edinburgh college of art school of architecture diploma works 2009-2010 www.eca.ac.

uk

contents

introduction dip arch units architecture and the arts architecture and urbanism contemporary architectural intervention architecture and well-being specialist units urban design architectural conservation research contexts

eca architecture diploma works 2009-2010 This publication showcases the work of the 2009-2010 diploma units in the School of Architecture, Edinburgh College of Art. Students are offered a choice of themed design studios which encourage critical enquiry while developing knowledge and skills valuable in practice. The themes draw upon staff expertise gained from research and practice together with the Schools specialist centres of knowledge in architectural conservation and urban design. Edinburgh as a city is utilised as a laboratory for study providing a rich resource for live projects and sites. Engagement with international contexts provides inspiration for collaboration, comparison and best practice. The mission of the design studios is to acquire knowledge, gain understanding and pursue lines of creative enquiry.

Derek Fraser Diploma/Masters Co-ordinator

architecture and the arts

Working with artists acts as an eye-opener, a dialogue which forces us to reconsider our own position and sharpen our thoughts Eelco Hooftman

architecture and the arts (Diploma in Architecture) (*Exchange) (**Master of Architecture, ESALA) The result of this units work is highly personal and individual explorations of architecture, influenced by each students own creative experience gained throughout the year. unit tutor Colin Gilmour students Rachel Bate Alastair Bogle William Guthrie Ross Harrison *Marianne Nielsen Alicia Martin Lucy Rainey Gavin Robinson Ben Townsend **David Tinto Iain Wilson *Hiroko Yasuda

architecture and the arts

semester 1 The first semester concentrates on examining the relationship between architecture and other creative arts. The students undertake a series of hands-on workshops exploring the practice and theory of a range of arts, from performance art to digital media, the physical results of which are presented throughout the term. A series of group and individual research and review tasks are undertaken throughout the semester to gain an understanding of a variety of issues affecting architecture and the creative arts, allowing the students the opportunity to develop a critical dialogue in a formal presentation. During a field trip to Lybster, Caithness the students produced individual creative responses to sites within the town, ranging from glass installations to video artworks and performances. semester 2 Semester 2 explores the creation of architecture in response to a programme directed by each students area of research, harnessing the design processes developed in the first semester. The students select individual sites and carry out traditional and creative site analysis to provide a comprehensive body of research. Tectonic studies are prepared by each student to investigate the sites potential in relation to his/her own creative programme, one of which is then taken forward and developed into a formal proposition. The final part of the semester is spent developing a proposal for the students individual artistic research programmes whilst continuing to explore creative methods of developing and presenting their work.

alistair bogle

Methil Power Station, Leven The disused Methil power station located in the town of Leven, Fife is derelict and now earmarked for demolition. This proposal attempts to reconcile the lost connection of the people of Leven to the site and immediate dock area. Use is slowly re-introduced through landscape infrastructures. This is investigated through abstract tonal pencil drawings and text based pieces. The design reflects potential for the reconnection of Leven to its wider context through the reinstatement of the coastal railway that previously ran through the town. The building responds to this with a shared programme combining a railway stop and visitors centre for walkers.

alistair bogle

alistair bogle

Godelian City How do you explain an architecture project that has no site and no scheme? The concept is for a floating city that moves in a manner that emulates Kurt Godels widely accepted theory for temporal flow. The goal is to visualize the Godelian City in order to set the terms for a debate. How do we measure time? How is time linked to space? How would a floating city differ? There is not a single symptom of the Godelian City that is not apparent in some way in any other city. It is a critique and an acceleration of our cities. You might think that buildings do not move in most cities? Postcodes, neighbours, climates and travel times change. The building has not gone anywhere but it might as well have.

ben townsend

ben townsend

Enduring Typologies: The Gold Library of Cononish It is the early twenty-first century and the world continues to eschew analogue technology readily in favour of new, seemingly more efficient digital systems. Knowledge, the foundation of society, is stored in computers and the age of the tangible paper library is over an anachronism of a bygone era. We are now wholly reliant on digital technology as a means of accessing and retrieving information. There is no alternative backup. In reaction to this condition a grand project is proposed to safeguard the rich cultural and historical legacy of Scotland. In the West Highlands, a clandestine guild of craftsmen and miners is established, reviving the spirit of the 19th century handcraft practitioners CR Ashbee and William Morris. The miners tunnel industriously into the side of the mineral-rich mountain of Beinn Chuirn, extracting gold ore. Contained within a vast hypostyle hall a foundry smelts the gold, forming scrolls engraved with information for containment in a repository buried deep within the mountain. Many centuries later - the world divested of its complex technologies - the crumbling, temple-like complex of the Cononish Guild is discovered. The archive unearthed to reveal a vast library of gold scrolls, intelligible through a beguiling treadle-powered amplification device contained at the centre of the library. Scotlands ancient past is revived.

