18 C O N T E X T 1 1 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 IHBC Annual School 2010 IHBC Annual School 2009 IHBC Annual School 2010 Bob Stagg stated something that is obvious to all engineers working with historic buildings and structures, but not necessarily visible to those who work alongside them or employ them. Your engineer is an individual who will have a genuine interest in historic buildings and structures. He will bring a pragmatic approach to the repair or re-use of your building.This, allied with continued use of the building, will ensure its proper maintenance and survival. Stagg described his previous professional involvement with the Royal Albert Hall during the £70 million partially lottery-funded refurbishment. These works were effectively all new-build, involving creating an 18-metre-deep excavation and refilling it with facilities such as delivery bays and scenery stores. Today Stagg is a director of Conisbee Engineering, the Albert Hall’s structural engineers, who face varied loading issues. Stagg illustrated several of these and the solutions he proposed. He explained how the load testing of floors could be achieved safely. Finally Stagg’s presentation focused on the roof of the hall. He described its manufacture from trial erection in Manchester to eventual erection on site. Computer analysis of the structure appeared to show a load capacity of 200 tonnes. Load tests seemed to show little response from the structure. Calculations give a snow load of 30 tonnes – not a problem for a pragmatic engineer like Bob Stagg. Rik Fox A game of two halves: Highbury Stadium redevelopment – balancing conservation and urban design Alec Forshaw, the former Head of Conservation and Design with the London Borough of Islington, gave an illuminating presentation, with his customary charm and enthusiasm, on the redevelopment of the former Arsenal Football Club stadium. He highlighted the challenge that unusual and obsolete building types and landscapes present. His presentation looked at what can be achieved when such buildings are approached as an asset rather than as a constraint. Forshaw started by charting the history of the club from its origins south of the river in the Woolwich Royal Arsenal, through to its expansion in the 1930s and the construction of what is one of the finest art deco spectators’ stands in the country. This provided the context essential to appreciating the site and its constraints. The relocation of the club to a new stadium could have seen the destruction of this much-loved piece of soccer heritage, and the loss of some very good buildings. But the Grade II listing of the art deco stand in 1997 gave Islington the opportunity to secure the retention and innovative re-use of the entire stadium site. A stand, essentially three walls, a roof and raked spectator accommodation, is not the easiest of historic structures to convert to suitable new use. It was no surprise that difficult decisions had to be made. The spectator accommodation was completely removed, to be replaced with new residential accommodation enveloped by contemporary curtain walling. But the essence of the football stand remains: the three historic elevations and roof have been carefully refurbished; the steel windows have been upgraded; the decorative spandrel panels have been refurbished; and plaster decoration has been repaired. This has all been completed to very good effect. Praise is also due for the interior works. This involved the refurbishment and repair of foyers and corridors. Unfortunately, the finest panelled room, so cherished by the board of the Arsenal Football Club, was taken with them to their new Emirates Stadium. This begs the question of whether it still benefits from its listing in the new location. I suspect not. Clearly mindful of the wider regenerative impact that the stand’s restoration brought, Forshaw was able to explain the fate of the other stands, their replacement buildings, and the importance of retaining the open space of the pitch within the development. The historic art deco stand now sits as the centrepiece of a high-quality residential redevelopment. The old pitch, screening underground car parking, has been imaginatively landscaped to provide a muchneeded communal garden. Care has being taken to Left: Arsenal Stadium’s Grade II listed East Stand to Avenell Road has been converted to residential flats (Photo: Alec Forshaw) Right:View of the re-landscaped pitch from the first floor of the East Stand (Photo: Alec Forshaw)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=