Architectural Tourism in West Coast USA

Recently back from a study trip with a group of members of the Company and a few friends and colleagues the Clerk of the Company intends to post a section of a very elementary diary of the trip on an occasional basis. He takes comfort from the knowledge that Dr Mervyn Miller will, in the fullness of time, publish an erudite trip record which will be posted on the website. The photographs are a small selection of the thousands taken by members of the group.

WEST COAST USA TRAVEL DIARY

The Company’s annual architectural study trip took place in the latter half of April taking in Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco with a few side excursions. A long time in the planning the whole thing became more expensive that originally planned due to the kamikaze behaviour of the pound in the intervening time.

The trip began with a late afternoon arrival on Thursday 16 April at the Chaparral Suites Resort Hotel in Scottsdale – a suburb of Phoenix. Suites – yes; resort hotel – probably not. Comfortable, well blessed with swimming pools and a nightly happy hour. The first such was quickly sampled.

17 April – The day began with a guided tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Grady Gammage Memorial auditorium. Designed before his death in 1959 the building was completed in 1964 after his death by Taliesin Associates led by Wesley Peters and John Rattenbury. He is thought to have derived the design from his earlier proposal for the Baghdad Opera House. Regardless of critical opinion about the worthiness of the building, it makes a distinguished addition to an otherwise uninspiring Arizona State University Campus. Sitting across the square from the building is Wes Peter’s School of Music – a neat and fitting tribute to his mentor and father in law.

We were shown this by local landscape architect James Abell who had been involved with the Antoine Predock Nelson Fine Arts Centre nearby (and illustrated below left). This was both uncomfortable and uncompromising as a building and some in the group were left with a better understanding of why architects might, just occasionally, be regarded as being arrogant.

The afternoon was given largely to the work of Will Bruder who has, since 1974, worked his magic around the Phoenix area. We were to learn that almost everyone had worked for or with FLW or Paolo Soleri. Will was no exception. He took us around his excellent Phoenix Central Library (1995 and still sparkling) in which most creative use has been made of materials and light. In the later context we needed to be on the top floor public space (very egalitarian this building) at precisely solar noon to witness his sleight of hand. We also visited a neatly detailed urban home community and had a stimulating hour or so in the former dance studio he has converted into his studio. We were impressed and it is hoped that the Company or the RIBA might entice him to the UK to give a public lecture.

(the library and office are shown to the right and below respectively)

The day finished with a visit to the very classy Camelview Village residential development – the latest offering by architect developer David Tovey.

Very expensive condominiums (for which there’s still a market in this retirement capital of the West) with fine landscaping and good views.

18 April – The eagerly anticipated visit to Taliesin West was, for this particular tourist, something of a disappointment. While some parts were fascinating (in both detail and execution) and there was much to excite, the total lack of a coherent master plan led to a somewhat random development with quite a lot of the structures in a state of worrying decay. One wonders with all the funds generated from merchandising the FLW brand more is not done to preserve and protect. The complex still functions as a part time school of architecture; half the academic year spent her, the rest at Taliesin East. Like many parts of the building the aging and sycophantic ex student who gave us the introduction in the theatre (far from being the best bit of the complex) was in need of sympathetic modernization.

The afternoon visit to Paolo Soleri’s Cosanti premises was a bit of a relief mainly because the writer had visited the much lauded Arcosanti (shown in model form in the photo below left) en route from the Grand Canyon to meet up with the group in Phoenix. It had been a desperately sad excursion to a site which seemed like a throwback to the age of flower power when the scheme first saw the light of day.

The rationale behind Arcosanti made sense in the context of the times but it seemed like an experiment which had run out of both time and funds and was not likely to recapture either youth or fortune.

Cosanti was fun. Some of the structures were primitive, some adventurous and there were lots of bells being made. We were shown round by architect Roger Tomalty who was a real enthusiast and who was, predictably, writing a book in conjunction with Dennis Sharp.

This visit was followed by visits to two sharply contrasting FLW houses.

The 1951 Benjamin Adelman House – not one of his best and not improved by what seemed to me to be clumsy extensions at various times. The sign pictured on the right beside the Howitzer parked in the front drive (purported to be a quote from Wright) may have been a judgement by its author on the direction in which the gun should, perhaps, be trained!.

