Forgotten Spaces

What can be considered a “Forgotten Space”?

What are the various reasons such spaces come to exist?

What methods can be implemented to rejuvenate such an area?

The new mayor of Bristol, George Ferguson, a former president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, or RIBA, recently called out to architects in aid to generate a self-building boom within the city, in an attempt to make public land available. He claims that the idea of self-building methods could help improve the deficiency of housing within Bristol. The mayor specifically appealed to architects as he claims that they are proficient in finding solutions major builders would not attempt, in sites that people would not begin to think of, by stating, “architects can be very good at discovering sites that other people have not thought of”. However, what Mayor Ferguson did not state in his article was what came under these mentioned sites.

London is known to be one of the most popular cities in the world, one of the leading cities in the multiple fields of arts, commerce, entertainment, culture, fashion, media, tourism, transport and several others. Also being one of the world’s leading financial centers, London is progressing at a rapid rate, thanks to the efforts of several institutions, as well as the successful attempts of Mayor Boris Johnson, such as the installation of hybridized buses, the Barclays bicycle system and the soon-to-be 24-hour tube system. To top it all off, with the hosting of the 2012 Olympics, London has become one of the world’s foremost cities in all fields. However, despite London being a city with vast potentials for development, and successive economic booms, there have been pieces of dubious pieces of space that were neglected, left barren and unused. It is such spaces that contain an endless number of opportunities and ideas that could benefit the surrounding population and context.

The RIBA considers “Forgotten Spaces” to consist of several forms of defection as “a small or large-grassy verge, wasteland, unused car park, derelict building, empty unit, underpass or flyover.” It is sufficient to discern then, that any space that may have lost its usage, a space that may be in ruins, or a space so overgrown with vegetation. Be that as it may, what are the reasons as to why such spaces come to be “forgotten”?

One of the many reasons as to why a building or a locality may be forgotten could be due to financial drawbacks. It is unfortunate that in such a trying time, people as well as large organizations have found that their economic conditions have taken a drastic turn for the worse leading to circumstances where the building or space being let is now unaffordable, and has to be abandoned. On the other hand, a reason why a space is left abandoned would indicate that there was a more positive opportunity to relocate in an attempt to achieve much higher prospects, rendering the older location obsolete. With the current global recession in full swing, there are several families and companies who are dependent on jobs for survival. The worse the economy gets, the more companies would have to lose employees in an attempt to save money, thereby resulting in the loss of jobs and the employee’s main source of income. Other structural and building issues could vital causes as to why spaces end up being abandoned. With the added concern of asbestos and mold issues, the cost of refurbishment tends to be a lot more expensive than the owner might deem worthy.

The industrial sectors, on the other hand, are at a constant state of concern. Due to the constant development of products and items, the chance that an industry will be rendered obsolete poses an imminent threat. This would lead to several manufacturing sites, exporting sites and packaging sites all being left to waste. For example, several industries have become antiquated within the past decade, ranging from paper, to CDs and public pay phones. Several industries that have been a large impact to the lives of the users lose their necessities in an extremely short amount of time.

Another large concern for the growth of disused spaces is the rapid movement of large quantities of the population. This situation occurs in large numbers in the Northwestern hemisphere, in the United States of America and Canada. Large concentrations of the youth are more educated, exposed and well versed in multiple fields of studies. With the added further education provided by universities and colleges, the young adults realize that they are unable to secure employment with a steady and beneficial source of income. It is because of this reason that they leave the areas of familiarity, thereby decreasing the overall population in the locality. Within the course of time, with the constant decrease of population, the former needs of the town decrease, and fewer businesses are required to support a constantly shrinking population.

           

Reasons for why building and spaces end up losing their value and use differ from region to region. For example, in Korea, most places are abandoned with the foresight of being demolished, so that new buildings could be built in their place. The process usually takes a prolonged time, leading to spaces being unused for equally prolonged amounts of time. In Japan, on the other hand, there are a lot of abandoned sites spread throughout the countryside, which were surprisingly successful in the 1990s, until the rise in popularity of mass transportation for the public. This resulted in the ability of the people to travel halfway around the city without multiple forms of transport, which in turn led to the degeneration of several of these successful sites.