will guthrie

will guthrie

will guthrie

will guthrie

Connections to Disconnections: Songwriters Retreats The Chamber of Unloved Books celebrates Edinburghs rich literary heritage and provides libraries with a valuable archive facility. The programme utilises the abandoned Scotland Street railway tunnel running under the heart of Edinburghs New Town. A public literature and arts centre uses the converted tunnel as exhibition space specialising in literature, artefact and archival exhibitions as well as traditional visual arts. The galleries are accessed from St. Andrews Square and the National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street. They incorporate a bookshop and caf pavilion, enhancing the activity of the square and providing a location for the International Book Festival. The majority of the tunnel is occupied by a mechanised archive storage facility with a depository and administration centre at the tunnels north entrance.

iain wilson

iain wilson

gavin robinson

Animat Facto The paradoxical union of Animat, a relatively young word used to describe an artificial animal or synthetic and virtual simulation, and Facto as in de facto, meaning in reality or actually existing, captures an idea that is fundamental to the success of animation: the ability to fool an audience into accepting movement and imagining life where there is none. The intrigue of creating something from nothing, life and movement from the inanimate or dead, is explored through a series of art projects spanning various disciplines. Inanimate pine cones placed in a line between the bark of a tree from which they have fallen, become an animate whole: a procession of ants travelling up the trunk that would previously have had no such narrative attachment.

gavin robinson

architecture and urbanism

Against the landscape of contingency, architectural theory has traditionally served as a unifying function. Without a larger ideological framework, it is argued the architect runs the risk of reacting passively to the multiple and often contradictory demands of context, clients, regulating agencies, media or economics. Stan Allen

architecture & urbanism (Diploma in Architecture) (*Exchange) (**Master of Architecture, ESALA) The introductory modules provide a fast track introduction to the subject by studying the space, the street, and built form typologies. Students are then encouraged to develop a wider understanding of the subject and its related design issues through the vehicles of two urban brownfield sites. The final design module enables the student to switch roles from the urban planner to that of the architect and, through the design of a block, test and critically reflect on their masterplan proposal. unit tutor Derek Fraser students James Burns Ross Cruickshanks Jamie Harte William Ould Paul OSullivan David Sonka *Mette Thomsen

architecture and urbanism

semester 1 The work includes a book review (for the AHSS) and a series of modest propositions which engender a more diverse approach to design intervention. The unit studies the development of conservation theory, guidelines and regulations in conjunction with a variety of individual and group exercises. Weekly visits to recently completed buildings helps to re-kindle the dark art of free-hand sketching. Issues of context, project history, site, planning issues, design philosophy, materiality and construction are explored alongside specific precedents and exemplars of successful interventions by contemporary architects. The penultimate project focuses on an elaborated detail which teases out the awkward interface between old and new. semester 2 The semester commences with a study trip to Europe (visiting Berlin, Dresden and Prague) and exposes students to new ideas and new exemplars in contemporary design. The main project (a new centre for literature in Edinburghs Old Town) encourages students to select their own site and explore the over-lapping layers of historical, social and physical realities. A personal statement on architectural theory is developed alongside the extended essay which helps to embed the work in a wider cultural context. The scope of the final project allows each student to explore issues such as access, escape, materiality, sustainability, environment, structure, context, communication, and builds towards the degree show exhibition.

jamie harte

Waverley Valley Edinburgh has never had a purpose-built public gallery for contemporary art, instead relying on conversion of former schools and institutional buildings. This proposal embraces Waverley valley as a civic space with a special cultural role within the city. The masterplan mirrors the arrangement of gallery and public space at The Mound and Princes Street Gardens onto the far side of North Bridge. By folding the plan over, a dumbbell shaped plan is created with a new, landmark, contemporary gallery and public space. Hard landscaped urban space is created as a counterpoint to the soft parkland of Princes Street Gardens. The polar arrangement of galleries creates a linear public space that will change the nature of Market Street to a cultural promenade with new informal galleries in the vaults beneath Jeffrey Street and major public galleries at each end.

jamie harte

jamie harte

Plot vs. Lot The genesis of this design was to create a cultural district known as the Gas Lamps Quarter. This aims to increase the density of the city and also cater for a diverse community. What is proposed is a place to live, a place to work, a place to socialise and a place to exhibit life, Edinburgh life.

