focusing on collaborative project work and related studies. The course isa response toa growing awareness ofthe need fora new approach to professional education for the built environment at post-graduate level among all the professions involved. As long ago as 1965, Ove Arup proposed ina manifesto for improving quality in building design, that “successful teamwork requires that each member oftheteam understands what theothers are doing and respects them, and that they are united ina common purpose: to produce good architecture”. And it is with the initial support of the Ove Arup Foundation that Cambridge has established this new course, as part of the University's commitment to introducing part-time degrees at Masters' level. Although part-time, the course permits students to fulfil all the requirements ofa postgraduate degree while continuing in practice with only short periods of full-time residence in Cambridge. Overa 2-year period students attend 10 intensive residential weeks when they carry out collaborative design projects in multidisciplinary teams with master-class reviews. The project work is supplemented by elective studies on five principal themes: the city, the natural environment, transport and infrastructure, buildings, and technology and industry. These themes are explored through lectures and seminars given by leading specialists from both inside and outside the University. In the non-residential periods, while back in practice, the participants research and preparea case-study, essays anda dissertation based on their interdisciplinary studies. This format allows the students both to reflect and draw upon their experience in consultancy and industry and to continue gaining practical experience. It isa logical development ofcontinuing professional education. The sixteen students who began in July 1994 are drawn from civil, structural and building services engineering, architecture and landscape architecture and product design. The next intake, beginning in July 1995, extends this representation to include building and quantity surveying and town planning and it is hoped that in future years to attract candidates from contracting, development and project management. Projects so far tackled in the first four residential weeks ofthecourse includea Fenland river crossing, window design from first principles, masterplanning part of Cambridge's southern fringe and the proposed channel tunnel rail link station at Ebbsfleet. Elective lecturers have included Sir David Williams, University Vice-Chancellor, himselfa specialist on law and the built environment, Professor Jacques Heyman, memberoftheCambridge Historic Buildings Group, on the construction and repair of Ely cathedral, Professor Marcial Echenique on land use and transportation research in the UK, Peter Studdert, director of Planning for the City Council, Mike Sharpe, director of transportation at the County Council. As part of the avowed intention of the course toalso broaden cultural and scientific horizons, topics have extended from Art and Architecture in pre-war Germany totheengineering structure of DNA. The first collaborative studio project was introduced by local landscape architect Jeremy Purseglove and structural engineer Sam Price, who has a long standing connection with Cambridge and its rivers. The task was to connect the Fen Rivers Way footpath,a live public initiative of the riverside Parish Councils between Ely and Cambridge, by inserting crossings intoa sensitive natural environment at the junction of the Ouse and theCam south of Ely at Holt fen. Located in the man-made, rural landscape of the drained Fenlands, the project raiseda number ofleading issues including ecological design, appropriate materials and definitions of what is meant by the‘nat-
ural environment’. We were joined at the review by the engineer and Waterbeach parish councillor Duncan Mckay, chair of the footpath working party who was pleased to presenta selection of the designs at the waymarking opening celebration barbecue at Little Thetford the following weekend. The second study, introduced by Cambridge architect Di Haigh, provided an opportunity to examine the potential to exploit natural lighting and ventilation in buildings and began witha study tour of Cambridge's phenomenal range of windows including King's College Chapel. The studio work focused on the design ofa standardised facade system and sought to illustrate and resolve differing architectural and engineering goals. A modelling workshop at the Martin Centre employed theDepartment ofArchitecture's artificial sky, permitting the students to compare calculated and subjective assessments of their designs against modelled results. The variety of elegant solutions emphasised thecreative character of this kind of systematic study and the students emerged better equipped to assess the “green eyelashes” that are becoming common currency on many new and refurbished buildings. The final summer project studied Cambridge's “southern fringe”, extending from Brooklands Avenue outthrough Trumpington to the M11. As elsewhere in Cambridge, the tightly drawn green belt is under pressure from both within the City and from incoming fic. The City Council, in collaboration with the Cc and South Cambridgeshire are currently studying this ina process of public consultation. The IDBE project invited in the staff of the respective authorities’ planning, architecture and transportation departments as active tutors and reviewers and this collaboration between University and the City and local authorities was itself an expression of interdisciplinary working and very welcome. The students formed four interdisciplinary teams to undertake discrete aspects of the master plan; transportation. landscape design, village development at Clay farm and the design ofa Park