C O N T E X T 1 2 0 : J U LY 2 0 1 1 39 Book reviews Don’t mention the architects Building: 3,000 years of design, engineering and construction Bill Addis, Phaidon (London and New York) 2007, 640pp, 800 illustrations, hardback, ISBN 978 0 714841 46 5, £45 Described as tracing ‘the history of modern building engineering in the western world from ancient times to the present’ this large-format, weighty book is structured strictly chronologically. The resulting long parade of examples leads one to wonder if it might have been better to illustrate increasing sophistication in the engineering of buildings with fewer but fuller case studies, arranged thematically. Accordingly this is not a riveting read as a continuous narrative. Dipping into the text shows it is difficult to understand a later section in ignorance of the story told in previous chapters. Nor is it a history of building technology. It does not cover vernacular architecture, dealing only with carefully planned building construction. The text being expressed in American English, it is prudent to issue a warning to readers who may chafe at ‘mold’ or ‘meter’, where the latter refers to the unit of length. The author’s principal aim seems to be to confirm the existence of a profession of building engineer, a discipline extending beyond structural design to securing thermal efficiency, integration of building services and fine-tuning of acoustics. This is done by tracing the origins of the knowledge and design skills practised by this profession. Each building epoch occupies a chapter preceded by a landscape-format ‘timeline’ chart. The tone of the account is set in the introduction. Brunelleschi (perhaps to the surprise of most) is described as an ‘engineer and building designer’. Aversion to the use of the term ‘architect’ is not implied throughout, but it is hard to avoid the thought that disdain from some contemporary engineers for fellow building professionals has been projected back to times when today’s distinctions (and sensitivities) did not exist. At one point Addis recognises the artificiality of distinguishing between architect and engineer historically, but he sets the formal divergence of disciplines far too early, at around !'(". This is puzzling, particularly as we know that many professional procurers of buildings in !#th-century Britain described themselves as ‘architect, engineer and surveyor’. Neither is there any mention of talents such as Balthasar Neumann, master of rococo architecture as well as a highly accomplished military engineer. Continuity of building types comprising traditional materials and techniques caused rules of thumb to be adequate for realising most buildings, until industrialisation demanded the efficiency offered by giant specialised structures. This development necessitated improved skill in design, better understanding of the properties of components and their assembly and, not least, skill in simulation of structural performance through sophisticated calculation. Addis tells this story well. Setting aside the somewhat sterile debate over the respective influences of various professions in achieving buildings, what are the other strengths of the book? The author is at his best in his simple-language explanation of the handling of statics in the structure of medieval cathedrals.When the &"th century is reached, as is appropriate, he increases content on research and experimentation into the behaviour of structures, and the consequent formulation or revision of technical codes. There are a few factual slips. The Soho Foundry was near Birmingham, not Manchester; the latter city’s Royal Exchange Theatre is in a former cotton (not corn) exchange; and Union Station Chicago is mistitled Grand Central. However, one can only admire the scale of the ambition and impressive breadth of the account contained in this profusely illustrated and smartly designed volume. It is an excellent book for explaining ‘how?’ For the answer to ‘why?’ one needs to look elsewhere. Alan Johnson, architect in the Government Historic Estates Unit of English Heritage Strategies and sensitivities Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: strategies for listed buildings and conservation areas KennethWilliamson, Routledge, 2010, 216 pages, hardcover, ISBN 978 0 415486 43 9, £95; paperback, ISBN 978 0 415486 44 6, £29.99 This is a book about processes rather than underlying principles. It is primarily a guidebook that addresses how to navigate the complexities of the UK (focused on England and Scotland) statutory provisions, national policy and guidance systems in order to maximise the development potential of sites in the historic environment. KennethWilliamson is a partner in the Hurd Rolland Partnership, with offices in London, Manchester and Scotland. Robert Hurd (!#"(–,+) established his component of the subsequently merged practice in the early !#+"s, and rapidly became a leading light in the emergent pre-war conservation movement in Scotland. His reputation was maintained in the post-war decades under the direction of Ian Begg, with whom both James Simpson and I worked briefly in the early !#%"s. Times change and practices too:Williamson’s book is not a handbook for conservationists, be they architectural or urban. The Palm House at Syon Park, built in around "$#*
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