paul osullivan

paul osullivan

ross cruickshanks

ross cruickshanks

contemporary architectural intervention

What form could be given to Scottish identity in the 21st century, given its multi-cultural, ethnic, class and economic divisions? Charles Rennie Mackintosh confronted the problem by looking simultaneously backwards and forwards: Back, to locate the significant constituents of indigenous architecture. Forward, to identify the appropriate form of expression for contemporary life, its institutions, conventions, levels of civic propriety and private intimacy in the early 20th century. Gordon Benson

contemporary architectural intervention (Diploma in Architecture) (*Exchange) (**Master of Architecture, ESALA) The city of Edinburgh, with its unique historic built form, offers great potential for the art of contemporary architectural intervention. This elective unit is allied to the Scottish Centre for Conservation Studies but encourages students to develop an individual creative approach to contemporary design within an historic context. The incorporation of well-considered architectural interventions is crucial to the sustainability of our cities if they are not to stagnate and become static urban museums. unit tutor Mark Cousins students Chris Beveridge James Carefoot Sandy Deans **Cassie Knights **Judy Lines Matt MacKinnon **Stuart Meadows Eoin OLeary *Albert Palazon **Debbie Pullinger Nilesh Shah Iain Tinsdale

contemporary architectural intervention contemporary architectural intervention

semester 1 Research Students study architectural settings, investigating their impact on human well-being, and provide critiques of innovative blueprints in health building design. Individuals then develop radical programmes for healthy buildings. Design Two maquette projects are undertaken to symbolise the students emerging concepts of well-being in architecture, including the design of a Refuge for the Senses. semester 2 During the first half of the semester students progress their core project. This is followed by a week-long collaborative project working with children on the Autistic Spectrum, providing insight into the needs and desires of this particular user group. Students follow this by work on a short project to design a Learning Space for autistic children. They then continue with the design development of their core project to a level of design detail. A post design analysis of the buildings contribution to human health and well-being is produced.

iain tinsdale

The Building, the City and the People The design concept is to produce architecture which responds to the city that it touches and relates to the people who use it. The romantic notion of the Edinburgh close has been used as the driving force in creating a Passage of Literature and integrating the building into the urban fabric. The Passage becomes a permanent focal point for the Edinburgh Book Festival as a celebrated venue which brings authors and readers together.

iain tinsdale

iain tinsdale

Edinburgh Literature Centre, New Calton Burial Ground Situated at the foot of the Royal Mile in the New Calton burial ground, Edinburgh Literature Centre becomes the anchor for the citys literary landscape, stretching from the Scottish Poetry Library to the National Library of Scotland. The intention is to reconnect with the physical nature of the book. By inhabiting the full length of the site, the project creates a range of experiences that allow people to navigate a personal landscape for engaging with books. In examining the act of reading, personal and communal spaces are divided between the two main elements - the Book House and the Library. Bespoke office space for the International Book Festival and UNESCO organisations is provided and an architectural literary gateway for Scotland is created.

matt mckinnon

matt mckinnon

Edinburgh Literature Centre: Sous Rature Within historic cities such as Edinburgh, literary context is representative of the physical attributes of the site. This project is an alternative take on contextual treatment, seeing historical elements play a direct role in design, suppressing the sites current physicality. The tension between presence and absence permeates throughout the project, through the decomposition of the programme. Presence is manifested by a literature of the past consisting of existing literature that one can touch, read and experience. Absence is represented by a literature of the future that has yet to come into being, existing only in our imagination.

eoin oleary

eoin oleary

architecture and well-being

We may define the ideal outcome of architecture as being that a building should serve as an instrument which mediates all the positive influences and intercepts all the negative influences affecting man ... a building cannot carry out this task unless it is itself as finely nuanced as the surroundings in which it stands. Alvar Aalto

architecture and well-being (Diploma in Architecture) (*Exchange) (**Master of Architecture, ESALA) The aim of this unit is to explore the meaning of well-ness in architecture. unit tutor Iain Scott students **Kyle Barclay *Frida Blomqvist **Andrew Dawson Elizabeth Elliott **Richard Esono-Asumu Suguitan **Alison Flaherty Thomas Glenn *Maria Ruis Lucy Runciman *Karolina Stockenvall Lucie Vejmelkova

architecture and well-being

semester 1 & 2 The programmes in urban design comprise studio and lecture/seminar based modules, which are mutually supportive and evenly distributed chronologically. The lecture/seminar modules introduce knowledge and understanding of the theoretical, legal, financial and praxis context within which urban design operates. Studio modules develop this understanding and allow students the opportunity to design an urban structure and the components of it. The studio modules begin with introductions to layout, typology and density and to perception and space before focusing on a major project. This project involves an intervention which delivers a process for change and a series of products at points of time in that process. A detailed evaluation of a selected site is followed by the consideration of a theoretical approach which manifests itself in an urban design framework. Subsequently, that framework is translated into one possible master plan and the detailed design of a public space within that plan.

