Institute of Historic Building Conservation No 115 July 2010 Defining and protecting views
ii C O N T E X T 1 1 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 0 Call us now on 01248 604206 or visit www.welshslate.com Welsh Slate, Penrhyn Quarry, Bethesda, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 4YG Email: [email protected] Roofing the nation’s buildings for hundreds of years Pierhead Building, Cardiff Bay St Pancras Station, London New Cooperage, Royal William Yard, Plymouth
C O N T E X T 1 1 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 0 1 Context Editorial A long hard look www.ihbc.org.uk Registered as a Charity Number 1061593. Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England Number 3333780. Registered Office: 3 Stafford Road,TunbridgeWells, Kent TN2 4QZ. Officers President Eddie Booth email [email protected] Chair Jo Evans email [email protected] Vice Chair Sheila Stones email [email protected] Secretary Richard Morrice email [email protected] Treasurer Michael Knights email [email protected] Membership Secretary vacant email [email protected] Education Secretary John Preston email [email protected] Publicity Secretary Doug Black email [email protected] Law & Practice Coordinator vacant email [email protected] Director Seán O’Reilly email [email protected] Projects Officer Fiona Newton email [email protected] Consultant Consultations Coordinator James Caird email [email protected] Membership Services Officer Joanna Theobald email [email protected] Administration Officer Lydia Porter email [email protected] Committee Chairs Policy Mike Brown email [email protected] Membership & Ethics (Acting) Richenda Codling email [email protected] Finance & Resources Richard Morrice email [email protected] Education John Preston email [email protected] Communications & Outreach Charles Strang email [email protected] Branch Officers North Geoff UnderwoodTel 0191 433 3435 NorthWest Kate Borland Tel 0161 235 8803 Yorkshire Keith Knight Tel 01904 658482 West Midlands Charles Shapcott Tel 0121 7044312 East Midlands Roy Lewis Tel 01636 619335 South Julia Foster Tel 01296 585888 SouthWest Ian LundTel 01225 477687 East Anglia Phil Godwin Tel 01263 516131 South East David Kincaid Tel 01227 862185 London David McDonald Tel 020 7361 3352 Scotland Stuart Eydmann Tel 01506 775279 Wales Nathan Blanchard Tel 01492 583443 Northern Ireland Sharon BrownTel 028 9754 3087 Republic of Ireland Cormac O’Sullivan Tel 00353 5677 62907 Business Office Jubilee House, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6HA England Tel 01747 873133 Fax 01747 871718 email [email protected] Institute ofHistoricBuildingConservation No 115 July 2010 Defining and protecting views Cover: A view across Edinburgh’s skyline from Calton Hill (Photo: Chris Hepburn) This issue of Context focuses on defining and protecting views – matters that are as difficult as they are important. In discussing landscape and visual impact assessments, Jonathan Berry (p9) points to the combination of objective and subjective judgements. To ensure that conclusions reached by landscape professionals stand up to public opinion and decision-maker scrutiny, he writes, it is crucial to differentiate between judgements that involve a degree of subjectivity (as in the assessment of landscape value) from those that are more objective and quantifiable (as in the determination of magnitude of change experienced). Graham Fairclough (p12) notes that defining and protecting views are not simple. ‘Whenever we lift our gaze from tightly-framed “heritage assets”, the historic fabric, buildings and other stuff with which we are comfortable (and for which most current conservation methods and principles were developed),’ he writes, ‘our established approaches are stretched beyond their limits.’ In practice, Fairclough suggests, good ways are always found to make the best of the tools at our disposal, but it is hard to escape the feeling that they are the wrong tools. John Hinchliffe (p15) describes how Liverpool City Council has put in place guidance to protect its world heritage site. As he says, Liverpool’s natural geography could barely have been better evolved to create dramatic and dynamic views. RosalindWillatts (p20) tells the story of how views have been opened up by the process of finding a new use for a fine early Georgian building in its 21st century setting. Julian Bagg (p22) reviews recent appeal decisions regarding wind farms. The decisions show the potential disparity in interpretation of the significance of impact on the setting of heritage assets. Sarah Green (p26) focuses on policy and guidance by which, she feels, it should be possible to bring the management of all kinds of views, from the most typical and local to the most well known and famous, within the English planning system, in an orderly, consistent and reasonable way. At a time when the planning system is facing an unparalleled degree of uncertainty, such optimism is refreshing. Briefing 2 The writer’s voice 5 Periodically 6 Landscape and visual impact assessment Jonathan Berry 9 Landscape and character in conservation Graham Fairclough 12 Liverpool, a city with a view John Hinchliffe 15 New life for Scraptoft Hall RosalindWillatts 20 Wind farms: a matter of setting Julian Bagg 22 Taking a good look at significance Sarah Green 26 Norwegian stave churches Nick Molyneux 29 Protecting paradise Julian Bagg 35 Climate change and energy initiatives in Scotland Dennis Rodwell 39 Conserving the Liverpool Bluecoat Rob Fraser 42 Archaeological view 44 Architecturally speaking 47 Notes from the chair 48 Director’s cut 49 Vox pop 50 Book reviews 51 Products and services 53 Advertisers index 56