and Ride site to the south of Trumpington village and to co-ordinate these elements into an integrated whole. In his review of their work. the architect Edward Cullinan urged the students to free themselves from over timidity in their conservationist thinking and to aim for bold and courageous solutions. The Autumn studies of the proposed international station at Ebbsfleet, set in the exhausted clay quarries of North Kent gave just such an opportunity to addresses issues of sustainability and environmental quality ina very damaged landscape. The students worked in teams toproduce both station worthy position within an international network and stratc to “knif’ back the landscape and to model future development that may well be generated. Ina deliberate inversion of their usual roles, this project was interrupted by a brief cross-disciplinary exercise where the engineers undertook the design and planning of the station concourse, while the architects designed and calculated the structural slabs and beams tosupport it. This provoked both hilarity and a deepening admiration for their respective competencies. Future projects include the design ofa heavy engineering laboratory with the emphasis on integration and adaptability, the study of the extension of the university to west Cambridge,a comparison of German and UK town planning practice based in part on a study visit to Cambridge's twin city of Heidelberg. It is hoped that further collaboration beMeen design professionals in both public and private practice in the City and region will be a hallmark of this Interdisciplinary Course. An exhibition of the first years work is planned for the Architecture Centre anda continuing emphasis will be placed on engagement with the key issues in the built environment of both Cambridge and East Anglia. For further information, for suggestions of projects or involvement and for details of how to join the course, please contact either Paul Kirby or Giles Oliver, joint course co-ordinators on 01223-332986, or write to IDBE, University of ’Cambridge,6 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 2EB. Giles Oliver
PARKSIDE POOL
MILLINGTON LANE
Thelong saga over the swimming pool site continues. A third scheme has been submitted for planning permission by Stock Harvard and their architects, leisure and retail specialists, Sargent& Potiriadis (S & P Ltd) and with contractors Taylor Woodrow on board. Proposals includea 160 bed Hotel,a Café/Bar of 560m* (gross) and an 8 lane 25m long swimming pool with separate area fordiving and teaching. A new joint entry to the sports facilities with Kelsey Kerridge is envisaged and a new right of way through to Mortimer Road and Fenners is proposed. There isa perimeter awning to the new café-bar building to give protection and allow eating to expand outdoors in good weather. The scheme includes 75 underground parking spaces forthe hotel witha further 51 dedicated spaces in the basement oftheOueen Anne carpark. The principal trees on the Mill Road frontage are retained, but two are to be lost close to the pelican crossing on Gonville Place. A further 16 trees will be lost but substantial additional tree planting is planned. As a result of concern over the quality of earlier schemes the Royal Fine Art Commission had recommended theappointment ofa consultant architect. Six practices were interviewed (3 of which Cambridge based) and the firm of Leonard ..tnasseh appointed. It is unclear what influence they have had on the current scheme orwhether they are still advising. Following further consultations with the Royal Fine Art Commission and theCity Listed Buildings Panel the Planning Department recommended approval of the current scheme subject toa legal agreement and conditions. Whilst the overall massing was accepted concern was expressed by all3 bodies overa number ofother design issues principally to do with the quality of the detailing. Both the Planning Sub-Committee and the Environment Committee were conte nt with the Plan ning Department's recommendations. However there remains significant opposition within the Council, especially .f,rom the Liberal Democrats. The matter is to be referred to the City Board and full Council at a special meeting in early February. In the 1965 Town Map, still in force, the site is zoned fora swimmin9 tool alone. The emerging Local Plan includes the allocation of an hotel and other ancilliary uses butthis has not yet been adoptand the Inspector's report followinga local Inquiry Iikely to be available until the end of the year. councillors objecting to the present proposal argue that objections were registered at the local plan stage and therefore any decision taken now would be premature; the matter should not be resolved until the Local Plan Inspector has reported. If the Council at their forthcoming meeting* “are minded not to refuse the application” it will be referred asa Departure Application to the Secretary of State, who may decide to call it in; otherwise, the final decision will be made locally. The possible issue of Planning Permission with conditions in key design areas can only give cause forconcern in this case. It would seem preferable to ask for further drawings and details now before full Planning Permission is granted to give proper time for consideration by the RFAC andtheListed Buildings Panel as well as the Planning Department. Trying to deal with these crucial issues and safeguard design quality at what is likely to be working drawing stage with possibly different designers could be extremely difficult. Regardless of who takes over the constituent parts of the building the main principles and details ought to be established now. This will help to combat the inevitable pressures fora corporate style and provide clear guidelines within which later designers have towork.