The adjacent Boomer Cottage (pictured left) dating from 1953 was a pleasure. A variation on the Usonion home theme it had, until very recently, been lived in and cared for by its original owner. One hopes that it will survive its new inhabitants. The owner’s late 50’s Packard stood proudly in the drive and also awaits a new home.

The day was rounded off with a visit to the Arizona Biltmore Hotel which was redolent with influences from Wright who played a part in the design of the building. It was interesting to see a wonderful example of FLW's art glass on display in the hotel foyer which had been donated by Oligivanna - just possibly to ensure that her husband's name would be forever linked to the original designs.

The hotel has been extended almost beyond recognition and there are many fine touches and grand rooms. Sadly the fine touches did not extend to the quality of the service in the Wright Restaurant where the group convened for dinner.

More to follow - much more.

We must go down to the sea again

Given that the Company is seeking to reinforce its links with the Tower RNLI Lifeboat Station it was fitting that a group of members paid a visit to the station on Friday 6 May. We were given an interesting talk on the work of the Station by Wayne Bellamy standing in for Station manager Janet Kelly. Wayne is her opposite number at the Chiswick Station. He had many tales to tell and, now that the boats are equipped with cameras, there shoulod be wonderful TV footage for the future. Tom Ball has put together the attached photograph of the occasion.

Newsletter Issue 16 - May 2009

Newsletter2 9

while walking back from the 2009 livery dinner on april fool's night

As your blog-master wends his boozy way home after the annual Livery Dinner, this year held at Draper's Hall Throgmorton Street, and after all those glasses of wine, his little camera has a bash at capturing the contemporary graphic cliché of London tourism, 

the formerly wobbly bridge - big Norm's (+ Arup and Caro) 'blade of light'.  

Not an anarchist in sight, although the G20 meeting demo continues only a quarter of a mile away.

2008 New City Architecture Awards

The winner of the New City Architecture Awards for 2008 was announced at the Company's Annual Livery Banquet held at Drapers' Hall on Wednesday 1 April. There were also two highly Commended schemes.

The Award certificates were presented by Sheriff George Gillon.

The Assessors' Report was as follows:

This year’s judging panel comprised: Paul Finch OBE - Emeritus Editor of Architectural Review –(Chairman), The Master, (Ian Head) The Renter Warden (Edward King), Dr Mervyn Miller, Mrs Anne Markey assisted by the Clerk, David Cole-Adams

Judging took place on Thursday 12 February; eight buildings and public space projects were visited.

The jury wished to give high commendations to two projects:

One Wood Street, an office and retail development. Architect: Fletcher Priest Architects; client: Land Securities; main contractor: Bovis Lend Lease

Comment:

From its Cheapside elevation one could scarcely have guessed at the scale of the 16,000sq m building and the welcome variation introduced by its architects to break up the large volume. On Cheapside a simple stone façade reveals the office uses at upper levels, while the ground floor retail has generous volumes. The three units give animation and vibrancy to the street and contribute well to the City Corporation’s desire to make street frontages here as active as possible.

The main office entrance is on Wood Street, and here the main elevation has a series of features which might appear fidgety in less skillful hands. The stone clad structure moves to steel, and louvres change from metal to glass, while curvature is introduced to give emphasis to a landscaped open space; a public route runs through the building from Wood Street to Milk Street.

The judges felt the architects had worked very hard to make what might have seemed a monolithic building a welcome addition to its area. They admired the way in which the composition had improved the ambiance of Wood Street in particular.

St Paul’s Churchyard (south-west), landscaping and Grade 1 railing replacement. Architect: Martin Stancliffe / Purcell Miller Tritton; client, The Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral; main contractor: The Cathedral Works Department with Stonewest Limited

Comment:

At first sight a modest piece of cleaning up around the cathedral (the site was formerly a masons’ yard), this project is a real delight. It reveals an immense amount, in a subtle way, about the original building, through a combination of excellent design and first-class workmanship.

The new layout to the South Churchyard, necessitated by the cathedral’s ongoing programme to improve access for disabled people and wheelchairs, inspired a display of the footprint of the Chapter House of the medieval cathedral much of which survived the Great Fire and is now beneath the site.

The footprint demonstrated by use of stone inserts in the paving layout and in the tops of stone walls which define grassed areas. An inlaid stone plan of the two cathedrals, by the artist Richard Kindersley, is a brilliant graphic device showing how Wren re-oriented and reduced the scale of the pre-Fire building.

The quality of work here is a real homage to the 14^th century master mason of the original cathedral, William Ramsey.