2 C O N T E X T 1 1 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 0 Context Editor Rob Cowan Editorial Coordinator Fiona Newton 21 George Street, Louth, Lincolnshire LN11 9JU Tel 01507 602567 email [email protected] Editorial Board Fiona Newton (chair) Nigel Crowe (main features) Peter de Figueiredo (book reviews) Michael Taylor (main features) Cartoons by Rob Cowan Context is distributed to all members of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation. © Institute of Historic Building Conservation 2010 ISSN 0958-2746 Publisher Published for the Institute of Historic Building Conservation by Cathedral Communications Limited, High Street, Tisbury,Wiltshire, England SP3 6HA Tel 01747 871717 Fax 01747 871718 email [email protected] www.buildingconservation.com Non-member subscriptions to Context Context is available to non-members of the IHBC at an annual subscription rate, including postage, of: United Kingdom £50.00 Elsewhere £75.00 Subscription orders, together with remittances payable to Institute of Historic Building Conservation, should be sent to the IHBC Business Office at Jubilee House, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6HA. The views expressed in Context are not necessarily held by the IHBC or the publisher. Neither the publisher nor the IHBC shall be under any liability whatsoever in respect of contributed articles. We gratefully acknowledge the support of firms whose advertisements appear throughout this publication.While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this issue of Context is current and correct, neither the IHBC nor the publisher can be held responsible for any errors or omissions which may occur. Copy deadlines Context is published five times a year, in March, May, July, September and November.The copy deadlines in 2010 are: Issue Deadline September, Issue 116 19 July November, Issue 117 20 September Graham Tite writes: An exhibition and its catalogue have traced view-making back to its beginnings. For the first time, the resources of two of the world’s greatest collections of drawings have been combined to bring a familiar argument to a wider public. The collections are those of the British Museum and the Uffizi. After closing in London in July, the show moves next year to Florence (1 February to 30 April). Drawing (and European papermaking) in its modern form began in Italy early in the 15th century. Perspective was reinvented and refined in the same period after a long lapse since the decline of Roman imperial art and architecture. The practice of drawing grew to embrace a wide range of natural phenomena and human activities. Italian Renaissance Drawings elaborates these themes, providing wonderful opportunities to see items that usually make only rare exits from their cabinets. The joint curators have been stimulated into making new comparisons. Drawings and other objects are placed side by side for the first time. For those who wish to focus mainly on architecture and town planning, 10 per cent or more of the items (there are 101 catalogued drawings) deal specifically with buildings and the urban setting. In the album known as the Florentine Briefing From mind to eye to hand Picture Chronicle (BM), a group of 55 folio drawings bound together, we see the story of Jacob and Esau. The Genesis story is set half in a portico of classical columns elaborately decorated with festoons, drapes and furniture, and half against a landscape background. The huntsman, Esau, arrives from the countryside and begs his meal from Jacob in front of a well-head that is carved with yet more antique friezes. The perspective setting creates a powerful sense of depth to transform the two sheets into unmistakeable deep space, depicted purely through penmanship. FromTuscany we can move straight to the Venetian cities of the north east. Another rare showing of an album (BM) reveals the art of Jacopo Bellini. A jousting tournament is taking place against the background of an unmistakably Venice-like city with its clock-tower over a main gate and two-storey loggias showing the familiar stilted arches of the region. Bellini had passed on to his sons, Gentile and Giovanni, his newly developed skill in combining figures with a convincing architectural setting. At this point, the Uffizi contributes a further rare item, attributed to Gentile but similar and perhaps related to a painting by Mansueti (Accademia, Venice) of the Campo San Lio. Towards Landscape by Leonardo daVinci, 1473, pen and ink (copyright Gabinetto Disegni e Stampedegli Uffizi)
C O N T E X T 1 1 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 0 3 branch territory. It is an area stretching from the Scottish Borders down to Yorkshire and Lancashire, including two national parks and some of the most diverse and stunning natural and man-made heritage in the UK. As part of the IHBC’s annual council meetings taking place outside London, the North branch will host a seminar in Newcastle on Friday 24 September. It will look at issues of resourcing heritage management in the context of anticipated public sector cut-backs. The event will be linked to a reception the preceding evening which will provide an opportunity for members and colleagues to meet, network and learn about the IHBC’s national and regional operations. The keynote speaker at the Friday seminar will be north of England architectural historian, broadcaster and author John Grundy. Other speakers include Carol Pyrah, north east regional director of English Heritage; Philip Grover of Grover Lewis Associates; Helen Brownlie of Allerdale Borough Council; Graham Bell of North of England Civic Trust; Ian Ayris of Newcastle City Council; and IHBC projects officer Fiona Newton and president Eddie Booth. For details see the IHBC’s website and newsblogs. Penicuik House Project Penicuik House, south of Edinburgh, has stood as a ruin ever since it was completely gutted by fire in 1899. It remains the focus of the important designed landscape of the Penicuik Estate. Now entering its third year, the Penicuik House Project aims to consolidate and preserve this important historical structure, and improve surrounding areas and landscape features. A major aspect of the project is the range of training opportunities in traditional skills that is available. These include training for building professionals, contractors and homeowners. The project also offers opportunities for students, young people and interested groups to visit the site and gain an understanding of building conservation and traditional construction techniques. This year’s work will focus on two of the most important rooms of the house; the former entrance hall and the former Ossian Saloon. The Ossian Saloon would have been the main reception room of the house. It was lavishly decorated in an Ossianic theme by Alexander Runciman in 1773. It had always been hoped that some of the decorative plasterwork from the ceiling of the Ossian Saloon may have survived the fire and be buried under the debris which has built up on the floor of the ruin. Initial investigations have proved promising. Finds include a decorative dado tile and pieces of plasterwork scroll. A new training centre built within the ruin of Penicuik House is in use. See www.penicuikhouse.co.uk for details of events, courses and seminars, and contact [email protected] about group visits or for information. Mortar expertise The Scottish Lime Centre Trust’s consulting arm, Charlestown Consultants, has gained a reputation for expertise in the analysis of traditional mortars, and the specification of mortars for repair and restoration of historic buildings. The