A collection of seven large houses are nearing completion in Newnham ona strip of Peterhouse land between Millington Road and Marlow Road (off Grantchester Meadows), designed by several Cambridge architects, in two cases fortheir own use, the others for individual clients. The houses are closely packed in an essentially linear fashion, no doubt due to commercial constraints. Some arelinked together but all are individually designed in good quality materials to meet various briefs and presumably local conditions. A new lane off Millington Road serves five, the others being accessed from Marlow Road. Beyond this there is surprisingly little coordination of effort. One garden blocks what could so easily have beena straightforward p edestr ian route throu g h toG rantchester Meadows forthehouses behind. Whatever the merits of the house designs the variety of styles, materials and forms at this density gives the whole developmenta hollow competitive ring. This is in striking contrast to Millington Road itself where there is enough space to accommodate different styles and periods of building with mature trees etc, achievinga comfortable setting.
Th e e ig hteen th o r ni n etee nth ce ntury response to this problem would have been to builda simple and elegant terrace or series of lin ked villas with coordinated materials and details, which as we know, are capable of wide adaptation, are efficient in space usage, etc, etc; something recognised by Eric Lyons at Span and in the housing work of Jeremy Dixon for example. It isa pity that the designers could not apparently get together in this case to makea more coherent scheme. David Raven
A P lanning Brief for the R idgeons site is likely to be drawn up by the City Council ihis year, using the Local Plan asa basis. Ridgeons' present intention is to vacate their site in the second quarter of 1996 and to sell it to a developer forhousin g . This is p rovi ded th ey obtain planning permission to redevelop and consolidate their business on their other sites. If this doesn't work out they will r edevelop the Te nison Road site as a Builders Merchants with an office/showroom frontage to Tenison Road forwhich they retain planning permission. Given the location of the site and good public transport links the council are looking to accomodatea proportion of affo rdabIe social housing (30%) with private housing for the remainder - in total about 60 dwellings ata fairly high density. The intention is to get the social h ousing ‘off the back’ of the private development. Much needed student housing is thought unlikely to be included although the reasons are notclear, beyond the wish to accomodate families. T h e res ide nts ma in con cerns, as expressed ata public meeting on 8th November, are for more green space in the area especially for childrens play, (the nearest space at present being Peter's Field) and fora type of development which w ill minimise the in crease in traffic fl ows. Council standa rds requ ire around 20% of the site to be g iven over to open s pace (.25HA for 60 houses, site area 1.32HA). This excludes structural landscaping some ofwhich might be part ofa common space. The Council are investigating ways oflimiting car ownership by reference to German examples; 35% of Cambridge City residents apparently don't havea car.
S u g g estions for thisa re soug ht together w ith the adjoining station site which the Council would like to consider as part ofa wider strategy and planning brief for the area.
David Raven “themeeting was mindednotto refuse ihe applicaton. (Ed.)