It is horrifying to realize that several of the situations mentioned above can very easily exist in London, and most probably do. This leads one to ask the question – what can be done to help save such a lost environment? Fortunately, there exist an endless number of possibilities that could be undertaken in order to revitalize a rejected area such as mentioned before. There can be attempts made to provide the bustling urban city of London with a touch of green space, providing a relaxing pit stop for the several business-oriented individuals, to even a bath house to provide the ever-stressed Londoners with an area for relaxation and ablution. The Royal Institute of British Architects holds an annual exhibition entitled “Forgotten Spaces” that promote imagination and innovative thinking – finding solutions to several such lost and forsaken spaces within London. Open to entrants across the United Kingdom, the competition appealed to architects, engineers and landscape designers to choose an existing “forgotten” site within the Greater London area, and provide a solution to reanimate it to befit the surrounding context.

One of the most eye-catching projects in this exhibition was the “Aquadocks” project by Studio Pink. By transforming the disused space under the Silvertown flyover in Newham into an active destination in the form of a public pool and spa, this proposal also takes into consideration the various forms of environmentally friendly transport, creating pedestrian and bicycle paths from various public transport hubs towards the park. Located in the London Docklands, this project reminisces the past active life of the area, by mimicking the containers and ships that docked into the site with the designing of a glass cube partially immersed in the pool, acting as a restaurant. This project attempts to create a space of relaxation for what can be considered an up and coming business hub of London.

Another project that is extremely appealing is the Silvertown Brewery, in the same location as the Aquadocks project, by three designers, Chris Allen, Marcus Andren and Michael Gyi. They claim that their proposal aims at not using Silvertown as a place of transit, as it is now, but as an actual destination for London. By introducing a microbrewery and bowling venue, thereby enforcing London’s emergence into the world’s brewing and beer scene. This project also provides users with an attempt to learn the art of brewing. The design, as does the Aquadocks project, focuses on attempting to convert this area into one of high social activity while simultaneously look back at the vigorous industrial life of the Docklands region.

                        

One of the “Forgotten Spaces” projects that takes a completely different abandoned location within the BT Tower in Camden. Entitled “An Aerial View” by the architectural firm OMMX, the proposal rekindles the long forgotten use of the BT Tower as a pedestal for stunning aerial views of London, a project shut down over thirty years ago. By installing a curtain that covers a cylindrical section of the tower, and replacing the current material with glass, the project aims at providing as little intrusiveness to the iconicity of the BT Tower. Using the curtain as a façade and envelope provides the opportunity for an inhabitable space within the tower. The designers chose to leave the majority of the appearance of the tower as need be, only providing a slight furnishing to the interior in an attempt to provide the opportunity for a variety of programs. 

A project that aims at providing a slight hint of vegetation to modify the emotions and senses of the users within London is the “Shed Zed” project by Colour Urban Design Ltd. Situated on the west end of Croydon and taking use of an abandoned retail park situated along Purley Way, this project tries to create a localized watershed, inspired by the ideas of zero energy principles to create a self-sustaining drainage system to provide renewable energy sources. Compared to the other proposals of “Forgotten Spaces”, this is one of the few projects that aims to combine both the needs of the users as well as the needs of the city, providing a source for renewable energy along with an area of comfort and relaxation through natural vegetation and water.

A project that tackles the goals of the exhibition in a completely different scale is “In the Canopy”, by Studio McLeod. This studio brings about the idea that treetops are a forgotten space, and that “the canopy of a tree can offer elevated views over our streets and parks, or provide an intimate space among its branches and leaves”. This proposal, simple as it may be, involves installing chairs elevated within London’s trees. The idea of using a tree as an intimate space to be one with nature and to be gifted with spectacular views can also be seen to expand, resulting in the idea of a “tree for two”, or even a “family tree”, building from the idea of the tree house.