trust has an in-house lab facility, and holds a comprehensive database of commercially available sands and aggregates for matching new mortars to old. Analysis of historic mortars provides essential information to assist in the specification of compatible materials for conservation and repair work. This is particularly relevant where patching and consolidation of historic mortars, midday, this small square fills up with shoppers arriving from the hinterland of the Castello quarter of Venice to make their way across a single bridge. This bridge, seen on the left of the drawing, provides the best direct access to the markets of Rialto. Consequently it is a great place to enjoy urban bustle and to down in a nearby bar a glass or two of chilled white wine (the ombra or shade that traditionally precedes lunch). This remarkable drawing records the nearly unchanged campo in superb detail. It is not ‘ideal’ architecture, but a truthful record of a familiar scene. It sets out in perspective the carefully observed realities of floor slabs, walls, windows, chimneys and roofs. A powerful sense of place is conveyed in visual art. It marks the beginning of a Venetian tradition that culminated 200 years later in the art of Canaletto. Lippi’s Triumph of St Thomas Aquinas (BM) demonstrates the role that drawing assumed in the preparation of paintings. This is an elaborate piece of architectural perspective, with the saint enthroned amid monumental structures in the style of Roman palaces. It shows that drawing became an indispensable art. Lippi’s drawing is evidence of a preliminary stage in the preparations to fresco the Carafa Chapel in the Roman church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Such large projects required advance planning in order to transfer an agreed scheme from a sheet of paper to the vast walls of churches or other buildings. Many of our own methods had their origins in these 15th-century practices. A final choice comes again from the Uffizi: Totila’s Assault on Perugia. It is a very early example of an accurate drawing of an individual building (with a generalised view of city walls behind), and shows the church of Sant’ Ercolano (gothic, 1297–1326) dedicated to the patron saint of the city, executed here in 549 on the orders of the invading Totila. The extremely close similarity between this church as it is today and the record made of it in about 1461 in Gozzoli’s drawing begins the long tradition of the practice of using of architectural drawings to provide evidence of a building’s past history. Italian Renaissance Drawings: Fra Angelico to Leonardo, catalogue to the exhibition, Hugo Chapman and Marzia Faietti, British Museum Press, 2010, £30, ISBN 978 0 714126 68 5. IHBC seminar in the north There is an opportunity to examine conservation challenges for the UK in the context of the IHBC North Laboratory analysis Found at Penicuik House
4 C O N T E X T 1 1 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 0 affecting historic assets, for example (HE7.5), local planning authorities should ‘take into account the desirability of new development making a positive contribution to the character and local distinctiveness of the historic environment’. Setting also figures positively in the information required of applicants (HE6.1), the definition of the material consideration (HE8.1), the presumption in favour of designated assets (HE9.1) and as a factor in determining the merits of applications for enabling development (HE11.1). Places of worship at risk English Heritage has highlighted places of worship as a new category for research under its heritage at risk programme. It will be assessing the level of risk according to criteria used to evaluate applications for repair grants for places of worship. These are fabric problems leading to loss of historic significance; loss of historic fabric; inherent design, material or construction defects; and damage to the integrity of the envelope. All listed places of worship deemed to be at risk may be added to English Heritage’s Heritage at Risk Register. Exceptionally Grade II listed places of worship will also be included. Conservation officers can help. Their involvement could tip the balance to much-needed professionalism. English Heritage is funding support officer posts to build capacity where it is most needed. In combination with conservation officers, they should address significant problems in particular areas and re-oil the wheels of community involvement. English Heritage is also supporting plasters and other lime finishes are involved. The binder type, aggregate, texture, colours and performance characteristics can be derived from analysis of historic materials, and used as the basis for developing appropriate specifications for conservation and repair works. Mortar analysis is helpful in determining causes of materials failure, and may also be used for research and archaeological purposes. Requests for mortar analysis have increased since the beginning of 2010, suggesting a turnaround in the economy for the heritage sector as mortar analysis is often one of the first stages of putting a project on site. But it is important that building professionals and specifiers understand the difference between a standard mortar analysis report and a mortar specification. A standard mortar analysis provides all the information needed for replicating the mortar sample that is provided for analysis both visually and technically. It does not consider whether this material is appropriate for the work being undertaken. The results of analysis will identify the type of binder present in the original – be it a quicklime, dry lime hydrate or a lime putty – and its strength or hydraulicity. For all Scottish mortars the lab is able to provide a sand match (from a currently active quarry) to that which was used in the original mortar. From this information it can provide the ratio between lime binder and sand, including the exact materials to be used if this mortar is to be replicated. Specification is the next and most important step in the design of a new mortar. It needs to consider not just the result of analysis, but also conditions affecting the building or structure such as location, environment, exposure, season of working and the type of background to which the mortar will be applied. Charlestown Consultants often specifies different mortar mixes for different elevations, depending on exposure levels. For further information see www.scotlime.org or email [email protected]. Insall knighted The architect and planner Donald Insall has received a knighthood for services to conservation architecture. Born in Bristol in 