TENISON ROAD PLANNING BRIEF
Tenison Road
David Raven
ENERGY RATING AND THE 1995 BUILDING REGULATIONS NOT SO MUCH CARBUNCLES ......... The Cardiff Opera House competition debacle has once again put thea rchitectural profession in the spot light, and this time it is not so much carbuncles as the status and respect of women architects which is in question. Witness the article in the Independent on S un day, 2 9th J anu ary 1995, by Joanna Watt, “Architects: lasto f the diehard sexists”. Ms Watt quotes the painful statistics, women represe nto n Iy 9% of the architectural profession, as opposed to 30% of doctors and 31% of solicitors, and discouragingly despite 23% of architectural students being women only 10% eventually register as architects. Furthe rmore she says that “unlike the Law Society and the Royal College of General Practitioners, RIBA has yetto adopt an equal opportunities or sexual discrimination policy”. It is two years since the “Women Architects” repo rt was published in May 1993, and its recomme ndations have Iain dormant. However, it would seem that change is imminent as the President of the RIBA, no less, has pledged that he is “prepared to do anything to e ncou rage mo re women architectural partners”. Do what we wonder? AC
Is CPD Effective? Architects may pat themselves o n the back fo r attendi ng so many CPD sem in a rsa yea r b uth ow much ofthematerial can we actu ally recalI (say) two weeks later? Speakers, who are invariably specialists in their fields, give their often densely packed talks ‘off the cuff' and it is impossible to keep adequ aten otes and absorb all that is said. The cost and time away f rom th e office ma kes it essential that these seminars are as effective as possible. Pleas have been m ade to Tim Brading fora full synopsisor transcript of the material to be provided. At present if we a re Iu c ky we get a crude list of topics to be covered. Inspite of the quality of some ofthespeakers the system as it operates at present could be in danger of becoming discredited. D R
SAP coronet which can be obtained by using one of the authorised SAP energy rating schemes su ch as th e N ation alH o me E n e rgy R atin g (NHER) or Elmhurst, then the Building Control officer is obliged to accept it and has no discretion in the matter. It should be noted that there isa difference in the way these two authorised energy rati ng schemes operate. Elmhurst require their assessors to send data to their head office for certification and it is only this final operation which is quality assured leaving them vulnerable to the charge of “garbage in garbage out” at the local assessor level. The NHER is the only scheme totrain, examine, register, and monitor its assessors, who must carry professional indemnity insurance, and who are able to produce certificates locally. With the NHER thewhole operation is quality assured. The NHER also has other benefits, it isa more accurate energy model in that it asks forinformation on location and exposure and it predicts annual running costs which is of fundamental importance to affordable warmth calculations. Also with its network of local assessors, tailored advice on improving ratings can be discussed, analysed, and certified on the spot. It would appear that energy rating is here to stay. Revisions to the Building Regulations are coming thick and fast. AI ready, in th domestic sector, the Government isprepa new revisions which reinstate the presumption against air conditioning withdrawn after the last round of consultation. Futhermore it seems very Iikely that the next revisions affecting the domestic sector will seek to raise the standards for the elemental and target methods in line with those already set forthe SAP.
On the1stofJuly this year the latest revisions to Part F, Ventilation, and Part L, Conservation of Fuel and Power, come into force and with them come theintroduction of the Governments's Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) forenergy rating of dwellings. It isa significant and positive development in the quest fora more energy efficient and sustainable future. Historically the Building Regulations have concentrated on the building fabric after all, once erected, buildings in this country havea habit of surviving, the 1987 hurricane notwithstanding! Ho'aever heating systems, which also havea considerable impact on the energy efficiency ofa dwelling, have been treated as accessories going in and out of fashion like miniskirts. Even today house purchasers are given little choice, efficient h eat ing systems seeminglyha vin g no kerb appeal! But times are changing and despite the efforts of the House Builders Federation (HBF) other issues are driving legislation. Government concerns about global warming, seen in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, and the question of affordable warmth, particularly in social housing, have led to the legitimization of energy rating. From the 1stofJuly all new houses and conversions, ie changes of use to residential accommodation, will require the submission ofa SAP as part of the Building Regulations application. It should however be noted that, although the SAP is required, in only one case out of the three methods available for demonstrating compliance is it used asa standard. In the other two it is used asa discriminator. A low SAP means that you have to meet one of the other fabric