                                      

Finally, one of the other projects that also tackle a smaller scale of a derelict space is the “BikeBox” project by the designers Sam Rose and Hoi Kei Lo. This project calls for converting the claimed “redundant” K6 telephone kiosks into a charity cycle safety scheme, providing users with a place to store and even maintain their bicycles. The designers claim that the only use for the telephone kiosks, in the age of portable communication and wi-fi communication, is for tourists to pose with for stereotypical tourist photographs of London. With the steady increase in sustainable commuting systems, as well as Mayor Boris Johnsons recent Barclays Cycle Hire scheme, the BikeBox is a simple modification to the existing booth. By simply adding a plywood board within the booth, to contain the tools for maintaining a bicycle, this project is simple, easy and can benefit a large majority, if not all of the population of London’s bicycle users.

It goes without saying that with every rapidly growing city, there will exist derelict and decaying spaces that are in need of use. What is of vital importance is how we, as designers, see fit to bring about a social, environmental or even economic change to the space and its surroundings. From the above case studies, it can be clearly discerned that by providing a space that attempts to bring about a relaxed state, to rekindle the views from a space long forgotten and unused, or possible even provide the rapidly depleting natural resources with a renewable replacement, architects and designers have the ability to notice derelict and forgotten spaces, as stated by Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson, and also possess the ability to transform a once degenerating location into an active integral node of the rapidly progressing city of London.

Works Cited:

1. Business Insider. "21 Things That Became Obsolete This Decade." Business Insider. http://www.businessinsider.com/21-things-that-became-obsolete-this-decade-2009-12 (accessed December 14, 2013).

2. "RIBA: Forgotten Spaces Exhibition 2013: London." RIBA Architecture.com. http://www.architecture.com/WhatsOn/ForgottenSpaces/ForgottenSpaces2013.aspx#.Uq9REGRdWK1 (accessed December 14, 2013).

3. Wilding, Mark. "Ferguson wants architects to spark Bristol self-build boom." Building Design Online. http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/ferguson-wants-architects-to-spark-bristol-self-build-boom/5052360.article# (accessed December 12, 2013).

Cambridge: Misjudging a book by its Cover

Sai Prateek Narayan

ARC561: Survey of British Architecture

Professor Richard Tames | Professor David Thompson

12 December 2013

Cambridge – Misjudging a book by its Cover

I believe that Cambridge would be an ideal location to take a visitor to, on their first visit to England. Apart from London, Cambridge is an extremely iconic city where one can most easily notice the beauty in traditional English architecture, as well as be surrounded by the tranquil and serenity provided by a natural environment. The fact that the city of Cambridge has been discovered as a former settlement for the Romans as well as Vikings further strengthens its position as an ideal representative for England’s most historic cities. Within this beautiful city resided some of the world’s most acclaimed individuals, such as Charles Darwin and Sylvia Plath. Cambridge is a location for both observing England in its former glory, as well as maintaining the element of a calm and soothing environment.

It is fantastic to know that despite the traditional and landmark appearance of the city, Cambridge in its present day is known as the centre for high-end technological development. Cavendish Laboratories is one of the most well renowned centres for technological development in the realms of Nuclear Physics and Biology. Opened in 1874 with the foremost goal to be used for academic purposes, the Cavendish laboratory was actually known to be one of the areas where research on the atomic bomb took place, as well as the proclamation leading to the creation of Plutonium and Neptunium. It is fantastic to discern that with the historic appearance, Cambridge is one of the cities known for technological development in its most recent form; a true example of the noted phrase, “Judging a book by its cover”.

While it goes without saying that King’s College Chapel is a distinguished site to make a note of when in Cambridge, The Ely Cathedral not far from the University of Cambridge does not stand any lower in beauty. Built from local stone materials, this Gothic Romanesque Cathedral was built over nine hundred years ago, and has occurred several restoration projects, including ones by James Essex and George Gilbert Scott. Designed as a traditional cathedral with a cruciform plan, what stands out with this cathedral is the additional transept built perpendicular to the nave. The way a cathedral of this splendor and magnificence stands apart from the rest of the surrounding context clearly depicts how this town was built around it. In order for the Benedictine monks at Ely to glorify the God they worshipped, a church of this stature had to be constructed, keeping in mind that nothing in its surrounding could be of similar grandeur.