1926, Insall has had a defining influence on the development of historic building conservation for over 50 years – through the work of the architectural practice he founded, as well as a number of important public and advisory appointments, including as a founder Commissioner of English Heritage. His philosophy has been based on recognition of the need to sustain continuity in the built heritage. His ground-breaking report on the ancient city of Chester in the early 1960s, at a time of untold destruction to historic town centres, set up procedures for good practice and resulted in the appointment of the country’s first local authority conservation officer. The lessons and experience of developing good conservation practice over 50 years is the subject of Insall’s recent book Living Buildings. Donald Insall Associates works out of eight centres across the UK. Setting in PPS5 Michael Taylor writes: The notion of setting and its protection is integral to PPS5. Setting is defined (Annex 2) as ‘the surroundings in which a heritage asset is experienced’. It is flexible and changing as an asset and the area around it change over time, and elements of setting may be positive, negative or neutral. Local planning authorities (HE10) should give favourable consideration to applications that preserve positive elements of the setting of an asset or better reveal its significance. Higher levels of negative impact on setting should be justified by greater, wider benefits. Local planning authorities should identify opportunities for improving the setting of heritage assets. The planning policy statement embodies an extensive approach to heritage assets generally. In considering new development Donald Insall with Baroness Andrews, chair of English Heritage, whose copy of Living Buildings he had signed at the opening reception of the IHBC Annual School, sponsored by Donald Insall Associates St Joseph, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent (Photo: Boris Baggs, copyright English Heritage)
C O N T E X T 1 1 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 0 5 consolidation of the entire building and its architectural features, and replacement of missing floors to make the complete circuit of the first floor accessible. Specific work included replacement of decayed stone, selective repair and replacement of architectural mouldings, and soft-mortar repair of statues. Stonemasons have recreated replica stone window and door mouldings. St Davids Bishop’s Palace was created by Henry de Gower, Bishop of St Davids (1328-47). Elaborately decorated with stone carvings, coloured stonework and architectural detailing, the palace is considered to be the most complete surviving secular building in the UK of 14th century decorated gothic architecture. By the early 1990s the palace had suffered major decay and some sections were in danger of collapse. Historic floors A new course on the Care and Conservation of Historic Floors will be led by Jane Fawcett (author of Historic Floors: their history and conservation) from 11–14 October 2010 at West Dean College, near Chichester. There will be site visits to Uppark, Chichester Cathedral and Fishbourne Roman Palace. Details: 01243 818219 or [email protected]. the development of a forum for friends groups to help exchange experience and good practice. This will be developed and hosted by the National Churches Trust. Places of worship rely on volunteers and the support of their congregations. Professional fees tend to be seen as a luxury.Well-meant but misguided attempts to fit off-the-peg solutions to delicate and refined structures of considerable complexity, without formally involving professionals, lead to problems. Conservation professionals need to do more to make ourselves accessible and trusted. A comparatively small number of Anglican churches (an annual average of 24) close each year. The Churches Conservation Trust has a waiting list, but the situation is being managed under the (revised) Pastoral Measure. There are no centrally held records to measure the rate of closure with other denominations. Anecdotally, nonconformists are closing more than the Anglicans. The Roman Catholics are working with English Heritage on a number of Taking Stock exercises to evaluate the significance of their building stock and its capacity for change. There is no evidence of a high rate of closures. English Heritage is keen to work with conservation officers, and to ensure that colleagues in local authorities understand the legislative framework and have a positive relationship with local congregations. Conservation officers are asked to contact the Diocesan Advisory Committee secretaries in the Church of England and other denominations’ equivalents, so they know them and are aware of their willingness to offer preapplication advice on proposals. They are encouraged to involve conservation officers in site visits for important changes, not just external alterations. The conservation officer’s advice weighs as much as that of English Heritage with the Chancellor or other body that takes the decision on whether to authorise works. A full report can be found at www. english-heritage.org.uk/powar. Francis Kelly, historic buildings inspector (SW), English Heritage Award for bishop’s palace Cadw’s 15-year conservation project at the Bishop’s Palace St Davids, Pembrokeshire has won an award from Europa Nostra, the pan-European federation of cultural heritage. The conservation work involved St Davids Bishop’s Palace: award winner From The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs (1961) Cities need old buildings so badly it is probably impossible for vigorous streets and districts to grow without them. By old buildings I mean not museum-piece old buildings, not old buildings in an excellent and expensive state of rehabilitation – although these make fine ingredients – but also a good lot of plain, ordinary, low-value old buildings, including some rundown old buildings. If a city area has only new buildings, the enterprises that can exist there are automatically limited to those that can support the high costs of new construction. These high costs of occupying new buildings may be levied in the form of an owner’s interest and amortization payments on the capital costs of the construction. However the costs are paid off, they have to be paid off. And for this reason, enterprises that support the cost of new construction must be capable of paying a relatively high overhead – high in comparison to that necessarily required by old buildings. To support such high overheads, the enterprises must be either (a) high profit or (b) well subsidized. If you look