stanAnne Cooper dards. If your building is well insulated, and has an efficient heating and hot water system with good controls and can achieve the requisite SAP BUILD TIGHT - VENTILATE RIGHT then no other calculations will be necessary. Witha certified SAP this is the easiest method of As thethermal insulation standards of buildings complying and will be an obvious route for the improve, air infiltration and ventilation become housing associations and other energy conscious increasingly important influences on both the clients al ready setting high energy efficiency internal environment and on energy consumption standards. If you are working to the Building in buildings. UK b uildings have not been well Regulation minimums you will find the SAP being sealed to date, and so the forthcoming revisions used asa discriminator. If your building has a of the B u ild ing R e g ul at io ns whi c h be g in to SAP of below 60 then you will have to provide address the issue of providing well sealed but sufbetter “U”values and work with reduced areas of ficiently ventilated spaces are to be welcomed. glazing. With this in mind, the Eastern Reg ion Ene On the face of it the SAP is relatively easy to G roup seminar in N o vember considered calculate. The SAP worksheet is printed as issues of Air Infiltration and Air Ouality. AppendixG atthe back of PartL for you to photo“Adequate ventilation is essential for the health, copy and fill in, or alternatively transfer ontoa safety and comfort of building occupants, but spreadsheet on your computer. You might even excessive ventilation leads to energy waste and obtaina free SAP calculator diskette from one of sometimes discomfort. Thus Earl Perrera of the the insulation companies thus saving the effort of Building Research Establishment outlined the phicreating your own spreadsheet. However it is at losophy of “build tight - ventilate right”, which septhis point that the warning bell should be sound- a rates infiltration - the u nco ntroll ed flow of ed. There area number of issues as yet unre- unwanted airthrough the building fabric, which solved concerning the submission and accep- leads to energy waste and discomfort from tance of the SAP. As described above, anyone designed ventilation, which should be provided to can carry outa SAP assessment but if the asses- the required levels by mechanisms that can be sor is incompetent, or has a vested interest in controlled by the occupants. Ventilation is necesachievinga certain rating, then the well-worn sary principally for reasons of odour, control of computer adage, “g a rbagein g arbage out” condensation, removal of heat in summer, and applies, leaving the responsibility for accepting keeping CO2 and other contaminants to acceptthe SAP at the door of Building Control. The SAP able levels. As more office buildings are designed without air-conditioning, and some existing offices cal cul ation is a mo re compI ex o n e th an a “U"value calculation and it will not necessarily be have their air-conditioning systems removed, the possible fora Building Control Officer to look at issue of ventilation for summer cooling becomes mo res ig n if icant. P rofesso r M ax Fo rdha m the end result and judge whether the calculation is accurate. Furthermore the Department of the stressed that this requires ventilation strategies to be co-ordinated with the use of other cooling Environment (Do E) have ruled that Build ing rneth ods s u c h as exposedth erm at m ass to Control may not carry out SAP's themselves asa service to applicants although they will be able to absorb daytime excess heat, and night-time coolcalculate SAPs forchecking purposes. So the ing of the building fabric, all of which require an onus is on the applicant to submit an accurate integrated approach from the design team. He SAP which the Building Control officers will check was able to demonstrate by simple calculation at their discretion. However if an applicant sub- how natural ventilation can be effective in most mitsa quality assured SAP certificate bearing the circumstances, while Martin Liddament described
more complex methods used by designers to predict air movement through buildings. These range from single zone m anual calculations of air change rates to the use of computational fluid dynamics forassessing the detailed air flow paths withina space. The current move ofgood practice towards making the building envelope airtight and providing controlled, preferably natural, ventilation, reflects and addresses current concerns about reducing CO2 emissions, indoor air quality and sick building syndrome (SBS). These were discussed by Paul Appleby, who listed the most significant factors contributing to SBS as: odours and chemicals, high temperatures with low h umidity, a irbo rne dust, airbo rne fung icide spores, and long-term use of display screen equipment. However, no one factor dominates, and in older buildingsa lack of maintenance can havea considerable significance. Interestingly, research in offices in Denmark has indicated that air-conditioning can be the largest contributor of odour, and, in some cases, switching off the airconditioning system will imp rove air quality. Perhaps this will be of interest to the Department of Environment when it considers air-conditioning in future revisions of the Building Regulations. Mark Gorgolewski