The 2009 winner

New Street Square, an office and retail development comprising five buildings and a new public space. Architect: Bennetts Associates; client: Land Securities; main contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine.

Comment:

This is a very significant development (more than 100,000sq m in five buildings) on a formerly obscure backlands site off New Fetter Lane. The mixture of office, retail and public space is contained in a ‘family’ of buildings, each of which has an architectural identify of its own, but which contribute to a successful ensemble, bearing no resemblance to the dull 1960s complex it replaces.

As one would hope for in a development of this complexity, the whole is more than the sum of its many parts, which include a low-rise management block, complete with vegetation walls, as well as large commercial blocks. The retail element feels a natural part of the development rather than an imposed addition. Similarly, sculpture, lighting and artwork has been incorporated into the development to provide a sense of place, which is as evident at night as during the day.

The decision to produce a cluster of buildings surrounding public space, with typical City short routes leading in and out, has also allowed the architect the possibility of responding to different site conditions in different ways, for example by animating the Fetter Lane faced with an impressive layering of louvres.

Overall, the development provides huge added value to its area, and is a welcome addition to the City of London, prompting comparison with Broadgate and Paternoster Square. A very worthy winner.

April Fool?

Exercising our Liberties - 1 April 2009 - The Bank of England

I suppose that someone knew well in advance that the G20 were to meet in London over the current week. What no one on the Company seemed to know when the date for the Annual Livery Banquet was set many months ago for Wednesday 1 April was that a coalition of radical groups, every anarchist in the land and a great many ordinary citizens who, for a variety of reasons had cause to take serious issue with the government of the day, and the banking community had decided that they were to descend on the City on the same day. Trouble was widely rumoured, bankers were invited to stay home or dress down and ordinary citizens were invited to stay clear of the Bank of England.

The venue of the Banquet was Drapers' Hall - not a million miles from the Bank.

There was much soul searching and careful attention was paid to the advice being given by both the City and security services. The Hall staff at Drapers' were brilliant and it was decided to go ahead with the event. The sensible compromise to amend the dress code from Evening wear to lounge suit and day dresses was taken.

The vast majority of the good sized group who attended made it to the event without so much as a sight of a demonstrator. Of those due to arrive there were a mere two 'no shows'.

A splendid evening was enjoyed by all and pictures will be added to this post when they are available. The Civic toast was responded to by Sheriff George Gillon and the toast proposed by the Master to the Guests was responded to by Artist Ben Johnson who, with the assistance of a Power Point presentation gave the audience a fascinating insight into the production of his very individual work. Much of this revolves around the representation of architecture on a grand scale. He is best known for his City Scapes. He has put together monumental works on Hong Kong, Jerusalem, Geneva and, most recently, Liverpool. The latter work was commissioned to mark Liverpool's European Year of Culture status in 2008 - the painting, measuring 16 feet x eight feet now hangs in the Hunter Gallery in that City. Interestingly, the painting was paid for by subscription. Ben is keen to tackle a similar work of the City of London to be complete in 2012. Watch this space - you heard it first here.

The toasts were followed by the Presentation of the New City Architecture Awards which were announced by the Chairman of the Assessors Paul Finch OBE. The details of the winners are set out in the post above.

All present seemed to enjoy the evening. Certainly by the time everyone left the Hall - rather later than is normal on these occasions, there was little sign that there had been trouble in the area.

The Clerk, when he called at the Hall the following day, saw a few signs of the unrest in the form of some hastily chalked up graffiti on the Princes Street wall of Sir John Soane's Bank of England building. There were samples from most of the predictable organizations. The Prime Minister and various police chiefs seemed not to be popular, there was encouragement for the Palestinians and those seeking to save the planet but, most particularly, it was those who worked in major City offices that came in for some stick. Sir Fred Goodwin would not have been flattered by some of his portraits and the artists seemed to have trouble with the spelling of the collective noun commonly used to describe those who work in or for banks. Among all the banal bits of work there was one which will live in the memory. Someone had thoughtfully written 'With all this money in the City why doesn't someone open a sandwich shop - I'm f******g starving!' Says it all really.

The grandiose interior of Draper's Hall, Throgmorton Street - 200 metres from les événements du G20.