about, you will see that only operations that are well established, high-turnover, standardized or heavily subsidized can afford, commonly, to carry the costs of new construction. Chain stores, chain restaurants and banks go into new construction. But neighborhood bars, foreign restaurants and pawn shops go into older buildings… Well-subsidized opera and art museums often go into new buildings. But the unformalized feeders of the arts – studios, galleries, stores for musical instruments and art supplies, backrooms where the low earning power of a seat and a table can absorb uneconomic discussions – these go into old buildings. Perhaps more significant, hundreds of ordinary enterprises, necessary to the safety and public life of streets and neighborhoods, and appreciated for their convenience and personal quality, can make out successfully in old buildings, but are inexorably slain by the high overhead of new construction. As for really new ideas of any kind – no matter how ultimately profitable or otherwise successful some of them might prove to be – there is no leeway for such chancy trial, error and experimentation in the highoverhead economy of new construction. Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas must use old buildings. Sculptor Brendan Jamison with a model of Tate Modern made of 71,908 sugar cubes, commissioned by Native Land and Grosvenor for the London Festival of Architecture.
6 C O N T E X T 1 1 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 0 Periodically My last column opened by highlighting sustainability issues. I make no apology for returning to these so soon, as they form the basis of the latest issue of APT Bulletin (Vol 41, No 1, 2010). This issue continues to demonstrate the benchmark standard of work being done by APT members in North America. In 2005 the Bulletin published its first special issue on sustainability, and over the past five years the linkages between preservation and sustainability have continued to develop and expand. Editor Diana Waite notes that ‘the limited nature of our resources, both natural and cultural, has become an ever more pressing concern’ and that ‘the need for action has gone from being regarded as a specialist topic to an “inconvenient truth” in our culture at large.’ Given our own current preoccupations with authenticity and significance, the problems of shrinking resources, and political imperatives to mitigate climate change (the recent PPS1 Climate Change Supplement and PPS5 being just two examples), we too must address this ‘inconvenient truth’. Several articles use case studies to demonstrate a complementary North American view about the connections between conservation (as we in the UK are more likely to term it) or preservation (as in the US) and sustainability that will need to be strengthened further. One way in which authenticity and the maintenance of historic integrity can be addressed while improving the sustainability of old buildings is through energy modelling and life-cycle costing. This approach can increase energy efficiency and make improvements without disturbing historic fabric. John Cluver and Brad Randall have used these techniques at a fine brick three-storey building of around 1902 at Vassar College in NewYork State. The detailed evaluation is thoughtprovoking. Although based on US energy costs, it could provide the basis for a methodology which could be applied here. Another example, a redundant building which we might classify as locally listed, has recently been imaginatively re-used, retaining its character-defining features but also reusing building materials to reduce the environmental impact. Ilene Tyler and Ann Dilcher describe the approach to the regeneration of this very attractive 1904 railroad depot in an eclectic interpretation of the prairie style in Bay City, Michigan. One item that will intrigue UK readers is the centre-spread, pull-out Practice Points section which looks at the technique of dry-ice cleaning to remove spray paint from weathering steel. Dry-ice in the solid form of carbon dioxide is available in ricesized pellets, nuggets or blocks. As a colourless, tasteless and odourless gas, it can be blasted at soft metals and timber without damaging the substrate, and will evaporate without leaving any apparent residue. The technique was first patented in 1947. The case example is its recent use on the Time Life Building in Chicago (Harry Weese Architects, 1962). Author Mary Brush explains that after exploring various alternative cleaning methods, dry-ice gave satisfactory results for removing exterior paint for aesthetic reasons while minimising the impact on the steelwork. Other articles look at the long-term service life and built-in redundancy of 20th-century buildings and the considerations relating to their sustainable reuse. Pamela Jerome cites both ancient and modern buildings in support of the arguments; and there is a reprise of the case for the refurbishment of traditional wooden windows and a representation of the compelling testing evidence expounded by Chris Wood at the Buxton Annual School and in Context last year. With the new UK government quickly abandoning home information packs and home energy ratings having little apparent impact on house buyers, Mike Jackson’s examination of green home-rating systems is informative. It compares US national and state standards with our own BREEAM system, and reveals wide disparities about an evaluation tool which is still skewed too much towards new construction or radical overhaul, and not enough towards sensitive refurbishment. Despite emerging short-term deregulatory tendencies, this methodology seems bound to be implemented with greater rigor in the UK. Incidentally, Jackson also includes a list of energyefficient rehabilitation websites. As sustainability will become more of a concern for future conservation professionals, Jeff Chusid looks at how this topic will influence conservation education. He bases his observations on five themes: environment and energy, stewardship and management, social equity and economics, planning and design, and better preservation practice. In the latest edition of C20, the magazine of the Twentieth Century Society (Spring 2010), director Catherine Croft observes that ‘there is a general consensus that a more supportive culture for the preservation of recent architecture is developing, but that surprisingly little progress has been made in the past 20 years in the techniques of preserving specific 20th century building materials, particularly concrete’. She goes on to observe that ‘there is definite