Another icon of Cambridge that reinforces the idea that Cambridge should be considered as an ideal location to represent the traditional England is The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is an Anglican church built in the early 12^th century, as well as one of the four remaining medieval round churches of England that is still in use. Built on this site as a stop along the old Roman roads, and influenced by the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, this church is similar in its structure – a round nave and ambulatory with a short chancel built of stone in the Norman Style. However, after restoration in the mid 20^th century, this church was modified to portray an air of gothic revival. Unfortunately, due to its miniature demeanor, this church had to extend its congregation to the church of St. Andrew the Great located nearby.

With such indicators of buildings predating to the years of Vikings, Romans and Normans, Cambridge does prove to be a mark for British history. However, the fact that it does not constantly dwell on the past and proclaim itself as the location for some of the world’s most fundamental technological development is impactful, unquestionably corroborating the phrase that one cannot judge a book by its cover.

Everlasting Wren Churches

Sai Prateek Narayan

ARC561: Survey of British Architecture | Fall 2013

Professors Richard Tames | David Thompson

Survey Tour

5 December 2013

Everlasting Wren Churches

The 1600s in London was a clear example of a historic city having the best of times as well as the worst of times.  As King James I was to be crowned in 1603, a horrendous plague broke out, taking at least thirty thousand victims into its grasp. The theatre, which London is now renowned for, gained massive popularity, leading to the post-theatre celebrations among the higher society and aristocracy.  Towards the end of the first quarter of the century, with the accession of Charles I, the “London Season” came into existence. With the building of Lincoln’s Inn Fields and Covent Garden by the famed Inigo Jones under way. However, dark clouds lay ahead in London’s blue-skied progression. Without wholesome forms of sanitation, the overpopulated city of London was hit by a copious number of plagues, the most infamous of them being the Great Plague, which took the lives of over a fifth of London’s then population. But, the worst was still yet to come.

In 1666, a small fire broke out at a bakery on Pudding Mill Lane that briskly spread westwards across the City of London. Unfortunately, the then methods of firefighting involved tearing down the buildings to prevent the spreading of the fire. However, due to the decisiveness of the Lord Mayor of London at the time, these fire prevention methods were extremely delayed. As a result of this indecisiveness, the bakery fire had swollen into a firestorm, making the demolishing technique obsolete.  After three whole days of the fire engulfing buildings and people in its path, the loss of eastern winds and use of gunpowder to create firebreaks led to the dying out and further spreading of the fire. Needless to say, there were innumerable casualties and victims of this great conflagration. It is recorded that over thirteen thousand homes, eighty churches, 40 company halls and several landmark buildings perished in this regrettable event. It is fortunate, however, to mention that the people of London were able to get back on their feet and rebuild their city anew. The rebuilding of the great cathedral of St Paul’s, as well as fifty other churches was left to a man who could probably be considered as England’s most renowned architect, Sir Christopher Wren.

It goes without saying that Sir Christopher Wren could be considered as one of England’s most acclaimed architects in history. Apart from being an esteemed architect, Wren was a disciplinary in various fields, such as physics, astronomy and mathematics. Highly influenced by Vitruvius and Bernini, Wren’s rise to fame occurred in the mid-17^th century, when he was captivated to redesign St Paul’s Cathedral, which at the time was close to crumbling down. Stimulated by his trip to Paris in 1665, Wren examined the drawings of Bernini, thereby resulting in his ideas for a first design of St Paul’s Cathedral. However, the Great Fire that terrorized London the year after hindered his submittal for the design. Appointed as the King’s Surveyor of Works in the late 1660s, Wren played a significant role in the rebuilding of the city, despite the fact that his city plans were never adopted. It was at this time that his acclamation for rebuilding over fifty churches in London came into existence. The six churches that this tour would be surveying would be St. Clement Danes, St. Brides, St. Paul’s, St. Mary-le-Bow, St. Mary Aldermary, and St. Stephen Walbrook.