richard esono-asumu suguitan

richard esono-asumu suguitan

richard esono-asumu suguitan

Expression Park In this project the neglect of artistic expression within society is explored. The arts are employed as a way to discover, explore and express emotions. We begin with a walk in the park. Pavilions rise from underground and contain a variety of enticing activities. Curved roofs welcome the user down into a cloistered world, sheltered by earth. Here, users can express their emotions without reticence. The spaces are introverted, offering a safe place separated from the realities of life. For those who uncover emotional conflicts there is reflection and counselling space suspended in the trees to gain new perspectives.

lucy runciman

lucy runciman

beth elliot

beth elliot

urban design

We call urban social change the redefinition of urban meaning. We call urban planning the negotiated adaptation of urban functions to a shared urban meaning. We call Urban Design the symbolic attempt to express an accepted urban meaning in certain urban forms. Manuel Castells

urban design (Diploma/MSc in Urban Design) (Diploma in Architecture & Urban Design) (*Exchange) (**Master of Architecture, ESALA) The Urban Design programme at eca is aimed at graduates and practising professionals from a wide range of disciplines. It reflects the thinking from the Scottish Government, and others, that planners, architects, landscape architects, engineers and surveyors should all be encouraged to study urban design at postgraduate level. unit tutors Leslie Forsyth Lucy Montague students Fergus Browne Denise Cannon David Jordan Josh MacPhee Ross McNee Milda Mieldazyte Diana Miller Anna Molas Craig Thomson

urban design

semester 1 Taught in the Scottish Centre for Conservation Studies (SCCS), established in 1990, this is a modular programme, usually with 60 credits of teaching activity in each semester. The course starts with a thorough grounding in the significance and the techniques of methodical recording, summary description and detailed building analysis, and an introduction to the historical and theoretical framework of architectural conservation. Although the historical overview stretches back to classical antiquity and the Renaissance, there is a particular focus on the 20th century: the conservation of modern architecture forms the subject of one elective module. semester 2 Students are introduced to the variety, nature, performance and repair of traditional building materials and the analysis of the role of design intervention within historic environments. Some evening activities, including the weekly Conservation Masterclasses (now in their 32nd year) and participation in the cases panel of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland, help make this a packed semester, along with an overseas tour focusing on critical issues within the history and theory of conservation. The Diploma course comes to an end with an examination of the issue of the conservation of areas, rather than buildings - including urban ensembles and landscapes. A specially focused Research Methods module has recently been introduced in this semester.

diana miller

Kinaesthetic Perception of Routes, Cordoba As described in Peter Bosselmanns article Images in Motion, the urban environment can affect perception of time and distance. Based on this premise, the elements which might be used to create routes which are perceptually shorter in time and distance were explored. Consistent, high density, fine grain, irregular built form produces this effect and these characteristics were used in the preparation of the masterplan. It is derived from routes which connect three entry points to the site. Routes were eroded from a solid mass taking cues from the medieval centre before the whole was refined into a viable development.

diana miller

diana miller

The Quantum City, Battersea Quantum urbanism is a newly formed theoretical approach by Ayssar Arida considering alternative techniques of planning and designing the city, using the language of quantum physics. In the masterplan this flamboyant and at times, opaque theory is distilled into its three key concepts of diventity, duality and the particle-wave relationship before urban design principles are extrapolated in order to bridge the gap between theoretical discourse and spatial manifestation. The outcome reflects the organic and interconnected nature of the city, using the Quantum Continuum to create transitional spaces where traditional boundaries are eroded.

fergus browne

fergus browne

City As Urban Ecology, Cordoba This urban design project draws upon the principles of Urban Ecology, the symbiotic relationship between manmade and nature. It looks at how wilderness and cultivated nature intertwines with the city and the multiple benefits this can yield in terms of social, economic and environmental sustainability. The primary organiser is a north to south green corridor which connects the medieval city centre to the periphery and hinterland beyond. The secondary organisers are the lateral river ecology fingers that connect the interior of the peninsula to the Guadalquivir river. A tertiary grid creates a framework for a multitude of urban ecology land uses, such as urban agriculture, designed to bring diversity to the open space.

josh macphee

josh macphee

milda mieldazyte

The Contemporary City, Battersea The urban design masterplan is based on Le Corbusiers Contemporary City principles, which are modified to accommodate the site and current requirements. An existing railway is used to separate commercial from residential uses. The former will be developed as a business park with retail outlets and the latter as residential plots of three thousand square meters. Each plot will be allocated to a different developer in an attempt to create variety in the built form. The park connecting the residential area with the river continues the strict orthogonal structure of the streets down to the waterside.