C O N T E X T 1 1 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 0 7 agreement that more research is needed to address this, and to challenge the all too common assumption that 20th century buildings are an environmental disaster, contributing to global warming and costing a fortune to run’. Croft refers to the provocative suggestion made recently by John Allan of Avanti Architects that there are two types of conservationist: ‘curators’ and ‘alchemists’. Allan considers curators to be obstructive types who just seek to protect a building as it is; he is on the side of the alchemists – those who see historic buildings as a resource to be imaginatively exploited. Croft sees a more positive side to being a curator: the desire thoroughly to understand a building and explain it to others. But she accepts that often buildings do need major changes and radical new uses. It might be argued that the modern steel-framed house is a highly legible building type. The recent refusal by English Heritage to list a very good example in Belsize Park Gardens, London by Robin Spence and RobinWebster has prompted a very informative article by Neil Jackson about this small but very significant group of buildings. They were very much the product of the 1960s and 1970s. Jackson provides a gazetteer of 33 examples, spanning the wider period 1956 to 1998. He explains both their evolution and the principal protagonists. He points out that although the origin of steel-framed houses was the case study houses of post-war Los Angeles, and work by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson. They became a very British, not to say, English phenomenon – icons of an era, and to hell with the vagaries of the British climate. The battle by the Twentieth Century Society over the Belsize Park case is also explained in the casework section. The society’s casework reports are some of the most detailed and closely argued among the national amenity society publications, and give valuable insight to listing submissions even when the individual cases may be unfamiliar. Such rigour no doubt reflects a need to counter evident reluctance to fully protect more of the modern. In the delightfully titled ‘Spittoons in Arcadia’ in the same issue, Simon Fowler provides a potted social history of inter-war public houses. During this era over one third of the 75,000 then existing licensed premises were improved and another 5,900 were built or rebuilt. Fowler notes that although Britain never adopted prohibition, the temperance lobby came near to strangling the pub before and after the first world war through a raft of restrictions. The most notable of these were on opening hours and gambling, but many other activities were also discouraged. Fowler amusingly refers to a sign in a Sussex pub stating there should be ‘no loud laughter’. The March 2010 issue of Natural Stone Specialist raises the controversial conjectural intervention of a new Carrara marble fountain for the Elizabethan Gardens at Kenilworth Castle. Tim Cawley, the mason responsible for the work, addresses the question of whether the fountain is a work of restoration or imagination. The gardens, for which English Heritage is responsible, were recently recreated to the original layout of c1575, based on archaeological excavations of 2004 and 2006 and documentary research. Unfortunately, while the fountain is described in a contemporary letter and shown in a tiny and impressionistic manner in an 18th century copy of a 17th century mural, this is not much to go on for a full-blown recreation. The new fountain is a remarkable work of craftsmanship. But given the current English Heritage emphasis on conservation principles, is the surviving evidence sufficient to justify the work in historical terms, or is this driven by a desire for enhanced visitor numbers? Crawley writes that ‘this work might not be in the current spirit of conservation’. But he considers it legitimate ‘restoration’ because he defines that word as ‘the reinstatement of something that once existed back to its former place and condition’. He feels that the new fountain at Kenilworth could be described as a restoration. This seems a pretty contentious interpretation and not just a matter of semantics, so it would be interesting to know if this aspect of the project has been more widely publicly debated. It is somewhat unusual for this column to review a review. An exception must be made for John Earl’s review of the recent Museum of London monograph included in the Theatres Trust’s Theatres Magazine (Issue 23, Spring 2010) on the unearthing of the Rose Playhouse at Bankside in London. The review describes a Conservative government’s attitude to heritage at the time. John Earl was director of the trust when this momentous discovery was made in 1989. He rightly berates the pusillanimous attitude of the then secretary of state Nicholas Ridley for ‘offering money with one hand to the developer of the site to compensate for the delay [to redevelopment], but refusing to use his power, as he most certainly should have done, to bring protective processes into play by scheduling the remains at once as an ancient monument’. Earl further notes that English Heritage sadly ‘proved less than completely immune from the political pressure in the prevailing pro-developer climate’. Have times changed? While Margaret Thatcher stated that ‘everything must be done to preserve [the] remains’, Earl notes that “in the event her secretary of state did not even make use of the powers he had’. The preserved remains lie inconveniently and incongruously within the
8 C O N T E X T 1 1 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 0 foundations of the office development that originally was to obliterate it. The current presentation remains 20 years after its discovery – as Earl describes it – ‘little short of a national disgrace’. The aphorism ‘he who never made a mistake, never made a discovery’ is attributed to the self-help philosopher Samuel Smiles.Your columnist, when still editor of Context, tried – somewhat fruitlessly – to encourage occasional articles about unsuccessful schemes as a possible help (or warning) to others. Unsurprisingly, practitioners were reluctant to bare their souls. Cornerstone, the magazine of the SPAB (Vol 31, No 1, Spring 2010), has risen to the challenge with the first in a series entitled ‘Mea Culpa’. This looks at past failures and what can be learned from them. Jim Boutwood, a former chairman of SPAB, bravely describes the dramatic repair failure to the 14th century Guildhall in Thaxted, Essex that appeared shortly after the repairs were completed at an early stage in his career. Although the illustrated article needs to be read in