The Temple Bar in Fleet Street in 1819

An engraving of the Temple Bar

taken from the 120 Views in  

The Picture of London for 1819

being a correct guide to all the curiosities, amusements, exhibitions, public establishments, and remarkable objects in and near London

- twentieth edition -

published for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown,

Paternoster Row, London

and sold by all booksellers and at bars of all the principal Inns and Coffee-houses.

[Price 9 shillings, Bound]

feedback received

The Temple Bar at Theobalds Park

This painting shows the now-relocated Temple Bar - designed by Sir Christopher Wren - in its longtime temporary location, Theobalds Park.  The Bar, a gateway which represented the furthest extremity of the City of London to the west, was originally located at the junction of Fleet Street and the Strand.  When it was demolished in 1887 as an unacceptable obstruction to the growing traffic, it was transferred and rebuilt at this country estate between Enfield and  Cheshunt in Hertfordshire.

This painting is by Sandra Walker RI and was commissioned for the WCCA by Past Master Alan Downing.  Sandra Walker was born in America. Since moving to England in 1987, Sandra has been awarded Britain's most respected watercolour prize, the £15,000 Singer & Friedlander / Sunday Times Award for Best British Watercolour.  She was commissioned by prime minister Margaret Thatcher to paint the Houses of Parliament for the Thatcher Foundation, recently winning the Grand Prix at the late lamented Trégastel Salon International de la Peinture à l'Eau in Brittany, France.

Sandra's work is represented in numerous public and private collections, including those of Senator Edward Kennedy, John le Carré and Margaret Thatcher.  In 1999 she as elected as a member of the prestigious Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour.

Information about the painting can be had at alandowning@architects-livery.fsnet.co.uk

Responding to the Great Debate

For those who worry about these things there is a long running debate about the relative merits of the red wines of the Old and New Worlds. In an attempt to throw some light on this matter a selection of members of the Chartered Architects' Company met with their opposite numbers from the Constructors' Company to carry out a blind tasting at the Naval Club in Mayfair. There was a competitive edge to the event with a prize of a bottle of bubbly for the outright winner.

Ten wines - 5 from each of the old and new worlds - were cunningly disguised in plain wrappers. Disconcertingly two ports or port style wines were included. Comprehensive tasting notes were thoughtfully provided for all ten plus a couple of others not on test. Some of the descriptions and names, contestants were advised, may bave been fictitious. The challenge was to match the wines with the descriptions. Easy, you might think. Not so. There was a great deal of convivial chatting to offer distraction from the job in hand and the organizer had thoughtfully provided nibbles to help soak up any potential harmful efects of the alcohol. Some had suficient salt or spice content to dull even the most discriminating palatte.

When the results were announced at the end of the evening it emerged that the Architects' team was triumphant with a Past Master Architect and a Guest/ colleague of the Master Architect identifying the most correct matches.

Then followed a drink off featuring a mystery wine. Sadly neither succeeded in identifying its parentage though both managed to notice that it was both sweet and white. The tie breaker came down to as guess about the age of the wine. This produced the winner and the Runner Up and there were two mentions in despatches - one going to the Master Architect, the other, to a member of the Constructors' team.



















The winner and friends A Past Master hazards a guess about age

On the question as to whether the Old or New World wines were preferred or better, no decisions were reached. There may need to be a further challenge.

It's tough work but someone has to do it!

Newsletter Issue 15 - Feb 2009

February 09 Newsletter Final

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Periodicals & Report february 2009 newsle

Bells, lots of bells

In the average year there are a number of events which the Master is called on or invited to attend. Many might be described as routine Livery occasions - lunches, dinners, lectures, exhibitions etc; others are far from the ordinary. Such an occasion took place on Tuesday 3 March when the Master, the Clerk and the Clerk of the Trustees were invited to attend The Solemn Consecration of the New Ring of 12 Bells at Wren's delightful St Magnus the Martyr Church situated close to the Monument.

This service has not, we were reliably informed, been carried out in London for more years than most can remember. The story goes that the previous set of 10 bells were removed from the tower in 1940 to save that from damage. This turned out to be a wise precaution in one sense. There was damage and the bells were saved. After the War they were taken to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry (from where they had presumably originated) where they sat around until 1976. At this stage someone (and no one was naming names) decided that they were not to be rehung and should be broken up, melted down and the metal re-used on some other set of bells. Given the time, this seems to the casual observer to have been an extraordinary piece of vandalism. It was also something of an own goal as various stalwarts among the loyal congregation were also broken or perhaps cut up and mounted a campaign to have bells restored to the tower.