milda mieldazyte

architectural conservation

For us, a person is a hero and deserves special interest only if their nature and education have rendered them able to let their individuality be almost perfectly absorbed in its hierarchic function, without at the same time forfeiting the vigorous, fresh, admirable impetus which make for the savour and worth of the individual. Hermann Hesse

architectural conservation (Diploma/MSc in Architectural Conservation) (Diploma in Architecture and Architectural Conservation) (*Exchange) (**Master of Architecture, ESALA) In the face of the inexorable forces of cultural globalisation, architectural conservation is becoming increasingly important as a way of helping nurture local, regional, and national identity. This programme is conceived as a broad introduction to the knowledge, values, skills and experiences of architectural conservation. It is emphatically not a design course, involving individual studio-based work in the manner traditional to postgraduate architectural study, but a multi-disciplinary programme embracing all aspects of care for the existing built environment, both in its substance and its associated values. unit tutor Miles Glendinning Erin Lloyd Michael MacDonagh Suzannah Meade Luke Moloney Alyssa Mort *Sirli Naska Caroline Newton Ioanna Nikoli Emma Rose Angeliki Vastaki Laura Wardrop Vicky Webster Stuart West students Hiba al Khalaf Catherine Arceneaux Alastair Cook James Cotter Emmenuelle Fayolle Feng Feng Andreas Gaertner Niall Gallacher Jonathan Gott Kate de Haan Natalie Irigoyen

architectural conservation

jonathan gott

Bradford Odeon The preservation of cinema architecture poses its own specific dilemma, due to it being a fundamentally technologically based art form. This is also coupled with a large public emotive attachment to the architecture, based on memory and association with specific personal lifetime events. This project concentrates on the specific restoration problems of the Bradford Odeon and more specifically its external brickwork. A detailed analysis of the buildings decay culminated in recommendations for repair that complemented the buildings function and character.

jonathan gott

jonathan gott

Maeshowe Monuments The main chambers of the Maeshowe-type group of monuments are generally rectangular in plan with three side cells and are immediately distinguished from the Orkney-Cromarty tombs by their high corbelled roofs, by not being divided into compartments and by the absence of the use of orthostats in their construction. The monuments are invariably accessed via a long low passageway which dictates the posture of those entering the inner-chamber and the manner by which the structures are experienced by visitors. These features are similar to the passage tombs that developed along the west coast of Europe throughout the Neolithic, having originated in the Iberian peninsula, and this resulted in the Maeshowetype monuments being reclassified in 1866 as passage graves, thought today to demonstrate the diffusion of ideas, beliefs and practices across Neolithic Europe whilst exemplifying how direct contact was maintained across the sea for extended periods in pre-history. In Britain, Neolithic passage graves are distributed throughout Cornwall, Wales, Northern Ireland, the west coast of Scotland and Orkney, with Maeshowe being described as the pinnacle of European passage grave technology. Dating to approximately 3000BC, it is the sheer scale of Maeshowe, the refinement of its design and the quality of its masonry which makes it one of the most outstanding architectural achievements of prehistoric Western Europe, setting it apart from all other Maeshowe-style structures and recognised tombs alike.

stuart west

stuart west

Conservation Technology Historic Irish Brickwork Brick has been used in Ireland as a substantive building material since the sixteenth century. It is a versatile, attractive, and durable material requiring minimal maintenance. It is well suited to the Irish climate and will generally last for centuries, provided that it has been properly made, detailed and laid. However, the survival of brickwork is dependent upon a range of factors, specifically the original quality of construction, design detailing and the laying of the actual brick. Brick can be damaged by inappropriate repairs, badly specified or poorly executed re-pointing or cleaning, and is especially vulnerable to on-going water saturation. This report will focus on a case study building to consider what are appropriate repairs having regard to established conservation philosophies and ethics. Case Study: No. 82 North Wall Quay, Dublin 1, Ireland No. 82 is an end of terrace three-story brick building constructed in the latter half of the nineteenth century. It initially served as a warehouse. The building is currently vacant but recently accommodated a number of commercial and storage businesses. The building is made from machine-made polychromatic and moulded red brick with a yellow string course in an english and stretcher bonding style, respectively. It contains chamfered brick around the windows, roll-moulded brick surrounding the main door, and blind oculus detailing to both the front and rear gables. Visual Problems in the Brickwork The main signs of problematic brickwork are: cracks or bulges, bricks becoming loosened or dislodged, spalling, surface staining from organic growth, efflorescence,

michael macdonagh

algae growth, and soft, loose or crumbling mortar.