full, the first mistake related to bolting and gluing parts of the timber frames rather than undertaking a (now more common) scissor repair joint. The second mistake was not to have thought what this might look like, and the third to have used green oak for such a key and conspicuous repair, as this shrank alarmingly. Boutwood describes other common problems, such as how not to deal with the many shakes and rotten cavities in exposed external timbers. He writes that at that stage in his career he had not learned one of the major SPAB dicta: that old buildings are no place to try out new materials. At the time the only written advice was (in Powys’s Repair of Ancient Buildings) to fill shakes with hemp and bituminous black mastic. Boutwood describes a new filler by Ciba-Geigy which subsequently proved to be disastrous, giving the timber frame a ‘leprous’ appearance of rusty stains as the limewash washed off the filler and this darkened with age. For non-SPAB members the article is worth tracking down. It will be interesting to see what further confessions appear in future. In the same issue is an article about the removal of architectural metalwork during the second world war to build Spitfires, Lancasters and tanks. It did not help the war effort, but the fate of all those iron railings remains a mystery. One suggestion is that the metal was quietly exported to the US to help repay war loans; another that it was dumped inWelsh mines or at sea. The rumours have been fuelled by a conspicuous lack of official documentation – somewhat surprising for such a high-profile attempt to boost the nation’s morale. Cornerstone hopes to come up with some answers. Bob Kindred MBE CRITTALL WINDOWS: NEVER OUT OF FASHION STEEL WINDOW SPECIALISTS FOR OVER 150 YEARS • Like-for-like replacement of steel windows on traditional buildings • Custom sizing • Unsurpassed maintenance life cycle • Galvanised and Duralife powder coated finish - no on-site painting • Advice from our technical design team • Each project personally managed to meet deadlines Crittall Windows Ltd, Francis House, Freebournes Road, Witham, Essex CM8 3UN. Tel: 01376 530800 Fax: 01376 530801 Email: [email protected] www. crittall-windows.com 4259 Crittall Ad.indd 1 23/3/09 17:10:53
C O N T E X T 1 1 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 0 9 Jonathan Berry Landscape and visual impact assessment Landscape and visual impact assessment include a combination of objective and subjective judgements, supported by a range of technical work. ‘Ever charming, ever new, when will the landscape tire the view?’ John Dyer (1699–1757) Many people’s fascination and understanding of both the urban and rural landscape comes through familiarity and observation.Whether it is the private view from a residential dwelling to the distant Cotswold escarpment, the glimpsed vista towards the rocky pinnacle of Edinburgh Castle during the daily commute, or the designated view towards St Paul’s Cathedral enjoyed by thousands of visitors to London’s Alexandra Palace, the connection is that they are all valued in some way by the viewer. It is this value that has to be assessed by the landscape professional to determine the acceptability of a wide range of development proposals and the ability of a landscape to accommodate change. Currently in the UK the approach and methodology to visual impact assessment is set out in the much referenced ‘Blue Book’, entitled Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (GLVIA), produced jointly by the Landscape Institute with the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. The statutory framework for environmental impact assessment (EIA) provides the basis for the methodology. EIA essentially defines a process in which the identification, prediction and evaluation of key environmental effects of a development are undertaken and by which the information gathered is used to reduce likely negative effects through design revisions and/ or the placement of appropriate mitigation1. In 1985, EIA became a statutory part of the planning process within the European Union through Council Directive 85/337/EEC2. To further aid a Europe-wide approach to landscape and visual assessment, the Council of Europe formulated the first international convention to focus specifically on landscape – the European Landscape Convention (ELC). Signed by the UK government in February 2006, the ELC became binding from March 2007. It applies to all landscapes, towns and villages, as well as open countryside; the coast and inland areas; and ordinary or even degraded landscapes, as well as those that are afforded protection. The principal theme of the convention is that of identifying and assessing landscapes through field research by professionals working in conjunction with local inhabitants. Each landscape forms a blend of components and structures, including types of territories, social perceptions and ever-changing natural, social and economic forces. Once this identification work has been completed and the landscape quality objectives set, the landscape can be protected, managed or developed. It is hoped that, through local public engagement and stakeholder involvement, there will be a wider understanding and appreciation of landscapes, improved knowledge and care, and a sense of inspiration, well-being and connection between people and place 3. Three networks have been set up to support organisations and authorities that work with landscape, to promote the principles and objectives of the European Landscape Convention and encourage the sharing of experience. The European Network of Local and Regional Authorities for the Implementation of the European Landscape Convention (RECEP-ENELC), catering for local and regional authorities, has the primary role. Uniscape has been established to advise universities and Civilscape for non-governmental organisations. It is important to note that the current GLVIA methodology and direction offered by the ELC do not exist in isolation. Other guidance used for highways projects, designated strategic views, wind farm and infrastructure developments have evolved to tackle increasingly complex planning matters. While maintaining a common language, they seek to broaden the understanding and assessment of landscape and visual issues. Despite the plethora of methodologies, guidelines and policy available, it is evident that landscape and visual impact assessment can not rely on quantitative evaluations only. Some qualitative consideration is necessary. The assessment approach often combines References 1 The Landscape Institute with the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (2002), Guidelines for Landscape andVisual Impact Assessment, second edition, Spon Press 2 Council of the European Communities (1995), Directive on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, 85/337/ EEC 3 Landscape Character Network Information Resource, The European Landscape Convention in English, Countryscape