It may sound like these churches, as beautiful as they seem, stand in London to this day untouched. However, in 1941, in the midst of the Second World War, the United Kingdom was severely bombed by Germany. Attacked 71 times in a span of 37 weeks, there were over forty thousand civilians considered dead, and over one hundred thousand injured and wounded. Needless to say, the bombs destroyed several buildings, including multiple Wren churches. What is surprising to note, however, is the fact that St Paul’s cathedral was left unscathed. This was because, apart from The St Paul’s Watch, an organization started by Winston Churchill, installed sources of water around the roof, preventing the cathedral from catching fire on a daily basis. It is also startling to note that the Germans who bombed London chose to not bomb the dome of St. Paul’s, it being a convenient navigational aid in both daytime and nighttime.

St Clement Danes was one of the later churches built by Wren after the Great Fire of 1666. A church has been situated on this site for over a thousand years. Although the Danes built the original church in the 9^th century, Wren rebuilt this church after the Great Fire, despite it being one of the lesser-damaged churches, in 1681. The baroque church, albeit built in the late 17^th century, also constituted of a steeple erected by James Gibbs in 1720. After being destroyed in the London Blitz in 1941, it was rebuilt in the late 1950s, to be named as the central church for the Royal Air Force. This church, which is signature of all Wren churches, has a wide tunnel-vaulted nave, with narrow groin-vaulted aisle bays with galleries. However, what is unique to this church is the fact that the aisles of this church extend towards the sides of the chancel, creating ambulatories.

Walking down the Strand, onto Fleet Street, we come across another of Wren’s post-Fire and Blitz churches, the church of St. Brides. Located on the outskirts of the City of London, this church is one of the few London churches that can easily be marked on the London skyline, the spire being the tallest from all of Wren’s churches. Being that the Romans constructed a church in this spot, much before the name of St. Brides was brought into the light, it is of considerable significance to the city of London. Rebuilt in 1701 by Wren, this spire is currently under intensive care, as the spire is said to be losing its structural integrity. Like the several other buildings in London at the time, this church was severely damaged in both The Great Fire of 1666 and the London Blitz of 1940. Godfrey Allen, an architect extremely well versed on his predecessor, reconstructed the church post-Blitz, as per Wren’s drawings. Amazingly, when the restoration of the St. Brides was underway, a discovery of Roman crypts were made on site, uncovering thousands of human remains, some dating to the time of the Great Plague of 1665. Similar to the church of St Clement Danes on The Strand, this church has a wide tunnel-vaulted nave along with groin-vaulted aisle bays. What is unique about this church, apart from its octagonal tiered spire, are its oval-shaped clerestory windows. These windows pierce through the tunnel-vaulted roof, which is held up by Tuscan double columns. The eastern end of the church ends in an outward projecting chancel, as well as a tripartite window, which seems to reminisce the motif of the renowned Triumphal Arch.

Walking towards the City of London, past St. Paul’s, we arrive at the third stop on the tour, the church of St Mary-le-Bow. Yet again another baroque church by Wren, this was rebuilt by Wren after The Great Fire in 1680. After the London Blitz in 1941, this church was rebuilt fifteen years later under the direction of Laurence King. This church, similar to both St. Clement Danes and St. Brides also has a wide tunnel-vaulted nave, and similar to St. Brides, also holds pierced clerestory windows. The narrow aisles, which are unique to this church, have transverse tunnel vaults. This church is considered to be one of the most important churches of London, St. Paul’s being the first. Like the other churches we have seen on the tour, this church was decimated by the German bombing London during The London Blitz. The bells of this church are what make it unique, as they have been threaded into London’s history for several years. It is an urban form of superstition that says a true resident of London is born within the ringing of the Bow bells. These bells have been used in several forms of order and symbolism over the past centuries. One of the first recorded references is dated to the mid-15^th century, where the bow bells were used as an indicator of a curfew, which ceased to exist in the late 19^th century. The church bells were also used to signify the end of a working day and also in honor of a noted figure’s death. The bells, originally starting from one, grew to a startling dozen in 1881. It is surprising to note that when the bells were declared a matter of national concern when they were considered too damaged to be rung. It truly depicts that this church is so deeply entwined within the tradition and history of London that it cannot be let go of easily.