Not content to have just 10 as before, they went for broke and commissioned 12 from the Whitechapel Foundry. We arrived to find the bells lined up in strict order of height down the nave of the church. They were suitably dressed up in what looked suspiciously like left over Christmas decorations and so placed as to impede any sensible procession of clergy, City dignitaries and Livery Masters seeking to take their seats.

The service, presided over by the Bishop of London, took some time. There were, after all, twelve bells each of which had to be washed, anointed, baptised (all were named after saints, some of obscure origin), and incensed. This last procedure involved the wafting around of considerable quantities of incense to the accompaniment of a quite delightful rendition of 'Stedman Cinques' on Handbells rung by Past Masters of the Ancient Society of College Youths (the organization to which City Bell Ringers belong). The proceedings were interwoven with some delightful singing from the choir and clergy.

The service was followed by a reception hosted by The Lord Mayor in Mansion House and it was here that the Master, Ann Head and the two Clerks were photographed enjoying some good company. In all probability they were probably doing nothing more than expressing their relief that there had only been 12 bells!

The bells are now to be hung in the tower and will have their first outing on Easter Sunday.

The local residents - if such exist in this corner of the City - will have no excuse for sleeping in on the day.

New City Architecture Award 2008

Rarely does the day dawn fair when the Company's chosen assessors set out to review the short-listed buildings for the New City Architecture Awards. This year proved the exception. The assessors - comprising the Master Ian Head, the Chairman, Paul Finch, The Renter Warden Edward King, Dr Mervyn Miller, Anne Markey and the Clerk, David Cole-Adams set out to look principally at the buildings illustrated below. Decisions were reached over a bottle (or two of wine) and the Award (and possibly a Commendation or two) will be announced at the Company's Livery Banquet on Wednesday 1 April. It would be interesting to see if the judgement of casual readers of this blog coincides with that of the judges.

The results with the citations will be posted following the Banquet.
























1 Wood Street by Fletcher Priest Architects
























5 Fleet Place by SOM



30 Gresham Street by KPF Architects










Fen Court - Landscape Scheme by City of London Corporation Street Scene Team


New Street Square by Bennetts Associates


1 Old Jewry / 36-38 Poultry by Sheppard Robson


St Paul's Cathedral South Churchyard Improvements by Martin Stancliffe /Purcell Miller Tritton

Please book your tickets for the Banquet at Drapers' Hall on Wednesday 1 April and see if your judgement was in accordance with that of the judges.

WCCA Travel Award - 2008 - Steve Neumann reports - 17 Feb 2009

Steve Neumann

the way to Japan

Takasaki Masaharu in his office

a typical Masaharu project

The recipient of the WCCA travel award for 2008, Steve Neumann, gave a short talk about his 2008 voyage to Japan to visit the works of the renowned architect Takasaki Masaharu.  The talk took place in the architecture school of the University of Westminster, which Steve himself attends.

The audience at the talk, a mix of architecture students and WCCA members, firstly heard a report of the trip itself; then they heard advice from Steve to hopeful applicants for:

the 2009 award, for which the closing date is 

3rd March 2009.

click HERE for an application form

    Jaki Howes - 'Master' of Students - introduces Steve Neumann's talk.

Visit to London 2012 Site

We can pick the weather to go on an site visit! On Thursday 5 February a coach load of seekers after enlightenment from the Chartered Architects, Engineers and Plumbers Companies met for an initial look at the site of the 2012 Olympic Games. After a week of snow and ice it had the decency to merely rain as we were driven around the site in a coach whose seating arrangements would have done an Easyjet flight to the Coata Somewhere proud. We had both a PR lady and an architect from the ODA with us and they struggled to answer the battery of technical questions thrown at them. In a moment of quiet embarrassment they advised that a significant percentage of the workmen on the site were British. The embarrassment arose from the fact that the PR lady was antipodean and the architect from ODA Italian.

The photos above and alongside are courtesy of Tom Ball. The panorama being taken from the top of the Stratford Station Car park.

As can be seen the structure that is most advanced is that of the main stadium.

The Company intends to arrange these visits on a frequent basis so that we can monitor the progress. Hopefully the weather will be better and we will get something more by of specialist input from the technical team. Our colleagues from the Engineers' Company have also promised to invite us to meetings they have in the pipeline to deal with specific issues such as transportation and infrastructure.