No. 82 contains all of the above mentioned defects. The bricks themselves are in very poor condition with spalling evident on all floors and on all facades. Structural Defects A large crack to the east of the front facade is visible extending from the groundfloor, through the brick dividing the ground and first-floor window openings, to the base of the second-floor window above. Spalling The building has been re-pointed using a hard cementitious mortar in the 1990s. It is not only visually unacceptable, using inappropriate heavy-handed weather struck and cut profile inappropriate for the period construction of the building, it has caused, and will continue to cause, serious problems to the integrity of the brick. Water Saturation and Frost Damage The efficient and effective disposal of rainwater from No. 82 is also severely lacking. This has allowed for the saturation of the brickwork and, subsequently, freeze-thaw action to significantly damage the bricks. Not only are the main rainwater disposal goods a haphazard collection of nineteenth century cast iron downpipes and hoppers, and twentieth century asbestos gutters, internal onto parapet walls, but they are ineffectively connected to one another. In addition, they are not effectively connected into the local surface water drainage network with the majority of downpipes releasing water onto the public pathway. These downpipes also appear to be filled with stagnant water continually soaking the surrounding brickwork even at elevated levels. Salt Crystallisation There appears to be a significant degree of efflorescence on the front gable.

michael macdonagh

Atmospheric Pollution Despite the significant level of water saturation evident, there are also significant levels of pollutants on surfaces underneath of the front facades cill course. Damage from Vegetation The building is relatively clear of vegetation, however some vegetation can be found at the base of the downpipes on the eastern side of the building. The only other significant piece of vegetation, which is more worrying, is that located at second floor level. This is probably buddleia, which can grow to significant sizes with an extensive root system. It could potentially cause significant problems to the brickwork. Original Construction Defects A flaw in the original detailing of the building is the lack of a continuous granite plinth extending from the southern facade of the building to the eastern side. This would have prevented the excessive erosion of the lower five bands of brick. This, presumably, has been an issue since the City Council paved the adjacent footpath in cement at a near horizontal level. This has allowed significant rainwater splashback onto the building and prevented stagnant water from being removed from its vicinity. This problem has been exacerbated by the fact that a significant number of the buildings downpipes release water straight onto this pavement and not into the surface water drainage network Additional Issues Security Structures In recent years, the building has had a number of extensive and intrusive security measures installed at ground-floor level in particular. These include window grills, security doors and roller shutters. This has led to extensive damage to the chamfered brick reveals and mouldings at ground floor level.

michael macdonagh

Graffiti The building also suffers from some instances of graffiti spraying. Utilities Infrastructure There is an extensive variety of utilities wiring attached to the buildings southern and eastern facades. These both detract aesthetically from the building but are also attached to the brick. Poor Quality Repairs The building has also had a number of poor-quality repairs. Some of the original brick appears to have been repaired either in situ or re-used, however a significant number of additional bricks have been used that do not match the original colour of the original brickwork. There have also been a variety of what appear to be mortar or plastic repairs to the chamfered and roll-moulded brick surrounding the windows and doors. These repairs have been of an exceptionally poor quality. Conservation Strategy No. 82s Cultural Heritage Value The buildings cultural significance is largely derived from its architectural and historical heritage values. The simplistic yet distinctive warehouse architectural style and variety of brick design features evident on the building are of a very high-quality design and show the expertise of brick-making and laying craftsmanship available at this time in Dublin. The buildings original function and architectural design are clearly rooted in the historical significance of the wider North Docks area. It is now a rare example of the historical legacy of this Quay and it is vital that it be retained intact. The buildings height, narrow plot ratio and hierarchical manner of addressing two street elevations typifies the morphology of the late nineteenth century industrial and mixed-use nature of the area.

michael macdonagh

In addition to these factors, is the associative heritage that No. 82 shares. It is adjoined by another historic red brick building to the west, No. 81 North Wall Quay. No. 81 was originally a joinery workshop constructed in the 1860s and later converted into a public house in 1908. Together, these buildings are rare survivors of the intensive development pressure experienced within the North Docks area in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The fact that both buildings satisfied very different uses within the area and yet share a common boundary increases their heritage importance immeasurably. Conservation Principles Conservation is, by its very meaning, any action taken to prevent further decay in a built structure. It involves making interventions at various scales and levels of intensity which are determined by the physical condition, causes of deterioration and the anticipated future environment of the structure under treatment. Each case must be considered as a whole and individually take all factors into account. After preparing a statement of cultural significance and the outlining the value of the site or structure, conservation guidelines require that four basic intervention principles be adhered to as rigidly as possible: i. A minimal level of intervention is undertaken: conservation is based on a respect for the existing fabric and should involve the least possible physical intervention. It should not distort the evidence provided by the fabric (Australia ICOMOS, 1999). A minimal loss of historic fabric: conservation should... show the greatest respect for, and involve the least possible loss of, material of cultural heritage value (ICOMOS New Zealand, 1993). All restoration must be reversible and must not prejudice any future possible intervention: the use of reversible processes is always preferred to allow... the correction of unforeseen problems, or where the integrity of the resource could be affected (ICOMOS Canada, 1983).

ii. iii.

michael macdonagh

iv.