CAMBRIDGE WOMEN ARCHITECTS RIBA HQ may be dilatory in implementing the recommendations contain ed in the Women Architects report adopted by Council in July 1993, b ut the Cambridge Women ArchitectsG roup (CWAG), supported by the Cambridge Association of Architects, endorses those recommendations one of which is to “Promote the work o1 women architects in order to break down thediscrimination which still exists in the construction industry and in society generally”. To this end CWAG have recently arrangeda couple of visits. The first was to the final Saturday morning of the Lina Bo Bardi 1914 1992 exhibition at the RIBA Architecture Centre, 66 Portland Place last November. Substantial and well travelled, the exhibition material apparently covered all aspects of Lina Bo Bardi's professional life from her Italian beginnings, emigration to Brazil in 1946, and her successful career in Brazil, whose culture she grew to love and respect although her work remain ed heavily influenced by the Modern cement. Within this tradition she not only gned buildings but also the furniture to go in them. And, seeing the results in the exhibition, her furniture was stylish and fun and, like most architect designed furniture, you wondered whether you were really meant to use it or just look at it? The immediacy ofthe furniture, the quantity of supporting information, the antics of my six year old, and the rather tired appearance of the architectural models, proved distracting, but perseverance and the promise ofa MacDonalds triumphed. There were photographs, and drawings of houses, offices, community buiIdings;there were designs forclothes and jewellery; statements of design philosophy; and evidence of political involvement; there were also graphics and editorial writing. Lina Bo Bardi's work was powerful, sculptural and inspiring and her versatility was awe-inspiring. More recently CWAG were privileged to be given a guided tour by the job architect, Rosalind Bird, of the new Nuffield Road Medical Centre designed by Bland Brown and Cole for Hurst Park Medical Practice and currently under construction by Amey
Building Limited. The Building containsa ground floor surgery, offices on the first floor and a pharmacy under the exten ded roof canopy. Accommodation in the surgery provides consulting and treatment rooms fordoctors, together with waiting area, offices, staff and meeting rooms. The building is arranged alonga central spine corridor which opens out intoa south facing waiting room witha gallery to the first floor and north lighting at high level. Wings to north and south house the remaining accommodation. Existing hawthorns and wild cherry have been retained on the site and can be seen from various windows throughout the building achievinga mature and indigenous landscape setting. Anne Cooper& Rosalind Bird
EREG Student Travel Award Applications are invited from students of any discipline in projects of their own devising involving overseas travel relating to energy use in buildings and the environment. Closing date, 31st March. Details David Curtis (01923) 664757.
BUNGALOW TRANSFORMATION The‘50s bungalowI found in Newton precisely fitted my requirements fora good site, the right orientation and the opportunity to demonstrate to potential clients that it is possible to transform an uninspiring building into an exciting individual home and studio through radical alterations. My proposal included two extensions, to housea self contained office/studio at the front with its own entrance, and a split level dining/kitchen at the back. The integral garage has becomea boarded music room as an extension to the living room. The volume is increased to include the original roof space. The room is lit by a double height bay window giving spectacular views of the western sky. Crittall metal windows were replaced by stained double glazed timber windows and concrete tiles by Eternit slates. The integration of the house and garden is essential, so strong architectural planting is planned to enclose external sitting spaces and ’clothe’ the front elevation. Christopher Maguire
CPD Our CPD event held in November was thefirst of a series on components and materials. The evening was informative and entertaining, our speakers providing technical background as well as anecdotes. Gary Mason ofICIPaints (Dulux), who kindly sponsored the evening, opened witha technical presentation on wood stains, their properties and application. Shaun Woodhouse ofOve Arup& Partn ersp rovided some useful g uidance on domestic electrical installations and what an architect should look for. John Cook oflook& Sons, recalled his life in the world of plastering, while passing ona few hints The event was a great success with the Gallery being nearly full witha number ofnew faces. We hope you will continue to support us in the forthcoming year, our next event beinga guide to CDM - The Construction (Design& Management) Regulations, which come into force on 31st March 1995. This is programmed forTuesday 14th M arch at the ArchitectureG allery, 6 Kings' Parade. The Association will be subsidising this event but we will be charginga fee of £5.00 to part cover the cost ofa speaker. If you wish to attend please return the reply slip enclosed with the Newsletter promptly. If you wish to help organise an event or have suggestion for topics please contact Paul Darlow, CAA CPD Officer, c/o Thomas Design, telephone 01223 81 1744.