The next church on this tour is located on Bow Lane, St. Mary Aldermary. Unlike all of the churches so far surveyed on this tour, this is one of the few of the Wren churches that is designed in a Gothic Style. Assumed to be of medieval origin, this church was first rebuilt in 1510. However, during The Great Fire, the church was burned down to a major extent, barely leaving parts of the wall and tower standing. Unlike the churches of St. Clement Danes, St. Brides and St. Mary-le-Bow, this church has a six-bay long nave, holding up gothic arches and undeniably impressive fan vaults with central circular elements., quite similar to those of King’s College Chapel in Cambridge or the Bath Abbey. Unlike the past churches on the tour, the church of St. Mary Aldermary has a flat chancel at the end of the nave, with immaculate ornamentation and a stained glass finish. What is incredibly unique about this is that due to the church being built in the midst of existing buildings, the chancel is slightly angled to accommodate for the context.

Finally, the last church is St. Stephen Walbrook. This church was burnt completely to the ground during the Great Fire, and with its stone façade, due to the fire, was scorched into lime. The need to rebuild this church was so dire, that King Charles II appointed the commission as fast as he could, lest the church is built somewhere else, which was when Sir Christopher Wren built this baroque church. The old street plan was retained and timber buildings were banned, for obvious reasons. Unlike the regular church plans of the past churches visited, this is rectangular in plan. Originally, Wren had designed the church to include an entrance on the northern end of the church. Unfortunately, due to the presence of a market and slaughterhouse, the entrance had to be barred in order to prevent the rancid odor from the exposed meat. The portico for the imagined entrance was intended to have colonnades on either side, very similar to the style of a forum from ancient Rome. A statue of King Charles II, in honor of his prompt attempt to commission the building of this church was erected at the time as well. It is interesting to note that the present dome is based off of the dome for St. Paul’s, which consisted of a dome centered on a dozen Corinthian columns. The fascination for this sort of dome came to Wren upon his visit to France. When comparing the domes of St. Paul’s and St. Stephen Walbrook, it is easily discernable that the dome of St. Stephen Walbrook was more of a preparatory attempt for the same of St. Paul’s. The dome of St. Paul’s was made with masonry techniques, whereas St. Stephen Walbrook, being several times smaller was made with similar construction materials to parish churches – lath and plaster, over highly precise carpentry frames. In contrast to the dome, the walls of this church are majorly made of stone, similar to the churches mentioned so far.

It is absolutely remarkable how Sir Christopher Wren attempted to carry out his project of reconstructing over fifty of London’s churches after the Great Fire, despite his constant focus on St. Paul’s Cathedral. This cathedral, albeit considered one of the many buildings that required maintenance after the Great Fire, was the center of focus in Wren’s mind, even after completion. It goes without saying that each of the churches mentioned above have been of vital importance to London’s history, whether to instigate order and instill regulations, or as an outlet to reach for a higher power than humanly possible in trying times. These churches were brought down to ashes as a result of the severe conflagration of the Great Fire of 1666, and were reconstructed with the aid of Sir Christopher Wren’s undying perseverance to seeing it done. However, despite these churches, as well as several more being demolished in The London Blitz during the Second World War, these churches were considered of such dire need that they were reconstructed as quickly as possible, reinforcing the fact that the residents of London aim to stay true and respect their history and heritage to help them get through the struggles of everyday life.

Works Cited:

1. "St Bride's Church." St Bride's Church, Fleet Street: spiritual home of the media. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://www.stbrides.com/>.

2. "St Clement Danes - RAF Station homepage." St Clement Danes - RAF Station homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://www.raf.mod.uk/stclementdanes/>

3. "St Stephen Walbrook." St. Stephen Walbrook: Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://ststephenwalbrook.net/index.htm>

4. "St. Mary-le-Bow." St. Mary-le-Bow: Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://www.stmarylebow.co.uk/>.