New work must be distinguishable: replacements of missing parts must integrate harmoniously with the whole, but at the same time must be distinguishable from the original so that restoration does not falsify the artistic or historic evidence (CATHM, 1964).

The nature and condition of No. 82 North Wall Quay presents some theoretical difficulties when trying to establish a strategy for conservation. In the case of No. 82, a significant degree of damage has occurred to the buildings brickwork and numerous restorative repairs are now urgently required. However, in line with the Conservation Charters, only necessary interventions should take place. These should have the least possible impact upon, and the least loss of, the buildings historic fabric, and should be performed by appropriately trained personnel using traditional methodologies and compatible materials that are distinguishable from the original fabric, unless traditional techniques prove inadequate. With these ethical considerations in mind, only then can conservation work commence. Analysis of Options for Repair and Conservation With all building conservation proposals, there are a variety of options available when assessing the level of conservation works appropriate for a structure. These range as follows: i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. no action, indirect action (repairing the rainwater disposal goods, thereby removing a cause of water saturation in a wall for example), repairs using the same material and following traditional craft methods, repairs using the same material but non traditional methods, repairs with a material different from the original, and full or partial replacement.

michael macdonagh

Suggested Conservation Approach Based on the six options outlined above and given the cultural heritage importance of the building, inaction can be immediately discounted. Given the fact that the building is structurally sound and that the original detailing is largely sufficient at shedding water away from the building, repairs using a material different from the original applied using non-traditional craft methods or partial or full replacement are deemed to be excessive conservation proposals. Ultimately, a conservative repair approach is considered to be the most appropriate method of repairing the brickwork. This is effectively a combination of action ii and iii above, which will involve both indirect actions and conservation works that replicate the original materials and construction methods used in the mid-nineteenth century. Repair Techniques Although the remit of this report is to outline repair methods for the buildings brickwork, it is also deemed necessary to outline additional indirect repairs to help to preserve the brickwork into the longer-term. i. ii. It is recommended that a structural engineer be employed to further investigate the reasoning for the structural movement and action taken to rectify the issue. A full inspection of the 1950s roof should be undertaken. This roof is at least forty years old and is at the end of its life cycle. Replacement will be required in the short-term and due to the lightweight nature of the current roof, the underlying steel trusses may require strengthening to accept a new finish. It is recommended that the asbestos gutters also be removed and replaced with appropriately-sized versions capable of removing the levels of water recorded during periods of high rainfall. The existing hoppers and downpipes should be retained, rodded and replacement sections be inserted at ground floor level where they are missing or badly distorted. These rainwater disposal goods should be effectively connected to the

iii.

michael macdonagh

iv.

v.

underground surface water drainage network, which should also be rodded to ensure that it is not blocked. It is also apparent that rising damp is also evident at ground floor level. It is recommended that a specialist be employed to open-up the walls, establish their construction and select the most suitable method of damp proof coursing and treatment to rectify the problem. In addition, the lack of a plinth on the rear and side elevations has allowed rainwater splash back to erode the mortar in the joints of the first five bands of brick. It is advised that the front elevations granite plinth be continued around the building, or at the very least along the eastern elevation.

Brickwork Cleaning Following the rectification of the rainwater disposal goods, it is then recommended that the brickwork be cleaned with water using fine, nebulous sprays to create a mist against the soiled brick. This will allow for the removal of all soiling and graffiti, and the appropriate matching of replacement brick and a lime-based mortar for repointing. Cementitious Pointing Mortar The cementitious pointing mortar added in the 1990s, was not an original building construction material, if it was performing its function in protecting the adjacent brickwork, then there would be justification in keeping it in situ. However, it is failing to perform such a function and is instead compromising the continued structural integrity of the brickwork and ultimately the building itself. It is recommended that it be removed from the building. In addition to this concern, the heavy-handed weather struck bonding style used would not have been a traditional finish for this building and currently the aesthetic integrity of the building is being compromised. Initial testing of the effect that the removal of the cementitious mortar has on the integrity of the brick should be conducted in an inconspicuous area. If the damage caused is deemed to be unacceptable then the mortar should be left in situ. However, if it deemed to be acceptable, the existing mortar joints should be