CWAG Events (see Diary)
For further information or if you would like your name added to the mailing list contact SLterry Armstrong 845131 or Anne Cooper 315766
Work inProgress C amb ridge artist Steve Russell harbours unrealised desires to enhance the local street scene with mosaic work on its lamposts. Nice work for dogs, but, in the meantime, and to prove he is no closet Simon (Watts Towers) Rodilla, Steve h as embarked ona mosaic, covering the wall of an unsightly air- raid shelter, to en liven the backg round to Ditton Fields Nursery School Playground. Over eight metres long and 1.7 metres high, it contains abstracted figures and objects ina colourful composition which isa delight to the children even in its incomplete form. Tiles have been donated by local and national suppliers and, with the assistance of the headmistress’s h us ban d, it ish oped to be completed in3 months.
EXHIBITION OF CAA MEMBERS WORK Th e CAAa rehol din g anexhibition at the
Architecture Gallery from 19th June - 8th July.
Each practice will be limited to one A1 vertical panel on Smm foamboard.A seperate statement, not exceeding 100 words, giving practice details should accompany thepanel and will be incorporated ina handout at the exhibition. Practices wishing to exhibit MUST register by the 1st April and pay £25 to help to defray expenses. A FOR M IS INCLUDED WITH THIS NEWSLETTER.
Office Accommodation TO LET
CAA/RIBA DIARY
Individual workspace, in converted barn in garden. 10 minutes from City Centre. Share reception, copying, fax, secretarial, technical library and meeting facility. IDEAL forconstruction industry professional or designer. Phone Sarah on 0223 293686
EREG Seminar on Sustainable Development in the Built Environment Cranfield University - 1st March Details Gordon Powell 01245 435 574 CAA Committee Meeting Architecture Centre 6.30pm All welcome 6th March, 3rd April, 1st May
560 sq.ft - professional offices to let with good parking Trumpington Mews, Trumpington Tel: 0223 843931
It is important to register early to avoid disap-
pointment as space is limited. The CAA will purchase advertising space in the Cambridge Evening News and hope that local radio and TV will be interested in publicising the event.
Although there will not be sufficient space todisplay models it may be possible for one or two ’high profile’ models to be displayed in the King's Parade shop window to help to publicise the event. Space is provided on the application form
forpractices to give details of models which fit the
above specification Details of an event to open theexhibition will be confirmed ata later date.
THE ADAMS LOXTON PARTNERSHIP Landscape Architecture Landscape Planning Environmental Assessment Urban Design
LONDON TELEPHONE 0819447616 FAX 081 946 7498 CAMBRIDGE TELEPHONE/ FAX 0223 842234
your time 24th May 8
Michael Jeffels
1995 RIBA ARCHITECTURE AWARDS The1995 RIBA Architecture Awards are open to all members forbuildings completed between 1 st January 1992 and 31st March 1995. The Awards are an excellent way of promoting architecture and gaining public recognition of outstanding examples of current architecture. Entry forms are available from the Regional Office, closing date is 31st March 1995.
CLIENTS ADVISORY SERVICE The Regional Office plans to update the Clients Advisory Service and is setting up computer links with RIBA HQ and entering all practice information ontoa computer data-base. This will accelerate the process of responding to potential clients enquiries to withina day or less. For this scheme to be implemented financial support is imperitive. The Regional Office would appreciatea £20 contribution from all practice involved in CAS.
LAING Eastern St Edmunds House Lower Baxter Street Bury St Edmunds SuNolk IP331 ET
ARCHITECTURE GALLERY Edwin Smith
Telephone 028d Z0261l Facsimile 028d 7033d3
are pleased to ée Main Contractors for The Judge Institute of Management Studies, Cambriclge University.
Letters and contributions to Cambridge Architecture are welcomed. Copy deadline for Spring Issue, 31st March 1995
Editorial Board: David Raven t co—editors
Colen Lum ley Richard Brim blecom be
Anne Cooper David Yandell
Cambridge Architecture c/o Trumpington Mews
Trumpington, Cambridge CB2 2LS Tel 353115/ 843931 Fax 353112/ 844426