22 C O N T E X T 1 0 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 8 DAVID CLARK Modern ventilation in historic fabric The refurbishment of Harrogate’s Royal Hall has included a new ventilation system for what was probably one the first buildings in the world to have some form of air conditioning. Harrogate’s recently renovated Royal Hall, which opened in 1903 and is Grade II* listed, was a Kürsaal (cure hall) or spa. Although popular in Europe, Kürsaals were not common in the UK.The Royal Hall is one of only two surviving examples. Its design was to be decided through a competition, with the prolific theatre architect Frank Matcham as one of the judges. The competition was won by Robert J Beale, but Matcham persuaded the council to develop a more modest scheme with himself as consultant architect to Beale, with sole responsibility for the design of the decoration and furnishings. Designed to be adaptable for various forms of entertainment, the Royal Hall was used for concerts, music hall, opera, ballet and wrestling matches. It was never intended as a theatre. The auditorium is daylit; the stage house is the wrong size and shape; the stalls have removable seating and a sprung floor for dancing; the auditorium is surrounded by an ambulatory that was open to the gardens; and the boxes have counterweighted screens that could open the auditorium to the ambulatory. The layout of the building is also unusual. Most of Matcham’s theatres were designed to keep the different social classes separate, but the Royal Hall has no such separation. The Royal Hall is arguably one of the first buildings in the world to have some form of air conditioning. The auditorium, which had a capacity of 1,800, was conditioned by a system patented in 1896 by James Stott, an engineer who was also Matcham’s brother-inlaw. Stott’s intention was to pressurise the auditorium positively so that air would exfiltrate as people entered or left, preventing the cold draughts associated with many similar venues of the day. Stott claimed that his system was quieter in operation than other low-level supply systems. It is doubtful that the auditorium ventilation system was ever very effective. The design relied on a level of airtightness that was not achievable with contemporary construction techniques. In heating mode, the warm air would have stratified at high level, and fresh air would not have reached the audience. In cooling mode, it is likely that cool air would have dumped on to the audience. Stott and others subsequently tried to rectify these problems, and the system was replaced over time. The most recent replacement, installed in Top left:The façade of the Royal Hall Top right: A corridor and its acoustic lining Bottom right:Seating with grilles Images: Max Fordham LLP
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=