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cut-out using hand tools by skilled operatives in a way that respects, and does not damage, the historic brickwork. After cutting-out, all surfaces should be vacuumed clean of debris to avoid any run-off staining the brickwork when the joints are being dampened in preparation for re-pointing operations. Repair of the Brickwork Once the mortar has been removed, the repair of the brickwork may be undertaken. The condition of the brickwork is generally extremely poor. On large sections of the wall the faces of many bricks have spalled. Although, this may be the result of the frost damage or the fact that the original bricks were of a poor quality, it is most likely that the fault lies with the presence of the cementitious mortar. The protective patina of many of the bricks has been lost leaving the absorbent part of the brick exposed to further erosion. Large areas of the brick will be required to be replaced in the short-term. As a result, an alternative supply of bricks is required and the wholesale replacement of bricks is now essential to the continued integrity of the building. An assessment of each wall will need to be undertaken and the identification of bricks for replacement or repair will need to be undertaken. Once this is done, replacement brick can be either manufactured specifically for the building or, more likely, salvaged brick may be used. These bricks will be of a variety of shapes and will include both chamfered and roll-moulded bricks. Although the yellow brick is in very good condition, replacement bricks will only be needed where the original door was inserted. The bedding mortar used for the replacement bricks should be of a softer limebased mortar. In conjunction with the removal of the cementitious mortar and the brickwork replacement, an investigation into what the composition of the original mortar was should be undertaken and replicated for use as a bedding mortar and repointing purposes. If the original jointing and pointing styles cannot be ascertained, styles that were appropriate to the original construction date of the building or for which there is an historical precedent should be used instead.

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Re-pointing Once the bricks have been either repaired or replaced and bedded into the wall, and if it is apparent that the front facade was subsequently re-pointed, as was traditional at the time, the re-pointing of the brickwork may begin in either the original style discovered during investigation of primary and secondary sources, or a style deemed to be appropriate. Conclusion In conclusion, this case study has been an example of how problems can arise in conserving historic brickwork. Given bricks robustness, this has been mainly due to a lack of knowledge and understanding about bricks and traditional brick craftsmanship, and ultimately the role of more modern building materials and techniques with historic fabrics.

Bibliography Australia ICOMOS (1999) The Australia ICOMOS Charter for the Conservation of Places of Cultural Significance, Burra: Australia ICOMOS. Congress of Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments (CATHM). The International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites, Venice, 1964. ICOMOS Canada (1983) The Appleton Charter, [online] available from http://www. international.icomos.org/charters/appleton.pdf [accessed on 15th April 2010]. ICOMOS New Zealand (1993) [online] available from http://www.icomos.org/docs/ nz_92charter.html [accessed on 15th April 2010].

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research contexts

architecture and well-being Design for Autism. The principal vein of Iain Scotts research is to provide designers with greater insight into the needs and desires of particular special needs user groups, so that through this insight they will be able to create spaces which are particular to the experience of the people that use them. urban design Leslie Forsyths research interests include the ways in which the built environment is produced and the processes which enable or inhibit that production. This interest is reflected by encouraging students to provide both a theoretical basis for their work and a means of implementation through which their designs might be realised. The emerging focus of Lucy Montagues research is the relationship between theory and praxis in urban design. Central to this is the use of design as a methodology. architectural conservation Eleven lecturers and tutors are involved in delivering the Architectural Conservation programme. In keeping with the multi-disciplinary character of the course, their research interests are very varied, ranging from the geology of Scottish stone (Ewan Hyslop), the international theory of urban conservation (Ruxandra Stoica) and the history of the traditional Scottish town (Geoffrey Stell) to the international history of mass housing and of Modern architecture, and contemporary architectural criticism (Miles Glendinning).

architecture and the arts Colin Gilmours research investigates how the creative arts can help shape the process of architectural design, either through direct experience or external collaboration, thereby gathering unique possibilities which can enhance the designers response to complex issues. architecture and urbanism Derek Frasers research interests in the Architecture of Berlin, Modern Danish Housing and Global Urban Typologies inform his teaching within the unit. Presently, he is writing a chapter for the Earthscan book, Design Strategies for Urban Waterfronts based on recent urban developments in Copenhagens south harbour. This research builds on collaborations established through his teaching exchange with the Royal Danish Academy of fine Arts. contemporary architectural intervention Mark Cousins research interests oscillate between the material and the critical. As an architect practicing in Edinburgh, he is particularly sensitive to the problems of working within the confines of the World Heritage Site. However, architecture is an iterative process and requires an inclusive approach to operate successfully in any historic urban context. If we are to escape accusations of creeping ossification, our cities have to embrace well-considered contemporary architectural interventions and remain truly sustainable.

published and distributed by Edinburgh College of Art. for further information contact: School of Architecture Edinburgh College of Art Lauriston Place Edinburgh EH3 9DF Scotland United Kingdom www.eca.ac.uk acknowledgments: The editors wish to thank students and staff at the Edinburgh College of Art who contributed to the preparation of this booklet. Special thanks to Lucy Montague for design and coordination. edited by: Leslie Forsyth Derek Fraser Lucy Montague Chris Speed cover image: John K McGregor printed and finished by: Cova Colour Print all images and text eca 2010