10 C O N T E X T 1 1 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 0 objective and subjective judgements, so it is particularly important for any professional to demonstrate transparency and consistency.The subjective nature of the landscape professional’s work often arouses public disquiet or the formal challenge of other professionals in relation to a specific opinion about value, sensitivity and magnitude of change. Ultimately it is human nature to value what is considered as territory (such as a garden space or rear-window views) and to uplift the associated sensitivity attributed to it. It is shown that the most emotive of objection to development is linked to historical views, where a particular sense of place is evident or where a scene evokes strong childhood memories. Unfortunately many of these view scenarios are of local importance, and do not trigger policy protection. There is no fundamental right to protect a view cherished by an individual or group of people. However, the assessment process must recognise that any change in the landscape can have a direct and immediately apparent effect on people’s surroundings. It is therefore necessary to identify the landscape components that are valued by the community or society as a whole, why and how they are valued and, where possible, to identify the people to whom they are valuable. Landscapes may also have value because of the function they perform, regardless of the character of the landscape. For example, urban fringe landscapes that are considered of poor condition and of no special interest may be highly valued locally because they are accessible to people, and represent a scarce landscape and visual resource in that particular area. Landscape and visual assessments are separate in terms of process and consideration. Landscape effects derive from changes in the physical character of the landscape and how it is experienced. The description and analysis of effects on a landscape resource relies on the adoption of certain basic principles about positive (or beneficial) and negative (or adverse) effects of change on the landscape. Due to the inherently dynamic nature of the landscape, change arising from a development may not necessarily be significant 4. Visual effects relate to changes that arise in the composition of available views as a result of changes to the landscape, to people’s responses to the changes, and the overall effects with respect to visual amenity. The sensitivity of the landscape is reflected in the degree to which a landscape is able to accommodate without adverse effects on its character 5. This will be influenced by the extent of existing or new landform, and existing or new vegetation distribution. These factors determine the visibility of the proposed development, and influence the extent of its effect on the perceived character and visual amenity of the surrounding landscape. Landscapes will vary greatly in their capacity to accommodate different forms of development. The sensitivity of the landscape will vary according to the existing condition of the landscape, the nature of the proposed development and the type of change being considered. The capacity of the landscape to absorb change is quite different to the importance or value of the landscape. Such considerations are handled separately as part of the assessment process. There are currently several limitations to the landscape and visual impact assessment process. There is a lack of focused townscape guidance for the consideration of developments in an urban context. There is also little evidence to suggest that the current structured assessment approach has succeeded in improving or preserving the visual quality, or ameliorating the potential intrusion of new development in the landscape 6. There is a divergence of opinion over the question of whether landscapes have an intrinsic or objective beauty which may in some way be measurable or comparable, or whether scenic beauty is a value that can be subjectively attributed only to an area or specific landscape 7. At present, most professionals ensure that the analysis of landscape value or importance reflects the value of the landscape at a specific scale, to identify the group to which it is important and to explain why. To distinguish importance at different scales means recognising that some landscape features are locally abundant, but may be nationally or internationally scarce, or nationally abundant but locally scarce. Current guidance on the assessment of landscape importance puts weight on the consideration of policy and designations as a way of indicating value. It is common to determine whether a landscape has a designated national, regional or local-level value. But there is often no recognition that the particular characteristics of a designated landscape will alter in quality and formation throughout that designated area. Better judgement is required to determine whether a site is special, distinctive, representative or includes characteristic features, in order to assess how a development could affect the designation and the amenity of associated visual receptors. In terms of considering the urban environment, landscape professionals must consider the historical and cultural associations that contribute to the character and importance of a landscape. There are numerous inter-relationships between landscape and cultural heritage. These should not be overlooked. Historic landscapes can include registered gardens, battlefields, and the statutory settings of 4 The Landscape Institute with the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (2002) op cit 5 Swanwick, C, Department of Landscape, University of Sheffield and Land Use Consultants (2002) Landscape Character Assessment: guidance for England and Scotland, Countryside Agency and Scottish Natural Heritage 6 The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute (2010)Task Three:VIA review paper 7 Shuttleworth, S (1983) ‘Upland Landscapes and Landscape Image’, Journal of the Landscape Research Group,Vol 8, issue 3, Routledge The demolition of a mill on the urban fringe of Bury raises the question of whether the redevelopment will improve the amenity of the landscape or threaten the open views currently enjoyed by adjoining residents.
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